Transformation of the Mesonephros into Epididymis in the Cock: Fate of Collecting and Secretory Tubule Antigens

By means of purified rabbit anti-adult chicken kidney antibodies two types of antigens have been identified in the mesonephros: one (PS), localized in the cells of the proximal secretory tubules, the other (CT) characteristic of the collecting segments.
During the conversion of certain mesonephric tubules into epididymal ductules in the male, the CT-antigen disappears, whereas the PS-antigen not only persists but can also be detected in the cells of the parietal layers of Bowman's capsules as they transform before connecting with the rete testis. In the adult cock, the PS-antigen is found at the apical part of the cells of the ductuli efferentes, whereas the ductuli conjugentes and ductus epididymidis are negative.
In the female, the PS-antigen is also found to persist in the cells of the proximal segment and to appear in the cells of the parietal layers of Bowman's capsules. However, between 2 and 3 months after hatching it disappears, although perfectly well preserved tubuli of mesonephric origin can be observed at much later stages.
In the epididymal tubuli of the sexually mature cock, large sheets of the epithelial walls are seen to detach and to fall into the lumina where they disintegrate. The cellular contents thus released mix with the mass of the spermatozoa. Arguments tending to exclude a fixation artifact are presented and the possibility that the observation reflects a cyclic physiological process is discussed.     

Ethnobotancal studies in the villages of the district of Ilica (province erzurum), Turkey

An ethnobotanical survey was made of the villages of the Ilica District, Erzurum Province, Turkey. The authors interviewed 130 people in 60 villages. The information so obtained was classified according to the use of plants for food, fuel, dye, and construction materials, as well as for miscellaneous uses. All in all, this study revealed 60 plant taxa that were useful to the villagers of this district.     

Short communication: Decolourization of Crystal Violet by fungi

Crystal Violet was decolourized by Coriolus versicolor, Funalia trogii, Laetiporus sulphureus and Phanerochaete chrysosporium ME446 by 92%, 82%, 86% and 62%, respectively, over 3 days.     

Chronic effects of cadmium on kidney,liver, testis,and fertility of male rats

Male Wistar rats (n:20), at 5 wk of age, were given cadmium in drinking water (10 mg/L water) for 52 wk; 8 males and 20 female rats, as controls, were given tap water. At the end of 28 and 40 wk, some of the cadmium-treated males and control group male rats were sacrificed for the histopathological examination of testis, kidney, and liver. At the end of 56 wk, histopathological examinations were performed in the same way. Liver, kidney, and testis cadmium levels were also determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. All the cadmium-treated male rats showed pathological testicular alterations, and liver and kidney damage after chronic exposure. Cadmium levels were found to be highest in the kidney (1.009 +/- 0.034 microgram/g wet tissue in the infertile group). At the end of the 52-wk period, reproductive capacity of the cadmium-treated rats was investigated and was found to be lost in 39.89% of the animals.     

The effect of migration strategy and food availability on White Stork Ciconia ciconia breeding success

In the mid 1970s, the breeding populations of the migrant White Stork Ciconia ciconia were close to extinction in the northeastern region of France (Alsace). A re-introduction project was implemented, resulting in the year-round settlement of some individuals in the region, which rely on additional food supplied by humans during the winter. Today, both resident and migrant birds breed in the same areas and take food from rubbish dumps and humans (farmers). The effects of these anthropogenic influences, altering Stork behaviour, on Stork reproductive success are not known. The aim of this study was to test the influence of bird status (resident vs. migrant) and food availability (control nests vs. nests that benefit from high food supply) on reproductive success. In control nests, the mean laying date was earlier in resident than in migrant White Storks. There was also a clear seasonal decline in clutch size. For all nests, the numbers of eggs and hatchlings were higher in resident birds than in migrants, which can be attributed to the earlier breeding of resident Storks. The large broods of resident birds showed a high mortality rate, leading to the same fledgling success (fledglings/hatchlings) and number of fledglings as in migrants. Fledgling success and the number of fledglings were higher for nests close to a reliable food supply. In summary, although resident birds can breed earlier and produce more eggs than migrants, we found no advantage in terms of number of fledglings. The higher mortality rate of chicks found in pairs with a large brood could be caused by the deterioration of their habitat. Thus, the year-round settlement of Storks may not present a biological advantage if the quality of their habitat is not guaranteed by the conservation of their grasslands.     

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of (3′S)-3′-Deoxy-3′-Fluoro-3′-C-Ethynylcytidine

The novel pyrimidine nucleoside, (3 ′S)-3 ′-deoxy-3 ′-fluoro-3 ′-C-ethynylcytidine (1) was synthesized from cytidine in seven steps. The key step in the synthesis was the introduction of the tertiary fluorine at the 3 ′-position. Compound 1 was evaluated in vitro against several RNA viruses.     

Changes in patterns of alkaline serine protease and bacilysin formation caused by common effectors of sporulation inBacillus subtilis 168

Bacilysin biosynthesis and alkaline serine protease production inBacillus subtilis 168 were monitored and compared in batch cultures when various effectors of sporulation were added at different stages of growth in a medium containing sucrose and glutamate. Depending on the time of addition, glucose affected sporulation and serine protease formation to the same extent, but had no effect on bacilysin production. Ammonium andl-alanine additions suppressed all three processes. Casamino acids severely interfered with bacilysin formation and sporulation, but not with protease formation. Decoyinine, a well-known inducer of sporulation, induced protease formation as well, but did not affect bacilysin biosynthesis. The extent of the observed effects depended largely on the time of metabolite additions. The results are discussed with reference to a possible coregulation of sporulation and the formation of bacilysin and alkaline serine protease inB. subtilis.     

The Female-specific Protein (Vitellogenic Protein) in Crustacea with Particular Reference to Orchestic gammarella (Amphipoda)

Comparative electrophoretic studies of male and female hemolymphin Crustacea have led to the discovery of a lipoglycoproteinfraction present in females and absent from males. The female-specificprotein fraction also contains a pigment which has been identifiedin a small number of species and appears to be a carotenoid.Further observations indicated that the presence of this fractionis coincident with the presence of maturing ovocytes in theovary. The major protein component of the vitellus is also alipoglycocarotenoprotein complex. Comparative analyses haveshown that the female-specific protein fraction present in hemolymphand the major protein component of the vitellus are electrophoreticallyand immunochemically identical. Moreover, in the Amphipod Orchestiagammarella both components appear to have the same molecularweight, estimated as approximately 3 x 10⁵ by Sephadex G 200gel filtration. Although there is ample evidence to supportthe idea that the female-specific protein is synthesized externallyto the ovary, the site of synthesis still remains unknown. Experimentallyinduced sex reversal in O. gammarella indicates that the synthesisof the female specific protein is under ovarian control.