The Mechanisms and Frequencies of Cell Nuclei Division in the Mouse Trophoblast and Decidua during Postimplantation Embryogenesis

Our finding of amitotic division of trophoblast cell nuclei in blastocysts of American mink Mustela vison, which has an obligatory period of delay in implantation (obligatory embryonic diapause) in its ontogenesis, led us to study the mechanisms and frequencies of division of trophoblast and decidua cell nuclei during the postimplantation embryogenesis of mouse Mus musculus, which does not exhibit an obligatory diapause nor amitosis in blastocysts. It has been established that the main mechanism underlying the cell nuclei division in both tissues (trophoblast and decidua) forming the placenta is amitosis. These data suggest that the occurrence of an obligate diapause in ontogenesis of certain animal species is related not only to the delay in implantation, but also to the alteration in the chronology of all processes of embryogenesis.     

Changes in the content of 11-oxycorticosteroids in the blood serum of the spawning Siberian salmon Oncorhynchus keta and humpback salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha]

Studies have been made on 11-oxycorticosteroid content of the blood serum in spawning salmons. During sexual maturation and spawning migration, the level of 11-oxycorticosteroids in the blood serum undergoes significant changes. The pattern of these changes is similar in both of the species investigated. During fresh-water period of migration, 11-3xycorticosteroid content in the blood serum of females of O. gorbuscha is 3 times higher as compared to that during sea-water period. In O. keta, this level increases two-fold. The increased content of 11-oxycorticosteroids remains constant up to spawning. After the latter, the level of 11-oxycorticosteroids decreases reaching the values typical for sea-water period.     

Evolution of the late carboniferous foraminiferal genus Fusiella Lee et Chen (Fusulinida)

The evolution of the genus Fusiella Lee et Chen, 1930 is investigated. Two species groups corresponding to the main evolutionary trends are recognized. The first, F. praecursor Rauser-F. acera M.-Macklay, belongs to the lineage of fusiform taxa, with straight septa and axial filling along the shell axis. In the second, F. praecursor Rauser-F. excelsa Suleimanov, the cylindrical shell is developed; the axial filling is reduced; the septa are slightly folded in the polar regions; and the lateral sides of the shell become slightly plicate. The stratotype and reference sections of the Moscovian and Kasimovian Stages of the Moscow Syneclise have yielded species of the first phylogenetic lineage. A new species, Fusiella pseudorawi sp. nov., is described.     

Infants' exploration of scented toys: effects of prior experiences

To evaluate breastfed infants' responses to scented objects, we videotaped the facial and bodily reactions of sixty-three infants as they explored, in succession, three toys that were identical in appearance but different in their characteristic odor. Two of the toys were scented with odorants previously shown to be transmitted to human milk, one with ethanol and the other with vanilla, whereas the third toy was unscented. Each videotape was subjected to frame-by-frame analysis to measure a variety of behaviors that are considered either to be exploratory in nature in that they lead to perceptual information about the object or to reflect the infants' hedonic reaction. Analyses of these behaviors revealed that the infants looked more and vocalized less in the presence of the vanilla-scented toy and spent less time manipulating the ethanol-scented toy when compared with the unscented toy. Moreover, differential exposure to the odors of ethanol and vanilla, as indicated by differential consumption of alcohol by a parent or use of vanilla-scented product by the mother, was related to differential responses to these odors. These findings suggest that human infants are able to detect and retain information about the chemical features of their environment.      

Early embryonic mortality in the water vole (Arvicola terrestris L.)

A morphological study of forty-eight 3-4-day old embryos from eight females of the water vole (Arvicola terrestris L.) was carried out. The data obtained demonstrated that early embryonic losses in the water vole might be 30?C35%, and the main cause of these losses is anomalies of oogenesis.     

Study of peptide degradation in the serum by 1H-NMR

Enzymatic degradation of hexapeptide Tyr-D-Ala-Gly-Phe-Leu-Arg in human serum has been investigated by 1H-NMR spectroscopy, and its pathways are suggested. Its final degradation products, tetra- and pentapeptide, are shown to be stable in human serum for several hours. The NMR spectroscopy application for pharmacokinetic studies is substantiated.     

Thermo-optic measurements and their inter-dependencies for delineating cancerous breast biopsy tissue from adjacent normal

The histopathological diagnosis of cancer is the current gold standard to differentiate normal from cancerous tissues. We propose a portable platform prototype to characterize the tissue's thermal and optical properties, and their inter-dependencies to potentially aid the pathologist in making an informed decision. The measurements were performed on 10 samples from five subjects, where the cancerous and adjacent normal were extracted from the same patient. It was observed that thermal conductivity (k) and reduced-scattering-coefficient (μ'_s) for both the cancerous and normal tissues reduced with the rise in tissue temperature. Comparing cancerous and adjacent normal tissue, the difference in k and μ'_s (at 940 nm) were statistically significant (p = 7.94e-3), while combining k and μ'_s achieved the highest statistical significance (6.74e-4). These preliminary results promise and support testing on a large number of samples for rapidly differentiating cancerous from adjacent normal tissues.