Breast and subcutaneous plasmoblastic infiltrations in the course of plasmoblastoma

In two female patients aged 37 and 66 y breast and subcutaneous plasmoblastic infiltrations developed in the course of therapy for plasmoblastoma. In the first patient with plasmoblastic leukemia those infiltrations occurred after 6-month therapy. In the second patient progression of the disease was noted after 30 months of treatment. Both multiple osteolytic lesions as well as breast and subcutaneous plasmoblastic infiltrations were noticed that time. Multidrug treatment programme had little influence on those infiltrations.     

Synaptic behaviour of some structural and numerical chromosome anomalies in female and male rats (Rattus norvegicus)

The processes of synapsis and synaptic adjustment have been detected in some structural and numerical anomalies in two female rat foetuses and in one male rat in the course of a study on X-ray genotoxicity. The synaptic characteristics and adjustment of one pericentric inversion and a deletion have been analysed by electron microscopy in synaptonemal complex spreads from two female foetuses, and the synaptic behaviour of a trisomy has been studied in a testicular biopsy from an adult male. In a large proportion (from 50% to 90%) of the analysed cells, the abnormal meiotic configuration could not be detected either because the anomaly was present in mosaic from trisomy or because synaptic adjustment had already taken place (inversion) or as result of a combination of two of the above (deletion).     

Analysis of methylation and distribution of CpG sequences on human active and inactive X chromosomes by in situ nick translation

In situ nick translation of fixed mitotic chromosomes after HpaII or MspI digestion allows us to detect different DNA methylation levels along chromosomes. We used this technique to analyse the methylation levels of CCGG sites in the active and inactive X chromosomes of female human cells. In addition, we analysed the distribution of these sites with respect to the banding pattern. Our data show that the inactive X, as a whole, is more methylated than the active one and that CCGG sequences are preferentially located on R-positive bands.     

Antiteratogenic and anticarcinogenic effects of X-rays in urethane-treated NMRI mice

A single intraperitoneal injection of urethane (ethyl carbamate) induces lung tumours in 80 per cent of male and 100 per cent of female NMRI mice, respectively. In the course of time the initially benign adenomatous tumours can develop into malignant adenomatosis of the lung (alveolar cell carcinoma). For an analysis of the mechanisms of tumour development and the possible interactions involved, low doses of X-rays (5-100 cGy) were administered 6 hours after urethane treatment. A significant anticarcinogenic and, also, anti-teratogenic action was observed. This implies that in both cases similar mechanisms are involved. Single injections of vitamin C or chloroquine counteract the urethane effects in the same manner as do the low doses of X-rays, but probably by different mechanisms.     

Song pattern recognition and an auditory time window in the female bushcricket Ancistrura nigrovittata (Orthoptera: Phaneropteridae)

Mate finding in the phaneropterid bushcricket Ancistrura nigrovittata is achieved by a duet, where the female replies with a short sound to the male song. In experiments with artificial song models we analysed the parameters necessary for eliciting a female response. A verse of the male song consists of a group of 5–9 syllabes which after an interval of about 400 ms is followed by a final syllable. The female response was shown to depend on two processes: (i) recognition of the syllable group as belonging to a conspecific male and (ii) perception of the final syllable as a trigger. Critical parameters for the recognition process are the duration of syllables and syllable pauses, as well as the number of syllables in a group. However, even with an optimal syllable group, the response probability still depends on the interval between the syllable group and the final syllable. The female only responds when the final syllable of the male song occurs within a 250 ms long time window begining approximately 250 ms after the end of the male's syllable group. Her reply consists of a single tick, which follows the male's final syllable with a latency of only 25 ms.     

Male and female roles in crosses of Aspergillus nidulans as revealed by vegetatively incompatible parents

To resolve the role of male and female nuclei and mitochondria in cleistothecium formation in the model organism Aspergillus nidulans, we analysed the genetic constituents of cleistothecia from crosses between vegetatively compatible and incompatible parents. We used markers that enabled us to determine the nuclear genotype of the cleistothecial wall and the nuclear and mitochondrial genotype of the ascospores. In compatible parents, nuclear genomes and cytoplasm usually mix in the vegetative hyphae prior to the formation of the sexual stage after which any cleistothecial composition is possible. In incompatible parents, the maternal strain contributes the nuclei for the cleistothecial wall and one nucleus as well as mitochondria for the ascospore origin. The paternal strain donates one nucleus for the ascospore origin. Only in crosses between vegetatively incompatible partners, it is possible to assign a female and male role to the parental strains. Our results confirm that the vegetative heterokaryotic stage is not a prerequisite for cleistothecium formation. Using this tool, we analysed sexual sporulation mutants for male or female sterility.     

The induction of liver microsomal proteins by 3-methylcholanthrene in rats of different age,sex and strain

The treatment of male and female adult and male and female immature rats with 3-methylcholanthrene results in increases in the intensity of two liver microsomal protein bands separated by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The induced protein species have estimated molecular weights of about 55 000 and 52 500. The time course of the induction of these species has been followed in a semi-quantitative manner. In immature rats an additional band, corresponding to a protein species with a molecular weight of about 43 000, is also increased by 3-methylcholanthrene treatment. In male adults rats exclusively, treatment with 3-methylcholanthrene also results in a decrease in the intensity of a band corresponding to a protein species of about 51 000. The appearance of this band in the liver microsomal fraction of adult male rats occurs following sexual maturation and its presence represents a significant difference in the microsomal proteins between male and female rats, this protein is not detected in younger male rats or in female rats at any age. These findings are discussed in terms of their possible relevance to the cytochrome P-450 content of the endoplasmic reticulum of rat hepatocytes.     

Interferon therapy in acute lymphatic leukemia and hepatitis B in childhood

1. The use of interferon in hepatitis B will bring about a favourable course of the disease, which is reflected in a normalisation of liver function tests. 2. The concentration of surface antigens is distinctly reduced, with a lower titre remaining for a longer period of time. 3. The level of the dosage chosen seems to be optimal. However, treatment has to be continued for a period of several months, probably for about 1 year. 4. In childhood the side-effects of interferon are minimal, they are restricted to febrile reactions. 5. In our investigations no sure hematological deviations could be identified in the treatment with interferon. 6. The study must be complemented by analysing further antigens, such as E antigen, allowing the course of disease to be characterised more distinctly. 7. In order to give a final assessment of the therapy the observation of patients must be continued after terminating the treatment, the histological improvement in the further course having to be confirmed by liver biopsies.     

Gonadotropin and free alpha-subunit secretion in patients during GnRH-agonist treatment.

In female patients gonadotropin and free alpha-subunit serum levels during GnRH-agonist (GnRH-a) treatment were investigated. Using two different immunoassays (RIA, IRMA) as well as LH in-vitro bioassay evidence was found for pituitary secretion of incomplete LH molecular forms which are detected false positive in RIA measurements but neither in IRMA nor in bioassay. In the GnRH-a induced desensitization state suppression of LH serum levels was more profound as compared to FSH. In contrast to gonadotropins free alpha-subunit serum levels were shown to increase in a biphasic course leading to ninefold higher levels persisting during GnRH-a treatment. A further increase was achieved by exogenous GnRH but not by estradiol. In conclusion these in-vivo data give evidence for a gradually different suppression of gonadotropic secretion by the use of GnRH-a. The mechanisms of inhibition are discussed to be directed to steps in the processing of beta-subunit synthesis but not of alpha-subunit.     

Multiple mating,sperm transfer and oviposition pattern in the giant sperm species,Drosophila bifurca

Many diverse traits are involved in gamete systems, and several models have analysed sperm length variation in terms of the intensity of sperm competition. This study investigates mating, sperm transfer and oviposition patterns in Drosophila bifurca, which possesses the longest sperm in the animal kingdom (about 6 cm). The prediction is that sperm gigantism should prevent male–male interaction. In this study, we examine how sperm transfer varies as males mate with a series of females, and how female receptivity changes with time after mating. As predicted, we found an extremely limited overlap of ejaculates owing to (1) reduced sperm transfer to females that had already mated, and (2) female remating depended both on the amount of sperm transferred and the modes of egg laying. The amount of sperm transferred to the female is discussed in relation to the peculiar morphology of the male reproductive tract and to sexual dimorphism and ecological hypotheses.     

草地贪夜蛾幼虫耐饥力及饥饿对其生长发育和繁殖的影响

本文旨在明确草地贪夜蛾Spodoptera frugiperda(J.E.Smith)幼虫耐饥力及饥饿处理对其生长发育、繁殖力的影响.选取初孵幼虫(幼虫孵化1 h内)、2、4、6、8和10日龄的幼虫进行饥饿处理,测定存活率和存活时间分析其耐饥力;进一步选取8日龄幼虫分别饥饿1、2、3和4d后再复食,分别统计和分析饥饿胁...     

The role of the model in mate‐choice copying in female zebra finches

Previous studies have shown that zebra finch females copy the mate choice of other females by choosing a mate of the same phenotype as the one chosen by another female (model). Little is known about the influence of the model female on the mate choice of the observing female. Therefore, we investigated the role of the model female in mate‐choice copying by manipulating her phenotype. Test females could choose between an unadorned male and an artificially adorned male, that is, wearing a red feather on the forehead. During a 2h observation period, test females could observe a single male in one cage and a male–female pair in another cage. In treatment one, the single male was unadorned and both the male and the female of the pair (model female) were adorned. In treatment two, the single male was adorned, the male of the pair unadorned and the model female adorned. Afterwards, test females could again choose between two new males, one adorned and one unadorned. In treatment one, test females first showed no preference for one of the two males, but avoided adorned males after the observation period. In treatment two, test females lost an initial preference for unadorned males after the observation period. In both treatments, test females did not copy the mate choice of the adorned model female. Adorned model females seemed to have a negative influence on the attractiveness of their mates' phenotype. Test females might have recognised model females as females of a different phenotype within their species which are adapted to different environmental conditions, or even have recognised model females as a female of another species. Our study demonstrates the important role of the model female in the complex public information network in zebra finches.     

In vitro and in vivo effects of GABA, muscimol, and bicuculline on lamprey GnRH concentration in the brain of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)

gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter with a demonstrated neuroregulatory role in reproduction in most representative species of vertebrate classes via the hypothalamus. The role of GABA on the hypothalamus-pituitary axis in lampreys has not been fully elucidated. Recent immunocytochemical and in situ hybridization studies suggest that there may be a neuroregulatory role of GABA on the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) system in lampreys. To assess possible GABA-GnRH interactions, the effects of GABA and its analogs on lamprey GnRH in vitro and in vivo were studied in adult female sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus). In vitro perfusion of GABA and its analogs at increasing concentrations (0.1-100 microM) was performed over a 3-h time course. There was a substantial increase of GnRH-I and GnRH-III following treatment of muscimol at 100 microM. In in vivo studies, GABA or muscimol injected at 200 microg/kg significantly increased lamprey GnRH concentration in the brain 0.5 h after treatment compared to controls in female sea lampreys. No significant change in lamprey GnRH-I or GnRH-III was observed following treatment with bicuculline. These data provide novel physiological data supporting the hypothesis that GABA may influence GnRH in the brain of sea lamprey.     

Juvenile dispersal in Calomys venustus (Muridae: Sigmodontinae)

Both spacing behaviour and dispersal movement are viewed as hierarchical processes in which the effects may be expressed at spatial scale. This research was carried out to examine the hypothesis that the presence of parents promotes the dispersal of juveniles from their natal nest and their father or mother home-range, in Calomys venustus.The study was carried out in four 0.25 ha fences (two controls and two experimentals), in a natural pasture. This study had two periods: Father Removal (FR) (August and December 1997; year one) and Mother Removal (MR) (August 1998 and January 1999; year two). For the FR treatment fathers were removed after juveniles were born, but in the MR treatment mothers were removed after the juveniles were weaned. The effect of parents on the dispersal distance of juveniles was analysed with respect to their natal nest and their mother and father home-range. Dispersal distance from the nest of C. venustus was independent of either male or female parent. Juveniles were more dispersing in relation to the centre of activity of their mothers than to that of their fathers, and females were more dispersing than males. Female juveniles overlap their home-range with their parents less than male juveniles do. The differences observed between female and male juveniles would be related to their different sexual maturation times, as well as to the female territoriality.     

Acupuncture or Low Frequency Infrared Treatment for Low Back Pain in Chinese Patients: A Discrete Choice Experiment

Acupuncture is a popular but controversial treatment option for low back pain. In China, it is practised as traditional Chinese medicine; other treatment strategies for low back pain are commonly practised as Western medicine. Research on patient preference for low back-pain treatment options has been mainly conducted in Western countries and is limited to a willingness-to-pay approach. A stated-preference, discrete choice experiment was conducted to determine Chinese patient preferences and trade-offs for acupuncture and low frequency infrared treatment in low back pain from September 2011 to August 2012 after approval from the Department of Scientific Research in the study settings. Eight-six adult outpatients who visited the ‘traditional medicine department’ at a traditional Chinese medicine hospital and the ‘rehabilitation department’ at a Western medicine hospital in Guangdong Province of China for chronic low back pain during study period participated in an interview survey. A questionnaire containing 10 scenarios (5 attributes in each scenario) was used to ask participants'' preference for acupuncture, low frequency infrared treatment or neither option. Validated responses were analysed using a nested-logit model. The decision on whether to receive a therapy was not associated with the expected utility of receiving therapy, female gender and higher out-of-pocket payment significantly decreased chance to receive treatments. Of the utility of receiving either acupuncture or low frequency infrared treatment, the treatment sensation was the most important attribute as an indicator of treatment efficacy, followed by the maximum efficacy, maintenance duration and onset of efficacy, and the out-of-pocket payment. The willingness-to-pay for acupuncture and low frequency infrared treatment were about $618.6 and $592.4 USD per course respectively, demonstrated patients'' demand of pain management. The treatment sensation was regarded as an indicator of treatment efficacy and the most important attribute for choosing acupuncture or low frequency infrared treatment. The high willingness-to-pay demonstrated patients'' demand of pain management. However, there may be other factors influencing patients'' preference to receive treatments.     

The effect of an androgen inhibitor on behavior and testicular morphology in the stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus

It is generally held that the decline in courtship which is seen at the beginning of incubation during the reproductive cycle of the male ring dove (Streptopelia risoria) is the result of changes in endocrine secretion rather than changes in response to the external situation. To test this hypothesis, male ring doves proceeding through a cycle with their mates were tested at selected intervals to determine whether there was a decline in courtship behavior in the course of a reproductive cycle. Four conditions were examined. Inexperienced and experienced males were tested with a stimulus female in two situations; once after the mate and nest were removed from the home cage, and once after the mate only was removed. In the former situation the male courted a stimulus female irrespective of the stage of the cycle he had reached with his mate. In the latter situation, as incubation with the mate progressed, males continued to incubate when the stimulus female was introduced. Thus, the male's display of courtship during the reproductive cycle is influenced by the external stimulus situation presented by the female and the nest.     

Effects of corticosterone on protein, RNA, DNA and tubulin contents in developing male and female rat brains

The effects of corticosterone treatment on chemical components and tubulin content were studied in the cerebrum, cerebellum and hypothalamus from male and female rats during early life. A dual effect of corticosterone treatment was observed in the cerebellum during the course of growth. In the cerebellum from 10-day-old rats, total soluble protein. DNA, and tubulin content (mg per g wet tissue) increased in the hormone-treated male organ, but RNA, DNA, and tubulin content (mg per g wet tissue) increased in the hormone-treated female. On the other hand, the cerebellum from 20-day-old rats, RNA and tubulin content (mg per g wet tissue) and relative tubulin content (mg per g total protein) decreased in the hormone-treated male organ, but the female cerebellum exhibited a decrease in total protein and tubulin content (mg per g wet tissue), and relative tubulin content after corticosterone administration. Only a few effects of the corticosterone treatment were observed in the cerebrum and hypothalamus from both sexes. It is likely that corticosterone has marked effects on the cerebellum among the three brain-regions in early life, and the dual effect of the hormone in the cerebellum appears to be due to the different responsiveness in the developmental stages of nerve cells, at which the treatment was started.     

An analysis of anemotactic flight in female moths stimulated by host odour and comparison with the males' response to sex pheromone

ABSTRACT. The flight pattern of mated female navel orangeworm moths, Amyelois transitella (Walker), responding to odour from potential larval hosts is zigzagging upwind flight. However, at times these moths are capable of flying nearly directly upwind towards the odour source (track angles near 0). This response indicates that these females are capable of very accurate anemotactic control of their heading or course angle, since small angular errors in this measure would translate into larger deviations from direct upwind flight. Males of this species exhibit flight patterns similar to those of females, including track angles clustered about 0 when flying upwind to a source of the female-produced pheromone, but under these experimental conditions they flew with a higher average airspeed than the females. When females lose contact with an odour plume they initiate a well-defined programme of cross-wind counterturning or casting, which may normally increase their chances of retrieving contact with that plume when the wind direction shifts. The resultant track angles of females increase significantly by 0.8 s after plume loss, indicating that the female has initiated changes in both her course angle and airspeed. By 1 s after plume loss the females' track angles are no longer unimodally distributed about 0, but are bimodally distributed about -90 and +90. Males responded more rapidly to the loss of a pheromone plume, demonstrating a significant change in track angle 0.4 s after plume loss. Overall, female and male A.transitella exhibited remarkably similar anemotactic flight manoeuvres during upwind flight to odour sources as well as after plume loss.     

Sex differences in ferric nitrilotriacetate-induced lipid peroxidation and nephrotoxicity in mice

Since male A/J mice are much more susceptible to both acute and subacute nephrotoxicity and the carcinogenic effect of ferric nitrilotriacetate than female mice, sex differences in the lipid peroxidation level after ferric nitrilotriacetate use were examined. The effects of orchiectomy and testosterone were also investigated. Male and female A/J mice were given a single intraperitoneal injection of ferric nitrilotriacetate (3 mg of iron/kg of body weight) and then thiobarbituric acid reactivity was determined in the liver and the kidney. Only male mice showed high thiobarbituric acid reactivity after 30 min, with the kidney showing higher activity than the liver. Castrated male mice showed a reduction in thiobarbituric acid reactivity, whereas testosterone-pretreated castrated male or testosterone-pretreated female mice showed increased thiobarbituric acid reactivity. In addition, daily intraperitoneal injections of ferric nitrilotriacetate resulted in the death of all normal male mice within 6 days, whereas all female and castrated male mice survived 3 months of treatment. Thus, male and female mice showed differences in ferric nitrilotriacetate-induced toxicity as reflected in the degree of lipid peroxidation and mortality.     

Role of steroidogenic factor 1 and aromatase in temperature-dependent sex determination in the red-eared slider turtle.

Red-eared slider turtles are genetically bipotential for sex determination. In this species, as in many other reptiles, incubation temperature of the egg determines gonadal sex. At higher incubation temperatures females are produced and increasing temperature appears to increase estrogen production in the embryonic brain. Treatment of eggs incubating at a male-producing temperature with exogenous estrogen causes ovaries to form. At a female-biased incubation temperature, prevention of estrogen biosynthesis or administration of nonaromatizable androgens results in the development of testes. In mammals, steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) regulates most genes required for estrogen biosynthesis, including aromatase. In both mammals and red-eared sliders, SF-1 is differentially expressed in males and females during gonadogenesis. We have examined both SF-1 gene expression and aromatase activity in embryos incubating at different temperatures and after manipulation to change the course of gonadal development. Our findings indicate a central role for SF-1 in enacting the effect of estrogen. Estrogen treatment directly or indirectly downregulates SF-1 and, ultimately, causes development of females. The inhibition of estrogen results in upregulation of SF-1 and male hatchlings. Thus, SF-1 may lie at the center of one molecular crossroad in male versus female differentiation of the red-eared slider.