Action de la triéthylènemélamie sur les mitoses de segmentation de l'œuf de Pleurodèle

Summary Triethylenemelamine (1/400 to 1/12000) induces pseudo-chiasmas and chromosome-breakage in the egg-segmentation mitoses ofPleurodeles waltlii Michah. The primitive effect is stickiness, breakages appear subsequently, but without an interval of time between: the primary physiological and the secondary genetical effect cannot be separated. There are points of breakability, which explains the symmetry of certain fragments. The action is inverted in the epidermal cells of the larvae, where spindle alterations are prominent. Cytodieresis is never inhibited.     

Etude de la consommation d'oxygène et de la teneur en acide désoxyribonucléique du foie à divers âges chez le rat

Summary The quantitative study of whole liver DNA and liver nuclei DNA at various ages, and the simultaneous study of oxygen uptake shows the following facts:(1) The rate of oxygen consumption to the fresh weight or to the DNA or to diploid chromosomes group is the same for the adult or the young aged 8 days. The values of oxygen consumption calculated for one cell or for one nucleus (taking notice of the fact that the mean level of liver nuclei DNA varies with the age) at 8 days is only the half of the adult value. Even at two months the value is 20% lower than in the adult.(2) In older animals there is a decrease of oxygen uptake which is more noticeable on a cellular scale than with the classical rate to fresh or dry weight. We affirm the fact that the diminution of the oxygen uptake of each cell is compensated by the increase of the number of cells.     

Étude cytochimique des groupes sulfhydriles au cours des modifications de la détermination embryonnaire chez l'œuf de l'oursinParacentrotus lividus

Summary A cytochemical study of the distribution of sulfhydryl groups in animalized and vegetalized embryos of the sea-urchinParacentrotus lividus has been made by use of the Bennett's reagent. The distribution of the sulfhydryl groups appears homogeneous in these embryos. No gradient has been observed in the experimental conditions used.     

Effets de l'actinomycine D sur le développement normal et sur les modifications expérimentales de la morphogénèse de l'oeuf de l'oursinParacentrotus lividus

Summary In the presence of actinomycin D (20–40 µg/ml), the development of the eggs of the sea urchin,Paracentrotus lividus, is slowed from the late morula and stopped at the blastula stage. The development is immediately stopped in the blastula treated with actinomycin D (20–40 µg/ml). The inhibitory effects of actinomycin D are prevented by deoxyribonucleic acid. Actinomycin D does not exert animalizing or vegetalizing effects. However, the enhancing of vegetalizing action of lithium and the weakening of animalizing effects of zinc ions and Evans blue have been observed in the presence of actinomycin D. These observations may reflect some difference in the state of dependence of differentiation of entomesodermic and ectodermic structures towards the nucleus.     

Conséquences de la thymectomie sur la formule leucocytaire chez le cobaye

Summary In infantile guinea pigs, thymectomy determined a decrease of the leucocyte count in the circulating blood, resulting essentially from the decreased number of lymphocytes.Eosinophiles increased noticeably in the same animals.Thus the consequences of thymectomy were proved to be exactly opposite to those of administration of thymus extract as described in a previous publication.     

Sur la synthèse de l'aneurine par le bacille tuberculeux

Summary The tubercle bacillus of the human, bovine, and avian types and the BCG synthesize aneurine, which diffuses into the cultural medium (synthetic medium ofSauton), in which we have determined it by means of the Phycomyces test.

---

---

Travail (de l'Institut de bactériologie et d'hygiène de la Faculté de médecine de Lausanne [Directeur: Prof. Dr. P. Hauduroy]) subventionné par le Fonds d'études Roche (Bâle).     

Action de l'orientation et de la qualité de la lumière sur le développement des protonémas de Bryales

Summary The radiations coming from Blanc Brillant de Luxe' fluorescent stimulate the growth and ramification of protonema ofCeratodon purpureus (Hedw.) Brid. This stimulation is caused by red light (660 nm). Multidirectional lightening is more favorable than unidirectional exposition.     

Action répressive de l'oxygène sur la biosynthèse de la fumarique-réductase d'Aerobacter aerogenes

Summary The cells obtained from anaerobic cultures ofA. aerogenes contain both a hydrogenase and a fumaric reductase, but lack one or several electron transporters necessary for the coupling of the two enzymes. It is possible to measure the fumaric reductase activity of the extracts in the presence of hydrogen, hydrogenase and benzyl viologen, using the Warburg manometric technique. In anaerobic cultures the reductase is an inducible enzyme. In aerobic cultures its formation is strongly repressed by atmospheric oxygen.     

Sur l'inversion de l'action hypertensive de la prostaglandine F2α, chez le rat

Summary In normal rats, prostaglandin F₂ is a potent vasoconstrictor. The corresponding systemic hypertension is progressively attenuated by tachyphylaxis, revealing a longlasting fall of blood pressure. Tachyphylaxis is accelerated by previous injection of arachidonic acid and bradykinin. The vasodepressive activity of PGF₂ is inhibited by indomethacin.

---

---

Nous remercions vivement le docteurPike (Upjohn, Kalamazoo) qui nous a fourni gracieusement ces prostaglandines.     

Activité de la monoamine-oxydase au cours de la période perí-natale chez le Lapin

Summary The activity of enzyme monoamine oxidase was studied from 3 days before birth up to 2 days after birth in the heart, liver and kidney of albino rabbits. At the end of ftal life, the MAO activity of heart and liver expressed per unit of organ weight was nearly the same as the adult one. At birth and 1 day, the activity showed decrease in the 3 organs. The possible causes of these decreases are discussed.

---

---

Remerciements. Nous remercions MM. les ProfesseursChevallier et Jost de nous avoir permis d'utiliser certains appareils de leur laboratoire.     

Effets de l'irradiation sur le métabolisme des acides nucléiques et de leurs dérivés acidosolubles chez le rat

Summary In the rat, X-irradiation leads to a decrease of the net RNA and DNA content of the spleen, without, however, increasing the low molecular weight nucleic acid derivatives in the acid-soluble fractions of the same tissue. It is suggested that an alteration of the cell membranes could account for the apparent elimination of these nucleic acid degradation products which should normally appear in the acid-soluble fraction.     

Biosynthèse in vitro d'octopamine par le système nerveux et le cœur du mollusque gastéropodeHelix pomatia

Summary The tyrosine is decarboxylated in vitro by the central nervous tissue and by the intracardiac nervous tissue ofHelix pomatia by aromatic amino-acid decarboxylase. The tyramine obtained is the partially transformed into octopamine by tyramine--hydroxylase. The inhibition of monoamine oxidase favours apparition of the 2 amines. The monoamine oxidase seems able to regulate their synthese and to assure their inactivation.

---

Biosynthèse in vitro d'octopamine par le système nerveux et le cur du mollusque gastéropodeHelix pomatia