Increased brain myo-inositol 1-phosphate in lithium-treated rats

Lithium was found to produce a marked elevation in the levels of $\text{myo}$-inositol 1-phosphate in the cerebral cortex of treated rats. This effect was completely inhibited by atropine. A 40% reduction in the levels of $\text{myo}$-inositol 1-phosphate was observed when atropine was given alone.     

ENZYMES ASSOCIATED WITH THE METABOLISM OF CATECHOLAMINES, ACETYLCHOLINE AND GABA IN HUMAN CONTROLS AND PATIENTS WITH PARKINSON''S DISEASE AND HUNTINGTON''S CHOREA

—Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopa decarboxylase (DDC), glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), choline acetyltransferase (CAT), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were measured in 18–55 areas of brain from humans post mortem. Individuals meeting sudden and unexpected death (22), patients dying in hospital with non–neurological illness (6), Parkinson's disease (12), Huntington's chorea (8), terminal coma (6) or head injury (2) were included in the series. The absolute values obtained compared favourably with some previous human studies where high values for these enzymes were obtained, as well as with monkey and baboon data. The regional distributions of the enzymes were also comparable to those previously reported in human and animal studies. A number of important points with regard to human tissue seemed to emerge from the study. The mode of death was not a factor in enzyme levels in non–neurological and non-coma cases. Post mortem delay did not seem to be a major factor either even though a substantial decline in GAD, TH and DDC could be demonstrated in rats left several hours between sacrifice and removal of the brain for assay. Age had a highly significant effect in certain areas of brain. The decline typically followed a curvilinear pattern (activity = A/age + B with the sharpest drops being in the younger age groups). DDC seemed to be the enzyme most severely affected by age but all the enzymes showed declines in certain brain areas, while in other areas there was no significant decline. All the enzymes were very depressed by coma from illness except AChE. TH and DDC in the brain stem were, however, not affected in the head injury cases. The Parkinsonian cases showed a sharply decreased TH activity in the substantia nigra, caudate and putamen. There were decreases in GAD in the globus pallidus (GP) and substantia nigra with marginal decreases in the neostriatum. CAT levels in the extrapyramidal nuclei were normal. In Huntington's chorea there was a substantial decrease in GAD in all the extrapyramidal structures. There was a patchy loss of CAT in the neostriatum and locus coeruleus.     

CHEMICAL SPECIFICITY OF DOPAMINE TRANSPORT IN THE NIGRO-NEOSTRIATAL PROJECTION

Axoplasmic transport of dopamine in the nigro-neostriatal system has previously been shown by the specific accumulation of labelled dopamine in the striatum following injections of labelled DOPA or dopamine into the substantia nigra. To test the specificity, 17 different labelled materials (pipecolic acid, inulin, taurine, GABA, glycine, histidine, histamine, serotonin, 5-HTP, D-amphetamine, 3-methoxytyramine, dopamine, tyramine, norepinephrine, octopamine and high and low specificity activity DOPA) were injected into the substantia nigra and the distribution of radioactivity in the brain studied after 6 and 24 h. Only the catecholamines and octopamine gave evidence of specific accumulation in the ipsilateral striatum although some of the other compounds caused diffuse labelling of the striatum along with other brain areas.     

Scanning electron microscopy of the eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides, A. suum, Toxocara canis, and T. mystax.

Eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides, A. suum, Toxocara canis, and T. mystax were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). All species under study exhibited pronounced surface ridges. The ridges formed distinctive patterns in T. canis and T. mystax. In the Ascaris species, the ridges are similar except that they are more pronounced in the eggs of A. suum. Operculumlike structures were observed only in Ascaris. Correlation of data from SEM with previously reported transmission electron microscopy suggests that the surface ridges seen in Ascaris eggs are formed by the chitinous layer of the shell.     

The fine structure of the cysticercoid of Hymenolepis diminuta. III. The scolex.

Transmission electron microscopy of the scolex of the 8-day-old Hymenolepis diminuta cysticercoid demonstrates its resemblance to the scolex of the adult. A syncytial tegument composed of external and internal layers is connected by cytoplasmic extensions. Fully developed microtriches are present. Furthermore, a basement membrane, muscle layers, and medullary region containing flame cells, nerve tissue, and other cell bodies are observed. Of particular interest is the presence of discrete sensory endings whose function is discussed.     

Osteomalacia presenting as chorea.

A 16-year-old epileptic developed chorea. He had osteomalacia, hypocalcaemia, and hyperphosphataemia, which were due not to hypoparathyroidism but to vitamin D deficiency--itself secondary to longstanding dietary deficiency and anticonvulsant drug administration.     

Inactivation of the F1-ATPase from the thermophilic bacterium PS3 by 5'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoylinosine at 65 degrees C is accompanied by modification of beta-tyrosine-364

A major radioactive peptide, T1, was resolved by high-performance liquid chromatography from a tryptic digest prepared from the F1-ATPase from the thermophilic bacterium PS3 which had been inactivated with p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyl[3H]inosine. Two radioactive peptides, T1P1 and T1P2, were isolated from a peptic digest of T1 by high-performance liquid chromatography. The sequences of T1P1 and T1P2 were shown to be E-E-H-X-Q-V-A-R and E-E-H-X-Q, respectively, where X corresponds to derivatized Tyr-364 of the beta subunit.