2/8 translocation in a Japanese Burkitt's lymphoma

Summary A new translocation between chromsomes 2 and 8 t(2p^–; 8q⁺), was found in fresh lymphoma cells from a Japanese patient with Epstein-Barr virus-carrying Burkitt's lymphoma, and in a lymphoma cell line derived from this patient. There was no 14q⁺ translocation, as has been previously described in African and North American Burkitt's lymphomas.Supported by a grant-in-aid for Cancer Research (52-11) from the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan.     

A genetic study of intergradation betweenMytilus edulis andMytilus galloprovincialis

Summary A study of geographic variation at 2 diagnostic allozyme loci in the musselsMytilus edulis andM. galloprovincialis reveals considerable spatial variation, both in allele frequencies and in the extent of intergradation.This work was supported in part by grant GR3/2452 from the NERC. We thank M. Hunt, A. Dunn and M. Newton for technical assistance and the many people who gave advice or helped in the collection of specimens.     

A duration-dependent negative potential in the cichlid electroretinogram

Summary A negative potential can be evoked in the local electroretinogram of the cichlid fishCichlasoma octofasciatum by light stimuli of duration longer than 70 msec. This response superficially resembles the proximal negative response, but differs in some waveform components and dependence upon stimulus configuration and duration.     

Photosynthesis by isolated chloroplasts ofSorghum vulgare

Summary The ambiguous location of photosynthetic carboxylases of mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts of sorghum was investigated after successful homogeneous preparation. The phosphoenol pyruvate carboxylase was found as a particulate enzyme in the mesophyll cell chloroplasts and ribulose 1,5-biphosphate carboxylase in the stroma of the bundle sheath cell chloroplasts. Extensive characterization was carried out on these 2 enzymes for better understanding of the enzyme action.     

Phosphatase activity in testis and prostate of rats treated with embelin andVinca rosea extract

Summary Daily administration ofVinca rosea Linn. extract orally and embelin s.c. to male albino rats caused significant rise in levels of acid and alkaline phosphatases of testis and prostate indicating altered metabolic function.We acknowledge the financial support by Indian Council of Medical Research and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. Thanks are due to Dr J. Bahadur, School of Studies in Zoology, Jiwaji University, Gwalior for providing laboratory facilities.     

The influence of homologous plasma and fetal calf serum on human lymphocytic cortisol metabolism

Summary The influence of a) tissue culture medium (RPMI), b) homologous plasma (HP), and c) fetal calf serum (FCS) on lymphocytic cortisol metabolism was compared to that of phosphate buffered saline alone. RPMI was found to enhance the conversion rate 1.71 times, whereas HP and FCS enhanced it about 3.2 times. Raising the temperature of the HP and FCS to 100°C before incubation reduced the enhancing effect to the level of that obtained with RPMI.This work was supported by The Israel Cancer Research Fund N.Y. (George and Rose Blumenthal Research Fellowship for Hodgkins Disease). The authors are grateful to Dr Malchi and his staff from the Beilinson Hospital Blood Bank, for supplying us with buffy coats and to Mr Z. Klein for drawing the figure.     

The effects of physostigmine on the oxygen uptake in rat brain tissue

Summary Physostigmine in a dose of 0.1 mg/kg i.v. expressly stimulated the oxygen uptake in the rat cerebral cortex. This effect was blocked by propranolol and seems be mediated by catecholamines. Since atropine also antagonized the stimulant effect of physostigmine, it appears that the action of physostigmine is primarily cholinergic and that the adrenergic effect is a secondary phenomenon. The higher dose of physostigmine (0.4 mg/kg i.v.) caused a depression of rat brain oxygen uptake.This work was supported by a grant from Serbian Republic Scientific Fund (ZMNU SR Srbija), Belgrade (Yugoslavia).The authors wish to acknowledge the skilful technical assistance of Lj. Krsti.     

Changes in glutamine levels during starvation and aestivation in the Indian apple snailPila globosa (Swainson)

Summary The glutamine levels in digestive gland, foot and body fluids of normal, starved and aestivatedPila globosa were estimated. Glutamine content was decreased during starvation and aestivation. The percent decrease was more during aestivation than starvation. The decrease may be due to low glutamine-synthetase activity or increased utilization for uric acid synthesis. This may have an adaptive value during aestivation and starvation.Acknowledgments. C. Sree Ramulu Chetty and P. Aruna are thankful to CSIR for the award of Junior fellowships, during the tenure of which the work has been done.     

Epithelial cell processes in the development of the secondary palate in the mouse

Summary Ultrastructural studies of palatal shelves of Tuck A mice embryos aged 12.25–14.25 days show discontinuities of the epithelial basement membrane traversed by epithelial cell processes before the onset of midline degenerative changes.     

The total synthesis of optically active veatchine

Zusammenfassung Die erste Totalsynthese des Garrya-Alkaloids Veatchin, das heisst des natürlichen optischen Isomeren, wird beschrieben.