Respiration of the carp, Cyprinus carpio L., at 10 and 20° C and the effects of hypoxia

Oxygen consumption of carp acclimated at 10 and 20° C has been measured under routine conditions. Some complications and precautions necessary in continuous flow respirometry are discussed. Routine V o₂ at different levels of hypoxia have been determined. Individual variation leads to scatter in the data and different methods of plotting the relationship between V o₂ and P o₂ are proposed; attention is drawn to differences between inlet (or ambient) P o₂ and inspired P o₂. Using certain criteria a 'critical' oxygen tension of about 95 mm Hg was found at 20° C; Q ₁₀ values are about 2 at normoxia and some suggestions of an increase near to the critical oxygen tension were found. Blood samples from the dorsal aorta showed rising Pa,o₂ of 16 mm Hg which increased to 70–80 mm Hg when P _insp was 90 and they then fall as the inspired oxygen is lowered. During periods of deep hypoxia (25 mm Hg) blood lactate concentration increases steadily and indicates an increasing dependence on anaerobic mechanisms.     

Long‐Term Weight Development in Women: A 15‐Year Follow‐up of the Effects of Pregnancy

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate how well prepregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, and postpartum weight retention predict retention of weight 15 years later among parous women. Research Methods and Procedures: The Stockholm Pregnancy and Women's Nutrition (SPAWN) study is a long‐term follow‐up study of women who delivered children in 1984 to 1985 (n = 2342). The participants initially filled out questionnaires about their eating and exercise habits, social circumstances, etc. before, during, and at 1 year after pregnancy. Anthropometric data were also sampled. Fifteen years later, these women were invited to take part in the follow‐up study. Anthropometric measurements were collected, and similar questions were asked. Five hundred sixty‐three women participated in the SPAWN 15‐year follow‐up study. The sample was divided into groups to examine three presumably critical time periods: 1) overweight and normal weight before pregnancy; 2) low, intermediate, and high weight gainers during pregnancy; and 3) low, intermediate, and high weight retainers at 1 year after pregnancy. Results: The overweight women did not gain more weight during pregnancy or retain more weight at 1 year follow‐up. High weight gainers during pregnancy retained more weight at the 1‐year and the 15‐year follow‐ups. High weight retainers had gained more during pregnancy and retained it at the 15‐year follow‐up. Fifty‐six percent of the high weight gainers during pregnancy ended up in the high weight retainers group. Discussion: Women who are overweight before pregnancy do not have a higher risk of postpartum weight retention than normal weight women. Thus, it is not necessarily the initially overweight woman who should be the target or focus of weight control programs during or after pregnancy. Both high weight gainers and high weight retainers had higher BMI at the 15‐year follow‐up, although only 56% of the high weight gainers during pregnancy were also classified as high weight retainers at the 1‐year follow‐up. Weight retention at the end of the postpartum year predicts future overweight 15 years later.     

Biochemical studies on muscaranic receptors in the salamander olfactory epithelium

Muscarinic cholinergic receptors in the olfactory epithelium of the salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum, were studied via binding of 3-[³H]quinuclidinyl benzilate. The receptors are present on the olfactory receptor cells in the epithelium to an amount of 0.08 pmol/mg homogenate protein. Both choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholine esterase are present in the salamander olfactory epithelium.     

A fast and efficient translational control system for conditional expression of yeast genes

A new artificial regulatory system for essential genes in yeast is described. It prevents translation of target mRNAs upon tetracycline (tc) binding to aptamers introduced into their 5′UTRs. Exploiting direct RNA–ligand interaction renders auxiliary protein factors unnecessary. Therefore, our approach is strain independent and not susceptible to interferences by heterologous expressed regulatory proteins. We use a simple PCR-based strategy, which allows easy tagging of any target gene and the level of gene expression can be adjusted due to various tc aptamer-regulated promoters. As proof of concept, five differently expressed genes were targeted, two of which could not be regulated previously. In all cases, adding tc completely prevented growth and, as shown for Nop14p, rapidly abolished de novo protein synthesis providing a powerful tool for conditional regulation of yeast gene expression.     

The uropathogenic species Staphylococcus saprophyticus tolerates a high concentration of d-serine

Human urine contains a relatively high concentration of d -serine, which is toxic to several nonuropathogenic bacteria, but can be utilized or detoxified by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). The sequenced genome of uropathogenic Staphylococcus saprophyticus contains a gene with homology to the d -serine deaminase gene ( dsd A) of UPEC. We found the gene in several clinical isolates of S. saprophyticus ; however, the gene was absent in Staphylococcus xylosus and Staphylococcus cohnii , phylogenetically close relatives of S. saprophyticus , and could also not be detected in isolates of Staphylococcus aureus , Staphylococcus epidermidis and 13 other staphylococcal species. In addition, the genomes of other sequenced staphylococci do not harbor homologues of this operon. Interestingly, S. saprophyticus could grow in media supplemented with relatively high concentrations of d -serine, whereas S. aureus , S. epidermidis and other staphylococcal species could not. The association of the dsd A gene with growth in media including d -serine was proved by introducing the gene into S. aureus Newman. Given the fact that UPEC and S. saprophyticus tolerate this compound, d -serine utilization and detoxification may be a general property of uropathogenic bacteria.     

High Levels of Glycine and Serine as a Cause of the Seizure Symptoms of Cavernous Angiomas?

Abstract: Cavernous angiomas are vascular malformations that cause neurodegeneration and symptoms including epileptiform seizures, headache, and motor deficits. Following neurosurgical removal of the angiomas, patients mostly recover well and become seizure-free. This study reports on the levels of certain amino acids in angiomas, obtained from 13 patients. Distinct zones of the angiomas were analyzed, from the thrombotic core, via gliotic, hemosiderin-infiltrated intermediate zones, to a periphery without macroscopic abnormalities. The neurotransmitter amino acids glutamate, aspartate, and GABA as well as phosphoethanolamine displayed decreasing levels from the periphery to the core, reflecting the gradual neuronal loss. Compared with normal brain tissue, there was a marked increase in the levels of serine (fivefold), glycine (10-fold), and ethanolamine (20-fold) in the peripheral zone of the cavernous angiomas. The results are discussed in relation to seizures and NMDA receptor activation, neuron-glia interactions, membrane phospholipids, and blood-brain barrier function.     

Study of the corrosion of metallic biomaterials by surface physical methods

The authors investigated the corrosion mechanism of metallic implants inserted into the human body in contact with bone. It was shown that a significant degree of corrosion occurred after several months. The dissolution seems to be non-selective but can be different for each individual. The corrosion mechanism is complex, starting with an inter-granular process, but pitting also occurred . The oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ favours the elimination of iron oxides and is followed by the destruction of the local alloy structure. An estimation of the quantity of each type of element released in the organism was also realized.