Benzpyrene-Induced sister chromatid exchanges in lymphocytes of patients with lung cancer

Summary The effect of benzpyrene on sister chromatid exchange was determined in PHA-stimulated lymphocytes of 18 patients with lung cancer and 11 controls without cancer or bronchopulmonary diseases. Patients and controls did not differ either with respect to the spontaneous rate of sister chromatid exchanges or in their response to the carcinogen. We conclude that individual susceptibility to lung cancer cannot be detected by an individual response to benzpyrene, at least in lymphocytes and at the chromosomal level.     

Single units activities in ventral posterior and posterior group thalamic nuclei during nociceptive and non nociceptive stimulations in the cat.

The purpose of this study was to define, in hyperventilated and unanesthetized cats, the role of the posterior thalamic nuclei in pain mechanisms. Unit activities of these structures were compared to those of the ventro-posterior nucleus during non-noxious (touch, brushing) and noxious stimulations (pinches and intra-arterial injections of bradykinin into the limbs). 135 cells with somatic inputs and clear peripheral excitatory receptive field were studied. The cells driven by noxious stimulations were located in the posterior group nuclei as anatomically defined by Rinvik. These units, preferentially excited from contralateral receptive fields, were localized in POm, POl, suprageniculate nuclei, the magnocellular division of the medial geniculate body (Mgmc) and the ventral part of the lateral posterior nucleus. At this level two groups of units were found: those driven only by noxious stimulations and those driven by both noxious and non-noxious stimulations. On contrast, cells recorded at the levels of the VPm and VPl were not activated by noxious stimuli. These results emphasize the role of the posterior thalamic nuclei in pain processing.     

Ring chromosome 14. II. A case report of r(14) mosaicism. The r(14) phenotype

Observation of a patient with r(14) mosaicism together along with 18 previously published observations define the syndrome as follows: mental deficiency, seizures, microcephaly (usually), and facial dysmorphism showing a narrow, elongated face, short palpebral fissures, a flat nasal bridge, and retrognathia. A retinal dystrophia which may be specific of the syndrome consists of a hyperpigmentation and, in three patients, yellow-white spots of the macula. The brain shows mild dilation of the lateral ventricles.     

Where did the northern peatland species survive the dry glacials: cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus) as an example

Aim During the last ice age large parts of the north boreal and subarctic zones were covered by ice, while the climate in ice‐free regions of northern Asia was extremely cold and dry. The extensive peatlands of these zones with their characteristic vegetation developed at the beginning of the Holocene. We combine a phylogeographical approach with maps of pollen records to identify regions where Rubus chamaemorus, a plant of moist, peaty soils, was likely to grow during this period. Location Circumarctic/circumboreal. Methods Samples were collected from 45 locations throughout much of the range of R. chamaemorus and 398 plants were analysed with amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). Estimates of diversity and differentiation, principal coordinates analysis and Bayesian clustering methods were used for the analysis of genetic data. Dated pollen records were retrieved from the European and the Global Pollen Databases. Results The plants from Sakhalin are highly divergent from the rest of the material and represent the previously described var. pseudochamaemorus. The main genetic division in R. chamaemorus sensu stricto is found in the Taymyr region in central Eurasia. Genetic diversity and the relative number of rare markers are highest in central Siberia and eastern Asia and decrease towards Europe and to a lesser extent eastwards through North America. Pollen dating back to the last ice age is found in central and eastern Siberia and Alaska. The maximum observed clone size is about 250 m, and more than one clone is found in nearly every local population. Main conclusions The genetic data are consistent with the pollen records and indicate that R. chamaemorus was growing in several areas of northern central Siberia and Beringia during the last glaciation. This finding suggests that sufficient humidity for this and other species of peaty soils was present locally in different parts of the generally dry ice‐free areas of northern Asia, as had been previously documented for Beringia. The AFLP data show that var. pseudochamaemorus, which is also morphologically quite divergent, clearly represents a distinct genetic entity.