Effects of anoxia on excitability,refractoriness, and contractility in isolated rabbit atria

Zusammenfassung An der isolierten Kaninchenherzvorkammer verursacht Sauerstoffmangel Verminderung der diastolischen Erregbarkeit, Verlängerung der refraktären Phase sowie Herabsetzung der Kontraktionsfähigkeit. Herzmuskelflimmern wurde während dieser Anoxie nicht beobachtet. Sauerstoffzufuhr führte zu einer vollständigen Aufhebung der Anoxieauswirkung auf die absolute Refraktärperiode, zu einer teilweisen Aufhebung dieser Auswirkungen auf die Dauer der refraktären Gesamtpause, die diastolische Erregbarkeit und das Kontraktionsvermögen.     

Endophenotype of mysore (south india) population of the black rat (Rattus rattus L.)

Résumé Contribution à l'étude du polymorphism chromosomique chez le rat noirRattus rattus L.

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We are grateful to Prof.M. R. Rajasekarasetty for helpful suggestions and one of us (KLSP) to the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India, for awarding a Research scholarship.     

Clinical and immunological studies on persons exposed toParthenium hysterophorus L

Summary Studies on 300 persons subjected by occupational hazard to the allergenic weed, Parthenium hysterophorus L. for periods ranging from 3 to 12 months revealed that 4% of them developed contact dermatitis of the exposed parts of the body, while 56% of them got sensitized to the weed without apparently exhibiting any dermatitis. None of them suffered from allergic manifestations like rhinitis or bronchial asthma during the period of study which extended for 2 years.Acknowledgments. We thank Dr Satish Dhawan and Mrs Nalini Dhawan for their keen interest. The help and cooperation of Bangalore City Corporation authorities and their workers is gratefully acknowledged. The work is supported by a special grant from the Indian Institute of Science.     

Antarctic accumulation seasonality

The resemblance of the orbitally filtered isotope signal from the past 340 kyr in Antarctic ice cores to Northern Hemisphere summer insolation intensity has been used to suggest that the northern hemisphere may drive orbital-scale global climate changes. A recent Letter by Laepple et al. suggests that, contrary to this interpretation, this semblance may instead be explained by weighting the orbitally controlled Antarctic seasonal insolation cycle with a static (present-day) estimate of the seasonal cycle of accumulation. We suggest, however, that both time variability in accumulation seasonality and alternative stable seasonality can markedly alter the weighted insolation signal. This indicates that, if the last 340 kyr of Antarctic accumulation has not always looked like the estimate of precipitation and accumulation seasonality made by Laepple et al., this particular accumulation weighting explanation of the Antarctic orbital-scale isotopic signal might not be robust.     

Initial genome sequencing and analysis of multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma is an incurable malignancy of plasma cells, and its pathogenesis is poorly understood. Here we report the massively parallel sequencing of 38 tumour genomes and their comparison to matched normal DNAs. Several new and unexpected oncogenic mechanisms were suggested by the pattern of somatic mutation across the data set. These include the mutation of genes involved in protein translation (seen in nearly half of the patients), genes involved in histone methylation, and genes involved in blood coagulation. In addition, a broader than anticipated role of NF-κB signalling was indicated by mutations in 11 members of the NF-κB pathway. Of potential immediate clinical relevance, activating mutations of the kinase BRAF were observed in 4% of patients, suggesting the evaluation of BRAF inhibitors in multiple myeloma clinical trials. These results indicate that cancer genome sequencing of large collections of samples will yield new insights into cancer not anticipated by existing knowledge.     

How to halve ploidy: lessons from budding yeast meiosis

Maintenance of ploidy in sexually reproducing organisms requires a specialized form of cell division called meiosis that generates genetically diverse haploid gametes from diploid germ cells. Meiotic cells halve their ploidy by undergoing two rounds of nuclear division (meiosis I and II) after a single round of DNA replication. Research in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast) has shown that four major deviations from the mitotic cell cycle during meiosis are essential for halving ploidy. The deviations are (1) formation of a link between homologous chromosomes by crossover, (2) monopolar attachment of sister kinetochores during meiosis I, (3) protection of centromeric cohesion during meiosis I, and (4) suppression of DNA replication following exit from meiosis I. In this review we present the current understanding of the above four processes in budding yeast and examine the possible conservation of molecular mechanisms from yeast to humans.