Two centuries of growth among Czech children and youth

The trend of increasing height can be interpreted as a reflection of the unfolding progress of civilization. Height changes among children and adolescents are good markers of this trend. We analyze the secular trend in the heights of children and adolescents in the Czech Republic on the basis of data from anthropological surveys. The earliest height data pertain to Czech youths who attended the Military Schools in Austria in 1800-1809. Data also exist for 1895 and continue in 1951 and at 10-year intervals thereafter. Growth curves were obtained for separate age groups by fitting mean values via third-order polynomial smoothing splines. Between 1951 and 2001, the mean heights of boys and girls aged 2.5 years increased by 2.7 and 3 cm, respectively. Since 1895, the mean height of 13-year-old boys has increased by 19.4 cm, and the mean height of girls has increased by 18.3 cm.     

Vascular supply of the anterior interventricular epicardial nerves and ventricular Purkinje fibers in the porcine hearts

The aim of this study was to perform a pilot histological and quantitative analysis of the blood vessels accompanying the epicardial nerves (vasa nervorum) in the porcine hearts. Twenty healthy porcine hearts were used in this study. The blood vessels were analyzed by light microscopy using four different staining techniques in transverse sections taken from the upper, middle, and lower segments of the anterior part of the interventricular region and the adjacent parts of the right and left ventricles containing epicardial nerves and the endocardial peripheral parts of the Purkinje fibers. In total, 317 epicardial nerves were detected. The vasa nervorum were present in 75.7% of these nerves. The vasa nervorum resembled arterioles and postcapillary and collecting venules. One hundred and forty nine epicardial nerves were perivascular, located in the adventitia of the anterior interventricular artery and vein. The remaining 168 nerves ran freely through the epicardial interstitium. The presence of the vasa nervorum was not related to topographical location or nerve diameter. Additionally, from a total of 33 analyzed ventricular complexes of Purkinje fibers small blood vessels located in their proximity were identified in only two cases. It can be concluded that the majority of the anterior epicardial nerves of porcine heart possess well-developed vasa nervorum. In contrast, similar blood vessels are rarely present in the vicinity of the Purkinje fibers. The data obtained contribute to a better understanding of the nutrition of the cardiac nerves.     

The roles of prolactin and testosterone in the development and function of granulosa lutein tissue in the rat

The luteotropic roles of prolactin and testosterone (or estradiol formed in luteal tissue) were investigated in hypophysectomized rats with homografts of granulosa lutein tissue. Using this approach, we could determine the effects of prolactin independently of estrogen, since granulosa lutein tissue does not produce estrogen de novo under these conditions. Luteinizing granulosa cells were expressed from the ovaries of immature pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin-primed Fischer 344 rats 6 h after injection of human chorionic gonadotropin. The cells were transplanted beneath the kidney capsule of adult, hypophysectomized, ovariectomized Fischer 344 recipients, which were treated with hormones daily for 12 or 14 days. In rats without treatment (no hormones, n = 3) and in rats treated with only testosterone (Silastic capsule, n = 6), only small amounts of luteal tissue (less than 5 mg/rat) were found and serum progesterone remained at low concentrations (10 ng or less) throughout the experiment. In contrast, in rats treated either with ovine prolactin (300 micrograms/day, n = 10) or with the combination of prolactin and testosterone (n = 12), serum progesterone increased to 43 ng/ml by Day 8. Beyond Day 8, serum progesterone continued to rise in rats treated with the combination of prolactin and testosterone to reach a mean value of 87 ng/ml by Day 14, and mean homograft wet weight was 49 mg/rat; in rats treated with only prolactin, serum progesterone decreased to 25 ng/ml by Day 14 and homograft wet weight was lower (24 mg/rat). Prolactin and testosterone together stimulated more homograft aromatase activity in vivo than did prolactin alone, but the in vitro production of progesterone was not different.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Molecular characterization of β-thalassemia in Czechoslovakia

Summary We have identified different -thalassemia mutations in 93 members of 34 families of Czech or Slovakian descent using gene amplification, hybridization with specific ³²P-labeled oligonucleotide probes, sequencing of amplified DNA, and gene mapping. The GA mutation at IVS-I-1 was found in 18 families; other Mediterranean mutations were IVS-II-1 (GA), IVS-II-745 (CG), IVS-I-110 (GA), and codon 39 (CT); these were present in 9 additional families. The GT mutation at codon 121, known to cause Heinzbody -thalassemia, was present in 3 families, and the frameshift at codons 82/83 (-G), first described in the Azerbaijanian population, in 2 families. A newly discovered allele was a frameshift at codons 38/39 (-C). One -thalassemia allele was incompletely characterized. We observed in 2 families a TC mutation at position +96 UTR (untranslated region) relative to the termination codon; this mutation likely is a rare polymorphism, -Thalassemia was rare; only one person carried the -^3.7 heterozygosity, and one other had a yet to be identified -thalassemia-1, while seven had the ^{anti 3.7} triplication.     

Steroidogenic and morphological characteristics of granulosa and thecal compartments of the differentiating rabbit corpus luteum in culture

On the day after ovulation, the thecal tissue and associated mural granulosa lutein cells of the rabbit corpus luteum were separated from the granulosa lutein 'core' by dissection and these tissues were cultured separately or together (whole corpus luteum) in defined medium for 10 days on stainless-steel grids. The medium was changed completely every 24 h. Replicate tissues were cultured with testosterone (10 ng/ml), but no other hormones were added to the medium. Progesterone production increased during the first 2 days of culture for whole corpus luteum, granulosa lutein cells and the thecal compartment which also included granulosa lutein cells. After 3 days, the production of progesterone declined gradually, but was still detectable on Day 10. The production of the metabolite, 20 alpha-dihydroprogesterone, by whole corpus luteum was equal to or greater than that of progesterone. Without the addition of testosterone, the granulosa lutein cells produced little (10 pg/culture) oestradiol during 1 day of culture, but the thecal compartment and whole corpus luteum each produced about 100 pg/culture on Day 1 and declining quantities over the next 2 days. In the presence of testosterone added to the medium, the formation of oestradiol was greatly increased for all tissues for 5-6 days of culture, after which time oestradiol was no longer detectable with or without testosterone in medium. Transmission electron microscopy of cells after 10-12 days of culture revealed fine structure that is characteristic of luteal cells, including abundant smooth endoplasmic reticulum, lipid droplets, and junctions between the luteal cells. The corpus luteum in culture resembles the corpus luteum in situ in that steroidogenesis and differentiation can proceed for a period after ovulation without extrinsic hormonal stimulation.     

Sequence-dependent distortions induced in DNA by monofunctional platinum(II) binding.

The effects on thermal stability and conformation of DNA produced by the monofunctional adducts of chlorodiethylenetriamineplatinum(II) chloride ([Pt(dien)Cl]Cl) have been investigated. Oligodeoxyribonucleotide duplexes of varying lengths (9-20 base pairs) and of varying central trinucleotide sequences were prepared and characterized that contained site-specific and unique N(7)-guanine adducts. Included are adducts at the sequences of d(AGC), d(AGT), d(CGA), d(TGA), d(TGC), and d(TGT). All these monofunctional adducts decrease the melting temperature (Tm) of the duplexes. This destabilization effect exhibits a sequence-dependent variability. The highest lowering of Tm is observed for the modified duplexes containing the central sequence of pyrimidine-guanine-pyrimidine. The destabilization effect is reduced with decreasing concentrations of Na+. Polarography, circular dichroism, phenanthroline-copper, and chemical probes reveal conformational distortions spreading over several base pairs around the adduct. The effects of monofunctional platinum(II) adducts on conformational distortions in DNA exhibit a sequence-dependent variability similar to those on thermal stability of DNA. The influence of the monofunctional adduct formed by cis-diamminemonoaquamonochloroplatinum(II) on the stability of the oligonucleotide duplex has been also studied. This lesion decreases thermal stability of DNA in the same way as does the adduct of [Pt(dien)Cl]Cl.     

Superhelical torsion controls DNA interstrand cross-linking by antitumor cis- diamminedichloroplatinum(II).

Negatively supercoiled, relaxed and linearized forms of pSP73 DNA were modified in cell-free medium by cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (cisplatin). The frequency of interstrand cross-links (ICLs) formed in these DNAs has been determined by: (i) immunochemical analysis; (ii) an assay employing NaCN as a probe of DNA ICLs of cisplatin; (iii) gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions. At low levels of the modification of DNA (<1 Pt atom fixed per 500 bp) the number of ICLs formed by cisplatin was radically enhanced in supercoiled in comparison with linearized or relaxed DNA. At these low levels of modification, the frequency of ICLs in supercoiled DNA was enhanced with increasing level of negative supercoiling or with decreasing level of modification. In addition, the replication mapping of DNA ICLs of cisplatin was consistent with these lesions being preferentially formed in negatively supercoiled DNA between guanine residues in both the 5'-d(GC)-3' and the 5'-d(CG)-3' sites. Among the DNA adducts of cisplatin the ICL has the markedly greatest capability to unwind the double helix. We suggest that the formation of ICLs of cisplatin is thermodynamically more favored in negatively supercoiled DNA owing mainly to the relaxation of supercoils.     

Relation between differential pulse voltammetric oxidation of polyriboinosinic acid and its structure

Electrooxidation of poly (I) at a paraffin wax-impregnated spectroscopic graphite electrode was studied by means of differential pulse voltammetry. It was found that the transition of single-stranded poly (I) to its multistranded form, induced by increasing the ionic strength of neutral medium, is accompanied by a lowering of the oxidation current of poly (I). The marked lowering of the oxidation current is also observable as a consequence of the formation of double-stranded complex of poly (I). poly (C). The voltammetry at carbon electrodes provides for the study of poly(I) structure in principle identical information as optical methods.