Alpha-Hydroxylation of lignoceric and nervonic acids in the brain. Effects of altered thyroid function on postnatal development of the hydroxylase activity

Rat brain postnuclear preparations catalyzed the alpha-hydroxylation of nervonic acid with an apparent Km of 3 muM. Evidence has been presented which suggests that nervonic acid in the brain is hydroxylated by the same enzyme system which hydroxylates lignoceric acid. The hydroxylase activity in brains of normal (euthyroid) rats increased rapidly from a low in the period immediately following birth to a maximum at the 23rd day and then declined to a low level characteristic of the mature brain. Neonatal hypothyroidism retarded the development of the activity and shifted its peak to the 39th day after birth. Conversely, neonatal hyperthyroidism accelerated the entire developmental pattern and shifted the peak to the 16th day after birth. The hydroxylase activity in mouse brain was also increased by thyroid hormone administration from the 13th through the 18th day after birth. Unlike normal mice, the low activity in jimpy mice was not affected by this treatment. It is concluded that thyroid hormones play an important role in the control of brain fatty acid alpha-hydroxylation. The stimulation of alpha-hydroxy fatty acid synthesis in response to hyperthyroidism during the early postnatal period may be one of the major effects of thyroid hormones in accelerating myelination of the central nervous system.     

Efficacy of chlorine and calcinated calcium treatment of alfalfa seeds and sprouts to eliminate Salmonella

The efficacy of a 20,000 ppm calcium hypochlorite treatment of alfalfa seeds artificially contaminated with Salmonella was studied. Salmonella populations reached >7.0 log on sprouts grown from seeds artificially contaminated with Salmonella and then treated with 20,000 ppm Ca(OCl)(2). The efficacy of spray application of chlorine (100 ppm) to eliminate Salmonella during germination and growth of alfalfa was assessed. Alfalfa seed artificially contaminated with Salmonella was treated at germination, on day 2 or day 4, or for the duration of the growth period. Spray application of 100 ppm chlorine at germination, day 2, or day 4 of growth was minimally effective resulting in approximately a 0.5-log decrease in population of Salmonella. Treatment on each of the 4 days of growth reduced populations of Salmonella by only 1.5 log. Combined treatment of seeds with 20,000 ppm Ca(OCl)(2) and followed by 100 ppm chlorine or calcinated calcium during germination and sprout growth did not eliminate Salmonella.     

Effects of La^3＋ on ATPase Activities of Plasma Membrane Vesicles Isolated from Casuarina Equisetifolia Seedlings under Acid Rain Stress

Asamainkindofmembranetransporter ,plasmamembraneATPasesfacilitatethetransportofminerals ,sugars,metabolites ,andothercompoundsacrossthemembraneofthecells ,onlybywhichcouldplantcellscommunicatewithenvironmenttotransfersubstanceandinformation ,whichisessentialforplantgrowthandcellularhomeostasis[1] .Astheexperimentmateri als ,thehighlypurifiedplasmamembranevesiclesfromCasuarinaequisetifoliaseedlingscultivatedunderartificialacidrainstress ,wereisolatedbyaqueoustwo-phasepartitioningmethods .Thest…     

Aescin formation in calli and embryoids from cotyledon and stem explants of Aesculus hippocastanum L

Aescin in calli and embryoids obtained from both cotyledon and stem explants of Aesculus hippocastanum were investigated by HPLC. Determinations were carried out on tissues cultured in agarized medium supplemented with growth substances (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid; kinetin; 1-naphthaleneacetic acid). The results indicate that aescin was produced in all the analysed samples. The amount of active principle present in some samples was higher than that found in horse-chestnut seeds.     

Effect of estradiol valerate and chlormadinone acetate in hormone replacement therapy in postmenopause on Kupperman index, body weight, blood pressure, lipids, enzymes and electrolytes

Kupperman-index, weight, blood pressure, serum lipids, blood count, thrombocytes, fibrinogen, thrombine time, electrolytes, enzymes, serum proteins, bilirubine and other parameters were studied in 16 healthy post-menopausal women treated for 18 months with 2 mgs estradiol valerate continuously sequentially combined with the antiandrogenic progestogen chlormadinone acetate (CMA) 2 mgs from 1st to 12th every month of treatment. The women were examined after the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 12th, and 18th month during the last 3 days of the progestogen phase, where the CMA had been added to the estradiol valerate for at least 12 days. The combined estradiol-CMA therapy resulted in a significantly reduced Kupperman-index. The total serum cholesterol- and LDLC-levels were also reduced and the HDL-cholesterol and HDLC-cholesterol-quotient increased. Triglycerides, weight, blood pressure, enzymes, and other parameters were unchanged. The positively metabolic effects of estradiol valerate were not altered after the chlormadinone acetate in a sequential regime.     

Borreliosis--Lyme disease--a growing clinical problem

Neovascularization on the center of rabbit cornea was induced by 5N.NaOH alkali burns. We studied the change in localization of acidic fibroblast growth factor (a-FGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) through corneal neovascularization with immunohistochemistry, using eyes which we enucleated on the 3rd, 7th, and 14th day. Moreover, by co-cultivation of rabbit corneal stromal cells and adrenal cortical vascular endothelium of bovine, a capillary-like code was induced, in which we also studied the localization of a-FGF and b-FGF on the 3rd, 7th, and 14th day. On the 14th day after the alkali burn we recognized intrastromal neovascularization and positive staining of a-FGF and b-FGF around it. Strong staining of a-FGF was observed in goblet cells through the experimental period. In control eyes we recognized positive reaction of a-FGF in corneal and conjunctival epithelium. In co-cultured cells, we recognized positive staining of both a-FGF and b-FGF around the capillary-like code which was induced among the corneal stromal cells.     

Effects of extensive oral surgery and hemorrhage on coagulation and fibrinolysis

The changes in coagulation and fibrinolytic activity in 22 patients with oral cancer undergoing extensive surgical procedures were studied. The patients were divided into two groups: group I patients suffered blood loss of less than 2,000 mL and group II patients had blood loss of more than 2,000 mL. The platelet count decreased significantly during surgery, at the end of surgery and on the 1st postoperative day in both groups. Fibrinogen was decreased during and at the end of surgery in both groups, but increased significantly on the 3rd postoperative day and reached about two times the preoperative levels on the 7th postoperative day. Fibrin degradation products increased significantly after surgery and reached the maximum value on the 1st postoperative day in both groups. Plasmin inhibitor complex and plasminogen increased significantly on the 3rd and 7th postoperative days. There was no clear evidence regarding the influence of blood loss on coagulation and fibrinolytic factors except for platelets. It was concluded that coagulation and fibrinolysis are enhanced between the 3rd and 7th postoperative days.     

Female choice and manipulations of forceps size and symmetry in the earwig Forficula auricularia L

Nutrition influences the reproductive axis via alteration of gonadotrophin secretion. However, a link between nutrition and the secretion of GnRH, which drives the axis, has yet to be established. The aim of the present study was to measure the change in the concentrations of metabolic substances in the cerebrospinal fluid of adult male sheep offered a diet designed to maintain constant gonadotrophin secretion (Group M; n = 6), or a diet known to increase gonadotrophin secretion (Group M + L; n = 6). On days 1, 3 and 10 of the dietary treatments, cerebrospinal fluid and jugular blood were sampled and analysed for metabolic fuels (glucose, amino acids and free fatty acids) and metabolic hormones (insulin, insulin-like growth factor I, GH, prolactin, cortisol and the thyroid hormones). On day 11 of the dietary treatment, LH pulse frequency and mean FSH concentrations in Group M + L had increased relative to Group M and to day 0. Plasma concentrations of prolactin and insulin on days 3 and 10, and glucose and insulin-like growth factor I on day 10, were higher in Group M + L than in Group M, but only cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of insulin, glucose and certain amino acids were affected by the dietary treatments on days 3 and 10. Cerebrospinal fluid, but not plasma, concentrations of aspartate, tyrosine, cystine, phenylalanine and arginine on day 3, and glutamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, threonine, alanine on days 3 and 10, were higher in Group M + L relative to Group M. On day 10, plasma and cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of arginine, phenylalaine, proline, tyrosine, methionine and phosphoserine, but only the plasma concentrations of linoleic acid, aspartate and serine, were higher in Group M + L than in Group M. Concentrations of triiodothyronine, thyroxine, and cortisol in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid were not affected. These results show that the nutritional stimulation of gonadotrophin secretion is accompanied primarily by fluctuations in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of insulin and certain amino acids, which suggests that, when nutritional status is improved, insulin, amino acids and possibly glucose interact to modulate GnRH secretion.     

Expression of receptor-associated protein of the Heymann nephritis pathogenic epitope in Escherichia coli]

OBJECTIVE: Observe consecutively alveolar macrophage (AM) release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. METHODS: ELISA method for TNF-alpha quantitation; Bioassay method for PDGF assessment. RESULTS: (1) AM TNF-alpha release was elevated on 3rd day, peaked on 7th day and then remained at higher level than that in control. (2) AM PDGF release was elevated on 3rd day, also peaked on 7th day, but then decreased to a near normal level. CONCLUSION: AM might play a role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis through release of TNF-alpha and PDGF.     

Prediction of the coding sequences of unidentified human genes. VIII. 78 new cDNA clones from brain which code for large proteins in vitro

We investigated the acute effect on the serum levels of ovarian and adrenal sex steroid hormones of the suppression of growth hormone during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). A standard 75 g OGTT was performed in 11 healthy women and eight women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Another five controls were given a sham loading of oral distilled water. Blood samples were obtained immediately before and at 30-minute intervals after glucose or sham loading. Significant progressive declines in testosterone, estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and growth hormone levels were observed during OGTT in both groups. In the PCOS and normal groups, respectively, at 120 min, testosterone levels were 75.8% and 64.4% of the baseline (0-time) value, estradiol levels were 83.4% and 83.1%, DHEAS levels were 79.3% and 79.1%, and growth hormone levels were 33.9% and 21.2%. Significant positive correlations were observed between the level of growth hormone and each of the testosterone, estradiol and DHEAS levels in both the groups. The area under the curve for growth hormone was significantly smaller in the PCOS group than in the normal group. Gonadotropins were not changed at any time during OGTT. It appears that growth hormone may modify ovarian and adrenal sex steroidogenic responses to tropic hormones directly or via local insulin-like growth factor-I. Women with PCOS may be relatively deficient in growth hormone, a deficiency which may play a role in the pathophysiology of ovulatory disturbance.     

Effects of steroids on GTH I and GTH II secretion and pituitary concentration in the immature rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

Using specific radio-immunoassays for rainbow trout GTH I and GTH II, the effects of testosterone and estradiol 17 beta have been studied or reinvestigated on the regulation of the secretion and the synthesis of the these two pituitary gonadotropins in the immature rainbow trout. After steroid implantation, the GTH II pituitary concentration is stimulated by testosterone and estradiol 17 beta for the entire period during which the plasma levels of these hormones are maintained to values comparable to those measured in the adult vitellogenic female rainbow trout. On the other hand, only testosterone induced a transient increase in the GTH I pituitary content 15 days after implantation, and estradiol provoked a decrease at day 30. The secretion of both GTH I and GTH II is stimulated by testosterone but not by estradiol 17 beta. Altogether, these results show that in the immature rainbow trout, testosterone preferentially modifies GTH I secretion, but not that of GTH II. They confirm that the stimulation of GTH II accumulation after testosterone or estradiol treatment would correspond to a stimulation of hormone synthesis. They evidence a differential action of both steroids on the synthesis of the two gonadotropins, especially a possible inhibition of GTH I synthesis by estradiol. They let suppose that the regulation of GTH I synthesis would involve factors other than steroids.     

Comparison of the kinetics of injectable testosterone in eugonadal and hypogonadal men

Serum reproductive hormone levels were measured serially after eugonadal and hypogonadal men had received either a 200-mg or a 100-mg intramuscular injection of testosterone enanthate. The calculated mean integrated testosterone and estradiol levels indicated that the 200-mg testosterone enanthate injection in the hypogonadal subjects maintained eugonadal levels of these hormones through day 11. The 100-mg dose maintained eugonadal levels of these hormones through day 11. The 100-mg dose maintained eugonadal testosterone levels through day 7. The testosterone:estradiol ratios in both groups following the 200-mg injection remained above or at the eugonadal baseline trough day 21. The authors recommend that replacement therapy for hypogonadal men should be 200 mg of testosterone enanthate every 10 to 14 days. A similar dosage would be recommended if testosterone enanthate were to be used as an experimental inhibitor of spermatogenesis (contraceptive agent).     

Acidosis reduces neuronal apoptosis

Multiple factors are thought to influence the level of circulating angiotensinogen (AGT). We showed previously that the serum AGT concentration was significantly related to body mass index (BMI) in a cohort of young people. In the present study, we studied whether levels of the gonadal hormones estradiol and testosterone might also predict the AGT level and might contribute to the BMI effect, since both the production of these hormones and BMI increase with age. In boys (n=127; mean+/-SD age, 14.7+/-1.9 years) and girls (n=104; age, 14.8+/-1.9 years) studied as a single group, we found a significant association of AGT level with level of estradiol (P=0.015) after adjustment for haplotype, age, race, testosterone concentration, and BMI. In girls studied alone, the level of AGT showed a significantly positive relation to level of testosterone (P=0.043), possibly a result of peripheral conversion of testosterone to estradiol, after adjustment for haplotype, age, race, estradiol concentration, and BMI. In boys, on the other hand, the level of testosterone was inversely related to AGT concentration (P=0.019), again after making adjustments for the other variables. Finally, in pairs of subjects matched for BMI, age, race, and gender where 1 member of each pair had either 1 or 2 copies of an AGT gene haplotype (T235 and -1074t) and the other member had no copy, the level of AGT was higher in the carrier of a haplotype in 24 of the 34 pairs (P<0.001). In conclusion, gonadal hormones are an additional influence on the circulating level of AGT in growing young people. In addition, with matching for BMI and other covariates, there is a strong association of AGT genotype with the serum level of AGT, emphasizing the importance of AGT gene expression as a determinant of the circulating level of AGT.     

Reliability of serum hormones in premenopausal and postmenopausal women over a one-year period

Serum hormones have been intensively investigated in association with several chronic diseases, but limited information exists on the reliability of a number of hormone determinations. The one-year reproducibility of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), total and free testosterone, total estradiol, insulin, C-peptide, and prolactin was studied in 60 premenopausal and 47 postmenopausal women recruited in Varese province, Italy, 1991-1992. The hormonal determinations were made in blood samples collected twice, one year apart, after 12-h fast, in the same month, day, and hour and for premenopausal women on the same day of the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Samples from the first drawing were stored at -80 degrees C. Samples from both drawings were assayed simultaneously and in blind fashion. Total estradiol in postmenopause was not evaluated for limitation in the sensitivity of the laboratory method. The intraclass correlation coefficient in premenopausal women was 0.85 for DHEAS, 0.60 for total testosterone, 0.66 for free testosterone, 0.81 for insulin, 0.83 for C-peptide, 0.40 for prolactin, and 0.06 for total estradiol. In postmenopausal women, the coefficient was 0.90 for DHEAS, 0.88 for total testosterone, 0.71 for free testosterone, 0.67 for insulin, 0.73 for C-peptide, and 0.18 for prolactin. These data indicate that total estradiol measured during the luteal phase has a poor intraindividual reproducibility over time, and these findings may have important implications in studies of hormones in the etiology of chronic disease.     

Analysis of developing enamel of the rat. II. Electrophoretic and amino acid studies

Amino-acid analyses showed that proline, glutamic acid and leucine were the most common amino acids in immature or developing enamel and in each of its fractions (i.e., in the 1st and 14th water-extractable fractions of a sequential series of extractions, EDTA-water soluble and water-insoluble fractions. The immature enamel and its 1st and 14th water-extractable fractions were similar in their proportions of the basic amino acids (lysine, histidine and arginine), the beta-hydroxylated aliphatic amino acids (valine, leucine, and isoleucine). On the other hand, the immature enamel differed from the water-extractable fractions chiefly in its relative content of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, alanine, proline, glycine, tyrosine and methionine. Also the 1st water-extractable fraction differed from the 14th in its amino-acid profile. tthe EDTA-water-soluble fraction most closely resembled the 14th water-extractable fraction except for its proportion of arginine and alanine residues. Although with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis the EDTA-water-soluble and the water-extractable fractions exhibited companion bands (at least 7 peaks were evident at pH 9.3) they differed decidely as to which band was the most prominent. The water-insoluble fractions compared with any of the soluble fractions or with immature enamel showed a higher percent of serine, threonine, glycine, aspartic acid, alanine, valine, lysine, and arginine but relatively less glutamic acid, proline, methionine and histidine. Neither hydroxyproline nor hydroxylsine were detected in any of the samples.     

The isolation and characterization of estradiol-fatty acid esters in human ovarian follicular fluid. Identification of an endogenous long-lived and potent family of estrogens

The estradiol-fatty acid esters are highly potent and long-lived estrogens that were first isolated and identified from in vitro biosynthetic experiments (Mellon-Nussbaum S., Ponticorvo, L., Schatz, F., and Hochberg, R. B. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 5678-5684). Other studies have indicated that these esters exist endogenously, but the evidence is indirect, resting solely on the presence of a nonpolar saponifiable metabolite. Although there are similar reports of other naturally occurring fatty acid esters of biologically active steroid hormones, likewise, none has been isolated and characterized. In this study we have found that follicular fluid from the ovaries of women stimulated with gonadotrophins contains relatively large amounts of a nonpolar saponifiable derivative of estradiol (approximately 10(-7)M), which we presumed to be fatty acid esters. Using a combination of chromatographic techniques we isolated these estradiol metabolites and identified them by mass spectral analysis. They are a mixture of five different estradiol-17 fatty acid esters. The amount of each present was determined by separating the esters by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography and then quantifying each peak by radioimmunoassay and UV absorption. The esters of estradiol are predominantly unsaturated, with linoleate the most abundant comprising 43% of the total. The other esters are: palmitate (20%), arachidonate (19%), oleate (14%), and stearate (4%). Thus these studies conclusively demonstrate the existence of these unusually powerful estrogens.     

稀土在杜仲上的应用研究

选用易于观察研究的杜仲幼苗、幼林、种子、扦插用的枝条作为试验材料,研究了稀土在杜仲上的应用效果和施用技术,并研制了一种高效价廉的林用促长剂     

The effect of vascular endothelial cell growth factor on survival of skin flap in rats

In order to study the effect of vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) on the survival of skin flap 30 SD rats were used. A randomized flap measuring 7.5 cm x 3.0 cm was created on the back of each SD rat. The treatment group (n = 10) received VEGF 40 ng/flap by subcutaneous injection with microinjector during and 24 hours after operation. The control groups received heparin 16 U/flap (n = 10) or normal saline 800 microliters/flap (n = 10). After operation, on the 3rd and 11th day, the survival rate of the skin flaps and the dermovascular density of each flap were investigated by histological and histo-morphometrical examination. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the survival rate between the treatment group and the controls on the 3rd day after operation, while on the 11th day, there was a significant difference between them, and the survival rate was much higher in the treatment group. Besides, dermovascular density was much more increased in the treatment group than that in the controls, especially in the distal 1/3 of the flap (P < 0.02). The conclusion was that VEGF could accelerate the vascularization of the flap and enhance the survival rate of the flap.     

Hormonal regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor content and signaling in bovine mammary tissue

Mammary tissue from midpregnant heifers was cultured with epidermal growth factor (EGF) or transforming growth factor alpha for 1-3 days. After 1 day, 10 nM EGF or transforming growth factor alpha doubled DNA synthesis, whereas lower concentrations (0.1 or 1 nM) increased DNA synthesis 2- to 3-fold after 2-3 days in culture. In other studies, bovine mammary tissue was transplanted to ovariectomized athymic mice and treated for 10 days with saline, estradiol (1 microg/day), progesterone (1 mg/day), or estradiol + progesterone. Subsequent explant culture of the bovine tissue indicated that estradiol + progesterone augmented the ability of EGF to stimulate DNA synthesis. The increased response to EGF was associated with increased EGF binding and with increased EGF-induced tyrosine kinase that paralleled the increased EGF binding. In other studies, athymic mice bearing xenografted bovine mammary tissue were primed for 10 days with estradiol and progesterone, followed by 2-day treatment with saline (control), hydrocortisone (200 microg/day), PRL (1 mg/day), or hydrocortisone + PRL. Hydrocortisone and PRL alone decreased, and PRL + hydrocortisone eliminated, EGF-induced DNA synthesis. EGF receptor content was unaffected by hydrocortisone but was reduced by PRL or hydrocortisone + PRL. Furthermore, the ability of EGF to induce tyrosine kinase activity was decreased by PRL and by hydrocortisone + PRL. The decreased kinase activity was greater than the decrease in receptor binding, suggesting a specific modulation of EGF receptor kinase activity in response to lactogenic hormones.     

Effect of castration and steroid treatments on the activity of some hydrolytic enzymes in dog prostate

Adult mongrel dogs were castrated and treated by intramuscular injections of 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha,17 beta-diol (androstanediol) alone or in combination with estradiol in order to find convenient enzymatic markers of hormone action in prostate. The activities of 15 hydrolytic enzymes were determined. Arginine esterase, acid sulfatase, and acid phosphatase were found to be the most sensitive markers of testicular hormones since they were decreased 18-, 5- and 5-fold respectively after 1 month of castration. The enzyme activities returned to precastration levels after 2 weeks of injection of androstanediol to castrated animals. The effect of androstanediol on the majority of the remaining enzymes was small. In general, the activities obtained after androstanediol treatment in combination with estradiol were similar to those obtained with androstanediol alone. Finally, beta-glucuronidase and neutral sulfatase were increased after castration, a finding that suggests that these enzymes are constituents of stromal cells. These studies will provide a basis for future studies of hormone action in the dog prostate.