Metabolic activity of adipose tissue in the goat during gestation and at the beginning of lactation]

In 5 French Alpine goats, omental adipose tissue acetyl-CoA carboxylase, glucose-6-phosphate deshydrogenase, malic enzyme and lipoprotein lipase activities significantly decreased during the third month of gestation, whereas plasma non-esterified fatty acid and triacyglycerol contents increased. This probably reflects an early decreasing rate of adipose tissue anabolism during gestation in the Goat. At the third week of lactation, anabolic activities relative to DNA content of adipose tissue were extremely low, and the tissue weight relative to DNA was lower than during gestation. Metabolic alterations of omental adipose tissue in early lactation do not seem to be related to milk production level. These results could contribute to a better control of the kinetic of body lipid stores during the reproductive cycle in high milk yielding ruminants.     

Spontaneous phospholipase A activity of rat pancreatic homogenates]

Rat pancreas presents a spontaneous phospholipase A activity which appears before trypsin activation at optimal pH 6.5. The responsible enzyme is independent of pancreatic prophospholipase A, as can be seen through experiments done in the presence of trypsin inhibitors. On the other hand, this enzyme is distinct from excretory phospholipase which is more active and whose optimal pH is 8.8. Thermostability and insensibility of spontaneously active phospholipase A to DFP differentiate it from lipase, carboxyl-esterhydrolase and lysophospholipase, respectively.     

Isolation of bacteria that use that use nitric oxide as a respiratory electron acceptor under anaerobiosis]

Ten bacteria of the genus Bacillus were isolated from pasteurized soils, in anaerobiosis and at 32 degrees C, on peptone broth containing 0.5% KNO2. They are Gram variable rods producing oval spores. They are oxidase positive and have catalase. They grow, in anaerobiosis, on NO-3, NO-2, N2O, and NO as respiratory electron acceptors. These compounds are reduced to N2.     

Adrenal gland growth of the ovine fetus in the end of gestation: evolution of DNA and of membrane proteins]

The adrenal weight of the ovine fetus increases dramatically during late pregnancy. This increase is achieved in three periods: one of DNA duplication between two phases of cellular hypertrophy. During cellular hypertrophy an important biosynthesis of membrane proteins is observed. This development concerns essentially the adrenal cortex.     

Characterization and photoluminescence properties of ultrafine copper molybdate (α-CuMoO4) powders prepared via a combustion-like process

We report a simple method for preparing copper(II) molybdate (CuMoO₄) powders via a combustion-like process. A gel was first prepared by the polymerizable complex method, where citric acid was used as a complexing and polymerizing agent and nitric acid was used as an oxidizing agent. The thermal decomposition behavior of the (CuMo)-precursor gel was studied by thermogravimetry–differential thermal analysis (TG–DTA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). We observed that the crystallization of CuMoO₄ powder was completed at 450°C. The obtained homogeneous powder was composed of grains with sizes in the range from 150 to 500 nm and exhibited a specific surface area of approximately 5 m2/g. The average grain size increased with increasing annealing temperature. The as-prepared CuMoO₄ crystals showed a strong green photoluminescence emission at room temperature under excitation at 290 nm, which we mainly interpreted on the basis of the Jahn-Teller effect on [MoO₄2- ] complex anions. We also observed that the photoluminescence intensity increased with increasing crystallite size.     

Uptake of noradrenaline in high altitude native's heart

Summary Uptake of³H-noradrenaline by the heart was studied with sections of isolated atria obtained from high or lowlanders. In native highlanders, affinity for³H-noradrenaline by human atria is more significant than in lowlanders. Furthermore, the Michaelis Menten constant is lower in high altitude native's heart.