The renal concentrating ability of newly born brattleboro rats (hereditary diabetes insipidus)

Summary In Brattleboro rats, there was no difference in urine osmolality between animals with and without diabetes insipidus after water deprivation up to age 14 days, and it appeared at age 18 days due to increase of osmolality in non-diabetic individuals.     

Use of three specific radioimmunoassays in measuring neurohypophysial hormone content and plasma concentrations of vasopressin, oxytocin and DDAVP in rats after prolonged infusion of DDAVP

Specific radioimmunoassays (RIA) were employed for measuring plasma and neurohypophysial concentrations of oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) after administration of 1-deamino-8-D-Arg-vasopressin (DDAVP). DDAVP concentrations were measured by a newly-developed specific RIA. Through the use of minipumps, DDAVP was infused i.p. over a period of 3 days in normally hydrated rats. Despite decreased urine production and increased urine osmolality no changes could be observed in neurohypophysial and plasma hormone concentrations.     

Use of three specific radioimmunoassays in measuring neurohypophysial hormone content and plasma concentrations of vasopressin,oxytocin and DDAVP in rats after prolonged infusion of DDAVP

Summary Specific radioimmunoassays (RIA) were employed for measuring plasma and neurohypophysial concentrations of oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) after administration of 1-deamino-8-D-Arg-vasopressin (DDAVP). DDAVP concentrations were measured by a newly-developed specific RIA. Through the use of minipumps, DDAVP was infused i.p. over a period of 3 days in normally hydrated rats. Despite decreased urine production and increased urine osmolality no changes could be observed in neurohypophysial and plasma hormone concentrations.     

Volume-dependent regulation of the respiratory burst of activated human neutrophils

The effect of incubation medium osmolality on the respiratory burst of human neutrophils was studied using luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (CL) as an indicator of burst activity. Neutrophils were stimulated with N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (FMLP), phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), the calcium ionophore A23187, thermoaggregated IgG (IgG_n), and opsonized zymosan (OZ). It was shown that increasing the osmolality of the incubation medium from 320 up to 420 mosM decreased the A231870 and OZ-induced CL responses by 90%. Under the same conditions PMA-, FMLP- and IgG_n-induced CL responses were decreased by 40–60%. A decrease of osmolality to 200 mosM resulted in a 2–3 fold decrease of the A23187-, PMA- and FMLP-induced CL and in a 60–80% increase of OZ- and IgG_n-induced CL. It is suggested that osmolality-mediated alteration of cell volume is an important mechanism for regulating neutrophil activity.     

15-Hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase and hexokinase in spontaneously hypertensive rat kidney

Summary 15-Hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (PGDH) surged in hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive (WKY) rat kidney at 8 days of age, is greatest in SHR. Hexokinase fell in SHR at 17 days of age, but thereafter was similar to WKY. This suggests multisystem enzymatic abnormalities in SHR kidney during development of hypertension.     

CRTSⅡ型水泥乳化沥青砂浆静态力学性能发展的微观分析

测试了沪昆高铁江西段现场成型CRTS II型CA砂浆长期力学性能的发展变化,并通过沥青抽滤,水泥热重分析,压汞法和核磁共振等试验方法分析了沥青组分、砂浆内部微观孔隙结构变化,水泥水化程度对砂浆长期力学性能的影响.结果发现:砂浆28 d抗压强度与弹性模量均达到了规范要求,随着龄期延长,砂浆力学性能持续升高,但42 d以后砂浆力学性能增长放缓,水泥的持续水化使得砂浆内部孔隙不断细化,强度上升;养护7 d后,砂浆内沥青含量已经固定,成膜固化过程完成.     

The age-dependent difference in the response of the vagina to the neonatal administration of testosterone propionate in Long-Evans female rats

Summary The ability of the vaginal epithelium to respond to testosterone propionate by producing keratin was established when female rats were 3 days of age, whereas the vaginal stroma from rats 2 days old or less was capable of responding to the androgen and might destroy the vaginal epithelium.     

Development of plasma cortisol in calves from birth to 14 days of age]

Plasma cortisol was recorded in 15 calves from birth to 14 days of age by a radio-immunoassay technique. At birth mean cortisol value is 67.3 ng/ml; 6 hrs. later it decreases by 58.4% then it gradually diminishes and about 14 days after, it reaches adult levels (5.1 ng/ml).     

Control of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in young and older rats injected with thyroxine.

Administration of T4 on alternate weeks for 30 weeks at a dosage which does not alter body weight depresses basal serum corticosterone levels in older rats (575 days), but not in young animals (260 days). Similar serum corticosterone response to HPA axis stimulation occurs regardless of age or T4 injection.     

Altered axon terminals containing concentric lamellar bodies of cerebellar Pukinje cells in Mongolian gerbil

Altered axon terminals containing concentric lamellar bodies were observed in cerebellar and vestibular nuclei of the Mongolian gerbil. The terminals increased in number from 30 days of age onward, and reached about tenfold at 360 days. The numbers were the same in two gerbil strains with different susceptibility to spontaneous motor seizures by various stimuli, but about threefold those in Slc:Wistar rat.     

Maturation of the pineal melatonin rhythm in long- and short-day reared Djungarian hamsters

Male Djungarian hamsters, reared under long (16L/8D) or short (10L/14D) days, were sacrificed at various ages during the day or night, or at night following a 30-min light pulse. The pineal melatonin rhythm matured similarly under long and short days by 20 days of age. The results are discussed in context of the hypothesis that melatonin mediates the photoperiod effects which forestall puberty in short-day reared hamsters.     

Maturation of the pineal melatonin rhythm in long- and short-day reared Djungarian hamsters

Summary Male Djungarian hamsters, reared under long (16L/8D) or short (10L/14D) days, were sacrificed at various ages during the day or night, or at night following a 30-min light pulse. The pineal melatonin rhythm matured similarly under long and short days by 20 days of age. The results are discussed in context of the hypothesis that melatonin mediates the photoperiod effects which forestall puberty in short-day reared hamsters.Supported by NIH research grant HD-05481.     

Administration of D-alanine did not cause increase of D-amino acid oxidase activity in mice.

D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) activity was not altered in the liver and kidney by oral administration of D-alanine to adult mice. The enzyme was apparently not induced by the enteric microflora either, since the enzyme activity in the liver and kidney of germ-free mice was not different from that of specific-pathogen-free mice. The times of appearance of DAAO activity and of free D-amino acids in the kidney were elucidated using suckling mice. DAAO activity started to increase 7 days after birth, and reached almost the adult level by 28 days. The content of free neutral D-amino acids also increased with age, in a similar fashion. A possible conclusion is that the enzyme activity normally increases during this period, to eliminate the free D-amino acids which have increased with age in the suckling mice. Consequently, the administration of D-alanine had no further effect in increasing enzyme activity.     

Dissociated cell suspensions ofCarcinus maenas Y-organs as a tool to study ecdysteroid production and its regulation

In vitro ecdysteroid production by dissociated Y-organ cells of the shore crabCarcinus maenas was characterized during short-term incubations. Under optimized conditions (M199 adjusted to crab osmolality and with the addition of 10% foetal calf serum), ecdysteroid production by dispersed cells increased linearly during 4-hour incubations, with little intra-assay variation. 25-deoxyecdysone was mainly produced. PurifiedCarcinus molt inhbiting hormone (CamMIH) produced a dose-dependent inhibition of ecdysteroid production by dispersed cells. The cells were about 50 times more sensitive than whole glands to MIH. Other structurally-related peptides were tested.     

Administration of D-alanine did not cause increase of D-amino acid oxidase activity in mice

D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) activity was not altered in the liver and kidney by oral administration of D-alanine to adult mice. The enzyme was apparently not induced by the enteric microflora either, since the enzyme activity in the liver and kidney of germ-free mice was not different from that of specific-pathogen-free mice. The times of appearance of DAAO activity and of free D-amino acids in the kidney were elucidated using suckling mice. DAAO activity started to increase 7 days after birth, and reached almost the adult level by 28 days. The content of free neutral D-amino acids also increased with age, in a similar fashion. A possible conclusion is that the enzyme activity normally increases during this period, to eliminate the free D-amino acids which have increased with age in the suckling mice. Consequently, the administration of D-alanine had no further effect in increasing enzyme activity.     

Postnatal undernutrition: effect on antral gastrin levels at a later age

Summary In rats undernutrition from birth to 14 days of age resulted in retardation of growth and diminution of antral gastrin concentration. When the 14-day-old undernourished rats were nutritionally rehabilitated, they grew at a faster rate, and at 27 days of age their body weight and the weight of various tissues of the gastrointestinal tract including the antrum reached the levels of the well-nourished littermate controls. In spite of this, antral gastrin concentration was found to be about one-half of that of the well-nourished littermates.Acknowledgments. I am indebted to Professor J. F. Rehfeld of Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, for his generous supply of gastrin antisera. I whish to thank Mr S. Frandsen for his skilful technical assistance. The work was supported by grants from the Danish Medical Research Council, NOVO Research Fund and Christian den Tiendes Fond, Denmark.     

Growth and longevity of Wistar rats receiving a diet whose protein content is rapidly lowered in relation to aging]

Growth and longevity of the Rats were the same when: (i) the diet was rich in casein (21%), from weaning to death: (ii) the casein content of this diet (without B12) was progressively lowered from weaning to 200 days of age, and thereafter was 7%. When the casein level had been too rapidly lowered, inducing retardation of growth after 75 days, maximal growth was lowered and life span was increased.     

Development of post-hatching melatonin rhythm in zebra finches (Poephila guttata)

We examined levels of melatonin in the pineal, eyes and plasma over a 24 h period during development in the altricial zebra finch. Beginning as early as 2 days after hatching there was a distinct 24 h rhythm in melatonin in the pineal and plasma. Beginning at day seven after hatching there was also a 24 h rhythm present in the eyes. In the pineal and eyes the amplitude of the 24 h rhythm increased with age. In contrast, the amplitude of the plasma melatonin rhythm at 2 days was already within the range of adults and did not increase with age. These results confirm and expand earlier findings in the European starling and parallel those from precocial birds indicating that the circadian system is already competent at or shortly after hatching even in atricial birds.     

Thymectomy modifies androgenizing effects of a testis transplant during critical period for neuroprogramming.

Thymectomy simultaneous with transplantation of a syngeneic testis from a littermate to Fischer 344 rats ameliorated the androgenizing effects of the testis transplant on ovarian morphology at 90 days of age.     

Adenylate cyclase in the developing rat cerebral cortex and olfactory bulb

Activities of adenylate cyclase, measured either in the absence or presence of sodium fluoride and Triton X-100, are determined in cerebral cortex and olfactory bulb homogenate of rats of 1 to 35 days of postnatal age. Differences in properties of the enzyme in the 2 structures are demonstrated.