No abstract

Histochemical procedures were used to compare the constituents of frog and rat mast cells. On thne basis of staining with acidified toluidine blue and the Alcian Blue-safranin combination, a substance characterized as heparin in rat cells was identified in frog mast cells. In contrast to their presence in rat cells, no histamine, serotonin or catecholamines could be observed in frog mast cells with the o-phthalaldehyde and paraformaldehyde reactions. A search for activities of two proteohytic enzymes, chymotrypsin.like and trypsin-hike esterases, in frog mast cells was unsuccessful. $-Glucuronidase, N-acetyl-$-n-ghucosaminidase and nonspecific esterase activities were demonstrated in both frog and rat mast cells; acid phosphatase activity was detected in frog but not rat mast cells.

The validation of questionnaires intended to identify the position of a subject along a normal/schizotypal/schizophrenic continuum has always been problematic. Schizophrenic patients are not good at completing questionnaire, and validation has to depend on the identification of "at risk" groups. Watt Grubb & Elenmeyer-Kimling (1982) found that the adolescent offspring of schizophrenics show the negative schizophrenic symptomology of interpersonal disharmony and emotional instability. The study reported here, using a sample of 174 adolescents of both sexes, considers the validity of the Rust Inventory of Schizotypal Cognitions (RISC), a psychometric questionnaire for the positive cognitive symptoms of the schizotypal personality. It is shown that the negative schizophrenic symptoms of social dysfunction and emotional instability as measured by the Minnesota Counselling Inventory are positively and significantly correlated with positive schizotypal symptomology as measured by the RISC.