Comparative biochemistry of mammalian epididymal plasma. 1. A comparison has been made of the chemical composition of epididymal plasma from the cauda epididymidis of nine mammalian species. 2. Results have shown that epididymal plasma contains low concentrations of inorganic ions and high levels of several unusual organic constituents, among which may be mentioned glycerylphosphorylcholine, hypotaurine, carnitine and several glycosidases and phosphatases. 3. The influence of this milieu on the motility and survival of spermatozoa is discussed.


Comparative aspects of aminotransferases in the rat, pigeon and rainbow trout. 1. The activities of aminotransferases catalysing the transfer of amino groups from aspartate, alanine and leucine to 2-oxoglutarate in different tissues of the rat, pigeon and trout have been determined. 2. Alanine-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase was high in the liver of the rat and trout and low in that of the pigeon. 3. Aspartate-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase was usually the dominant aminotransferase in all tissues and was highest in oxidative tissues where the TCA cycle is active. Its activity in the various livers is not correlated with the function of aspartate in nitrogen excretion. 4. The activity of aspartate-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase in oxidative tissues argues that aspartate in conjunction with this enzyme serves as a buffer of oxaloacetate to keep the TCA cycle running and/or to mediate the transfer of reducing equivalents across mitochondrial membranes.


Ascorbic acid and L-gulonolactone oxidase in lagomorphs. 1. The activity of L-gulonolactone oxidase (EC 1.1.3.8) in the liver of eastern cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) is about 10-fold greater in winter than in summer. 2. L-gulonolactone oxidase activity is low and tissue ascorbate high during all seasons in snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus). 3. Liver contents of ascorbate fall to low levels in L. americanus fed on rabbit chow in the laboratory. 4. The activity of L-gulonolactone oxidase in liver of Sylvilagus and Oryctolagus is depressed by feeding high levels of L-ascorbic acid. 5. The New Zealand White breed of domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has considerably higher levels of L-gulonolactone oxidase and liver ascorbate than does the Dutch breed. 6. In a wild population of Oryctolagus sampled in Australia L-gulonolactone oxidase levels were intermediate between those of the two domestic breeds and more variable than either.


Lactate dehydrogenase isozymes in the spermatozoa of the domestic fowl, Gallus domesticus and turkey, Meleagris gallopavo. 1. Electrophoresis of extracts of turkey spermatozoa for lactate dehydrogenase activity revealed the usual five tissue LDHs (LDH-1 to LDH-5). 2. The presence of LDH-X (the spermatozoan-specific isozyme) was not obvious. 3. Only one band was present on electrophoresis of fowl spermatozoan extracts and it coincided with LDH-1 (heart type). 4. Kinetic investigations, the use of inhibitors and the heat-stability test confirmed that the fowl spermatozoan LDH was probably LDH-1 and not LDH-X.


A comparison of gluconeogenesis in hepatocytes from neonatal and adult rats. 1. A method for the preparation of hepatocytes from livers of 11-15-day old rats is described. These cells in general behave similarly to hepatocytes made from adult rats with respect to stimulation of gluconeogenesis by glucagon and adrenaline and the effects of added oleate. 2. Significant differences in the behaviour of hepatocytes from neonatal and adult rats were nevertheless seen in certain situations, e.g. with alanine as gluconeogenic substrate, and appeared to be related to the redox state of the cells. 3. The importance of redox state upon gluconeogenesis was examined in more detail by determining the effects of oleate, ethanol and DL-3-hydroxybutyrate alone and in combinations. Major differences between neonatal and adult hepatocytes were again observed with alanine as substrate. 4. A discussion concludes that, while some relevant differences in the enzyme complements of neonatal and adult rat livers are known, it is the high capacity of the neonatal liver to generate reducing power by oxidation of fatty acid that can explain the observed differences.


Soluble 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1 alpha-hydroxylase from kidney mitochondria of rachitic pigs. 1. Mitochondria isolated from the kidneys of rachitic pigs have been shown to contain an active 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1 alpha-hydroxylase. From these mitochondria a cytochrome P-450 has been solubilized with a specific content of 0.02-0.04 nmol/mg protein. 2. In the presence of a bovine adrenal NADPH-ferredoxin reductase, bovine adrenal ferredoxin and NADPH, the cytochrome P-450 supported the formation of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 from 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. 3. The hydroxylation reaction was linear with time up to 40 min, and with the amount of enzyme up to 0.03 nmol cytochrome P-450. The pH optimum for the reaction was 7.4, and the apparent Km was 3 x 10(-10) mol/mg protein. 4. The results show that 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 is metabolized in mammals by the same enzyme system as has been demonstrated in birds.


A comparison of lipid metabolism in hepatocytes isolated from fed and starved neonatal and adult rats. 1. The utilization of [1-14C]palmitate by hepatocytes prepared from fed and starved neonatal and adult rats has been examined by measuring isotopic incorporation into various products. 2. In cells from fed adult rats the principal products were esters (triglycerides and phospholipids) but ketone bodies were the main metabolic end products in cells from starved adult and fed and starved neonatal rats. Production of triglycerides exceeded that of phospholipids in fed adult cells whereas phospholipid formation always predominated in neonatal cells. 3. The high rate of fatty acid oxidation and hence NADH formation by neonatal cells is reflected by a lower acetoacetate--3-hydroxybutyrate ratio at the earlier stages of incubation of neonatal cells. 4. The addition of glycerol modified quantitatively the products of palmitate metabolism by adult hepatocytes but no such effects were observed with neonatal cells. 5. Compared with adult cells, neonatal hepatocytes showed very low rates of lipogenesis that were only enhanced a little by addition of lactate/pyruvate and did not show any effects of glucose concentration upon incorporation of tritium from 3H2O into lipids.


Intestinal arginase in vertebrates and invertebrates. 1. Arginase was found to be present in the intestine in all species of Annelida, Arthropoda and Chordata studied. 2. The activity of intestinal arginase differs from species to species, the differences reaching two orders of magnitude (100 x). 3. The highest activity of intestinal arginase was observed in the rodents (mouse, rat, hamster). 4. In animals in which the enzyme activity was high or moderately high, arginase activity showed topographical differentiation along the long axis of the intestine.


Erythrocyte AMP-deaminase: an investigation of the increase in activity during chick maturation. 1. AMP-deaminase activity in erythrocytes increases gradually during chick (Gallus domesticus) maturation, reaching the adult level of enzymatic activity at about 16 weeks after hatching. 2. Adenosine deaminase activity increases approximately two-fold during this period. 3. Substrate specificity and immunoinhibition studies indicate that erythrocytes from adult chickens and newly-hatched chicks contain the same AMP-deaminase isozyme. 4. Comparison of temporal changes in RBC AMP-deaminase with those previously described for this enzyme in muscle and brain suggests that the level of this enzyme is regulated differently in these tissues.


Studies on blood serum beta-N-acetylglucosaminidases from several mammalian species--separation of different enzyme forms. 1. The beta-N-acetylglucosaminidases studied from peripheral blood sera have the following activities: 55.6 mU/ml in Bos taurus L. (bull, "Morucha" race), 31.3 mU/ml in Sus scropha var. domestica L. (pig) and 3.7 mU/ml in Capra hircus L. (goat). 2. The pH optima of the enzymes are 4.5 for Bos taurus L. and Sus scropha L., and 5.0 for Capra hircus L. 3. Two enzyme forms, A and B, have been separated from Bos taurus L. and Capra hircus L. sera by DEAE-cellulose chromatography; and three forms, A, B and S, from Sus scropha L. serum. 4. The B forms are more heat-stable than the A and the S forms. The S form has intermediate heat-stability between the A and the B forms.


Esterase and malate dehydrogenase isozyme polymorphisms in 15 Artemia populations. 1. Starch gel electrophoresis of adult brine shrimps from 15 populations revealed little intrapopulation polymorphism in NAD-dependent malate dehydrogenase (MDH) isozymes or in the two fastest esterases (demonstrated with alpha-naphthyl propionate as substrate). 2. Interpopulation differences could be summarized as three different electrophoresis band patterns for the five- to seven-banded MDH isozymes and another three patterns for the two fastest esterases. 3. These differences in electrophoresis patterns divide the 15 Artemia populations into four categories (each containing one to seven populations) which may be distinguished by isozyme content and which are congruent with categories established by the criterion of reproductive isolation in an earlier study.


Urease from a sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus: partial purification and kinetics. 1. Urease from a sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus, was purified 300-fold, using heat precipitation, ethanol precipitation and gel filtration. 2. The pH optimum is 8.0. 3. The apparent Michaelis constant for urea is 0.13 mM at pH 8.0. 4. The inhibitory effects of seven reagents on urease were evaluated. The pattern of inhibition is similar to other invertebrate ureases. 5. L. variegatus urease is compared with that of several other invertebrates, and its possible significance in CaCO3 formation is discussed.


Photodynamic action of bonellin, an integumentary chlorin of Bonellia viridis, Rolando (Echiura, Bonelliidae). 1. The photodynamic activity of bonellin, an integumentary chlorin of Bonellia viridis, is investigated. 2. 10(-6) M bonellin solutions haemolyze erythrocytes only in the presence of light. Previous illumination (tungsten lamp 2000-4000 lux for 1 hr) of the bonellin solutions does not affect the results. Under lowered oxygen tensions the bioactivity is depressed. Benzoquinone and singlet oxygen quenchers delay the photodynamic effect. 3. Bonellin (2 x 10(-6) M) destroys echinoid gamete function, depresses oxygen uptake of spermatozoa, and arrests development of echinoid and Bonellia eggs. These effects are produced only in the presence of light. 4. Copper bonellin is not photodynamically active. The role of copper may be to protect against photosensitization.


Different Tridacnins in different Tridacnid clams: a comparative study. 1. Haemolymph samples from different Tridacnid clams were tested for haemagglutinin activity, using normal and enzyme-treated red cells from different sources. 2. Precipitin reactions with these haemolymph fluids were performed in agar gel, using several defined glycosubstances of different origin. 3. In several experiments it could be demonstrated that in all Tridacnid haemolymph samples anti-galactosyl ("anti-galactan") specific lectins do occur, however, they definitely differ from each other.


Comparison of lectin receptor and membrane coat-associated glycoproteins of milk lipid globule membranes. 1. Glycoproteins of bovine (Bos taurus) and human (Homo sapiens) milk lipid globule membranes were characterized by ability to bind lectins after electrophoretic separation. 2. Seven lectin receptor glycoproteins were detected in bovine and five in human milk lipid globule membranes. Bovine and human globule membrane glycoproteins differed in ability to interact with certain lectins. 3. Two major nonionic detergent insoluble glycoproteins were present in bovine and human lipid globule membrane; these constituents had apparent molecular weights of 155,000 and 69,000. Detergent-insoluble polypeptides with similar or identical electrophoretic mobilities were found in milk lipid globule membranes from four other species, rat (Rattus norvegicus), sheep (Ovis aries), pig (Sus scrofa) and goat (Capra hircus). Tryptic peptide mapping revealed these polypeptides to be nonidentical among species.


Comparative studies on six blood serum glycosidases from several mammalian species. 1. Peripheral blood serum alpha-D-galactosidase, beta-D-galactosidase, beta-D-glucosidase, alpha-D-mannosidase, beta-D-xylosidase and beta-D-glucuronidase have been studied with a comparative point of view from several mammalian species: Bos taurus L. (bull), Capra hircus L. (goat), Sus scropha var. domestica L. (pig) and man. 2. Fluorimetric and spectrophotometric procedures were used for determination of enzyme activities and pH optima. 3. Glycosidase activity was generally higher with fluorescent substrates than with chromogenic substrates. 4. alpha-D-mannosidase was the most active with both fluorescent and chromogenic substrates. 5. All the studied enzymes had the same pH optimum (4.0) when the chromogenic substrates were used. 6. pH optima of these glycosidases ranged from 3.0 to 5.5 when the fluorescent substrates were used.


Apparent inhibition of pyruvate kinase by phosphocreatine and phosphoarginine. 1. Addition of a non-dialysable, heat-labile and acid-precipitable factor which was not absorbed on DEAE-cellulose column, could restore the sensitivity of the chromatographed muscle pyruvate kinase from Marphysa sanguinea towards phosphocreatine inhibition. 2. This factor, being non-specific as it acts on pyruvate kinase isozymes from different sources, demonstrated high creatine kinase activity. 3. High concentrations of ADP, creatine or replacement of ADP with IDP/UDP or high pH abolished the inhibition indicating that the inhibition was mediated through creatine kinase by depleting ADP. 4. Apparent inhibition of phosphocreatine was related to the relative activities of 3 intracellular enzymes--pyruvate kinase, creatine kinase and adenosine triphosphatase.


Hydrogen shuttles in air versus water breathing fishes. 1. The malate-aspartate cycle was demonstrable in subcellular preparations of hearts from Arapaima, Lepidosiren, and Synbranchus (obligate air breathers), Hoplerythriunus (facultative air breather), and Osteoglossum and Hoplias (obligate water breathers). 2. Although no respiratory evidence for significant alpha-glycerophosphate cycle participation could be shown in the air breathers, this cycle was demonstrable in hearts of water breathers. 3. In agreement with the O2 uptake studies, it was possible to reconstruct the malate-aspartate, but not the alpha-glycerophosphate cycle, in isolated mitochondria from air breathers, while both shuttles could be reconstructed with heart mitochondria in the case of water breathing fishes.


Hydrogen shuttles in gills of water versus air breathing osteoglossids. 1. Using subcellular preparations of gills from Arapaima, an obligate air breather, and aruana, a related osteoglossid that is an obligate water breather, a comparison was made of the relative roles of the malate-aspartate cycle and the alpha-glycerophosphate (alpha-GP) cycle in transferring reducing equivalents from the cytosol to the mitochondria. 2. In aruana gill preparations, the alpha-GP cycle could be most clearly demonstrated by reconstructing it with purified isolated mitochondria, using the oxidation rate of exogenous NADH as a measure of the cycling activity. 3. Subcellular preparations of Arapaima gill, in contrast to the aruana gill, were not responsive to exogenous alpha-glycerophosphate, but a glutamate-malate stimulated O2 uptake was sensitive to aminooxyacetate, an aminotransferase inhibitor, a result that would be expected if the respiration were based on malate-aspartate cycling. 4. It was concluded that, compared to the alpha-glycerophosphate cycle, the malate-aspartate cycle was relatively more active in Arapaima gill than in aruana gill, and possible implications were discussed.


Duplicate gene expression in tetraploid fishes of the tribe Moxostomatini (Cypriniformes, Catostomidae). 1. Karyotypically tetraploid fishes of the catostomid tribe Moxostomatini were electrophoretically examined to ascertain in the genetic control of 14 enzyme systems (21 loci in dipoid Cypriniformes). 2. The Moxostomatini have become functionally diploid at 50% or more of their loci since the original polyploidization event in the catosomid line. 3. The subgenera Megapharynx and Moxostoma s.s. (genus Moxostoma) are recognized as comprising a single lineage on the basis of synapomorphic diploidization at the G-3-pdh-A locus. 4. Thoburnia s.l. is allied with the genus Hypentelium on the basis of synapomorphic diploidization at the M-Aat-A locus supporting separate generic status for Thorburnia s.l.


Photoreactivating enzyme in the blind cave fish, Anoptichthys jordani. 1. Exposure of cells to ultraviolet light induces molecular changes in DNA which may lead to cellular death. 2. One product, pyrimidine dimers, is reversed during subsequent exposure to visible light by photoreactivating enzyme. 3. Photoreactivating enzyme has been recorded in different organisms, but inconsistencies in its distribution suggest it may have other functions. 4. We have found photoreactivating enzyme in the blind cave dwelling fish, Anoptichthys jordani. 5. Sufficient time has elapsed in the cave environment to allow loss of features of importance to epigean fish, including the eyes and pigmentation. 6. The continued presence of the enzyme indicates that it may have other functions.


Alterations in membrane proteins of mouse erythrocytes infected with different species and strains of malaria parasites. 1. The membrane fraction, prepared by hypotonic lysis, of mouse red cells infected with Plasmodium berghei, P. yoelii YM, P. yoelii 17 X, P. yoelii 33 X, P. vinckei or P. chabaudi shows significant alterations from normal in protein composition as observed by dodecylsulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. 2. There is a reduction in intensity of various protein bands, notably bands I and II (spectrin), of membranes prepared from infected red cells. 3. New bands are observed as a result of infection, the intensity and location of which depend on the parasite species and strain. A new band of apparent molecular weight 150,000 appears with a strong intensity in P. yoelii YM infection, with a moderate intensity in P. berghei infection, and with a weak intensity in P. vinckei and P. chabaudi infection. In P. yoelii 17X and 33X infection, multiple weak bands are seen in the molecular weight range 120,000-210,000.


Multiple hemoglobins in Triturus cristatus: their degradation by sulfhydryl compounds. 1. Hemolysates of newt (Triturus cristatus) red cells contain four distinct hemoglobin species which have been observed consistently both in individual animals and pooled samples. 2. Hemoglobin heterogeneity in the species arises from existence of multiple hemoglobulins, with no indication of genetic polymorphism. 3. While the relative proportions of the different hemoglobins may vary in different samples, HbII is usually the most abundant, with HbIII and HbIV constituting most of the remainder of the total hemoglobin complement. HbI never exceeds 3-5% of the total hemoglobin. 4. Neither the electrophoretic migration nor the anion exchange properties of the four hemoglobin species are altered by conversion of oxyhemoglobin to the cyanmet derivative, excluding artifacts due to different oxidation states of iron. 5. The average molecular weight of newt total hemoglobulin is 67,182 with no indication of hemoglobin polymers. 6. The use of sulfhydryl-reducing agents (mercaptoethanol, dithiothreitol) as a precaution against aggregation results in extensive degradation of newt hemoglobin through a process similar to "coupled oxidation" by ascorbate. 7. The degradative effects of sulfhydryl-reducing agents on newt hemoglobin suggest that these reagents be used cautiously in any hemoglobin analysis.


The light chain composition of embryonic myosin. 1. Myosins from an adult individual and embryos of Salmo trutta L. in different stages of development were isolated. Their light chain composition was investigated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using two systems: tris-glycine buffer, pH 8.6, containing 8 M urea and 100 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.0, containing 0.1% SDS. 2. Both types of myosin are composed of three light chains with mol. wt 26200 D, 18300 D, 16800 D. 3. Almost no changes in electrophoretic patterns were discovered between the separate stages of development, except for the intensity of the light chain lc3, which increased gradually during miogenesis.


Gluconeogenesis in isolated chicken (Gallus domesticus) liver cells. 1. Gluconeogenesis was studied in isolated avian hepatocytes. The highest rate of glucose production obtained was from lactate, followed by dihydroxyacetone, glyceraldehyde, and fructose. Alanine was converted to glucose at only about 4% the rate of lactate. 2. Addition of 10 mM sorbitol, xylitol, or ethanol to the hepatocytes increased glucose production from pyruvate 25-40%, while glycerol addition increased it only 9%. 3. Addition of beta-hydroxybutyrate had no effect on glucose production from lactate or pyruvate. 4. Addition of octanoate had no effect on glucose production from pyruvate, but depressed it from lactate at 5 mM. 5. Differences in the formation of glucose from various substrates suggest some basic differences in the mode of glucose production between the chick and the rat and guinea-pig.


An isoelectric focusing study of acid phosphohydrolases in liver lysosomes of higher vertebrates. 1. The multiple forms of acid phosphohydrolases in liver lysosomes of Sus scrofa domesticus and Gallus gallus domesticus were studied by use of isoelectric focusing. 2. Acid phosphatase was resolved into two forms in G. gallus domesticus and three forms in S. scrofa domesticus. Especially, two forms of G. gallus domesticus were different from each other in their enzymatic properties. 3. The pI values of acid ATPase agreed with those of acid phosphodiesterase in G. gallus domesticus. According to the data on activity ratios, however, these enzymes seemed not to be identical. 4. Except acid deoxyribonuclease, extraction by Triton X-100 of lysosomes increased the proportions of acidic forms of these enzymes. In particular, a new form of acid ribonuclease with pI 4.5 or 4.9 appeared in both cases of G. gallus domesticus and S. scrofa domesticus.


Vitellogenin, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism during vitellogenesis and pregnancy, and after hormonal induction in the blenny Zoarces viviparus (L.). 1. Ovarian vitellogenic growth in Zoarces viviparus lasts about 2 months. Vitellogenesis is immediately followed by ovulation, fertilization and a pregnancy period of 4 months. Vitellogenin is observed in the blood during vitellogenesis, but declines during the first month of pregnancy. 2. The largest amount of liver lipid is found before vitellogenesis is initiated. During pregnancy the liver is depleted of lipid and glycogen, and total lipid and phospholipid is accumulating in the blood. 3. Estradiol treatment during pregnancy results in a dose-dependent increase in vitellogenin and lipids of the blood. 4. In late pregnancy, birth can be provoked with progesterone alone, or with combined progesterone and estradiol treatment.


Perch muscle parvalbumin: general characterization and magnesium-binding properties. 1. Parvalbumin exists in two major forms, amounting to 2.5 and 3.2 g per kg of fresh muscle. 2. The composition divergence index between both forms, calculated from their amino acid composition, indicates 81% sequence identity; however both isoparvalbumins are immunologically distinct. 3. Beside Ca2+, perch parvalbumin binds 2 g atoms Mg2+ per mol with a dissociation constant of 10(-5) M. 4. Determination of the affinity for magnesium is of particular importance as there are indications that, in vivo, parvalbumin can remain in the Mg2+-state during the contraction-relaxation cycle instead of switching from the Ca2+-to the Mg2+-state and vice versa.


Determination of lecithin:cholesterol acyltransfer in mouse plasma and the influence of mercaptoethanol and sulphydryl blocking agents on its activity. 1. The cholesterol esterifying activity in mouse plasma has been identified as lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) on the basis of stoichiometric data, predominant transfer of polyunsaturated fatty acids, wide pH optimum and inhibition of esterification by phospholipase A2 and sulphydryl blocking agents. The esterifying activity differed from that present in plasma of man, rat and other species since it was partially inhibited by mercaptoethanol and other thiols. 2. Stoichiometric correlations between unesterified cholesterol, lecithin and lysolecithin were not exact, suggesting possible involvement of other enzymes in the overall esterification process during in vitro incubation of mouse plasma. 3. The initial rate of cholesterol esterification was determined by in vitro incubation of mouse plasma, whose cholesterol had been labelled by prior in vivo injection of 3H-mevalonic acid. The mean rate was 281 +/- 74 nmol/ml/hr (mean +/- S.D., n = 12) and correlated with unesterified cholesterol concentration (r = 0.73, P less than 0.01).


Utilization in vivo of glucose carbon in the optic lobes and the cerebellum of the chick during postnatal growth. 1. The incorporation of glucose carbon in vivo into amino acids was studied in the chick optic lobes and cerebellum during postnatal growth after subcutaneous injection of [U-14C]glucose. 2. The rapid incorporation of glucose carbon into free amino acids appears between the 1st and the 2nd day of postnatal growth in the optic lobes and between the 1st and the 4th day after hatching in the cerebellum. 3. The period during which the properties of mature brain metabolism are obtained is characterized in both structures during the first 48 hr of postnatal growth by changes in the specific radioactivity of some amino acids such as aspartate and alpha-alanine, and also by transient increases of glucose and glutamine concentrations. 4. The gamma-aminobutyrate content in the optic lobes is very high; the cerebellum on the contrary is characterized by its low gamma-aminobutyrate concentration linked to a very fast metabolism of this amino acid.


Plasma lipids and lipoproteins of some members of the order Perissodactyla. 1. The plasma lipoproteins of various members of the order Perissodactyla have been examined by electrophoresis and analytical ultracentrifugation. 2. In the Equidae, high density (alpha) lipoprotein was the major component (80-90%) and low density (beta) lipoprotein (10-20%) the minor component. 3. In the Tapiridae represented by the Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus), high density and low density lipoproteins were present in approximately equal amounts. 4. In the Rhinocerotidae, the high density lipoprotein characteristic of the Equidae and Tapiridae was absent, and the plasma lipoproteins consisted of a complex group having beta mobility on electrophoresis and a flotation pattern usually associated with low density lipoprotein. 5. The fatty acid composition of plasma lipids was remarkably similar in all members of the Perissodactyla examined, with very high percentages of linoleic acid (greater than 70%) being found in the cholesteryl esters.


Effects of sustained oxygen depletion on tissue pyruvate kinase activities in the freshwater turtle, Pseudemys scripta elegans. 1. The effect of sustained (48 hr) oxygen depletion on tissue (brain, heart, skeletal muscle) pyruvate kinase (PyKi) activities was examined in the pond turtle (Pseudemys scripta elegans). 2. PyKi activities in skeletal muscle are significantly increased (from 322 +/- 84 to 450 +/- 95) following 48 hr of tissue hypoxia. PyKi activities in brain may already be elevated under ambient conditions but do not change following prolonged submersion (334 +/- 75 vs 325 +/- 77). Cardiac muscle PyKi is actually decreased (from 135 +/- 35 to 94 +/- 18) under anaerobic conditions. 3. The data suggest that prolonged O2 depletion may increase PyKi biosynthesis in turtle skeletal muscle (subserving enhanced glycolysis), but also demonstrate that factors other than oxygen availability are involved in the regulation of tissue PyKi activities in intact vertebrates.


Demonstration of multiple forms of acid phosphatase in hemolymph of the African snail, Archachatina marginata. 1. Hemolymph from the giant African snail Archachatina marginata has been analyzed for its content of certain lysosomal hydrolases and shown to contain substantial quantities of acid phosphatase (285 units/ml) hexosaminidase (512 units per ml) and beta-glucuronidase (28 units/ml). 2. Hemolymph acid phosphatase can be fractionated into 6 active components by DEAE-Sephadex chromatography. 3. Some of the acid phosphatase species can be distinguished on the basis of heat stability, pH dependency and sensitivity to inhibitors including phosphate, L(+) tartrate, fluoride, formaldehyde and 1.10 phenanthroline.


Hexokinase of Angiostrongylus cantonensis: presence of a glucokinase. 1. Angiostrongylus cantonensis contains a glucokinase which was isolated by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. 2. This enzyme has a much higher affinity toward glucose (apparent Km, 0.2 mM) than fructose (apparent Km, 85 mM). Glucose-6-phosphate (10 mM) does not inhibit glucose phosphorylation. 3. Molecular weight obtained by a molecular sieve chromatography (60,000) is also close to the value of mammalian glucokinase. 4. While Vmax value for mannose is one-third smaller than that for glucose, Km for mannose is rather lower than that for glucose. 5. In addition to the cytosol enzyme, a particle bound hexokinase is found in the worm.


Alterations in glycohydrolase activities in streptozotocin-diabetic Chinese hamsters (Cricetulus griseus). 1. Six weeks after the injection of streptozotocin at 125 mg/kg i.p. in the AV line nondiabetic Chinese hamsters, the animals showed hyperglycemia, increased kidney, pancreas and stomach weights and stomach glucagon contents and depletion of insulin and glucagon in the pancreas. 2. Plasma beta-D-galactosidase and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase were elevated; whereas alpha-D-glucosidase was decreased and alpha-D-galactosidase remained unchanged in the plasma. 3. In the kidney, streptozotocin-diabetes led to depression of alpha-D-mannosidase, beta-D-fucosidase and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase activities in both 12,000 g supernatant and precipitate fractions, decreases in alpha-D-glucosidase in the supernatant only and no change in alpha-L-fucosidase, alpha-D-galactosidase, beta-D-galactosidase and beta-D-glucuronidase. 4. In the liver, significant increases in N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase, alpha-D-galactosidase, beta-D-galactosidase, beta-D-fucosidase, beta-D-glucosidase and alpha-D-mannosidase were found in either the supernatant or the precipitate fraction of the diabetic animals. The data indicate diabetes-dependent tissue-specific changes in glycohydrolases in the Chinese hamster.


Eye lens ageing in the dogfish (Mustelus canis). 1. Age-related alterations in the distribution of water-soluble, high molecular weight (colloidal), and water-insoluble proteins of the lens of smooth dogfish (Mustelus canis) were measured. 2. The ages of these animals ranged approx from 2 to 50 yr, during which time the lenses grew from 100 to 1500 mg (wet wt). The lenses contained approx 50% water. 3. Water-insoluble protein accumulated to a level greater than 50% of the total proteins by the time the animals reached maturity. The lenses of other animals, such as mammals and humans, would be opaque if they had a similar insoluble protein content. 4. Each protein fraction contained the same protein chains (mol. et 1900-25,000 daltons), as observed by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, except the water-insoluble fraction, which seemed to contain several extra protein chains with higher molecular weights, which represent fiber cell membrane components. 5. Further purification of these fiber cell membranes indicated that their protein chain makeup was mainly from the same low molecular weight chains present in the soluble and high molecular weight colloidal proteins.


Ubiquinone analyses in fish tissues and in some marine invertebrates. 1. Ubiquinone contents were determined in species of marine invertebrates, and in heart, red and white muscle and liver of three species of fish. 2. Three different methods of determination were compared, based on spectrophotometry, reduction and a reaction with the dimethoxy groups of ubiquinone. 3. Using ubiquinone homologues 6-10 prepared from beef heart and commercially available microorganisms (SCP) as standards, ubiquinone 10 was found in all samples. In addition were found minor amounts of Q-9 in samples of saithe heart and red muscle. 4. Less than 10 mg/kg wet wt of ubiquinone was found in the samples of marine invertebrates and in white muscle and liver of the fish samples, with one exception: 40 mg/kg in a sample of mackerel liver. 5. Higher contents of ubiquinone were found in fish heart and red muscle tissues, ranging from 24 to 116 mg/kg wet wt. The ubiquinone contents were comparable in the two tissues. 6. A test on cellular fragments of red muscle tissue of saithe showed that the ubiquinone was concentrated in the mitochondria fraction.


Evidence for glycosyltransferases in trout liver microsomes (Salmo gairdneri). 1. Trout (Salmo gairdneri) serum is rich in glycoproteins which are synthetized in liver. 2. An attempt to localize glycosyltransferases in hepatocytes is described, using cellular fractionation and marker enzyme determination. 3. Galactosyltransferase, mannosyltransferase, N-acetyl-glucosaminyl transferase, glucosyltransferase, sialyltransferase (on exogenous acceptor) are found in a microsomal fraction obtained by centrifugation at 117 X 10(5) g min of the post-mitochondrial supernatant. 4. Mannose is transferred to endogenous lipids and proteins.


A comparison of the glutathione S-transferases of trout and rat liver. 1. Cytosol from trout liver, gills and intestinal caeca has substantial glutathione S-transferase activity. 2. Gel-exclusion and ion-exchange chromatography suggest that trout liver has several glutathione S-transferases with different molecular weights and ionic charges. 3. A component capable of binding lithocholic acid eluted together with glutathione S-transferase activity. Some of the transferase activity did not elute together with binding activity. 4. The enzymic activity from trout liver was less stable at 37 degrees C than that from rat liver. 5. The glutathione S-transferases of fish liver have a similar specific activity to those of rat liver but different molecular properties.


Lipid composition and cholesterol esterification in serum lipoprotein fraction of the horse, Equus caballus. 1. Changes in lipid components of lipoproteins during incubation of horse serum at 37 degrees C were investigated. In non-incubated serum, cholesterol and lecithin existed predominantly in alpha-lipoprotein or in high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Lysolecithin was mainly associated with the fraction with density above 1.21. 2. When serum was separated into alpha- and beta-lipoproteins by the heparin precipitation method after 1 hr incubation, the decrease in alpha-lipoprotein free cholesterol and lecithin was about four times that in beta-lipoprotein counterparts. 3. When serum lipoproteins were separated by ultracentrifugation, the decrease in each lipoprotein free cholesterol was closely paralleled with that in lecithin. 4. HDL appeared to be a preferential substrate for the lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase reaction. 5. Disc electrophoretic patterns indicated significant differences in the composition of horse serum lipoproteins from those of human and rat.


Comparative studies on the molecular weight of glutathione S-transferases from mammalian livers and an insect. 1. A comparative study was conducted on the molecular weights of glutathione S-transferases in the housefly and liver of the mouse and rat using Sephadex G-100 gel chromatography. 2. The values varied depending upon the buffers used in gel filtration. Molecular weights of 44,600, 53,600 and 43,000 daltons respectively were obtained with 0.01 M potassium phosphate buffer, pH 6.7; 0.05 M Tris-HCl buffer, pH 8.0; and 0.05 M Tris-HCl buffer containing 0.1 M KCl, pH 8.0, respectively. 3. There was no difference in the molecular weights of the enzymes obtained from the insect and from the mammalian livers. Purified enzymes eluted in the same fractions as those from the crude extracts, suggesting little modification in the molecular size of the enzymes during purification. 4. The presence of a large volume of stabilizer(s) in the enzyme solutions applied to the column delayed the elution of the activity peaks and resulted in erroneous values. Therefore, different literature values of molecular weights for glutathione S-transferases may be the result of different buffers and stabilizers used in gel filtration and probably do not represent a real difference in molecular size.


Genome analysis of Amphioxus and speculation as to the origin of contrasting vertebrate genome organization patterns. 1. The genome of Amphioxus was investigated by DNA reassociation techniques for the amount of repetitive and non-repetitive sequences and its pattern of organization. 2. A comparison of the amount of non-repetitive DNA between Amphioxus and the tunicate Ciona intestinalis does not support the hypothesis that the Cephalochordates have arisen from the Tunicates by polyploidy. 3. In the Amphioxus genome repetitive and non-repetitive elements are predominantly arranged in a short period interspersion pattern. Conclusions are presented as to the evolution of contrasting genome organization patterns among vertebrates.


Physical and chemical characterization of vitellogenin from the hemolymph and eggs of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta. 1. Vitellogenin has been purified from mature eggs and the hemolymph of adult females of Manduca sexta by a combination of gel permeation chromatography and sodium bromide density gradient centrifugation. 2. It has a molecular weight of 2.6 x 10(5) and is a glycolipoprotein containing approx 11% lipids and 3% carbohydrates. 3. The carbohydrate moiety is comprised entirely of mannose and N-acetyl glucosamine. 4. Two polypeptide chains are present with molecular weights of 1.8 x 10(5) and 5.0 x 10(4). 5. Partial proteolytic hydrolysis of vitellogenin resulted in the degradation of the large polypeptide but did not affect the small one, suggesting that the small polypeptide is located in the interior of the particle. 6. The proteolytic hydrolysis products of the large polypeptide differed from one another by approx 12.5 x 10(3) daltons.


Alterations of the free amino acid content in the hemolymph of Biomphalaria glabrata (Pulmonata) in starvation and after infection with Schistosoma mansoni (Trematoda). 1. Analysing the free amino acid content of the hemolymph of normally fed, starved and schistosome-infected Biomphalaria glabrata we identified 22 amino acids and amines, respectively. 2. In comparison with normally fed snails the free amino acid content of starved and infected snails was significantly reduced. 3. However, only slight differences between the ornithine and citrulline content occurred in the three test groups.


The influence of environmental salinity, temperature, ionizing irradiation and yellow or silver stage on lipid metabolism in the gills of the european eel (Anguilla anguilla). 1. The influence of temperature on the incorporation of [32P]phosphate and [14C]acetate into gill lipids in vivo depends also on environmental salinity. 2. Ionizing irradiation (1000 r) results in a relatively enhanced incorporation of [32P]phosphate into phosphatidyl choline and of [14C]acetate into triglycerides and wax esters in vivo. 3. When gill tissue is removed from the animal and incubated in vitro, a pronounced dependence of lipid metabolism on previous environmental salinity is not observed.


Activity of some dehydrogenase enzymes in mitochondria from Physarum polycephalum. 1. Coupled mitochondria were isolated from exponentially growing Physarum polycephalum. 2. Activity of malate dehydrogenase (oxalacetate reduction) was 10.9 mumol/min/mg protein; the apparent Km was 64 microM. 3. The activity of NADP-isocitric dehydrogenase (IDH) was 110 nmol/min/mg with apparent Km of 35 microM. 4. NAD-IDH showed allosteric properties with AMP as a positive modulator. The apparent Km for the unmodulated activity, 2 mM, was decreased to 0.95 mM by 0.13 mM AMP. 5. Succinic dehydrogenase activity was estimated as three times higher than that of alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase. 6. Mitochondria contained significant amounts of phenolic compounds. Protein estimation by the Bradford method is recommended.


The distribution of lipoprotein lipase (clearing factor lipase) activity in the adiposal, muscular and lung tissues of ten animal species. 1. The lipoprotein lipase activity of white adipose tissue from a variety of sites, muscular tissue from the heart, limb and diaphragm and lung tissue was determined in samples from nine mammalian and one avian species. 2. The effect of 24 hr starvation on these activities was studied in five of the mammalian and the avian species.


Quantitative immunological studies of the albumins of several species of fire bellied toads, genus Bombina. 1. Rabbit antisera against purified serum albumin of Bombina bombina were used to study relationships between B. bombina, B. variegata, and B. orientalis. 2. Quantitative micro-complement fixation tests indicated the albumins of B. bombina from central Poland and Bulgaria were indistinguishable. The albumins from several populations of B. variegata differed very slightly from that of B. bombina. The albumin of B. orientalis was quite distinct from that of B. bombina. 3. Using albumin as a molecular clock, we estimated B. bombina and B. variegata diverged within the last million years, whereas the B. orientalis lineage diverged roughly 10-12 mil yr ago.


Subcellular distribution of newly synthesized glycerolipids in intact and homogenized rat adipocytes. 1. Homogenization of rat adipocytes was found to inhibit the transfer of newly synthesized phospholipids and glycerides from the membranes to the storage lipids. 2. In intact adipocytes, only 23 +/- 3.4% of the phospholipids and 0.44 +/- 0.12% of the glycerides remained bound to the membranes, while for the homogenate, the comparable values obtained were 74 +/- 5.2% and 90 +/- 0.3% respectively. 3. Various factors that might be involved in the liberation of the glycerolipids from the adipocyte esterification sites are discussed.


Utilization of acetate by chick brain during postnatal maturation. 1. The study of the compartmentation of glutamate metabolism has been performed in the chick brain in vivo and in vitro in the presence of [U-14C]acetate between day 1 and day 30 of postnatal maturation. 2. The compartmentation of glutamate metabolism in vivo appears between day 1 and day 4 after hatching in the cerebral hemispheres and optic lobes. It is however more precocious in the optic lobes. In the cerebellum, it appears later, at about day 4 after hatching. The compartmentation of glutamate metabolism appears at the same time as the rapid incorporation of glucose into amino acids takes place in the cerebral hemispheres and the optic lobes. 3. In the chick telencephalon in vitro, the compartmentation of glutamate metabolism is visible from day 1 after hatching onwards. This difference is undoubtedly linked to the absence of an interference of glucose metabolism with acetate metabolism in vitro, and to the presence of a third compartment in the cerebral slices.


Esterification of cholesterol in fish plasma: studies on the cholesterol esterifying enzyme in plasma of char (Salmo alpinus L.). 1. Plasma of sea char (Salmo alpinus L.) has the ability to esterify cholesterol in vitro. Heat inactivation of the plasma totally inhibited the esterification. 2. Arrhenius plot of the esterification of [3H]cholesterol was linear in the temperature range 5-35 degrees C. 3. Cholesterol esterification in sea char plasma could not be reversibly inhibited by sulphydryl-blocking agents. Total equilibration of the added [3H]cholesterol and the endogenous cholesterol could therefore not be obtained. 4. Comparison of esterification of endogenous and labelled cholesterol revealed that the isotopic method was valid only in qualitative measurements.


L-serine dehydratase and L-serine-pyruvate aminotransferase activities in different animal species. 1. A rough inverse correlation between liver serine dehydratase activity and species body size was observed with mammals. This was not found for glutamate, malate or lactate dehydrogenase, fumarase or aspartate-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase. Serine dehydratase (and certain liver aminotransferases showing a similar species-size dependence) may have a role in the stimulation of heat production. 2. Cold-exposed rats showed a 3-4 fold increase in serine dehydratase activity. 3. No liver serine dehydratase was measurable in amphibia. 4. In mammals high liver serine-pyruvate aminotransferase is associated with a flesh-eating dietary habit. High activity was found in amphibia and goldfish. A gluconeogenic role is suggested.


Ketogenesis in vertebrate livers.

Ketogenesis in vertebrate livers. 1. The hypothesis is advanced that a gluconeogenic organ such as the liver would evolve to oxidise fatty acids as its source of ATP for gluconeogenesis. It is also argued that such an organ might, in the light of current knowledge, be expected to be ketogenic. The animals investigated were lamprey, rainbow trout, eel, toad, axolotl, lizard and rat. 2. The respiratory quotients of liver slices from all animals was close to 0.74. Ketone bodies were produced from butyrate by all livers excepting the lamprey and ketone bodies were present in all blood samples examined. 3. There was no convincing evidence that direct deacylation of acetoacetyl CoA was important in any liver. HMGCoA synthase activity could not be found in the livers of the lamprey and eel. This enzyme was present in livers of the other animals. There was a large amount of acetoacetyl CoA-succinate transferase in the livers of the rainbow trout and eel, but only small amounts in the higher animals. 4. It is suggested that, initially the transferase was the important ketogenic pathway and the HMGCoA pathway evolved later.


The amino acid sequence of the major parvalbumin of the whiting (Gadus merlangus). 1. The amino acid sequence of the major parvalbumin of the Whiting has been determined; the polypeptide chain is made of 108 residues, the terminal amino acid group is acetylated, there is no disulfide bridges, the structure of the two calcium binding sites is preserved and the distribution along the polypeptide chain of the hydrophobic residues implicated in the compact hydrophobic core of the protein is also maintained. 2. The comparison of this amino acid sequence with other parvalbumins indicates that it belongs to the beta type and that within the Gadidae family two types of parvalbumins also occur.


A comparison of the uptake of [1-14C]palmitate into cell fractions of the perfused toad, chick and guinea-pig heart. 1. The incorporation and washout of [1-14C]palmitate in the subcellular fractions of toad, chick and guinea-pig hearts has been studied at warm and cold temperatures. 2. Maximal FFA radioactivity generally occurred in the microsomal fraction. Washout of radioactivity in chick and guinea-pig hearts virtually ceased in the cold, while in the toad it was only moderately affected. 3. The microsomal esterification process was temperature dependent. It was most active in the guinea-pig and least active in the toad.


Aspects of purine metabolism in the gill epithelium of rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson. 1. Enzymes interconnecting the adenylate pool were present in high concentration. 2. AMP and adenosine were easily deaminated by the corresponding enzymes whose high levels were detected. 3. Adenylate was hydrolyzed either by deamination to yield IMP which was further dephosphorylated to inosine or by dephosphorylation to adenosine followed by deamination to inosine. 4. Incubation of gill extract with [-14C]-AMP in the presence and absence of ATP but with adenosine deaminase inhibitors allowed demonstration that ATP controlled the balance between these pathways. 5. Some biochemical properties of 5'-nucleotidase. AMP deaminase and adenosine deaminase were defined. 6. Purine salvage enzymes were also estimated.


Erythrocyte enzymes in groups of Rattus norvegicus with genetic differences in 2,3-diphosphoglycerate levels. 1. A major locus with two alleles is responsible for large differences in erythrocyte 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) levels in Rattus norvegicus. Blood from homozygous High-DPG, homozygous Low-DPG and heterozygous animals was used to measure blood indices and red cell enzyme activities. 2. Significant differences between groups were found in DPG levels, white blood cell counts and hemoglobin levels. 3. The results suggest that none of the red cell enzymes assayed is structurally or quantitatively different in the three groups.


Significance of the variation in isozymes of liver lactate dehydrogenase with thermal acclimation in goldfish--I. Thermostability and temperature dependency. 1. Total and isozyme properties as well as isozyme pattern were examined in liver lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) from goldfish acclimated to different temperatures. 2. LDH of warm-acclimated fish were thermostable and exhibited higher Q10 in low temperature range as compared with that of co ld-acclimated fish. 3. The relative activities of LDH-1, LDH-2 and LDH-3, which were more thermostable, increased and LDH-4 and LDH-5, which were more heat sensitive, decreased during warm acclimation. Q10 in the low temperature range for LDH-5 was lower than that for LDH-1.


De novo purine ribonucleotide biosynthesis in adult Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea). 1. Radioactivity was found to be associated with purine ribonucleotides in extracts of gravid adult Angiostrongylus cantonensis from the lungs of rats when the parasite was incubated in a medium containing [14C]glycine. 2. The rate of incorporation was at least 0.2 pmole/min per mg of parasite and approximately equal amounts of adenine and guanine ribonucleotides were synthesized. 3. This is the first demonstration of the capacity for a mammalian parasitic helminth to synthesize purines de novo.


Amino terminal sequence of hog intrinsic factor. 1. Hog intrinsic factor has been purified from gastric mucosa by labile ligand affinity chromatography. 2. The following N-terminal amino acid sequence has been determined: Thr-Arg-Ser-Ser-Cys-Ser-Val-Pro-Ser-Ala-Glu-Gln-Pro-Leu-Val-Asn-Gly-Ile- Gln-Val - Leu-Met. 3. However, approx 60% of the preparation lacked the first two residues. 4. A high degree of homology between the amino terminal sequence of human and hog intrinsic factor exists.


Serum and liver lipid composition and lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase in horses, Equus caballus. 1. The lipid composition of serum and liver and some properties of serum lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase of the horse were investigated. 2. Phospholipids and cholesterol were the major components of serum lipids and the concentration of triglyceride was considerably low. The concentration of liver lipids was comparable with that of other mammals. 3. Fatty acid composition of serum cholesterol ester resembled that of the 2-position of lecithin, except palmitic acid. 4. The activity of serum cholesterol esterifying enzyme was found to be 0.03-0.09 mumol/hr per ml. There was an equimolar decrease in free cholesterol and lecithin during incubation, and changes in unsaturated fatty acids in these two components were in good agreement. 5. Cholesterol esterification was reversibly inhibited by 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid). The acyl-transferase had a specificity for linoleic acid.


Avidin induction by tissue injury and inflammation in male and female chickens. 1. The occurrence and inducibility of the biotin-binding egg white protein (avidin) in the chicken is not restricted to the oviduct. 2. Inflammatory treatments (intestinal injury, actinomycin D) induced avidin in a number of tissues of young and adult hens and roosters, but not of female rats and mice. Highest avidin concentrations were found in the organs containing epithelial cells and serous membrane. 3. The expression of the avidin gene by tissue injury and inflammation suggests that avidin has a significant function in the injured and inflamed chicken tissues.


Identification of haptoglobin in chicken serum and specificity of the chicken haptoglobin-hemoglobin complex formation. 1. The presence of haptoglobin in chicken serum has been demonstrated by three different techniques: gel filtration, cellulose acetate electrophoresis and fluorescence quenching. 2. Chicken haptoglobin shows a narrow species specificity; it binds only avian and reptilian but not mammalian hemoglobins. 3. Haptoglobin seems to have been subjected to profound changes during the course of evolution.


Superoxide dismutase in normal and malignant tissues in different species. 1. Superoxide dismutase (superoxide: superoxide oxido-reductase, E.C. 1.15.1.1) in different species was determined quantitatively and qualitatively. Although quantitative differences were minor, there were significant differences in the isoenzyme patterns among the species. 2. No quantitative differences were found in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in the brains of mice between 1 and 23 days of age. The mitochondrial isoenzyme increased with age, attaining maximal levels between 9 and 12 days. In the six, regions of adult rat brain studied, highest values of SOD were found in the hypothalamus and lowest in the cortex. 3. SOD levels generally were lower in several transplantable mouse and rat tumors than in normal tissues of these species. Mn-SOD was not detected in the tumors studied by the methods employed.


Differences in microtubule stability to colchicine in extracts of guinea pig, rat and rabbit brain. 1. Microtubules (MT) from a guinea pig brain 25,000 g supernatant are not depolymerized by colchicine in contrast to MT from similar preparations of rat and rabbit. 2. The colchicine-stability was lost if the guinea pig brain homogenate was centrifuged at a higher g-level, further purified or if only the grey matter was used. 3. The association constant of colchicine to tubulin did not differ between a stable and a labile guinea pig brain preparation. 4. The GTP-hydrolysis was higher in the guinea pig preparation containing stable MT, than in the preparation containing labile MT. Additional GTP added to the polymerized MT before colchicine exposure, labilized the MT. Preincubation with NaF decreased the GTP-hydrolysis and caused a colchicine depolymerization. 5. The results indicate species differences in colchicine sensitivity of in vitro polymerized MT, probably depending on differences in GTP-hydrolysis.


Occurrence and possible adaptive significance of some histochemically demonstrable dehydrogenases in two entosymbiotic rhabdocoels (Platyhelminthes: Turbellaria). 1. The occurrence and distribution of twelve dehydrogenases have been studied histochemically in two species of rhabdocoel turbellarians entosymbiotic in marine bivalves. 2. Both species (Paravortex scrobiculariae in Scrobicularia plana and P. cardii in Cerastoderma edule) possess dehydrogenases concerned with the three major energy-producing pathways. 3. P. scrobiculariae shows a much greater emphasis on glycolysis than does P. cardii. 4. It is suggested that the emphasis on glycolysis in P. scrobiculariae is an adaptation to regular variations in oxygen supply in its habitat; this adaptation facilitates feeding and associated migrations within the host which occur at times when the host is not submerged by the tide and when oxygen is likely to be in short supply. 5. Dehydrogenases associated with the pentose phosphate shunt are especially evident in the developing embryos of both species and are probably concerned with synthesis of nucleotides and nucleoproteins.


Hemoglobin polymorphism in Equus przewalskii and E. caballus analyzed by isoelectric focusing. 1. Through the use of isoelectric focusing and peptide analysis, the hemoglobins of Przewalski's horse. Equus przewalskii and the domestic horse, E. caballus have been compared. 2. Przewalski's horses have two separate alpha-globin chain polymorphisms similar to domestic horses. Each hemoglobin phenotype could be accurately determined by isoelectric focusing. 3. Confirmation of the electrofocusing hemoglobin determinations was made by comparison to amino acid composition analyses of purified tryptic peptides and by analysis of the rare hemoglobins phenotypes observed in a family of Norwegian trotting horses. 4. Hemoglobin genotypes of fifteen Przewalski's horses were determined and inheritance of hemoglobin haplotypes has been observed.


Canine haptoglobin: a unique haptoglobin subunit arrangement. 1. Isolated canine haptoglobin behaved identically to the alpha 2 beta 2 structure typical of human haptoglobin type 1-1 on alkaline polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and on gel filtration. 2. In the presence of urea or sodium dodecyl sulphate canine haptoglobin dissociated into alpha beta subunits that separated into alpha and beta chains after reduction with 2-mercaptoethanol. 3. Compositional analysis identified one less half-cystine in canine alpha chain when compared to human alpha 1 chain. 4. These results provide evidence that there is no inter alpha chain disulphide in canine haptoglobin comparable to the alpha 1 20-alpha 1 20 disulphide in human haptoglobin that links the two alpha beta subunits.


Purification and characterization of the myoglobins of Paramecium tetraurelia. 1. The molecular variants of the myoglobins of Paramecium tetraurelia have been purified as five separate components and designated Mb 1 to Mb 5. 2. The five molecular forms are homogeneous on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and isoelectric focusing (IF). 3. The myoglobin species appear to have identical molecular weights and amino acid compositions and differ only in their isoelectric points and relative concentrations in vivo. 4. The myoglobin species have an apparent molecular weight of 15,000 +/- 500 and possess a single heme group per mole which appears to be protoporphyrin IX. 5. The amino acid composition of the five species is: lys12, his3, arg4, asp17, thr9, ser6, glu16, pro4, gly11, ala15, cys0, val8, met2, ile7, leu10, tyr5, phe7. 6. The spectra of several ferrous and ferric derivatives of the mixture Mb 1-Mb 5 are presented.


Dual sites of occurrence of malonyl-CoA decarboxylase and their possible functional significance in avian tissues. 1. Uropygial glands of domestic goose and mallard which synthesize methyl-branched fatty acids, contain large quantities of cytosolic malonyl-CoA decarboxylase and a small quantity of mitochondrial enzyme. 2. Uropygial glands of chicken and the liver of geese which generate little methyl-branched acids, contain only small quantities of malonyl-CoA decarboxylase and in such cases the enzyme is in the mitochondria. 3. The mitochondrial decarboxylase from the uropygial gland and liver of goose is immunologically similar to the cytosolic decarboxylase of the uropygial gland. 4. The mitochondrial enzyme probably protects the mitochondrial enzymes which are susceptible to inhibition by malonyl-CoA, whereas the cytosolic enzyme promotes the synthesis of methyl-branched acids.


The effect of rumen epithelial development on metabolic activities and ketogenesis by the tissue in vitro. 1. An investigation was made on oxygen consumption, glucose and lactate uptake and ketogenesis from butyrate by rumen epithelium in vitro from lambs at various stages of development. 2. Oxygen uptake was decreased by about 35% and glucose uptake by about 90% between 2 weeks and 1/2 year of age. 3. The uptake of L-lactate and the utilization of butyrate as a substrate for respiration were increased during epithelial development. 4. The production of D(-)-3-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate from butyrate by the epithelium was largely increased between 4 to 10 weeks of age, independently of rumen fermentation. 5. A synergistic effect of glucose on the production of D(-)-3-hydroxybutyrate and on total ketone bodies from butyrate by the epithelium was observed. It accounted to 40-80% over butyrate depending on the stage of epithelial development.


Isolation and characterization of the erythrocyte surface membrane of the smooth dogfish, Mustelus canis. 1. The plasma membrane of the dogfish erythrocyte is characterized. 2. Surface membranes were isolated from dogfish red cells. 3. Cells suspended in a hypotonic zinc chloride buffer (0.5 mM ZnCl2, 5 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0) tended to enucleate spontaneously. 4. By gentle homogenization relatively high yields of red cell "ghosts" were formed; these were purified using discontinuous gradients of sucrose and of glycerol solutions. Analyses of protein, carbohydrates and lipids were carried out. 5. There did not appear to be marked overall differences in the composition of the surface membrane of the nucleated dogfish erythrocyte compared to those of other species.


Sequences of the soluble tryptic peptides from myoglobin of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). 1. Amino acid sequences of the soluble tryptic peptides of yellowfin tuna myoglobin, comprising 60% of the total residues, are presented. 2. The amino terminus is acetylated as shown by Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of an N-terminal dipeptide. 3. Comparison of peptide sequences from yellowfin tuna myoglobin with corresponding regions of mammalian myoglobins shows obvious homology around the heme-attachment site and the carboxyl terminus, but marked dissimilarity is evident at other locations, such as the amino terminal region.


Kidney and liver carnosinase activity and carnosine level in goose. Activity of kidney and liver carnosinase and concentration of carnosine in leg muscles were determined for 8 weeks in old geese of three races: Italian white, Bilgoraj and Lublin. significant differences were noted between the three races with respect to all parameters under study. the following correlations were found: 1. Between live goose weight and carnosine concentration in muscles (r= 0.5276). 2. Between weight of leg muscles and carnosine level in these muscles (r=0.4912). 3. Between liver weight and carnosine level in muscles (r= 0.3292). 4. Between kidney carnosinase activity and liver carnosinase activity (r= .2104). 5. Between liver carnosinase activity and carnosine level (r= 0.2280). 6. Between kidney carnosinase activity and carnosine level (r= -0.1675). 7. Between the ratio of kidney:liver carnosinase activity and carnosine level in muscles (r =0.1816).


Changes in brain ganglioside composition of normothermic and hibernating golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). 1. Brain ganglioside patterns of normothermic and hibernating golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) and laboratory mice had been investigated. 2. The ganglioside pattern of normothermic golden hamsters in comparison to that of mice is characterized by an unusual high amount of the polar trisialoganglioside GT1. 3. In the hibernating golden hamster in contrast to normothermic counterparts the brain gangliosides are more polar (polysialization-effect). 4. The results are discussed with regard to the hypothesis that neuronal membranes provided with more polar gangliosides at lower environmental temperatures might be more efficient with respect to the high complexation ability of gangliosides with Ca2+-ions.


Gelatinization with formic acid.

Gelatinization with formic acid. 1. A study has been made of the gelatins obtained by treating a number of fresh and fossil collagens with dilute formic acid. 2. Compositions of their peptides separated by filtration through polyacrylamide gels has been established. 3. Solubilization results in the freeing of much aspartic acid and less glycine, the amounts being determined for the collagens investigated.


Kynurenine hydroxylase in Musca domestica L. 1. Kynurenine hydroxylase activity was assayed in extracts of Musca domestica L. 2. During the life cycle of the fly, there is a peak of enzyme activity shortly after pupation. 3. Eye-color mutants, rb2, rb1; rb2 and cm, show reduced activity during pupal stages. 4. An ocra mutant lacks this activity. 5. The rb1 and rb2 mutations were separated from the rb1; rb2 strain. From measurements of the xanthommatin content, the rb1 mutation was suggested to enhance the expression of the rb2 gene.


Polymorphic tetrameric superoxide dismutase in the pike Esox lucius L. (Pisces; Esocidae). 1. Heart muscle extracts of northern pike from Lake Malaren in Sweden exhibited two electophoretic types of superoxide dismutase, one of which was identified as the cytoplasmic enzyme (s-SOD) and the other as the mitochondrial form (m-SOD). 2. Individual analysis of 51 pike indicated that s-SOD was invariant while m-SOD displayed a pattern of variation which was explicable by a single-locus polymorphism. 3. The observed m-SOD phenotype patterns suggested that the enzyme is a tetramer. This interpretation is supported by in vitro molecular hybridization studies.


Improved survival from stroke. An effect of antihypertensive therapy? A major improvement in the case/fatality ratio of patients who were admitted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with a first stroke was observed between 1974, and 1978. Reference to a current population-based stroke-incidence study enabled the most likely cause, changing selection criteria, to be discounted and there have been no improvements in acute hospital care to which this improvement may be attributed. The hypothesis is advanced that the marked improvement in survival after a first stroke, particularly in older patients, observed between the hospital series may be related to the high and increasing prevalence of treatment for hypertension in the community.


Intermittent peritoneal dialysis in the treatment of end-stage renal failure. Our experience of 54 patients with end-stage renal failure, who were treated with intermittent peritoneal dialysis and compared with patients maintained by haemodialysis over the years 1972 to 1978, has been reviewed. All patients received peritoneal dialysis for more than six weeks. The total experience was 32.8 patient dialysis-years, 48% as home dialysis. Peritoneal dialysis was used as an interim procedure in 19 patients who were waiting for haemodialysis. However, in 35 patients (particularly in the very young and elderly, and in situations of poor social support), recurrent peritoneal dialysis was chosen as the definitive dialysis therapy. Dialysis was assessed as "adequate" in all, but two, patients. The major complication of peritoneal dialysis was peritonitis, although its over-all incidence of 1.31 episodes per patient dialysis-year was low. An attack of peritonitis occurred every nine months of patient exposure, though the incidence of bacterial peritonitis averaged only once every 26 months. Fifty per cent of patients never had an episode of peritonitis. Intermittent peritoneal dialysis was associated with greater morbidity and mortality than haemodialysis, perhaps due, in part, to the older age of the peritoneal dialysis group. Intermittent peritoneal dialysis is a valuable adjunct to haemodialysis and transplantation in the treatment of end-stage renal failure.


Psychiatric disorders in obstetrics.

Psychiatric disorders in obstetrics. The incidence of serious psychiatric illness in 27,376 patients during pregnancy and the puerperium was one in 138 (0.7%). The puerperal-onset group comprised 64 of the 198 cases (32%) and, of these, 22% required admission to a psychiatric institution. Moreover, this group of patients had a recurrence rate of 45% in subsequent pregnancies. Clinical, ethnic and socioeconomic factors were analysed and compared with the same factors in a control group to seek significant associations that might indicate impending psychiatric disorders in obstetric patients.


Measurement of serum levels of oestriol and human placental lactogen in the management of pre-eclamptic pregnancies. Maternal serum levels of total oestriol and human placental lactogen (HPL) were measured in 280 normal and 87 pre-eclamptic pregnancies. Normal levels of HPL, but significantly reduced total oestriol values were obtained when pre-eclampsia was present. However, when fetal complications developed, both hormone levels were further significantly reduced. The severity of pre-eclampsia had no effect on the serum levels of oestriol and HPL. An analysis of the 18 pregnancies with significant fetal-placental dysfunction showed that 13 (72%) were predicted by unfavourable levels of total oestriol, nine (50%) by unfavourable levels of HPL, and 14 (78%) by the use of both assays. The present study supports the value of antenatal measurement both of serum total oestriol and of HPL in the management of pre-eclamptic pregnancies.


Haemoglobin Bart's hydrops fetalis syndrome in an infant of Greek origin and prenatal diagnosis of alpha-thalassaemia. An unusual case of Bart's hydrops fetalis is reported where the patient was born to parents of Greek origin. An exchange transfusion was given. Adult haemoglobin (HbA) was present in addition to HbBart's and HbPortland. A low level of synthesis of alpha-chains was evident. The mother presented again in a subsequent pregnancy for prenatal diagnosis of thalassaemia. The fetus was diagnosed as an alpha-thalassaemia carrier, a diagnosis which was confirmed at birth. The nature of alpha-thalassaemia in the family is discussed.


Inversion of the uterus. Replacement without general anaesthesia. Three cases of acute inversion of the uterus were managed by immediate manual replacement without general anesthesia. They are recorded to emphasize that recognition and prompt action prevent the onset of serious complications and the problems with reduction usually reported with this condition.


A survey of cephalosporin use. Monitoring use in a hospital setting. A survey of cephalosporin use was conducted at Flinders Medical Centre, a teaching hospital incorporating most specialty services. All in-patients who were prescribed cephalosporins over a seven-week period were monitored, and an evaluation of appropriateness of use was made by means of defined criteria. The cost of usage was also determined. During the study, 55 patients were given 57 courses of cephalosporins. In 59% of courses a cephalosporin was not the drug of choice; this figure comprised 42% of 33 therapeutic and 71% of 24 prophylactic courses. In most cases, the appropriate drug would have been a penicillin, usually a penicillinase-resistant penicillin. Prophylactic courses were often longer than normal recommendations. Each course cost approximately $25, about twice that of more appropriate drugs. It is suggested that future criteria-based reviews should be conducted to identify practice deficiencies, and that guidelines for antibiotic use be created.


Hydrallazine with beta-blocker and diuretic in the treatment of hypertension. A double-blind crossover study. Thirty-seven hypertensive patients were treated with cyclopenthiazide, oxprenolol and hydrallazine. Blood pressure was controlled in 31 patients and a subsequent double-blind crossover study in 27 patients comparing hydrallazine with placebo confirmed the efficacy of hydrallazine in combination with diuretic and beta-adrenergic-blocking agent. The combination was effective in patients with renal hypertension and renal impairment. No adverse effects on renal function were observed. Patients who were slow acetylators had significantly better blood pressure control and more side effects. In view of the frequency of hydrallazine related side effects, prior institution of beta-adrenergic blocking drugs is desirable.


Injection treatment for vascular flares. Small or minor varicosities pose a considerable cosmetic problem to women afflicted with them. Previous methods of treatment have been either painful, or ineffective, or both. A simplified method of injection of these varices is described.


Nissen fundoplication for gastro-oesophageal reflux. Twenty-four patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux were treated by Nissen fundoplication over a three-year period. In 22 patients the symptoms of heartburn, reflux, or dysphagia were abolished or dramatically improved. The operative technique, complications, and reasons for the less successful outcome in the remaining two cases are discussed.


Treatment of osteosarcoma.

Treatment of osteosarcoma. Hippocrates has been credited with the statement 'for extreme diseases, extreme methods of care are most suitable'. This statement is very applicable to the disease osteosarcoma and especially to its treatment with high dose methotrexate. This paper will present the experience of the Department of Clinical Haematology and Oncology in the treatment of osteosarcoma with high dose methotrexate and summarize other groups' experiences with various chemotherapy regimes.


Toxic rash associated with high dose methotrexate therapy. Fifteen rashes were observed in thirteen patients in association with high dose methotrexate therapy. The lack of recurrence of the rash with further treatment courses and the association of the rash with other toxic manifestations and with larger doses of methotrexate suggests a toxic mechanism. Rashes have frequently been reported in association with dose methotrexate therapy (Van Scott, Auerbach & Weinstein, 1964; Leone, Albala & Rege, 1968; Mitchell et al., 1968; Capizzi et al., 1970; Jaffe et al., 1973; Rosen, Suwansirikul & Kwon, 1974; Pratt et al., 1975; Jaffe & Traggis, 1975; Ensminger & Frei, 1977; Stoller et al., 1977). They include perifolliculitis, transient erythema progressing to maculopapular eruptions, occasionally desquamating, sloughing over pressure areas, reactions confined to radiation portals, exacerbation of acne, photosensitivity and rarely urticaria. Relatively few reports sufficiently document the incidence or types of rash. It has been suggested that the rash is allergic in nature (Mitchell et al., 1968) or a toxic phenomenon (Djerassi et al., 1972; Djerassi & Kim, 1976), possibly related to drug effects on small vessels (Van Scott, 1963).


Panel studies of acute health effects of air pollution. II. A methodologic study of linear regression analysis of asthma panel data. Panel studies relating illness, such as asthma attacks, cardiopulmonary symptoms, and acute respiratory symptoms, to daily air pollution and weather are important in environmental epidemiology. A study of the practical robustness of multiple linear regression procedures, which have been the preferred statistical models in analyses, is presented. The study is based on data from three asthma panels in Chattanooga, Tennessee, collected in 1972-1973. Linear regression models, commonly used, which incorporate only minimum temperature and an air pollutant were found to be potentially misleading; such models are highly sensitive to reporting trends in the data and do not correct adequately for weather variables. Temporal and spatial control strategies were employed and proved to be useful in detecting problems in the data due to undiscovered intervening variables. True day-to-day relationships estimated by a pair-day analysis were frequently inconsistent with "daily" effects estimated by the usual regression models and suggested that, in fact, the asthma panel data contained no useful information concerning day-to-day relationships.


Heat wave mortality in nursing homes.

Heat wave mortality in nursing homes. Patterns of mortality in 11 air-conditioned and 9 un-air-conditioned nursing homes in New York City have been investigated to determine the impacts of heat waves on nursing home occupants and the efficacy of air conditioning in reducing these impacts. During each of four heat waves in 1972 and 1973, the number of deaths in un-air-conditioned nursing homes was significantly greater than the number of deaths expected on the basis of mortality during cooler control periods. In contrast, deaths in air-conditioned nursing homes were not significantly different from expected. The age- and sex-adjusted ratio of relative death rates was 2.29 (95% confidence interval = 1.75-2.98). Approximately 94 excess deaths occurred in the un-air-conditioned nursing homes. On the basis of this research, it is recommended that nursing homes and other institutions for the elderly located in climates like that of New York City be required to provide air conditioning.


The effect of dietary vitamin A on NO2 exposure on the hamster lung. The effect of dietary vitamin A and NO2 exposure on the hamster lung was evaluated by histopathology, electron microscopy, and thymidine uptake studies. Hamsters were maintained on deficient (0 micrograms), adequate (100 micrograms), and high (200 micrograms) dose levels of vitamin A while being exposed repeatedly to 10 ppm of NO2 for 5 hours once a week over an 8-week period. Hamsters of the deficient group exhibited clinical and morphologic changes characteristic of vitamin A deficiency. Animals maintained on adequate and high dose levels of vitamin A were not affected by vitamin A deficiency. Hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the epithelial cells of the terminal bronchiolar alveolar region of lungs of adequately and highly dosed animals were greater than those observed in the deficient animals, when NO2 exposure was given. However, the extent of the lesions observed in all three groups was less than that seen in normal hamsters given a single, 5-hour NO2 exposure. Ultrastructural changes observed in vitamin A-deficient hamsters exposed to NO2 were hypertrophy and hyperplasia of bronchiolar epithelial cells, diffuse loss of cilia, membrane damage, and mitochondrial damage manifested by calcium deposition. Tritiated thymidine uptake studies of lungs of animals exposed repeatedly revealed a rather erratic cell renewal pattern following NO2 exposure in comparison to the group of animals exposed singly.


CNS lead toxicity in rabbit offspring.

CNS lead toxicity in rabbit offspring. An animal model for asymptomatic and overt lead toxicity is presented in which rabbit pups, 1 to 30 days of age, were fed a milk supplement containing Pb(NO3)2. Reduced body growth, increased mortality, hematologic abnormalities, kidney and liver histopathology, as well as encephalopathy, were observed in rabbits 2 to 30 days of age ingesting more than 2.8 mg of Pb/day. At the highest dose, brain lesions were widespread, involving the frontal and occipital cortex, striatum, hippocampus, and cerebellum. At moderate doses, the region most affected was the cerebellum. At the lowest dose no alteration in body, brain growth, mortality, or tissue histology was evident; however, basophilic stippling was observed. As a group, these asymptomatic rabbits generally exhibited higher activity than non-lead-fed littermates. The rabbit model presented here should provide many advantages in the study of lead toxicity on the developing nervous system, since (a) maximum brain development in the rabbit, like that in rhesus monkey and man, occurs perinatally, and (b) the effects of lead toxicity in the rabbit closely parallel those in man.


A plant indicator of air pollution and human health in Japanese rural communities. An investigation of the effects of air pollution on vegetation and human health was conducted in a low-degree air-polluted Japanese rural area. The validity of the criteria, which were expressed as Bi-band ratios (R/B, R/G) in leaves of Japanese cedars based on infrared air photography, has been proved worthwhile for estimating the injury to the cedars. The degree of injury to the cedars by field survey showed a significant positive correlation with the concentration of sulfur oxide in the air for the last 3 years. The quantity of water-soluble sulfur in leaves of the cedar was less in the leaves of the less-injured cedars. In school children with positive skin reactions in the area, "subacute cough" (la and/or 3a by BMRC) and "phlegm" (6a and/or 8a by BMRC) had a significant positive correlation with the degree of injury to the cedars.


X-ray fluorescence analysis of lead in teeth of urban children in situ: correlation between the tooth lead level and the concentration of blood lead and free erythroporphyrins. The tooth lead level of 30 lead-exposed children was measured in situ using an X-ray fluorescence technique. The tooth lead concentration divided by the child's age correlated with the free erythroporphyrin (FEP) (r = 0.51) and the blood lead levels (r = 0.31). The mean tooth lead concentrations of 10 Class IV children (FEP greater than or equal to 190 micrograms/100 ml; blood lead 30-80 micrograms/ml) was 14.5 +/- 5.5 ppm/year. Reexamination of the histories of children who had been classified as Class II or III, but who had tooth lead concentrations within 1 SD of the Class IV level, indicated that many of these children could also be considered to be Class IV children. When the x-ray fluorescence technique was used to screen an urban population of 300 children, the tooth lead values indicated that 72% of the children had been exposed to low levels of environmental lead. Six percent of the children were found to have tooth lead concentrations in excess of 9 ppm/year and within 1 SD of the mean value exhibited by Class IV children. These children were considered to have a high body lead burden. The percentage of children having an elevated tooth lead level is similar to the number previously reported using exfoliated deciduous teeth.


Uptake and retention of dietary cadmium in mallard ducks. Adult mallard ducks fed 0, 2, 20, or 200 ppm of cadmium chloride in the diet were sacrificed at 30-day intervals and tissues were analyzed for cadmium. No birds died during the study and body weights did not change. The liver and kidney accumulated the highest levels of cadmium. Tissue residues were significantly correlated in all treatment groups and residues increased with treatment level. Hematocrits and hemoglobin concentrations were normal in all groups throughout the study. Little cadmium accumulated in eggs of laying hens, but egg production was suppressed in the group fed 200 ppm.


The influence of high dietary calcium and phosphate on lead uptake and release. The effects of calcium and phosphate supplements on the retention of dietary lead and the loss of lead from the body were studied in young rats. There were three experiments in which rats were given a diet containing 200 or 400 micrograms of lead/g for 3 or 6 weeks. The diet contained adequate calcium and phosphate. Calcium and phosphate supplements were given alone or together. Lead uptake after a period of lead feeding was measured by analysis of the whole gut-free carcass. Lead loss was measured by a similar analysis after the rats had received diets containing lead and then diets free of lead. The uptake of lead from the diet was reduced by about half when either dietary calcium or phosphate or both was doubled. The rate of release of body lead was decreased by calcium supplementation.


Dietary protein and lead retention.

Dietary protein and lead retention. The effects of dietary protein content on lead retention were studied in young rats. In experiments lasting between 3 and 6 weeks, rats given diets containing lead and 20% casein were fed ad libitum or were pair fed with rats given diets containing 6.5 or 7.5% casein. Among rats given 20% casein, lead retention was inversely related to growth rate. A reduction of dietary protein either had no effect or reduced lead retention. In other experiments lasting 4 days and using 203Pb, given orally or intraperitoneally, the recovery of isotope in the gutfree carcass was unaffected or reduced by a reduction in dietary protein. Blood and liver lead often increased when kidney and carcass lead decreased in response to a reduction of dietary protein. Conflicting observations on the effect of low-protein diets on lead retention may thus be due to opposing effects of low dietary protein and decreases of growth rate and to different responses of different tissues.


The effect of age on the absorption and excretion of lead. The retention (the proportion of ingested or administered lead found in the carcass at slaughter) of lead in the carcass and tissues of rats given 203Pb intraperitoneally or by mouth was measured over a period of a few days at 3-month intervals for 9 months from weaning. Total carcass retention of 203Pb administered intraperitoneally reached a minimum at 6 months of age, but the retention of 203Pb in blood, liver, and kidney changed little with time. When 203Pb was given by mouth, the fraction of the dose absorbed and the fraction retained in the carcass reached a minimum at 6 months, but the recovery in the tissues continued to decrease up to the end of the experiment. The addition of 20 mg of lead/kg of diet had no consistent effect on the metabolism of 203Pb.


Similarity between man and laboratory animals in regional pulmonary deposition of ozone. Predicted pulmonary ozone (O3) dose curves obtained by model analysis of the transport and removal of O3 in the lungs of guinea pigs, rabbits, and man indicate that a general similarity exists among these species in the shapes of the dose curves. An overview of the major features of the lower airway mathematical model used is presented. This model predicts that the respiratory bronchioles receive the maximum O3 dose. For exposures corresponding to tracheal O3 concentrations greater than 100 micrograms/m3 (0.05 ppm), the predicted respiratory bronchiolar dose for rabbits was found to be twice that for guinea pigs and 80% of that for man. Sensitivity analyses are presented for model parameters relating to the treatment of the chemical reactions of O3 with the mucous layer. The role of tidal volume in the determination of pulmonary uptake of O3 in man is examined. The consistency and similarity of the dose curves for the three species lend strong support to the validity of extrapolating to man the results obtained on animals exposed to O3.


A pesticide (dieldrin)-induced immunohemolytic anemia. The unusual presentation of a factory worker with severe hemolytic anemia which remitted following splenectomy prompted a search for an environmental cause for red cell injury. The investigation showed the presence of an immunoglobulin in the patient's serum and on the red cells and small amounts of complement on red cells. The patient's serum caused agglutination of a normal person's red cells only when dieldrin-coated, a reaction blocked by first reacting the serum with dieldrin. The spleen of the patient had a greater than normal concentration of dieldrin, the source of dieldrin being dietary. It is concluded that dieldrin became immunogenic and provoked a chemical immunohemolytic anemia. The spleen played a major role in destruction of red cells injured by the immunopathic process and in accumulation of the antigenic substance dieldrin.


Teratology study in mice subjected to inhalation of diethylhydroxylamine, nitroethane, and diethylamine hydrogen sulfite. Pregnant female mice were exposed from Days 6 to 17 of pregnancy to 8.9 +/- 2.0 ppm of diethylhydroxylamine and 14.3 +/- 2.0 ppm of nitroethane. Exposures were for 8.25 +/- 2.25 hours/day including weekends. The mice were also exposed continuously for 24 hours a day to the vapor of diethylamine hydrogen sulfite. The exposure produced no effect on the dams compared to the control group. There was no evidence of compound-induced terata, variation in sex ratio, embryotoxicity, or inhibition of fetal growth and development.


Some effects of ingested petroleum on seawater-adapted ducks (Anas platyrhynchos). Male Pekin ducks adapted to seawater and maintained under sheltered conditions (27 degrees C) in the laboratory may consume considerable volumes of petroleum without showing overt symptoms of distress. Under these conditions, birds consuming petroleum-contaminated food have shown a persistent hyperphagia; this was most apparent among those given food contaminated with South Louisiana crude oil, least apparent among birds given No. 2 fuel oil, and intermediate among those that consumed food contaminated with Kuwait crude oil. When maintained at 27 degrees C, some mortality occurred among the birds given South Louisiana crude oil (22.2%) and No. 2 fuel oil (35.7%), whereas none of the freshwater- and seawater-maintained birds given uncontaminated food and none of the birds given Kuwait crude oil died during this period. Following their exposure to chronic mild cold stress (3 degrees C), mortality occurred in all groups of birds; the birds that had consumed petroleum-contaminated food tended to die earlier and in larger numbers than either the seawater- or freshwater-maintained control birds. These effects suggest that the mortality in all groups of birds was due primarily to the additive effects of a series of nonspecific stressors. Thus, at autopsy, birds that had succumbed to the effects of these stressors frequently showed adrenal hypertrophy and severe involution of the lymphoepithelial tissues. The consumption of petroleum-contaminated food seemed to constitute only one of a series of environmental stressors, and, among birds that were already exposed to stressors such as hypertonic drinking water and persistent cold, the ingestion of petroleum seemed to render them more vulnerable and death frequently ensued.


The effect of cadmium on the hematology and on the activity of delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-D) in blood and hematopoietic tissues of the flounder, Pleuronectes flesus L. Flounders (Pleuronectes flesus) were exposed to sublethal levels of cadmium (5, 50, and 500 micrograms of Cd2+/liter) for periods of 4 and 9 weeks, and the hematological response as well as the effect on the activity of delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-D) in blood and blood-forming tissues were investigated. Significant reductions of hematocrit, hemoglobin, and red blood cell count were found in the cadmium-exposed fish. This anemic response was apparent even in flounders exposed to the lowest cadmium concentration, approximately corresponding to 1/4000 of the 96-hr LC50 value. The anemia was accompanied by a significant increase of the ALA-D activity in renal tissues. This indicates a compensatory stimulation of the introductory steps of the hemoglobin biosynthesis. However, the formation of hemoglobin does not seem to be accomplished, which might be due to a disturbed iron metabolism. The cadmium exposure also resulted in a significant increase of the number of lymphocytes, indicating an action on the immunological defense of the fish.


Collagen and non-collagen protein synthesis in developing lung exposed to tobacco smoke. The present investigation was conducted to determine the rate of collagen and non-collagen protein synthesis by rat lung under in vitro conditions. The rate of synthesis of non-collagen protein was greater than the rate of collagen synthesis in animals between 1 and 95 days of age. Synthesis of both types of proteins was highest in 1-day-old animals. Rate of synthesis of non-collagen protein was markedly diminished after 7 days of age and that of collagen decreased after 14 days. Per gram lung, the total amount of collagen increased 3.5-fold between Day 7 and 95 whereas total protein was relatively constant. When lung was exposed to smoke under in vitro conditions synthesis of collagen and non-collagen protein was almost completely depressed.


Distribution of 238Pu in tissues of fish from the canal in Miamisburg, Ohio. The 238Pu concentrations of various tissues were measured for seven species of freshwater fish from an ecosystem containing elevated levels of 238Pu. The highest levels of 238Pu were found in the gastrointestinal tracts and gills, while the lowest levels were found in muscle tissue. A rapid uptake of 238Pu was observed for hatchery bluegills introduced into this system. High plutonium concentrations in the gastrointestinal tracts and gills suggest that these organs are potential uptake sites. The presence of 238Pu in certain tissues (liver, gonads, bone, and muscle) indicates that there is translocation of 238Pu from the uptake sites.


Cadmium concentrations in human liver, blood, and bile: comparison with a metabolic model. Cadmium concentrations in liver biopsies, blood, and bile were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in 23 patients in connection with routine gallstone operations. On a group basis cadmium in blood was a good indicator of cadmium in liver, and the estimated linear relationship agreed well with calculations from a formerly proposed metabolic model. Cadmium in bile was also analyzed, and an average of about 2.5 ng of Cd/g wet weight was found. This is about 10 times more than would have been expected form the metabolic model and suggests that bile might be an important excretion route for cadmium. Definite conclusions cannot be drawn, however, since the results could not be cross-checked with neutron activation analysis, due to insufficient sensitivity of the latter method.


The neuropathology of leptophos in the hen: a chronologic study. Recent investigation into a possible association between exposure to Leptophos and neurological symptoms in insecticide factory workers makes study of the neurological effects of Leptophos in the experimental situation particularly important. The present study utilizes a single oral dose of 200 mg/kg of Leptophos in 20 chickens which are sacrificed in pairs to define the temporal sequence of changes in the sciatic nerve, its major branches, and the spinal cord and to correlate these findings with the clinical symptoms of the animals. At this dose Leptophos produces degeneration of the spinal cord in a pattern similar to that seen with tri-o-cresyl phosphate (TOCP). The ataxia seen in these birds is probably due to the posterior and lateral column involvement. At this dose onset of paralysis correlates roughly with both the degeneration of the anterior descending tract of the spinal cord and degeneration of the peripheral nerve. The minimal degree of nerve involvement suggests that the cord lesion is more significant at this dose in the hen. Using TOCP, spinal cord lesions predominate in the hen while the peripheral nervous system appears more sensitive in the human and non-human primate. Assuming that Leptophos resembles TOCP in this regard, peripheral nerve damage would be the expected earliest change, especially in the low-dose situation in the human.


Time series analysis of morbidity data for assessment of acute environmental health effects. We present a method we developed to overcome some of the problems that are encountered in the attempts to identify acute health effects of environmental stimuli such as air pollution. To illustrate this method we have used daily records of asthmatic attacks in New York City. We also review some of the shortcomings of the presently used regression techniques, where a health variable is regressed on one or more environmental variables.


Dust from carbon fibre.

Dust from carbon fibre. Carbon fibre, manufactured from a polyacrylonitrile fibre precursor, is used to reinforce plastic in the aircraft industry. When carbon fibre was fed into a hammer mill, only low concentrations of dust of respirable size could be produced and less than 1% of the respirable carbon particles were fibrous. The dust cloud contained a few transparent fibres, probably glass, of respirable size. When the dust was inhaled by guinea pigs nonfibrous particles were phagocytosed. The few carbon fibres found in the lung that were longer than 5 microns were still extracellular after 27 weeks and they were uncoated. No free transparent fibres were found in the lungs but fibre bodies with a ferruginous coating were probably derived from the transparent fibres. No pathological effects were observed.


Hepatic mixed-function oxidase activity in rainbow trout exposed to several polycyclic aromatic compounds. The effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on microsomal liver enzymes were examined in rainbow trout. Various PAHs (naphthalene through benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P]) were injected ip to screen for mixed-function oxidase (MFO) activity. Chrysene, B(a)P, and Aroclor 1254 caused MFO induction. When fish were also exposed to solubilized pyrene, fluoranthene, and B(a)P in water, bioaccumulation of B(a)P resulted in MFO induction, whereas bioaccumulation of pyrene and fluoranthene did not. Based on water and injection exposure to B(a)P, it was predicted that tissue concentrations in excess of 300 micrograms/kg B(a)P would be accompanied by MFO induction in rainbow trout.


A variable embryotoxic response to lead in different strains of hamsters. Lead nitrate was administered intravenously at 50 mg/kg to five inbred strains (MHA, LSH, LHC, CB, and P)4) and the non-inbred LVG strain of pregnant hamsters early on the 8th gestation day. All fetuses from treated and control hamsters were collected on the 15th gestation day and examined for the frequency and kinds of external, internal, and skeletal abnormalities. The major embryotoxic effects included resorptions, tail bud abnormalities, hydrocephalus, and skeletal defects. It is concluded that the LSH, LHC, LVG, and PD4 strains are susceptible while the MHA and CB strains are relatively resistant to the lead exposure.