Effect of tranquilizers on the total acetylcholine content and acetylcholinesterase activity in the brain tissue of Arvicanthis niloticus

The effect of reserpine and meprobamate on the total acetylcholine content and acetylcholinesterase activity in the brain tissue of the kusu rat, Arvicanthis niloticus, was studied. The total acetylcholine content and acetylcholinesterase activity were determined 1 hr after i.p. injection of different doses of reserpine (0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg/ml/100 g body wt) and meprobamate (6.25, 12.5 and 25 mg/ml/100 g body wt). The effect of different time intervals (1, 10, 30 min, 1, 2.5, 5, 8, 12, 24 and 48 hr) on the total acetylcholine content and acetylcholinesterase activity was investigated after i.p. injection of 0.5 mg of reserpine and 12.5 mg of meprobamate/ml/100 g body wt. Both reserpine and meprobamate caused an increase in the total ACh content in the brain tissue of Arvicanthis niloticus which was suggested to be due to a decrease in the release of ACh, since both reserpine and meprobamate inhibited AChE activity after some tested periods. The effect of meprobamate was observed to be stronger than that of reserpine.     

Orientation-Based Control of Microfluidics

Most microfluidic chips utilize off-chip hardware (syringe pumps, computer-controlled solenoid valves, pressure regulators, etc.) to control fluid flow on-chip. This expensive, bulky, and power-consuming hardware severely limits the utility of microfluidic instruments in resource-limited or point-of-care contexts, where the cost, size, and power consumption of the instrument must be limited. In this work, we present a technique for on-chip fluid control that requires no off-chip hardware. We accomplish this by using inert compounds to change the density of one fluid in the chip. If one fluid is made 2% more dense than a second fluid, when the fluids flow together under laminar flow the interface between the fluids quickly reorients to be orthogonal to Earth’s gravitational force. If the channel containing the fluids then splits into two channels, the amount of each fluid flowing into each channel is precisely determined by the angle of the channels relative to gravity. Thus, any fluid can be routed in any direction and mixed in any desired ratio on-chip simply by holding the chip at a certain angle. This approach allows for sophisticated control of on-chip fluids with no off-chip control hardware, significantly reducing the cost of microfluidic instruments in point-of-care or resource-limited settings.     

A new method for demonstrating argyrophil cells of the pancreas and intestines

A new method for demonstrating argyrophil cells of the pancreas and intestinal tract using a combined silver and reducing solution in sections of formaldehyde fixed tissue is described. Impregnating sections in a 60 C water bath, the procedure takes about 25 min. A microwave version that takes about 5 min is also given. Results are similar to those obtained with the Grimelius method for argyrophil cells.     

CYTOGENETIC STUDIES IN CLARKIA,SECTION PRIMIGENIA. IV. A CYTOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CLARKIA GRACILIS

Clarkia gracilis (2n = 28) is an allotetraploid which combines genomes from two subsections of section Primigenia. Natural populations consist of plants homozygous for a single chromosome arrangement, which may differ from the arrangements in other populations by one or more reciprocal translocations. One arrangement, the “standard,” was widespread. Cytological observations on plants derived from crosses between populations of C. gracilis, and on triploid plants derived from crosses with C. amoena subsp. huntiana, one of the parents of the tetraploid, were used to determine the end arrangements present. Ten arrangements were identified, and it was found that the standard amoena subgenome of C. gracilis is identical in end arrangement to the previously defined standard arrangement of the diploid C. amoena. Hence a race of C. amoena with this arrangement was involved in the hybridization which gave rise to C. gracilis. Evidence was found that other arrangements of C. amoena have probably been introduced into C. gracilis by subsequent introgressive hybridization. Cytological differences, coupled with differences in morphology, ecology, and distribution indicate that C. gracilis should be subdivided into four subspecies instead of the three presently recognized.     

Oligonucleotides with novel, cationic backbone substituents: aminoethylphosphonates.

Oligonucleotide (2-aminoethyl)phosphonates in which the backbone consisted of isomerically pure, alternating (2-aminoethyl)-phosphonate and phosphodiester linkages have been prepared and characterized. One of these single isomer oligonucleotides (Rp) formed a more stable duplex with DNA or RNA than its corresponding natural counterpart. Hybrid stability was more pH-dependent, but less salt-dependent than a natural duplex. The specificity of hybridization was examined by hybridization of an oligonucleotide containing one (2-aminoethyl)phosphonate to oligonucleotides possessing mismatches in the region opposite to the aminoethyl group. In contrast to oligonucleotides containing (aminomethyl)-phosphonate linkages, oligonucleotide (2-aminoethyl)phosphonates were completely stable to hydrolysis in aqueous solution. These oligonucleotides were resistant to nuclease activity but did not induce RNase H mediated cleavage of a complementary RNA strand. Incubation in a serum-containing medium resulted in minimal degradation over 24 hours. Studies of cell uptake by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy demonstrated temperature dependent uptake and intracellular localization. (2-Aminoethyl)phosphonates represent a novel approach to the introduction of positive charges into the backbone of oligonucleotides.     

Enzymatic Synthesis of 2′,5′-Dideoxv Purine Nucleosides and Related Compounds

Abstract

A wide range of 2′,5′-dideoxy-nucleosides, including 6- substituted purine, pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine and 1-deazapurine derivatives, has been enzymatically prepared using purine nucleoside phosphorylase. Specificity towards cleavage by bacterial versus mammalian purine nucleoside phosphorylase was evaluated.     

When to estimate sex ratio in natural populations of insects? A study on sex ratio variations of gall midges within a generation

Precise estimation of arthropods' sex ratio is an important issue in a wide range of ecological studies and biological control programs. Although, in many cases changes in arthropods' sex ratio may be under the control of parents or some symbiotic microorganisms, biased sex ratios in some other species are caused by some extrinsic factors, neglect of which may lead to under/overestimation of true sex ratio. In this paper, we pursued those factors that cause false estimation of sex ratio in insects' species. We studied the predatory gall midge, Aphidoletes aphidimyza Rondani (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), an important biological control agent of aphids, that shows protandry (i.e. early male emergence), differential lifespan of sexes, and differential distribution of sexes across habitat. Ten populations of A. aphidimyza were released separately in transparent cages and their sex ratio variations were recorded every 12 hours. The primary sex ratio in this species seems to be slightly male‐biased (52.41% males), however early emergence of males biases the sex ratio up to 72% males in a few hours after emergence. Shortly after the emergence of females, the sex ratio reaches its primary situation, but as a result of male‐biased mortality after mating, the proportion of females increases gradually to 97% by the fourth and fifth days after emergence. These results explicitly suggest that direct estimation of sex ratio in natural populations may be affected by some secondary factors such as differential mortality of sexes, protandry, and differential distribution of males and females over time and/or across habitat.     

Clinical significance of plasma MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 levels as biomarkers for tumor expression in breast cancer patients in Egypt

Matrix metallopeptidase 2 (MMP-2) and matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9) are involved in the breakdown of extracellular matrix in normal physiological processes as well as in disease processes, such as cancer metastasis. We conducted this work to study the role of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in breast cancer by measuring their plasma concentrations before and after surgery. Also, to examine if their levels can reflect the stage of disease and prognosis. Forty-eight breast cancer patients and 13 patients with benign breast diseases were included in the study. MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels were measured by ELISA and semi-quantitative real-time PCR. MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels in plasma were determined by ELISA immediately before surgery and during 6 to 12 months after curative surgery. We observed a significant increase in the level of MMP-9 mRNA expression in breast cancer patients in comparison to their normal breast tissues and to tissues of benign breast disease. In all TNM tumor stages, the plasma levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were increased significantly before curative surgery in the studied patients with breast carcinoma and decreased significantly after surgery. Both MMP-2 and MMP-9 may be used as a possible marker for follow-up or as a marker that reflects the response of the disease to treatment.

     

Enhanced tolerance to drought and salt stresses in transgenic faba bean (Vicia faba L.) plants by heterologous expression of the PR10a gene from potato

Key message

We report for the first time that expression of potato PR10a gene in faba bean causes enhanced tolerance to drought and salinity.

Abstract

Grain legumes such as soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill), pea (Pisum sativum L.) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.) are staple sources of protein for human and animal nutrition. Among grain legumes, faba bean is particularly sensitive to abiotic stress (in particular osmotic stress due to lack of water or enhanced soil salinity) and often suffers from severe yield losses. Many stress responsive genes have been reported with an effect on improving stress tolerance in model plants. Pathogenesis-related proteins are expressed by all plants in response to pathogen infection and, in many cases, in response to abiotic stresses as well. The PR10a gene isolated from the potato cultivar Desiree was selected for this study due to its role in enhancing salt and/or drought tolerance in potato, and transferred into faba bean cultivar Tattoo by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation system based upon direct shoot regeneration after transformation of meristematic cells derived from embryo axes. The transgene was under the control of the constitutive mannopine synthase promoter (p-MAS) in a dicistronic binary vector, which also contained luciferase (Luc) gene as scorable marker linked by internal ribosome entry site elements. Fertile transgenic faba bean plants were recovered. Inheritance and expression of the foreign genes were demonstrated by PCR, RT-PCR, Southern blot and monitoring of Luciferase activity. Under drought condition, after withholding water for 3 weeks, the leaves of transgenic plants were still green, while non-transgenic plants (WT) wilted and turned brown. Twenty-four hours after re-watering, the leaves of transgenic plants remained green, while WT plants did not recover. Moreover, the transgenic lines displayed higher tolerance to NaCl stress. Our results suggested that introducing a novel PR10a gene into faba bean could be a promising approach to improve its drought and salt tolerance ability, and that MAS promoter is not only constitutive, but also wound-, auxin/cytokinin- as well as stress-inducible.