Chimiotaxonomie des lycopodiales: distribution des alcaloïdes

The distribution of lysine-derived alkaloids in the genus Lycopodium (s.l.) supports the separation of the following taxa, Huperzia (= Urostachys), Lycopodiella s.l. (= Lepidotis, excl. L. volubile and L. deuterodensum) from Lycopodium s. str. Within the latter, the Fastigiatum group and the Complanata section (= Diphasiastrum) can be distinguished. The results obtained are in good agreement with the classification proposed by Wilce.     

13C NMR des alcaloïdes des Strychnos: Les dérivés de l'harmane et de l'usambarensine

¹³C NMR spectra of some tertiary and quaternary indole alkaloids are recorded and the signals assigned. Graphic interpretation of off-resonance spectra and substituent shielding effects together with the effect of N_b-methylation are utilized in the spectral interpretation.     

Anticorps anti-spermatozoïdes: techniques de dépistage et interprétation des résultats

Since the first publication on the detection of sperm-agglutinating antibodies in infertile men, multiple assays have been described. The most useful tests are able to detect antibodies bound to the sperm membrane of motile spermatozoa. The immunobeads test (IBT) is considered to be the most advantageous in terms of its sensitivity, the low incidence of false-positive results, and its ability to localize antibodies of different immunoglobulin classes on the sperm surface. The IBT assay can be used in parallel with the mixed antiglobulin reaction (MAR), to detect sperm-associated antibodies in the ejaculates of infertile men, the most rational way to test for antisperm antibodies (ASA) in males. In view of the high level of agreement between the two assays, MAR, the easier of the two, may be used as a first step in the detection of these antibodies. A positive MAR must be confirmed by IBT, as this assay is more specific for the detection of IgA antibodies. The clinical significance of sperm-associated antibodies is usually established according to the proportion of motile spermatozoa coated with immunobeads, its class and its localization on the sperm surface. However, binding of immunobeads does not provide any information about the antigens against which the antibodies are directed. As the functional effects of sperm-associated antibodies may vary as a function of their antigenic specificities, other assays, using purified fertilization related antigens, are necessary to establish, for each individual, the specific impact of the antibodies on the fertilization process. The indirect IBT assay has recently become the most widely used test to detect the various classes of ASA in serum and cervical mucus of infertile women and in the serum and seminal fluid of infertile men, in combination with the direct assay described above. However, in most laboratories, it is performed with only one dilution of the biological fluid tested, usually a low dilution, so that antibody levels of no significance for fertility could be detected. This may explain a recente debate (Human Reprod, 1999) on the significance of ASA as a cause of infertility. At present, and in the absence of standardized assays able to identify the antigens involved in each individual immune reaction, antibody assays, as detected by the IBT assay, in the serum and/or genital secretions of infertile subjects might provide useful clinical guidance.     

Marqueurs du tractus génital et activités glycosidasiques séminales

Seminal liquefaction corresponds to a proteolysis of glycoproteins and could also result in a lysis of linked glycans involving glycosidases. It is well known that α-1-4 glucosidase is a real epipidymal marker. The aim of this study is to point out new markers among the glycosidases and especially β-D-mannosidase, α-L-fucosidase and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase. There is no correlation between the three enzymatic activities and the sperm count. Moreover in case of azoospermia enzymatic activities were always present. The variations observed are both quantitative (β-MAN activity is significantly decreased) and qualitative (modifications of the relative proportions of the different enzymatic forms) according to the etiology of azoospermia.     

Inhibiteurs anti-trypsine et activités protéolytiques des Albumines de graine de Vigna unguiculata

Summary The extracellular space of tentacles of Drosera capensis L. is divided into two compartments by cuticular material between cells of an endodermoid layer and by the nonporous cuticle of the stalk and neck. The distal compartment includes the mucilaginous secretion as well as the free space of the secretory cap, since the cuticle covering the cap is perforated by numerous 0.05–0.3 m pores. The proximal compartment includes xylem and the intercellular space of the stalk. The existence of the endodermoid partition is consistent with the observation that action potentials recorded extracellularly from the head may be positive-going while those recorded extracellularly from the stalk are negative-going. The partitioning is also consistent with the hypothesis previously proposed to explain why the amplitude of action potentials recorded from the mucilage varies as a function of the amplitude of the receptor potential.The living cells are united by plasmodesmata. Unusually abundant plasmodesmata were observed in the walls between endodermoid cells and neck cells, between neck cells and the next row of outer stalk cells, in the end walls connecting the outer stalk cells, and the end walls connecting the inner stalk cells: these strategically located plasmodesmata presumably permit the electrotonic spread of receptor potentials and action potentials between cells.     

Spermatozoïdes,environnement et prévention

Over the last fivty years, the risk factors for infertility have increased substantially, particularly those due to the environment. Spermatogenesis and spermatozoa can be affected by physical (ionizing radiation microwaves, heat, cryopreservation) or chemical agents (antimitotics drugs, antibiotics, tranquillizers, insecticides, pesticides, industrial solvants, some heavy metals, alcohol, cannabis etc.). Some natural factors, as stress or paternal age (ageing or very youthful age relatively to about thirty) also seems to affect spermatogenesis and, particularly, the age can be joined with the previous ones. On the whole, these factors are able to decrease the male fertility through some changes about the concentration, the motility or the morphology of spermatozoa and so it is possible to describe populations subject to the risk. Moreover, these spermatogenetic changes can lead abnormalities in progeny. For instance, some antimitotic drugs as cyclophosphamide, when administrated to the male rat, lead malformations or functional anomalies as behavioral troubles. The industrial solvents lead a decrease of the birth weight and the cannabis leads an increase of the ante-or post-natal death. Moreover, the change of the paternal spermatogenesis caused by cannabis can be found again in the male progeny. The problem is similar with the lead, the benzodiazepines and the alcohol. Concerning the physical factors, some authors have shown that the children born from radiation exposed fathers presented an increase of the probability of leukemia. In animal, the postimplantation loss is increased when the father is irradiated or subjected to heat before mating. Finally, the paternal ageing is responsible for new dominant autosomic mutations. Moreover, in animal and man, paternal ageing and, in man, very youthful age, also seems responsible for a gradual lowering in the level of progency cerebral functions. On the whole, these data should lead to an preventive attitude which would be more effective before about thirty years of age than after this period.     

Les spermatozoïdes immobiles frais ou décongelés en fécondation assistée

Contrasting with sperm count or morphology, complete lack of mobile sperm may seriously impair ICSI fertilization and pergnancy rate. In three cases with flagellar skeleton abnormalities [dynein arm absence] only immobile sperm were found in the ejaculate. Following repeated ejaculations, higher rates of viable spermatozoa and even some motile spermatozoa could be found. Some times, in nonobstructive azoospermia, extensive sperm search didn't allow us to find but immobile sperm mostly, with very few motile sperm cells, not enough for the microinjection of all oocytes. The third group of immobile sperm is iatrogenic, following freezing and thawing surgically retrieved, testicular or epididymal spermatozoa in order to avoid repeated surgical retrieval. Following thawing, one find frequently very few motile spermatozoa that may be not enough for all retrieved oocytes and it might be necessary to inject some eggs with immobile spermatozoa. The outcome of ICSI using mobile and immobile sperm was compared in the three above mentioned groups: 1-immobile ejaculated sperm with flagellar defects, 2-immobile sperm discovered in the ejaculate after extensive sperm search and 3- immobile frozen-thawed testicular or epididymal spermatozoa. The results of ICSI in these groups show that fertilizing ability of fresh or frozenthawed immobile spermatozoa is not significantly different from ICSI with mobile sperm from the same origin. More over, in the first group with flagellar abnormalities, repeated ejaculations allowed us significantly increase sperm viability and fertilization ability. Finding only immobile fresh or frozen-thawed sperm the day of egg retrieval should not lead us to ICSI cancellation. Pregnancies may occur with such immobile sperm.     

Liste des cyclopoïdes gnathostomes (Crustacés copépodes) des îles Britanniques et de l'Irlande

Résumé La liste de Cyclopoïdes gnathostomes donnée comprend 58 formes pour la Grande-Bretagne (Angleterre 56, Ecosse 40) et 38 pour l'Irlande.A titre de comparaison on peut mentionner qu'on en connaît actuellement 56 en France et 37 dans les Pays-Bas.Quelques remarques ont été faites sur des questions de nomenclature et concernant certaines espèces.     

Estimation du taux d’aneuploïdies des spermatozoïdes épididymaires prélevés en vue d’ICSI chez des hommes à caryotype normal

Over the last ten years, fluorescent in situ hybridization in decondensed sperm nuclei has been used to study the chromosomal constitution of human spermatozoa. Studies have estimated that the disomy rate per chromosomal pairs is between 0.15% and 0.3%. The aim of this study was to evaluate the aneuploidy rate of human epididymal spermatozoa extracted from five men with obstructive azoospermia undergoing IVF. Genetic studies (karyotypes, Y micodeletion syndrome and mutation of the CFTR gene) did not reveal any abnormality. Disomy frequencies were determined by X-Y-8 multicolour fluorescence in situ hybridisation on 18,013 epididymal spermatozoa and 20,000 spermatozoa from healthy donors (control group). No significant difference was found between epididymal and ejaculated samples. However, isolated non-significant differences were observed between one of the patients and the control group. In conclusion, the present findings suggests that there is no increased risk for de novo chromosomal aberrations after IVF therapy with epididymal spermatozoa of men with obstructive azoospermia.     

Apoptose et ségrégation méiotique dans les spermatozoïdes d'hommes porteurs de translocations

Men with a chromosomal translocation produce a significant percentage of unbalanced spermatozoa. In order to determine a correlation between chromosomal anomalies and apoptosis in human sperm, we analysed DNA fragmentation and meiotic segregation in sperm from men with a (13;14) Robertsonian translocation. We studied sperm from 12 (13;14) translocation carriers and 9 proven fertile men with a normal karyotype. Meiotic segregation of chromosomes 13 and 14 was analysed using dual-colour fluorescencein situ hybridization with locus-specific probes for chromosomes 13 and 14. Apoptosis in spermatozoa was measured byin situ TUNEL assay. The meiotic segregation study showed a significantly increased frequency of unbalanced spermatozoa for chromosomes 13 and 14 in (13;14) carriers (15.9%) compared to the control population (1.3%) (p=0.00016). The study of apoptosis showed an increase of DNA fragmentation in (13;14) carriers (34.9%) compared to the control population (13.8%) (p=0.0036). This increased apoptosis was observed in spermatozoa presenting an increase of unbalanced chromosomal anomalies concerning chromosomes 13 and 14, but with a predominance of balanced spermatozoa compared to the theoretical risk of meiotic segregation. These results suggest that apoptosis could be involved as a regulatory mechanism to eliminate unbalanced chromosomal spermatozoa in men with a (13;14) Robertsonian translocation.     

Hyperparasitisme facultatif de parasitoïdes en cours de développement par les femelles des ectoparasitoïdes Eupelmus vuilleti et Eupelmus orientalis Craw

In a community of three ectoparasitoids, Dinarmus basalis, Eupelmus vuilleti and E. orientalis, the host Callosobruchus maculatus parasitised 48 h before by D. basalis, is accepted by E. vuilleti females after they have eliminated the eggs and neonatal larvae of D. basalis. This ovicidal and larvicidal behaviour enables E. vuilleti to develop on C. maculatus instead of D. basalis. E. vuilleti females are able to parasitise the L5 larval stage and the pupa of D. basalis: their larvae therefore feed at the expense of the developing parasitoid. This trophic level is that of hyperparasitism. However, E. vuilleti females rarely practise hyperparasitism on their own L5 larvae and on those of E. orientalis. This behaviour reveals a high behavioural plasticity enabled by intra- and interspecific recognition of parasitoids used as hosts. Hyperparasitism activity in E. orientalis females is higher than that in E. vuilleti females since they hyperparasitise host parasitoids more frequently without preferential species choice. However, E. vuilleti seems to be free from competitive pressure with E. orientalis, as the former penetrates deeply into a grain store contaminated with C. maculatus in contrast to E. orientalis females, which remain on the surface from where they escaped.