Dermatoglyphic studies of myocardial infarction patients

Dermatoglyphic traits were studied in a sample of 834 subjects selected from a cohort of some 8,000 living Japanese men, under a long-term study of heart disease in Hawaii. All of them were born between 1900 and 1919. Among them, 100 subjects had had positive diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI). The present study included comparisons between the MI patients and the remaining group of all digital dermal pattern types and ridge counts by digit, by hand, and by individual. The MI patients had significantly higher frequency of true whorls, double loops and less ulnar loops and tented arches. Total and absolute ridge counts were significantly higher (less than 0.05) in all digits in favor of the MI patients. Similar trends were observed in analyses by digit and by hand. These observations suggest an antenatal origin of certain types of coronary disease.     

Age as a factor in 6-hydroxydopamine-induced plasticity in the hypothalamus

Summary The question of age as a possible factor influencing the regenerative response of catecholaminergic varicosities in the hypothalamus was investigated in the supraoptic commissure and the paraventricular, periventricular, and dorsomedial hypothalamic nuclei of rats that had received intraventricular injections of the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine when they were (1) neonates, (2) young adults, or (3) senescent adults. After postneurotoxin survival for 4, 21, 56, or 180 days, the animals were perfused, and the hypothalamic tissue sections were cut and processed using a glyoxylic acid method for localizing catecholamines. Four days following neurotoxin administration, counts of fluorescent varicosities showed a significant loss of catecholamine varicosities in each of the four areas. Subsequently, at least partial restoration of numbers of catecholamine varicosities occurred in all hypothalamic areas in all three age groups. It is concluded that, following selective lesions induced by the neurotoxin 6-OH-DA, catecholamine varicosities were restored both in immature and mature groups. According to the evidence obtained experimentally, the rate of restoration was greater in the neonate group, whereas the percentage restoration attained varies according to the hypothalamic area studied and the age of the animal.     

Interference of ATP and acidity in the determination of inorganic phosphate by the Fiske and Subbarow method.

The influences of ATP and trichloroacetic acid on the color development of molybdenum blue in the Fiske and Subbarow method for the determination of inorganic phosphate were investigated. From these results optimum concentrations of ATP and trichloroacetic acid were recommended. Satisfactory results were obtained in the determination of the ATPase activity of sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes isolated from rabbit skeletal muscle.     

Isolation and Genetic Analysis of Mutant Strains of CHLAMYDOMONAS REINHARDI Defective in Gametic Differentiation

Impotent mutant strains of Chlamydomonas reinhardi, mating-type (mt) plus, are described that have normal growth and motility but fail to differentiate into normal gametes. Procedures for their isolation and their genetic analysis are described. Five of the imp strains (imp-2, imp-5, imp-l, imp-7, and imp-8) exhibit no flagellar agglutination when mixed with mt- or mt+ gametes and the mutations are shown to be unlinked to the mt locus (with the possible exception of imp-7). Two of the strains (imp-3 and imp-4) carry leaky mutations that affect cell fusion; neither mutation is found by tetrad analysis to be linked to mt or to the other. Cells of the imp-1 strain agglutinate well with mt- gametes and active agglutination continues for up to 48 hours, but cell fusion occurs only very rarely. Analysis of these rare zygotes indicates that imp-1 is closely linked to the mt+ locus, and fine-structural studies reveal that imp-1 gametes produce a mutant mating structure involved in zygotic cell fusion. The development of sexuality in C. reinhardi therefore appears amenable to genetic dissection.     

Bacterial periphyton of the Vltava River

Bacterial periphyton formed during 48 hours was studied by glass slide method and direct counting in Vltava River in Praha, Czechoslovakia. At water temperatures 8–11°C the numbers of rods ranged between 24,000 and 336,000 per 1 cm² and those of cocci between 30,000 and 228,000. The relation rods: cocci ranged between 0,9 and 2,4 with an average value of 1,7, whereas in a fishpond this average was 0,5. Among the periphyton 81,3% bacterial cells were active. The rods: cocci relation seems to be a good indicator of water pollution by organic matter, but numbers distinguishing the individual saprobic levels cannot be given yet.

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Zusammenfassung Es wurde der bakterielle Bewuchs von Glassplatten im Vltava-Fluss in Praha untersucht. Zweitägige Exposition erwies sich als am meisten geeignet, um den Bewuchs mikroskopisch durch direkte Zählung quantitativ zu erfassen. In Abhängigkeit von der Tiefe, Wassertemperatur, Verunreinigungsgrad, Sonnenstrahlung u.a. entwickelte sich der Bewuchs quantitativ unterschiedlich und zeigte auch eine unterschiedliche Relation von Stäbchen zu Kokken. Im beta-mesosaproben Bereich wurden im Herbst (Wassertemperaturen 8–11 °C) 24.000 bis 336.000 Stäbchen und 30.000 bis 228.000 Kokken per 1 cm² gefunden, mit den Mittelwerten 163.100 Stäbchen und 104.100 Kokken. Die Vergleichswerte von einem Fischteich in Motol lagen für Stäbchen im gleichen Bereich, während die Kokken, bis 254.000 erreichten.Die Relation Stäbchen: Kokken variierte im Vltava-Fluss zwischen 0,9 (nur einmal) und 2,4 mit dem Mittelwert 1,7, im Fischteich zwischen 0,4 ufnd 0,7 mit dem Mittelwert 0,5. Es hat sich erwiesen, dass diese Relation brauchbare Angaben über die organische Verunreinigung gibt. Leider liegen bisher zu wenige Ergebnisse vor, um eine Skale gegenüber den Saprobitätsstufen zu errichten.Unter den Bewuchsbakterien gab es in der Vltava durchschnittlich 81,3% aktive Zellen, wie durch Fluoreszenzanalyse festgestellt wurde.Fast alle Daten indizieren eine schwächere Verunreinigung des Wassers am linken Ufer als am rechten.

     

Freezing and Storing Ditylenchus dipsaci in Liquid Nitrogen

After 18 months of storage at -150 C, some larvae of Ditylenchus dipsaci, which had been treated in a 7.5% solution of dimethyl sulphoxide and cooled to -25 C before storage, were still viable on thawing. Some survivors penetrated and developed normally in stems of alfalfa seedlings. Tests showed that active larvae could be frozen directly, thus eliminating the need to use the quiescent stage of this nematode previously thought necessary for successful storage at cryogenic temperatures. The method described is suitable for long-term storage of D. dipsaci and may, with slight modifications, be used to preserve other plant-parasitic nematodes.     

Circular RNA AFF4 modulates osteogenic differentiation in BM-MSCs by activating SMAD1/5 pathway through miR-135a-5p/FNDC5/Irisin axis

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs), the common progenitor cells of adipocytes and osteoblasts, have been recognized as the key mediator during bone formation. Herein, our study aim to investigate molecular mechanisms underlying circular RNA (circRNA) AFF4 (circ_AFF4)-regulated BM-MSCs osteogenesis. BM-MSCs were characterized by FACS, ARS, and ALP staining. Expression patterns of circ_AFF4, miR-135a-5p, FNDC5/Irisin, SMAD1/5, and osteogenesis markers, including ALP, BMP4, RUNX2, Spp1, and Colla1 were detected by qRT-PCR, western blot, or immunofluorescence staining, respectively. Interactions between circ_AFF4 and miR-135a-5p, FNDC5, and miR-135a-5p were analyzed using web tools including TargetScan, miRanda, and miRDB, and further confirmed by luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down. Complex formation between Irisin and Integrin αV was verified by Co-immunoprecipitation. To further verify the functional role of circ_AFF4 in vivo during bone formation, we conducted animal experiments harboring circ_AFF4 knockdown, and born samples were evaluated by immunohistochemistry, hematoxylin and eosin, and Masson staining. Circ_AFF4 was upregulated upon osteogenic differentiation induction in BM-MSCs, and miR-135a-5p expression declined as differentiation proceeds. Circ_AFF4 knockdown significantly inhibited osteogenesis potential in BM-MSCs. Circ_AFF4 stimulated FNDC5/Irisin expression through complementary binding to its downstream target molecule miR-135a-5p. Irisin formed an intermolecular complex with Integrin αV and activated the SMAD1/5 pathway during osteogenic differentiation. Our work revealed that circ_AFF4, acting as a sponge of miR-135a-5p, triggers the promotion of FNDC5/Irisin via activating the SMAD1/5 pathway to induce osteogenic differentiation in BM-MSCs. These findings gained a deeper insight into the circRNA-miRNA regulatory system in the bone marrow microenvironment and may improve our understanding of bone formation-related diseases at physiological and pathological levels.Subject terms: Stem cells, Diseases     

Human Health Risk Assessment of Soils Contaminated with Metal(loid)s by Using DGT Uptake: A Case Study of a Former Korean Metal Refinery Site

The human health risk of soils contaminated with As, Pb, Cu, and Zn was evaluated based on pseudo-total concentrations of metal(loid)s, the physiologically based extraction test (PBET), and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT). Non-carcinogenic (NCR) and carcinogenic (CR) risks exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criteria under both the residential and non-residential scenarios. Human bioavailable concentrations (PBET) were much lower than pseudo-total concentrations. The Hazardous Index of NCR (HI (NCR)) for the PBET in the studied soils was 67% and 94% less than that for pseudo-total concentration, respectively, under the non-residential and residential scenarios. Similarly, CR for the PBET was also 65% and 93% less for the two soils. The concentration of metal(loid)s accumulated in the DGT resin was highly correlated with the PBET-extractable concentration (R² > 0.649). Therefore, for both the CR and HI (NCR), the DGT-calculated risk was linearly related to the PBET-calculated risk for the studied soils under both scenarios. The results suggest that DGT uptake and PBET-extracted concentrations are good surrogates for risk estimation and that both J1 and J2 soils require remediation before their use for residential or non-residential purposes.     

Control of the pericentrosomal H2O2 level by peroxiredoxin I is critical for mitotic progression

Proteins associated with the centrosome play key roles in mitotic progression in mammalian cells. The activity of Cdk1-opposing phosphatases at the centrosome must be inhibited during early mitosis to prevent premature dephosphorylation of Cdh1—an activator of the ubiquitin ligase anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome—and the consequent premature degradation of mitotic activators. In this paper, we show that reversible oxidative inactivation of centrosome-bound protein phosphatases such as Cdc14B by H₂O₂ is likely responsible for this inhibition. The intracellular concentration of H₂O₂ increases as the cell cycle progresses. Whereas the centrosome is shielded from H₂O₂ through its association with the H₂O₂-eliminating enzyme peroxiredoxin I (PrxI) during interphase, the centrosome-associated PrxI is selectively inactivated through phosphorylation by Cdk1 during early mitosis, thereby exposing the centrosome to H₂O₂ and facilitating inactivation of centrosome-bound phosphatases. Dephosphorylation of PrxI by okadaic acid–sensitive phosphatases during late mitosis again shields the centrosome from H₂O₂ and thereby allows the reactivation of Cdk1-opposing phosphatases at the organelle.     

Allyl Isothiocyanate Ameliorates Angiogenesis and Inflammation in Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Acute Colitis

Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) is a phytochemical found in cruciferous vegetables that has known chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activities. Thus far, the antiangiogenic activity of AITC has not been reported in in vivo studies. Herein, we investigated the effect of AITC on angiogenesis and inflammation in a mouse model of colitis. Experimental colitis was induced in mice by administering 3% dextran sulfate sodium via drinking water. To monitor the activity of AITC in this model, we measured body weight, disease activity indices, histopathological scores, microvascular density, myeloperoxidase activity, F4/80 staining, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A/VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) expression in the mice. We found that AITC-treated mice showed less weight loss, fewer clinical signs of colitis, and longer colons than vehicle-treated mice. AITC treatment also significantly lessened the disruption of colonic architecture that is normally associated with colitis and repressed the microvascularization response. Further, AITC treatment reduced both leukocyte recruitment and macrophage infiltration into the inflamed colon, and the mechanism these activities involved repressing iNOS and COX-2 expression. Finally, AITC attenuated the expression of VEGF-A and VEGFR2. Thus, AITC may have potential application in treating conditions marked by inflammatory-driven angiogenesis and mucosal inflammation.