Harmless technique for removal of the cell coat from human spermatozoa

Summary Coating proteins were removed from viable human spermatozoa using a low concentration of buffered urea. Electrophoretic and ultrastructural analyses demonstrated the effectiveness of the urea treatment. Sperm motility analysis carried out before and after the procedure confirmed that this chemical method does not damage functional spermatozoal activity.     

二甲基甲酰胺中Sm（Ⅲ）电化学性质及其合金膜研究

通过循环伏安法研究二甲基甲酰胺中Sm（Ⅲ）在Pt上的电化学性质,表明Sm（Ⅲ）在Pt上的还原为不可逆反应,同时测得传递系数α=0.0289,扩散系数D0=1.288×10^-5cm^2·S^-1;通过塔菲尔曲线求得交换电流密度i0=1.596×10^-7A/cm^2;对Sm（Ⅲ）在Pt上离子成核机理研究表明,Sm（Ⅲ）在Pt电极上是按三维模式扩散控制下连续成核的;用恒电位法可以制得有金属光泽、附着力好、表面均匀致密的Sm-Ni-Co合金膜,与Ni-Co合金膜相比较结构性能有所提高.     

CDK targets Sae2 to control DNA-end resection and homologous recombination

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are repaired by two principal mechanisms: non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR). HR is the most accurate DSB repair mechanism but is generally restricted to the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle, when DNA has been replicated and a sister chromatid is available as a repair template. By contrast, NHEJ operates throughout the cell cycle but assumes most importance in G1 (refs 4, 6). The choice between repair pathways is governed by cyclin-dependent protein kinases (CDKs), with a major site of control being at the level of DSB resection, an event that is necessary for HR but not NHEJ, and which takes place most effectively in S and G2 (refs 2, 5). Here we establish that cell-cycle control of DSB resection in Saccharomyces cerevisiae results from the phosphorylation by CDK of an evolutionarily conserved motif in the Sae2 protein. We show that mutating Ser 267 of Sae2 to a non-phosphorylatable residue causes phenotypes comparable to those of a sae2Delta null mutant, including hypersensitivity to camptothecin, defective sporulation, reduced hairpin-induced recombination, severely impaired DNA-end processing and faulty assembly and disassembly of HR factors. Furthermore, a Sae2 mutation that mimics constitutive Ser 267 phosphorylation complements these phenotypes and overcomes the necessity of CDK activity for DSB resection. The Sae2 mutations also cause cell-cycle-stage specific hypersensitivity to DNA damage and affect the balance between HR and NHEJ. These findings therefore provide a mechanistic basis for cell-cycle control of DSB repair and highlight the importance of regulating DSB resection.     

Cortisol and immune interferon can interact in the modulation of human natural killer cell activity

This paper reports that cortisol at physiological concentrations minimizes the enhancement of human natural killer (NK) cell activity in vitro by immune interferon (IFN-gamma). This effect may be important for the regulation of NK cytotoxicity in vivo.     

Rifamycins LXI: In vivo inhibition of RNA synthesis by rifamycins

Riassunto L'azione della rifampicina e della rifamide su batteri in fase logaritmica è stato studiato determinando l'effetto sull'incorporazione di uracile, timina, fenilalanina e uridina-trifostato marcati con C¹⁴ da parte di colture diE. coli eB. subtilis. I risultati indicano che il blocco della sintesi dell'RNA precede quello della sintesi delle proteine e del DNA.     

Statistical investigations on the relation between the ultra-violet rays of the sun and spasmophilic convulsions

Zusammenfassung Ein Zusammenhang zwischen meteorologischen Faktoren und Spasmophilie gilt bisher als nicht bewiesen. Die Verfasser haben diese Frage neu aufgegriffen und dabei folgendes gefunden: Tage, an denen Tetanieanfälle auftreten (33 Fälle), unterscheiden sich von beliebigen andern Tagen dadurch, daß sie auf eine durchschnittlich viermal größere Sonnenstrahlungsdauer während der vorausgehenden 10 Tage folgen. Die Verfasser haben weiterhin den Ultraviolettgehalt des Tageslichtes während der den Anfällen vorausgehenden 10 Tage berechnet. Er ist im Durchschnitt dreimal so groß als während beliebiger anderer 10 Tage. Da imt-Test die 5%-Grenze nicht überschritten wird, ist die Differenz statistisch (schwach) gesichert.Die Verfasser halten deshalb einen Zusammenhang zwischen spasmophilen Konvulsionen und UV-Gehalt des Tageslichtes für wahrscheinlich. Sie nehmen an, daß das UV über die Bildung von natürlichem Vitamin D zu einer Abnahme des ionisierten Ca (wie sie nach D₂-Stoß vonSartori gefunden wurde) und damit zu den Krämpfen führt. Möglicherweise spielt auch eine Ca-Entionisierung eine Rolle, die durch Einatmung organischer Kondensationskerne der Luft (nach UV-Aktivierung) zustande kommt.     

Nickel solvent extraction from cold purification filter cakes of Angouran mine concentrate using LIX984N

Cold purification filter cakes generated in the hydrometallurgical processing of Angouran mine zinc concentrate commonly contain significant amounts of Zn, Cd, and Ni ions and thus are valuable resources for metal recovery. In this research, a nickel containing solution that was obtained from sulfuric acid leaching of the filter cake following cadmium and zinc removal was subjected to solvent extraction experiments using 10vol% LIX984N diluted in kerosene. Under optimum experimental conditions (pH 5.3, volume ratio of organic/aqueous (O:A) = 2:1, and contact time = 5 min), more than 97.1% of nickel was extracted. Nickel was stripped from the loaded organic by contacting with a 200 g/L sulfuric acid solution, from which 77.7% of nickel was recovered in a single contact at the optimum conditions (pH 1–1.5, O:A = 5:1, and contact time = 15 min).