A microcomputer-based data acquisition system for continuous recording of feeding and drinking by rats

A monitoring system to continuously record the daily pattern of drinking and eating of rats is described. This system, based on a North Star microcomputer, can record the amount of food ingested with a temporal resolution of +/- 1.0 second and quantitative accuracy within +/- 5%. Drinking behavior is detected using a drinkometer which also has a temporal resolution of +/- 1.0 second. Data are analyzed by computer to determine absolute amounts of consumption and patterns of intake. The patterns of feeding and drinking recorded by this system are similar to those observed using other monitoring devices.     

Effect of ageing of serum on consumption of antibody by B1C-globulin determinants; evidence for circulating breakdown products in glomerulonephritis

Changes in antibody consumption by the A and D determinants of β_1C-globulin were found to increase as serum aged in vitro. Consumption by the A determinant was 1·6 times and by the D determinant, 2·5–3 times greater in aged serum than in fresh EDTA plasma. The most likely explanation for the increased consumption with ageing is steric changes occurring as the β_1C molecule fragments into β_1A and α_2D, resulting in exposure of additional antibody combining sites. In specimens from patients with hypocomplementemic nephritis, the increase in consumption with ageing was less than in normal subjects. The data add to the evidence presented in earlier studies of the presence in vivo, in certain nephritics, of breakdown products of β_1C-globulin. The most abundant breakdown product would be α_2D-globulin.     

Statistical evaluation of a quality control method for isolation of pathogenic Vibrio species on selected thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose agars

The recovery of Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio fluvialis, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus, employing eight strains of each species, was studied by using four brands of thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose (TCBS) agar prepared according to manufacturers' instructions and following a standardized procedure. A standardized broth inoculum of each strain was placed on duplicate plates of each brand of TCBS agar and also on tryptic soy agar (Difco Laboratories) containing 1% (wt/vol) NaCl, the latter serving as the control. Plates were inoculated in a sequence designed to compensate for bias associated with multiplication of the bacteria during the inoculation procedure. Colony counts and quality of growth were recorded after incubation for 18 h at 35 degrees C. The comparison procedure was repeated four times at weekly intervals. Data were analyzed by using an analysis of variance model. The recovery and quality of growth of each species varied significantly on the different brands of TCBS agar. Significant variability was also identified for some components of the inoculation procedure. Modifications of the inoculation procedure are suggested to minimize sources of variance. A simplified statistical procedure, based on the t test, is described for media quality control for laboratories routinely isolating pathogenic Vibrio spp.     

Representation of the body in the lateral striatum of the freely moving rat: single neurons related to licking

This study examined the relationship of single-neuron activity (n = 739), recorded from the lateral striatum of freely moving rats, to oral movements involved in licking single drops of liquid. Certain neurons (n = 74) fired specifically in relation to licking. Their firing rates increased during licking, but remained near zero in the absence of licking, throughout a full sensorimotor examination of the remainder of the orofacial area and all other body parts. Another category of neurons (n = 17) fired during licking but also fired in the absence of licking, during one or more other orofacial sensorimotor function(s). Lick-related neurons were located in the lateral striatum, throughout the entire anterior-posterior range studied (from +1.5 to -1.5 mm anterior-posterior, A-P, bregma = 0). Summed over the full A–P range, they were located significantly ventral to representations of the trunk and limbs. These findings extend the characterization of the somatotopic organization exhibited by lateral striatal neurons in the rat, to include representation of oral functions, consistent with converging evidence regarding the functional organization of the striatum.     

Antiphospholipid antibodies and the outcome of pregnancy after the first in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer cycle

Increased antiphospholipid antibody prevalence has been demonstrated by a number of recent studies in in-vitro fertilization (IVF) patients but the potential effects of antiphospholipid antibodies on the different components of the reproductive process and the consideration of whether to test IVF patients for antiphospholipid antibodies are controversial. The present study was undertaken to investigate the possible association between the presence of circulating antiphospholipid antibodies (namely the lupus anticoagulant and anticardiolipin antibodies), among a series of 21 consecutive IVF patients having a clinical spontaneous abortion after their first embryo transfer. As a control group (n=42), the nearest IVF cycle resulting in an ongoing pregnancy before and after each miscarried IVF cycle (i.e. the closest cycles in temporal relationship to the index cycle) was used. One patient (4.8%) in the study group and two women (4.8%) among controls were seropositive for antiphospholipid antibodies. These low and similar seropositivity rates found in the two groups studied lead us to conclude that antiphospholipid antibodies testing in IVF patients should be considered only in those women having repeated failures of implantation/clinical abortion after embryo transfer but not in an infertile general population reaching an IVF programme.      

Generation of sheep X (sheep X mouse) heterohybridoma cell line expressing the beta-1 integrin membrane molecule

Sheep are an important biological model in such diverse areas as immunology and reproductive biology. The limitation of sheep as an experimental model is the absence of reliable cell lines. To establish cell lines that express functional sheep membrane molecules, we produced a sheep x mouse heterohybridoma by fusion of sheep efferent lymph T cells with the murine myeloma cell line NS1. A cloned heterohybridoma fusion partner was selected by treatment with 8-azaguanine. The resulting cell line HL1/385 was selected for hypoxanthine/aminopterin/thymidine (HAT) sensitivity and growth efficiency. The HL1/385 cell line was used as a back-fusion partner into lectin-stimulated efferent T lymphocytes. The back-fusion approach produced more than 50 heterohybrid cell lines with high growth efficiency. The expression of physiological levels of the sheep beta-1 integrin cell surface molecule on the HT4/6 cell line was stable for months in culture. These results suggest that somatic heterohybrids may provide a reliable source of cell lines for sheep studies in vitro.     

Choroid plexus carcinoma in a dog

Choroid plexus carcinoma was diagnosed in a 5-year-old female mixed breed dog which was euthanized due to progressive neurologic disease. Diagnosis of the tumour was based on gross and light microscopic findings following a complete necropsy. The chemical staining patterns in the case are compared with human choroid plexus tumours. The criteria for the distinction between benign and malignant variants of choroid plexus tumours are discussed.     

Historical comment on DSM-III schizoid and avoidant personality disorders

The authors examine the DSM-III distinction between schizoid and avoidant personality disorders. This distinction is based on Millon's biosocial learning theory and his interpretation of Kretschmer's personality types. The authors argue that this separation of a continuous distribution is historically misconceived and serves to obscure the significant features of schizoid personality. They examine Kretschmer's conceptualization of schizoid personality for the implications it carries for the development of a classification of personality disorder, suggesting that Kretschmer's approach implies a "polythetic" model of personality disorder that conceptualizes disorders as categories of dimensions.