Effect of menthol on human temperature sensitivity

Application of 1% methol, which, along with cold, activates specific thermosensitive ionic channels, changes the number of functioning cold receptors on the skin of the forearm similarly to the cold exposure test; however, it does not affect the number of heat receptors and does not significantly change the threshold of cold sensation. Group variants of responses to menthol that indicate individual differences in the sensitivity of skin receptors to the effects of methol and cold have been found. The results obtained give grounds to suggest that, from the variant of response to menthol (a decrease, increase, or absence of changes in the number of functioning cold receptors 5 min after menthol application), it is possible to predict specific features of response to cold.     

Comparative analysis of respiratory activity in the wild type strain of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Neurospora crassa</Emphasis> and its photoreceptor complex mutants

Cell respiratory activity of protoplasts obtained from the wild type of Neurospora crassa and photoreceptor complex WCC—white collar 1 (wc-1) and white collar 2 (wc-2)—mutants of Neurospora crassa strains was investigated. Respiration inhibition by KCN in the presence of 25 mM succinate was similar in all strains and did not exceed 83–85% against control. The significant induction of KCN-resistant respiratory pathway occurred under 1% glucose oxidation in wc-1 and wc-2 mutants if compared with the wild type strains. The inhibitors of the main (cytochrome) pathway of electron transfer in mitochondria—1 mM KCN and antimycin A (4 μg/ml)—blocked the respiration rate of the protoplasts from N. crassa wild type by 75%, while the cell respiration of wc-1 and wc-2 strains was suppressed by approximately 50%. The specific inhibitor of alternative oxidase—10 mM salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM)—in combination with the blockers of mitochondrial electron transfer chain caused the total suppression of respiratory activity of protoplasts in all studied strains. It is supposed that an increase of KCN-resistance in WCC mutants under glucose oxidation is connected with alternative oxidase activation as the result of failure in reception and signal transduction of active oxygen species.     

Biopolymer of alginate nature with a predominance of L-guluronic acid

Highly viscous polysaccharide (250–350 kDa) of an alginate nature with a predominance of α-L-guluronic acid (M/G = 0.22) was obtained from Azotobacter vinelandi. The yield of polysaccharide was 20.5 ± 0.5 g/l when cultured in a medium containing molasses at a viscosity of the cultural liquid of over 30000 cSt. The biopolymer is stable at pH 4.0–9.0 in a wide temperature range and well soluble in highly mineralized water; it retains a high viscosity level and can be used in the petroleum industry for enhanced oil recovery.     

Isotopically sensitive branching in the formation of cyclic monoterpenes: proof that (-)-alpha-pinene and (-)-beta-pinene are synthesized by the same monoterpene cyclase via deprotonation of a common intermediate

To determine whether the bicyclic monoterpene olefins (-)-alpha-pinene and (-)-beta-pinene arise biosynthetically from the same monoterpene cyclase by alternate deprotonations of a common carbocationic intermediate, the product distributions arising from the acyclic precursor [10-2H3,1-3H]geranyl pyrophosphate were compared with those resulting from incubation of [1-3H]geranyl pyrophosphate with (-)-pinene cyclase from Salvia officinalis. Alteration in proportions of the olefinic products generated by the partially purified pinene cyclase resulted from the suppression of the formation of (-)-beta-pinene (C10 deprotonation) by a primary deuterium isotope effect with a compensating stimulation of the formation of (-)-alpha-pinene (C4 deprotonation). (-)-Pinene cyclase as well as (+)-pinene cyclase also exhibited a decrease in the proportion of the acyclic olefin myrcene generated from the deuteriated substrate, accompanied by a corresponding increase in the commitment to cyclized products. The observation of isotopically sensitive branching, in conjunction with quantitation of the magnitude of the secondary deuterium isotope effect on the overall rate of product formation by the (+)- and (-)-pinene cyclases as well as two other monoterpene cyclases from the same tissue, supports the biosynthetic origin of (-)-alpha-pinene and (-)-beta-pinene by alternative deprotonations of a common enzymatic intermediate. A biogenetic scheme consistent with these results is presented, and alternate proposals for the origin of the pinenes are addressed.     

Spinal control of afferent temperature information in the cat

The effect of picrotoxin (at sub-convulsant doses, i.v.) on the background and invoked spike activity of cat dorsal horn internerons was investigated while thermal and mechanical influences were at work on the skin receptor areas. It was found that information on skin temperature is modulated at the presynaptic level and largely mediated by competitive interaction between large and small diameter fibers.Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR, Alma Ata. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 18, No. 6, pp. 773–779, November–December, 1986.     

Impact of vaginal microbiome communities on HIV antiretroviral-based pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drug metabolism

Despite the efficacy of antiretroviral-based pre-exposure prophylactics (PrEP) in men who have sex with men, studies in women have produced widely varying outcomes. Recent evidence demonstrates that vaginal microbial communities are associated with increased HIV acquisition risk and may impact PrEP efficacy. Here, we investigate the mechanisms underlying how vaginal bacteria alter PrEP drug levels and impact HIV infection rates ex vivo. Using cervicovaginal lavages (CVLs) from women with or without bacterial vaginosis (BV), we identified microbial metabolism of PrEP drugs in BV samples through LC-MS/MS analysis of soluble drug levels and metabolite formation in dual T-cell cultures. CVL samples were assessed for microbiome analysis using sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. We also observed non-Lactobacillus bacteria that are associated with BV may potentially impact PrEP efficacy through increased HIV infection rates in co-cultures containing Lactobacillus or BV bacteria, PrEP drugs, CEM-GFP cells, and HIV-1_LAI virus. Finally, we used these data to develop a novel predictive mathematical simulation modeling system to predict these drug interactions for future trials. These studies demonstrate how dysbiotic vaginal microbiota may impact PrEP drugs and provides evidence linking vaginal bacteria to PrEP efficacy in women.     

Pattern of tonic activity in different groups of rabbit superior cervical ganglion neurons

Tonic activity in rabbit superior cervical ganglion neurons was investigated using intracellular recording techniques as well as changes produced when the animal breathed a gaseous mix with a raised CO₂ level. The test neurons were divided into three groups depending on the pattern of their tonic activity and reflex change. Action potentials were produced by the activity of dominant and accessory preganglionic inputs in the firing pattern of all neuronal groups, implying the existence of other types of inputs into the neurons innervating different organs. Having analyzed changes in action potential rate and EPSP in the tonic activity of neurons from different groups, it was presumed that preganglionic fibers with a similar activity pattern converge on the majority of neurons in each group.A. A. Bogomolets Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, Kiev. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 19, No. 5, pp. 665–672, September–October, 1987.