Luteal phase defects: a possible relationship between short hyperthermic phase and sporadic sexual behavior in women

Sporadic (less than regular weekly) coital activity is associated with a particular type of infertility—the short hyperthermic (luteal) phase. This preliminary report is the first suggestion that a reduced frequency of human sexual activity might, itself, be associated with subfertile reproductive function.     

Fenestrated capillaries in the ventral sebaceous gland of the Djungarian hamster, Phodopus sungorus

The ventral sebaceous gland of the Djungarian hamster is a macroscopically visible organ situated in the midventral area of the abdominal wall. It consists of densely packed acini arranged in lobules with common excretory ducts. The rich vascular network of the gland is characterized by fenestrated capillaries. Fenestrated endothelium has not yet been reported as a characteristic and regular finding within sebaceous glands. Results are discussed with regard to proliferation rate of sebocytes and the demand of fluid and nutrient supply.     

Isolation and characterisation of nuv11, a mutation affecting meiotic and mitotic recombination in Aspergillus nidulans

A mutant of Aspergillus nidulans, designated nuv11, has been isolated as hypersensitive to the monofunctional alkylating agent MNNG and the quasi-UV-mimetic mutagen 4-NQO. The mutation was recessive, resulting from mutation of a single gene which mapped to chromosome IV, and was non-allelic to the previously characterised repair-deficient mutations uvsB and uvsH which are also located on this linkage group. The nuv11 mutation results in slow growth, deficient intragenic and intergenic meiotic recombination, increased spontaneous chromosome instability, and increased intragenic and intergenic mitotic recombination in homozygous diploids. By screening a wild-type gene bank of A nidulans, a clone (pNUV11A40) has been isolated which complements the nuv11 mutation, restoring wild-type responses to both MNNG and 4-NQO.     

A morphometric comparison of subcellular structures between primary breast tumors and their nodal metastases.

A morphometric study of subcellular structures in human primary breast tumors (of the ductal infiltrating type) and their synchronous lymph node metastases was carried out using planimetry and stereology. Each primary neoplasm was compared separately with its axillary metastatic growth in order to detect differences in the quantitative estimates of their subcellular components. A set of 24 morphometric parameters was used to quantitatively describe each neoplastic cell profile. Although some subcellular parameters showed significant differences between the cells of a primary tumor and its metastases, no parameter was found to be consistently altered in all cases. No consistent increase or decrease in the values of the affected parameters was observed in the metastases. More than being due to the expression of a biologically variant (more-or-less differentiated) metastatic phenotype, the differences in stereologic parameters detected in metastatic cells appear to reflect the existence of different functional states of the same cell type.     

Treatment of murine lupus with F(ab')2 fragments of monoclonal antibody to L3T4. Suppression of autoimmunity does not depend on T helper cell depletion

Treatment with mAb to the L3T4 Ag on Th cells can inhibit autoimmunity in mice. However, the mechanism by which anti-L3T4 inhibits autoimmunity is not known. In these studies, lupus-prone NZB/NZW F1 (B/W) mice were treated with F(ab')2 fragments of mAb to L3T4 to determine whether Th cell depletion is required for the beneficial effects of anti-L3T4. We first showed that treatment of female B/W mice with F(ab')2 anti-L3T4 from age 5 to 9 mo significantly reduced autoantibody production without depleting L3T4+ cells. However, treatment was complicated by the development of a host immune response to the rat mAb fragments. To circumvent this problem, female B/W mice were treated with a single high-dose of intact rat mAb to L3T4 (GK1.5) at age two mo. to induce immune tolerance to the mAb. Then, after recovery of L3T4+ cells, the mice were treated from age four to 14 mo with either F(ab')2 anti-L3T4 (0.5 mg 3 times per wk), intact anti-L3T4, or saline. In mice tolerized by this regimen, neither the F(ab')2 rat mAb nor the intact rat mAb elicited a host response. The mAb fragments bound target Ag but did not deplete the Th cells, whereas intact mAb to L3T4 profoundly depleted the L3T4+ cells. Despite this difference, both therapies had the same substantial beneficial effects on autoimmunity. They significantly decreased anti-DNA Ab production, improved renal function and prolonged survival. The initial tolerizing dose, by itself, did not inhibit autoimmunity. These findings show that anti-L3T4 suppresses autoimmunity by directly altering Th cell function through the L3T4 Ag, and not solely by depleting Th cells. They also document the detrimental effects of the host immune response to therapy with anti-L3T4 mAb, and they demonstrate a new strategy by which this response may be prevented.     

Exon skipping in the sterol 27-hydroxylase gene leads to cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis

We report a new mutation in the sterol 27-hydroxylase (CYP 27) gene in a Dutch family with cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis: a G→A transition in the splice donor site in intron 4. This mutation leads to skipping of exon 4, resulting in a loss of 66 amino acids in the CYP 27 enzyme molecule. Received: 15 March 1997 / Accepted: 26 March 1997     

Measuring the heart rate of the spider, Aphonopelma hentzi: a non-invasive technique

In this work we describe a non‐invasive and precise technique to record the heartbeats of a spider. A linear output Hall effect transducer in conjunction with a small magnet was used to monitor the micromovements on the dorsal surface of the abdomen of the tarantula Aphonopelma hentzi (Girard) (Theraphosidae). The exoskeleton in this region is in direct contact with suspensory ligaments connected to the heart, and the dorsal cuticle of the opisthosoma moves with each heartbeat. The technique allowed the discrimination of the different stages of the spider's cardiac cycle. The method can be also adapted for a smaller spider or other arthropods. We believe that the method proposed in this paper allows investigators to gain insights into a spider's natural heart rate by gathering unbiased data with a non‐invasive and very precise technique. We have found the resting heart rate of A. hentzi to be 5.6 ± 1.47 beats/min, which is lower than previously reported values.