Beneficial effect of fluorocarbon emulsion media on the function of neuromuscular preparations in vitro

The effects of liquid fluorocarbons as bathing media were determined by use of in vitro neuromuscular preparations. Rat hemidiaphragms were bathed in either oxygenated fluorocarbon (FC) emulsion or standard oxygenated Krebs solution. Contractile force in response to simple supramaximal nerve stimuli as well as to high frequency stimulation was greater, while twitch:tetanus ratio was smaller in FC emulsion. With such medium, post-tetanic potentiation of contraction was also more consistently observed. Indirectly stimulated diaphragms survived longer in FC emulsion. After cessation of oxygenation, oxygen tension (ρO(2)) of the medium declined more rapidly with Krebs than with FC emulsion; ρO(2) directly correlated with force of contraction. Similarly, in the chick biventer cervicis preparation, FC emulsion enhanced nerve-stimulated force of contraction; returning the preparation to standard Krebs solution reversed this phenomenon. Dose-resonse curves of muscle contraction in response to acetycholine and KCl administration were shifted upward during FC emulsion superfusion. Frequency of miniature endplate potentials was lower in FC emulsion than that observed in Krebs solution, measured from the same cell of the rat diaphragm. Resting membrane potentials were also greater in muscle cells sampled from FC emulsion-bathed preparations. These data suggest that FC emulsion is superior to standard Krebs solution as a bathing medium for in vitro neuromuscular preparations by virtue of the high solubility of oxygen in it.     

两种体外细胞毒性检测方法的比较研究

目的比较两种常用的细胞毒性检测方法在医疗器械生物学评价中的相关性。方法分别采用MTT比色法和细胞增殖度法,在37℃条件下,将五种医疗器械／生物材料的浸提液分别与小鼠成纤维细胞（L-929）接触2天和2,4,7天,比较材料对细胞的毒性影响。结果5种不同的材料浸提液分别表现出不同程度的细胞毒性反应（0～2级）。将MTT比色法与细胞增殖度法（2天）的实验数据进行相关性分析,显示两者之间具有良好的相关性（R=0．977）。结论MTT比色法由于其检测所需的细胞量相对较少,试验步骤相对简便、检测周期短,因此具有一定的优越性,是个值得推荐的细胞毒性检测方法。     

Ultrastructural Changes of the Nucleolus During Cell Cycle in Triticum aestivum

The ultrastructural changes of the nticleolus during cell cycle in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ) were studied by an "en bloc" silver-staining method. It was observed that in interphase, the nucleolus was heavily stained, within which fibrillar centres, dense fibrillar component, granular component and nucleolar vacuoles could be identified. A large quantity of argentine fine granules were distributed in the condensed chromatin. Dur-ing prophase, along with the disintegration of the nucleolus and condensation of the chromatin, the larger heavily-stained granules gradually appeared at the periphery of the chromatin. At late prophase, the materials derived from the nucleolus were spread and deposited on the surface of the chromosomes. The silver-stained, larger granules, deriving from the disintegrated nucleolus, accumulated at the periphery of the metaphase chromosomes and formed an uneven and discontinuous "sheath"-like structure. This "sheath"-like structure was also observed at anaphase. In telophase, the silver-stained nucleolar materials were progressively separated from the "sheath' and fused with each other to form prenucleolar bodies, and at last, participating in the formation of new nucleoli. The results showed that the nucleolar materials were transferred directly to the surface of the chromosomes and formed a discontinuous coat, but not incorporated into the interior of the chromosomes. The silverstained granules inside the chromosomes were neither related to the nucleolus nor to the materials from the disintegrated nucleolus.     

Effects of Different Fixatives on Freeze-Fractured Samples of Plant Cells for SEM Observations

Three-dimensional structures of meristematic cells of Allium cepa were studied using freeze-fracture method under the scanning electron microscope. Two fixation procedures were used. The cells were often fractured between eytoplasm and nucleus when the materials were fixed in 1% OsO4 alone before freeze fracture, whereas the nuclei, were frequently fractured if the materials were fixed first in Carnoy's, solution (ethanol: acetic acid=3:l) and then in 1% OsO4 before freeze fracture. The former fixation procedure is suitable for the study of the interior structures of cytoplasm such as cytoskeleton fibres, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and their three-dimensional topography. The latter fixation method is suitable for the study of interior structures of nucleus such as chromatin, nucleoli, nuclear matrix filaments and their 3-dimensional architectures, especially the 3-dimensional structures of chromatin in fibrillar centre of the nucleolus.     

Studies on Chemical Compositions of Volatile Oil from Seeds of Cuminum cyminum L.

This paper deals with the determination of chemical compositions of volatile oil of Cuminum cyminum L. in Xinjiang area. Using capillary gas chromatography and GG/MS, the following components have been identified: α-pinene, β-pinene, camphene, myrcene, γ-terpinene, ρ-cymene, terpinolene, linalool, pulegone, cuminaldehyde, 2,3-dihydrocuminal and myrtenal etc. Besides, silica gel column chromatography as well as some spectrum methods such as IR, MS, NMR, etc. were used to elucidate the structure of 2,3-dihydrocuminal or 4-isopropyldelta-1,3-cyclohexadiene-l-carbaldehyde.