Aflatoxin metabolism and absence of cytochrome P-450 in rat colon tissue during vitamin A malnutrition

Homogenized mucosal linings prepared from vitamin A adequate and deficient male rats were used in metabolic studies of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). Cytochrome P-420 was identified in both groups which metabolized AFB1 to 4 metabolic products in vitro. The implications of this observation are discussed in relation to colon carcinoma.     

The lack of an effect of cholinergic agonists on anterior pituitary prolactin production in vitro

Summary The addition of dopamine to anterior pituitary incubations resulted in a marked decrease (88% for³H prolactin and 69% for RIA prolactin) in prolactin release. Incubation with the cholinergic agonists carbacol, arecoline and nicotine resulted in no significant change in prolactin secretion.Supported in part by NSF Research grant No. BMS 74-17332.The authors appreciate receiving as a gift from the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolic and Digestive Diseases, the rat prolactin used for iodination (RP-I₂) and standards (RP-1).     

A new broad-spectrum anthelmintic: 2-(4-Thiazolyl)-5-isopropoxycarbonylamino-benzimidazole

Zusammenfassung Es werden die Synthese sowie die biologischen Eigenschaften des neuen Anthelminticums 2-(4-Thiazolyl)-5-isopropoxycarbonylaminobenzimidazols beschreiben.     

Constitutive synthesis of interleukin-3 by leukaemia cell line WEHI-3B is due to retroviral insertion near the gene

Interleukin-3 (multi-CSF) is a multilineage haematopoietic growth regulator that initiates the proliferation and differentiation of multipotential stem cells. Complementary DNA clones encoding interleukin-3 (IL-3) have recently been isolated and the structure of the IL-3 gene determined. IL-3 is produced by T lymphocytes or T lymphomas only after stimulation with antigens, mitogens or chemical activators such as phorbol esters. The myelomonocytic leukaemia line WEHI-3B also produces IL-3 but its production is constitutive and the WEHI-3B cells do not appear to produce significant levels of any of the other lymphokines normally secreted by T lymphocytes after stimulation. It has been proposed that the genetic change leading to the constitutive expression of IL-3 may have been a key event in the development of this leukaemia. We report here that the constitutive synthesis of IL-3 by the WEHI-3B cell line is due to the insertion of an endogenous retrovirus-like element close to the 5' end of the gene. The insertion, an intracisternal A particle (IAP) genome, is positioned with its 5' long terminal repeat (LTR) close to the promoter region of the IL-3 gene, resulting in constitutive synthesis of IL-3.     

Bowel serotonin levels in the fasted and non-fasted Sprague-Dawley rat

Zusammenfassung Der Serotoningehalt der Darmmucosa aus 14 Schnittpräparaten von Sprague-Dawley Rattenweibchen nach 16-stündigem Fasten und nach normaler Fütterung wurde bestimmt. Grössere Serotoningehalte wurden im oberen Teil des Verdauungstraktus (ausschliesslich den Magenblindsack) der Hungertiere gefunden.     

A new agent for the treatment of liver fluke infection (Fascioliasis)

Zusammenfassung 3,5-Dijod-3-chlor-4-(p-chlorphenoxy) salicylanilid wird als ein neues Mittel gegen den Viehleberegel (Fasciola hepatica) beschrieben. In Schafen ergab eine Dosis von 5 mg/kg gegen geschlechtsreife Tiere und eine solche von 12,5 mg/kg gegen junge Leberegel eine hohe Wirksamkeit. Bei schwerem, akutem Leberegelbefall blieb sogar eine Dosis von 60 mg/kg ohne toxische Anzeichen. Ebenso wurde eine relativ hohe Wirksamkeit und eine gute Verträglichkeit bei der Behandlung von Leberegelinfektionen in Rindern festgestellt.