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Genera and species of myxomycetes have been based traditionally on morphological features of the fruitbodies (sporocarps). Certain species bridge the gap between two genera by combining morphological characters, such as is the case forHemitrichia leiocarpa, which combines characters ofHemitrichiaandArcyriaand could equally well be placed in either genus on morphological grounds. A few species ofPhysarumandBadhamiacombine characters of both genera. Molecular investigations are today a powerful tool for investigating evolutionary relationships, and there is molecular evidence that the two physaraceous genera mentioned above can no longer be maintained as presently circumscribed. Paraphyly has been demonstrated in the Stemonitales and additional molecular data are likely to necessitate changes in the circumscription of some genera. Certain species ofLiceaandPerichaenahave minute sporocarps with simple morphology. Smaller sporocarps of some species ofPerichaenamay lack a capillitium and be morphologically similar to species ofLicea, which blurs the line of separation between these two genera. The genusLicearemains enigmatic and is almost certainly unnatural, even after the removal ofL. fimicolato a separate genus. Additional molecular investigations are necessary to elucidate the relationships among the different species.

Pre-radiosurgical embolization was carried out using cyanoacrylate in seven of 13 patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) treated by stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) with a linear accelerator (LINAC). The aim of embolization before SRS was the reduction of AVM volume and/or the elimination of vascular structures bearing an increased risk of haemorrhage. Staged-volume SRS was also performed in two patients because of residual irregular shaped nidus of AVMs even after the embolizations.Complete obliteration of the AVM nidus on angiogram was presented in five patients with embolizations (including one with staged-volume SRS) and in three of six patients with SRS alone, during follow-up periods after radiosurgery. No patients experienced haemorrhagic events after SRS. Although transient neurological symptoms were observed after embolizations in two patients, no permanent neurological deficits were presented in all patients with SRS. Pre-radiosurgical embolization may allow the effective influence on irradiation therapy in relatively large AVMs and promote more frequent obliteration in more small sized AVMs compared to those with SRS alone. However, further study must be needed to determine whether staged-volume SRS provides a high rate of AVM obliteration and its safeness.

A survey and inventory of tree canopy bio-diversity for cryptogams (myxomycetes, macrofungi, mosses, liverworts, lichens and ferns) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park resulted in the discovery of an undescribed myxomycete species. This taxon is classified in the order Physarales, family Di-dymiaceae and genus Diachea.A combination of morphological characteristics distinguishes Diachea arboricolaH.W. Keller & M. Skrabal sp. nov. from all other species in the genus: peridium iridescent gold to silvery gray; stalk reddish orange above and whitish below, filled with crystals; capillitial threads stiff, dichotomously branched and arising from the tip of the columella; spore ornamentation uniformly covering the entire spore surface, appearing spiny with light microscopy, with scanning electron microscopy as vertical processes with capitate, clustered, spike-like tips. This type of spore ornamentation has not been found in any other Diacheaspecies. Diachea arboricolais known only from the tree canopy, ranging in height from roughly 3 to 21 m, on three tree species, Fraxinus americana, Juniperus virginianaand Quercus alba.Observations of plasmodial growth and fruiting body development are described based on moist chamber cultures. Tree canopy observations in situ suggest that the plasmodium of this species migrates over extensive vertical areas of tree bark. Ecological factors are discussed that include pH of bark substrata. The species description is based on abundant sporangia from 17 different collections. A key to the species of Diacheais provided to aid in the identification of this taxon.

For screening prostate cancer (CAP) using prostate-specific antigen (PSA), the indications of biopsies for patients showing slightly elevated PSA values are still controversial. Furthermore, the dependence of total PSA, free-to-total PSA ratio (F/T) and PSA density (PSAD) on prostatic volume in gray zone cases is unclear.

Summary:  To clarify the relation between neuronal protection against ischaemia and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II) activity, we investigated temporal alterations of the kinase activity in the hippocampus after transient forebrain ischaemia under neuroprotective conditions, employing the gerbil bilateral carotid artery occlusion model.  The hippocampal CA1 neuronal density at 2 hours after 5 minutes of forebrain ischaemia was 214.7±25.8 /mm (mean±S.D.), and did not differ from the control significantly; however, it decreased to 11.7±4.2 /mm at 7 days after the ischaemia. The neuronal density at 7 days after the ischaemia was 185.1±18.5 under the hypothermic conditions, 128.7±19.6 with the brief ischaemic pretreatment, 65.0±13.4 with administration of MK-801, and 20.5±4.2 with the repetitive hyperthermic pretreatment, respectively.  The Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent activity of CaM kinase II in the hippocampal cytosolic fraction was decreased to 47.5% of the control value at 2 hours after the ischaemia, when CA1 neuronal death was not observed. In contrast, the activity was 98.8% of the control under the hypothermic conditions, 91.4% with the brief ischaemic pretreatment, 71.2% with administration of MK-801, and 47.9% with the repetitive hyperthermic pretreatment, respectively.  These results indicated that the preservation of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent activity of cytosolic CaM kinase II after ischaemia parallelled the neuroprotective effect in the gerbil hippocampus. Thus, it is suggested that the preservation of the activity may be involved in the mechanism of neuronal protection against ischaemia.

We used in situ hybridization histochemistry with synthetic oligonucleotide probes to localize the mRNAs encoding the alpha 2- and beta-mRNAs of Na,K-ATPase during development of the brine shrimp Artemia. The mRNAs of the alpha 2- and beta-subunit were of low abundance in the cysts; in addition, less mRNA of the beta-subunit was localized. During emergence (12 hr), there was an increase in alpha 2-subunit mRNA in the gut mucosa, but there was a burst in beta-subunit mRNA throughout. As development progressed, the mRNAs of both the alpha 2- and beta-subunits showed a distinct pattern of expression in which the mRNA in the salt gland was of greatest abundance, followed by epidermal cells and gut mucosa. After 36 hr the alpha 2-subunit mRNA began to decrease in all positive cells but still remained highest in the salt gland and the brain region, while the mRNA of the beta-subunit kept increasing in the gut mucosa. Finally, the greatest abundance of the beta-subunit mRNA shifted from the salt gland to the antenna gland and the epidermal cells in the tail region, but the alpha 2-subunit mRNA did not. The more widespread distribution of the beta-mRNA than alpha 2-mRNA at certain stages (e.g., there was no alpha 2-mRNA in the antenna gland at the adult stage) is in all likelihood due to the marked drop in the alpha 2-subunit and a rise in alpha 1-subunit previously seen by Peterson et al. on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, as development progresses.

A previous report has indicated that progesterone pretreatment can markedly reduce cadmium toxicity in male NAW mice. Therefore we examined the effects of progesterone pretreatment on cadmium toxicity in male Fischer (F344/NCr) rats. A single sc injection of 20 µmol CdCl₂/kg proved nonlethal over 24 hr but caused the typical spectrum of testicular lesions in these rats. However, when rats were pretreated with progesterone (100 mg/kg, sc, −48, −24, and 0 hr) and then given cadmium (20 µmol CdCl₂/kg, 0 hr), this dose of cadmium proved very toxic, unexpectedly causing a 53% mortality. Progesterone pretreatment had no effect on cadmium-induced testicular lesions in surviving rats. Significant elevations in serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, indicative of hepatotoxicity, were also observed in progesterone-pretreated rats given cadmium as compared to rats given cadmium alone. Progesterone pretreatment had no effect on the distribution of cadmium to liver, kidney, or testes. Progesterone pretreatment also had no effect on the cadmium-induced increases in hepatic or renal metallothionein (MT) or hepatic or testicular MT mRNA levels. In contrast, levels of the testicular cadmium-binding protein (TCBP) in progesterone-pretreated rats were doubled. These results indicate that, contrary to previously reported data for the mouse, progesterone pretreatment increased the lethality of cadmium in male Fischer (F344/NCr) rats and had no effect on cadmium-induced testicular toxicity. The mechanism by which progesterone enhanced cadmium toxicity, especially cadmium-induced hepatotoxicity, deserves further study.Copyright 1993, 1999 Academic Press

Abstract:  A patient with primary non-Hodgkin's (B-cell type) lymphoma of the kidney developed hypercalcemia at the terminal stage of the disease. Although the plasma parathyroid hormone level was low, urinary cyclic AMP excretion was elevated. Serum osteocalcin (BGP) was suppressed and the plasma level of 1,25(OH)2D was within the normal range. Serum concentrations of PTH-related protein (PTHrP)-like immunoreactivity (PRP-LI) were elevated, and the tissue concentration of PRP-LI in the postmortem lymph node showed high level along with elevated serum PRP-LI, furthermore the production of PTHrP by the tumor was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and Northern blotting analysis. These findings indicate that the hypercalcemia of the patient was caused by the PTHrP-producing B-cell lymphoma. Hypercalcemia was restored to normocalcemia by bisphosphonate treatment. Our case will add further information on humoral hypercalcemia in B-cell lymphoma, which rarely has been demonstrated to produce PTHrP.

The autopsy records between 1980 and 1995 of 399 female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) at the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center were examined. Spontaneous endometriosis was found in 81 (20%) of the animals. The mean (+/- SD) ages at death for animals with and without endometriosis were 20.7 +/- 5.5 (range 10-35) and 13.4 +/- 7.7 (range 4-37) years respectively. Many of the animals had been exposed to experimental procedures, including laparoscopies, hysterotomies and oestradiol implants, and these were examined as possible risk factors for endometriosis. Of the 81 affected animals, 62 were matched to unaffected controls for age at death (to within 1 year) and year of death (to within 2 years) and the effect of various factors on the development of endometriosis was determined using conditional logistic regression. Exposure to three or more oestradiol implants or one or more hysterotomies were both significant risk factors, with estimated relative risks of 9.7 (95% confidence interval 2.5-37.2) and 5.8 (95% confidence interval 1.6-20.2) respectively. Animals that had been exposed to one or more laparoscopies showed no increased risk for developing endometriosis. These findings provide insight into the aetiology of the disease in women. ?2P51 4RR00167

The effect of diarachidonin on the synthesis of prostaglandin E2 in rabbit kidney medulla slices was examined. The addition of diarachidonin stimulated prostaglandin E2 production in a dose-dependent manner. At three concentrations (10, 50 and 100 microM), increases in prostaglandin E2 formation induced by exogenous diarachidonin were 2-fold greater than those induced by exogenous arachidonic acid. Diacylglycerol or phosphatidic acid from egg lecithin had little or no effect on prostaglandin E2 production. Moreover, EGTA failed to inhibit diarachidonin-stimulated prostaglandin E2 formation, indicating that the stimulatory effect of diarachidonin is not mediated through the activation of endogenous phospholipase A2 (including phosphatidic acid-specific phospholipase A2). These results are discussed in the light of our former hypothesis that arachidonic acid release from kidney medulla phospholipids might occur through the sequential action of a phospholipase C coupled to diacylglycerol and monoacylglycerol lipases [Fujimoto, Akamatsu, Hattori & Fujita (1984) Biochem. J. 218, 69-74].

Pathogenesis of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in rhesus macaques begins with acute viremia and then progresses to a distributed infection in the solid lymphoid tissues, which is followed by a process of cellular destruction leading to terminal disease and death. Blood and tissue specimens show the progress of infection at the cellular level but do not reveal the pattern of infection and host responses occurring throughout the body. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with intravenous 2-18F-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) could identify activated lymphoid tissues in a living animal and whether this pattern would reflect the extent of SIV infection. PET images from SIV-infected animals were distinguishable from uninfected controls and revealed a pattern consistent with widespread lymphoid tissue activation. Significant FDG accumulation in colon along with mesenteric and ileocaecal lymph nodes was found in SIV infection, especially during terminal disease stages. Areas of elevated FDG uptake in the PET images were correlated with productive SIV infection using in situ hybridization as a test for virus replication. PET-FDG images of SIV-infected animals correlated sites of virus replication with high FDG accumulation. These data show that the method can be used to evaluate the distribution and activity of infected tissues in a living animal without biopsy. Fewer tissues had high FDG uptake in terminal animals than midstage animals, and both were clearly distinguishable from uninfected animal scans.

Pre-radiosurgical embolization was carried out using cyanoacrylate in seven of 13 patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) treated by stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) with a linear accelerator (LINAC). The aim of embolization before SRS was the reduction of AVM volume and/or the elimination of vascular structures bearing an increased risk of haemorrhage. Staged-volume SRS was also performed in two patients because of residual irregular shaped nidus of AVMs even after the embolizations.Complete obliteration of the AVM nidus on angiogram was presented in five patients with embolizations (including one with staged-volume SRS) and in three of six patients with SRS alone, during follow-up periods after radiosurgery. No patients experienced haemorrhagic events after SRS. Although transient neurological symptoms were observed after embolizations in two patients, no permanent neurological deficits were presented in all patients with SRS. Pre-radiosurgical embolization may allow the effective influence on irradiation therapy in relatively large AVMs and promote more frequent obliteration in more small sized AVMs compared to those with SRS alone. However, further study must be needed to determine whether staged-volume SRS provides a high rate of AVM obliteration and its safeness.

Chloroplast DNA restriction site variation provided data with which to compare the Galápagos Island endemic Scalesiato potential sister groups within subtribe Helianthinae. Pappobolusis suggested by these data to be the most likely sister group to Scalesia.It is an Andean endemic genus that includes the South American species once regarded as a subgenus of Helianthusand later assigned to Helianthopsis.Two other groups considered as potential sister groups based on their geographic distribution in South America were not placed near Scalesiain the most parsimonious tree. Viguierasect. Diplostichisappears to be relatively basal within subtribe Helianthinae, and the South American species of Viguiera, although previously classified in more than one subgenus, appear to form a single, monophyletic group that is not the sister group to Scalesia.The minimum of ten restriction site differences between Scalesiaand Pappobolusof approximately 525 sites surveyed yielded an estimated sequence divergence of 0.19%, and an estimated time of divergence of approximately 1.9–6.2 million years.

Developing brine shrimp are a good experimental model for study of gene expression during development. Development is initiated on suspension of brine shrimp cysts in seawater. Only 48 hr are required for progression from cyst to the larval stage. We have localize the alpha- and beta-subunits in different cells by immunostaining as development progresses. Both alpha- and beta-subunits are first detected in epidermal cells in the trunk region at the emergence 2 stage (16-hr incubation). At the nauplius 1 stage (24 hr) the enzyme appears in the brain and epidermal regions, as well as in mesenchymal cells, with weaker staining in the salt gland. After further development (nauplius 2 stage, 36 hr) stronger staining appears in the salt gland and in the epidermal region. At the nauplius 3 stage (48 hr) the enzyme appears in the midgut mucosa. Co-localization of the alpha- and beta-subunits appears in all positive cells during development. In the epidermal and salt gland cells the enzyme is mainly localized on the basolateral membrane. The basolateral localization of the Na,K-ATPase in epidermal and salt gland cells suggests that Na+ is actively transported into the epidermal and salt gland cells and passively diffuses out from the apical region.

The urethral end of the ductus deferens in New Zealand white rabbits bilaterally vasecomized retained normal adrenergic innervation as evaluated by fibers identified with formalin-induced fluorescence. The testicular end of the ductus deferens and the caudal epididymal innervation were severely compromised. The site of the vasectomy may affect the degree of denervation in that inguinal vasectomies destroyed most, but not all, innervation, whereas vasectomies performed adjacent to the caudal epididymis (scrotal) caused total denervation. With vasovasostomy 30 days after vasectomy, significant reinnervation of the ductus deferens was observed by 28 days after the second operation. At the vasovasostomy site the nerve fibers were tortuously swirled and innervation was less than in the adjacent urethral and testicular sections of the ductus deferens. Such a zone may impede the flow of sperm during sexual excitement while not significantly affecting slow filling. Reinnervation of the caudal epididymis was slower and apparently less complete than that of the ductus deferens; by day 49 post vasovasostomy, only 20% of the normal innervation density was found.

A desimple-tailed study of the rate of interaction of citrate buffers with aniline to form anilides and imides shows that the basic mechanism follows essentially that previously described. Results show in particular that the rate of anhydride formation by the polycarboxylic acid is faster than from the previously studied succinic system and probably involves both the undissociated acid and its singly charged anion. The overall equilibria and rates for the total reaction were determined and the approach to equilibria checked with an analog computer. The speed and nature of the reaction suggest that these interactions may often be responsible for loss of activity of some drugs formulated with this buffer.

Summary: The mechanism of the adhesion of the suspension particles on the wall surface of the glass container is discussed. Two types of mechanism are found; 1) simple adhesion where no mutual affinity or interaction exists between the particle and the wall, 2) adhesion with affinity. In the case of the simple adhesion, the suspension particle is pressed against the wall and trapped by a thin medium film, whose pressure increases with decreasing of the medium film thickness. Important in this process is the liquid film formation on the wall. Under the pressure, the particle superdissolves into the thin liquid film at the contacting point, and the excess particle component produced deposits on both surfaces of the wall and the particle, where no direct pressure works upon. The adhesion strength increases as time goes by, since the deposition grows according to time, as long as the medium film presents and the pressure works on the particle. Adhesion due to deposition is not so popular as that due to affinity, but it is considered as an important basic form of the adhesion. For the affinity adhesion, the commonest affinity is a hydrophobic bonding effect, which may be explained byvan der Waals coefficient and by determination of sliding angle of the suspension particle in the dispersion medium. Electrostatic affinity is less popular than affinity by hydrophobic bonding, but adsorption of the medium component onto the particle or the wall sometimes causes the adhesion due to this. Zeta potential of chloramphenicol crystals and glass powder was measured and its influence on the adhesion was discussed in connection with adsorption of benzethonium chloride. It was found that the adhesion strength of this type does not increase with lapse of time.

Summary: The effect of several additives on the adhesion of the suspension particles to the wall of containers was studied for pharmaceutical suspension. For the combination of the chloramphenicol suspension and the glass wall, anionic surface active agents and some of high polymers were found to be agents for good preventing adhesion. Non-ionic and cationic surface active agents facilitated the adhesion, and gave an adhesion maximum point at a certain concentration in the aqueous media; the mechanism was elucidated by adsorption of the additive component upon the surface of the particle and the wall, and the hydrophobic bonding effect. Some pharmaceutical improvements for preventing the adhesion trouble were given.

Summary Particles of the pharmaceutical suspension often adhere on the container wall and cause several serious troubles. This adhesion proceeds by two steps; (1) particle trapping and (2) particle adhering. Particle trapping occurs only when the suspension spreads on the wall surface to make the even, thin liquid film of the medium, which traps the particles by pressure due to the surface tension of the medium acting upon the water line of the particle surface. The thinner film and the greater surface tension of the medium give the stronger trapping effect. The number of trapped particles is directly proportional to the concentration of the suspension and to square root of the particle diameter. The overall observed trappable nature of the particle was expressed by trappability constant.

Tartaric acid buffer has been shown to form a reactive intermediate in aqueous solution capable of rapidly acylating any nucleophilic compound present. With aniline as the nucleophile, the rate of formation of the intermediate, presumably an acid anhydride, has been found to proceed at roughly the same rate as that of succinic acid but slower than citric acid. Only the monoanilide was obtained in appreciable amount.

The antioxidant activity of curcumin (1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione) was determined by inhibition of controlled initiation of styrene oxidation. Synthetic nonphenolic curcuminoids exhibited no antioxidant activity; therefore, curcumin is a classical phenolic chain-breaking antioxidant, donating H atoms from the phenolic groups not the CH2 group as has been suggested (Jovanovic et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1999, 121, 9677). The antioxidant activities of o-methoxyphenols are decreased in hydrogen bond accepting media.