Epilepsy and Oral Contraception

A controlled cross-over trial in 20 epileptic women, receiving regular anticonvulsant therapy showed that an oral contraceptive with a low oestrogen/ progestogen content had no significant effect on the average frequency of fits compared with identical dummy tablets.     

Bacteriochlorophyll and Heme Synthesis in Rhodopseudomonas spheroides: Possible Role of Heme in Regulation of the Branched Biosynthetic Pathway

Synthesis of heme, measured by incorporation of iron-59, and of bacteriochlorophyll was studied with wild-type and mutant strains of Rhodopseudomonas spheroides. The wild type formed heme from glycine and succinate at one-fortieth the rate of bacteriochlorophyll under anaerobic-light conditions. Added delta-aminolevulinate stimulated heme synthesis 10-fold without increasing bacteriochlorophyll production. Heme synthesis from glycine and succinate was increased when the magnesium branch of the biosynthetic path was curtailed by mutation or by p-fluorophenylalanine or 8-azaguanine. Synthesis of bacteriochlorophyll by the wild type from glycine and succinate stopped immediately after addition of puromycin, but heme production continued for a period. Porphyrins and other precursors did not appear upon addition of puromycin alone, but simultaneous addition of o-phenanthroline resulted in the accumulation of coproporphyrin. Production of this porphyrin by a mutant strain with impaired ability to form heme was unaffected by puromycin. Heme synthesis from glycine and succinate or from delta-aminolevulinate was decreased by limitation of methionine; it is suggested that coproporphyrin accumulation from glycine and succinate under conditions of methionine deficiency results from relief of feedback inhibition of delta-aminolevulinate synthase by heme. The development of delta-aminolevulinate synthase activity in response to low aeration is prevented by addition of delta-aminolevulinate. This repressive action of the latter is abolished when its conversion to heme is impeded by mutation or by methionine deficiency. It is suggested that heme, the quantitatively minor end product of the branched biosynthetic pathway, may regulate the flow of common intermediates when utilization of protoporphyrin by the magnesium branch is diminished. This regulation may be exerted by feedback inhibition of delta-aminolevulinate synthase and also by repression of enzyme formation.     

Studies on ferrochelatase. The enzymic formation of haem in proplastids, chloroplasts and plant mitochondria

1. Ferrochelatase was demonstrated in the chloroplasts and proplastids isolated from the primary leaves of beans (a dicotyledon) and oats (a monocotyledon). It was also detected in chloroplasts from etiolated bean seedlings made green by illumination before being harvested. The specific activities of the three types of bean organelles are similar, as are the specific activities of the oat proplastids and chloroplasts. 2. Chloroplasts from young spinach leaves also contain ferrochelatase; these chloroplasts were tested for their ability to form magnesium tetrapyrroles and found unable to catalyse the insertion of Mg(2+) into mesoporphyrin IX. 3. Ferrochelatase was also detected in potato tuber mitochondria. 4. Ferrochelatase activity in these plant preparations is much less stable on storage than similar preparations from bacteria and animal tissues. 5. Temperature affects the activities of spinach chloroplast ferrochelatase and rat liver ferrochelatase differently. Activity of the chloroplast enzyme increases as the temperature rises from 20.6 degrees to 26 degrees , but becomes increasingly inactivated as the temperature rises further to 38 degrees . The initial velocity of the mammalian enzyme, however, increases as the temperature rises from 25.8 degrees to 65 degrees , but the enzyme is inactivated after several minutes at 65 degrees .     

焦条丽夜蛾生活习性的初步观察

焦条丽夜蛾(Acontia graellsi Feisthamel)由于为害棉叶,故在湖北过去一般多称棉叶夜蛾。在河南黄泛区农场和武昌宝积庵附近棉田,以往都曾发现其为害,但因发生数量不多,故当时都未引起注意。近几年来,此虫在本专区的襄阳、宜城、枣阳、光化等县发生很多,特别是棉花生长中后期,雨水稍多时,为害更重,常把棉叶吃光。鉴于此虫在国内以往还未见到发生与为害的详细研究记载,故本所在1962年作了些田间系统调查和室内饲养观察。现将此虫的生活习性初步观察结果整理如下。     

地里恙螨幼虫形态变异的研究

我们在研究甲乙两型地里恙螨子代的形态和两型地里恙螨的杂交实验中,发现这两者子代幼虫中有出现形态变异的现象。 1.后侧毛基的移位:从沿海某县采回的甲型地里恙螨(以下简称“C甲”)在实验室饲养繁殖的F_1标本中,出现一只左边后侧毛位置正常而右边后侧毛向上移位至感毛基的前侧(见图1)。左边A-P为27.6     

我国恙虫蚴的三个新种(蜱螨目, 恙虫科)

近几年来,我国科学家们在恙虫方面的研究工作巳经取得了显著的成就。然而,这对于拥有辽阔疆土的我国来说,实在只不过是一个开始。我们在这方面的工作也做得很少,虽然从1953年开始收集标本,由于各种条件所限制,未能及时整理,以致大量标本散失或霉烂,十分可惜。本文内容,仅仅是将我站恙虫病调研工作组1957年在本省各地所采集的材料中的三种恙虫蚴加以描述,该三种恙虫蚴均系文献上未曾记载过的种类。     

吉林省粘虫猖獗世代发生虫源的研究——Ⅰ.发生虫源的探讨和越冬问题研究

粘虫是吉林省粮食作物的大害虫。本文为作者于1953—1962年研究粘虫的一部分工作,目的在于分析吉林省粘虫发生猖獗世代的虫源问题。我们怀疑春季出现的大量成虫有两种可能来源:(1)本地越冬的成虫、蛹或幼虫;(2)由外地迁入。通过研究分析,所得结果如下: 1.粘虫在吉林省一年完成两个世代。春季发生的第一代是猖獗世代,幼虫为害盛期在6月下旬至7月上旬,其繁殖虫源主要来自5月下旬到6月上半月出现的成虫。 2.粘虫在当地的入冬虫态,有幼虫、蛹及成虫。经过发生地的越冬调查及野外试验,证明粘虫在东北和内蒙地区的自然条件下不论何种虫态,均不能越冬。 3.据粘虫抗寒力测定,在-8℃恒温下,幼虫、蛹、成虫均迅速死亡,在-5℃下最长只能存活3—7小时,在1±1℃下全部死亡的理论时间为成虫19.95天、幼虫44.67天、蛹25.70天。查当地1、2两月旬平均气温最高-9.4℃,最低-16.5℃,田间5厘米深的土温为-12.4—-9.4℃,均超过虫体的死亡低温。 因此,粘虫不可能在吉林省越冬,从而可以推断猖獗世代的虫源,是由外地迁入的。