Interaction of fluorinated ether anesthetics with artificial membranes.

Fluorine-19 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is applied to the study of the environment of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine-bound fluorinated ether anesthetics (enflurane, fluoroxene and methoxyflurane) both below and above the lipid gel to liquid crystal phase transition temperature. Line widths and spin-lattice relaxation time (T1) measurements are consistent with substantial immobilization of the lipid-bound anesethetic molecules. Heating anesthetic/lipid mixtures above the lipid transition temperature leads to narrowing of the lipid-bound anesthetic fluorine resonances accompanied by little or no change in anesthetic fluorine-19 chemical shifts, suggesting that although the mobility of the bound anesthetic increases at the higher temperature, the nature of the anesthetic-lipid interaction changes little as a result of this phase change. Differential scanning calorimetric studies of the effects of these anesthetics on the phase transition behavior of the phospholipid indicate that the regions of the bilayer in which volatile anesthetics partition at lower concentrations are different from the regions in which they partition at higher concentrations.     

Population biology of avena. VI. The role of genetic polymorphisms in the outcome of interspecific competition

Three different series of population samples of two Avena species cooccurring in California were grown for an analysis of the role of genetic variation in interspecies competition: I, samples from mixed fatua-barbata sites in nature, grown in mixed stands; II, samples from pure sites and grown in pure stands, and III, the same sites as in II but grown in mixed stands. Four macroenvironments and four densities were used giving a total of sixteen entries for each genetic/competitive unit in order to measure both mean and variance of survival and reproductive rates as fitness characters. Sites used in each series included low versus high levels of genetic polymorphism within each species. In general, high polymorphism favored A. fatua in competition with monomorphic A. barbata, and high polymorphism in A. barbata allowed it to compete better with monomorphic A. fatua observation fits well into the pattern of reduced polymorphism in natural mixed stands. Mean performance of polymorphic mixed stands was not consistently higher than the monomorphic combinations or pure stands but the greater relative stability over environments seemed to favor polymorphisms in one or both of the competitors. A relatively less regular pattern of density or competitive response in series III was interpreted as evidence for the lack of coadaptedness between samples drawn from pure sites. Several limitations characteristic of such controlled studies were briefly discussed; however, the tentative conclusions from laboratory studies provided several promising clues for more critical field studies.This work was supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation (GB 8627).     

Synthesis of hepatic polyamines, ribonucleic acid and S-adenosylmethionine in normal and oestrogen-treated chicks.

1. The hepatic synthesis and accumulation of polyamines, RNA and S-adenosylmethionine were studied in normal and oestrogen-treated immature male chicks. 2. Ornithine decarboxylase activity in chick liver and in whole chick embryo homogenate was preferentially located in the soluble supernatant fraction. 3. In general the activities of the enzymes involved in the synthesis of polyamines and S-adenosylmethionine decreased with increasing age.     

Serum hormone levels in women undergoing abortion with intra-amniotic,extra-amniotic or intra-muscular administration of 15(S)15-methyl-prostaglandin F2α

The serum levels of estradiol-17β, progesterone and HPL have been estimated by specific radioimmunoassay in thirty women undergoing abortion with 15-methyl-PGF_2α given by intra-amniotic, extra-amniotic or intra-muscular route. A significant decline in the levels of these hormones was observed in 27 cases in which the pregnancy was terminated. However, in the remaining three cases, 15-methyl-PGF_2α was found to be unsuccesful, and no significant change in the hormone levels was evident. The decline in these hormones was more marked by intra-muscular route, than that observed by the other routes. The pattern of estradiol-17β decline was more consistent when compared with progesterone and HPL. The levels of progesterone and HPL, in a few cases, rather showed an increase in the initial hours of 15-methyl-PGF_2α administration before the decline began and this pattern was more prominent on extra-amniotic administration. In general, the decline in the hormone levels was slower in cases which took longer time for abortion than cases with shorter induction-abortion time (IAT).The decline in estradiol-17β levels was about 65 percent at six hour of intra-muscular administration of 15-methyl-PGF_2α, whereas the corresponding fall with intra-amniotic and extra-amniotic routes was 29 and 22 percent, respectively. However, the net drop in its levels during IAT was not significantly different (range 70 to 80 percent) by the three routes. About 38 percent fall in progesterone levels was observed at six hour of intra-muscular administration whereas, by intra-amniotic the fall was 19 percent. The net decline in progesterone levels, during IAT, was in the range of 46 to 60 percent by the three routes. Similarly, intra-muscular 15-methyl-PGF_2α evoked a sharper decline in HPL levels as compared with other routes. The total decline during IAT was 58 to 66 percent. The results, thus indicated that the abortion with 15-methyl-PGF_2α was associated with a fall in the serum hormone levels, which could be resultant effect of alterations in the hormone production by the foeto-placental unit. This along with the uterine contractions may play a significant role in the abortifacient action of 15-methyl-PGF_2α.     

Phospholipases. III. Effects of ionic surfactants on the phospholipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of unsonicated egg lecithin liposomes.

Apparent values of Km and Vmax have been measured for catalysis of hydrolysis of unsonicated egg lecithin liposomes, activated through addition of 0.4 M n-hexanol, by phospholipases A2 from bee and snake venoms and by phospholipase C from Clostridium welchii as a function of the concentration of three surfactants: hexadecylamine, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, and dihexadecyl phosphate. For all three enzymes, values of Km and Vmax show little or no dependence on the concentration of these ionic surfactants, demonstrating that the liposomal surface charge is not a crucial factor in determining susceptibility to phospholipase-catalyzed hydrolysis.     

Global biogeography of warning coloration in the butterfly Danaus chrysippus

Warning coloration provides a textbook example of natural selection, but the frequent observation of polymorphism in aposematic species presents an evolutionary puzzle. We investigated biogeography and polymorphism of warning patterns in the widespread butterfly Danaus chrysippus using records from citizen science (n = 5467), museums (n = 8864) and fieldwork (n = 2586). We find that polymorphism in three traits controlled by known mendelian loci is extensive. Broad allele frequency clines, hundreds of kilometres wide, suggest a balance between long-range dispersal and predation of unfamiliar morphs. Mismatched clines for the white hindwing and forewing tip in East Africa are consistent with a previous finding that the black wingtip allele has spread recently in the region through hitchhiking with a heritable endosymbiont. Light/dark background coloration shows more extensive polymorphism. The darker genotype is more common in cooler regions, possibly reflecting a trade-off between thermoregulation and predator warning. Overall, our findings show how studying local adaptation at the global scale provides a more complete picture of the evolutionary forces involved.     

The potential of Cystatin C and small dense LDL as biomarkers of coronary artery disease risk in a young Indian population

Coronary artery disease (CAD) affects Indians 5–6 years earlier than in the west, is diffuse and malignant, and poses a heavy burden on India’s developing economy. Traditional risk factors have failed to explain this high incidence of premature CAD and hence this study investigated the association of two novel risk biomarkers, cystatin C and small dense LDL (sdLDL) with the presence and severity of CAD. Cystatin C and sdLDL were estimated in 204 CAD patients ≤45 years of age and compared with 161 age-matched healthy controls. The traditional lipid profile parameters, i.e., cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides, apolipoproteins A1 and B, and Lp(a) were also measured in both groups. Cystatin C was significantly raised and mean LDL particle size significantly reduced in CAD patients as compared to controls. 62.7 % of CAD patients showed pattern B while 37.3 % patients showed pattern A. Of the traditional lipid tests, only HDL and apolipoprotein A1 showed a significant decrease in the CAD group. sdLDL was significantly associated with the severity of CAD, while cystatin C was not. Both cystatin C and sdLDL emerged as independent risk factors, however, of the two, sdLDL was a more sensitive predictor of CAD events. Cystatin C and mean LDL particle size are significantly and independently associated with the presence of CAD events in patients ≤45 years with normal kidney function. Hence, these novel risk biomarkers can be useful tools in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with CAD in the productive Indian workforce.