Anatomical relationships of the ionocytes (chloride cells) with the branchial venous compartment: definition of two types of epithelium in fish gills]

The fish gill, a gas exchanger and osmoregulatory structure, is separated from the external milieu by two well defined types of epithelium. One, the primary lamellar epithelium, faces the venous compartment of the primary lamellae. It contains chloride cells whose extracellular spaces drain into the venous system. The other, the secondary lamellar epithelium, faces the arterio-arterial capillaries of the secondary lamellae and is made-up of an other cell type. This arrangement is seen in all classes of fishes, except Dipnoans, its functional significance is that the activity of the chloride cells directly affects the venous compartment.     

Leichtflüchtige Stoffe inAgaricus bisporus

Summary The composition of the volatile fractions (isolated by acidic steam distillation) of the spores, substrate mycelium and fruiting body of the common mushroom is investigated. The physiological and/or biochemical functions of some of the identified substances are discussed.     

Some pharmacological properties of oxytocin-dimers (α + β)

Zusammenfassung Oxytocin-Dimer ( + ), ein Nebenprodukt der Oxytocin-Synthese, zeigt in 6 Versuchsanordnungen schwache, aber messbare neurohypophysäre Aktivitäten.     

Fine structure of the tip of chemosensitive hairs in two blow flies and the stable fly

Zusammenfassung Licht- und elektronenmikroskopische Studien der chemorezeptiven Spitze von Geschmackshaaren wurden bei den FliegenPhormia regina, Calliphora vicina undStomoxys calcitrans durchgeführt. Die Geschmackshaare dieser Fliegen ähneln sich strukturell bis auf einen ausgeprägten Öffnungs- und Schliessmechanismus, der für die Geschmackshaare vonStomoxys calcitrans lichtmikroskopisch nicht nachgewiesen werden konnte. Die Resultate werden hinsichtlich der Lokalisation der chemosensiblen Membran diskutiert.     

Induction of an illusory shadow person

Stimulation of a site on the brain's left hemisphere prompts the creepy feeling that somebody is close by. The strange sensation that somebody is nearby when no one is actually present has been described by psychiatric and neurological patients, as well as by healthy subjects, but it is not understood how the illusion is triggered by the brain. Here we describe the repeated induction of this sensation in a patient who was undergoing presurgical evaluation for epilepsy treatment, as a result of focal electrical stimulation of the left temporoparietal junction: the illusory person closely 'shadowed' changes in the patient's body position and posture. These perceptions may have been due to a disturbance in the multisensory processing of body and self at the temporoparietal junction.     

Silent spread of H5N1 in vaccinated poultry

International debate on the merits of vaccinating poultry against the H5N1 influenza A virus has raised concerns about the possibility of an increased risk of between-flock transmission before outbreaks are detected. Here we show that this 'silent spread' can occur because of incomplete protection at the flock level, even if a vaccine is effective in individual birds. The use of unvaccinated sentinels can mitigate, although not completely eliminate, the problem.     

Corneal avascularity is due to soluble VEGF receptor-1

Corneal avascularity-the absence of blood vessels in the cornea-is required for optical clarity and optimal vision, and has led to the cornea being widely used for validating pro- and anti-angiogenic therapeutic strategies for many disorders. But the molecular underpinnings of the avascular phenotype have until now remained obscure and are all the more remarkable given the presence in the cornea of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, a potent stimulator of angiogenesis, and the proximity of the cornea to vascularized tissues. Here we show that the cornea expresses soluble VEGF receptor-1 (sVEGFR-1; also known as sflt-1) and that suppression of this endogenous VEGF-A trap by neutralizing antibodies, RNA interference or Cre-lox-mediated gene disruption abolishes corneal avascularity in mice. The spontaneously vascularized corneas of corn1 and Pax6+/- mice and Pax6+/- patients with aniridia are deficient in sflt-1, and recombinant sflt-1 administration restores corneal avascularity in corn1 and Pax6+/- mice. Manatees, the only known creatures uniformly to have vascularized corneas, do not express sflt-1, whereas the avascular corneas of dugongs, also members of the order Sirenia, elephants, the closest extant terrestrial phylogenetic relatives of manatees, and other marine mammals (dolphins and whales) contain sflt-1, indicating that it has a crucial, evolutionarily conserved role. The recognition that sflt-1 is essential for preserving the avascular ambit of the cornea can rationally guide its use as a platform for angiogenic modulators, supports its use in treating neovascular diseases, and might provide insight into the immunological privilege of the cornea.