Diurnal variations in the physiology of the goldfish,Carassius auratus

Abstract

Liver glycogen, liver lipid, liver triglycerides, plasma glucose, plasma total lipid, plasma cholesterol, plasma corticoids, hypothalamic serotonin and pituitary pro‐lactin levels were assayed at five times over a 24‐h period in Carassius auratus maintained under a specific photoperiod regime at various times throughout the year. Diurnal variations were observed in all parameters monitored. Daily variations of liver glycogen, plasma glucose, plasma lipid, plasma corticoids and hypothalamic serotonin were affected by time of feeding. Liver glycogen, plasma lipid and plasma corticoid levels were also affected by time of feeding. Diurnal variations of liver glycogen, plasma glucose and plasma lipid were influenced by light‐dark cycles. These data illustrate that feeding time, photoperiod and time of sacrifice are important considerations in the study of metabolic and hormonal parameters in fishes.     

On the mechanism of the formation of magnetohydrodynamic vortices in the solar plasma

Based on the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations for an incompressible conductive viscous fluid, the possible mechanism of the formation of giant MHD vortices recently discovered in the solar atmosphere (chromosphere) is analyzed. It is assumed that these vortices arise in the regions of the solar surface (photosphere) with ascending flows of hot plasma that arrives from the inner regions of the Sun as a result of thermal convection and is accelerated upward under the action of the chromospheric plasma pressure gradient. It is shown that, under the assumption of plasma incompressibility and flow continuity, the ascending plasma flows induce converging radial plasma flows, which create the convective and Coriolis nonlinear hydrodynamic forces due to the nonzero initial vorticity of the chromospheric plasma caused by Sun’s rotation. The combined action of these two forces leads to the exponential acceleration of the solid-body rotation of plasma inside the ascending flow, thereby creating a vortex that generates an axial magnetic field, in agreement with astrophysical observations.     

A role of the Duffy antigen for the maintenance of plasma chemokine concentrations

We examined plasma chemokine concentrations and chemokine clearance rates in Duffy antigen knockout mice. The plasma concentrations of eotaxin and MCP-1 in Duffy antigen knockout mice were less than one-third of those in wild-type mice. When eotaxin or hMGSA was intravenously injected, the chemokine disappeared more rapidly from the plasma of Duffy antigen knockout mice than from the plasma of wild-type mice. The half-lives of hIP-10 and interferon-gamma, which do not have an affinity for the Duffy antigen, in plasma were indistinguishable between Duffy antigen knockout mice and wild-type mice. These results suggest that the Duffy antigen delays the disappearance of chemokines from the plasma, resulting in the maintenance of plasma chemokine concentrations.     

On the excess energy of nonequilibrium plasma

The energy that can be released in plasma due to the onset of instability (the excess plasma energy) is estimated. Three potentially unstable plasma states are considered, namely, plasma with an anisotropic Maxwellian velocity distribution of plasma particles, plasma with a two-beam velocity distribution, and an inhomogeneous plasma in a magnetic field with a local Maxwellian velocity distribution. The excess energy can serve as a measure of the degree to which plasma is nonequilibrium. In particular, this quantity can be used to compare plasmas in different nonequilibrium states.     

Activation of the kinin-forming cascade on the surface of endothelial cells

Activation of the plasma kallikrein-kinin forming cascade takes place upon incubation with human umbilical vein endothelial cells. The mechanism by which initiation occurs is uncertain. Zinc-dependent binding of plasma proteins to gC1qR, cytokeratin 1, and perhaps u-PAR is requisite for activation to take place. We demonstrate here that during a 2 hour incubation time plasma deficient in either factor XII or high molecular weight kininogen (HK) fails to activate, as compared to normal plasma, but with more prolonged incubation, factor XII-deficient plasma gradually activates while HK-deficient plasma does not. Our data support both factor XII-dependent (rapid) and factor XII-independent (slow) mechanisms; the latter may require a cell-derived protease to activate prekallikrein and the presence of zinc ions and HK.     

Determination of the plasma effective charge from the soft X-ray spectrum and plasma conductivity at the L-2M stellarator after boronization of the vacuum chamber

Boronization of the vacuum chamber wall results in a considerable change in the composition of the plasma generated in working pulses of the L-2M stellarator and, accordingly, in the plasma effective charge. The paper presents results of measurements of the plasma effective charge carried out by two methods in the ohmic heating mode: from the data on the plasma conductivity and from the soft X-ray spectrum of plasma emission. Comparison of the values of the plasma effective charge obtained by these two methods makes it possible to determine the conditions in which the two values are in good agreement. Under these conditions, the plasma effective charge can be correctly estimated from spectral measurements.     

Dynamics of quasineutral plasma beams and the structure of the beam-induced disturbances in ionospheric plasma

Phenomena accompanying the injection of a dense plasma beam from the payload of a rocket into ionospheric plasma are analyzed. The dynamics of both the quasineutral plasma beam and the beam-induced disturbances in the ionospheric plasma are investigated. It is shown that the electric field in the beam has a complicated structure, which leads to the generation of currents in both the beam and the ambient ionospheric plasma. The transverse size of the disturbance zone in the ionospheric plasma is found to greatly exceed the beam diameter. The proposed model of the current closing in the ionospheric plasma agrees well with the experimental data. The xenon beam temperature at moderate distances from the injector is determined by using the plasma shadow theory. It is found that the ion beam temperature is at least four times lower than the plasma temperature in the injection zone. This unexpected result is explained by the adiabatic cooling of the current system. The critical radius beyond which a constant temperature in the beam is established is found to be less than 11 m.     

血浆uPA、uPAR在乳腺癌分子亚型中的表达及临床意义

目的:探讨血浆uPA、uPAR在不同分子亚型乳腺癌中的表达水平及其对乳腺癌患者治疗、预后等的临床意义。方法:采用免疫组化ELISA方法测定的女性乳腺癌初治患者86例的血浆uPA、uPAR水平,所有患者均经组织病理学确诊,以患者的临床病理学资料提供的免疫组化结果为基础进行分子分型,结合二者进行分析。结果:血浆uPA在乳腺癌不同分子亚型中表达有统计学差异(P<0.01),uPAR在乳腺癌不同分子亚型中表达有统计学差异(P<0.05);乳腺癌患者血浆uPA和uPAR呈显著正相关(P<0.01,Pearson相关系数r=0.735)。结论:乳腺癌患者血浆uPA和uPAR的水平与分子亚型密切相关,他们和分子亚型联合,可能对乳腺癌个体化治疗及判定预后有指导意义。     

Mechanism of the central effects of dopamine and metoclopramide on aldosterone regulation in the rat

To investigate the mechanism of the central action of dopamine and its antagonist, metoclopramide, on the regulation of aldosterone, studies were performed in 54 conscious rats with and without bilateral nephrectomy. In normal and sham-operated rats, intracerebroventricular injection of dopamine resulted in a significant suppression of plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone at 30 min, and intracerebroventricular injection of metoclopramide resulted in a significant elevation of plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone at 30 min without altering the plasma corticosterone and potassium levels. In bilaterally nephrectomized rats, the plasma renin activity was significantly reduced and it did not respond to dopamine or metoclopramide. In these rats, intracerebroventricular injection of metoclopramide exerted no effect on the plasma aldosterone, but intracerebroventricular injection of dopamine increased the plasma aldosterone slightly. However, this increase was not statistically significant. These findings suggest that the dopaminergic system in the brain is involved in the regulation of aldosterone secretion, mainly with changes in the peripheral renin-angiotensin axis in rats.     

Determination of seven unconjugated steroids in the blood and seminal plasma of the fertile male rabbit.

Seven unconjugated steroids were measured in the blood and seminal plasmas of fertile male rabbits by radioimmunoassay. The blood plasma testosterone concentration was 4--5 times that of the seminal plasma. Dehydroepiandrosterone, estrone and 17beta-estradiol were found in measurable amounts in the blood plasma; however, these steroid levels were slightly lower in seminal plasma. Androstenedione and 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone were present in equal quantities in both the seminal and blood plasmas. By contrast, seminal plasma pregnenolone level was about twice that of the blood plasma. The determination of seminal plasma steroids may lend itself as a complementary assessment to blood steroid determinations for the evaluation of the normal function of various reproductive organs.     

Identification of the plasma boundary shape and position in the Damavand tokamak

A series of experiments and numerical calculations have been done on the Damavand tokamak for accurate determination of equilibrium parameters, such as the plasma boundary position and shape. For this work, the pickup coils of the Damavand tokamak were recalibrated and after that a plasma boundary shape identification code was developed for analyzing the experimental data, such as magnetic probes and coils currents data. The plasma boundary position, shape and other parameters are determined by the plasma shape identification code. A free-boundary equilibrium code was also generated for comparison with the plasma boundary shape identification results and determination of required fields to obtain elongated plasma in the Damavand tokamak.     

Influence of food intake on the 24-hr variations of plasma iron concentration in the rabbit

Circadian variations in plasma iron levels were first reported in humans in 1937. Influences of the sleeping pattern and of plasma cortisol and adrenaline levels on these variations as well as the reproducibility of the phenomenon itself are discussed controversially in the literature. The influence of food intake, however, was not considered in most of the studies and is therefore subject of this investigation. Circadian plasma iron and plasma transferrin variations were determined in rabbits and compared under free access to food and under starvation (caecotrophy was not prevented). Population-mean-cosinor analysis of circadian plasma iron concentrations showed similar variations in the fed and starved condition (mesor: 116.6 micrograms/dl vs 118.1 micrograms/dl, acrophase 0752 hr vs 0728) except for a significant increase of the circadian amplitude under free access to food (30.9 micrograms/dl vs 22.3 micrograms/dl, P less than 0.05). There was no variation in plasma transferrin, which shows that 24 hr variations in plasma iron are not caused by modulation of plasma transferrin. These findings demonstrate a circadian rhythm for plasma iron, the amplitude of which is increased by food intake.     

血浆uPA、uPAR在乳腺癌分子亚型中的表达及临床意义

目的：探讨血浆uPA、uPAR在不同分子亚型乳腺癌中的表达水平及其对乳腺癌患者治疗、预后等的临床意义。方法：采用免疫组化ELISA方法测定的女性乳腺癌初治患者86例的血浆uPA、uPAR水平,所有患者均经组织病理学确诊,以患者的临床病理学资料提供的免疫组化结果为基础进行分子分型,结合二者进行分析。结果：血浆uPA在乳腺癌不同分子亚型中表达有统计学差异（P〈0．01）,uPAR在乳腺癌不同分子亚型中表达有统计学差异（P〈0．05）;乳腺癌患者血浆uPA和uPAR呈显著正相关（P〈0．01,Pearson相关系数（r=0．735）。结论：乳腺癌患者血浆uPA和uPAR的水平与分子亚型密切相关,他们和分子亚型联合,可能对乳腺癌个体化治疗及判定预后有指导意义。     

Injection of plasma into the Trimyx Galathea

The Galathea-3 device, which consists of a coaxial plasma gun, a plasma guide, a lock chamber, and the Trimyx Galathea confinement system with three myxines, is briefly described. The plasma parameters at the outlet from the plasma gun, in the plasma guide, and in the confinement system are presented. It is shown that the plasma can be efficiently entrapped into the Galathea and spread out along it. The confined plasma is found to go beyond the Ohkawa surfaces. Estimates show that the particle losses from the system are on the order of the classical ones.     

Study of the state of blood plasma by the spin probe method

To evaluate the potentialities of the spin probe method in examination of the blood plasma state, a study was made into the blood plasma bound nitroxyl radical 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-5,6-benzo-gamma-carbolin-3-oxyl in healthy rabbits and those with pronounced experimental atherosclerosis. The probe absorption by high molecular plasma components was assayed in order to determine the binding constants and concentration of the binding centers, mobility of adsorbed probes and polarity of their surroundings. In the course of experimental atherosclerosis development these parameters underwent changes correlating with those of blood plasma cholesterol level. The data obtained suggest that the spin probe method may be used for assessement of the plasma state for diagnostic and research purposes.     

Thrombotest mixing experiments in congenital coagulation disorders of the prothrombin complex and in coumarin treated patients. An additional evidence against the presence of an inhibitor in the latter.

Thrombotest clotting times of mixtures of coumarin plasmas and normal plasma yielded a patterm similar to that observed in mixtures of plasma with congenital coagulation disorders and normal plasma. The presence of 10 or 20% of test plasma in the mixture failed to affect the clotting times which resulted in normal limits. The only exception to this rule was the hemophilia BM plasma. In this case even the presence of 10-20% of patient plasma in the mixture caused a prolongation of the clotting time. This indicates that no inhibitor is present in coumarin plasmas and in the plasma of congenital coagulation disorders of the prothrombin complex save for hemophilia BM plasma which does contain an inhibitor.     

Evidence for the presence of carbonic anhydrase in the plasma membrane of rat hepatocytes

The cellular distribution of carbonic anhydrase is a key characteristic for the role of the enzyme in cell function. In several epithelia involved in bicarbonate transport this enzyme is located in the plasma membrane. Because bicarbonate secretion is an important mechanism in bile formation by the liver, we investigated the presence of carbonic anhydrase activity in isolated plasma membranes from rat hepatocytes. Carbonic anhydrase activity was enriched 1.79-fold in plasma membrane preparations. This activity was inhibited by acetazolamide and activated by Triton X-100, but was insensitive to Cl- or CNO-. It is highly unlikely that the low contamination of cytoplasm and intracellular membranes could account for the presence of carbonic anhydrase activity in plasma membrane preparations. Moreover, the results from resuspension/washing of plasma membrane fractions in ionic media suggest an absence of soluble carbonic anhydrase adsorption upon plasma membrane. Accordingly, the present findings provide strong evidence for the presence of carbonic anhydrase in the plasma membrane of rat hepatocytes.     

Measurements and monitoring of the hydrogen and deuterium contents in the plasma of the L-2M stellarator

The program of experiments on ITER includes a sequential change of the plasma isotopic composition from pure hydrogen plasma in the initial stage of research to deuterium and, then, deuterium-tritium plasma with a gradual increase in the tritium content. In this context, the influence of the plasma isotopic composition on the processes of plasma heating and confinement are being actively studied on the existing tokamaks and stellarators. The plasma isotopic composition also depends on the composition of the gas desorbed from the vacuum chamber wall in the course of recycling. Therefore, the rate of change of the plasma isotopic composition after altering the injected gas also depends on the rate of change of the isotopic composition of the gas absorbed in the wall. These effects were studied in the experiments carried out on the L-2M stellarator in which the working gas was changed from hydrogen to deuterium. Spectral measurements of the intensity ratio between the H _α and D _α lines made it possible to monitor the isotopic composition of the plasma in the course of cleaning of the chamber wall from earlier absorbed hydrogen and its replacement with deuterium. After returning to hydrogen, the rate of cleaning of the wall from deuterium was also determined. The results of these experiments show that the plasma isotopic composition varies exponentially with the number N of shots after transition to another isotope, ∼exp(−N/47). Hence, the isotopic composition can be changed almost completely over 2 to 3 working days. This allows one to study the influence of the plasma isotopic composition on plasma confinement during the same experimental session.     

The Effect of Insulin on the Distribution of Glucose between the Blood Plasma and the Liver

In normal fasted rats whole liver tissue contains as much glucose as the blood plasma, i.e., the ratio of the concentrations is about unity. The concentration of glucose in hepatic intracellular water is about 1.2 times higher than in plasma water. In rats injected with insulin the concentration of glucose in the liver falls to a lesser extent than in the plasma: resulting in a ratio of concentrations higher than unity. If insulin hypoglycemia is prevented by the ingestion of glucose the concentration ratio is less than in hypoglycemic rats but still significantly above unity. In normal rats the specific activities of plasma and hepatic glucose do not differ significantly at 7.5, 15, and 30 minutes after the intravenous injection of C¹⁴-labeled glucose. In rats injected with insulin the specific activity of glucose is higher in the plasma than in the liver at 7.5 and 15 minutes, but not at 30 minutes following the injection of tracer. In insulin-treated hypoglycemic rats considerably higher concentrations of labeled glucose are found in hepatic intracellular than in plasma water. The penetration of C¹⁴-glucose from plasma into hepatic intracellular water is found to be fast. Excess insulin causes an accumulation of glucose within the liver cells by retaining newly formed glucose and by the taking up of glucose from the plasma against an existing concentration gradient.