Nature of the residual alpha-1,4-glucosidase activity in the seminal plasma of vasectomized men

Vasectomy leads to a drastic decrease of neutral alpha-1,4-glucosidase from human seminal plasma. The nature of this residual enzyme activity has been ascertained according to optimum pH and sucrose density gradient analysis with or without inhibitors of neutral (maltotriose) or acid (sodium dodecyl sulfate) alpha-1,4-glucosidase. Data from the present study provide strong evidence that the enzyme content of the seminal plasma is of mixed nature after exclusion of the epididymis.     

Heredity and overfeeding-induced changes in submaximal exercise VO2

The present study investigated the role of heredity in determining changes in the energy cost of submaximal exercise in response to short-term overfeeding. Six pairs of monozygotic twins were subjected to a 1,000 kcal/day surplus for 22 days with careful experimental controls over food intake and physical activities. O2 consumption (VO2) was measured during a submaximal treadmill exercise test 165 min postprandially before and the morning after the overfeeding protocol. As expected, overfeeding induced significant increases in body weight and fat mass. No significant increase in mean exercise VO2 was observed after overfeeding. However, the interindividual variation in overfeeding-induced changes in exercise VO2 was large and not randomly distributed. When comparing intrapair variance for changes in exercise VO2 to interpair variance, a moderate to high within-pair resemblance in response, i.e., a genotype-overfeeding interaction, was observed. Changes in exercise VO2 were positively correlated with those in postexercise levels of blood catecholamines, particularly epinephrine. A negative correlation was found between changes in exercise VO2 and body fat gain. These results are consistent with the concept of a role for the sympathoadrenal system in the regulation of adaptive thermogenesis and the predisposition to store fat. Moreover, these data suggest that the sensitivity to adapt in exercise energy expenditure after overfeeding is inherited to a significant extent.     

In vitro cleavage specificity of the adenovirus type 2 proteinase

Two in vitro proteinase assay systems were developed and used to study the peptide bond specificity and substrate specificity of the adenovirus endoproteinase. Five adenovirus precursor proteins (PVI, PVII, PVIII, 87K, 11K), all found in the virion of the ts1 mutant grown at the nonpermissive temperature, were digested by the proteinase. All, except 11K, were cleaved to their mature counterparts. Some of the proteins, particularly the 87K terminal protein, were processed via cleavage intermediates similar to those found in vivo. The data suggest that the proteinase specifically hydrolyses Gly-Ala bonds. The high specificity for the natural substrates and the failure to cleave foreign proteins suggest that cleavage activity is determined not only by primary sequence but also by other physical features of the substrate. Enzyme activity was inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate, showing that it is a serine proteinase.     

Genetic identification of an endoproteinase encoded by the adenovirus genome

The temperature-sensitive adenovirus type 2 mutant H2ts1 is defective for polypeptide processing at the non-permissive temperature. We have in the present study mapped the mutation by marker rescue and DNA sequencing techniques: the mutation is a C/T transition located at map co-ordinate 61.1. Previous sequencing studies have identified an uninterrupted translational reading frame in this part of the adenovirus genome, encoding a hypothetical 23 X 10(3) Mr polypeptide. The mutation leads to a proline/leucine substitution in the 23 X 10(3) Mr polypeptide.     

Diminished dietary thermogenesis in exercise-trained human subjects

The influence of exercise-training on dietary-induced thermogenesis (DIT) was investigated in humans. The resting metabolic rate was identical in trained and non-trained subjects, but the response to a meal containing 1,636 kcal (6.9 MJ) was markedly lower in trained subjects. Mean dorsal skin temperature, as measured by thermography, was not influenced by training. A significant correlation was observed between postprandial RQ and DIT, which indicates that the reduced energy expenditure noted in trained subjects is related to a greater lipid oxidation. This sparing effect of exercise-training on energy utilization in the form of carbohydrate, is interpreted as adaptive in the sense that energy is preserved for the purpose of producing work.     

白翅叶蝉Empoasca subrufa Melichar的研究

白翅叶蝉是福建省水稻的重要害虫,苗期受害严重者,整片稻苗苍白,甚至枯死;早稻孕穗、抽穗期常大量发生为害,影响谷粒饱满度,造成减产。福州和闽侯地区一年发生4代,部分5代。成虫越冬。冬季日平均温度达11℃以上时仍能取食为害。春季成虫侵入稻田,4月下旬前后大量产卵,5月中旬虫数激增,5月下旬或6月初达到高峰。早稻收割时由于农事活动引致若虫大量死亡。晚稻田于8、9月虫数较多,但危害不如早稻严重。10月中旬以后成虫逐渐离开稻田,迁往越冬场所。 寄主植物幼嫩茂密和较大湿度的小生境有利于白翅叶蝉的发育繁殖。大发生的气候因子主要是春季多雨。适宜的温湿度范围为温度20—25℃,相对湿度85—90%。 DDT单独使用或DDT与666混用防治白翅叶蝉都能收到满意的效果。早稻秧田宜在播种后两周施药防治;本田于5月中旬虫口密度开始增长之际施药,亦能抑制为害。冬季小麦出土以前清除田边杂草,也是一项有效的防治措施