The relationship between ovarian steroids and uterine estrogen receptors during late pregnancy

Although a direct interdependence exists between the ovarian steroids, estrogen and progesterone, the exact role of these two hormones during pregnancy, especially late pregnancy, is not completely understood. Investigations have been conducted to determine whether the circulating levels of progesterone and estrogen or changes in the ratio of progesterone/estrogen in relation to the concentration of uterine estrogen receptors are associated with triggering parturition. Ninety-day old female rats were sacrificed at gestation days 14, 16, 18, 20 and two days post-partum. The plasma levels of estradiol and progesterone were measured by solid-phase radioimmunoassay. Uterine cytosol was subjected to a charcoal binding assay to determine the concentration of estrogen receptors. Our findings demonstrate that there is a significant (p less than 0.05) drop in both plasma progesterone and estradiol during late pregnancy. Also indicated is a significant (p less than 0.05) increase in uterine estrogen receptors throughout late pregnancy. Finally, during this period there is a direct correlation between the shift in the progesterone/estrogen ratio and the increase in the concentration of uterine estrogen receptors in late pregnancy.     

Modulation of restriction enzyme-induced damage by chemicals that interfere with cellular responses to DNA damage: a cytogenetic and pulsed-field gel analysis

The electroporation of restriction enzymes into mammalian cells results in DNA double-strand breaks that can lead to chromosome aberrations. Four chemicals known to interfere with cellular responses to DNA damage were investigated for their effects on chromosome aberrations induced by AluI and Sau3AI; in addition, the number of DNA double-strand breaks at various times after enzyme treatment was determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor 3-aminobenzamide (3AB) dramatically increased the yield of exchanges and deletions and caused a small but transitory increase in the yield of double-strand breaks induced by the enzymes. 1-beta-D-Arabinofuranosylcytosine, which can inhibit DNA repair either by direct action on DNA polymerases alpha and delta or by incorporation into DNA, potentiated aberration induction but to a lesser extent than 3AB and did not affect the amount of DNA double-strand breakage. Aphidicolin, which inhibits polymerases alpha and delta, had no effect on AluI-induced aberrations but did increase the aberration yield induced by Sau3AI. The postreplication repair inhibitor caffeine had no effect on aberration yields induced by either enzyme. Neither aphidicolin nor caffeine modulated the amount of DNA double-strand breakage as measured by PFGE. These data implicate poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation and polymerases alpha and delta as important components of the cellular processes required for the normal repair of DNA double-strand breaks with blunt or cohesive ends. Comparison of these data with the effect of inhibitors on the frequency of X-ray-induced aberrations leads us to the conclusion that X-ray-induced aberrations can result from the misjoining or nonrejoining of double-strand breaks, particularly breaks with cohesive ends, but that this process accounts for only a portion of the induced aberrations.     

Survival of early preimplantation porcine embryos after co-culture with cells producing an avian retrovirus

To determine the relative survival of porcine embryos after co-culture with cells producing an avian retrovirus, four-cell stage embryos were obtained from sows following synchronization with altrenogest and superovulation with gonadotropins. These embryos were randomly assigned to the following treatments: no manipulation (zona-intact); zona removed with acidified Tyrode's solution (zona-free); and zona removed followed by co-culture with D-17 canine cells producing an avian retrovirus vector derived from spleen necrosis virus (zona-free + co-culture). The survival rates of four-cell stage embryos to morulae or early blastocysts during a 48-h culture period were 93.3, 80.0 and 57.7% in zona-intact, zona-free and zona-free + co-culture groups, respectively. Following embryo transfer, the development of embryos to fetuses at six weeks of gestation was 37.5, 30.0 and 11.7% in zona-intact, zona-free and zona-free + co-culture groups. These results indicate that early preimplantation porcine embryos can develop to apparently normal fetuses following co-culture with cells producing a retrovirus, and the feasibility of this method for retrovirus-mediated gene transfer in pigs was demonstrated.     

Restoration of embryogenic competence in repeatedly subcultured carrot cell lines

Summary The production of somatic embryos from carrot suspension cultures invariably decreases through simple, repeated subculturing. Extracellular, concentrated compounds extracted from already established embryo culture not only recovered the embryogenic capability, but also accelerated the embryo production as much as two-fold (up to 1600 embryos/ml) compared with that of a control culture. Sugars, which were only a small portion of the total concentrate, were excluded as possible causative factors. It is likely that a protein fraction that is generated directly by competent, embryogenic cultures is important for the restoration of embryogenic potential.     

Randomised controlled trial of short term treatment to eradicate Helicobacter pylori in patients with duodenal ulcer.

OBJECTIVE--To determine whether one week''s drug treatment is sufficient to eradicate Helicobacter pylori in patients with duodenal ulcer. DESIGN--Single blind, randomised controlled trial. SETTING--Specialised ulcer clinic in a teaching hospital. PATIENTS--155 patients with H pylori and a duodenal ulcer verified endoscopically which had either bled within the previous 24 hours or was causing dyspepsia. INTERVENTIONS--Patients were allocated randomly to receive either omeprazole for four weeks plus bismuth 120 mg, tetracycline 500 mg, and metronidazole 400 mg (all four times a day) for the first week (n = 78), or omeprazole alone for four weeks (n = 77). Further endoscopy was performed four weeks after cessation of all drugs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Presence or absence of H pylori (by urease testing, microscopy, and culture of antral biopsy specimens), duodenal ulcer, and side effects. RESULTS--Eradication of H pylori occurred in 70 (95%) patients taking the four drugs (95% confidence interval 86% to 97%) compared with three (4%) patients taking omeprazole alone (1% to 11%). Duodenal ulcers were found in four (5%) patients taking the four drugs (2% to 12%) and in 16 (22%) patients taking omeprazole alone (14% to 32%). Mild dizziness was the only reported side effect (six patients in each group) and did not affect compliance. CONCLUSIONS--A one week regimen of bismuth, tetracycline, and metronidazole is safe and effective in eradicating H pylori and reduces the number of duodenal ulcers four weeks after completing treatment.     

神农架豆科植物的分布及其区系特点

神农架位于湖北西部,素有“华中第一峰”之称,最高海拔3105米。神农架有豆科植物31属56种(不包括栽培种),其中,乔木10种,灌木19种,草本22种和藤本5种。在温带常绿针叶林带内有2种生长,有28种分布在暖温性落叶阔叶和针叶混交林带,52种分布在亚热带落叶阔叶和常绿阔叶混交林带。其中,只有紫云英1种在三个带内都有分布,24种可跨两个分布带。在区系成分中,中国-日本成分16种,中国特有种21种,温带亚洲成分5种,欧亚成分4种,北温带成分3种,热带亚洲成分3种,热带亚洲和热带非洲成分1种,东亚-北美成分1种,西亚至东亚成分1种,中国-喜马拉雅成分1种。神农架豆科植物区系特点是:种类较丰富,成分复杂,特有种多,具明显的过渡特色。     

人工樟子松—差不嗄蒿植被及其固沙作用

植物固沙是整治沙漠和沙漠化土地的一种有效措施。人工植被的建立是植物固沙的必然结果。人工植被的演替、稳定性及其对环境的影响直接关系到流沙的固定程度。因此,本文旨在探讨人工樟子松(Pinus sylvestris var.     

高稳定人胰岛素的晶体学研究:Ⅲ,A21-Asp突变体的结晶和初步晶体学分析

研究一系列有明确意义改性胰岛素的结构将有益于新型胰岛素分子的设计。经蛋白质工程制备的AspA21—人胰岛素(ADHI)基本保持了生物活力,而在酸性溶夜(pH3—4)中的稳定性比天然胰岛素在中性溶液中高5—10倍。本文报道ADHI的结晶、初步晶体学研究及中等分辨率衍射数据的收集。ADHI晶体属R3空间群:a_H=b_H=82.72埃,c_H=34.02埃。