C. A. Baumann

Requirement of the German Cockroach for Choline and Related Compounds.

Summary 1. The omission of choline from an otherwise adequate synthetic diet resulted in complete failure of roaches to grow and in death shortly thereafter. For optimal growth and maturation 2000–4000 γ of choline/g of diet were found to be needed. 2. The addition of dimethylaminoethanol or aminoethanol to diets lacking choline but containing 30% of casein resulted in little or no growth. The addition of methionine, dimethylaminoethanol and betaine as supplements to a diet low in choline resulted in an increased growth response in the order named. Aminoethanol was inactive. 3. Dietary betaine replaced choline quantitatively for growth and maturation at all levels of intake, and insects fed betaine contained nearly as much choline as those fed a corresponding amount of choline.

Skin Sterols IV. Distribution of Δ7-Cholestenol.

Summary 1. The concentration of Δ7-cholestenol in rat skin sterols increased rapidly from birth to 5-6 weeks of age but remained fairly constant thereafter. Skin sterols from adult male rats contained from 35-40% of Δ7-cholestenol while skin from females contained 25-30%. These proportions did not change in severe pantothenic acid deficiency nor in hypothyroidism. Hyperthyroidism, however, appeared to increase the concentration of Δ7-cholestenol in sterols from female rats. 2. The total fast-acting sterol in the skins of the wild rat and cotton rat were similar to those of the laboratory rat, while sterols from the skins of the mouse and guinea pig contained about 15% of a fast-acting component. The amounts of Δ7-cholestenol were low in the skins of the pig, rabbit, dog, calf, chicken, and cat. A sample of human skin and a human atheromatous aorta contained negligible amounts of the new sterol.

The carcinogenicity of p-dimethylaminoazobenzene in diets containing the fatty acids of hydrogenated coconut oil or of corn oil.

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), one of the most deeply rooted, harmful traditional practices, is still highly prevalent in many African countries, including Ethiopia. The reproductive health complications of FGM/C include acute hemorrhage, painful sexual life, the inability-to-conceive, fistula, and death secondary to birth complications. This study was aimed to assess the magnitude, associated factors and birth outcomes of FGM/C among women of reproductive age groups (15-49 years) in Gewane, Woreda from July 4 to 17, 2016. A population-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted using quantitative data collection methods. A sample of 792 women who ever gave birth was selected using systematic random methods. Data was collected using pretested questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS Version 21. Chi-square and logistic regression models were used to analyze and find the associations between the study variables. The prevalence of FGM/C among childbearing women was 90.8%. Infibulations (WHO Type III) was the predominantly (86.1%) practiced type of FGM/C. Higher age (AOR, 11.56; 95% CI: 2.56, 48.39), Afar Ethnic group (AOR, 4.55; 95% CI: 1.95-10.61), literate (AOR, 0.35; 95% CI: 0.15, 0.81) were factors significantly associated with FGM/C. A statistically significant association (P< 0.05) was found between FGM/C and perineal lacerations, episiotomy, postpartum complications, postpartum hemorrhage, wound infection, and stillbirth. FGM/C was highly prevalent in the study area. Infibulation, WHO Type III was the most severe form of FGM/C widely practiced. Age, ethnicity and literacy were associated with FGM/C. Women with Type III FGM/C was at higher risk of having birth and postpartum complications. Education, culturally sound community awareness raising programs, and enforcing legislation are recommended to reduce the adverse outcomes associated with FGM/C.

Lactic Dehydrogenase Isoenzymes in Tissues and Serum of Normal And Dystrophic Lambs.

Summary Serum from lambs with nutritional muscular dystrophy showed increases in all 5 forms of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH). The largest percentage increase occurred in LDH V, followed by isoenzymes IV, III, II and I. The largest absolute increase was in LDH III. Therapy with vit. E alone or with vit. E plus selenium restored normal levels of all isoenzymes. Treatment with selenium alone diminished serum LDH only temporarily. Data are presented for the LDH isoenzymes in lamb tissues. Skeletal muscle from dystrophic lambs showed a decrease in the percentage of LDH V and increases in the percentages of the other LDH forms. The other tissues from dystrophic animals showed an essentially normal LDH isoenzyme distribution.

Effect of Local Applications on Development of Ultraviolet Tumors.

Summary The rate of tumor production with ultraviolet light could be altered by the local application of certain substances to the tissues developing tumors. Of the oils tried, mineral oil accelerated tumor development most rapidly; cottonseed oil, olive oil, and wheat germ oil caused slight acceleration; linseed oil retarded tumor formation. Cholesterol in oil caused marked acceleration. Peroxides were without effect. 1,2,5,6, dibenzanthracene was also without effect.

Effect of Choline on Atherosclerosis in the Rabbit Aorta.

Summary Fatty livers, with some increase in liver cholesterol, were produced by feeding rabbits a diet containing 0.43% cholesterol; 0.22% cholesterol produced no changes in liver fat. Both levels of cholesterol produced marked atheromatous lesions, and a striking increase in the cholesterol content of the aorta and blood. Three hundred mg of choline hydrochloride daily failed to counter-act the effect of cholesterol in the blood, liver or aorta.

Effect of Dietary Variations upon the Toxicity of DDT to Rats or Mice.

Summary Mice fed 0.03% to 0.04% of DDT in a medium fat diet (5%) developed toxic symptoms and died; 0.10% to 0.15% of DDT in the same diet was necessary to produce a similar toxicity in the rat. A reduction in the level of dietary fat to 0.5% decreased the toxicity of DDT in both species; when the diet contained 15% of fat, the symptoms of toxicity were aggravated. Several different types of fat were essentially equal in aggravating the toxicity. On a low protein diet (10%) the toxicity of DDT was increased somewhat; whereas on a high protein diet (30%) the effects were variable.

Skin Sterols VII. Removal of Δ7-Cholestenol from Blood of Rats.∗

Summary 1. Δ7-Cholestenol or its acetate injected into the blood stream of the rat disappeared rapidly, less than half remaining in blood after 2 hours. At this time 34% of the injected Δ7-cholestenol was found in the lungs, spleen, and liver; 26% remained in these organs after 24 hours. 2. A substantial portion of the Δ7-cholestenol remaining was in the ester form. Injected Δ7-cholestenol acetate disappeared without any corresponding accumulation of free sterol. 3. Administration of free Δ7-sterol resulted in transient increases in the cholesterol content of blood, liver, lungs, and spleen. No comparable increases followed the injection of Δ7-cholestenol acetate.

Urinary Bladder Sterols.

Summary 1. Urinary bladders of many species were analyzed for cholesterol and “fast-acting” (δ7) sterol. Rodents showed the highest content of (δ7) sterol, the dog an intermediate level, and livestock very little. In rodents and in the dog 60-84% of the δ7-sterol was 7-dehydrocholesterol. All bladder sterol was unesterified. 2. The sterols were found to be more concentrated in the mucosa of the bladder than in the muscle layer, the δ7-sterol showing a greater concentration gradient than cholesterol. 3. Tissue slices of dog and mouse bladder incubated with CH3C14OONa in vitro incorporated label into both the δ7-sterol and the cholesterol fraction, but the specific activity of the former was much (35-150X) higher.

Heptaldehyde as a Tumor Inhibitor.

In connection with studies on tumor-inhibition by oil of wintergreen, Strong identified heptaldehyde in the active fraction of the oil. 1 2 3 He then fed a diet containing commercial heptaldehyde to mice with spontaneous tumors, and observed liquefaction in most of the tumors followed in many cases by regression. More recently, Strong and Whitney reported a similar response in dogs with spontaneous mammary tumors when heptaldehyde was injected subcutaneously. 4 The question arose whether heptaldehyde would inhibit all tumors or whether its action was restricted to certain tumor types. We have, therefore, studied the effect of heptaldehyde on 5 kinds of mouse tumors: (1) spontaneous mammary adenocarcinoma in strain A mice, (2) primary ear tumor induced by ultraviolet light, (3) primary epithelial tumor induced by painting benzpyrene, (4) primary sarcoma induced by the subcutaneous injection of benzpyrene, (5) transplantable spindle-cell sarcoma originally induced by benzpyrene. The heptaldehyde (Eastman technical) was fed mixed in various amounts with Steenbock stock ration† (Table I). In general the mice were placed on the diets when the tumors were approximately one centimeter in diameter, although some of the spontaneous tumors were larger. The mice with transplantable tumors were given the various diets from the day of inoculation. In each series the animals were divided such that the tumors in the various groups were of comparable sizes. The tumors were measured at weekly intervals and all mice were carefully autopsied. When 2% heptaldehyde was fed to mice bearing U.V. tumors, the tumors grew more slowly than in animals on the stock diet. However, these mice ate so little that the limiting factor in the growth of the tumors appeared to Ix the reduced caloric intake rather than the heptaldehyde. This was demonstrated by feeding stock ration to tumor-bearing mice in the small amounts consumed by the animals receiving 2% heptaldehyde. Under these conditions the growth rate of the tumors was also markedly restricted.