Catecholamine levels in newborn human plasma in normal and abnormal conditions and in maternal plasma at delivery

Summary High levels of catecholamines have been found in plasma from the umbilical cord of newborn infants, suggesting a release of catecholamine from the fetus during parturition. Plasma catecholamine levels are also elevated in mothers at delivery.     

Changes in lactic dehydrogenase isoenzyme pattern in muscle of tumor-bearing mice

Summary The lactic dehydrogenase isoenzyme distribution shifts gradually toward the isoenzyme pattern of the tumor in mouse muscles located distally from a transplanted mammary carcinoma.This study was supported by a grant from the Minnesota Masonic Memorial Cancer Research Fund and, in part, by Grant No. 16-P-5681015-17 from the Rehabilitation Services Administration, U.S. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare.     

Catecholamine levels in newborn human plasma in normal and abnormal conditions and in maternal plasma at delivery.

High levels of catecholamines have been found in plasma from the umbilical cord of newborn infants, suggesting a release of catecholamine from the fetus during parturition. Plasma catecholamine levels are also elevated in mothers at delivery.     

Occurrence of DDT and BHC residues in human milk in India

The presence of pesticide residue of DDT and of BHC were determined in 1979 in samples of milk from 75 lactating mothers from Punjab, within a week after delivery. DDT and BHC residues were found present in all 75 samples collected. Recovery of isomers of BHC and metabolites/isomers of p.p'-DDT from the spiked samples was above 80%. The mean level of DDT residue was 0.51 ppm, which is more than the level reported from the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia, but less than the level found in Guatemala. BHC residues also were higher than those found in other countries, with the exception of Japan. DDT level of 0.5 ppm in milk represents an infant intake of 0.09 mg/kg/day, which is 18 times the acceptable daily intake (0.005 mg/kg/day) recommended by the WHO. Acceptable daily intake of BHC has not yet been established.     

Changes in the concentration of vasoactive intestinal peptide in intestinal lymph in response to vagal stimulation in the calf

Summary Stimulation of both vagi caused a significant rise in arterial plasma vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) concentration in 3–5-week-old calves with cut splanchnic nerves. This was associated with a pronounced rise in the VIP concentration of intestinal lymph showing that vagal stimulation causes release of VIP from splanchnic viscera.Acknowledgment. This work has been supported by grants from the Agricultural Research Council and the Medical Research Council and we are indebted to Dr D.M. Burley (CIBA) for his continued support.     

Occurrence of DDT and BHC residues in human milk in India

Summary Samples of human milk from Punjab, India have shown the presence of DDT and BHC residues in amounts greater than those reported from most of the other countries.This research has been financed in part by a grant made by the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service authorized by Public Law 480.     

Variations in DNA content

Summary DNA content in the active nuclei of various plant organs varies from organ to organ. The amount of DNA in the shoot tip is the least, as compared to that of other organs. The amplification of DNA in the differentiation of organs from the shoot meristem has been suggested.     

Involvement of ribonuclease in the interactions of macrophages and fibroblasts in experimental silicosis

Summary Decreased ribonuclease activity in the supernatant from silica-treated macrophages is associated with the enhanced protein synthesis in granulation-tissue slices incubated in this supernatant, and with the decreased degradation of polysomes in granuloma slices and of polysomes isolated from the granulation tissue. The phagocytized silica particles adsorb ribonuclease and perhaps other proteins and thus remove them from the macrophage supernatant.For financial support we are grateful to the Association of Finnish Life Assurance Companies and to the Medical Research Council in Finland.     

Apoptosis occurs in granulosa cells but not cumulus cells in the atretic antral follicles in pig ovaries

The porcine antral follicles, 3–6 mm in diameter, were dissected from the ovaries of mature pigs, and then granulosa and cumulus cells were isolated from each follicle. In atretic follicles, high activity of neutral Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺-dependent endonuclease and DNA ladder formation, estimated by electrophoresis, were noted in granulosa cells but not in cumulus cells. Extremely low activity of the endonuclease and no DNA ladder formation were observed in both types of cells obtained from healthy follicles. Moreover, apoptotic cells were observed histochemically among granulosa cells only. A good correlation (r=0.987) between the endonuclease activity of granulosa cells and the progesterone/estradiol ratio of follicular fluid in each follicle was found. These results suggest that apoptosis occurs in granulosa cells but not cumulus cells in the atretic antral follicles in pigs.     

Rate of sister chromatid exchanges in mammalian cells differing in diploid numbers

Summary The rate of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) under identical experimental conditions is the same in various mammalian species irrespective of their diploid chromosome numbers.Supported in part by Research grants VC-21 from American Cancer Society and DEB-76-10580 from National Science Foundation.     

Myosin isoenzymes during in vivo and in vitro differentiation of chick muscles

Muscle fibers differentiated, in vitro, from myoblasts of embryonic Pectoralis (presumptive fast) and embryonic Adductor magnus (presumptive slow) muscles synthesise the same type of myosin, which is identical to the type synthesised in day 10 embryonic muscles. This type of myosin comigrates with the third isozyme of the adult fast-twitch muscle. There is no change in the kind of myosin in cultures aged from 2 to 7 weeks, whereas during the in vivo differentiation of the same muscles, new isozymes appear which are different in the two muscles. With regard to myosin, the muscle fibers differentiated, in vitro, from myoblasts of fast or slow muscles expressed the same phenotype.     

The range of life in amber: significance and implications in DNA studies

A survey of the major fossiliferous amber deposits is provided, including ages and various categories of life forms reported from each. The frequence of occurrence of the major groups of plants and animals in these amber deposits is also given. Thus far, DNA from four insect and one plant species has been extracted from amber fossils. In the case of the stingless bee in Dominican amber, evidence of reproducibility is provided, since two independent laboratories isolated DNA from six or more different specimens of the same insect.Amber sources for DNA studies are listed together with their advantages and disadvantages. The important points are the availability of desired pieces, the proper identification of the fossil, verification of the amber deposit, the cost involved, and the feasibility of causing damage to the specimen. The availability of several types of amber (Mexican, Dominican, Baltic, Chinese, Canadian, Siberian and Lebanese) at four major sources (academic collections, commercial dealers, private collections and amber mines) is discussed. The scientific implications of obtaining DNA from amber inclusions are presented.     

Pollen flight forecasting in Germany and in Europe

Every tenth person in Central Europe is a pollinosis patient. The time of ripening and release of pollen, as well as pollen flight, all depend on the weather. Because each year is different from every other, mean values from pollen calendars do not provide any practical help for allergy-sufferers. For this reason, in many European countries, measuring networks have been established during the last 10 years as a basis for forecasting the prevalence of airborne pollen for the following 2–3 days, in connection with the weather forecast. Cooperation and communication also exist on a European level, and a European Pollen Database has been established.     

Haptoglobin development in newborn infants from diabetic mothers

Haptoglobin (Hp) development during the neonatal period has been studied in 325 newborn infants from normal pregnancies and in 242 infants from diabetic mothers. In infants from diabetic mothers Hp development is delayed as compared to infants from normal pregnancies. This delay is associated with a change in the pattern of relationship between Hp development and the polymorphism of acid phosphatase (ACP1) (an enzyme which shows phosphotyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) activity). In infants from normal pregnancies who show ACP1 phenotypes with the highest activity, the appearance of Hp is accelerated as compared to other infants. In contrast, infants from diabetic pregnancies who have ACP1 phenotypes with the highest activity, show delayed Hp development.     

Forecasting house prices in OECD economies

In this paper, we forecast real house price growth of 16 OECD countries using information from domestic macroeconomic indicators and global measures of the housing market. Consistent with the findings for the US housing market, we find that the forecasts from an autoregressive model dominate the forecasts from the random walk model for most of the countries in our sample. More importantly, we find that the forecasts from a bivariate model that includes economically important domestic macroeconomic variables and two global indicators of the housing market significantly improve upon the univariate autoregressive model forecasts. Among all the variables, the mean square forecast error from the model with the country's domestic interest rates has the best performance for most of the countries. The country's income, industrial production, and stock markets are also found to have valuable information about the future movements in real house price growth. There is also some evidence supporting the influence of the global housing price growth in out‐of‐sample forecasting of real house price growth in these OECD countries.     

Differences in susceptibility of tissues to revascularization studied in ectopic implants

Summary The survival rate of implanted marrow is reduced when the tissue is transferred from one site to another within the first 24 hours but not more than 48 hours after the initial implantation. Splenic implants can be transferred at any time after implantation without affecting the survival rate. The observation suggests a difference in the sensitivity of the two tissues to the avascular period that they experience prior to initiation of angiogenesis.The work was supported by a grant from NIH. The author is recipient of a Career Research Development Award from NIAMDD.     

Mastoparan induces hypothermia in mice

The polypeptide mastoparan, isolated from the venom of the Oriental Hornet, Vespa orientalis, induces hypothermia in white mice 15 minutes after its intraperitoneal injection. The hypothermic effect is induced by mastoparan obtained from different hornet and wasp venoms. The normal murine core temperature is lowered by mastoparan from 38 degrees C to as far as 33 degrees C. This lowering lasts for one hour and is reversible.     

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

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.     

Oxygen permeability of the chorion in relation to diapause termination in Bombyx eggs

Oxygen permeability of the chorion of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, was measured in relation to embryonic diapause. It did not change appreciably when the eggs were freed from diapause by being kept under long chilling. This finding suggests that the increase in oxygen permeability of the chorion is not a pre-requisite for the termination of the diapause and resynthesis of glycogen from 2 polyols.     

Functional similarities in the mechanical design of the aorta in lower vertebrates and mammals

The mechanical properties of the aorta from the toad Bufo marinus, the lizard Gekko gecko and the garter snake Thamnophis radix were compared to those of the rat, by inflation of vessel segments in vitro. The arteries of the lower vertebrates, like those of mammals, were compliant, highly resilient, and non-linearly elastic. The elastic modulus of the artery wall was similar in the lower vertebrates and mammals, at their respective mean physiological pressures. We conclude that the aorta in each of these animals is suitably designed to function effectively as an elastic pulse smoothing component in the circulation; differences in the pressure wave transmission characteristics of lower vertebrates and mammals do not result from dissimilarities in arterial elastic properties, but from substantial differences in heart rate of these two groups.