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Paper chromatograms of ether and ethanol extracts of cells of the three algal species: Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus quaddricauda and Chlamydomonas reinhardi were tested on agar plates with the bacteria Bacillus subtilis. Inhibition zones were found at the starting line of the paper chromatograms as well as at the solvent front. The inhibition zone at the starting line only occurred after illumination and was due to a light-induced transformation of chlorophyllides. The inhibition zones at the solvent front were caused by two different kinds of substances. The first substance was, like chlorophyllides, a derivative of chlorophylls and only showed inhibiting action after illumination. The second substance had no relation to plant pigments. In extracts from Chlamydomonas it acted only after illumination, but in extracts from Chlorella and Scenedesmus it produced inhibition zones both in the light and the dark. By extraction of culture solutions from the three algal species chlorophyllides were found in the extracts which produced substances inhibiting the growth of Bacillus subtilis both in dark and light. It is suggested that chlorophyllides play a part as an antibacterial substance in natural waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the lipopolysaccharide of Escherichia coli U41/14 (serotype 03 :K2ab(L) : H2) an unusual amino sugar was isolated. By sequential oxidation with periodate and hypoiodite and by oxidation with periodate, followed by detection of acetaldehyde formed, the ammo sugar was characterized as a 2-amino- dideoxyaldose. The hydrochloride of the amino sugar, in comparison to those of 2-amino-2, 6-dideoxy-D-glucose, 2-amino-2,6-dideoxy-L-galactose, 2-amino-2, 6-dideoxy-D-mannose, 2-amino-2, 6-di- deoxy-D-allose, and 2-amino-2, 6-dideoxy-D-gulose, was studied with aid of ion exchange column chromatography. The N-acetylated amino sugar was compared with the N-acetylated reference amino sugars with regard to their relative mobihties in paper chromatography. The ammo sugar alcohols and reference amino sugar alcohols were studied using paper electrophoresis in molybdate buffer. On the basis of the results obtained the unknown amino sugar was identified as 2-amino- 2,6-dideoxymannose (rhamnosamine). Its optical rotation showed it to be of the L-configuration. This is the first report on the natural occurrence of L-rhamnosamine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was undertaken to clarify the existing situation concerning the β-inhibitor complex in plants. Dormant flower buds of the silver maple, Acer saccharinum L., were used as the inhibitor source. Extraction was with diethyl ether or boiling ethanol, and ascending paper chromatography was used for purification. A seed germination test proved most useful as a bioassay procedure for the inhibitors. Two inhibitor zones were located on chromatograms. One of these occurred at the solvent front and was found to be a weakly acidic impurity in the chromatography paper. This impurity could be eliminated by pre-washing the paper in 2% acetic acid. The second of these inhibitor zones chromatographed at Rf 0.5-0.85 in several alcohol systems. This inhibitor was acidic, and was soluble in water, methanol, ethanol, acetone, and diethyl ether. These characteristics identify it with the β-inhibitor of other investigators. Rf values, UV fluorescence, and spray reagent reactions were used to compare the inhibitor with selected phenolic compounds, including six previously identified as components of the &beta-inhibitor. The maple bud inhibitor was not identical with any of these compounds. Rf values and coupling reactions with diazotized reagents strongly suggest that the maple bud inhibitor is a phenolic compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. A study has been made of the ethanol soluble growth substances of seedling roots of Pisum sativum using paper-partition chromatography and three different biological assays, the oat coleoptile segment test, the oat mesocotyl segment test and the wheat coleoptile segment test. 2. To avoid the possible complications due to alkaline conditions, the neutral running solvent iso-butanol, methanol, water has been used throughout. 3. Purification of the concentrated extract by the acetonitrile method of Nitsch yielded very variable non-quantitative results. Nevertheless, the following ether-soluble growth-active substances have been shown to be present. Auxins at (a) Rf 0-0.15 (possibly indentical with "accelerator α" of Bennet-Clark); (b) Rf 0.15-0.3 (possibly IAA); (c) Rf 0.5-0.65 (possibly identical with "Malus 2" of Luckwill and "Ribes 2" of Wright); (d) Rf 0.7-0.9. Inhibitors at (a) Rf 0.3-0.5 and (b) Rf 0.7-0.95. 4. The water-soluble, ether-insoluble residue had much greater activity. The active substances could be most easily removed by ethanol. On chromatograms four active growth-promoting spots were identified at Rfs. 0.05 to 0.25; 0.2 to 0.4; 0.45 to 0.65, and 0.75 to 0.95. 5. These substances seem to be spontaneously interconvertible in the solvents used in these experiments, i.e. under neutral conditions and in the absence of ammonia. Iosmerism or polymerization is probably involved in these changes. 6. It has not been possible to establish whether these water-soluble substances are indole compounds, whether they are in themselves active auxins or whether they are converted into such in the tissues of the assay segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Tryptic digest, s of the [14C]carboxymethylated derivatives of the t, hree isoenzymes EE, ES and SS of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase have been compared in "fingerprint" experiments. 2. Eight peptide spots present in the digest of the carboxymethylated EE enzyme were not detected in the digest of the carboxymethylated SS enzyme; and seven spots found in the latter were not discovered in the former. No other differences were noticed. The ES derivative yielded both types of spots but in reduced amounts, It is concluded that the E- and S-types of subunits are very similar and that the ES isoenzyme is a hybrid molecule. 3. From the carboxymethylated SS and ES isoenzymes the S-chain peptides that, differ from their counterparts in the E-chain were prepared and their structures analysed. They were compared to the known structures [ 1 — 3] of the corresponding E-chain peptides. It is concluded that all the differences between the two sets of peptides are accounted for by amino acid changes at only six positions along the protein chains of the E- and S-types of subunits, and an ancestral geneduplication is suggested. The differences at five positions (17, 94, 101, 110 and 366) are amino acid exchanges compatible with one-base mutations, while the nature of the sixth difference (position 115) is not fully established. 4. The six differences make the S-chain more hydrophobic and three units of charge more positive than the E-chain. These properties fit the solubilities and electrophoretic mobilities of the three isoenzymes. The difference in substrate specificity between the E- and S-chains might be explained by a direct participation in the substrate binding site of some of the residues exchanged, but, other explanations cannot be excluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A conference paper concerning methods of separating the dentin, cementum, and enamel from teeth is presented. It states that the method utilizes differences in specific gravity between powdered dental components, using a liquid with a specific gravity that is between the two materials. It comments that this process allows the components to separate. It mentions bromoform mixed with absolute alcohol was used to create a liquid between the absolute gravity of enamel and dentin.

Presents information on the 28th International Congress on Alcohol and Alcoholism in Washington, D.C. in September 1968. Specific topics of papers related to alcohol, alcoholism ad alcohol problems sought by the Program Committee for the International Congress; Contact information.

This section presents abstracts of studies on police science. An x-ray technique called electronography is described in detail in the paper X-Ray Techniques in Forensic Science, by Daniel Graham. This technique has been used to record watermarks on stamps affixed to documents, fingerprints on difficult backgrounds, indented writing on a printed page and fingerprints on skin. In the article Separation of Penicillins by Paper and Thin-Layer Chromatography, by Hans Hellberg, the development of a paper and a thin-layer chromatographic method for separating many of the most common penicillins is described. A specific colorimetric method for chloral hydrate is described in the Chlorinated Hydrocarbons in Drugs: Chloral Hydrate, by Arthur W. Davidson. The method is based upon the reaction of chloral hydrate with quinaldine ethyl iodide to produce a stable blue cyanine dye. The dye is determined spectrophotometrically at 605 millimicrons. Authors R. Luvani and E. Marozzi examined 59 cadavers with alcoholaemia using the gas chromatographic method to determine alcohol concentrations in blood, spinal fluid, urine, brain, lung, myocardium, skeletal muscle, liver, and kidney, in the paper Ethyl Alcohol in Cadaver Organs and Fluids.

The article presents abstracts of various research papers that were published in the September 1950 issue of "Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology." One of the research papers related to preservation of agricultural specimens in plastic gives techniques for the preservation of delicate material in plastic. Another research paper about the partition ratio of alcohol between air and water, urine and blood relates results of controlled determinations of alcohol in water, blood, and urine by analysis of air in equilibrium with them. The concentration range used was found to obey Henry's Law when the equilibrium was approached from above or below. A ratio of 2000:1 for alcohol concentrations in blood to expired alveolar air at 34° temperature is indicated by their results. In the research, Color Test for Cocaine, a test id performed by mixing the sample of cocaine with 100 mgs performs of potassium nitrate and adding 10 drops of sulfuric acid. After heating on water bath the mixture is cooled and diluted to 30 ml. with water and extracted with chloroform, which is discarded, alkalized with ammonia and extracted with chloroform. Intense purple color indicates cocaine.

A two-dimensional fractionation procedure has been developed fro separating radioactively-labelled oligonucleotides of up to 50 residues long, using uniformly 32P-labelled 5S RNA of Escherichia coli as a model compound. The method uses ionophoresis on cellulose acetate of pH 3.5 in the frist dimension; and ascending chromatography with a concentrated mixture of oligonucleotides on thin layers of mixed DEAE-cellulose and cellulose in the second dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The section "Chemical Testing & Analysis," presents information on methods for analyzing fiber surface, finishes and dyes. In analyzing textile starches, the spot test for polyvinyl-alcohol-containing sizes comprises the interaction of polyvinyl alcohol with iodine and boric acid, which produces a color that is used as a semi-quantitative analysis of the size. The examination of fibre surfaces is conducted after pyrolysis for the estimation of only room-temperature-condensible pyrolysis products. It reports that using periodic acid resolves the problems encountered in establishing the content of solids in glyoxal-urea-formaldehyde resins.

The C.S.I.R.O. Division of Textile Physics is engaged in developing apparatus to increase the speed and accuracy of the yield-testing of greasy wool. One objective is to produce an automatic sample washer that will reduce the level of ash contents and alcohol extractables to some low, reproducible range, such as (0.5 ± 0.25%) of the greasy weight. This could lead to simplification of the present residuals-toting procedures. This paper describes the results of ash-content and ethanol-extract determinations on wool washed in experimental models of the new sample washer. It also describes experiments on careful laboratory-scouring of greasy wools and the effect of repeatedly scouring samples in machines. The following are the conclusions of this work. (i) By careful laboratory-scouring and mechanical-opening treatments, the ash content of all the merino and Corriedale wools tested could be reduced to below 0.1%. (ii) Other work, which showed that successive soxhlet treatments with ethanol continued to extract material from wool, has been confirmed. (iii) Successive machine-scouring of wool samples results in the attainment of equilibrium values of ash content and ethanol extractives. Typical values are 0.6% of the fibre weight for ash and 1% for ethanol extractives. (iv) Wool can absorb significant quantities of contaminants from ordinary tap water. (v) Excluding very burry wools, more than 95% of the ash contents and ethanol extracts obtained on a range of wools scoured in experimental models of the new sample washer were in the range (0.5 ± 0.25)% of the greasy weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protochlorophyllide ester isolated from dark grown barley leaves was shown to contain geranylgeraniol as esterifying alcohol. No phytylester was found. The qualitative analyses were performed with combined gas chromatography‐mass spec‐trometry. Chromatographic separation and spectrofluorometric determination of the protochlorophyll and chlorophyll pigments before and after irradiation of the dark grown leaves with light flashes at 2°C showed that part of the protochlorophyllide ester was photoconverted to chlorophyll a. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ethanolic extract of 8-week-old parsley plants was chromatographed on Dowex-1×2 with a concave gradient using the buffer system of Hurlbert. After further purification on carboncelite columns, paper chromatography and high-voltage electrophoresis, 120 μmoles of a homogeneous UDP­sugar fraction were obtained. The sugars present in this fraction were identified after acid or enzymatic hydrolysis (Crotalus adamanteus venom, acid phosphatase) by various chemical and enzymatic tests. A modified Dische test which is specific for apiose and a quantitative deterruination of D­xylose with D­glucose—oxidase were developed. According to the analytical investigations the UDP­sugar fraction had the following composition (μmol): UDP-D-glucose (84), UDP-D-galactose (27), UDP-D-xylose (4), UDP-L-arabinose (2), UDP­fructose (0.42), UDP-L-rhamnose (2.4), and UDP­apiose (0.18). The presence of UDP­apiose in parsley strongly corroborates the proposed biosynthetic pathway for the formation of D-apiose via DDP-D-glucuronic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comment on physician I. M. Rabinowitch's paper on medical and legal aspects of chemical tests of alcoholic intoxication. First of all the article author points out that the National Safety Council's Committee on Tests for Intoxication has never claimed that chemical tests for intoxication are foolproof. Obviously they are subject to all those errors which are characteristically human. What the Committee has maintained was that when properly conducted, chemical analyses of blood, urine, breath, or saliva for their alcohol content give values which reliably reflect the degree of alcohol influence within the limitations of the Committee's recommended interpretation. It will be noted that under the Committee's recommendation, the finding of 0.15% or more of alcohol in the respondent's blood sets up a presumption that he was under the influence of intoxicating liquor. In any criminal case the defendant goes into court with a presumption of innocence and the representatives of society are required to establish proof of his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

This work is a study of the metabolic disorder due to ammonium toxicity in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. suisei No. 2) leaves. The cucumber was cultured with 20 and 200 mg/1 NH3-N for 5 days. In the first half of this experiment, the plant leaves were photosynthesized for 3 hours to study the distribution of 14C in starch and other fractions. The incorporation of photosynthesized 14C into not only starch but also other higher polymers was suppressed by ammonium toxicity. On the other hand, the rate of 14C incorporation in 80 % ethanol soluble fraction was higher in the treatment of 200 mg/1 NH3-N. In the latter half of experiment, phosphate esters in the leaves were analyzed by column chromatography. The opposing contents of uridine diphosphoglucose (UDPG) and the uridine compound containing sugar or sugar derivative (UDPX) were determined by different ammonia levels. Toxicity of ammonia resulted in an increase of UDPG and a decrease of UDPX. The level of ATP was not changed so much. The content of glucose-6-phosphate (G-6-P) in injured plants was lower than that of normal plants, while glucose-1- phosphate (G-l-P) and fructose-6-phosphate (F-6-P) were higher in injured plants. These results further suggested the disorder of carbohydrate metabolism due lo ammonium toxicity which was reported previously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acetone, ethanol and water extracts of mature fruits of yaupon (Hex vomitoria Ait.) inhibited germination of mesquite (Prosopis juliflora Swartz DC. var. glandulosa (Torr.) Cockerell, and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench). Extracts of guava fruit (Psidium guajava L.) inhibited cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seed germination. Water soluble inhibitors were found in fruits, leaves, roots and bark of several tropical species representing 10 different families. Strong inhibition of cucumber seed germination and growth did not occur in sand when water extracts containing inhibitors were applied. Growth of corn, sorghum, cucumber and bean was reduced in soils collected beneath Malay apple (Eugenia malaccensis L.) trees. Plant growth-inhibitors occurred in all species studied in various plant parts, and some apparently affect the growth and ecology of other plant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attempts to determine the rate of uptake of β-thujaplicin (TH) and its 1 : 1 cupric chelate (CuT+) in yeast cells showed in both cases a very rapid equilibration. In the concentration range where respiration in inhibited, most of the TH added was still present in the extracellular fluid, while CuT+ was almost completely removed. The inhibition of glucose respiration by TH was completely removed when the cells were repeatedly washed, while inhibition of acetate respiration remained. Washing of CuT+ inhibited cells did not release the inhibition of either glucose or acetate respiration. The succinic acid dehydrogenase activity was the same-in homogenates of both CuT+ and TH inhibited cells as in homogenates of non-inhibited cells. Prior to homogenization acetate respiration was inhibited by 60 to 70 per cent by both inhibitors. Alcohol dehydrogenase activity was likewise not affected by TH and CuT+. The formation of acetyl coenzyme A was inhibited by both TH and CuT+ to about the same extent as the respiration of acetate. It is concluded that TH inhibits the acetate respiration by inhibiting the formation of acetyl coenzyme A from acetate. The same site of action is plausible also for CuT+, but in that case, additional sites of inhibition may also be located in the reactions in the Krebs cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tryptic peptide maps of human liver alcohol dehydrogenase show this protein to be homologous to the corresponding protein of the horse. A subunit molecular weight very close to 40000 is established for the human enzyme. Sequence analysis of about one quarter of the tryptic peptides of human alcohol dehydrogenase show identical residues to the horse enzyme at about 90% of the positions, which is considered fairly representative of the general resemblance between the two proteins. All amino acid exchanges found are compatible with one-base mutations in the genetic code. Two different types of subunits of human liver alcohol dehydrogenase are identified. They are essentially similar but differ at some positions, one of which is No 43 (valine in one subunit and alanine in the other). Still other subunit types may exist. The known occurrence of isoenzymes of human liver alcohol dehydrogenase may therefore be explained at least in part by subunits of different primary structures. The amino acid differences between the subunits of the human enzyme are not found at the same positions as those between the two types of subunit of the horse enzyme. The structural differences between subunits from the two species seem greater than between the subunits within either species. Isoenzyme differences may, therefore, have evolved independently in the two species. The suggestion that some of the amino acid exchanges between the horse subunits may be directly involved in the substrate binding is supported. The isoenzyme and species differences at position 43 is only three residues away from the reactive "active site" cysteine residue, The region around this important residue is thus not kept constant in liver alcohol dehydrogenase during evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pattern at incorporation of 14C into the thallus during incubation with H14CO3- in the light suggested that a substance in the 80% ethanol insoluble fraction, an unknown compound (probably a sugar phosphate) and glucose were intermediates in the transfer of carbon to the fungus. Results are presented which are consistent with the hypothesis that the alga releases a glucan which the fungus hydrolyses extracellularly to form glucose. This glucose is then taken up by the fungus and converted to mannitol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In confirmation of Maximov's earlier results, non-penetrating (sucrose) and penetrating (dimethylsulfoxide) substances lowered the frost killing temperature from -6°C in the control to -41° to -24°C, depending on the concentration. In contrast to his results, neither glycerol nor CaCl2 provided as good or as consistent protection. The addition of 0.05 M mercaptoethanol overcame this protective effect either completely (low concentrations of protectant) or partially (high concentrations). The effect of the mercaptoethanol occurs during freezing and not during thawing. Since ethanol, without the mercapto-(SH) group, does not counteract the protective effect, such protection must be related in some way to the sulfhydryl group - perhaps by an effect on the disulfide and sulfhydryl groups of the proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the last meeting of the Society on the September 26, 1972, which held in collaboration with a number of other Organizations working in the same field. The Chairman, Director of the International Council on Alcohol and Addictions, remarked on the fact that the Society was established in 1884. This makes it the oldest surviving scientific society in the field. The Society and its Journal are international and interdisciplinary in scope. People are, on the one hand, pleased to report that they receive more and more contributions from all parts of the world.

1. The reactivation of C55-isoprenoid-alcohol phosphokinase apoprotein by a variety of lipids has been investigated. 2. A considerable lack of specificity for the chemical structure of the activating lipid is demonstrated. 3. Reactivation appears to occur by some physical mechanism. An electrostatic interaction of protein and lipid does not appear to be important. 4. All active lipids found are able to swell and become hydrated in aqueous buffer. Some of these lipids were active only after sonication or in the presence of detergent. 5. The hydrated lipid phase is concluded to activate by solubilization, as a liquid-crystalline or micellar solvent for the extremely hydrophobic enzyme apoprotein and for the non-hydrating C55-isoprenoid alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metabolism of ethanol in vivo was studied by measurements of tritium isotope effects and extent of hydrogen transfer ethanol to a reducible substrate of liver alcohol dehydrogenase.The specific radioactivity of ethanol in bile increased by a factor of two in 6-8 h following administration of [13H]ethanol,11 mmol/kg.This indicates a tritium isotope effect of about 1.6 on the association of [1-3H]ethanol to the alcohol dehydrogenase-NAD complex or on the rate of conversion of the complex. cylohexanone was used as the reducible substrate of liver alcohol deyhydrogenase. the m,ajor metabolite in bile was cyclehexyl glucuronide.During the simultaneous metabolism of [1,1-2H2]-ethanol with a deuterin excess of 95 atoms % the cyclohexanol formed had a deuterium excess of about 65 atoms %.This dilution cannot be explained by the isotope effect and is most likely due to the reversible dissociation of the enzyme-NADH complex.A large dose of cylohexanone decreased the ethanol-elimination rate, possible due to competitive inhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent drug use was studied in relation to the extent and patterns of drug use within the family. A total of 539 adolescent homes were included in the sample. Each family member (i.e. adolescent, mother, father) was questioned separately about his/her drug use practices. Evidence of sex patterning (mother-daughter, father-son) in the use of drugs was found. For every family member, multiple drug use was common with the use of one drug being associated With greater use of certain other drug categories. Considering each pair of family members separately (i.e. mother-father, mother-adolescent, and father-adolescent), significant associations were found between family members in their use of (1) the same drugs and (2) different drugs. It was shown that these latter cross-drug relationships between family members (e.g. father's use of cigarettes and adolescent's use of alcohol could be entirely accounted for by the observed tendency for family members to use the same drugs, and the tendency toward multiple drug use by each family member. The findings were interpreted in terms of imitative learning by adolescents of specific drug use through parental example, and the generalization of this learning to the use of other drug categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article suggests that alcohol, and possibly other similar agents, may under some circumstances have a convulsant and psychotomimetic activity. Alcohol produces an initial suppression of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, but if subjects continue to take the same dose of alcohol REM sleep returns to control levels and may after 5 nights significantly exceed control levels. This recovery and increase in REM time can only be overcome by increasing the dose of alcohol. One might think of morphine as "blocking" some normal or physiological pathway, but when a drug was discovered able to antagonize all its important actions morphine had to be regarded in some senses as a "stimulant" and "agonist". Quite recently a much purer antagonist nalaxone has been discovered. It is suggested that alcohol may be such a drug possessing both stimulant and depressant properties, that is, it is a partial agonist. It may even prove to be its own antagonist. The possible relationship between gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA and alcoholic dependence and psychoses has also been reviewed.

The choice of alcohol and narcotics and the prevalence pattern of dependence on these substances among the Chinese are found to differ significantly from those in the West. Possible factors responsible for the distinctive pattern in the Chinese are considered. Probably significant are cultural ideology sanctioning acquiescence, moderation, propriety conformity and intellectual control; historical totals leading to easy availability of opiates over a long period; and a high level of social pathology associated with culture change, economic hardship and easy accessibility to drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acute alcohol withdrawal syndrome includes a whole series of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, autonomic, neurological and psychic symptoms. In this study delirium tremens is regarded as the most severe stage of the withdrawal syndrome. In a study of 184 alcoholics (112 with delirium tremens) in which 14 symptoms of the types mentioned above were considered, a general syndrome was identified which could be divided into somatic and psychic subsyndromes. There were significant differences in the percentages of patients with and without delirium tremens who developed particular symptoms. No significant differences were found, however, between those patients in which delirium tremens occurred following alcohol withdrawal and those in which it occurred without prior withdrawal. These findings are in agreement with clinical and experimental observations of the symptoms within the acute alcohol withdrawal syndrome while alcohol intake was still being increased. It is therefore assumed that the syndromes discussed are not dependent solely on alcohol withdrawal but rather are based on a general impairment in the mechanism for adaptation to alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rate of ethanol metabolism was determined for 20 alcoholics during afternoon and evening drinking sessions on two consecutive days. Alcoholics demonstrated a faster rate of ethanol metabolism in the evening as compared to the afternoon, suggesting a circadian variation in the rate of ethanol metabolism. Previous drinking on the first day appeared to increase the rate of ethanol metabolism on the second drinking day. This circadian variation of ethanol metabolism, which was present following two weeks of abstinence and one day of heavy drinking, is different from that reported for non-alcoholics. This suggests that other circadian rhythms may be affected in alcoholics, even after they have been dried out for several weeks. Altered circadian rhythms may partially explain the alcoholics' difficulty in re-adjusting to social demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information regarding trichlorethylene (Tri.) addiction and its effects. The first medical information relating to Trichioroethylene, which was used as a narcotic by addicts, was published nearly 50 years ago. The relationships with siblings did not appear unusual except in two male cases, in which incestuous homosexual activities with brothers were reported. Those two patients were later diagnosed as schizophrenics. The drinking habits of those four resulted in dependence on alcohol within 4 to 7 years and one after another they dropped out of employment. Financial troubles compelled them to seek a cheaper way of achieving a state of drunkeness. One of them learned to "sniff" and to drink Tri. while employed in a metallurgical factory, where Tri. was used to degrease parts of machinery, two others both homosexuals-were told by friends.

The article focuses on the relationship between alcohol and marihuana. In general studies based on diverse samples, and from a variety of geographical areas, indicate that most marihuana smokers also drink alcohol. Among youths who, as a rule, show a greater affinity for marihuana, the proportion of alcohol consumers is higher than the proportion of marihuaria users. Another specification appropriate for marihuana and alcohol refers to the fact that acceptance of either or both of these drugs differs with the particular age group.

1. The oxidation of benzyl alcohols by liver alcohol dehydrogenase under conditions [S]o » [E]o is a biphasic process with exponential rise to a steady state. The rate constants for the transient phase were determined by a curve-fitting procedure. 2. A large isotope effect was obtained for p-methoxybenzyl alcohol, indicating that hydrogen transfer is rate-determining for the transient phase. Rate constants for the hydrogen transfer step, k3, were obtained for the various alcohols and correlated with the Hammett σ constant by plotting log k3 against σ. The slope of this line (q = -0.76) is consistent with rate-limiting hydride transfer; a mechanism is proposed to account for the low magnitude of q. 3. The pre-steady-state rate constants, kb, for ali benzyl alcohols (<20 s -1) are lower than that for ethanol. 2-Methylpropan-l-ol and cyclohexylmethanol have pre-steady-state rate constants of about 150 s--1, indicating that the lower kb values for benzyl alcohols are due to the electronwithdrawing effect of the benzene ring, rather than to steric effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α-Galactosidase from Lens esculanta (red lentils) was purified 4090-fold through a multistep process involving acidification, ammonium sulphate fractionation, Sephadex gel filtration, DEAEcellulose and CM-cellulose chromatography. The purified enzyme is stable at 4°C for nearly six months with only a small loss of activity. It showed a pH optimum of 5.5 with raffinose as the substrate and 6.0 with p-nitrophenyl-α-D-galactoside. The Km for the former substrate was 40 mM and for the latter, 0.26 mM. The enzyme failed to liberate galactose from guar gum, tara gum and locust bean gum galactomannans. A study of the hydrolyzability of α-D-galactoside, α-D-fucoside and β-L-arabinoside showed that the presence of primary alcoholic group in the sugar was important for faster hydrolysis and a stronger binding. The substrate specificity studies indicated the absence of any related glycosidase activity in the α-galactosidase preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[1-²H2]Ethanol, [2-²H3]ethanol and [1-13C, 1-²H2]ethanol were administered to bile fistula rats under conditions ensuring a maximal rate of oxidation for about 24 h. Cholesterol, cholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid and 3β,11β,21-trihydroxy-5α-pregnan-20-one were isolated from bile collected at intervals during the experiment. The fraction of molecules containing different numbers of heavy isotope atoms was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-computer techniques. The results were used to determine the origin of the cholesterol pools used as precursors for the different compounds isolated from bile. The bile acids were found to be formed from a cholesterol pool, the turnover of which was about 5 times more rapid than that of the cholesterol pool used for biliary excretion. The cholesterol pools used for biliary excretion and as corticosterone precursor seemed to be in equilibrium. The acetyl groups derived from ethanol were introduced into the steroids without exchange of hydrogens at C-2, and the acetyl-CoA pool used as precursor did not exchange with acetyl groups in e.g. citrate or fatty acids. A difference in incorporation of [2-²H3]acetyl groups and [1-13C]acetyl groups was interpreted to be due to an isotope effect. Ethanol contributed about 45% of the acetvl-CoA pool used as precursor of cholesterol and bile acids. Deuterium from [1-²H2]ethanol was incorporated in many positions of all the steroids. If it is assumed that the incorporation is mediated by NADPH, the deuterium excess of the hydrogens introduced was about 10 atoms %. The contribution via different pathways of an important part of the hydrogen and carbon atoms in cholesterol, bile acids and corticosteroids provides possible mechanisms by which ethanol may affect the biosynthesis and metabolism of steroids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]