Adrenal dopamine-β-hydroxylase activity: 24-hour rhythmicity and evidence for pineal control

Summary Adrenal medullary dopamine--hydroxylase activity was found in male rats to have a 24-hour rhythm, with an approximately 6-fold increase at about the time of the onset of darkness. This nocturnal rise in enzyme activity did not occur when lights were kept on, nor did it occur in animals that had been pinealectomized.Supported in part by grants from the Ford Foundation (No. 630-05050A), National Institutes of Health (No. HD-03352) and National Institute of Mental Health (No. MH-25019) USPHS.     

Estrogen binds to hypothalamic nuclei of androgen-insensitive (tfm) rats

Summary Androgen-insensitive (tfm) rats possess a nuclear-estrogen binding system in the brain that is similar to that of wild-type control males. In these mutant rats, radiolabeled estradiol was bound predominantly to hypothalamic nuclei and this binding was of limited capacity.This research was supported by grants Nos HD-13957 and HD-14726 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.     

Norzooanemonin in the hydroidTubularia larynx

Summary The hydrochloride of 1,3-dimethyl imidazole-4-carboxylic acid (norzooanemonin), has been isolated from the hydroidTubularia larynx and its structure determined by X-ray analysis.This investigation was supported by grant No. HD-04543 from the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development. One of us (RLM) also wishes to thank the National Institutes of Health for a Career Development award No. HD-19931.     

sRNA methylase activity of embryonic liver

Résumé Utilisant SAM-¹⁴CH₃ il a été démontré que le foie foetal a plus d'activité de sRNA methylase que le foie adulte.

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This investigation was supported in part by an allocation from a Public Health Service General Research Support Grant No. SO 1 FR-05545-03, and an American Cancer Society Grant No. IN 19F to The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, and by Public Health Service Research Grants No. HD-01496 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and No. FR-00251 from the Division of Research Facilities and Resources.     

Growth-modulating serum tripeptide is glycyl-histidyl-lysine

Summary The structure of a growth-modulating tripeptide from human serum and plasma has been determined to be H-glycyl-histidyl-lysine-OH.Acknowledgment. This work was supported by grants from the U.S. Public Health Service (HD-03148 and P17AM 18520) and from the National Cancer Institute (NO-1-CB53868).     

Daily melatonin injections inhibit short-day-induced testicular regression in hamsters

Summary Daily injections of melatonin were found to retard testicular regression in hamsters exposed to LD 10:14, if the injections occurred in the morning (i.e., 0.5 h after lights on), but not if they occurred in the afternoon (i.e., 6 h after lights on). These results indicate that appropriately timed injections of melatonin can at least partially block the inhibitory effects of short days on gonadal activity in the photoperiodic hamster.We wish to thank Susan Losee and Susan Stice for excellent technical assistance and Gary Ellis for his comments. This investigation was supported by NIH grants HD-09885, HD 12622 and Research Career Development Award HD-00249 (F. W. T.) from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.     

Relationship between teratogeny and structure in the thalidomide field

Zusammenfassung Thalidomid verursacht an trächtigen Neuseeland-Kaninchen nach oraler Verabreichung starke Missbildungen des Wurfes. Geringe strukturelle Abweichungen können die Teratogenie zerstören: Zwei solche Verbindungen,N-Methoxy-thalidomid und 2-Phthalimido-glutaramid, sind nicht teratogen, während ein Esteramid, ein Thalidomidanalog mit offener Kette, hauptsächlich Missbildungen der inneren Organe erzeugt.

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This research was supported in part by Public Health Service Research Grants, no. HD-01496 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and No. FR-00251 from the Division of Research Facilities and Resources to The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine; and Public health Service Grant No. CA-08748 to The Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research.     

Distribution of tetracycline-73H in subcellular components of normal and tumor tissues of the albino rat

Zusammenfassung Die Verteilung von Tritium-markiertem Tetracyclin (TTC) in subcellulären Fraktionen von normalem und neoplastischem Gewebe wurde untersucht. Der grösste Teil des injizierten TTC wurde in der Mikrosomen-Fraktion (49000g) gefunden. Tumorgewebe wenige Tage nach Transplantation nahm mehr TTC als irgendein anderes der untersuchten Gewebe auf.

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This study has been supported by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, No. HD-00451 and the American Medical Association Committee on Research and Education.     

Lipofuscin accumulation in squirrel monkey spinal cord consequent to protein malnutrition during gestation

Summary The formation of lipofuscin pigment in the anterior horn cells of the cervical spinal cord has shown in the fetuses and neonates under the extrinsic influence of maternal protein deprivation during the gestation period in the squirrel monkeys.Acknowledgments. This work was supported by US PHS grants RR-00165 HD-06087 from National Institute of Health. The technical assistance of Miss Judie Seubert is greatly appreciated.     

Distribution of14C after topical application of14C-labeled 1,3-bis-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) in mice

Summary Following topical application of¹⁴C-labeled 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU, carmustine) to the skin of mice radioactivity was found in all viscera and tissues examined. Exclusive of the gut, highest values were recorded for the liver, kidney and lung.Supported by Public Health Service, grant CA 14825, from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health, Education and Welfare.     

The dye sensitized photooxygenation of kryptopyrrole

Zusammenfassung Die durch Rose Bengal sensibilisierte Photooxygenierung des Kryptopyrrols in Methanol ergab Äthylmethylmaleimid, 4-Äthyl-5-methoxy-3,5-dimethyl-3-pyrrolin-2-on, 4-Äthyl-5-hydroxy-3,5-dimethyl-3-pyrrolin-2-on und 4-Äthyl-3-hydroxy-3,5-dimethyl-4-pyrrolin-2-on.

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The authors wish to thank the National Science Foundation (No. GP-32483 X and No. GP-35699 X) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. US Public Health Service (No. HD-07358) for generous support of this work. One of us (DCC) acknowledges receipt of a National Science Foundation Undergraduate Fellowship and a Pesident's Undergraduate Fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles. We thank MissElisaberth Irwin for determining all high resolution mass spectra reported in this work.     

Time-qualified reference intervals — chronodesms

Summary Methods are presented for qualifying clinical reference intervals, for individuals as well as peer groups, according to circadian and other rhythms, using chronobiologically-defined single samples or time series.Supported by the Hoechst Italia Foundation, US Environmental Protection Agency (R804512-01-0), US Public Health Service (5-K6-GM-13, 981), National Cancer Institute (1R01-CA-14446-01), Cancer Supplement (CA-14445-01S1), National Institute of Aging (A6-00158) and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (OH 00631).     

Pregnancy blocking capacity and inbreeding in laboratory mice

Résumé Des expériences sur l'inhibition de l'implantation normale de l'oeuf fertilisé dans la paroi utérine (l'effetBruce), faites avec plusieurs générations de souris consanguines ainsi qu'avec un groupe hétérosanguin, indiquent que la disparition de cette inhibition est due à la sélection plutôt qu'à l'homozygosité. L'odeur provoquant cette inhibition et celle qui favorise la synchronisation estrogénique (l'effetWhitten), semblent être des émanations urinaires différentes.

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This investigation was supported by research grants HD-01141 and HD-00767 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.     

Circadian variation in urinary melatonin in clinically healthy women in Japan and the United States of America

Summary Urinary melatonin excretion is lower in East-Asian (Japanese) than in North-American (whites of mixed ethnic origin) women. Moreover, a statistically significant circadian rhythm is demonstrated by population-mean cosinor in the data pool from both groups of women. Furthermore, statistical significance characterizes interactions of effects from geographic differences (between ethnic groups) with temporal factors. Such spatio-temporal interactions await further scrutiny with a view inter alia of carcinogenesis as it is influenced by a spectrum of intermodulating rhythms.Supported by U.S. Public Health Service (5-K6-GM-13981-17), National Cancer Institute (1R01-CA-14445-05 and N01-CP-5-5702), National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (OH-00631-01), National Institute of Aging (AG-00158), Environmental Protection Agency (R804513-01-0), Swedish Medical Research Council grant 3371 and the St Paul Ramsey Medical Research and Education Foundation. R.B. Sothern and Jung-Keun Lee, Scientists, Chronobiology Laboratories, University of Minnesota provided valuable help.     

Pyridine as an unmasking reagent for lipoprotein complexes in the nervous system of protein deficient squirrel monkeys

Summary Acid hematin test with pyridine and Sudan black B controls was employed on selected areas of the brains of 115, 140 days fetuses, neonates and adult squirrel monkeys maintained on low and high protein diet. Our histochemical findings indicate that the reduction of phospholipids in the low protein fetuses and neonates is related to myelination, whereas in the adults, most of the lipids are bound to proteins and/or cerebrosides to form complexes, as revealed by the unmasking action of pyridine.Acknowledgements. This work was supported by U.S. PHS grants RR-00165 HD-06087 from National Institute of Health.     

Role of inorganic phosphate in total biliary phosphorus determination

Summary Total phosphorus, inorganic phosphate, and phospholipids were measured in bile of rats and guinea pigs during choleresis and cholestasis produced by taurocholate and taurolithocholate, respectively. Under either experimental condition, total biliary phosphorus concentrations increased significantly in both species, due primarily to an increase in inorganic phosphate. These studies indicate that, if total phosphorus is taken as an estimate of biliary phospholipid concentration, correction for inorganic phosphate is essential under conditions associated with changes in bile secretory function.This work was supported by grant HD-17556 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.     

Maternal effects on implantation and related phenomena in the rabbit

Zusammenfassung Intrauterine Embryonenüberfrachtung wurde experimentell durch Übertragung von Neuseeländer-Spenderkaninchen in Neuseeländer- und Chinchilla-Empfängerkaninchen, von Chinchilla-Spenderkaninchen in Neuseeländer-Empfängerkaninchen erreicht. Die Empfängertiere wurden 9 Tage nach Begattung zur Prüfung der Implantation und 29 Tage danach zur Beurteilung des fötalen Entwicklungszustandes eröffnet bzw. abgetötet. Chinchilla-Kaninchen zeigten erhöhte Implantationskapazität und verringertes fötales Überleben gegenüber den Neuseeländern.

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This investigation was supported in part by U.S. Public Health Service research grant HD-00585-03 of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Drugs were kindly donated: PMS (Equinex) by Ayerst Laboratories Inc., New York (N.Y.); HCG by Upjohn Co., Kalamazoo (Mich.); Nembutal by Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago (Ill.). Thanks are due to Mr.R. E. Mauer for technical assistance. Scientific Paper no. 2556, Washington Agricultural Experiment Stations, Pullman (Washington). Project no. 1698.     

Degradation of [3H]thymidine by a pentosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.4) in the plasma of man and different animals

Summary [³H]Thymidine is degraded by an enzyme (thymidine phosphorylase; EC 2.4.2.4) which we have identified in the plasma of man and some animals. The presence of this enzyme in plasma or sera used to supplement culture media may, under certain experimental conditions, limit the validity of measuring the uptake of radiolabeled thymidine as a means of defining DNA synthesis.Supported in part by United States Public Health Service grant CA-17658 from the National Cancer Institute, and grant RR-05648 from the National Institutes of Health.     

Synaptic development in brains of rats exposed perinatally to ethanol

Summary Development of brain synaptosomal uptakes of³H-norepinephrine and³H-dopamine in pups whose mothers received ethanol were nearly normal. However, development of synaptosomal uptake of³H-serotonin was significantly lower than in controls, while uptake of³H-norepinephrine into synaptic storage vesicles was increased.The authors thank F.J. Seidler and W.L. Whitmore for their technical assistance. Research was supported by U.S. Public Health Service grants AA-02935 and DA-00465. TAS is recipient of Research Scientist Development Award DA-00006 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and SMS is recipient of Research Scientist Award MH-06489 from the National Institute of Mental Health.     

Inhibitory action of bradykinin on release of the adrenergic transmitter in the isolated lapine kidney

Summary In the isolated lapine kidney perfused with tyrode solution and prelabeled with [³H] norepinephrine, bradykinin (10 ng/ml) decreased the overflow of tritium elicited by sympathetic nerve stimulation both in the presence and absence of indomethacin. These observations indicate that bradykinin acts at presynaptic sites reducing release of the adrenergic transmitter in the isolated lapine kidney.This study was supported by American Heart Association Grant 77-803, and U.S. Public Health Service Grant HL-16134 from the National Heart and Lung Institute.