Anterograde amnesia and memory for temporal order

Because amnesic patients have great difficulty remembering the order in which events occur, anterograde amnesia has sometimes been considered to be a selective defect in this ability. The present study showed that temporal order information is fragile in normal subjects to the same extent as it is in amnesic patients. It is suggested that in many respects amnesic patients qualitatively resemble normal subjects tested long after learning.     

Skin wound approximation with new absorbable suture material

A new rapid strength loss catgut suture material can be used for skin closures in wounds of the face and body. Seventy-six comparisons were made under controlled conditions between the new material and one formerly recommended. The new material was used in 588 other wounds as well. It is concluded that the new material is superior to the other in several important ways.     

Ophthalmological examination of the infant. Developmental aspects

In recent years, the ophthalmic examination of infants has been of increasing interest to both clinicians and vision researchers. Clinicians have documented a greater risk of retinopathy, strabismus and amblyopia in premature infants, especially those of low birthweight. In addition to the external and retinal examination of the infant eye, a number of clinical tests can help the ophthalmologist to detect visual dysfunction through the evaluation of pupillary responses and ocular motility. Recently, the development of objective techniques (optokinetic nystagmus, forced choice preferential looking, and visually evoked potentials) have not only aided in the detection of ophthalmic disorders in infants; they have contributed to useful definitions of “normal” vision at various ages and to the understanding of factors that influence the pre- and post-gestational development of visual function.     

Intracerebral penetration and tissue distribution of 2,5-diaziridinyl 3,6-bis(carboethoxyamino) 1,4-benzoquinone (AZQ,NSC-182986)

[¹⁴C]AZQ (2–4 mg/m², 100–200 mCi) was administered at varying times to five patients undergoing surgical resection of intracerebral tumors. Plasma, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), edematous brain, and tumor specimens were obtained during surgery and the concentration of AZQ was determined radiochemically and chromatographically. Total [¹⁴C]AZQ equivalent concentration in tumor for two patients was determined to be 47.5% and 85% of concurrent plasma concentration which was similar to that found in normal brain (60.4% and 75.5% respectively). Only 18–45% of the total radioactivity in tumor tissue and 30–56% in plasma were accounted for by unchanged AZQ. These findings suggest that AZQ may be metabolized to a certain extent. Tissue samples from various organs were obtained during autopsy in a patient who expired ten days after AZQ administration. The highest AZQ concentration was found in the liver, followed by the kidney. Comparable amounts were found in normal brain and brain tumor (22 ng/ g vs. 31 ng/ g respectively). These results indicate that AZQ penetrates readily into the normal brain and brain tumor with a tendency to persist.     

The effect of protracted tetracycline treatment on bone growth and maturation

Mature female rhesus monkeys were used to evaluate the effects of a one-year course of tetracycline (50 mg/kg/day, intramuscularly) on the formation, maturation, and mineralization of mandibular bone. The bones from the treated group contained normal concentrations of calcium (Ca), inorganic phosphorus (Pi), and hydroxyproline (HO-Pr), and the treatment schedule did not alter the distribution (percentage) of total osteons into slightly, moderately, and highly mineralization classes. Tetracycline impairs bone mineralization and the subsequent maturation of the mineral and matrix moieties. The percentage of highly mineralized osteons labeled with tetracycline is subnormal. Density gradient fractionation studies indicate the presence of abnormally high Ca/Pi ratios in the temporally young newly formed bone mineral and somewhat higher ratios in the most mature bone fraction. Protracted tetracycline treatment at high dosages impairs bone growth and maturation in adult rhesus monkeys.     

Thalamic afferents from the dorsal column nuclei. An experimental anatomical study in the rat

The distribution of axons originating in the dorsal column nuclei has been studied using the Nauta technique on brains witth lesions restricted to small parts of the gracile and cuneate nuclei. The caudal area of each nucleus projects contralaterally to the ventrobasal complex in a topographical manner and in small amount to the pars medialis of the medial geniculate body. In addition, the rostral part of each nucleus sends axons to the contralateral zona incerta, anterior pretectal nucleus and posterolateral complex within the diencephalon as well as to the collicular plate and pontine protuberance of the brain stem. There is no clear evidence of a projection to the area comparable to the posterior thalamic complex of the cat. This work establishes the identity of some of the cytoarchitectonic divisions of the rat diencephalon, and indicates that the rostro-caudal differences shown for the dorsal column nuclei are reflected in their ascending projections.