Automated high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of antipyrine and its metabolites in urine : Some preliminary results obtained from smokers and non-smokers

A simple, accurate and fully automated high-performance liquid-chromatographic method was developed for the simultaneous determination of antipyrine (AP), 3-hydroxymethylantipyrine (3HMA), 4-hydroxyantipyrine (4OHA) and norantipyrine (NORA) in urine. This method requires no extraction step and only one chromatographic run with the use of a reversed-phase system. The coefficient of variation (%) (n = 8 each) was: 4.14 for AP, 2.31 for 3HMA, 3.48 for 4OHA, and 2.71 for NORA. The method was applied to studies on AP metabolism in three smokers and three non-smokers who received an oral 10 mg/kg dose of AP. These preliminary results suggest that smokers appear to excrete more 4OHA and NORA in the urine than non-smokers.     

False positive reaction for carcinoembryonic antigen in Paget cells. Immunohistochemical observation

Paget cells from cases of mammary and extramammary Paget's disease were examined for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CEA-related antigens by the immunoperoxidase method. Paget cells showed a conspicuous positive reaction with antiserum to CEA, but were negative when nonspecific cross-reacting-antigen (NCA)-absorbed antiserum to CEA, or a monoclonal antibody to CEA was used as the detecting agents. Paget cells may contain large amounts of NCA antigen or CEA-related substances.     

Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Clostridium difficile from Different Sources

A total of 79 Clostridium difficile strains from healthy young and elderly adults, elderly patients without gastrointestinal disease, elderly patients receiving antibiotics without gastrointestinal complications, and elderly patients with antibiotic-associated diarrhea or pseudomembranous colitis were tested for their susceptibilities to 24 antimicrobial agents. All of the 79 strains were inhibited by low concentrations of rifampicin, metronidazole, fusidic acid, vancomycin, ampicillin, and penicillin G. The strains were highly resistant to aminoglycosides, trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole, nalidixic acid, and cycloserine and often resistant to neomycin, cefoxitin, and cefalexin. Wide variations in the susceptibility of C. difficile strains to erythromycin, clindamycin, lincomycin, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline were found. Strains resistant to erythromycin, clindamycin, and lincomycin were more frequently found among strains isolated from elderly adults than those isolated from young adults, with particularly high frequency among strains isolated from elderly patients receiving antibiotics. None of the 23 strains isolated from healthy young adults was resistant to chloramphenicol. All of the 14 strains resistant to erythromycin, clindamycin, lincomycin, and chloramphenicol were sensitive to tetracycline and all of the 15 strains resistant to erythromycin, clindamycin, lincomycin, and tetracycline were sensitive to chloramphenicol. Only one out of 19 tetracycline-resistant strains was highly toxigenic, whereas 42 (70%) of 60 sensitive strains were highly toxigenic.     

Pyrophosphate-dependent phosphofructokinase from pollen: properties and possible roles in sugar metabolism

To evaluate the role of pyrophosphate-dependent phosphofructokinase (PFP. EC 2.7.1.90) in the sugar metabolism of pollen. its occurrence and properties were studied in pollen grains of several plants including camellia ( Camellia japonica L.). In all pollen samples, PFP was strongly activated by fructose-2,6-bisphosphate (F2,6BP), and the activity of F2,6BP-activated PFP was higher than that of phosphofructokinase (PFK. EC 2.7.1.11). PFP partially purified from camellia pollen required Mg²⁺ for activity with an optimum at 1 m M . and was almost unaflected by a variety of metabolites at 1 m M . Its molecular mass was around 220 kDa, and apparent K_m values for F6P, PP_i. F1, 6BP and P_i were 294, 4, 20 and 580 u M , respectively. The levels of F2.6BP. PP_i and F6P in camellia pollen were sufficent to support the forward reaction by PFP, and PFP, was 20- to 40-fold more active than PFK during pollen growth. These results suggest that pollen PFP plays a role in glycolysis but not gluconeogenesis. and the possible relevance of this to pollen tube growth is discussed.     

Hyperproduction of recombinant ferredoxins in escherichia coli by coexpression of the ORF1-ORF2-iscS-iscU-iscA-hscB-hs cA-fdx-ORF3 gene cluster.

Fe-S proteins acquire Fe-S clusters by an unknown post-translational mechanism. To study the in vivo synthesis of the Fe-S clusters, we constructed an experimental system to monitor the expressed ferredoxin (Fd) as a reporter of protein-bound Fe-S clusters assembled in Escherichia coli. Overexpression of five Fds in a T7 polymerase-based system led to the formation of soluble apoFds and mature holoFds, indicating that assembly of the Fe-S cluster into apoFd polypeptides is a rate-limiting step. We examined the coexpression of the E. coli ORF1-ORF2-iscS-iscU-iscA-hscB-hsc A-fdx-ORF3 gene cluster, which has recently been suggested to be involved in the formation or repair of Fe-S protein [Zheng, L., Cash, V.L., Flint, D.H., and Dean, D.R. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 13264-13272], with reporter Fds using compatible plasmids. The production of all five reporter holoFds examined was dramatically increased by the coexpression of the gene cluster, and apparent specificity to the polypeptides or to the type of Fe-S clusters was not observed. The increase in holoFd production was observed under the coexpression conditions in all culture media examined, with either 2 x YT medium or Terrific broth, and with or without supplemental cysteine or iron. These results indicate that the proteins encoded by the gene cluster are involved in the assembly of the Fe-S clusters in a wide variety of Fe-S proteins.     

Growth and grazing of a large heterotrophic dinoflagellate, Noctiluca scintillans, in laboratory cultures

Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content and growth/grazing characteristicsof the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans wereexamined in laboratory cultures at 24°C. The C and N contentsof N.scintillans per unit cell volume were 2.3 x 10     

Isolation of a VP1 homologue from wheat and analysis of its expression in embryos of dormant and non-dormant cultivars.

A VP (Viviparous) 1 homologous gene has been cloned from wheat (Triticum aestivumL.). Its expression level was examined in the mature embryos of dormant and non-dormant cultivars. The level of expression was positively correlated with the level of seed dormancy and embryo sensitivity to abscisic acid (ABA).     

Biochemical analysis of the receptor for ubiquitin-like polypeptide.

Monoclonal nonspecific suppressor factor (MNSF), a lymphokine produced by murine T cell hybridoma, possesses pleiotrophic antigen-nonspecific suppressive functions. A cDNA clone encoding MNSF-beta, an isoform of the MNSF, has been isolated and characterized. MNSF-beta cDNA encodes a fusion protein consisting of a ubiquitin-like segment (Ubi-L) and ribosomal protein S30. Ubi-L appears to be cleaved from the ribosomal protein and released extracellularly in association with T cell receptor-like polypeptide. In the current study we have characterized the biochemical nature of the Ubi-L receptor on D.10 G4.1, a murine T helper clone type 2. Biotinylated Ubi-L bound preferentially to concanavalin A-stimulated but not to unstimulated D.10 cells. Detergent-extracted membrane proteins were applied to an immobilized Ubi-L column. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of eluted fraction revealed a band of Mr = 82,000. Biotinylated Ubi-L specifically recognized this band, confirming that the 82-kDa protein is the Ubi-L receptor. A complex of Mr = 90,000 was visualized by immunoprecipitation of 125I-Ubi-L cross-linked to the purified receptor followed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. In addition, a 105-kDa protein was coimmunoprecipitated by anti-Ubi-L receptor (82-kDa polypeptide) antibody, indicative of the association of this protein with the Ubi-L receptor complex. Amino acid sequence analysis of the 82-kDa polypeptide revealed that the Ubi-L receptor may be a member of a cytokine receptor family.     

Amyloid β-Mediated Zn2+ Influx into Dentate Granule Cells Transiently Induces a Short-Term Cognitive Deficit

We examined an idea that short-term cognition is transiently affected by a state of confusion in Zn²⁺ transport system due to a local increase in amyloid-β (Aβ) concentration. A single injection of Aβ (25 pmol) into the dentate gyrus affected dentate gyrus long-term potentiation (LTP) 1 h after the injection, but not 4 h after the injection. Simultaneously, 1-h memory of object recognition was affected when the training was performed 1 h after the injection, but not 4 h after the injection. Aβ-mediated impairments of LTP and memory were rescued in the presence of zinc chelators, suggesting that Zn²⁺ is involved in Aβ action. When Aβ was injected into the dentate gyrus, intracellular Zn²⁺ levels were increased only in the injected area in the dentate gyrus, suggesting that Aβ induces the influx of Zn²⁺ into cells in the injected area. When Aβ was added to hippocampal slices, Aβ did not increase intracellular Zn²⁺ levels in the dentate granule cell layer in ACSF without Zn²⁺, but in ACSF containing Zn²⁺. The increase in intracellular Zn²⁺ levels was inhibited in the presence of CaEDTA, an extracellular zinc chelator, but not in the presence of CNQX, an AMPA receptor antagonist. The present study indicates that Aβ-mediated Zn²⁺ influx into dentate granule cells, which may occur without AMPA receptor activation, transiently induces a short-term cognitive deficit. Extracellular Zn²⁺ may play a key role for transiently Aβ-induced cognition deficits.