Area Differences in Spontaneous Abortion Rates in South Wales and Their Relation to Neural Tube Defect Incidence

Data are presented from the South Wales Congenital Malformation Survey (92,982 births 1964-6 inclusive) showing that within areas in South Wales there exists an inverse relation between previous spontaneous abortion rate and the prevalence at birth of neural tube defect (anencephaly or spina bifida cystica or both). This relation is independent of social class, parity, and maternal age, and is not likely to be explained by area differences in accuracy of reporting previous spontaneous abortions.On the basis of these findings a hypothesis is advanced which proposes that the incidence of neural tube defects is uniform throughout South Wales and that the present substantial and relatively stable differences in area prevalence are controlled by small area differences in mortality of malformed embryos. This would seem to suggest that factors initiating the malformation are genetic and that any related environmental factors exert their effect on already abnormal fetuses by influencing, in one way or another, their capacity to survive.     

Accumulation of platinum in the intervertebral discs and vertebrae of ovarian tumor-bearing patients treated with cisplatin

Platinum was determined by the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in the intervertebral discs and vertebrae of ovarian tumor bearing patients treated withcis-diamminedichloro-platinum (II) (cisplatin). Platinum was 0.05 ng/mL at the absolute detection limit, and platinum was undetectable in the intervertebral discs and vertebrae of human specimens without cisplatin treatments. On the other hand, platinum was detected in the intervertebral discs and vertebrae of patients administered cisplatin, and platinum concentration was at levels of 1.06–10.31 μg/g dry tissue in the intervertebral discs and 0.60–1.28 μg/g dry tissue in the vertebrae, respectively. The platinum level of intervertebral discs was 4.3-fold higher than that of the vertebrae. Thus, platinum accumulates greatly in the intervertebral discs and somewhat in the vertebrae after administering cisplatin to patients for therapy.     

Isolation and characterization of hemorrhagic factors a and b from the venom of the Chinese habu snake (Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus)

Hemorrhagic factors a and b were isolated from Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus venom by Sephadex G-100, CM-Sephadex C-50 and DEAE-Sephacel column chromatographies. The hemorrhagic factors were homogeneous, as established by a single band on acrylamide gel electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Molecular weights of 15 000 and 27 000 were found for hemorrhagic factors a and b, respectively. Factor a possesses proteolytic activity hydrolyzing the His(10)-Leu(11), Tyr(16)-Leu(17) and Arg(22)-Gly(23) bonds of oxidized insulin B chain, whereas, factor b hydrolyzed only the Ala(14)-Leu(15) bond. Hemorrhagic activity of these hemorrhagic factors was inhibited by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, 1,10-phenanthroline or p-chloromercuribenzoate, but not by soybean trypsin inhibitor or diisopropyl fluorophosphate. The hemorrhagic factors were injected into the skin of the back of albino rabbits, and the minimum hemorrhagic dose of factors a and b was 1.7 and 2.3 μg, respectively. These purified hemorrhagic factors were not lethal at 15 μg/g in mice. Factor a hydrolyzed the Bβ chain of fibrinogen, while factor b hydrolyzed the Aα chain. Hemorrhagic factor a was shown to differ immunologically from factor b. Factors a and b produced systemic hemorrhage in internal organs such as the heart and stomach of mice. Moreover, factor b produced hemorrhage in the liver.     

Biliary transport maximum of tauroursodeoxycholate is twice as high as that of taurocholate in the rat

Biliary excretory transport maximum (Tm) and choleretic efficiency were compared for tauroursodeoxycholate and taurocholate in Wistar male rats. Under a continuous iv infusion of bile salts with a stepwise increase in infusion rate, the Tm of tauroursodeoxycholate was found to be two times higher (2.25±0.07 μmole/min/100 g body weight, n=8, mean±SD) than that of taurocholate (0.97±0.05 μmole/min/100 g body weight, n=14, p<0.001). On the other hand, the amount of bile water obligated by the excretion of 1μmole of tauroursodeoxycholate was significantly lower than that of taurocholate. (4.71±0.08 μl/μmole for tauroursodeoxycholate, vs. 9.27±0.76 μl/μmole for taurocholate, mean±SD, p<0.001). It was concluded that tauroursodeoxycholate can be excreted into the bile in male rats twice as efficiently as taurocholate. Furthermore, the higher efficiency in the choleretic property of ursodeoxycholate previously reported by Dumont et al. appears to be specific to free ursodeoxycholate and not to its taurine conjugate used in the present experiment.     

Growth Behavior of a Liverwort, Jungermannia subulata Evans, in a Cell Suspension Culture. The Role of Organic Acids Required for Cell Growth

A green callus of a liverwort, Jungermannia subulata Evans,was induced from gametophytes, and a cell suspension culturewas obtained from the callus. Both callus and suspension-culturedcells grew in a modified Murashige and Skoog medium if organicacids of the TCA cycle were supplied. In the cell suspensionculture of J. subulata, ammonium was taken up preferentiallyby the cells particularly at the earliest stage of growth, whileonly a negligible amount of nitrate was utilized as long asammonium was present in the medium, and this unbalanced utilizationof the two nitrogen sources caused an abrupt drop in the pHof the medium. The organic acids of the TCA cycle supportedthe growth of this cell line by preventing the abrupt drop inthe pH of the medium. (Received June 13, 1981; Accepted October 8, 1981)