Inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes by fatty acids and monoglycerides.

Fatty acids and monoglycerides were evaluated in brain heart infusion broth and in milk for antimicrobial activity against the Scott A strain of Listeria monocytogenes. C12:0, C18:3, and glyceryl monolaurate (monolaurin) had the strongest activity in brain heart infusion broth and were bactericidal at 10 to 20 micrograms/ml, whereas potassium (K)-conjugated linoleic acids and C18:2 were bactericidal at 50 to 200 micrograms/ml. C14:0, C16:0, C18:0, C18:1, glyceryl monomyristate, and glyceryl monopalmitate were not inhibitory at 200 micrograms/ml. The bactericidal activity in brain heart infusion broth was higher at pH 5 than at pH 6. In whole milk and skim milk, K-conjugated linoleic acid was bacteriostatic and prolonged the lag phase especially at 4 degrees C. Monolaurin inactivated L. monocytogenes in skim milk at 4 degrees C, but was less inhibitory at 23 degrees C. Monolaurin did not inhibit L. monocytogenes in whole milk because of the higher fat content. Other fatty acids tested were not effective in whole or skim milk. Our results suggest that K-conjugated linoleic acids or monolaurin could be used as an inhibitory agent against L. monocytogenes in dairy foods.     

Free flaps in the elderly.

Microsurgical transfer of tissue has become a primary tool of the reconstructive surgeon. The elderly, as a growing segment of our society, are requiring free-tissue transfers in proportion to their numbers. To investigate the potential morbidity of free-tissue transfers in the elderly, we studied consecutive populations of 31 patients above the age of 65 years and 90 patients below the age of 65 years. Complication rates were 65 and 49 percent, respectively. Premorbid medical conditions were present in 87 percent of patients 65 years and older and in 72 percent of those under 65 years. Medically related complications in free-tissue transfers, previously unreported in the literature, were 35 percent in the elderly group and 10 percent in the younger group. Wound-healing complications were seen in equal proportions between groups. The rates of wound and medically related complications observed in the elderly group were nearly double those observed in the younger group; however, after correction for the presence of preexisting medical conditions, no significant differences were seen between the two groups. These observations suggest that age alone is not a variable in risk for free-tissue transfers. Elective microsurgery can be performed in the elderly patient with a high expectation of success.     

A new species of Pseudopecoelus von Wicklen, 1946 (Digenea: Opecoelidae) from the orange roughy Hoplostethus atlanticus Collett, 1889 (Trachichthyidae) from off southeastern Australia

A new species, Pseudopecoelus sewelli, is described from the deep-sea fish Hoplostethus atlanticus from off southeastern Australia. It is an elongate form with considerable variation in such important characters as the anterior vitelline extent, the sucker ratio and the egg-size. The features distinguishing this species from five related forms are combinations of the sucker ratio, egg-size, lobation of gonads, presence or absence of a cirrus-sac and the position of the genital pore.     

Light-induced membrane protein phosphorylation in the bovine rod outer segment. A magic angle spinning 31P-NMR study

Magic angle spinning 31P-NMR (MAS 31P-NMR) spectra of bovine rod outer segments, unphosphorylated and phosphorylated, were obtained. In the phosphorylated samples the spectra showed new resonances not assignable to phospholipids. These signals were present only when stimulation of receptor phosphorylation occurred. These resonances were not due to exogenous, soluble phosphorus-containing compounds. Limited proteolysis to remove the carboxyl-terminal region of the photoreceptor that contains the phosphorylation sites removed these resonances. The chemical shifts were in the usual range for serine phosphate and threonine phosphate. The pKa obtained from a pH titration of the 31P chemical shift was typical of serine phosphate. Therefore, these 31P-NMR resonances were assigned to the phosphorylation sites on membrane proteins in the rod outer segment disk membranes. Static 31P-NMR measurements revealed that at least some of these sites gave rise to relatively narrow resonances, indicative of considerable motional freedom of the carboxyl-terminal segment of the photoreceptor when phosphorylated. These data indicate that it is possible to study phosphorylation sites on membrane proteins using MAS 31P-NMR, and that using in vivo 31P 'spin labelling' one can study directly and selectively regions of receptors crucial to receptor function.     

Heterostyly and Pollen-tube Interactions in Luculia gratissima (Rubiaceae)

Observations on the floral biology of Luculia gratissima (Rubiaceae)showed that this species is distylous with complementary positioningof anthers and stigmas in the two floral forms. Unusual featuresof distyly in this species include the larger size of the corolla,the stigma surface and the stigmatic papillae in the thrum flowerscompared to the pin ones. Stigmatic surfaces have similar secretionsbut they appear more copious in thrum than pin. The floral dimorphismwas accompanied by a very effective self-incompatibility systemand no seed was set on selfing. Seed number per capsule on crossingwas significantly greater in thrum flowers compared to pin.Incompatible pollen tubes were inhibited within 24 h at thebase of the stigma/top of the style in both morphs. Amputationof this region of the gynoecium removed the self-incompatibilityreaction in thrum but not pin flowers. Pollination with a mixtureof compatible and incompatible pollen and sequential pollinationwith self followed by cross pollen showed that there were interactionsbetween the two types of pollen tube. The presence of compatibletubes was found to cause the excessive swelling of the pollen-tubetip of the incompatible ones. The incompatible tubes did notappear to have any effect on the growth of compatible ones. Luculia gratissima, distyly, floral biology, self-incompatibility, pollen-tube interactions     

The effect of various forms of thrombin on nonspecific high molecular weight substrates

The ability of native alpha- and non-coagulating gamma-thrombin to catalyze the hydrolysis of nonspecific high molecular weight substrates was studied using chymotrypsinogen and the oxidized insulin B-chain as substrates. The effect of thrombin on chymotrypsinogen was estimated by the appearance of caseinolytic activity measured by the increase in the number of terminal NH2-groups in the 2,4,6-trinitrobenzol sulfonic acid reaction. The same reaction was used to study the hydrolysis of insulin by thrombin. It was found that the destruction of the additional center necessary for fibrinogen proteolysis during the alpha-thrombin conversion to the gamma-form did not affect the enzyme ability to hydrolyze nonspecific protein substrates. It was assumed that the low efficiency of non-physiological high molecular weight substrate hydrolysis by thrombin is due to the lack of specific remote interactions in the regulatory site outside the enzyme active center.