Immunohistochemical localization of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease viral antigen

Summary Immunohistochemical investigations were carried out to determine organ and cellular localization of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease viral antigen (RHDVA). It was found in certain parenchymal liver cells near the interlobular septs and in some macrophages and pseudoeosinophils of all studied organs and blood. Whereas in morphologically preserved hepatocytes and macrophages the RHDVA accumulated in the nuclei, in cells with disintegrated nuclei it was distributed throughout the cytoplasm.     

Long-term follow-up after surgical treatment of cerebellar astrocytomas in 100 children

A retrospective study was performed in 100 children, who were operated on between 1954 and 1984 for cerebellar astrocytoma. Twenty-nine patients died during the 1st month after the operation. Of the patients who survived, 24 lived up to 5 years, 17 up to 10 years, and 30 lived 20 or more years. In 22 cases, tumor recurrence was the reason for reoperation. Radiation therapy was used in 25 cases with histological malignancy and/or after partial removal of the tumor. The analysis in 6 cases with brainstem involvement allowed us to conclude that in such cases the prognosis is poor with regard to survival. Although total removal of cerebral astrocytomas appears to be the most effective form of treatment, we are of the opinion that even subtotal excision may be compatible with long-term survival. This suggests that many of these tumors may show benign biological behavior.Presented at the XIth Meeting of the European Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, Naples, 1988     

Effect of thyroid hormones and IGL in vivo on protein synthesis in the mitochondria of thyroidectomized animals

The effect of tri-iodothyronine (T₃) and IGL on the intensity of incorporation of L-[¹⁴C]tyrosine and on the rate of protein synthesis in the liver mitochondria of thyroidectomized rats and on the radioactivity of the amino-acid pool in the liver was investigated. The intensity of incorporation of L-[¹⁴C]tyrosine into proteins in the liver mitochondria of thyroidectomized animals and the rate of protein synthesis in them were found to be only half of their values in animals undergoing mock operations. Administration of T₃ or IGL to thyroidectomized rats restored protein synthesis in the liver mitochondria to normal. IGL had a similar effect to T₃ on all biochemical indices studied. The absence of thyroid hormones circulating in thyroidectomized animals or administration of T₃ or IGL to them did not change the radioactivity of the free tyrosine pool in the liver tissue.Central Biophysical Laboratory, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR N. A. Yudaev.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 86, No. 8, pp. 167–170, August, 1978.     

Family planning in big town conditions depending on the birthplace of the parents.

The purpose of this article is to determind what effect if any place of birth has upon family size, both actual and ideal, in the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv. It is a retrospective study of 181 families comprised of 2 cohorts, one with couples married for 5 years, the other with couples married for 10 years. The author found that place of origin, whether rural, other towns, Plovdiv itself, or a combination of any two of those, had no significant effect on desired or ideal family size. 79.1% of the women considered the two-child family ideal. When asked to specify an ideal family size in the light of their personal experience, however, 17.8% preferred a single-child family. 18.6% in the 10-year cohort preferred this size and 16.8% in the 5-year cohort. This evidence that individuals retrospectively modify their ideal family size downwards. Those couples in which both partners came from villages had the highest actual family size (1.62). For the total contingent the average number of children was 0.14, smaller than the planned one.