Choosing populations to study the health effects of low-dose ionizing radiation.

In January 1978, the United States Congress requested information about the utility of additional epidemiologic studies for quantifying the health effects of low-dose ionizing radiation. In our judgment, no single population can be recommended for study on purely scientific grounds, since the largest group offers only a small chance to obtain a definitive result. On the other hand, if social pressures and regulatory agencies mandate that such studies be attempted, we would recommend prospective cohort studies of occupational populations.

Perifused pituitary cultures: a model for LHRH regulation of LH secretion.

In this paper, a dispersed anterior pituitary cell system that is continuously perifused and suitable for the study of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH)-anterior pituitary physiology is described. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were decapitated and the anterior pituitaries removed, dispersed using collagenase, mixed with Biogel P2, and packed into 0.9-cm columns using sterile technique.