Transparency in organisms

Summary The occurrence in animal phyla of species having a relatively transparent body is noted and measurements of the transmittance of medusae made in a spectrophotometer are reported, but the approximate nature of the results obtained with a commercial instrument and the importance of the correct physical design of the measuring apparatus are emphasized. The application to invertebrates of the structural explanation of the predominant transmission of incident light by the vertebrate cornea is discussed and the role of other factors considered. Destructive interference of the scattered rays, sufficient to account for the transparency of the cornea, has been shown not to demand a completely regular arrangement of collagen fibres. The small diameter and regularity of the fibrillar components in the muscles ofSagitta may be adequate to account for their transparency.I am grateful to Dr.D. M. Maurice for the encouragement of this interest, to Dr.E. G. Jordan for electron micrographs ofSagitta and to Mr.G. Ross (Department of Physics, Queen Elizabeth College) for helpful and critical discussion.     

Effect of ascorbic acid on pigmentation of toad (Bufo melanostictus)

Summary Administration of ascorbic acid in toad during breeding season results an increase in melanin pigments in skin, liver and vocal sac.Acknowledgment. The authors' thanks are due to Prof.C. Deb, Head of the Department of Physiology, Calcutta University, for encouragements.     

Neurochemical correlates of alloxan diabetes: Protein and ribonucleic acid levels in the different regions of the rat brain

Summary The levels of protein and ribonucleic acid in the cerebrum, cerebellum, optic lobes and medulla oblongata of normal and alloxan-diabetic rats were measured. In general, the protein content and levels of ribonucleic acid in the broad compartments of the brain of rat decreased during diabetes.Acknowledgment. The authors thank Dr.A. R. Kasturi Bai, Head of the Department of Zoology, Bangalore University, for providing facilities during the study.     

Degradation of phenylalanine in the presence of hydrogen peroxide

Summary UV-irradiation of phenylalanine by 253.7 nm light in the presence of hydrogen peroxide formed 5 ninhydrin reactive products and ammonia. Four of them were identified as aspartic acid, serine, alanine and lysine.Acknowledgments. This work was supported by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. Thanks are due to the Head of the Department for facilities and to. Mr.Rakesh C. Sharma for help.     

Changes in alanine transaminase activity in the liver of riboflavin-deficient rats

Zusammenfassung 45tägiger Riboflavinmangel bewirkte bei männlichen Albinoratten in der Leber eine Erhöhung der Alanin-Transaminase-Aktivität sowie des Pyridoxal- und Glykogengehaltes. Diese Befunde weisen darauf hin, dass die Aktivität der Nebennierenrinde beim Riboflavinmangel erhöht ist.

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Acknowledgment: The authors wish to express their sincere gratitude to Prof. S. R.Maitra, Head of the Department of Physiology, Calcutta University, for constant encouragement and for providing the laboratory facilities. The authors are also thankful to Dr.D. Sen of the Department of Applied Chemistry, Calcutta University, for translating the English summary into German.     

The effect of a single dose of N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea on the fine structure of the brain of the rat

Résumé Une forte dose de composé carcinogène N-éthyle-N-nitrosourée (ENU) a été injectée à des rats Wistar mâles adultes: des changements ultrastructuraux des cerveaux furent observés. La dégénérescence et la nécrose des oligodendrocytes, l'oedème des astrocytes et l'accroissement du nombre des corps denses dans les cellules gliales ont été les réactions du cerveau à ce stimulus chimique.

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I wish to thank Dr.M. Kremer, Director of the Department of Neurological Studies; and Drs.A. R. Lieberman andP. Kleihues and also Mr.A. L. E. Barron for the photographic work. I am particularly indebted to Dr.Helen Grant and the staff of the Department of Neuropathology, Bland-Sutton Institute, for their continual help and advice.     

Fluoride and calcium levels in the aorta

Zusammenfassung Fluor- und Kalziumwerte in verkalktem Aortengewebe wurden mit denen von makroskopisch normal erscheinendem Aortengewebe verglichen. Der Fluorgehalt der Aorta verschiedener Personen zeigte grosse individuelle Schwankungen, die unabhängig vom Kalziumgehalt waren. Eine direkte Korrelation des Aortenfluors mit dem Lebensalter wurde festgestellt. Die statistische Auswertung der Untersuchungen vonCall et al.² ergab, dass der Fluorgehalt der Aorta unabhängig von demjenigen des Skelettes ist.

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I appreciate the cooperation of Drs. E.Booth and J. R.Mc-Donald, pathologists at Hutzel and Harper Hospitals respectively, for furnishing the aorta specimens; D. L. J.Savage and Mr. J. M.Lucas of the Department of Statistics at Yale University for their statistical interpretation of my data; Dr. R. A.Kemp Harper, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, England, and Dr. G.Nalbone, Department of Industrial Medicine, University of Palermo, Italy, for furnishing the illustrations in Figures 1 and 2.     

Activation of sustained sympathetic vasodilatation in dog by spinal cord stimulation

Summary Electrical stimulation in lateral sites of the upper cervical spinal cord evoked vasodilatation after adrenergic blockade. Sympathetic fibres mediating sustained vasodilatation were shown to be separate from adrenergic sympathetic fibres since the adrenergic vasoconstrictor response in the paw evoked by vasomotor stimulation in the medulla was not reversed to vasodilatation after bretylium.Supported by USPHS Grant No. HL 08570 and part of thesis work by Dr.Rolewicz.     

Inhibitory effect of bile acids on renin angiotensinogen reaction system

Zusammenfassung Die Wirkung verschiedener synthetischer Derivate der Gallensäure wurden auf die Reninaktivität in Form des Angiotensin in vitro untersucht und es wird darauf hingewiesen, dass die 7-Desoxyform der Gallensäuren für die Renininhibition wesentlich ist.

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The authors wish to thank Dr.T. Hoshita of Department of Biochemistry, Hiroshima University, for his kind supply of cholic acid.     

Fortuitous discovery of urate nephrolithiasis in rats subjected to portacaval anastomosis

Zusammenfassung Nach Anlage eines portocavalen Shunts bei 53 Sprague-Dawley-Ratten wurde in 47% aller Fälle eine Harnsäure-Urolithiasis beobachtet. Das Vorkommen war bei den Ratten am häufigsten (94%), die mehr als einen Monat überlebten und postoperativ an Gewicht verloren.

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Acknowledgments. The authors are grateful to Dr.K. Lauber of the Department of Medical Chemistry and to Prof.H. Fleisch of the Department of Pathophysiology of the University of Berne for performing the chemical analyses. The technical assistance of MissM. Kappeler and MissB. Schütz is greatly appreciated.     

Die absteigenden Verbindungen der Sehrinde des HalbaffenGalago crassicaudatus

Summary After experimental lesions inGalago crassicaudatus, the cortico-efferent fibres of the optical cortex were studied using theNauta andGlees methods. Mainly 4 different systems were separated: Corticocaudate, pontine, geniculate and pulvinar.     

Zur Wirkung des Calciums auf die Myofibrillen-ATPase des Herzmuskels

Summary The inhibition of cardiac myofibrillar ATPase activity by EDTA can be completely reversed by Ca⁺⁺ under certain experimental conditions. This shows that there is no fundamental difference between the reaction of cardiac myofibrillar ATPase and the tension development of glycerinated cardiac fibres, as was supposed byBriggs andHannah on account of the results ofParker andBerger.     

Jungermanool,a new labdane diol from the liverwort,Jungermannia torticalyx steph

Summary A new diterpenoid named jungermanool was isolated fromJungermannia torticalyx and the structure was found to be labda-8 (17), 14-dien-9, 13-diol by chemical and spectroscopical methods.Chemical constituents fromHepaticae, Part XXIV: Part XXIII,A. Matsuo, H. Nozaki, M. Nakayama, Y. Kushi, S. Hayashi andN. Kamijo, Tetrahedron Lett.1975, 241.The authors wish to express their gratitude to Dr.T. Seki, Department of Botany, Hiroshima University, for the collection and identification of the liverwort.     

Autoradiographic studies on collagen in plant nuclei

Zusammenfassung Mit Hilfe von radioaktiv markiertem Prolin wird autoradiographisch das Vorkommen von Collagen im Matrixeiweiss pflanzlicher Zellkerne festgestellt.

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This investigation was partially supported by a Ford Foundation Grant to the Department of Agricultural Engineering of this Institute. Thanks are due to Prof.V. N. Prasad, Director, and Prof.A. C. Pandya, Head of the Department of Agricultural Engineering of this Institute.     

Persistence of a growth hormone-like antigen in organ cultures of human placentas

Zusammenfassung Auswüchse menschlicher Placenten (12.–14. Woche Schwangerschaft) wurden in Organkultur gehalten. Obwohl sich die histologische Struktur langfristig erhalten lässt, bleibt ein dem menschlichen Wachstumshormon ähnliches Antigen, das in unkultiviertem Syncytiotrophoblast vorhanden ist, nur 10–14 Tage lang am Leben. Dasselbe erscheint vorübergehend in Cytotrophoblastzellen der Placentaauswüchse während der ersten 3 Monate.

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We are grateful to ProfessorC. H. Read (Department of Pediatrics, Iowa University) for anti HGH serm; to Dr.P. S. Brown, (Department of Materia Medica, Aberdeen University) for human urinary gonadotrophin preparations; to MissesS. Tait, A. Bruce andF. Duguid for technical assistance. This work was supported by a generous grant to ProfessorA. R. Currie and J. S. b. from the British Empire Cancer Campaign.     

Pre- and post-partum plasma amine oxidase differences in the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta)

Summary Plasma amine oxidase activity increased from 23.4 nmol/ml/h during pregnancy to 49.5 nmol/ml/h during an extended post partum period in 10 rhesus monkeys. Comparison with non-pregnant control monkeys sampled at similar times indicated that the significant differences were in the extended post partum period.We thank Dr.C. H. Conaway and Dr.J. D. Loy of the Caribbean Primate Research Center andJ. G. Vandenbergh andW. Post of the North Carolina Department of Mental Health for the use of their facilities and animals. We also acknowledge the technical assistance ofC. H. Donnelly andMs. Suzanne Baulu. This work was supported by a grant from Dr.H. C. Robinson, Jr., through Yale University Medical School and by NIH Contract No. 71-2003.     

Conformation of Nootkatone

Résumé La conformation la plus fréquente de la nootkatone a été établie d'après la CD et la RMN mesurées à diverses températures.

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The authors wish to express their gratitude to Dr. M. K.Veldhuis of U.S. Department of Agriculture for a gift of the authentic sample of nootkatone, and to Dr. E.von Rudloff of National Research Council of Canada for measurement of 100 MHz NMR-spectra.     

Zur Entstehung der Magensalzsäure über einen « Precursor »

Summary Bradford andDavies did not succeed in demonstrating with their indicator-experiments that free hydrochloric acid is formed without a precursor in the oxyntic cells of the gastric mucosa. The free hydrochloric acid, as shown by them, is formed as an artefact owing to the action of the indicator.     

The incidence of erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in Singapore

Résumé Chez des anémiques de sexe masculin étudiés à Singapour, l'auteur a constaté l'absence ou la déficience de l'activité de la glucose-6-phosphate déhydrogénase érythrocytaire dans les proportions suivantes: 2,5% sur 240 Chinois, 3,33% sur 132 Indiens, 37,5% sur 16 Israélites et 0,65% sur 155 Malais. L'absence de cette activité enzymatique était fréquente chez les malades chinois, malais et israélites hospitalisés pour anémie grave, ictére grave des nouveau-nés, anémie hémolytique ou hémoglobinurie.

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Acknowledgements. The work reported here was carried out while the author was a Lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Malaya in Singapore.I am grateful to ProfessorA. G. Motulsky and Dr.J. M. Campbell of the Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle (Washington), for making available to me details of their method for the rapid detection of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in erythrocytes, to Mr.S. Pang for valuable technical assistance, and to all those who have helped me in collection of the samples referred to in this report.     

Bacteria as cell surface markers on normal and malignant mammalian cells

Zusammenfassung Bakterien haften an der Oberfläche kultivierter Säugetierzellen in charakteristischer Weise. An Krebszellen haften sie nicht nur am Vorderteil, sondern auch an der Zelloberfläche und in Kernnähe.

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I thank the Royal Society for some of the equipment used in this research, the Nuffield Foundation for the award of a fellowship, and Prof.I. M. Goodbody for facilities in the Department of Zoology, University of the West Indies, Jamaica, while on sabbatical leave of absence from the University of Glasgow. I am also indebted toJ. B. Cowey, A. S. G. Curtis andD. R. Newth, of Glasgow University for their criticisms and advice, and to Miss E. Cray for assistance in the experiments.