Evidence tha a ‘critical period’ is involved in early estrogen-induced LH- and FSH-release during the estrous cycle in the rat

Summary LH- and FSH-release, which occurred in the afternoon of diestrus 1 following estradiol benzoate administration in the morning of estrus, was completely prevented by pentobarbital, when injected on diestrus 1 at 13.30 h.This investigation was partially financed by the CNRS (ERA 566).Acknowledgments. We are grateful to Dr S. Plas-Roser for her expert assistance and advice on radioimmunoassays. We are indebted to Mrs Ch. Lazarus for her technical assistance. We wish to express our gratitude to Dr B. Kerdelhue and Dr A. F. Parlow for providing iodinated hormones and reagents for the determination of LH and FSH.     

Adenosine triphosphate and diphosphoglycerate levels in red blood cells from patients with Down's syndrome

Summary The levels of ATP and ATP plus DPG were significantly elevated in erythrocytes from Down's syndrome patients when compared to erythrocytes from age matched controls. The hemoglobin content and hematocrit values were significantly reduced. The resultant tendency towards anemia probably explains the elevation in metabolite levels.Acknowledgments. The authors are grateful to the Mrs James A. Richardson Foundation and the Medical Research Council of Canada (grant No. M.A. 5447) for providing financial assistance. The authors also wish to thank Dr L. Lowther, J. Crabtree and Dolores Suga for their assistance in this study.     

Male tarsal sex-comb teeth pattern in theDrosophila bipectinata complex

Summary Species within theD. bipectinata species complex pose problems experimentally because of their morphological similarity. By measuring the number of teeth in each row of the male tarsal sex-comb, an unknown specimen can be allocated to a hybrid or parental group by means of a discriminant function. This paper describes which rows of the sex-comb are the best discriminators for particular comparisons.Acknowledgments. We thank L. Anderson and P. Rowbury for technical and research assistance, Dr I. Bock for providing fly stocks and for his continued interest and helpful discussions, and the Australian Research Grants Scheme for financial assistance.     

The chromosomes of four species of Falconiformes

Summary Leucocyte cultures were used in four species of Falconiformes for the purpose of karyotypic sex determination and the establishment of a breeding pair. The Andean condor has 80 Guiana eagle 54, Crane hawk 66, and Turkey vulture 76 chromosomes with readily distinguished ZW elements in the female.Our cordial thanks are extended toA. Risser, Ph. D. Assistant Curator of Birds, San Diego Zoo;Warren Thomas, D.V.M., Director, Los Angeles Zoo for their cooperation and assistance in the collection of blood samples for chromosome study. We are also grateful toK. Benirschke, M.D., Director of Research, San Diego Zoo for his kind assistance.     

Electrophoretic heterogeneity exhibited by the S-allele specific glycoproteins ofBrassica

Summary A number of self-incompatibility genotypes ofB. oleracea were analyzed by sensitive electrophoretic procedures. Members of the class of S-allele specific glycoproteins that increase in correlation with the onset of the incompatibility response were resolved into several components on SDS gels. The implications of this molecular heterogeneity are discussed in relation to S locus function.This work was supported by NSF grant No. PCM 8118035. The authors acknowledge the assistance of Dr Marilou McLaughlin, Coordinator of Sponsored Research, SUNY, Cortland, and thank Carl Burr, Delia Baroni, and Raymond Nagell for assistance in photography.     

Candida utilis as a convenient and safe substitute for the pathogenic yeastC. albicans in Daniels' phototoxicity test

Summary Candida utilis is a safe and convenient substitute for the pathogenic yeastC. albicans in phototoxicity tests. With both organisms 8-methoxypsoralen and -terthienyl give positive results while photodynamic compounds give negative results.Acknowledgments. We are grateful to the National Institutes of Health (GM24144) for financial assistance, and to Ms Nancy Budorick, Prof. A. Ferro, and Mr Carl Moshovitis for technical assistance and advice.     

Electron diffraction of the metallic elements in the pineal organ of a freshwater fish,Mystus vittatus (Bloch.)

Summary By electron diffraction pattern the presence of metallic elements, particularly chromium-nickel, chromium phosphide, copper, aluminum-copper and zinc has been shown in the pineal organ of a freshwater teleost,M. vittatus. It is likely that their occurrence within the pineal is due to binding with the neurosecretory material fractions/ligands.The technical assistance of O.N. Srivastava and financial assistance of CSIR, India, are gratefully acknowledged.     

The fasciolicidal activity of a halogenated benzenesulfonanilide

Summary Halogenated benzenesulfonanilides have potent fasciolicidal activity. The efficacy of 1 such compound in mice, sheep, and cattle is reported.Appreciation is expressed to Dr M. Manowitz for chemical support and to J. Bailer, G. Fusiek and C. Indian for their assistance. Dr. R. Bellhorn and C. Impellizzeri gave valuable assistance in the eye examinations.     

Tolerance to cold and glucose homeostasis in adrenal demedullated dogs

Summary The rise in O₂ consumption and in glucose turnover, induced by acute cold exposure is not suppressed by adrenal demedullation in dogs. However, both at neutral and cold ambient temperature, the mean plasma glucose concentrations are higher in normal (N) than in adrenal-demedullated dogs (ADMX). In the cold, the fall in rectal temperature is larger in ADMX than in N dogs.This work was supported by a grant from Université Claude Bernard (U.E.R. Lyon Nord and U.E.R. Biologie Humaine).The authors thank D. Rougier and G. Dallevet for their excellent technical assistance and A. Brillant for secreterial assistance.     

Are some interactions between NADH oxidase and succinate oxidase in beef heart non-phosphorylating submitochondrial particles artifacts?

Summary Critical review of literature and experiments by the authors are suggestive that some interactions between mitochondrial respiratory complexes could be due to a minimal matrix enzymes contamination.Acknowledgments. The authors are grateful to Dr Wanda De Luca for technical assistance.     

Progressive impairment in high energy phosphate pattern induced by intermittent coronary perfusion

Summary After continuous myocardial ischemia, ATP and CP are both depressed. A different pattern is exhibited in the course of intermittent coronary perfusion. The drop in ATP stores is not avoided, but progressive resis in CP contents is observed.Acknowledgments. The authors are grateful to Mrs G. Boulot and Miss Bidault for excellent technical assistance.     

Spectral properties of methemoglobins prepared by the action of sodium nitrite and potassium ferricyanide

Summary Methemoglobin was prepared by the addition of sodium nitrite or potassium ferricyanide to oxy or deoxyhemoglobin. The spectral properties of these methemoglobins were studied before and after extensive dialysis. It is shown that the methemoglobin formed by sodium nitrite has substantial spectral differences in visible and Soret band compared to that formed by potassium ferricyanide. These differences are proportional to the excess of sodium nitrite only. This suggests that both methemoglobins are similar compounds.Supported by NIH grant No. 5R01AM 20181-03 and VA grant No. 5455-003.Acknowledgments. The technical assistance of Ms Carol A. Perry and the secretarial assistance of Ms Wanda Stewart are highly appreciated.     

The effect of daily evening isoproterenol administration on reproductive organ growth in male rats treated neonatally with testosterone propionate

Summary Daily evening injections of isoproterenol extended the period of high pineal N-acetyltransferase activity and retarded the growth of testes, seminal vesicles and prostate in rats treated neonatally with testosterone propionate.The authors are grateful to Mrs Marie Svobodová for her skillful technical assistance.     

Inhibition of tumor-induced angiogenesis and of tumor growth by activated lymphocytes

Summary Inhibition in angiogenesis (neo-vascularization) and of growth of a tumor piece graft in the anterior chamber of the eye of mice have been observed in the presence of activated syngeneic lymphocytes.Acknowledgment. The authors are thankful to ICMR, New Delhi, for financial assistance and to Mr N.C. Ghosh for illustration.     

Animal pharmacology of oxapadol (MD 720111), a new non-narcotic analgesic

Summary Oxapadol is a non-narcotic analgesic with an unusual chemical structure. It possesses analgesic activity in 4 species similar to that of other non-narcotic reference analgesics. It also shows antipyretic and antiinflammatory effects and in the analgesic dose range is devoid of undesirable neurological, gastro-intestinal and cardiovascular side-effects.Acknowledgments. We thank Mss M. Mazadier, R. Adam and M. Delhommeau for technical assistance, Dr R.D. Porsolt for help with the text and Ms M. Fiquémont for secretarial assistance.     

Semen electrolytes in normal and infertile subjects. II. Zinc

Summary Zinc levels in seminal plasma of normal subjects are compared with those of oligospermic, asthenospermic and azoospermic. A linear direct relationship seems to exist between zinc in seminal plasma and motility of spermatozoans. The possible implications of this are discussed.Acknowledgment. Authors are thankful to Mr P. Gopinath, Assistant Professor in Physiology, for valuable criticism on the article and to Mr N.T. Pabani for technical assistance.     

Pseudo-isochromosomes in pearl millet

Summary Meiosis in a plant with 2n=12+2 pseudo-isochromosomes was studied. The pseudo-isochromosomes were compensating for the loss of the 3rd chromosome pair of the normal diploid complement.Acknowledgments. The authors are thankful to Dr J. Sybenga, for his helpful suggestions. The first 2 authors are thankful to the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, for financial assistance.     

Ribosomal bodies specific to both pollen and zygotic embryogenesis inDatura

Summary Induction of pollen embryos in vitro or zygotic embryos in situ is characterized by the formation of RNA-rich cytoplasmic bodies. These are observed in all pollen embryos irrespective of the different pathways of androgenesis followed in vitro.We thank Drs brigitte S. Sangwan-Norreel and A. Kovoor for discussions and Mr J. Schaeffer for technical assistance.     

Aspects of interastrocytic gap junctions in blood-brain barrier in the experimental penumbra area,revealed by transmission electron microscopy and freeze-fracture

Summary Interastrocytic gap junctions in the blood-brain barrier of the experimental penumbra area were studied in the cat caudate nucleus 1 h after ischemia. Transmission electron microscopy and freeze-fracture studies revealed only slight changes in gap junctions between astrocytes, indicating that these junctions are very resistant to hypoxia.Authors are grateful to M. Guerricabeitia and Ch. Bourdier for their technical and secretarial assistance.     

Changes in cAMP concentration in the rat preoptic area during synchronized and desynchronized sleep

Summary cAMP concentration was found to be significantly lower during desynchronized sleep than during synchronized sleep in the preoptic area of rats kept at normal laboratory temperature. No significant changes in cerebral cortex cAMP concentraion were observed in the same experimental conditions.This work was supported by grants from Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche and Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione.The authors wish to thank G. Mancinelli and L. Sabattini for technical assistance and M. Luppi for secretarial assistance.