Inhibition of natural killer activity in emotional stress and elimination of this phenomenon by interferon inducer

The authors provide the data on the effect of emotional painful stress (EPS) of varying duration on the activity of natural killers (NK) of August rats' spleen 1 to 9 days after exposure to stress is discontinued. The activity of NK was tested against target cells K 562 labeled with 51Cr in a 14-hour test. The effect of stress was found to depend on the duration of the stressor reaction. 1 1/2- and 3-hour stress activated NK, while prolonged 6-hour stress suppressed the activity of natural killers within the first 2 days, followed by the recovery by day 7-9 of the activity of lymphocytes having natural cytotoxicity. Tiloron, a synthetic inducer of endogenous interferon, corrected the post-stressor depression of NK activity.     

Cryptic or pseudocryptic: can morphological methods inform copepod taxonomy? An analysis of publications and a case study of the Eurytemora affinis species complex

Interest in cryptic species has increased significantly with current progress in genetic methods. The large number of cryptic species suggests that the resolution of traditional morphological techniques may be insufficient for taxonomical research. However, some species now considered to be cryptic may, in fact, be designated pseudocryptic after close morphological examination. Thus the “cryptic or pseudocryptic” dilemma speaks to the resolution of morphological analysis and its utility for identifying species. We address this dilemma first by systematically reviewing data published from 1980 to 2013 on cryptic species of Copepoda and then by performing an in‐depth morphological study of the former Eurytemora affinis complex of cryptic species. Analyzing the published data showed that, in 5 of 24 revisions eligible for systematic review, cryptic species assignment was based solely on the genetic variation of forms without detailed morphological analysis to confirm the assignment. Therefore, some newly described cryptic species might be designated pseudocryptic under more detailed morphological analysis as happened with Eurytemora affinis complex. Recent genetic analyses of the complex found high levels of heterogeneity without morphological differences; it is argued to be cryptic. However, next detailed morphological analyses allowed to describe a number of valid species. Our study, using deep statistical analyses usually not applied for new species describing, of this species complex confirmed considerable differences between former cryptic species. In particular, fluctuating asymmetry (FA), the random variation of left and right structures, was significantly different between forms and provided independent information about their status. Our work showed that multivariate statistical approaches, such as principal component analysis, can be powerful techniques for the morphological discrimination of cryptic taxons. Despite increasing cryptic species designations, morphological techniques have great potential in determining copepod taxonomy.     

Detection of carotenoids in the vitreous body of the human eye during prenatal development

Carotenoids were found for the first time in the vitreous body of human eye during the fetal period from week 15 until week 28. Their maximum content was timed to week 16-22. No carotenoids were found the vitreous body of 31-week fetuses, as well as adult humans, which corresponds to the published data. It was shown using HPLC that chromatographic characteristics of these carotenoids correspond to those of lutein and zeaxanthin, characteristic pigments of the retinal yellow macula.     

Use of a cyanine dye as a probe for albumin and collagen in the extracellular matrix

The aim of this work was to develop a quick method for analysis of macromolecules of the extracellular matrix. Of great interest are soluble components of the extracellular matrix, in particular, carrier proteins, whose variation dynamics can characterize the studied tissue in its development, adult stage, and aging. We suggest the method of analysis of the extracellular matrix to reveal the presence of albumin and collagen by using an anionic cyanine dye as a spectral and fluorescence probe. The method was applied for the analysis of the human vitreous body in the course of its development. Albumin was detected by the appearance of the trans monomer absorption and fluorescence bands in the dye spectra, and collagen was detected by the absorption and fluorescence bands of J aggregates. Hyaluronic acid present in the vitreous body does not interfere with the results of the analysis. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot analysis confirmed the presence of albumin in the vitreous body. We suppose that albumin as a protein carrying biologically active macromolecules plays an important role in the processes of differentiation and functional establishment of ocular tissues in the course of their prenatal development.     

River macrophyte indices: not the Holy Grail!

1. Recent studies have demonstrated that there is generally no unambiguous relationship between plant species composition and specific environmental conditions in rivers. Nevertheless, indices of environmental pressures based on macrophytes are flourishing, because of the requirements of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). 2. We first reviewed nine such indices against 13 criteria for bioindicators. Then, using data from France and England, we tested whether the IBMR (Macrophyte Biological Index for Rivers) and LEAFPACS (predictions and classification system for macrophytes) methods could reliably indicate nutrient and hydromorphological pressures. Finally, we used an improved bootstrapping method to estimate accuracy. 3. Currently, most indices lack ecological meaning for a variety of reasons, including partial sampling (backwaters are excluded); reliance on list of taxa (there are identification difficulties) rather than structure and functions; correlation rather than causation; application within a limited biogeographical area; reliance on ‘expert’ judgement; high precision but poor accuracy; poorly defined reference conditions; lack of independent tests; and an inability to discriminate reliably between the target pressures of interest from confounding background variables. 4. IBMR was a far better indicator of pH (or HCO₃‐pCO₂) than it was of soluble reactive phosphorus, SRP (or SRP‐NH₄). While there was a highly significant correlation between IBMR and SRP after removing the effect of pH, the relationship was weak (r² = 0.08, n = 215, P < 0.001). 5. LEAFPACS is a multi‐metric method summing up five individual indices, each compliant with the WFD. Its individual metrics were not better correlated with nutrient and hydromorphological pressures (with r² < 0.1, n = 62, P < 0.05) than was the IBMR. The meaning of the overall metric is questionable. 6. There are problems in determining the precision of the indices, owing to uncertainties in recording, but they are less than the uncertainties in determining accuracy (because species optima and tolerances are sometimes poorly known). 7. Reliable information is needed to improve the state of our rivers. Macrophyte indices are able to detect statistically significant pressures from a large population of sites but cannot be applied at specific sites, as required by the WFD, owing to large uncertainties and low explanatory power. Typically, more than 90% of the variability in macrophyte indices is attributed to factors other than human pressure. The WFD would be better served by a simpler, holistic approach based on our current mechanistic understanding of river processes. These findings are likely to apply also to other taxonomic groups (macroinvertebrates, diatoms, fish) used in the assessment of purported ecological quality and to palaeolimnological measures of reference status.     

A photographic microfluorimetric method for determining the DNA content in individual human chromosomes

A method for determination of DNA contents in individual human chromosomes has been elaborated based of the two step analysis: 1) identification of chromosomes by Q-banding; 2) photographic microfluorimetry of chromosomes after the Feulgen staining (a fluorescent variant using a Schiff-type reagent of Auramine-SO2). The DNA content in 24 human chromosomes was calculated in absolute values (fg). The data obtained are compared with the evidence published elsewhere and provided by different cytophotometric methods.     

Lymphocyte subpopulation state of the human lung during prenatal development]

Distribution of surface lymphocyte markers was assessed in foetus lung by cytofluorimetry using monoclonal antibodies produced by "Ortho Diagnostic systems" and "Becton Dickinson". Seven lymphocyte subpopulations were detected in developing lungs even at the pseudoglandular stage (8-15 weeks). There was a significant increase in these lymphocyte subpopulations in canalicular stage. Quantity of T3+ cells increased 8-fold and B-cells 10-fold. There was a tendency to increased number of cortical thymocytes (T6+), and to decreased ratio T6+/T3+ lymphocytes. The ratio of immunoregulatory lymphocyte subpopulations (T4+/T8+) resembled that of these subpopulations in adult human lung rather than in cord blood. In canalicular stage the share of lung lymphoid cells in S-phase was decreased.