Neuropeptide Y1 receptors in the rat genital tract

Using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, the expression of type 1 neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptors (Y1-Rs) has been demonstrated in the rat genital tract. In the male Y1-R mRNA and Y1-R-like immunoreactivity (LI) were found in smooth muscles of predominantly arterioles and small arteries inside testis. Fibers showing NPY-LI could not be detected within testis but only in the tunica albuginea. These Y1-Rs are suggested to mediate vasoconstriction, possibly activated by NPY released from nerves in the tunica albuginea. In the female rat Y1-R mRNA, but not Y1-R-LI was found in vascular smooth muscles of arteries in the ovary and oviduct. In the oviduct Y1-R mRNA was also detected in the non-vascular smooth muscle layer. Fibers showing NPY-LI were found around blood vessels both in the ovary and oviduct. In the female genital tract also Y1-Rs may thus be involved in regulatory mechanisms mediating, for example, vasoconstriction.     

Comparative diffusion of 14C-ethionine and 14C-methionine in rat tissue]

The pancreas is the tissue which traps the most intensively the trace-dosis injected ethionine -14C; 30 min after the injection, the pancreas fixes the labelled product twice more than the liver and five times more than the stomach. This trapping might explain the pancreatic modifications occuring during the intoxication. In the same experimental conditions, the pancreas fixes the ethionine -14C twice less than methionine. Urinary excretion of ethionine is faster and more important than that of methionine.     

The production of ryegrass labelled with carbon-14

Summary The construction and operation of a growth chamber for producing plant material labelled with carbon-14 to a specified degree of uniformity is described.The specific activity of the plant material is measured by a method based on scintillation counting.     

Accumulation of sulfate labelled with S35 by rat tissue in vitro

Rat kidney slices incubated in vitro may show, in parallel with other shifts in electrolyte content, a striking capacity for accumulating sulfate ion (sulfate labelled with S(35)). The uptake is reversed or reduced by CN(-), cooling to room temperature, and by interference with adequate oxygenation. Under the conditions of the experiment, the presence in the medium of sodium acetate and glucose as substrates was found to be without measurable effect on the accumulation. The extent of sulfate uptake is related to the ionic composition of the medium in which the tissue is incubated, for the uptake occurs optimally only in the presence of a K(+) level of about 0.04 M, and is decreased as the concentration of Na(+) rises. Likewise, when Ca(++), Mg(++), or choline is present in the medium, sulfate accumulation may be depressed. In addition to renal cortex, kidney medulla and liver showed capacity for sulfate accumulation, whereas no convincing evidence for significant uptake was obtained with strips of aorta, colon, or diaphragm.     

The appearance of chlorophyll derivatives in senescing tissue

Chlorophylls a-1 and b′, which are breakdown products of chlorophylls a and b respectively, were found in senescing leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris and Hordeum vulgare following excision from the plant. Chlorophyll a-1 was not detected in healthy plants, in senescing attached leaves or in chlorophyll-proteins isolated from senescent tissue. Chlorophyll a-1 formation in excised leaves increased with time for up to 10 days as chlorophyll a levels fell.     

IgA and IgG antibodies to Candida albicans in the genital tract secretions of women with or without vaginal candidosis

Levels of anti-Candida albicans immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in serum and cervicovaginal secretions from 64 non-pregnant women with vaginal candidosis and 158 uninfected non-pregnant women. Specific IgA and IgG were detected in the serum and secretions of all 222 women. There was no significant difference between the mean levels of specific IgA or IgG in secretions from women with candidosis and those of uninfected women. Neither was there a significant difference between mean levels of specific IgA or IgG when women using oral contraception were compared with others who were not. There was a significant correlation between the levels of IgA and IgG in serum and secretions from women with candidosis and from uninfected women. Blastospore and hyphal forms of C. albicans were seen in vaginal smears from 29 of the 64 women with culture-proven candidosis: in nine, both IgA- and IgG-coated C. albicans cells were recovered from the genital tract; in a tenth, IgG-coated cells were found.