A Hypernychthemeral Sleep-Wake Syndrome: A Treatment Attempt

The wake and sleep-onset times of a patient with a sleep-wake cycle longer than 24 hr were recorded by the patient for 4 years. During this time, the patient found himself unable to maintain a 24-hr sleep-wake schedule. When treated with 1-2 mg clonazepam, taken nightly, he was able to become entrained to a 24-hr day. Despite entrainment of his sleep-wake cycle, the patient reported depression, lack of motivation and fatigue and chose not to continue taking the drug.     

Transition Metals Potentiate Paraquat Toxicity

The involvement of transition metal ions in paraquat toxicity was studied in bacterial model system. We show that the addition of micromolar, or lower, concentrations of copper dramatically enhanced the rate of bacterial inactivation. In contrast, the addition of chelating agents totally eliminated the killing of E. coli. No inactivation was observed under anaerobic exposure to paraquat, both in the absence and presence of copper. However, in the presence of copper, the anaerobic addition of hydrogen peroxide resulted in complete restoration of inactivation as under aerobiosis.

Paraquat either produces superoxide ions or directly reduces bound copper ions in a catalytic mode. The reduced cuprous complexes react with hydrogen peroxide to locally form hydroxyl radicals (OH) which are probably responsible for the deleterious effects.

This study indicates the involvement of a site-specific metal-mediated Haber-Weiss mechanism in paraquat toxicity. It is in agreement with earlier observations that copper unusually enhance biological damage induced by either superoxide or ascorbate.     

Introduced reindeer and their effects on the vegetation and the epigeic invertebrate fauna of South Georgia (subantarctic)

Summary The introduced reindeer of South Georgia have had a serious impact on the vegetation throughout the range of three populations on the island. Exclosure experiments in areas where the reindeer were introduced have resulted in a dramatic change in the composition of the protected vegetation. Poa flabellata (the major winter food) and Acaena magellanica (a major summer food) have recovered to their former status inside the exclosures, while Deschampsia antarctia and the introduced grass Poa annua tolerate grazing and trampling and have spread over the grazed areas. Festuca contracta and Rostkovia magellanica are not eaten by the reindeer. Trampling has resulted in a high proportion of bare soil and peat in sites freely accessible to reindeer. However, the changes in the vegetation have not had such a significant effect on the associated invertebrate fauna. Thus in grazed and protected areas the faunistic composition is qualitatively similar, although there are quantitative differences, and some of the trends can probably be attributed to the presence of the reindeer. Compared with reindeer-free areas, the abundance of the perimylopid beetle Hydromedion sparsutum (a major primary decomposer) is reduced. The frequency of their egg parasite Notomymar aptenosoma (Hymenoptera, Mymaridae) increases. Consequently the ratio of perimylopoids to mymarids found in pitfall traps shifts from 1:0.01 (ungrazed areas) to 1:0.54 (grazed areas). Also the frequency of sciarids was found to be higher in reindeer areas. The larvae of these probably introduced gnats do not play a role in the natural terrestrial ecosystem of South Georgia, but in reindeer areas they appear to establish larger populations because they are able to live deeper in the soil and in hardened substrates. There is also a shift in the ratio between Collembola (major prey) to spiders from 1:1.3 (ungrazed areas) to 1:0.82 (grazed areas), for animals collected in pitfall traps. This may be a result of the trampling effect of the reindeer.     

The Formation of Otoliths in the Frog Rana esculenta. Scanning Electron Microscopic and X-Ray Diffraction Studies

Two crystal forms of calcium carbonate were observed: calcite (utricle) and aragonite (saccule, lagena, endolymphatic sac). The first step in otolith formation is the appearance of organic structures in the macula. The subsequent step is characterized by fast growing primitive crystals with a prismatic habitus that successively transform into adult or mature crystals. With the metamorphosis, the aragonite crystals of the endolymphatic organ show clear signs of erosion that can be related to a process of CaCO₃ mobilization from such deposits.     

Gene transfer between Escherichia coli and Enterobacter aerogenes

Summary Transfer of chromosomal genes between Escherichia coli K12 and Enterobacter aerogenes was carried out by P1-mediated transduction as well as by transformation of genes cloned in vitro on plasmid vectors. The efficient expression of E. coli genes in E. aerogenes probably reflects the existance of a poor restriction system in the latter, and suggests that this strain might be useful as a recipient of genetic information from E. coli.     

Human keratinocyte growth factor activity on proliferation and differentiation of human keratinocytes: differentiation response distinguishes KGF from EGF family.

Human keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) is an epithelial cell specific mitogen which is secreted by normal stromal fibroblasts. In the present studies, we demonstrate that KGF is as potent as EGF in stimulating proliferation of primary or secondary human keratinocytes in tissue culture. Exposure of KGF- or EGF-stimulated keratinocytes to 1.0 mM calcium, an inducer of differentiation, led to cessation of cell growth. However, immunologic analysis of early and late markers of terminal differentiation, K1 and filaggrin, respectively, revealed striking differences in keratinocytes propagated in the presence of these growth factors. With KGF, the differentiation response was associated with expression of both markers whereas their appearance was retarded or blocked by EGF. TGF alpha, which also interacts with the EGF receptor, gave a similar response to that observed with EGF. These findings functionally distinguish KGF from the EGF family and support the role of KGF in the normal proliferation and differentiation of human epithelial cells.     

Seasonal nitrogen and carbon concentrations in white,brown and woody fine roots of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh)

Small diameter (<1.0-mm) Acer saccharum Marsh roots were separated into white, brown and woody development state classes and analyzed for total N and C concentrations in April, July and October of 1988. White roots had greater concentrations of N and C than either brown or woody roots at each sampling date, and the N concentration of brown roots was consistently greater than that of woody roots. There were no temporal changes in N concentrations in any of the roots. C was slightly elevated in mid-summer in all three classes of roots. The data suggest the possible existence of an N translocation mechanism in ageing and developing fine roots. More research should be undertaken to establish the mechanisms of N loss in developing fine roots.     

Keratinocyte growth factor

Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) is a member of the heparin-binding fibroblast growth factor family (FGF-7) with a distinctive pattern of target-cell specificity. Studies performed in cell culture suggested that KGF was mitogenically active only on epithelial cells, albeit from a variety of tissues. In contrast, KGF was produced solely by cells of mesenchymal origin, leading to the hypothesis that it might function as a paracrine mediator of mesenchymal-epithelial communication. Biochemical analysis and molecular cloning established that the KGF receptor (KGFR) was a tyrosine kinase isoform encoded by the fgfr-2 gene. Many detailed investigations of KGF and KGFR expression in whole tissue and cell lines largely substantiated the pattern initially perceived in vitro of mesenchymal and epithelial distribution, respectively. Moreover, functional assays in organ culture and in vivo and studies of KGF regulation by sex sterorid hormones reinforced the idea that KGF acts predominantly on epithelial cells to elicit a variety of responses including proliferation, migration and morphogenesis.