Influence of pre- and post-copulatory pair contact on pregnancy success in Djungarian hamsters, Phodopus campbelli

Females housed with their mates for 3 or 4 days before mating took place (i.e. early in the oestrous cycle at the time of introduction to the mate) were significantly more likely to litter than were females housed with their mates for only 1 or 2 days before mating. The duration of post-copulatory pair contact had a complex effect on pregnancy success. While only 41% of females littered when they had 24 h of post-copulatory pair contact, females exposed to either longer or shorter durations of post-copulatory pair contact littered at significantly higher rates. Exposure to a strange male 24-48 h after mating did not produce a strange-male induced pregnancy block. The critical parameter responsible for the decrease in the number of females littering was the absence of the mate, irrespective of the presence or absence of a strange male. If this pattern of pregnancy block is adaptive for females, it seems probable that females in the wild require substantial levels of paternal investment by their mates.     

Evidence for an increased rate of choline efflux across erythrocyte membranes in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the major dementing disorder of the elderly, is associated with cholinergic neuronal loss and decreased activity of choline acetyl-transferase (CAT). Previous biophysical studies had suggested an altered conformation of membrane proteins in AD erythrocyte ghosts. Since erythrocytes have a choline transport system and cholinergic neurons are implicated in AD, the present experiments were undertaken to determine if the efflux rate of [¹⁴C]choline was altered in AD erythrocytes. The mean efflux rate constant was highly significantly increased (P<0.01) by greater than 25% in 9 drug-free AD patients compared to 9 sex-matched, drug-free controls of similar age. These results are discussed in terms of potential molecular mechanisms to account for cholinergic neuronal loss in AD.     

Sequence of a human immunoglobulin gamma 3 heavy chain constant region gene: comparison with the other human C gamma genes.

We report the first and complete nucleotide sequence of a human gamma 3 heavy chain constant region gene (C gamma 3). This gene displays the same organization than the others C gamma genes and exhibits normal RNA splice and polyadenylation sites. A comparison of its primary sequence with those of C gamma 1, C gamma 2 and C gamma 4 genes confirms the high degree of homology (95%) of the human family in both coding and non-coding regions, and the divergence of the hinge region. The C gamma 3 gene we sequenced codes for a Gm(b) gamma 3 chain (EZZ). Comparison with other known protein sequences reveals that only two specific aminoacids are involved in the Gm(b) and Gm(g) allotypes, which suggests an important part of the spatial configuration in the allotypic specificities.     

Untersuchungen zur Trinkwasservaccination gegen Newcastle Disease beim Birkwild (Lyrurus tetrix L., 1758)

European Journal of Wildlife Research - Bei 30 Birkhühnern wurde nach kontrolliert durchgeführter Trinkwasservaccination gegen Newcastle Disease (ND) (Erstimpfung mit Hitchner B1,...     

The human T-cell receptor gamma variable pseudogeneV10 is a distinctive marker of human speciation

The nucleotide sequence data reported in this paper have been submitted to the EMBL/GenBank/DDBJ nucleotide sequence databases and have been assigned the accession numbers X86 558 and X86 709–X86 723     

Synaptic transmission and plasticity in the amygdala

Numerous studies in both rats and humans indicate the importance of the amygdala in the acquisition and expression of learned fear. The identification of the amygdala as an essential neural substrate for fear conditioning has permitted neurophysiological examinations of synaptic processes in the amygdala that may mediate fear conditioning. One candidate cellular mechanism for fear conditioning is long-term potentiation (LTP), an enduring increase in synaptic transmission induced by high-frequency stimulation of excitatory afferents. At present, the mechanisms underlying the induction and expression of amygdaloid LTP are only beginning to be understood, and probably involve both theN-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) subclasses of glutamate receptors. This article will examine recent studies of synaptic transmission and plasticity in the amygdala in an effort to understand the relationships of these processes to aversive learning and memory.     

Iturin A: A potential new fungicide for stored grains

The removal of many synthetic fungicides from the market has created a demand for new, environmentally safe fungicides. Iturin A, a cyclic lipopeptide produced byBacillus subtilis, has strong antifungal properties and low mammalian toxicity. To determine the efficacy of this compound as a potential fungicide on stored feed grains, lots of corn, peanuts and cottonseed were treated with varying concentrations of iturin A. The mycoflora of treated seed was assayed along with that of untreated seed and seed treated with fungicides used commercially for planting seed. Fungal species varied considerably in their sensitivity to iturin A. Significant reductions in total mycoflora occurred in most seed lots tested at iturin A concentrations of 50 to 100 ppm.