The count of blood platelets and sex in humans

Summary It has been shown that there is a higher count of blood platelets and thrombopoietic activity of plasma in women than men.     

Increased susceptibility ofTrypanosoma lewisi infected,or decomplemented rats toSalmonella typhimurium

Summary Rats infected withTrypanosoma lewisi or decomplemented by injection of cobra venom factor or complement activating factor of trypanosomes were found to be more susceptible to infection withSalmonella typhimurium. Decomplemented rats subsequently infected withT. lewisi developed higher blood parasitemia than did normalT. lewisi infected rats.This project is supported by the National Research Council of Canada grant A 0068 and a grant from the International Development Research Center.     

Striated inclusions and defective mitochondria in the restricted form of the ‘amycelial’ mutant ofNeurospora crassa

Summary The cytoplasm of the restrictive form of the amycelial mutant ofNeurospora crassa, growing on sucrosemedium, contains paracrystalline, microfilamentous inclusions and mitochondria with internal membranous whorls lacking in acetate-grown cultures.The support of the Fonds national suisse de la recherche scientifique is gratefully acknowledged.     

Structural differences of cone ‘oil-droplets’ in the light and dark adapted retina ofPoecilia reticulata P.

Summary The vast majority of oil-droplets in the dark and light-adapted retinal twin-cones ofPoecilia reticulata is of the matrix-type. In bright light (day light+overhead strip light) there occurs in some regions a very pronounced numerical change from matrix to cristate-type, whereas other regions remain unaffected. The functional significance of these differences is discussed.     

The scent scale substances of malePieris butterflies (Pieris melete andPieris napi)

Summary 7 monoterpenes, -pinene, -pinene, myrcene, p-cymene, limonene, neral and geranial, were identified together with n-undecane in the scent scales ofP. melete, and also, together with considerable amounts of linalool, in the scent scales ofP. napi. Content ratio of neral to geranial inP. melete ranged from 0.77 to 1.04, and that inP. napi from 1.84 to 2.43. The present chemotaxonomic approach shows the 2 species ofPieris to be distinct.The authors thank Dr T. Yushima (National Institute of Agricultural Science, Japan) for supplying the references 3 and 4.     

Cytotoxicity of mouse peritoneal cells after alloimmunization]

CBA Mice were immunized by two intraperitoneal injections of 30 X 10(6) DBA/2 or C57BL/6 spleen cells at days--12 and--2. Peritoneal cell population was obtained at day zero by washing the peritoneal cavity of Mice. Adherent cells were then separated using a 2 hrs. incubation in "Falcon" plates followed by washing. This macrophage-rich peritoneal cell population was found nonspecifically cytotoxic against 51Cr labeled tumoral target cells: P815 X DBA/2 mastocytoma cells, EL4 X C57BL/L lymphoma cells and spontaneous lymphoma AKR cells (same H--2k as CBA). This adherent peritoneal cell cytoxicity was demonstrated after 24 hrs. incubation with the target cells. It was found in nonspecific combination as well as when using target cells syngeneic to the donor. These findings suggest that adherent peritoneal cell cytotoxicity could be at least partly due to macrophages and result from factor (s) released by sensitized lymphocytes in vivo in the same way as has been previously demonstrated in vitro.     

Effect of cortisone or triiodothyronine administration to pregnant rats on lysosomal hydrolases in fetal forebrain and cerebellum

Triiodothyronine injected daily to pregnant rats for the last week of gestation (50 microgram/100 g b.wt) increased the specific activities of 5 acid glycosidases in the fetal forebrain and cerebellum. Cortisone (50 mg/100 g b.wt) administered in the same period had no effect on cerebellum acid hydrolases, but decreased their activity in the forebrain.     

New lectin receptors in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA).

The glycoprotein CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen) carries carbohydrate groups, which react with the plant lectins from Agaricus bisporus, Arachis hypogaea (peanut), with Tridacnin from invertebrate clams and with the anti-A lectins from snails. Accordingly, it has cryptantigenic structures, which correspond to the T or T-like antigen, the Tridacnin receptor and to the so called A-like antigen.     

Conversion of mammalian cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase into modulator-dependent protein kinase (type II) in vitro

The spontaneous conversion of mammalian cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase (G-PK) into modulator-dependent protein kinase (type II) (M-PKII) in the absence of cGMP or histone was observed in vitro. The findings, together with similarity in substrate protein specificity, suggest that M-PKII is the catalytic subunit of mammalian G-PK.