Some characteristics of monolayers of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylglycerol with and without dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine during dynamic compression and expansion

Some properties of monolayers of $\text{1-}\text{palmitoyl}\text{-2-}\text{oleoyl}\text{-sn-}\text{glycero}\text{-3-}\text{phospho}\text{-rac-}\text{glycerol}$ (POPG) alone or of POPG in mixtures with $\text{1,2-}\text{dipalmitoyl}\text{-sn-}\text{glycero}\text{-3-}\text{phosphocholine}$ (DPPC) have been measured near 35°C during dynamic compression and expansion at 3.6 cm²·s^?1. (2) The mean values of minimum surface tension (corresponding to maximum surface pressure) which could be obtained with pure POPG monolayers at high compression ranged from 15 to 18 mN·m^?1 in the presence of Na⁺, Ca²⁺ or low pH (2.0) in the subphase. (3) The presence of Ca²⁺ or low pH in the subphase increased the collapse plateau ratios obtained on cyclic compression. This might represent enhanced respreading into the monolayer of pure POPG from a collapsed form during reexpansion of the surface. (4) Monolayers containing 10% or 30% POPG and 90% or 70% DPPC could be compressed to surface tensions approaching zero. (5) In such mixed monolayers, 10% or 30% POPG did not appear to enhance respreading, as measured by collapse plateau ratios, in the presence of Na⁺ or Ca²⁺ in the subphase.     

A population genetic study of the Banks and Torres Islands (Vanuatu) and of the Santa Cruz Islands and polynesian outliers (Solomon Islands)

As part of a multidisciplinary survey of populations in the Banks and Torres Islands of Vanuatu and the Southern and Central Districts of the Solomon Islands, nearly 2,400 persons have been tested for ABO blood groups and a number of serum protein and red cell enzyme genetic marker systems. For the ABO system, the populations are characterized in general by high gene O and low gene B frequencies except in two of the Polynesian Outlier Islands, Rennell and Bellona, which have high frequencies of B. Among the serum proteins, several alleles have distributions indicating significant movement of people between islands. These include Albumin ^{New Guinea} and the transferrin alleles Tf, and Tf, and Tf. Similar specific alleles for red cell enzymes also show distributions reflecting interisland population movement as well as contact with persons from outside the southern Pacific region. Examples are ACP in the acid phosphatase system, PGM and PGM, PGM and PGM, PGK⁴ and also HbJ^Tongariki. The data available for 11 polymorphic systems were used to generate genetic distances. Of the four Polynesian Outlier Islands, Anuta is most remote genetically, with Rennell and Bellona also relatively isolated. The fourth Polynesian Outlier, Tikopia, occupies a position genetically close to the Melanesian populations of the Banks and Torres Islands and the southern Solomons. The history of early European contact and voyaging in the Pacific, as well as archaeological and linguistic evidence and local legends, indicate that significant movements of people occurred between islands and provided opportunities for genes to be introduced from Europeans, Africans, and Asians. The genetic marker studies give evidence for genes from all these sources, though at a low level. Despite this admixture, the Polynesian Outlier and Melanesian populations have preserved their own distinctive genetic patterns.     

Analysis of retinal and 3-dehydroretinal in the retina by high-pressure liquid chromatography

A sensitive analytical method was developed in order to study the rhodopsin-porphyropsin system in the eye. Oximes of 11-cis-retinal, all-trans-retinal, 11-cis-3-dehydroretinal, and all-trans-3-dehydroretinal were determined quantitatively by high-pressure liquid chromatography. This method was applied to the analysis of retinal and 3-dehydroretinal in the retinas of bullfrog and goldfish. The results agreed with those obtained from the bleaching kinetics of visual pigment extracted with detergent. A reliable result is obtained if the tissue contains more than 5 pmol of retinal (or 3-dehydroretinal). The chromophore composition could be determined in the eye of a small freshwater prawn, Palaemon pancidence, using 50 pmol of 11-cis-retinal and no 3-dehydroretinal.     

Electrical conductivity of bilayer lipid membranes in electrolytic solution

The electrical conductivity of bilayer lipid membranes (BLM) of oxidized cholesterol has been measured separately in bathing solutions of sodium sulphate, sodium chloride, sodium bromide, sodium iodide and also in bathing solutions of iodine and iodine containing these salts. An attempt has been made to explain the conduction of electric current across the membranes.     

The Utilization of Glucose and Proline by Culture Forms of Trypanosoma brucei*

Exponentially dividing culture forms of Trypanosoma brucei did not utilize glucose provided in the culture medium. The inclusion of 2-deoxyglucose in the medium had no effect on the growth of the trypanosomes. Glucose could be replaced by proline in the liquid phase of biphasic medium without affecting the doubling time of the organisms. Proline added to the culture medium in this way disappeared during the log phase of growth. Glucose in the culture medium was used by the trypanosomes only when the stationary growth phase had been reached. Lipid accumulated in stationary phase trypanosomes grown in glucose-containing medium, but there was no lipid accumulation in log phase organisms or in those which had been grown in proline-containing medium. Bloodstream trypanosomes transferred to liquid medium rapidly utilized glucose over the first 12 hr of culture, and this was accompanied by an accumulation of free pyruvate in the medium. The rate of glucose utilization fell off over the next 36 hr; this was accompanied by a lowering of free pyruvate in the medium and a rise in the proline oxidase activity of the trypanosomes. The possible biologic significance of proline to trypanosomes developing in the midgut of the tsetse vector is discussed.     

Ultrastructure de l'endomètre humain normal

Résumé L'étude du chorion cytogène de 15 endomètres humains normaux prélevés à divers moments du cycle menstruel a précisé d'importantes variations des vaisseaux et des cellules.Les vaisseaux subissent une maturation progressive: en phase proliferative moyenne, des pointes d'accroissement se forment à partir du réseau vasculaire profond activé; au milieu du cycle, elles se transforment en capillaires typiques; en phases sécrétoires moyenne et avancée, des péricytes migrent dans le chorion cytogène et se différencient en cellules choriales.Ces cellules choriales, dites fixes, ont une évolution biphasique au cours du cycle menstruel. Au milieu de chacune des phases, proliférative et surtout sécrétoire, les cellules choriales fixes, dites alors fibroblastoïdes, montrent une intense activité de synthèse. A ces périodes de synthèse succède une involution cellulaire, peu marquée en fin de phase proliferative, intense en phase sécrétoire avancée.Les cellules dites prédéciduales sont des cellules choriales fixes involuées et hyperhydratées; elles vont, en phase menstruelle, évoluer de plusieurs façons: la plupart d'entre elles régénèrent, certaines se nécrosent focalement ou totalement, d'autres font preuve d'activité macrophagique, en particulier collagénolytique.

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Ultrastructure of the normal human endometriumI. The stroma

Summary 15 human endometria during the normal menstrual cycle have been investigated. Important alterations of the vessels and the stroma cells occur.The vessels are the site of gradual maturation. In the mid proliferative phase, growing capillaries rise from the deep-seated vascular system. In the middle of the cycle, they change into typical capillaries. In the mid and late secretory phases, pericytes leave the walls of the capillaries and differentiate into stroma cells.These stroma cells undergo a biphasic cyclic evolution. The middle of the proliferative and particularly of the secretory phase is marked by an intensive synthetic activity of the stroma cells which are called, at this time, fibroblastoïd stroma cells. These two periods of synthesis are followed by cellular involution, mild in the proliferative, intense in the secretory phase.The so-called predecidual cells are hyperhydrated involuted stroma cells. In the menstrual phase they behave very differently of: the majority regenerates, some predecidual cells are the site of focal or total necrosis, others show a macrophagic activity which is conspicuous in some cells having a collagenolytic activity.

Nous remercions Monsieur le Professeur Gandar, Directeur de la Clinique Gynécologique et Obstétricale 1 de la Faculté de Médecine de Strasbourg de nous avoir confié, pour examen ultrastructural, le matériel nécessaire à cette étude.     

Antioxidant Activity of 5-Hydroxytryptophan, 5-Hydroxyindole, and Dopa Against Microsomal Lipid Peroxidation and Its Dependence on Vitamin E

The antioxidant capacity of 5-hydroxy-tryptophan. 5-hydroxy-indole. and DOPA (3,4-dihydroxy-phenyI-alanine) was tested in the Fe-induced lipid peroxidation of liver microsomes of normal- and vitamin E-deficient rats, using ascorbate as a reductant. Lipid peroxidation was monitored as low-level chemilu-minescence, indicative of generation of electronically-excited states arising from the recombination of secondary lipid peroxyl radicals.     

The Effects of Iron-Mediated Oxidative Stress in Isolated Renal Cortical Brush Border Membrane Vesicles at Normothermic and Hypothermic Temperatures

Experiments on renal cortical brush border membrane vesicles have been undertaken in order to assess the involvement of iron in oxidative stress at physiological temperatures and under conditions of hypothermia. A decrease in temperature stimulated iron-induced lipid peroxidation. The results are discussed in relation to the role of the oxidation state of the iron and iron(II)/iron(III) ratios in the initiation of peroxidative events.     

Detection of chemiluminescence in lipid peroxidation of biological systems and its application to HPLC

A combined system of chemiluminescence detection and high performance liquid chromatography (CL–HPLC) was developed to determine primary peroxidation products in biological tissues, such as phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide (PCOOH). The CL–HPLC assay consists of separation of lipid classes with HPLC and detection of hydroperoxide-specific chemiluminescence. Hydroperoxides react with heme compounds to produce oxidants as suggested by our early studies on tissue low-level chemiluminescence in which singlet molecular oxygen is generated as one of the excited species in several biological systems involving free radical events. In the CL–HPLC method, a cytochrome c–luminol mixture was used as a hydroperoxide-specific luminescent reagent, and the quantification of hydroperoxide was performed by detecting chemiluminescence due to the luminol oxidation caused by the oxidant produced during the lipid hydroperoxides with heme. The detection limit of PCOOH was 10 pmole hydroperoxide–O₂. PCOOH in normal human blood was found to be 10–500 pmol/ml plasma and significantly higher levels of PCOOH were observed in some hospitalized patients.     

水稻不育花药中H_2O_2的积累与膜脂过氧化的加剧

水稻7017、二九矮细胞质雄性不育系及其保持系花药的POD,CAT和SOD活性研究的结果表明,单核早期时不育及可育花药的酶活性差异不明显,单核晚期、二核及三核期的不育花药显著低于可育花药。在不育花药中缺少两条Cu-Zn SOD同工酶带,而且O_2~ 产生效率为可育的4.1～5.5倍,并有H_2O_2和MDA的积累。不育花药中H_2O_2的积累和膜脂过氧化的加剧可能与花粉败育有关。