Testosterone in human saliva

Summary Testosterone has been detected in whole human saliva. Levels averaged (±SE) 295±36 and 195±25 pg/ml in adult males and females, respectively, and usually were undetectable in children. In adult males, the excretion of testosterone in saliva appeared to follow a circadian rhythm.Acknowledgments. This study was supported by grant No. MA-4454 from the Medical Research Council of Canada. The authors wish to thank Mr.D. B. Beaton for excellent technical assistance.     

Interaction of mammalian hemoglobins with dehydroascorbic acid

Summary Reactive sulfhydryl groups of major hemoglobins from guinea-pig, rat and cat reduced dehydroascorbic acid to ascorbic acid leading to formation of intrachain disulfide bonds. Hybridization experiments indicated that the reduction was carried out by thea chain of cat hemoglobin.This work was supported in part by UGC and a DST grant HCS/DST/258/76.     

Peptidergic co-transmission inAplysia: Functional implications for rhythmic behaviors

Despite their ubiquitous presence in the central and peripheral nervous systems, the behavioral functions of peptide co-transmitters remain to be elucidated. The marine molluscAplysia, whose simple nervous system facilitates the study of the neural basis of behavior, was used to investigate the role of peptidergic co-transmission in feeding behavior. Several novel modulatory neuropeptides were purified, and localized to identified cholinergic motorneurons. Physiological and biochemical studies demonstrated that these peptides are released when the motorneourons fire at frequencies that occur during normal behavior, and that the peptides modify the relationship between muscle contraction amplitude and relaxation rate so as to maintain optimal motor output when the intensity and frequency of feeding behavior change.     

Preparation of isolated cells from rat heart

Summary Suspensions of isolated cells from rat heart were prepared and the data for viability and yield are given. Glucose uptake by the cells was mediated by a carrier system.The technical assistance of Mr.E. T. Potter, Mr.K. D. Patel and Mr.M. Griffin is gratefully acknowledged.     

Gametes contain angiotensin converting enzyme (kininase II)

Summary The localization of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) in the gonads of the normal rabbit was studied by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. The enzyme is present in the cytoplasm of testicular spermatids and of epididymal and ejaculated spermatozoa, and on the surface of follicular and tubal cocytes. These findings support the hypothesis that ACE has a role in gamete maturation and in fertilization.Acknowledgments. This study was supported by NIH grant AM36807 and by grants from the American Heart Association, the Joe and Emily Lowe Foundation, and the Dana Foundation. We thank L. Fernandez, B. Luders, I. Pawlowski, and K. Schwegler for technical assistance.     

Cytosolic free Ca2+ in insulin secreting cells and its regulation by isolated organelles

Summary The role of Ca²⁺ in secretagogue-induced insulin release is documented not only by the measurements of⁴⁵Ca fluxes in pancreatic islets, but also, by direct monitoring of cytosolic free Ca²⁺, [Ca²⁺]_i. As demonstrated, using the fluorescent indicator quin 2, glyceraldehyde, carbamylcholine and alanine raise [Ca²⁺]_i in the insulin secreting cell line RINm5F, whereas glucose has a similar effect in pancreatic islet cells. The regulation of cellular Ca²⁺ homeostasis by organelles from a rat insulinoma, was investigated with a Ca²⁺ selective electrode. The results suggest that both the endoplasmic reticulum and the mitochondria participate in this regulation, albeit at different Ca²⁺ concentrations. By contrast, the secretory granules do not appear to be involved in the short-term regulation of [Ca²⁺]_i. Evidence is presented that inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, which is shown to mobilize Ca²⁺ from the endoplasmic reticulum, is acting as an intracellular mediator in the stimulation of insulin release.     

Enhanced detection in the aperture of focal attention during simple discrimination tasks

There is increasing evidence that it is possible to shift an aperture of focal attention to a position in visual space independent of fixation and that this can be done much faster than the eyes are able to move. Recently, we showed that such serial scrutiny by the aperture of focal attention is required before an observer is able to tell what a target is (for example, to know whether the orientation of a line segment is horizontal or vertical). Here we considered whether attention directed towards a specific position in the visual field for an orientation discrimination task improves performance on a simple detection task in the area to which attention is directed. We found that a small test flash could be detected when it was positioned near a peripheral line target presented briefly, if the orientation of the target had to be identified. The test flash could not be detected when presented at some distance from the same target or when another target had to be identified. This enhancement implies that even simple identification tasks such as orientation discrimination are not performed passively by the visual system.