Is the renal vasodilatation induced byβ-adrenoceptor stimulants in the dog mediated through dopamine receptor?

Summary In chloralose-anaesthetized dogs the renal vasodilator effect of isoprenaline is depressed by blockade of either dopamine or -adrenoceptors but the renal vasodilator effect of dopamine is depressed only by blockade of dopamine receptors. This suggests that the vasodilatation induced by -stimulants within the canine kidney is due in part to activation of dopamine receptors.This study was supported by the Life Insurance Medical Research Fund of Australia and New Zealand and by the Australian Kidney Foundation.We thank Mr S. Marshall for technical assistance.     

Effect of muscimol on dopamine metabolism of the rat hypothalamus

Summary Muscimol, a potent GABA receptor agonist, produced increases in DOPAC and dopamine concentrations in the rat hypothalamus. GABAergic receptors, therefore, modulate hypothalamic dopaminergic neurones.This work was supported by the National health and Medical Research Council of Australia. The authors are grateful to Dr P. Krogsgaard-Larsen, Copenhagen, for providing muscimol.     

Influence of dopamine infusion on plasma prolactin released by kidney capsule transplanted anterior pituitaries

Summary The infusion of dopamine into the renal artery resulted in decreased prolactin release from 3 anterior pituitary glands transplanted under the kidney capsule. Prolactin levels continually decreased over a 5 min period after DA infusion was terminated and thereafter approached preinfusion levels by the end of 10 min.Supported by NSF Research, grant No. 74-17332.The authors wish to express their appreciation to Mrs Cynthia Van De Walle for her outstanding technical assistance in the performance of the prolactin RIA and the statistical analyses. We also appreciate receiving as a gift from the National Institute for Arthritis, Metabolism and Digestive Diseases the rat prolactin used for iodination (RP-I₂) and standards (RP-1).     

Familial association in serum IgE levels

Summary The serum IgE levels measured by RIST correlated closely with those obtained by the single radioimmunodiffusion method. Values for husband and wife were closely related as were those between father and daughter but in contrast to previous observations no significant relationship existed between IgE levels for mother and son.Acknowledgments. The Busselton population studies, of which this paper forms part, have been supported by the University of Western Australia the Arnold Yeldham and Mary Raine Foundation, the National Heart Foundation of Australia, Royal Perth Hospital, State Health Laboratories (Western Australia), the National Health and Medical Research Council, Princess Margaret Children's Medical Research Foundation, various private donors, numerous volunteer workers, and the people of Busselton. The authors wish to personally acknowledge support from the Arnold Yeldham and Mary Raine Foundation, the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Asthma Foundation of Western Australia. We are indebted to Drs.K. J. Cullen andR. C. Godfrey for making available valuable material from the Busselton population survey.     

The acute effects of sulpiride on the central dopamine turnover in rats: A quantitative histochemical study

Summary Sulpiride accelerated the dopamine turnover preferentially in the mesolimbic as compared to the nigrostriatal dopamine system. However, the tuberoinfundibular dopamine turnover was not affected by sulpiride or haloperidol.Acknowledgments. This study was supported in part by a grant No. 4, 1979, from National Center for Nervous, Mental and Muscular Disorder (NCNMD) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Japan. We would like to thank Fujisawa pharmaceutical Co., Ltd for the gift of sulpiride.     

Mescaline: Its effects on learning rate and dopamine metabolism in goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Summary The pharmacological action of mescaline on goldfish was studied with the Bitterman-Agranoff shock-avoidance test. In short term experiments with high mescaline doses an increase in learning rates was observed. Similar results were obtained with apomorphine andl-dopa. However, when the fish were exposed to smaller mescaline doses (or to fluphenazine) for 3 days, their ability to avoid electric shock was reduced. Apparently, mescaline induced a release of dopamine which stimulated central dopaminergic systems. Subsequently, MAO destroys the liberated dopamine. Thus, the ensuing dopamine deficit appears to be responsible for the marked changes in behavior in the chronic experiment.This work was supported in part by research grants from the National Eye Institute (EY No. 00313) and the National Institute of Mental Health (MH No. 20020), and by the Sterling Morton Charitable Trust Fund.     

The metabolism of the soil fumigant 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane in the rat

Summary The soil fumigant 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (I) undergoes hydrolysis in the rat to a series of epoxide metabolites. Alkylation of glutathione by these epoxides produces 2 urinary metabolites identified as the mercapturic acids VI (R=COCH₃) and VII (R=COCH₃). Hydrolysis of the epoxides produces the male antifertility agentsa-chlorohydrin (IX, X=Cl) anda-bromohydrin (IX, X=Br) which are oxidatively metabolized to oxalic acid (XII), thus causing renal damage. These metabolic pathways can explain the toxic nature of the fumigant as a carcinogen, a male chemosterilant and as an agent causing kidney damage.This work was supported in part by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.     

Naloxone selectively blocks dopamine response of Br-type neuron inHelix pomatia L.

Summary The present study demonstrates that the potent opiate antagonist, naloxone can selectively block the DA induced inhibition of the bursting activity pattern of the RPal or Br-type neuron. The dopamine inhibitory affect can also be blocked by haloperidol, a established dopamine receptor blocker.This work partially supported by a grant from the National Academy of Sciences and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences awarded to G.B.S. We also gratefully acknowledge thoughtful comments from Dr J. Salanki.     

Demonstration of vascular dopamine receptors in membranes from rabbit renal artery using3H-spiroperidol binding

Summary Binding of³H-spiroperidol to membranes branes from rabbit renal artery was found to be saturable and of high affinity. Dopamine receptor antagonists inhibited binding much more potently thana-adrenergic antagonists and dopamine was much more potent than noradrenaline, indicating that³H-spiroperidol labels vascular dopamine receptors in rabbit renal artery.The skilful technical assistance of Mrs Doris Petermeyer and Miss Ulrike Jansen is gratefully acknowledged.     

Sensitivity of human lymphocytes to bleomycin increases with age

Summary The sensitivity of human peripheral blood lymphocytes to bleomycin and mitomycin-C was assessed by measuring the inhibition of phytohemagglutinin stimulated proliferation. The sensitivity to bleomycin, and not to mitomycin-C, increased with the age.We thank Miss L. Bailey for excellent technical assistance and the Bristol-Myers Company for supply of bleomycin. This work was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and the Anti-Cancer Council of Adelaide University, South Australia.     

Association of mastopoiesis with haemopoietic tissues in the neonatal rat

Summary Mast cells in the newborn rat occur in haemopoietic foci of liver and spleen, but disappear from those foci as extramedullary haemopoiesis ceases during the initial postnatal month. At the same time, mast cells increasingly populate bone marrow and connective tissues of heart, lung, stomach and portal tract of liver.J. L. D. acknowledges Scholarships from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia while working on this project for the degree of B. Sc. (Med.), the University of New South Wales, and subsequently from the National Heart Foundation of Australia.     

The measurement of transketolase activity in heart preparations

Zusammenfassung Methodenvergleich zur Transketolase-Analyse in Rattenherzen. Die neue Methode benützt als Substrat Hydroxypyruvat und Erythrose-4-Phosphat und bestimmt das Verhältnis der Transketolaseaktivität an der Bildung von Fructose-6-Phosphat. Der Wechsel der Myocard-Transketolaseaktivität während Hypertrophie wird beschrieben.

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M.G.C. acknowledges the support of an Imperial Chemical Industries of Australia and New Zealand Postgraduate Fellowship. J.F.W. and J.B.H. acknowledge the financial support of the National Heart Foundation of Australia and J.F.W. acknowledges the financial support of the Australian Research Grants Committee. G.K. is a Postgraduate Medical Scholar of the National Heart Foundation of Australia.     

Tissue catecholamines following renal denervation in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Summary The delay in blood pressure increase observed in spontaneously hypertensive rats following bilateral renal denervation appeared to be due to a temporary reduction of the renal catecholamines content.This work was supported by grants from the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (ATP 32-76-64, and AU 79-35) and from the Fonds National Suisse de la Recherche Scientifique (3.033.76)     

Responses of skeletal muscle fibres to lanthanide ions. Dependence of the twitch response on ionic radii

Summary A study of the effects of the lanthanide series of ions on toad skeletal muscle fibres reveals that they a) inhibit the twitch response, b) exhibit a marked dependence on ionic radius, and c) apparently exert their effects on the sarcolemma.This research was supported by grants from the National Heart Foundation of Australia and from the National Health and Medical Research Council. The authors would like to thank Dr Keith Ellis for his suggestion of the standardization procedure for the lanthanide ions.     

Preliminary observations concerning the effect of dopamine on uranyl nitrate induced renal failure

Summary Dopamine infusion, when commenced 24 h after the insult, was ineffective in modifying the course of uranyl nitrate induced renal failure in rabbits.Acknowledgments. This study was supported in part by the Lillian and Charles Duncan Research Grant for the Investigation of Factors Affecting Atherogenesis. The dopamine was provided by Arnar-Stone Laboratories, Inc.     

Effect of isoprenaline on dopamine receptors in the rabbit isolated renal artery

Summary The relaxant effects of isoprenaline on rabbit isolated renal artery and aorta were compared. The results suggest that although isoprenaline acts on -adrenoceptors in the aorta it stimulates dopamine receptors in the renal artery.     

Atypical mast cell degranulation and focal hydropic degeneration of venular endothelium in diffuse fibrosing alveolitis

Summary Atypical scroll-like and tubular degranulation of mast cells closely associated with focal endothelial hydropic degeneration is reported in human lung from 4 patients with diffuse fibrosing alveolitis in which the predominant abnormality was hyperplasia and desquamation of type 2 pneumocytes.This work was supported by a grant from the National health and Medical Research Council of Australia.     

The desulphation of hexosamine sulphates by arylsulphatase B1

Summary The sulphation of Carbobenzoxyglucosamine by chlorosulphonic acid resulted in formation ofN-carbobenzoxyglucosamine-4,6-disulphate. UDP-galactosamine 4-sulphate and glucosamine 4,6-disulphate were the competitive inhibitors of arylsulphatase B. Arylsulphatase B can hydrolyze UDP-galactosamine 4-sulphate and glucosamine 4,6-disulphate but not galactosamine 6-sulphate.The work was done at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, and the Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India.     

Human adenosine deaminase and chromosome 20

Summary In patients exhibiting in marrow cells deletion of the long arm of chromosome 20, the specific activities of adenosine deaminase in cells of the peripheral blood are normal. This suggests that the gene for adenosine deaminase is not localized to the distal segment of the long arm of this chromosome.This work was supported by Grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria.     

Electrolyte transport in the seminiferous tubules of the rat studied by the stopped-flow microperfusion technique

Zusammenfassung Mit Hilfe der «stopped-flow»-Mikroperfusionstechnik wurden am Samenkanälchen Elektrolyttransportprozesse untersucht. Es wurde gefunden, dass die Kanälchen ein kaliumreiches Primärsekret bilden. Dieses unterscheidet sich in seiner Zusammensetzung von dem Sekret, das man gewöhnlich unter ungestörten Fliessbedingungen findet.

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This project was supported by the Rural Bank of Australia. One of us (R.D.H.) thanks the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia for the award of a B.Sc. (med.) studentship for 1970.