Carotenemia in mentally retarded children I. Incidence and etiology

The incidence and etiology of carotenemia in mentally retarded children were examined. Fasting serum carotenoid and vitamin A levels were measured in 77 profoundly mentally retarded children aged 3 to 19 years who were receiving a standard diet containing 2000 IU of carotene (expressed in terms of vitamin A activity) and supplemented by 2000 IU of vitamin A daily. Seventeen of the 77 patients had serum carotenoid levels of more than 300 μg./ml. The particulate size of food had a significant inverse relationship to serum carotenoid levels and was an important factor in determining carotenemia. The serum vitamin A level was also higher in children on homogenized diet than in those on pureed feeds, while the lowest level was noted among patients on a chopped diet. Besides particulate size of food, other factors may also be operative in determining carotenemia.     

Medico-genetic study of the population of Uzbekistan. I. Incidence and variety of hereditary pathology]

In district of the Samarkand province the screening for families burdened with multiple cases of non-infectious diseases was performed. The principles of the applied screening procedure are described in the present paper. In the course of clinical examination 98 families were detected, 55 of which included more than one person suffering presumably with Mendelian diseases and 43--with multifactorial disorders. Over 30 nosological forms were found, among which orthopaedic and neurological forms were the most frequent. As a rule, identical cases were detected in one or two families. The role of certain genetic processes in the distribution of hereditary diseases in the Uzbek population is discussed.     

Detection and Incidence of Specific Species of Spoilage Bacteria on Fish: I. Methodology

The ability of Pseudomonas putrefaciens to form H(2)S was found to serve as a singularly useful criterion of identity for this species and was used to directly enumerate the organism from haddock fillets by the use of pour plates of Peptone-Iron Agar. Subsurface colonies appear intensely black, whereas surface colonies are black or gray. A highly sensitive soft-agar-gelatin overlay technique has been found useful for directly determining the numbers of weakly and strongly proteolytic organisms from fish tissue.     

Neural tube defects in curly-tail mice. I. Incidence, expression and similarity to the human condition.

The incidence of neurovertebral defects in mutant mice of the curly-tail strain was investigated and found to be similar to that observed in the same mice twenty-five years ago. The results of breeding experiments support the hypothesis of Grüneberg that the defects in these mice are probably caused by a recessive gene, the expression of which is markedly affected by the genetic background. Selection against the curly-tail phenotype for six generations did not affect the incidence of abnormalities. A marked excess of females was found among exencephalic mice, as among humans with neural tube defects. Similarly, polyhydramnios, hydrocephaly, high levels of amniotic fluid alphafoetoprotein and distinctive, rapidly adhering cells in the amniotic fluid also occurred in these mice, as in humans. The curly-tail mice thus provide a useful model for the investigation of neural tube defects in man.     

Cytamoeba bacterifera Labbé, 1894. I. Morphology and Host Incidence of the Parasite in California.

SVXOPSIS. Parasites belonging to the genus Cytamoeba have been found in amphibians from central and northern California. The infected animals and their numbers were (URODELA) Aneides flavipunctatus (2), A. lugubris (29), Batrachoseps a. atttnuatus (81). Dicamptodon ensatus (2), and (SALIENTIA) Rana b. boyli (1). The rates of infection varied between 0.6% and 29.3%, and the number of parasites per infected cell ranged from one to seven.
Preparations stained with haematoxylin and Romanowsky dyes indicated several types of parasite: some were homogeneous, others possessed several dark staining granules and some possessed large, dark staining central bodies or peripheral dark staining rims. Parasites were seen in the erythrocytes, the plasma and, occasionally, in endothelial cells and monocytes. They were found in the peripheral and heart blood and in the blood of the liver, spleen, kidneys and lungs. Cell division was common in erythrocytes, and yielded daughter cells of identical size. In some cases, chains of 3 to 5 individuals were seen and, rarely, three bodies, in a cloverleaf configuration, were produced as the result of a single division. Following acid hydrolysis, methylene blue-stained parasites showed a peripheral ring of granules, and, in some, a few stained centrally located bodies.     

Incidence of Vibrio alginolyticus and Bacteria of Sanitary Significance in the Bering Sea

The incidence of bacteria of sanitary significance and isolation of Vibrio alginolyticus during a subtidal clam assessment study in the Bering Sea are described. Vibrio parahaemolyticus was not detected in clams, sediment, or seawater.     

Single Umbilical Artery: Incidence,Clinical Significance and Relation to Autosomal Trisomy

In a study of 2500 consecutive births at the Women''s Pavilion, Winnipeg General Hospital, a single umbilical artery was found to be present in 0.2% of all births. This is considerably less than the incidence of 1% of all births quoted in the literature. We believe the lower figure more representative of the true incidence. The association of a single umbilical artery with multiple congenital malformations is confirmed, and in addition there appears to be a significant association of late maternal age and low birth weight in the group in which a single umbilical artery was found. The finding of a single umbilical artery in three of six cases of autosomal trisomy is noted. Routine examination of the cord in all births is indicated, and the presence of a single umbilical artery should alert the physician to the possibility of the presence of congenital malformation which may not be clinically evident on ordinary examination of the newborn infant.     

A Population Study of Spergula arvensis: I. Two Clines and their Significance

Two seed-coat forms (the presence or absence of papillae) andtwo hairiness forms (medium or densely hairy) of Spergula arvensisare differently distributed through the British Isles, theirrelative frequencies being correlated with latitude and altitude.The proportions of the non-papillate and densely hairy formsincrease with increasing distance from Kent to the north-north-westand also with increasing altitude. A possible explanation is that the diverse forms indicate selectivedifferences. Experiments have been carried out to test thishypothesis and the evidence supports it. The non-papillate formproduces a lower proportion of fertile capsules than the papillateform when grown at a high temperature and low humidity. Alsothe non-papillate seeds germinate more readily than the papillateseeds at low temperatures, whereas at higher temperatures thereverse is true. It is suggested that hybrid vigour, fluctuating selection intensities,and migration may all play a part in maintaining the observeddistribution of the various forms.     

The Hospital Incidence and Clinical Significance of Congenital Heart Malformations Resulting from Rubella Embryopathy

A retrospective study is reported of 75 children with rubella embryopathy syndrome, admitted to the Health Centre for Children, Vancouver General Hospital, during the four-year period from July 1, 1964 to July 1, 1968.Sixty-four of the 75 had cardiovascular malformations, 37 had ophthalmological defects, 31 had nerve deafness and three were mentally retarded. The most common cardiovascular defects were patent ductus arteriosus (36 patients), ventricular septal defect (22 patients) and pulmonary valvular stenosis (17 patients).Ninety-three per cent of the mothers had a history of exposure to rubella during their first trimester.The administration of gamma globulin to mothers exposed to rubella did not prevent fetal damage.Although this group of patients accounted for only 6% of children requiring open-heart surgery, it did account for 27% of the children having closed-heart surgical procedures and 10% of the case load of the cardiac catheterization laboratory.