On vertebral body growth.

We have studied development of vertebral bodies with special regard to the area of contact of the vertebral body with the intervertebral disc. We have investigated complete serial sections of fetuses of the 2nd to 3rd month of intrauterine life, microscopic preparations from children, adolescents and young adults. The results of our studies and deductions from our findings are as follows: 1.

[Degenerative changes in intervertebral disks].

A histotopographic study of lumbar spine was made in 27 deceased of the age of 2 to 85 years lacking of any spinal clinical symptomatology. Regressive changes were found in all the intervertebral disks except in infants. A central necrosis was present in 26 cases and pericentral striped necrosis in 19 cases.

Radiological picture of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Basing on the results of radiological, clinical and laboratory examinations of 200 children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, we tried to obtain a comprehensive picture of radiological changes in the joints, the spine and the remaining skeleton caused by JRA. The bulk of data was obtained in the period between 1954 and 1972, but for some of the patients, our follow-up continued until 1987. Our main interest were differences in morphological changes caused by JRA and adult RA.

Enthesopathy of the hip joint.

Morphologically, enthesopathy appears as dystrophic calcification or ossification of tendon insertion. In the study of the initial stages of arthrosis on necroptic material roentgenologically 158 and of these histologically 62 hip joints were investigated. A typical picture of so-called non-inflammatory enthesopathy was present in thirteen cases on the major and in three cases on the minor trochanter.

[Evaluation of activity and the electron microscope picture in Paget's disease].

Thirteen patients with Paget's disease followed-up for prolonged periods of time were subjected to a series of biological tests and to studies of radionuclides incorporation into skeletal tissues. Bone alkaline phosphatase showed an osteoblastic activity, and tartarate -resistant acid phosphatases an osteoclastic function. Hydroxyproline in urine corresponded to the osteoclastic destruction.

[Osteophytes of the femur head].

The shape and size of osteophytes were studied in different parts of the head of femur (mediodistal, proximal and lateral, central). There was not found any dependence of osteophytes on the basic disease of joint which produced arthrosis. Osteophytes developed from the subchondral cortical lamella, most often at the margin of the joint cartilage.

Donor specific suppressor cells in association with rejection of a renal allograft.

Details are presented of three aspects of immunological monitoring in a single instance of severe irreversible rejection of a renal allograft. Rejection is associated with strong evidence of lymphocyte mediated cytotoxicity (LMC). During this period reduced responsiveness of recipient cells to stimulation in vitro by donor cells is observed; this is more reduced than is responsiveness to random cells.

[Arthrotic manifestations on the patella in the x-ray and microscopy pictures].

40 patellae of different age groups were examined by X-ray and histology. X-ray changes found in the cartilage, corticalis and cancellous bone were in full agreement with histological findings. However, more than a quarter of the patellae were found to be affected by microscopic fibrillation of the surface of the cartilage without any demonstrable changes in the cartilage proper.

[Recrystallization and reaction of urates in gout tophus after fixation with glutaraldehyde].

Uric acid and urates usually dissolve in the instance of routine fixation of material with formol. Bioptic confirmation of diagnosis is therefore usually very difficult if a murexide reaction test cannot be carried out concurrently. After fixation in glutaraldehyde for electron optic aims the crystals remain present in microscopic paraffin preparations for a long period of time and undergo even recrystallization which largely facilitates the microscopic diagnosis.

Fibroblast lysis by lymphocytes from normal persons and SLE patients on short-term cultures.

Lymphocytes from thirty-six normal individuals of both sexes with ages ranging from 4-89 years were tested for their cytotoxic activity against short term cluters of fibroblasts from nine foetal umbilical cords and nine adult skin samples. Wide variability in the amount of fibroblast lysis was observed. Adult male lymphocytes caused significantly higher lytic activity than lymphocytes of adult females against both types of targets.