Effect of Lactobacilli on Urinary Indican Excretion in Gnotobiotic Rats and in Man

The effect of Lactobacillus species on urinary indican excretion in two types of gnotobiotic rats (GBH-9 and GB-5) and in man was studied. L. salivarius, L. plantarum and L. casei colonized in the cecum and colon of both types of rats at levels of 10⁷ to 10⁸ per gram of contents following one-dose oral administratron and caused a significant reduction in urinary indican excretion, whereas two strains of L. acidophilus which colonized at low levels (10⁴ to 10⁵/g) did not reduce indican excretion. Daily feeding of Lactobacillus concentrates caused a further significant reduction in indican excretion which was corrected by tryptophan intake, even in the case of L. acidophilus. There was a clear relationship between fecal lactobacillus counts and urinary indican. A significant reduction of indican secretion was obtained only when the fecal counts of lactobacilli exceeded 10^7.4/g in rats. L. casei also had an effect in man, reducing urinary excretion of indican and p-cresol. Reduction in indican excretion seems to be accompanied by decreasing fecal tryptophanase activity in rats and man. A negative correlation was also obtained between fecal resident lactobacilli and urinary indican in man (r = ? 0.532, n = 28, p<0.01). Subjects with lactobacilli at a level of 10⁶/g or more excreted less indican than those harboring the bacteria at levels below 10⁵/g.     

Calcite dissolution and the modification of planktonic foraminiferal assemblages

The results of an in situ experiment in the Panama Basin allow us to determine the way in which planktonic foraminiferal assemblages are modified by calcite dissolution. Pre-weighed planktonic foraminiferal samples of known species composition were attached to a deep-sea mooring at various water depths between 665 m and 3791 m for a period of 123 days. Weight loss due to dissolution during this period ranged from less than 5% for the shallowest samples to slightly over 30% for the deepest samples. In terms of change in foraminiferal number, this is equivalent to decreases of between 1% and 26%. Only in the samples placed at the two deepest levels (3769 m and 3791 m) was there a significant loss in the total number of foraminifera. The magnitude of change in the abundance of individual species in early related to their different susceptibilities to dissolution. Species such as Hastigerina pelagica, Globigerinella aequilateralis and Candeina nitida, which are very susceptible to dissolution, exhibited the largest decreases in frequency percentage while the more resistent species (Sphaeroidinella dehiscens, Pulleniatina obliquiloculata and Globorotalia truncatulinoides) had minimal changes. From these results a solution-susceptibility ranking for planktonic foraminifera is established that is quite similar to those derived from previous laboratory experiments and sea-floor studies.     

Interspecific variation in ephippial size between Daphnia galeata and D. pulicaria in Lake Biwa,Japan

Limnology - Daphnia, keystone herbivores in lakes, routinely produce immediately hatching eggs; additionally, they also produce resting eggs enveloped by an ephippial case, a thickened carapace...     

Aromatization of norethindrone to ethynylestradiol in human adult liver

Homogenates of human adult liver are capable of aromatizing norethindrone (17 alpha-ethynyl-19-nortestosterone) to ethynylestradiol (17 alpha-ethynylestradiol). The evidence of ethynylestradiol formation was obtained using a Bio-Rad AG1-X2 column, thin layer chromatographies and co-crystallization. Neither acid nor base was used in any step in product identification.     

Colchicine-Induced Apoptosis Was Prevented by Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Inhibitors in PC12 Cells

The purpose of this study was to examine whether glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is involved in colchicine-induced cell death in PC12 cells by using GSK inhibitors. Colchicine increased apoptotic cell death with morphological changes characterized by cell shrinkage and nuclear condensation or fragmentation. GSK-3 inhibitors such as alsterpaullone, SB216763, and AR-A014418 prevented colchicine-induced cell death and caspase-3 activation. These results suggest that colchicine induces caspase-dependent apoptotic cell death and that GSK-3 activation is involved in cell death in PC12 cells.     

Spontaneous diabetes mellitus in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis)

Glucose tolerance tests were performed with fourteen cynomolgus monkeys. They were divided into two groups with regard to the serum glucose level at the time of routine health-examination. Nine of them had normal glucose level (below 123 mg/dl, the normal group) and the other five monkeys exhibited hyperglycemia (the abnormal group). Fifty per cent glucose solution was administered into the saphenous vein at a dose of 4 ml/head. Blood samples were taken just before and 5, 10, 20, 30, 60 and 120 minutes after the glucose administration. K-value (K = 0.693/t 1/2 X 100) as the decreasing rate of serum glucose during from 5 to 60 minutes after the administration was calculated. Average K-value for eight monkeys of the normal group was 3.12 +/- 0.48. Both immunoreactive insulin level (IRI) and C-peptide immunoreactivity (CPR) increased just after the glucose administration and began to decrease 5 to 30 minutes after the administration in all the eight animals. Remaining one animal (No. 009) of the normal group showed 1.03 in K-value. For the abnormal group, K-value averaged 0.75 +/- 0.25. IRI was slightly higher in this group than in the 8 monkeys of the normal group. Furthermore, the abnormal group did not show any definite change of a certain trend in IRI and CPR. In conclusion, the former 8 monkeys were judged to be normal in the function of pancreatic beta-cells, and the latter 5 monkeys and No. 009 monkey were judged to be suffering from type II (noninsulin dependent) diabetes mellitus at different stages of the disease.