Uncoupling protein is expressed in liver mitochondria of cold-exposed and newborn rats

Uncoupling protein has been thought to be expressed only in the brown adipose tissue mitochondria of mammals. However, mRNA encoding mitochondrial uncoupling protein was detected in the liver of newborn rats and adult rats after cold exposure, although not in the liver of untreated adult rats.     

A case of Graves' disease and papillary thyroid carcinoma with predominant production of thyroid-stimulation-blocking antibodies (TSBAb) persisted after total thyroidectomy.

A 42-year-old female with Graves' disease and papillary thyroid carcinoma with lung metastasis was referred to our hospital. After treatment of thyrotoxicosis with methimazole and Lugol's solution, she underwent total thyroidectomy. She was then given 131I twice to treat lung metastasis. However, 131I uptake into the lung was not clear in the scintigram. Both thyroid-stimulating antibodies (TSAb) and thyroid-stimulation-blocking antibodies (TSBAb) were detected in her sera before and after the treatments. Compared with TSAb activities, TSBAb activities were extremely high. Changes in the titers of these two antibodies were not clear after total thyroidectomy. These results indicate that lymphocytes outside the thyroid gland are the major source of TSAb and TSBAb in this patient.     

The Gray Toad-headed Agama,Phrynocephalus scutellatus,on the Iranian Plateau: The degree of niche overlap depends on the phylogenetic distance

The Gray Toad-headed Agama (Phrynocephalus scutellatus) occurs in Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan and is represented in Iran by four distinctive genetic clades. We built distribution models for three of these clades (one clade was not included due to a low number of distribution records) using Maximum Entropy Algorithm in order to determine the contribution of ecological factors to the distribution pattern. The degree of spatial niche overlap between every pair of clades were measured using Schoener's D niche overlap metric. The results showed that at species-level climate variables (annual precipitation, annual mean temperature) were the most influential parameters determining the boundaries of the distribution in Iran. Temperature seasonality was found to be the most influential factor in the distribution of both Clade I and Clade II. However, this variable was replaced by the annual mean temperature for Clade VI. Based on the results of Schoener's D metric, Clades I and II had the lowest, and Clades II and VI the highest level of ecological niche overlap. Comparing the result of niche overlap with genetic distance between the clades, it was found that the ecologically least similar clades were those with the longer history of genetic segregation.     

Effects of ACTH and calcium on cyclic AMP production and steroid output by the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal cortex.

Effects of ACTH and calcium on cyclic AMP production and steroid output by the zona glomerulosa (the capsular fraction) from the rat adrenal cortex have been studied. Although high concentrations of extracellular calcium potentiated the stimulatory action of ACTH on cyclic AMP and aldosterone output, tetracaine or verapamil inhibited aldosterone output but not cyclic AMP production during ACTH-stimulation. Lanthanum reduced both aldosterone and cyclic AMP accumulation induced by ACTH. These results suggest that an extracellular calcium would be essential in stimulating the capsular steroidogenesis without involvement of the cyclic AMP system.