Fever is not responsible for the elevated glucose kinetics in sepsis

Previous studies have suggested that alterations in the classical neuroendocrine system may not be responsible for the increased glucose metabolism observed during hypermetabolic sepsis. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether inhibition of the cyclooxygenase pathway with indomethacin, which prevents the production of arachidonic acid metabolites by this pathway and the sepsis-induced increase in body temperature, would abolish the increases in glucose appearance (Ra), recycling, and hyperlactacidemia. Sepsis was induced in chronically catheterized conscious rats by multiple injections of live Escherichia coli via a subcutaneous catheter. Septic animals received iv injections of indomethacin (5 mg/kg) every 6-8 hr to block the cyclooxygenase pathway. Glucose kinetics were assessed in 24-hr fasted rats using a constant iv infusion of [6-3H]- and [U-14C]glucose. Treatment with indomethacin prevented the 1-2 degrees C increase in body temperature observed in septic animals. Septic rats exhibited an elevated plasma lactate concentration and increased rates of glucose appearance and recycling. The sepsis-induced alterations in these variables were not attenuated by indomethacin. These results suggest that neither elevated body temperature nor the generation of arachidonic acid metabolites of the cyclooxygenase pathway is responsible for increasing glucose production in hypermetabolic septic rats.     

The molecular organization of the beta-globin complex of the deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus

Recombinant DNA clones have been isolated that contain 80 kb of the beta-globin complex from the deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus. Comparisons of this complex with that from the laboratory mouse, Mus domesticus (with an order 5'-Hbby, Hbb-bhO, Hbb-bhl, Hbb-bh2, Hbb-bh3, Hbb-bl, Hbb-b2 3') highlight organizational trends in the beta-globin complex since the two species diverged. Unlike other mammals studied thus far, the deer mouse possesses three adult genes. Partial sequence analysis indicates that each of the three adult genes is intact and hence may be functional. Hybridization of one of the two Mus pseudogenes, Hbb-bh3, to genomic blots from Peromyscus reveals that it has a homologous counterpart in Peromyscus. Homologous genes to the two gamma-like Mus genes, Hbb-bhO and Hbb-bhl, are also found in Peromyscus. The strong hybridization between the Hbb-bhl genes and significant nucleotide similarity between the Hbb-bhO genes suggest that both pairs are important for the ontogeny of these mice although no known product has been identified for the Hbb-bhO genes. The presence of Hbb-bhO and Hbb-bhl in Peromyscus suggests that the duplication that created this related gene set occurred before the two lineages diverged. A single gene for Hbb-y has been isolated from Peromyscus. The adult region in Peromyscus has undergone significant divergence from the same region in Mus, having three rather than two adult genes, the acquisition of at least 15 kb of extra DNA relative to Mus, and possibly the loss of the Hbb-bh2 pseudogene. The nonadult region of the complex, in contrast, contains the same set of genes apparently distributed over the same amount of DNA as in the Mus beta- globin complex. This observation suggests that the embryonic region of the complex is more evolutionarily stable than the adult region.      

Passiflora Latent Carlavirus in European Collections of Ornamental Passiflora

Passiflora latent carlavirus (PLV) was detected by PAS-ELISA in 15 species/hybrids or cultivars of Passiflora with mosaic, mottle or blotch leaf symptoms, from botanical and germplasm collections in the UK and The Netherlands surveyed in 1992 and 1993. A single lesion isolate of PLV induced leaf chlorosis in inoculated apparently virus-free P. caerulea . This is the first report of PLV in the UK.