Potassium depletion selectively inhibits sustained diacylglycerol formation from phosphatidylinositol in angiotensin II-stimulated, cultured vascular smooth muscle cells

Potassium depletion decreases blood pressure in vivo and blunts the pressor response to angiotensin II (ang II) without down-regulating the receptor. In cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells, the ang II-induced signaling sequence is biphasic with rapid hydrolysis of the polyphosphoinositides producing an early (15 s) diacylglycerol (DG) peak and a transient rise in inositol trisphosphate (IP3) and more delayed phosphatidylinositol (PI) hydrolysis resulting in sustained DG formation (peak at 5 min). Exposure of intact vascular smooth muscle cells to low potassium growth medium for 24 h or acutely potassium-depleting cells with nigericin causes selective, marked inhibition of late DG formation (5-min peak inhibited by 60 +/- 8% and 84 +/- 7%, respectively). The early cell response, namely polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis, inositol bis- and trisphosphate production and the 15-s DG peak, is not affected. Analysis of 125I-ang II-binding data reveals no significant differences in either receptor number or binding affinity (Kd) in potassium-depleted cells. Together with its marked inhibitory effect on sustained ang II-induced DG formation, acute potassium depletion effectively blocks internalization of 125I-ang II: there is no significant internalization of the ligand after 5 min at 37 degrees C versus 64 +/- 7% internalization in control cells. Thus, potassium depletion does not alter ang II binding or initial membrane signaling in rat aortic smooth muscle but blocks ligand internalization and selectively and markedly inhibits the development of direct PI hydrolysis and sustained diacylglycerol formation. These findings suggest a role for ligand-receptor processing in generating the sustained cell response and potentially explain the lower blood pressure and decreased pressor response to ang II seen in hypokalemic states in vivo. Furthermore, the ability of K+ depletion to alter secondary signal generation may provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the K+ dependence of a variety of cell functions.     

Porcine high molecular weight kininogen: its purification and properties as a thiol proteinase inhibitor as compared to human high molecular weight kininogen

1. High mol. wt kininogen (HMW kininogen) was purified to a homogeneous state from porcine plasma. 2. The protein exhibited a strong inhibitory activity for thiol proteinases such as ficin, papain and calpain I, whereas it did not inhibit serine proteinases, trypsin and chymotrypsin. 3. The mol. wt, isoelectric point, amino acid and carbohydrate compositions, stabilities to temperature and pH, kinetic constants, and immunological properties of the porcine HMW kininogen were determined and compared with those of human HMW kininogen.     

Modification of testicular and thyroid function by chronic exposure to short photoperiod: a comparison in four rodent species

Exposure of male Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) for 10 weeks to short photoperiod (SP) providing 10 hr light: 14 hr darkness (10:14 LD) produced a significant reduction in the weights of the reproductive organs, plasma thyroxine (T4) levels and free T4 index (FT4I) compared to the values of animals exposed to long photoperiod (LP, 14:10 LD). C57bl male house mice (Mus musculus) kept in SP (10:14 LD) had reproductive organ weights equivalent to those of mice kept in long days (14:10 LD) and lower T3 uptake (T3U) values. Male gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) exposed to 13 weeks of SP (10:14 LD) had lower body weights, testes and seminal vesicle weights and higher T3U values compared to LP (14:10 LD) controls. However, no effect was seen on plasma T4 and triiodothyronine (T3) values nor the FT4I and free T3 index (FT3I). White-footed male mice (Peromyscus leucopus) exposed to SP (8:16 LD) had significantly lower testes and seminal vesicle weights while plasma T4 and T3 levels were unaffected. Snell strain house mice (Mus musculus) exposed to SP (8:16 LD) had normal reproductive organ weights compared to the values of LP-exposed (16:8 LD) control animals. However, there was a significant depression in T3 and in the FT3I in the SP animals.     

Correlation between the virulence of streptococci for mice and their IgG FcR activity in in vivo experiments

The immunological analysis of 24 spontaneous Strr, Rifr and Kanr mutants of streptococcal strain IP, highly virulent for mice and capable of binding polyclonal human IgG (IgG FcR+), was made. The characteristic feature of all these mutants was decreased virulence, restored after their passage in vivo. 23 mutants were capable of binding polyclonal IgG; one Strr mutant had no such capacity, but acquired it, together with an increase in virulence, after its passage in vivo. When stored in meat-peptone agar without antibiotics, 5 out of 10 Strr mutants lost their capacity for binding polyclonal human IgG. After passage in vivo they regained this property simultaneously with virulence.     

Effect of benzodiazepines on 5'-nucleotidase activity in rat brain

Experiments on 330 rats were made to study the influence of benzodiazepines (diazepam, dormicum and phenazepam) on 5'-nucleotidase activity in brain homogenates. It was discovered that diazepam and dormicum in doses of 3 and 4 mg, phenazepam in doses of 3.75 and 5 mg per 200 g bw provoked a 16-20% reduction in 5'-nucleotidase activity. The maximal effect of diazepam (3 and 4 mg doses) was attained 1 h after intraperitoneal injection, that of dormicum (3 mg) 30 min and of phenazepam (5 mg) 1 h after intraperitoneal injection. It is assumed that benzodiazepines are involved in AMP metabolism.     

Alterations in cerebrospinal fluid uridine,hypoxanthine, and xanthine in head-injured patients

1. Examination of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of head-injured patients reveals that the concentration of intraventricular xanthine is elevated and that of uridine is decreased relative to those of adult lumbar CSF. 2. No correlations were observed between CSF lactate and CSF hypoxanthine, xanthine, or uridine, suggesting that changes in purine metabolites and the pyrimidine nucleoside do not index similar cellular events as does lactic acid production. 3. Ventricular CSF from hydrocephalic infants had uridine and hypoxanthine concentrations not significantly different from those of normal adult lumbar CSF, but xanthine was significantly elevated. 4. Since uridine has anticonvulsant properties and is a crucial substrate for cerebral metabolism, it may be useful to evaluate this pyrimidine for use in the management of patients with head injury.     

Microflora of the upper respiratory tract in young children under normal conditions and in respiratory tract diseases. Microbial count of the upper respiratory tract in healthy children and in children with pneumonia

The results of the inoculation of material taken from the anterior section of the nasal cavity and from the pharyngeal mucosa of 50 healthy young children and 298 acute pneumonia patients were analyzed. 23 microbial species were isolated. In the samples taken from the anterior section of the nasal cavity, monocultures were detected in 86 samples and 54 variants of associations including 2-4 species, in 139 samples. In the samples taken from the pharynx, monocultures were detected in 59 samples and 180 variants of associations including 2-6 species, in 282 samples. Differences in the contamination of the nasal cavity and the pharynx in healthy children and in pneumonia patients were revealed. These differences were manifested in the structure of the microflora (monocultures, associations, their composition), the assortment of microbial species and their concentration. In young children with pneumonia the microflora of the upper respiratory tract was found to reflect the severity of acute pneumonia and the intensity of the pathological process in the lungs (uncomplicated, pyodestructive pneumonia, pyodestructive pneumonia with fatal termination, acute purulent pleurisy).