Effects of butyrate and insulin and their interaction on the DNA synthesis of rumen epithelial cells in culture

Summary Rumen epithelial cells (REC) were incubated in the presence of various concentrations of butyrate or insulin or with both of them, to obtain information on their effect on the DNA synthesis of cultured cells. The 24-h values of³H-thymidine incorporation into cellular DNA were measured in the presence of butyrate, insulin or butyrate plus insulin. While butyrate reduced DNA synthesis, insulin produced an increase over the control. Combined butyrate plus insulin treatment influenced the incorporation of label in accordance with the relative proportion of these two substances.     

Communicating junctions between pillar cells in the gills of the atlantic hagfish,Myxine glutinosa

Summary In the respiratory lamellae of the gills of the atlantic hagfish,Myxine glutinosa, pillar cells are coupled by communicating junctions. It is suggested that these cells behave like a functional syncytium.Supported by the DFG, SFB 146. The authors are indebted to Drs F. Walvig and H. Stolte for kindly providing the hagfish. The expert technical assistance of G. Voss-Wermbter, Dipl.-Ing., and H. Heidrich is gratefully acknowledged.     

常用光源对太阳电池性能的影响

讨论了太阳、荧光灯、白炽灯的光谱对太阳电池的影响，分析了同亮度下，太阳电池在荧光灯下不能工作，而在白炽灯下能正常工作的原因．     

酚醛树脂碳化产物作为锂离子电池碳电极材料(Ⅱ)──锂离子电池充放电性能测试

测试分析了酚醛树脂碳化产物组装的锂离子充放电性能．实验结果表明，树脂碳化 产物作为锂离子电池碳电极材料时，其碳化处理温度有一个最佳温度范围，酚醛树脂碳化产物 的最佳温度在７００℃左右；树脂碳化产物的比表面积是影响电池充放电性能的重要因素，碳化 产物的比表面积越大，电池的充放电量就越高，电池充放电量与充放电电流密度成反比．     

用于直接甲醇燃料电池系统甲醇浓度控制的软测量

为了提高直接甲醇燃料电池燃料的效率,并使该系统微型化,提出了一种用于控制该系统中循环甲醇浓度的软测量算法。该算法利用甲醇浓度对电化学响应的特性,将电堆的电流、电压以及温度作为对浓度的响应参数,将每片电池作为传感原件,准确测量电池的电流、电压和温度。结果表明,采用该算法从实验结果推测值的甲醇浓度误差小于0.40%。该算法可用于微型燃料电池的开发。     

Integrins and cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular diseases involve abnormal cell-cell interactions leading to the development of atherosclerotic plaque, which when ruptured causes massive platelet activation and thrombus formation. Parts of a loose thrombus may detach to form an embolus, blocking circulation at a more distant point. The integrins are a family of adhesive cell receptors interacting with adhesive proteins or with counterreceptors on other cells. There is now solid evidence that the major integrin on platelets, the fibrinogen receptor α _IIb  β ₃ , has an important role in several aspects of cardiovascular diseases and that its regulated inhibition leads to a reduction in incidence and mortality due to these disorders. The development of α _IIb  β ₃ inhibitors is an important strategy of many pharmaceutical companies which foresee a large market for the treatment of acute conditions in surgery, the symptoms of chronic conditions and, it is hoped, maybe even the successful prophylaxis of these conditions. Although all the associated problems have not been solved, the undoubted improvements in patient care resulting from the first of these treatments in the clinic have stimulated further research on the role of integrins on other vascular cells in these processes and in the search for new inhibitors. Both the development of specific inhibitors and of mice with specific integrin subunit genes ablated have contributed to a better understanding of the function of integrins in development of the cardiovascular system.     

Observation and isolation of the amyloplasts ribosomes in cotyledon cells of lotus

Ribosome-like particles have been found in the proplastids in young cotyledon cells of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn L.) Following the development of young embryo, some lamellar structures and tubular complex occurred in the plastids in young cotyledon cells, and some ribosomlike particles appeared in the loose region of these membrane system and stroma. About 15–20 d after fertilization, with the further development of plastid, a large number of starch and DNA were synthesized in the plastids, and the plastids contained abundant and clear morphologically ribosomes, some of which presented spiral structure. About 16–18 d after fertilization, amyloplasts were isolated and purified from cotyledon of lotus, and ribosomes bands were obtained by use of sucrose density gradient centrifugation of ribosomes isolated from amyloplasts. RNA and protein contents of ribosomes have also been determined.     

Blocking of lectin-like adhesion molecules on pulmonary cells inhibits lung sarcoma L-1 colonization in BALB/c-mice

Summary Adhesion and inhibition experiments with pulmonary cells of BALB/c-mouse origin and syngeneic sarcoma L-1 cells indicated that L-fucose specific lectin-like adhesion molecules, presumably situated on pulmonary cell surfaces are (at least partly) responsible for the specificity of this cell-cell interaction. Addition of specific sugars and glycoconjugates (L-fucose and fucoidan, respectively) to the incubation medium evidently inhibited the adhesion process as quantified using radiolabelled tumor cells. Unspecific carbohydrates (e.g. D-galactose) did not affect the cellular interaction. In vivo, repeated administration of fucoidan (but not of unspecific glycoconjugates) significantly inhibited the settling of metastatic sarcoma L-1 cells in the lungs of BALB/c-mice. Therefore, when lectin-like adhesion molecules on pulmonary cells were blocked with competitive glycoconjugates, tumor cell colonization of the lung could be significantly inhibited.     

Presence of presumptive interdigitating cells in the spleen of the natterjack,Bufo calamita

Summary The periphery of splenic lymphoid follicles, an area rich in reticulum fibers, contains presumptive interdigitating cells characterized by low electron density, scantiness of cytoplasmic organelles, abundant surface foldings and, sometimes, electrondense granules of unknown significance.     

Identification of hemolytic granules isolated from human myocardial cells

Summary Human myocardial cells from fresh autopsy material contained granules which possessed hemolytic activity against guinea pig and rabbit erythrocytes. The hemolytic granules, which had a density of 1.02 and a diameter of 200–300 nm, were recovered as a microsome fraction from subcellular homogenates of human myocardial cells by differential centrifugation in 300 mM sucrose containing 0.1 mM PMSF and 10 mM EDTA. The membrane lesions caused by the granules were ring-like structures with an internal diameter of about 10–17 nm, analogous to that caused by perforin- and complement-induced lysis. However, the requirement for divalent cation differed from that for perforin-induced lysis, since the microsome-mediated lysis occurred in the presence of EDTA.