A chemosystematic study of some geraniaceae

The flavonoids of five Geranium, fourteen Erodium and four Monsonia species were studied. Quercetin was the most common aglycone with lesse     

Measurement of pharyngeal cross-sectional area by finite element analysis.

A noninvasive measurement of pharyngeal cross-sectional area (CSA) during sleep would be advantageous for research studies. We hypothesized that CSA could be calculated from the measured pharyngeal pressure and flow by finite element analysis (FEA). The retropalatal airway was visualized by using a fiber-optic scope to obtain the measured CSA (mCSA). Flow was measured with a pneumotachometer, and pharyngeal pressure was measured with a pressure catheter at the palatal rim. FEA was performed as follows: by using a three-dimensional image of the upper airway, a mesh of finite elements was created. Specialized software was used to allow the simultaneous calculation of velocity and area for each element by using the measured pressure and flow. In the development phase, 677 simultaneous measurements of CSA, pressure, and flow from one subject during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep were entered into the software to determine a series of equations, based on the continuity and momentum equations, that could calculate the CSA (cCSA). In the validation phase, the final equations were used to calculate the CSA from 1,767 simultaneous measurements of pressure and flow obtained during wakefulness, NREM, and REM sleep from 14 subjects. In both phases, mCSA and cCSA were compared by Bland-Altman analysis. For development breaths, the mean difference between mCSA and cCSA was 0.0 mm2 (95% CI, -0.1, 0.1 mm2). For NREM validation breaths, the mean difference between mCSA and cCSA was 1.1 mm2 (95% CI 1.3, 1.5 mm2). Pharyngeal CSA can be accurately calculated from measured pharyngeal pressure and flow by FEA.     

Quantitative functional anatomy of the lower limb with application to human gait

A scheme was developed to classify muscles according to their primary, secondary and tertiary functions, e.g. a muscle which produces primarily a flexion moment may also produce secondary abduction and tertiary internal rotation moments. The functions of muscles crossing the hip and knee joints were computed based upon the changing relative positions of joint centers and muscle origins and insertions during one gait cycle. The function of several of the major muscles crossing the hip and knee joints is reported for the different limb positions corresponding to normal gait. It was found that the amount of force necessary to produce a given moment about a joint was dependent upon the limb position. In addition, the muscle functions changed significantly with limb position. Electrical stimulation of muscles of a paralyzed subject gave qualitative support to the results.     

Schistosoma mansoni: serotonin uptake and its drug inhibition

5-Hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) uptake by male and female Schistosoma mansoni was studied in vitro. Initial uptake was determined during the first 2 min of incubation with the indoleamine. There were two types of uptake: a saturable component that is apparent at low concentrations of serotonin, and a passive component that predominates at high concentrations. Female S. mansoni take up more 5-hydroxytryptamine per milligram protein than do the males. Studies on the distribution of 5-hydroxytryptamine taken up by the parasites show that a large proportion of the indoleamine is in the tegument. The female tegument had a greater proportion of the 5-hydroxytryptamine taken up than did the male tegument. The evidence indicated that 5-hydroxytryptamine associated with tegument represented the passive uptake while uptake in the main parasite body was both active and passive. Compounds that were shown to inhibit 5-hydroxytryptamine uptake include methylclonazepam, metergoline, imipramine, and ouabain. Maximal inhibition by these compounds ranged from 50 to 60%. Inhibition appeared to be confined to the saturable uptake component of the body fraction.     

The spiders of a citrus grove in israel and their role as biocontrol agents ofCeroplastes floridensis [Homoptera: Coccidae]

A 12 month survey was carried out of the spider population in a commercial citrus grove at Kibbutz Afeq in Northern Israel. The spiders collected from grapefruit foliage and ground cover were identified; young stages were reared to maturity and then identified.Chiracanthium mildei L. Koch represented 52% of all spiders captured during the year andTheridion sp. accounted for 34%. In the undercover,Gnaphosidae spiders represented 43% of the total spiders captured in pitfall traps andLycosidae 35%. A field experiment was carried out to evaluate the effectivness of spiders in biological control of the scaleCeroplastes floridensis Mask. in the citrus ecosystem. Wherever spiders were undisturbed on tree branches, populations ofC. floridensis were not able to develop to a level sufficient to cause economic damage. The increase in the number of scales was minimal: from 47 initially to 56. There was no damage to leaves nor was honeydew or sooty mold observed. During the same time period, on the 3 branches from which spiders had been eliminated, the number of scales increased seven-fold from 44 to 309. Leaves were heavily infested with sooty mold fungi that developed on the honeydew produced by the scales. Contribution from the Agricultural Research Organization, Neve Ya'ar, Regional Experiment Station. P.O. Haifa 31999, Israel. No. 1314-E 1984, series.     

Adenylate cyclase in sea anemone implication for chemoreception

Adenylate cyclase of the sea anemoneAnthopleura elegantissima was found to be associated with the heavy particulate fraction of the cell and to be activated by NaF and 2-mercaptoethanol. Reduced glutathione, which elicits the ciliary swallowing response during feeding, also activated adenylate cyclase in particles from the oral disc and pharynx. The GSH effect was dependent on homogenization procedure, whereas the NaF and 2-mercaptoethanol activation was not. The activation of adenylate cyclase from the oral disc and pharynx by GSH was correlated with increased Ca²⁺ binding to the particulate fraction. When activation by GSH was abolished by mechanical homogenization, no increasea in Ca²⁺ binding was observed in the presence of GSH. It is suggested that chemoreception for the swallowing response of this organism is mediated by cyclic AMP control of Ca²⁺ distribution in the cell.