Reproductive consequences of mega vitamin E supplements in female rats

Summary Female rats fed 0, 25, 2500 and 10,000 IU vitamin E/kg diet for 3 months were examined for reproductive performance. On 10,000 IU vitamin E/kg diet, the fertility of inseminated rats was significantly reduced as compared to rats given normal or nutritional levels of vitamin E.This work was supported by research grants from the National Research Council of Canada and the Research Committee of The University of British Columbia. We thank Mrs Virginia Green for her help in statistical analysis. Reprint requests should be addressed to Dr I. D. Desai, Professor of Nutrition.     

Influence of nystatine, a polyene antibiotic, on the formation of complex-bound sterols and the formation of conidia by Coprinus cinereus (author's transl)

In contrary to the wild strain, a monocaryotic mutant of Coprinus cinereus (basidiomycete) does not contain hydrosoluble, complex-bound sterols. Under nystatine-treatment, however, the mutant is induced to produce this kind of stereols in abundance. Furthermore, nystatine highly increases sporulation of the mutant and decreases sporulation of the wild strain.     

Study of marine microvibrios of Roscoff (Microvibrio marinus roscoffensis)]

Marine microvibrios, predators of E. coli, have been detected worldwide, from equatorial waters to the polar regions. The morphology and behavior of two microvibrios have been studied. Their multiplication and aggressiveness in regard to their bacterial prevy are not impeded by dialysis membranes and manifest themselves, away from all direct contact between the predator and its prey.     

Mechanosensitivity of mammalian auditory hair cells in vitro

Intracellular responses recorded in vitro from the cochleas of anaesthetized mammals have shown that the mechanoreceptive inner and outer hair cells are sharply tuned, accounting for many of the properties of the afferent fibres in the auditory nerve. However, in vivo it has not been possible to measure directly the excitatory mechanical input to these cells (the displacement of their mechanosensitive stereocilia) and thus to determine the relationship between the receptor potentials and displacement of their stereocilia. As a means of circumventing this technical difficulty, we have developed an organ culture of the mouse cochlea and here we describe the receptor potentials generated by the hair cells in response to direct displacement of their stereocilia.     

Enhancement of humoral immune response against human lung elastin peptides

Summary When guinea pigs instead of rabbits were used as the host animals, 8–16 times higher antibody titers against human lung elastin peptides were produced with only 1/20 the amount of antigen per unit body weight. This corresponds to a 200-fold enhancement of the immune response.Presented at the 6th Colloquium of the Federation of European Connective Tissue Clubs, Paris, August 28–30, 1978. The data form part of the Ph.D. thesis submitted by T.V. Darnule to the Department of Biology, New York University. Supported in part by NIH Program Project Grant HL15832 and by a Parker B. Francis Fellowship to T.V. Darnule.