When bredinin was intraperitoneally injected into pregnant rats on day 11 at 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 mg/kg, fetal mortality was 5.1%, 42.1%, 95.5% and 100%, respectively. Fetal abnormalities were induced in relation to the amount of the administered drug. Next, for the examination of the stage specificity, a dose of 5 mg/kg was administered on various day during the organogenetic period. The drug administration on day 7, 8, 10 or 11 of gestation resulted in a high fetal mortality, while the administration on day 9 caused a relatively low fetal mortality. This result demonstrated that there were two susceptible periods in rat embryonic development to the lethal action of bredinin. There was a close relationship between types of abnormalities and the day of administration : fetuses of rats treated on day 9 of gestation showed a relatively low percentage of skeletal abnormalities and a high percentage of visceral abnormalities. However, in fetuses of those treated on day 8 or 10 of gestation, skeletal abnormalities were marked and visceral abnormalities were relatively scarce.

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Supracondyloid process is a congenital bony spur on the irnnar surface of the humerus. It was found by Tiedeman in 1822. The incidence of the process in man is low. The author has encountered six cases of supracondyloid process in the past 13 years. The examination of x-ray films of 1342 humeri of 1228 patients showed an incidence of 0.22 percent of this process.

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Single oral dose of 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg of ethylenethiourea (ETU) was given to Wistar-Imamichi female rats on day 12 or 13 of pregnancy. These treatments resulted in high incidences of brain and digit anomalies in the term fetuses. For induction of digit anomalies, treatment on day 13 of pregnancy was most effective. In 200 mg/kg group, all the digits were absent in 81% of the forelimbs examined. The neural tube and forelimb buds were periodically collected and examined for histological alterations after maternal treatment with 100 mg/kg of ETU on day 12 of pregnancy or with 200 mg/kg of ETU on day 13. In the neural tube, necrotic cells first appeared 12 hours after the treatments. By 24 hours after the treatments, cell necrosis was extended throughout the neural tube and the neural canal was filled with cellular debris. Also in the forelimb buds, an extensive mesenchymal necrosis was observed 24 hours after treatment with 200 mg/kg of ETU on day 13 of pregnancy. On the other hand, no histological alterations were detected after 100 mg/kg of ETU on day 12 of pregnancy.

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A single intraperitoneal injection of CPZ(50mg/kg)was administered to pregnant rats on day 12 of gestation and fetuses were collected on day 20 of gestation. The brains of treated fetuses measured after fixation showed statistically significant reduction in weight (P < 0.001) and in various dimensions of their different parts (P < 0.001). The treated fetuses were also markedly stunted as judged by their weights. However, the weights of brains in the experimental group showed negative correlation with body weight indicating positive reduction in brain size. Histological examination revealed hydrocephaly in 83% of the treated cases. Hydrocephalic brains also showed reduction in cellularity of their cortices. Degenerative neuronal vacuolisation was observed in brains of all treated cases even if there was no ventricular dilatation.

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The teratogenic effects of simultaneous irradiation of x-rays and ultrasound were studied, chiefly with regard to developmental eye abnormalities. On day 7 of pregnancy ddN mice were irradiated with 150 R of x-rays (30 R/min) and/or ultrasound at 1.5 or 3 W/cm^2 (1 MHz) for 5 min. All mice were killed on day 18 of pregnancy and the offspring were examined. Fetal mortality in each group irradiated with ultrasound at 1.5 or 3 W/cm^2 did not significantly differ from in the control groups. There was no significant difference between the two groups irradiated with ultrasound. The incidence of gross malformations was very low in each group irradiated with ultrasound at 1.5 or 3 W/cm^2 (0.8% in the former and 1.3% in the latter). These results indicated no detectable teratogenic effects of ultra-sound in the present experimental conditions. In the group simultaneously irradiated with x-rays and ultrasound at 3 W/cm^2, fetal mortality was significantly higher than in the other groups, but it did not differ between the group irradiated with x-rays alone and the group simultaneously irradiated with x-rays and ultrasound at 1.5 W/cm^2. The incidence of gross malformations did not differ among the three groups. The type and degree of malformations including eye abnormalities also did not differ with the group. These results indicated that the embarrassedly effects of x-rays in mouse fetuses were enhanced by simultaneous irradiation of ultrasound, but the teratogenic effects of x-rays were not enhanced in the present experimental conditions.

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Eye abnormalities in mouse fetuses caused by irradiation of 150 R of x-rays alone, or simultaneous irradiation of 150 R of x-rays and ultrasound at 1.5 or 3 W/cm^2 for 5 min on day 7 of gestation were histologically studied on day 18 of gestation. Most abnormal eye findings were similar to x-ray induced ones earlier reported by many investigators, but some interesting ones were revealed in the present experiment. Abnormalities of the primary vitreous corresponding to persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous encountered clinically were detected. In these cases, excessive mesenchymal tissue was present in the vitreous cavity, some pulling the retina partially. The defective iris similar to the atypical iris coloboma or corectopia was also noticed. In the fetuses with aplasia of the optic nerve, hyaloid artery, optic disc and optic chiasma were absent, but some retinal ganglion cells presented. Aberrant optic nerve fibers were detected in one or another of the iris, the cornea, the anterior chamber, the space between two layers of the optic cup or the vitreous cavity. It was considered that the pathogenesis of this abnormality consisted in the defective formation of the fetal fissure due to abnormal invagination of the optic vesicle. In the fetuses with hypoplasia of the optic nerve, a part of the optic nerve fibers were disoriented and did not reach the optic disc, although the hypoplastic optic disc was present at the normal position.

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A minimal extracranial subcutaneous dura-meningeal tissue through a skull perforation, which was found incidentally at autopsy in a 55 year-old schizophrenic patient. was described and it was concluded that it concerned an extreme minimal meningocele occulta.

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