Evolutionary aspects of compensation of functions of the damaged spinal cord

In animal experiments with spinal lesions, phylo- and ontogenetic features of development of plasticity in the CNS of mammals and high reliability of the CNS have been demonstrated. It has been shown that possibilities of compensation processes and the upper limit of plasticity increase in phylogeny. Much attention has been attached to the higher regions of the CNS and hypothalamus as well as to ecological and biological characteristics of animals. Changes in the structure and functions of the damaged spinal cord have been studied. The significance of sympathetic innervation and involvement of ATP and ATPase in the spinal cord functioning after injury have been demonstrated. The article reviews the investigations of the role of the cicatrixce and some endocrine glands (adrenal glands, pancreas, and thyroid gland) performed at the laboratory. In phylogeny, high plasticity has been demonstrated at early ontogenetic stages. Enzymes have been shown to facilitate recovery of spinal functions after injury.     

Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori

The different invasive and noninvasive diagnostic tests for Helicobacter pylori have been applied mainly in emerging countries. Molecular methods have been developed, especially a test for detection of H. pylori and its clarithromycin resistance directly from stools. The long-term effects of eradication on histologic lesions have been studied in a meta-analysis and the prognostic value of post-treatment in gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma has been assessed. An operating link for gastritis assessment (the OLGA staging) has also been published. Attempts to simplify the urea breath test protocol have been made, and new stool antigen tests have been proposed and compared to those previously available.     

Adenylate cyclase of the causative agent of plague: its purification and properties

Three forms of adenylate cyclase have been detected in Y. pestis: membrane-bound, cytoplasmic and extracellular. Extracellular adenylate cyclase has been purified so as to achieve a homogeneous state, and some of its physicochemical parameters have been investigated. In the process of purification the initial preparation of this enzyme has been subjected to heating at 100 degrees C for 15 minutes, fractionation with ammonium sulfate, and gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. The homogeneity of adenylate cyclase has been confirmed by electrophoresis in 7.5% polyacrylamide gel and precipitation by the plague agglutinating serum. The enzyme has been found to have a molecular weight of 30,000 daltons and to show the optimum activity at pH 7.0-7.2 and at a temperature between 37 and 40 degrees C. Monospecific rabbit serum to the homogeneous preparation of adenylate cyclase has been obtained.     

The effect of ultrasound on the antigenic activity of human erythrocytes

The effect of ultrasound (frequency 0.88 MHz, intensity from 0.05 to 1 W/cm2) on alterations in antigenic activity has been investigated in vitro using ABO antigens of human erythrocytes. The existence of threshold doses of ultrasound influence has been found. These doses are shown to be independent of ultrasound intensity. The dependence of the effect on erythrocyte concentration has been established. Individual and group differences in the antigenic resistance to ultrasonic exposure in donors of groups A and B have been revealed. A drop in antigenic activity equal to 97% has been obtained.     

Toxicity of cycads

This is a review of the literature on the use of cycads as food and medicine, with special attention to their toxic properties. In the tropics and subtropics, where the plants are indigenous, their toxicity has long been known. Both gastrointestinal and neurological effects have been reported. Although several toxic components of the plants have been investigated, none has yet been shown to be responsible for specific effects. No lesion has been demonstrated to account for the progressive and apparently irreversible posterior paralysis which reputedly follows consumption of the plants by cattle. Current interest in the toxicity of the cycads has been stimulated by recognition of the high incidence of neurological diseases in an area of the world where they are used as food.     

Mapping of phase response properties of monopolar ECG voltages

In the present investigation an attempt has been made to study the phase response properties of monopolar chest lead ECG voltages. Using a generator model of the heart an equivalent circuit of ECG network has been developed. The equivalent impedance between WCT and probe electrode has been determined by reduction techniques. From this equivalent impedance the phasor characteristics of monopolar ECG voltages have been analysed for change in probe electrode locations. The source of the generated voltage, i.e., the heart, will develop a different voltage for its different condition. There will also be a change in impedances. Thus for the normal subject the distribution of the phasor of the ECG voltages will be different from that of the abnormal one. A software tool has been developed to evaluate the relative phase response of ECG voltages. The data acquisition of monopolar ECG records of chest leads V1 to V6 from chart recorder has been done with the help of AutoCAD application package. The harmonic constituents of ECG voltages have been evaluated at each harmonic plane and the phase characteristics have been studied in polar coordinate for normal subjects as well as for a typical case. An interesting result has been observed in typical cases which are indicated in the paper.     

Value of ambroxol in treatment of bronchial asthma and spastic bronchitis]

Ambroxol (Bronchopront-Mack) was administered to 73 patients with the bronchial asthma and spastic bronchitis with expectoration disorders. The drug was given in the dosage forms of slow release capsules, syrup, drops, intramuscular injections and inhalations for about 14 days. All patients have been carefully examined clinically, PEF has been measured, and sputum physico-chemical properties have been tested prior to and 10 days after treatment. Complete disappearance of cough, liquefaction of sputum and clearance of airways have been achieved in 47% of patients. A significant improvement has been noted in 38.4% of cases. The treatment failed in 2.7% of patients. Ambroxol has been well tolerated. No adverse effects on laboratory findings have been noted. Results suggest, that ambroxol is valuable drug in the combined treatment of patients with the bronchial asthma and spastic bronchitis.     

Evaluation of the effect of d,l-carnitine on lipid metabolism of patients after prolonged dialysis]

An effect of carnitine (Bicarnesine) on lipid metabolism in 14 patients treated with prolonged dialyses has been analysed. Carnitine has been administered orally in the dose of 30 mg/kg b.w. three times per week for 8 weeks and every day for the next 8 weeks. Carnitine, total triglycerides, total and HDL cholesterol, and glucose have been determined in serum. Blood lipoproteins have been assayed with electrophoresis in agarose gel. Total and free carnitine concentrations increased by 3.5 times within 16 weeks. Triglycerides level did not change significantly in all examined patients except a group of 6 patients with baseline hypertriglyceridemia, in which a significant but transient decrease in triglycerides level has been noted after 4 weeks of treatment. At the same time, normalization of blood lipoproteins has been observed. In the eighth week, a transient decrease in HDL-cholesterol has been noted. Result suggest, that carnitine despite an increase in total and free carnitine blood levels did not regulate lipid metabolism disorders. Moreover, its administration to patients treated with prolonged dialyses seems to be unfavourable due to several adverse reactions.     

A mutagenicity assessment of acetaldehyde

Acetaldehyde has been shown in studies by several different laboratories to be a clastogen (chromosome-breaking) and inducer of sister-chromatid exchanges in cultured mammalian cells (Chinese hamster cells and human lymphocytes). Although there have been very few studies in intact mammals, the available evidence suggests that acetaldehyde produces similar cytogenetic effects in vivo. The production of cytogenetic abnormalities may be related to the ability of acetaldehyde to form DNA-DNA and/or DNA-protein cross-links. Acetaldehyde apparently has not been evaluated for its ability to cause gene mutations in cultured mammalian cells, but it has been shown to produce sex-linked recessive lethals in Drosophila. In general, bacteria tests have been negative. Although acetaldehyde is a genotoxic cross-linking agent, it does not appear to cause DNA strand breaks. There were no studies available regarding the potential of acetaldehyde to produce genetic damage in mammalian germ cells in vivo. Most mutagenicity testing on acetaldehyde has been motivated by attempts to define the proximate mutagen in ethanol metabolism.     

Correctness of diagnosis of celiac disease based on personal data]

A way of coeliac disease diagnosis was assessed in 348 children, Only 14% of patients has been examined according to ESPGAN recommendations and in the proper time. Diagnosis has been completed in 123 patients, and coeliac disease has been diagnosed only in 38 of them. The I biopsy has not been performed in 96 children, the II biopsy--in 136 children, gluten-free diet has not been observed in 105 children after the I biopsy. Other causes of diagnostic failures included: prolongation of the consecutive stages and improper histological evaluation, change of biopsies order, erroneous clinical evaluation. Diagnosis according to ESPGAN recommendations is practically very difficult and time consuming. Immunological markers of coeliac disease (IgA EmA, ARA) should lead to simplification and adjustment of those recommendations in Poland.     

Formation of a new original material based on genetic heterogeneity of disomal wheat plants from offspring of aneuploids

A series of disomic lines of spring wheat Opal selected on the basis of monosomic lines of this cultivar has been studied. The lines have been tested for combining ability, and the heterosis effect has been studied in disomic lines of F1 hybrids obtained by topcrossing. The line have been demonstrated to differ both from one another and from cultivar Opal in the expression of quantitative traits, combining ability, and the degree of heterosis in F1. These data suggest that recombinations accompanying the formation of the monosomic series have changed their genetic program. To test this suggestion, intramolecular heterogeneity of 42-chromosome plants has been analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and isoenzyme analysis. The results confirmed the differences at the DNA and protein levels. According to the results of molecular analyses, A-genome lines are the most polymorphic. Strong heterosis effects have been detected in hybrid combinations contributed by D- and B-genome lines, which are characterized by medium and low degrees of molecular genetic polymorphism. Lines that are promising in terms of breeding programs have been identified.     

Determination of solution conformation of DNA backbone: application of homonuclear (J, delta) spectroscopy

Homonuclear two-dimensional (J, delta) proton spectroscopy has been suggested as a method for the measurement of 1H-31P coupling constants in oligonucleotides. The technique has been applied to a dinucleoside monophosphate G2'p5'C and a deoxydecanucleotide d(ACATCGATGT). PCILO energy calculations have been carried out to find minimum energy conformations with respect to the DNA backbone torsion angle epsilon, and these have been considered for the interpretation of the observed H3'-31P coupling constants in oligonucleotides.     

Aerobic degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls

The microbial degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has been extensively studied in recent years. The genetic organization of biphenyl catabolic genes has been elucidated in various groups of microorganisms, their structures have been analyzed with respect to their evolutionary relationships, and new information on mobile elements has become available. Key enzymes, specifically biphenyl 2,3-dioxygenases, have been intensively characterized, structure/sequence relationships have been determined and enzymes optimized for PCB transformation. However, due to the complex metabolic network responsible for PCB degradation, optimizing degradation by single bacterial species is necessarily limited. As PCBs are usually not mineralized by biphenyl-degrading organisms, and cometabolism can result in the formation of toxic metabolites, the degradation of chlorobenzoates has received special attention. A broad set of bacterial strategies to degrade chlorobenzoates has recently been elucidated, including new pathways for the degradation of chlorocatechols as central intermediates of various chloroaromatic catabolic pathways. To optimize PCB degradation in the environment beyond these metabolic limitations, enhancing degradation in the rhizosphere has been suggested, in addition to the application of surfactants to overcome bioavailability barriers. However, further research is necessary to understand the complex interactions between soil/sediment, pollutant, surfactant and microorganisms in different environments.     

Measurement and study of the nose and face and their correlations in the young adult of Han nationality

The measurement of 13 items in the face and nose of 220 young adults (110 males and 110 females) of the Han nationality between the ages of 18 and 21 years has been done in the Henan Province of China. The means and standard deviations have been obtained, and the significant differences in many items between males and females have been proved. Some items influencing outer nasal shape have been analyzed. The correlations between nose height, nose length, and morphologic facial height and physiognomic facial height have been discussed. The ratio and amount of nasal breadth to facial breadth and nasal breadth to interocular breadth have been compared and analyzed, and the differences among the different races and between the sexes have been explained.     

Organization of the connections of the putamen with the cerebral cortex and hypothalamus]

Connection between the putamen, the brain cortex and the hypothalamus, as well as the role of the former in different aspects of purposive behaviour have been studied in a complex morpho-physiological investigation. In 12 cats, after developing a symmetrical active-defensive conditioned reflex, unilateral electrolysis of the putamen has been performed and the number of conditioned-reflexive reactions have been counted before and after coagulation. The brains have been treated after Nauta--Gygax, Fink--Heimer with additional staining after Kawamura--Niimi. Monosynaptic connections of the putamen with frontal, precentral, postcentral, orbital, parietal cortical areas have been revealed; direct pathways from the putamen to the infundibulum of the grey tuber, to the posterior and lateral hypothalamic nucleus have been demonstrated; participation of the putamen in the formation of active-defensive conditioned reflexes has been stated, as well as in emotional behaviour with a preferable use either the right or the left foreleg.     

Circadian rhythmicity of prolactin secretion in Huntington's chorea

Prolactin circadian secretion has been studied in 16 males and in 8 females with Huntington's Chorea, in order to evaluate changes of the hormone's titres and of their periodicity in a condition where alterations of neurotransmission have been documented. Prolactin levels have been found normal, enhanced and low levels have been observed in one male case. Sleep connected surge has been found to be present in all cases. A harmonic analysis of periodical changes has been performed by a Fourier's cosines series. The changes in the occurence of different harmonic frequencies in respect to normal controls are not significant. No correlation could be drawn among clinical indices, hormone levels and the feature of the occurring harmonics.     

New perspectives on photosynthetic phosphorylation in the light of a torsional mechanism of energy transduction and ATP synthesis

New perspectives on photophosphorylation have been offered from the standpoint of the torsional mechanism of energy transduction and ATP synthesis. New experimental data on the involvement of malate anions in ATP synthesis in an acid-base malate bath procedure has been reported on spinach chloroplast thylakoids as the model system. The data cannot be reconciled with the chemiosmotic theory but has been shown to be naturally explained by the torsional mechanism. The path of malic acid in the acid and base stages of the experiment has been traced, offering further strong support to the new paradigm. Classical observations in the field have been re-interpreted in the light of these findings. A new concept of ion translocation, energy transduction and coupling at the overall physiological level in photophosphorylation has been presented and a large number of novel experimentally testable predictions have been made and shown to arise as logical consequences of the new perspectives.     

Effect of organic composition of humic acids on Enterobacteria multiplication

Enterobacteria have been found to be capable of active multiplication in humic acids isolated from bentonite clays containing carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. Humic acids fractions have been found to be heterogeneous by their molecular weight and organic composition; consequently, they have been found to produce different influence in the multiplication of bacteria.     

Uniform designation for genes of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham reductive pentose phosphate pathway of bacteria

Structural and regulatory genes encoding enzymes and proteins of the reductive pentose phosphate pathway have been isolated from a number of bacteria recently. In the phototroph Rhodobacter sphaeroides, and in two chemoautotrophic bacteria, Alcaligenes eutrophus and Xanthobacter flavus, these genes have been found in distinct operons. However, in these three organisms and in other bacteria where certain of these genes have been discovered, a uniform nomenclature to designate these genes has been lacking. This report represents an effort to provide uniformity to the designation of these genes from all bacteria.     

Effects of rho-fluorophenylalanine on the growth of Lactobacillus arabinosus

p-Fluorophenylalanine has been found to be inhibitory to Lactobacillus arabinosus 17-5. This inhibition has been shown to be competitive with phenylalanine but not with tyrosine, and is described by a low antibacterial index, which varies over a range of approximately 1–20, dependent upon the temporal stage of the culture for which the data are employed in calculation.The organism has been found also to adapt readily to the inhibitor. Evidence that this adjustment involves a mutation to a type with a selective advantage in media containing the inhibitor is presented.Under limiting conditions, which have been described, the organism is capable of greater growth in the presence of both metabolite and antimetabolite than in the presence of the same amount of metabolite alone.Discussion of the significance of the results has been presented.