Consequences of head size following trauma to the human head.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate whether variation of human head size results in different outcome regarding intracranial responses following a direct impact. Finite Element models representing different head sizes and with various element mesh densities were created. Frontal impacts towards padded surfaces as well as inertial loads were analyzed. The variation in intracranial stresses and intracranial pressures for different sizes of the geometry and for various element meshes were investigated. A significant correlation was found between experiment and simulation with regard to intracranial pressure characteristics. The maximal effective stresses in the brain increased more than a fourfold, from 3.6kPa for the smallest head size to 16.3kPa for the largest head size using the same acceleration impulse. When simulating a frontal impact towards a padding, the head injury criterion (HIC) value varies from the highest level of 2433 at a head mass of 2.34kg to the lowest level of 1376 at a head mass of 5.98kg, contradicting the increase in maximal intracranial stresses with head size. The conclusion is that the size dependence of the intracranial stresses associated with injury, is not predicted by the HIC. It is suggested that variations in head size should be considered when developing new head injury criteria.     

Intensive fish predation: an obstacle to biological recovery following liming of acidified lakes?

Several thousand lakes have been limed inNorway and Sweden during the last threedecades. Most fishless lakes are stocked withsalmonid game fish after liming, predominantlybrown trout (Salmo trutta). Thecombination of intensive anthropogenic stockingand improved natural reproduction possibilitiesin brooks and rivers often leads to denselypopulated lakes and excess fish planktivory.Another major fish species in southern Norway,Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis),exhibits strong numerical increases afterliming, and within a short period of time thelakes harbor dense and often stuntedpopulations. The cladoceran zooplanktoncommunity was used as a diagnostic tool forstudying fish status, patterns and processes oflakes in the present area. Systems that werelimed before all fish species were lost, andbefore major dominance shifts had taken placewithin the invertebrates, recovered morequickly. Recovery periods are severelyprolonged in strongly disturbed, chronicallyacidified ecosystems. The control of fishabundance in optimal human resource managementof limed lakes is a delicate balance betweenthe necessity to suppress potentialinvertebrate predators and fish competitorssuch as corixids and chaoborids, and to avoidover-exploitation of the planktonic and benthiccommunities. If the combined watershed and lakesystem does not naturally produce sub-optimalspawning and recruitment possibilities, eitherfor brown trout or Eurasian perch, resulting insmaller populations, chances are high that thesite will lose its attraction as a fishingobject due to overpopulation. This should be amajor field of concern both for the ecology ofthese lakes and their resource management bythe fishery and environmental officials.     

The gastrointestinal tract of Adélie penguins – morphology and function

The aim of this study was to provide data on the morphology of the gastrointestinal tract of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae). It was found to consist of a long oesophagus, a two-chambered stomach, a small intestine measuring only 5.22body length, two rudimentary caeca and a short colon, typical of carnivorous birds. The stomach comprised a glandular proventriculus and a muscular gizzard that frequently contained grit. An acidic pH was recorded in both chambers. Ultrastructural studies of the small intestinal mucosal membrane revealed epithelial cells with elongated, irregular microvilli and high affinity for toluidine blue, absorptive intestinal epithelial cells and goblet cells. Numerous large lymphocyte-like cells were observed close to the brush border of the epithelium, and empty spaces on the epithelial surface reflected normal cell loss in the small intestine. The rudimentary caeca and colon provide relatively little volume and time for symbiotic bacteria to aid the digestion of crustacean chitin.     

Characterization of a biologically active arabinogalactan from the leaves of Plantago major L.

PMIa is a Type II arabinogalactan with anti-complementary activity isolated from the leaves of Plantago major L. It has a molecular weight of 77000–80000 Da and consists of arabinose (38%), galactose (49%), rhamnose (6%), galacturonic acid (7%) and 1.5% protein with hydroxyproline, alanine and serine as the main amino acids. Characterization of PMIa by methylation and GC-MS, methanolysis and GC, Smith degradation, weak acid hydrolysis, ¹³C-NMR, ¹H-NMR, two-dimensional heteronuclear NMR and DEPT show that it consists of 1,3-linked galactan chains with 1,6-linked galactan side chains attached to position 6. The side chains are further branched in position 3 with 1,3-linked galactose residues which have 1,6-linked galactose attached to position 6; these 1,3- and 1,6-linked galactose chains altogether probably form a network. Terminal and 1,5-linked arabinose in furanose form are attached to the galactan mainly through position 3 of the 1,6-linked galactose side chains.     

Modulation of membrane drug permeability in Chinese hamster ovary cells

The kinetics of colchicine uptake into Chinese hamster ovary cells have been investigated and found to be consistent with an unmediated diffusion mode. A variety of compounds such as local anesthetics and non-ionic detergents as well as drugs such as vinblastine, vincristine, daunomycin and actinomycin D potentiate the rate of colchicine uptake into these cells and into colchicine resistant mutants. In all cases, higher concentrations of these compounds were required to stimulate colchicine uptake in the colchicine resistant mutants than in the cells of the parental line. This stimulation was observed also in the uptake of puromycin, a structurally and functionally different drug. These stimulatory agents did not, however, cause the cells to become nonspecifically leaky since the uptake of 2-deoxy-d-glucose was unaffected. In addition, the activation energy of colchicine uptake was unaltered in the presence of stimulating agents, implying that they were not causing colchicine to enter the cells via a different mechanism. The results are compatible with the view that these compounds are membrane-active, and are able to stimulate an increased rate of unmediated diffusion of colchicine into the cells. It appears that a mechanism for the regulation of passive permeability is modified in the resistant mutants.     

The Liver of Myxine glutinosa: A true tubular gland

Summary The authors have reexamined the liver of Myxine with the light and electron microscopes. The observations demonstrate that the liver in this animal is really a tubular gland, in accordance with the conclusions of older anatomists, but in contrast to more recent statements. The existence of a tubular pattern in the liver of the lowest living vertebrate is important for the elaboration of a valid general model of liver structure, which necessarily has to be based on comparative anatomy.The special cytology of the liver and the ductular cells is presented.     

Icreased drug permeability in Chinese hamster ovary cells in the presence of cyanide

In this report we investigated whether the modulation of drug permeability in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells was an energy-dependent process. We observed that (1) in the absence of glucose, metabolic inhibitors such as cyanide, azide, and dinitrophenol stimulated the uptake of [³H]colchicine and other drug; (2) cyanide-induced stimulation of drug uptake could be prevented by the presence of metabolizable sugars such as glucose and ribose; (3) cyanide-treated cells were fully viable; (4) on the addition of cyanide and glucose the kinetics of drug permeability changes were very rapid. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that an energy-dependent membrane barrier against the uptake of a variety of drugs was operative in CHO cells.The nature of this energy-dependent membrane barrier was examined in colchicine-resistant mutants (CH^RC4 and CH^RC5 cells) previously characterized as membrane mutants with greatly reduced drug permeability (Ling and Thompson, (1974) J. Cell Physiol. 83, 103–116). The mutants were more refractile to the cyanide-induced stimulation of drug permeability but more sensitive to the glucose prevention cyanide-induction. In the presence of cyadine, the uptake rate of [³H] colchicine by CH^RC4 cells increased by about 100-fold and approached a rate similar to that of wild-type cells. These results suggest that the colchicine-resistant mutants may be altered in their energy-dependent modulation of drug permeability.