Organization of the thalamic and cortical projections of the cat neostriatum]

The investigation has demonstrated that in the cat the nucleus caudatus and the putamen are projected on the cortex and thalamic nuclei of the ipsilateral hemisphere according to a certain topical principle characterized by both similarity in localization of projections of these two structures of the neostriatum and their difference. On the one hand, to the same fields of the cortex and the thalamic nuclei fibres from both structures of the neostriatum go, and on the other hand--a number of cortical zones and thalamic nuclei get projections either from the nucleus caudatus or from the putamen only. Owing to a certain organization of the connections studied, it is possible to consider them as the base of functional heterogeneity of the basal ganglia. Over-lapping of the cortical and thalamic projections of the nucleus caudatus and the putamen might explain common striatal effects on behavioral reactions.     

The light-addressable potentiometric sensor for multi-ion sensing and imaging

The light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) is a semiconductor-based chemical sensor with an electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor structure. The LAPS can have many measuring points integrated on the sensing surface, which are individually accessed by a light beam. By modifying the measuring points with different materials, a single sensor plate can be used as a multi-analyte sensor. In this paper, instrumentation and application of LAPS to multi-ion sensing and imaging are described. As a new application of LAPS, potentiometric imaging of a microfluidic channel is proposed.     

Peroxidase refolding in the presence of specific antibodies

A panel of eight monoclonal antibodies raised against horseradish root peroxidase has been assembled and characterized. Affinity constants were determined for all antibodies, and their specificity for various structural forms of the enzyme (native peroxidase, apoperoxidase, and denatured peroxidase) were assessed by competitive enzyme immunoassay. The effects of the antibodies on the process of refolding of peroxidase after its denaturing with 6.5 M guanidine hydrochloride were studied spectrophotometrically, by the restoration of the enzymatic activity in the reaction of 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate). The yield of the active enzyme in the course of the refolding was increased 1.5 to 1.7 times in the presence of antibody H1. Effects of the antibodies constituting the panel on the activity of native peroxidase and the stability of its dilute solutions were analyzed.     

The life cycle of Asymphylodora perccotti sp. n. (Trematoda: Lissorchiidae) in the Russian Southern Far East

Specimens of Asymphylodora perccotti sp. n. (Trematoda: Lissorchidae) were found in the esophagus of the freshwater fish Perccottus glenii (Odobantidae) taken from the Bolshaya Ussurka River Basin (Primorsky Region, Russian Southern Far East). The first intermediate host of this trematode is a gastropod, Parafossarulus manchouricus, and the secondary hosts are the same mollusk and Boreoelona ussuriensis. Specimens of the new species are similar to A. amnicolae identified by Stunkard in 1959, but the mature worms have larger suckers and shorter ceca. The cercariae of these species are distinguished by body, suckers and pharynx size. These organs in A. perccotti sp. n. are more than one-third larger than what is observed in A. amnicolae. In addition, the new species lacks the capacity for progenesis. Finally, the new species is unusual in that it resides in the fish esophagus instead of the intestine, as is common for most Asymphylodora species. Partial ribosomal DNA sequences and phylogenetic reconstruction sequence data indicate that these worms represent a new digenean species.     

Topical characteristics of the organization of the strio-cortical tract in the brain of the dog]

The study was carried out by the method of axo-terminal regeneration with impregnation of frontal sections of the brain with the Laidlaw liquid. It was shown that following a lesion of the dorsal and ventral area of the caudate nucleus in the dog's cerebral cortex correspondingly different amount of degenerating terminations of strio-cortical fibres could be revealed. These bonds were mainly directed into the VI and V layers of the cortex, namely into the frontal, precoronary, postcoronary, orbital and insular areas.     

Distribution of Fatty Acids in Storage and Structural Lipids of the Holothurian Eupentacta fraudatrix

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - The holothurian Eupentacta fraudatrix is widely used for studying how regeneration works and as a source of biological active compounds. Data on the lipid...     

Thyroid hormone conjugates with rhodamine B as fluorescent ligands of human plasma transport proteins]

Conjugates of thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) with rhodamine B in which the hormone and the fluorescent dye are linked via a thiourea bond have been synthesized. These conjugates possess an ability to inhibit in a competitive manner the binding of [125I]T4 to three protein preparations: T4-binding globulin (TBG), apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I), and high density lipoprotein particles (ApoA-I-HDL) isolated from human serum by T4-Sepharose 4B chromatography and further purified. The following values of association constants have been estimated: for the T4 derivative-3 x 10(7) M-1 (TBG), 4.1 x 10(5) M-1 (ApoA-I), and 4.2 x 10(5) M-1 (ApoA-I-HDL); for the T3 derivative-1.6 x 10(7) M-1 (TBG), 5.3 x 10(5) M-1 (ApoA-I), and 5.4 x 10(5) M-1 (ApoA-I-HDL). The binding of rhodamine B-labeled thyroid hormones to TBG or ApoA-I do not alter significantly the parameters of rhodamine B chromophore absorption and fluorescence. The interaction of the conjugates with ApoI-HDL leads to a significant enhancement of the absorption intensity and a 3 nm blue shift in the absorption maximum as well as to a 1.5-fold increase in the fluorescence band amplitude at 586 nm. Biological and fluorescent properties of T4 and T3 derivatives suggest that these compounds may be a useful tool in fluorescence studies of plasma binding protein-driven transport of thyroid hormones in model biological systems.