A procedure for the separation and recovery of arsenic radionuclides from a germanium oxide target using a liquid-liquid extraction technique is described. The effects of target material and preparation were investigated. The effects of hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide concentration on germanium recovery were determined. The efficacy of various reducing agents were evaluated for recovery of arsenic. In addition, the effects of hydrochloric acid and reducing agent concentration were evaluated for optimum arsenic extraction conditions. The germanium oxide target material was recovered in greater than 97% yield in a form suitable for re-irradiation. The arsenic radionuclides were extracted in 99% radiochemical yield with less than 1% crossover contamination of germanium radionuclides.

The therapeutic modality adopted with schizophrenic children has more often reflected the therapist's clinical bias than the child's treatment needs. Clinical case material is used to illustrate how the treatment modality utilized should be fitted to an individual child's needs. It is suggested that the therapist of schizophrenic children be prepared to function as auxiliary ego, as facilitator of sensory perceptions, and as coordinator of a multidisciplinary treatment team.

The subjects of this study were 19 children and 11 adolescents who had been psychotic since childhood and who satisfied DSM-III criteria for schizophrenia except for the stipulation that a "deterioration from a previous level of functioning" must have occurred. Seven subjects had had documented signs of psychosis before the age of 30 months. The presence of thought disorder precluded giving these 7 subjects the diagnosis of early infantile autism. The authors argue that only symptoms and signs, not age at onset, can define a disorder. They also emphasize that in children and adolescents, developmental issues influence the clinical presentation.

The physical and psychological characteristics of hypotonic schizophrenic children are described. It is hypothesized that hypotonic schizophrenia constitutes a homogeneous subgroup within the schizophrenic spectrum. The criteria for diagnosing hypotonic schizophrenia are stated. By selecting a homogeneous subgroup of schizophrenic patients, investigators may improve the probability of identifying a common biochemical etiology within this subgroup.

SUMMARYThe gait of seven hypotonic schizophrenic children aged between five and eight years was compared with that of seven normal children aged between seven and eight years. Electromyographic studies revealed that in schizophrenic children the tibialis anterior was ‘on’ during a significantly smaller proportion of the stance phase than in the age‐matched controls, and that the quadriceps muscle was ‘on’ during a significantly smaller proportion of the swing phase than in the controls. In addition, the gait of the schizophrenic children tended to be broad‐based and slow, consisting of smaller steps in a longer pace period. In general, the gait of the schizophrenic children resembled that of younger, inexperienced walkers.RÉSUMÉ La démarche des enfants schizophrènes hypotoniques La démarche de sept schizophrènes hypotoniques âgés de cing à huit ans a été comparée a celle de sept enfants normaux de sept‐huit ans. Les études électromyographiques ont montré que chez les schizophrènes, le jambier antétieur était “en activité” durant une part significativement plus courte du temps portant que chez les contrôles de même âge et que le muscle quadriceps était “en activité” durant une part significativement plus courte du temps de balancement que chez les contrôles. De plus, la démarche des schizophrènes reposait sur une base élargie, était lente, fait de pas plus courts et d'une période plus longue que chez les contrôles. En général, la démarche des enfants schizophrènes ressemble à celle de jeunes marcheurs inexpérimentés.ZUSAMMENFASSUNGDer Gang hypotoner, schizophrener KinderMan hat den Gang von sieben hypotonen, schizophrenen Kindern im Alter von fünf bis acht Jahren mit dem von sieben gesunden Kindern im Alter von sieben bis acht Jahren verglichen. Elektromyographische Untersuchungen ergaben, daß bei den schizophrenen Kindern der M. anterior tibialis in der Haltephase und der M. quadriceps in der Schwungphase signifikant weniger aktiv war als bei den altersentsprechenden Kontrollkindern. Der Gang der schizophrenen Kinder tendierte dazu, breitflächig und langsam zu sein, mit kleineren Schritten in größeren Zeitabständen, als bei den Kontrollen. Im allgemeinen ähnelte der Gang schizophrener Kinder dem kleiner Kinder, die gerade laufen lernen.RESUMEN La marcha del niño hopotónico esquizofrénico Se comparó la marcha de siete niños hipotónicos esquizofrénicos de cinco a ocho años de edad con la de siete nin̂os normales de siete a ocho an̂os de edad. Los estudios electromiográficos mostraron que en los nin̂os esquizofrénicos el tibial anterior funcionaba durante una proporción significativamente menor de la fase estática que en el grupo correspondiente control y que el cuadriceps durante una proporción menor de la fase de balanceo con respecto a los controles. Ademas la marcha de los nin̂os esquizofrénicos tendía a un aumento de la base de sustentación y era lenta, y consistía en pasos más pequen̂os con un período de paso más largo que el de los grupos control. En general, la marcha de los niños esquizofrénicos se parecía a la de los caminadores jóvenes sin experiencia.

It is suggested that there exists a competitive antagonist of the cholinergic system which is secreted during sleep, pregnancy, and acute stress. A biochemical model of the sleep cycle is presented. It is suggested that normally the putative cholinergic antagonist is metabolized rapidly upon being released from the cholinergic receptor. Defective metabolism of this putative cholinergic antagonist is hypothesized to be one cause of hypotonic schizophrenia.

Four hypotonic boys (aged 4 years and 11 months, 6 years and 9 months, 7 years and 4 months, and 8 years and 10 months, respectively), all of whom demonstrated a formal thought disorder, had been psychotic for more than six months, and met the DSM-III criteria for chronic undifferentiated schizophrenia, were studied with respect to skeletal muscle morphology. A significant difference between the mean fiber diameters of type I and type II muscle fibers was observed in the three boys with the most severe thought disorder, type II muscle fibers being consistently smaller. No significant difference in the mean fiber diameter between the two fiber types were seen in the fourth boy, who was also the only one who demonstrated any secondary thought process. The boys differed in their activity levels, but there was no correlation between type II muscle fiber atrophy and hypoactivity. It is hypothesized that a depressed cholinergic system is implicated in the pathogenesis of both the muscle fiber atrophy and the formal thought disorder.

Two hypotonic boys, aged 7 years, 3 months and 7 yers, 7 months, who possessed sufficient speech to demonstrate a severe thought disorder and who differed markedly in their activity levels, were subjected to a biopsy of the quadriceps muscle. The biopsies revealed atrophy of type 2 muscle fibers, as well as variability in the size of these fibers. The findings could be compatible with a denervation phenomenon.