Beta-adrenergic blocking effect of dichloroisoprenaline (DCI), (H 56/28, I.C.I. 50172, LB 46), methoxamine (MJ 1999) and propranolol on the sinus node activity of the dog heart

Zusammenfassung Der Hemmungseffekt sieben-adrenergischer Blockierungsmittel auf positive chronotrope Wirkung bei zunehmender Dosierung von Isoprenalin wurde durch Verabreichung in die Sinusknotenarterie vergleichend untersucht. Reihenfolge der Wirksamkeit: LB 46, H 56/28, Propranolol>I.C.I. 50172, DCI>MJ 1999>Methoxamin.     

Comparison of Β-Adrenergic blocking activity of dichloroisoprenaline (H 56/28, I.C.I. 50172, LB46), methoxamine (MJ 1999) and propranolol in the canine femoral vascular bed

Zusammenfassung Die blockierende Wirkung intra- arteriell verabreichter,-adrenergischer Mittel wurde am femoralen Gefässgebiet des Hundes untersucht. DCI, H 56/28 und LB 46 per se regten den arteriellen Blutstrom mit zunehmender Dosierung an, während Methoxamin in umgekehrter Weise wirkte. Eine hemmende Wirkung auf den durch Isoprenalin angeregten Blutstrom fand sich in folgender Reihenfolge: LB 46H 56/28 > Propranolol > MJ 1999=DCI. I.C.I. 50172 und Methoxamin fehlt diese Wirkung.     

Phosphodiesterase I. Spezifischer Nachweis nach Disk-Elektrophorese und Vorkommen in Pflanzen

Summary The -naphthylester of uridine-5-phosphate was synthesized as a specific substrate for phosphodiesterase I which allows the identification of the enzyme after disc electrophoresis. Thus, phosphodiesterase I was shown to be present in several plants, in some of which it occurs in multiple forms.

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Herrn Dr.H. Stegemann sei für sein ständiges Interesse an dieser Arbeit gedankt, Herrn Dr.C.-E. Büchting (Kleinwanzlebener Saatzucht AG, Einbeck) für finanzielle Unterstützung, FräuleinF. Hollensen und HerrnK. Massie für gute Mitarbeit.     

Legionella pneumophila down-regulates MHC class I expression of human monocytic host cells and thereby inhibits T cell activation

Legionella (L.) pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires disease, is an intracellular pathogen of alveolar macrophages that resides in a compartment displaying features of endoplasmatic reticulum (ER). In this study, we show that intracellular multiplication of L. pneumophila results in a remarkable decrease in MHC class I expression by the infected monocytes. During intracellular multiplication, L. pneumophila absorbs ER-resident chaperons such as calnexin and BiP, molecules that are required for the correct formation of the MHC class I complex. Due to reduced MHC class I expression, stimulation of allogeneic blood mononuclear cells was severely inhibited by infected host cells but cytotoxicity of autologous natural killer cells against Legionella-infected monocytes was not enhanced. Thus, reduced expression of MHC class I in infected monocytes may resemble a new immune escape mechanism induced by L. pneumophila.Received 22 November 2004; received after revision 27 December 2004; accepted 5 January 2005     

Serum iron level of the common Indian frogRana tigrina Daud.

Summary A study extending over a period of 2 years has been made on serum iron level of common Indian frogR. tigrina. Serum iron averages 99.4 g/100 ml in female and 92.60 g/100 ml in males. The serum iron concentration is relatively high from May to October. Starvation has been found to decrease the serum iron level from the 16th day onwards.Acknowledgment. Thanks are due to Professor Dr M. M. Goil, Head of the Zoology Department for guidance and help in various ways and to Professor Dr R. K. Sharma for valuable suggestions.     

Über ein gebundenes Gibberellin ausPhaseolus coccineus L.

Summary In addition to gibberellins A₁, A₅, A₆ and A₈ previously isolated fromPhaseolus coccineus L., the occurrence of gibberellin A₃ and of 5 new gibberellin-like substances «Phaseolus -» was demonstrated. «Phaseolus» was proved to be a gibberellin bound to carbohydrates and ninhydrin-positive compounds.

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Gibberelline, II. Mitteilung. — I. Mitt. sieheG. Sembdner, R. Gross undK. Schreiber, Exper.18, 584 (1962).     

On the host-symbiont-cycle of a leafhopper (Euscelis plebejus) endosymbiosis

Summary In the host-symbiont-cycle ofEuscelis plebejus and its bacterial symbionts each of both symbionts (a and t) appears in an infection form during the intraovarial transmission (adult female) as well as during the entrance into the mycetocytes (embryo) and in a vegetative form during the remaining time of the cycle.This work was supported in part by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft to ProfessorK. Sander, whom I thank for helpful discussions.     

Starfish saponins. Part 101. Further 24-O-glycosidated steroids from the starfishHacelia attenuata

Summary On the basis of comparative spectral data, the structures of 3 novel steroidal glycosides from the Mediterranean starfishHacelia attenuata have been elucidated as3, 4 and5. These are further examples of a novel group of 24-O-glycosidated steroids recently encountered in the same species and in the Pacific speciesProtoreaster nodosus.Part 9. L. Minale, C. Pizza, R. Riccio and F. Zollo, Experientia39 (1983) 567. This contribution is part of the Progetto Finalizzato Chimica fine e secondaria del C.N.R., Roma.Acknowledgments. We thank Prof. K. Nakanishi, Columbia University, New York, for FD-mass spectral analyses, the Centro Interfacoltà di Metodologie Chimico-Fisiche for 270 MHz NMR facilities, and Miss R. Aquino for part of the experimental work.     

Fever and survival in the rat. Metabolic versus temperature response

Summary In infected rats, survival was directly proportional to the metabolic cost of fever (O₂%°C) during its rising phase and inversely proportional to the height of fever. It is suggested that some febrile, metabolic response may be beneficial, while the rise in temperature may be harmful for the host animal.I thank Dr W. Mannheim from the Institute of Hygiene for kindly furnishing the cultures ofS. enteritidis. This work was supported by the Schwerpunktprogramm Temperaturregulation und-adaptation of the DFG.     

The portraiture of the honourable Robert Boyle,F.R.S.

“To whom is the Consecration of Medal, Stature or even Pyramid more jusly due, than to … the late Illustraious Boyle? … for the happy Improvement of Otto Guericks Magdeburg Exhausterm and for his Profound and Noble Researches into all the abstruser Parts and Recesses of the most useful Philosophy … I have named the Illustrious Boyle, and fix his Trophy here.”

John Evelyn, Numismata, 1697.

     

Zur Biosynthese des Cantharidins. I

Summary In contrast to the female, the adult males ofLytta vesicatoria (Coleopt. Meloidae) produced radioactive cantharidine on injection with¹⁴C-1-acetate and¹⁴C-2-mevalonate solutions. A partial degradation of the cantharidine showed that in the acetate experiment approximately of the activity occurred at C atoms 2 + 3 whereas with mevalonate approximately of the activity was at C atoms 8 + 9 and at C atoms 10 + 11. These results show that cantharidine is not formed by a tail to tail linkage of 2 isoprene units.

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Wir danken dem Schweizerischen Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung für die Unterstützung dieser Arbeit, Herrn Dr.J. Würsch (Physikalisch-chemische Abteilung der Firma F. Hoffmann-La Roche & Co. AG, Basel) für¹⁴C-2-Mevalolacton und unserer mikroanalytischen Abteilung (LeitungH. Frohofer) für die Aktivitätsbestimmungen.     

Wound healing properties of naphthaquinone pigments fromAlkanna tinctoria

Summary From the roots ofAlkanna tinctoria Tausch, the alkannin esters of the following acids were isolated and identified: ,-dimethylacrylic acid, -acetoxy-isovaleric acid, isovaleric acid, and angelic acid. These esteric pigments showed excellent wound healing properties in a clinical study on 72 patients with ulcus cruris.I thank Dr A. Winkler, Heidberg Hospital and Prof. K. Kanitakis, Aristotle University, for the clinical studies. Prof. A. Sagredos, Aristotle University, for his help and Dr C. Gairola, Tobacco and Health Research Institute, for the mutagenicity tests. I also thank Dr G. A. Digenis and Dr L. Hurley, University of Kentucky, College of Pharmacy, for their critical reviews and comments.     

A new synthesis ofβ-fluoroaspartic acid

Summary -Fluoroaspartic acid, a new amino acid, was synthesized by a diazotization of diaminosuccinic acid in liquid hydrogen fluoride.Synthesis of Amino Acids and Related Compounds, part 21.—Part 20: Y. Ozaki, S. Maeda, M. Miyoshi and K. Matsumoto, Synthesis, 216 (1979).We would like to acknowledge Dr I. Chibata for his encouragement in this work.     

Furocaulerpin,a new acetylenic sesquiterpenoid from the green algaCaulerpa prolifera

Summary Furocaulerpin, an acetylenic sesquiterpenoid possessing a furan ring, has been isolated from the marine algaCaulerpa prolifera, and its stereostructure elucidated mainly on the basis of physico-chemical data.This work was carried out in the frame work of the Progetto Finalizzato per l'Oceanografia e i Fondi Marini, CNR, Rome. Thanks are due to the Centro di Metodologie Chimico-Fisiche of the University of Naples (Mr I. Giudicianni) for the determination of PMR-spectra.     

Passive transfer of resistance in rabbits infested with adultIxodes ricinus L.: Humoral factors influence feeding and egg laying

Summary Partial immunity against the bites of I. ricinus was transferred to normal rabbits by inoculating immune serum from resistant animals. Transferred humoral factors diminished the weight f the ticks' blood meal by 29% and increased the feeding period by about 1 day in comparison with ectoparasites engorged on controls. They provoked also the failure of egg laying by I. ricinus. Only 55% of ticks fed on treated rabbits laid eggs (94% on controls). The immunological state of immune serum donors or recipients was studied and the IgG and homocytotropic specific anti-I. ricinus antibodies were identified. The immediate hypersensitivity of rabbits' skin was also controlled.The present work was supported by the Swiss National Fund for Scientific Research, grant No. 3.558.75.     

Abnormal limbs (abl), a recessive mutation affecting the tadpoles ofXenopus l. laevis

Summary Abnormal limbs (abl) is a recessive and semi-lethal mutation introduced by a from the laboratory stock. Brachymely, syndactyly, polydactyly and brachydactyly are the main abnormalities encountered. They occur more frequently in the forelimbs than in the hindlimbs.Acknowledgment. The authors are indebted to Prof. A.W. Blackler, Dr I. Hadji-Azimi and Mrs J. Gazel-Stock for their valuable collaboration. This work was supported by the Fonds national de la Recherche scientifique (requêtes No 3.60.68 et 3.221.73).     

(Z)-1,17-diaminooctadec-9-ene,a novel aliphatic diamine from coccinellidae

Summary The isolation and structure determination of (Z)-1,17-diaminooctadec-9-ene from several species of Coccinellidae is reported.Maître de Recherches du Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique.We gratefully acknowledge the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique for financial support. We express our sincere thanks to Professor K. S. Hagen for a generous gift ofH. leis conformis.     

Alkaloide ausVinca minor L. Vincadin,Minovin und Vincorin

Summary The isolation and characterisation of three new alkaloids fromVinca minor L. is described: Vincadine C₂₁H₂₈N₂O₂, Minovine C₂₂H₂₈N₂O₂, and Vincorine C₂₂H₂₈N₂O₃ belonging to the indol- and dihydroindol alkaloids.

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VII. Mitteilung, VI. Mitt.: sieheJ. Mokrý I. Kompi, P. efovi, und. Bauer, Coll. Czech. Chem. Comm., im Druck.     

Glischropus tylopus,the first known old-world bat with an X-autosome translocation

Summary Glischropus tylopus shows an X-autosome translocation in which a small acrocentric chromosome has been transferred to the X. The diploid number is 30 for the females and 31 for the males. RBG banding shows that in the late replicating X of the female only the original X replicates late, the autosomal part replicates early, showing the same pattern as the corresponding autosomal Y₂ of the male. In the X chromosome, a heterochromatic band separates the autosomal from the gonosomal sequences.23 January 1987I am very grateful to Prof. R.A. Pfeiffer for giving me the opportunity to work at the Department of Human Genetics.My stay in Malaysia was supported by a grant of the DAAD.     

Starfish saponins VII. Structure of luzonicoside,a further steroidal cyclic glycoside from the pacific starfishEchinaster luzonicus

Summary On the basis of comparative chemical and spectral data, the structure of the major saponin, luzonicoside, from the starfishEchinaster luzonicus has been elucidated as2. This is a further example of a novel class of steroidal cyclic glycoside from starfish of the genusEchinaster. Its structure includes a ⁷, 3,6-dioxygenated-23-oxosteroidal moiety, already found in the saponins ofEchinaster sepositus, and a trisaccharide moiety, -D-galactopyranosyl-(12) -L-arabinopyranosyl-(12)--D-glucuronopyranosyl, bridging C-3 and C-6 of the steroid.This contribution is part of the Progetto Finalizzato Oceanografia e Fondi Marini del C.N.R., Roma.Acknowledgments. We wish to thank Mrs M. Pusset, Laboratoire des Plantes Médicinales du C.N.R.S., Nouméa, for the extraction of starfish and the divers of the Centre Q.R.S.T.O.M. de Nouméa for collection.