Sexual Therapy of Patients with Cardiovascular Disease

Physical illness or disability inevitably has a damaging effect on sexual relationships. Physicians are usually unaware of the sexual consequences of illness on their patients, and lack experience in treating sexual dysfunctions.The report of treatment of a couple with serious cardiovascular disease illustrates the potential efficacy of brief sex therapy for improving the quality of a patient''s life. If a primary physician lacks the skills to conduct sex therapy, he may collaborate with nonphysician therapists. The physician''s knowledge of the physiological and psychological effects of a specific illness on his patient is essential to successful therapy. Often, simple education, encouragement or reassurance by the physician is enough to overcome the damaging effects of illness on a patient''s sex life.     

Reproductive patterns in seventeen species of warmwater fishes in a Missouri River reservoir

Synopsis The timing of ovarian maturation and spawning of 17 warmwater fish species in Lake Oahe (South and North Dakota) was estimated from changes in the mean ovary indices (ratios of ovary weight to fish length). The onset of vitellogenesis varied within species (up to 2 months). Maturation of the ova took from 7.5 to 10 months, depending on species. Annual variations in the mean date of peak spawning of individual species during 1964–1971 were usually less than a week. There was little overlap of the annual mean peak spawning dates of the 17 species, and an established sequence of spawning among species was shown. A relatively high incidence of atresia in the shovelnose sturgeon, northern pike, and carp indicated that these species had apparently not yet adapted to the altered and variable spawning conditions in this reservoir. Regularity of spawning would seem to provide the best chance for spawning success in variable environments such as Lake Oahe.     

Studies of fibrin film. I. Stress relaxation and birefringence

Measurements of stress relaxation in uniaxial extension and associated time-dependent birefringence have been made on bovine fibrin film, prepared by gentle compaction of coarse fibrin clots, containing 13–22% fibrin plasticized with either aqueous buffer or glycerol. Both unligated and ligated (i.e., with α-α and γ-γ ligation by fibrinoligase, factor XIIIa) films were studied. Both types showed two stages of stress relaxation, with time scales of approximately 10 and 10³–10⁴ s, respectively, with a plateau region between. In the plateau, the nominal (engineering) stress for ligated glycerol-plasticized film is proportional to In λ, where λ is the stretch ratio, up to λ ? 2, and it decreases with increasing temperature. For unligated glycerol-plasticized film, the stresses are smaller by a factor of one-half to one-third. For ligated film, the second stage of relaxation is relatively slight, and recovery after release of stress is often nearly complete. For unligated film, the second stage involves a substantial drop in stress, and after recovery there is a significant permanent set. A second relaxation for ligated film reproduces the first, but for unligated film it reproduces the first only if the initial relaxation is terminated before the second stage; otherwise, the second relaxation shows a weaker structure. The behavior of water-plasticized film is similar to that of glycerol-plasticized except that the second stage of relaxation occurs at shorter times. During the first stage of stress relaxation, up to about 100 s, the birefringence and the stress-optical coefficient increase; during the plateau zone of stress relaxation, the birefringence of ligated films is approximately constant and is proportional to 2λ²/(λ² + 1) ? 1, where λ is the stretch ratio. This dependence is predicted by a two-dimensional model in which rodlike elements in the plane of the film are oriented with independent alignment. During the final stage of stress relaxation, the birefringence of ligated films decreases slightly; that of unligated films decreases substantially, but less rapidly than the stress, corresponding to a further increase in the stress-optical coefficient. With additional information from small-angle x-ray scattering reported in an accompanying paper, the first stage of relaxation is attributed to partial release of bending forces in the fibers by orientation, accompanied by increased birefringence. The second stage is attributed, for ligated films, to an internal transition in the fibrin units accompanied by elongation of some of the fibers; and in the unligated films, to a combination of the latter transition with slippage of protofibrils lengthwise within the fiber bundles that causes some loss of orientation, which diminishes the birefringence.     

Formation of “Glucometasaccharinolactones” in the pyrolysis of curdlan,A (1→3)-β-d-glucan

The volatile products of vacuum pyrolysis of curdlan are very much influenced by the presence of small proportions of sodium chloride in the polysaccharide during pyrolysis. In the absence of contamination by this salt, the major, volatile products are the 1,6-anhydro-d-glucoses (pyranose and furanose) in 49% yield. Addition of increasing proprtions of sodium chloride decreases the yield of these anhydro-d-glucoses, and causes formation of increasing proportions of 3-deoxy-d-ribo-hexono-1,4-lactone and its d-arabino epimer (i.e., the “glucometasaccharinolactones”) in a combined yield of up to 38%. It is concluded that the pyrolysis of (1→3)-glycans can lead to a “peeling” reaction of the same type as that already known for alkaline degradation. The effect of other salts was also studied.     

Base-catalyzed oligomerization of levoglucosenone

Heating levoglucosenone in aqueous triethylamine gives a dimer and two trimers in yields of 8, 18, and 56%, respectively. These compounds have been isolated crystalline, and their structures and stereochemistry have been investigated by ¹³C- and ¹H-n.m.r. and other spectroscopic methods. These data indicate that the dimer is apparently formed by Michael addition to provide a C-3-C-4 linkage. Similar reactions provide a non-olefinic, C-3-C-4-linked, cyclic trimer and an olefinic, cyclic trimer containing two C-3-C-4 linkages and one C-2-C-3 linkage.     

Vitreous Carbon: A New Material for Making Microtome Knives

The quality of sections obtained by microtomy depends to a large extent on the quality and characteristics of the microtome knife itself. Despite the need for improved microtomy techniques, there have been few significant developments since the introduction of glass and diamond knives in the 1950's. The manufacture of microtome knives from vitreous carbon provides new possibilities for developing both improved methods and improved equipment for specimen sectioning. Vitreous carbon has unique physical properties that lend themselves to the generation of precision cutting edges. Such an edge can be obtained either by breaking a piece of vitreous carbon or by using lapidary techniques. The resultant edge seems well adapted to both thick and thin sectioning. The introduction of vitreous carbon as a sectioning tool offers a significant alternative to metal, glass and diamond knives.     

Polygalacturonate lyase production byThermomonospora curvata on protein-extracted lucerne fiber

Summary Protein-extracted lucerne fiber was used as carbon and energy source for production of extracellular polygalacturonate lyase byThermomonospora curvata. The optimal fiber concentration was 1.5% (w/v); peal lyase activity in culture fluid occurred after 3 days growth at 53°C. During that time, lyase biosynthesis was controlled through induction; production was accelerated by adding small amounts of pectin or by grinding the fiber to 40-mesh particle size to release more inducer. After 3 days growth, lyase activity decreased; inactivation of the enzyme was delayed by the presence of 1 mM Ca or by inhibition of serine proteases with 0.05 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. The molecular weight of the lyase produced during growth on the fiber was 35 kDa compared to 56 kDa for the enzyme produced on pure pectin. TheK _m of the 35-kDa form was 0.54% pectin compared to 0.06% for the 56-kDa form. The smaller form was rapidly inactivated at 60°C, the optimal temperature for activity of the larger form.     

Anaerobic metabolism of goldfish,Carassius auratus (L.). Influence of anoxia on mass-action ratios of transaminase reactions and levels of ammonia and succinate

Summary Changes in the concentrations of ammonia, glutamate, alanine, aspartate, -ketoglutarate, oxaloacetate and succinate were measured in freeze-clamped lateralred muscle, dorsal white muscle and liver, and in rapidly cooled blood of goldfish after 12 h of anoxia. Alanine accumulation, succinate accumulation and aspartate depletion are observed in all tissues examined; in the liver the concentrations of glutamate increase and those of ammonia decrease. The mass-action ratio of the glutamate-pyruvate transaminase-catalyzed reaction stays within one order of magnitude from thermodynamic equilibrium in the direction of alanine formation. The mass-action ratio of the glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase reaction is far from equilibrium when measured oxaloacetate concentrations are used. When levels of free oxaloacetate are calculated from LDH and MDH equilibrium constants, the mass-action ratio of glutamate-oxaloacetate transamination is close to equilibrium in the direction of aspartate formation. Since neither alanine nor glutamate decreases, and since ammonia gradients suggest a continuous ammonia production in all tissues examined, anaerobic proteolysis is assumed. A possible coupling between amino acid catabolism and ethanol production is discussed.Abbreviations ALA alanine - ASP aspartate - EDTA ethylene diamine tetraacetate - FP _ox oxidated flavoprotein - FP _red reduced flavoprotein - FUM fumarate - GLU glutamate - GOT glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase - GPT glutamate pyruvate transaminase - IMP inosine monophosphate - KG -ketoglutarate - LDH lactate dehydrogenase - MAL malate - MAR mass action ratio - MDH malate dehydrogenase - OAA oxaloacetate - PYR pyruvate - sAMP adenylosuccinate - SDH succinate dehydrogenase - SUCC succinate     

The fine structure of the terminal segment of the bovine seminiferous tubule

Summary The intratesticular excurrent duct system of the bull is composed of rete testis, tubuli recti, and the terminal segment of the seminiferous tubules. Each terminal segment is surrounded by a vascular plexus and may be subdivided into a transitional region, middle portion, and terminal plug. The modified supporting cells of the middle portion and the terminal plug no longer display the typical Sertoli-Sertoli junctions seen in the transitional region and the seminiferous tubule proper. In the region of the terminal plug a distinct central lumen is generally not observed: spermatozoa and tubular fluid must pass through an intricate system of communicating clefts between the apices of the closely attached modified supporting cells. Vacuoles in the supranuclear region of the cells in the middle portion indicate strong transepithelial fluid transport. In analogy to the epithelium of rete testis and tubuli recti, the supporting cells of the terminal segment are capable of phagocytosing spermatozoa. The vascular plexus investing the terminal segment serves a dual purpose: it is a regulatory device for fluid and sperm transport, as well as an area of increased diapedesis for white blood cells.Supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft