Myelination of the rat optic nerve during postnatal undernourishment and recovery: a morphometric analysis.

Newborn rats were undernourished from the second postnatal day through 20 days of age and weaned to a diet of laboratory chow ad libitum. Optic nerve development was examined by various light and electron microscopic techniques at 14, 21, 35 and 63 days of age. The degree of undernourishment achieved resulted in body growth lag comparable to results obtained in our previous studies.

Meningococcal meningitis in familial deficiency of the fifth component of complement.

Absence of the fifth component of complement (C5) by immunochemical assay and marked deficiency by hemolytic assay (less than 0.1%) was found in a family in which the oldest male child had suffered severe and recurrent meningococcemia at age 15 years, two brothers developed meningococcal meningitis four years later (at ages 18 and 14 years), and a sister had the gonococcal arthritis-dermatitis syndrome. Although group-specific meningococcal antibody was present in the sera from all four siblings, serum bactericidal activity against Neisseria meningitidis could be demonstrated only in the presence of exogenous rabbit complement.