Gamma globulins in the mice vaginal fluids: cyclic and experimental variations.

The study of the gamma globulins in the vaginal fluids reveals that the lowest values were found in mice at estrus and in castrated mice 8 days after the estrogen treatment. We suggest that the variation of gamma globulins in the vaginal fluids is influenced both under physiological and experimental conditions by estrogens.     

Leucocyte invasion of the vaginal epithelium in the absence of bacteria in mice

Summary Influx of leucocytes in the vagina at metoestrus occurs in germfree mice and also in sterile isotransplants of vaginal tissue in conventional mice. In contrast to the situation in rats, bacteria thus do not seem to be required for the production of postovulatory leucotactic stimuli in the vagina.Acknowledgments. Data with germfree mice could be obtained through the generous cooperation of Prof. Dr F. Wensinck and Dr M. P. Hazenberg (Dept. Medical Microbiology, Erasmus University), C. Lekkerkerker and J. ten Veen (TNO, Zeist, The Netherlands). The skillfull cooperation of Miss P. D. M. van der Vaart and Mrs A. Verschoor-Burggraaf is gratefully acknowledged.     

Pseudocholinesterase in obesity: Hypercaloric diet induced changes in experimental obese mice

Summary Pseudocholinesterase activity is significantly higher in liver and serum, but lower in adipose tissue of genetically obese, diabetic and gold thioglucose treated mice. Similar enzyme changes were also observed in lean mice on a high carbohydrate diet. A marked reduction (40%) in PChE activity occurred in the liver of genetically diabetic mice when starved for 24 h. These observations suggest that pseudocholinesterase induction in the liver and repression in the adipose tissue is affected by excessive calorie intake in obesity. This provides a model to study the biological function of PChE in health and disease.Acknowledgments. We thank Dr Charles A. Janeway Child Health Centre and Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland for financial support.     

Cyclic AMP: Its effect on an estrogen-sensitive antigen in organ cultures of the cervicovaginal epithelium from neonatal mice

Zusammenfassung Untersuchungen mit Immunelektronenmikroskopie haben erwiesen, dass cyclische AMP in vitro die Wirkung von Östradiol in vivo simuliert. Das zeigt sich in einer Vergrösserung der Menge antigenen Materials, dessen Bildung für das cervicovaginale Epithel spezifisch ist. Der mit Ferritin konjugierte Antigen-Antikörper-Komplex war an der Oberfläche der Zellen lokalisiert.

---

---

This investigation was supported by grants from the Norwegian Cancer Society (Landsforeningen mot Kreft) and the Norwegian Research Council.     

Morphological alterations of basal cells of vaginal epithelium in neonatally oestrogenized mice

Summary Neonatal oestrogen treatment results in the development of vaginal cancers in the mouse. A morphological sign which probably indicated early invasion of altered vaginal cells into the stroma through gaps in the basal lamina was first seen at 10 months of age in neonatally oestrogenized C57Black mice. Prior to this, a decrease in the numbers of cellular attachment organelles such as half desmosomes and desmosomes was observed by 3 months.This work was supported by Contract NO1-CP-55650 of National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health, Public Health Service, USA, and by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan.     

Cyclic variations in luteinizing and follicle stimulating hormone excretion by male rabbits,indicating a male equivalent to the oestrous cycle

Summary Cyclic variations of the urinary concentrations of gonadotropins in the male rabbit have been demonstrated. The mean durations of the cycles, 5–7 days, are close to that of the oestrous cycle of the female rabbit.     

Isoenzyme of some dehydrogenases and nonspecific esterase in experimental virus hepatitis in mice

Zusammenfassung Verschiedene Dehydrogenasen, die physiologischerweise nur in der Leber vorkommen, wurden bei Virushepatitis der Mäuse in fortgeschrittenem Stadium auch im Blut gefunden.     

Translation initiation: variations in the mechanism can be anticipated

Translation initiation is a critical step in protein synthesis. Previously, two major mechanisms of initiation were considered as essential: prokaryotic, based on SD interaction; and eukaryotic, requiring cap structure and ribosomal scanning. Although discovered decades ago, cap-independent translation has recently been acknowledged as a widely spread mechanism in viruses, which may take place in some cellular mRNA translations. Moreover, it has become evident that translation can be initiated on the leaderless mRNA in all three domains of life. New findings demonstrate that other distinguishable types of initiation exist, including SD-independent in Bacteria and Archaea, and various modifications of 5′ end-dependent and internal initiation mechanisms in Eukarya. Since translation initiation has developed through the loss, acquisition, and modification of functional elements, all of which have been elevated by competition with viral translation in a large number of organisms of different complexity, more variation in initiation mechanisms can be anticipated.     

Presence of anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies in the sera of mice with experimental autoimmune myocarditis

Summary The existence of antigens shared in common byT. cruzi and heart muscle cells is suggested by the presence of antibodies binding to the parasite surface in the serum of mice with autoimmune myocarditis induced by immunization with syngeneic heart antigens.     

The neurosecretory cells of the cerebral ganglia and the nerve chain in the isopod crustacean Asellus aquaticus L. Cyclic variations in the beta type cells as a function of reproduction]

Asellus aquaticus L. cerebral ganglions and nervous cord contain seven types of neurosecretory cells; two of these are similar to Malacostraca beta and alpha cells. Female beta cells are the seat of cyclic acidophil variations which are connected to ovocyte growing; this acidophil secretion is superimposed on the basophil constant secretion in male and female beta pericaryons.     

Seasonal variations in mitosis in the frog: a field study.

Field studies have shown that there is a seasonal variation in mitosis of lens and corneal epithelium (high in May and June, low during the rest of the year). This phenomenon can be reproduced in the laboratory by temperature manipulation. The response in the lens depends on the presence of the pituitary gland while the corneal one seems to be independent of it.     

Presence of anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies in the sera of mice with experimental autoimmune myocarditis.

The existence of antigens shared in common by T. cruzi and heart muscle cells is suggested by the presence of antibodies binding to the parasite surface in the serum of mice with autoimmune myocarditis induced by immunization with syngenic heart antigens.