Prognosis of residual coal gas capacity made by the ‘Express’ method

An easy, reliable, and inexpensive method, called ‘Express’ method, was described to determine the residual gas capacity of deep mines using results from an air and gas balance. Air and gas balances are common elements of mine management and must be performed periodically. Using the process described here to obtain balance results, it is straightforward to obtain the residual gas capacity, which is an important parameter for decision-making in current mine operations. After a mine is closed, the residual gas capacity becomes a dominant factor used to select methods to protect against gas emissions from the closed underground area or perhaps to provide information for the use of gas reserves. The proposed ‘Express’ method is a much simpler method to obtain the residual gas capacity than other procedures used for this purpose to date.     

Characterization of the role of metallothionein-3 in an animal model of Alzheimer’s disease

Among the dementias, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most commonly diagnosed, but there are still no effective drugs available for its treatment. It has been suggested that metallothionein-3 (MT-3) could be somehow involved in the etiology of AD, and in fact very promising results have been found in in vitro studies, but the role of MT-3 in vivo needs further analysis. In this study, we analyzed the role of MT-3 in a mouse model of AD, Tg2576 mice, which overexpress human Amyloid Precursor Protein (hAPP) with the Swedish mutation. MT-3 deficiency partially rescued the APP-induced mortality of females, and mildly affected APP-induced changes in behavior assessed in the hole-board and plus-maze tests in a gender-dependent manner. Amyloid plaque burden and/or hAPP expression were decreased in the cortex and hippocampus of MT-3-deficient females. Interestingly, exogenously administered Zn₇MT-3 increased soluble Aβ40 and Aβ42 and amyloid plaques and gliosis, particularly in the cortex, and changed several behavioral traits (increased deambulation and exploration and decreased anxiety). These results highlight that the control of the endogenous production and/or action of MT-3 could represent a powerful therapeutic target in AD.     

Effect of human serum oxytocinase on the antidiuretic action of lysine vasopressin and oxytocin in the rat

Zusammenfassung Nach i.v. Dauerinfusion von Lysin-Vasopressin oder Oxytocin wird bei der experimentellen Analyse der Wirkung menschlicher Oxytocinase eine Erniedrigung des antidiuretischen Effekts gefunden; diese rührt vom Absinken der Peptidkonzentration sowohl im Blutplasma als auch am Wirkort her.     

The influence of perathiepine and chlorpromazine on some enzyme reactions in rat brain preparations

Zusammenfassung Die Wirkung des Thymolepticums Prothiaden [10-(4-Methylpiperazino)-10, 11-dihydrobenzo(b, f)thiepin] auf die Oxydation des Pyruvats, Oxoglutarats und Succinats sowie auf die Aktivität der Hexokinase, Glucoso-6-phosphatase und Mg⁺⁺-aktivierten, DNP-aktivierten und Mg⁺⁺Na⁺-aktivierten, K⁺-stimulierten Adenosintriphosphatase (NaKA) wurde untersucht und mit der Wirkung von Chlorpromazin verglichen. Im allgemeinen weisen beide Substanzen ähnliche Eigenschaften auf, welche in einer relativen Unwirksamkeit gegenüber glykolytischen Enzymen, Hemmung der Pyruvatoxydation und starker NaKA-Hemmung bestehen.     

Light and electron microscopic evidence of complex synapses (glomeruli) in oliva inferior (cat)

Zusammenfassung Mitochondrienaggregate, die durch mitochondriale Imprägnation in der Oliva inferior der Katze gefunden wurden, bestehen elektronenmikroskopisch aus mehreren dendritischen und mehreren präsynaptischen Elementen. Diese bilden multiple axodendritische Synapsen, gehören also zur Gruppe der Komplexsynapsen.

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With a grant of the Alexander-von-Humboldt-Stiftung.     

Effect of light at night on the pineal rhythm in N-acetyltransferase activity in the Syrian hamsterMesocricetus auratus

Summary Pineal N-acetyltransferase activity in the male Syrian hamster exhibited a daily rhythm; the maximal night-time value was 3.5-fold higher than the day-time value. When hamsters were exposed to light at night N-acetyltransferase declined within 30 min to 1/5 of its former activity. These results indicate that in the Syrian hamster the pineal melatonin rhythm may be regulated at least partly via changes in N-acetyltransferase activity.The authors are grateful to Mrs Marie Svobodová for her skillful technical assistance.