The fate of spargana inoculated into the cat brain and sequential changes of anti-sparganum IgG antibody levels in the cerebrospinal fluid

To establish an animal model of intracranial sparganosis, the fate and behavior of the experimentally inoculated spargana were observed. A total of 102 scolices of spargana were injected into 22 cat brains, and the cats were sacrificed at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after the inoculation. Neurosparganosis was established in 77% of the cats. Of 43 recovered worms, 19 (44%) were located in the subdural or subarachnoid space, 16 (37%) in the brain parenchyme, and 2 (5%) in the lateral ventricle. One was detected at the diploic space of the skull and 5 were outside the cranial cavity. All but one were alive, and had grown tails. They were distributed in the brain parenchyme randomly. There was no place which they could not invade. No adult was found in the intestine. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was collected before inoculation, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after inoculation. The level of anti-sparganum IgG antibody in CSF measured by ELISA began to increase above the criteria of positivity 1 month after inoculation. Three months after inoculation, the values markedly increased. The present findings reveal that intracranial inoculation of spargana into the brains of cats would be a good animal model of experimental neurosparganosis.     

Secular trend in skeletal maturation in southern Chinese girls in Hong Kong

Southern Chinese girls aged 11 years 9 months to 12 years 3 months in Hong Kong have a mean skeletal age of 12.57 years assessed from the left hand and wrist radiographs by the Greulich and Pyle Atlas Method. Significant secular trend of earlier skeletal maturation was demonstrated with p less than or equal to 0.001. Such difference was contributed by improved socio-economic, nutritional and socio-hygienic conditions during the past decades.     

The changes of histopathology and serum anti-sparganum IgG in experimental sparganosis of mice

The present study is intended to observe the chronologic changes of experimental sparganosis by histopathological observation and detection of circulating anti-sparganum IgG antibody using ELISA. Each of 25 mice was infected with five spargana, and they were examined after 1, 2, 4, 10 weeks or 6 months from infection. The followings are summarized results. 1. The plerocercoids were detected in the subcutaneous tissue of the trunk, neck or axilla, but a few often extended into the skeletal muscle. The recovery rates were 72% at the first week, 80% at the second week, 95% at the fourth week, 92% at the tenth week and 100% at the sixth month. The larvae grew slowly in both length and weight until 6 months. 2. Histopathologically, most of the larvae were observed alive in the soft tissue or skeletal muscle. Numerous eosinophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes and plasma cells were infiltrated focally around the worms by the second week, but they surrounded the worms to form a layer of inflammatory reaction after 4 weeks of infection. Also histiocytes and fibroblasts began to appear around the inflammatory cells at 4 weeks. After 10 weeks, the worms encircled by a thin fibrous layer were found. After 6 months, the worms were surrounded by either fibrous tissue or active inflammatory cells. The inflammation looked more severe in the tracks left by the worms, rather than around the worms. 3. The level of anti-sparganum IgG antibody in the serum showed an increase by the fourth week, and a rapid and continuous increase was observed thereafter by the tenth week after infection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The effects of gamma irradiation on the survival and development of Clonorchis sinensis metacercariae

The effects of gamma irradiation on the survival and development of C. sinensis metacercariae were studied to evaluate the feasibility of irradiation as a control measure for clonorchiasis. Pseudorasbora parva were collected at an endemic river of clonorchiasis and were used for irradiation of the fluke in three schemes. The first (Scheme 1) was irradiation of the isolated metacercariae from the fish followed by infection to experimental rats. The second (Scheme 2) was irradiation of the fish, and then the metacercariae were isolated and infected to rats. The third (Scheme 3) was irradiation on the rat livers after infection with normal metacercariae. Irradiation doses varied from 5 to 100 Gy for Schemes 1 and 2, and 10 to 25 Gy for Scheme 3. The rats were sacrificed 2 to 6 weeks after infection. In Scheme 1, the metacercariae irradiated at 50 Gy failed to survive in the rats after 2 or 6 weeks. However, 1 to 44% of the metacercariae irradiated at 5-30 Gy survived. The estimated LD50 of Scheme 1 was 16.5 Gy. The flukes irradiated in Scheme 2 survived better than those in Scheme 1. The average worm recovery rate in 50 Gy was 28%(7-39% individually). Increasing the dose up to 100 Gy brought a remarkably low survival rate of an average 1%(0-3% individually). The LD50 of Scheme 2 was 47.5 Gy. Worm recovery rates in the 10 Gy group of Scheme 3 were 21-39%, and those in the 25 Gy group were 2% and 34%. Although the metacercariae were irradiated, all of the recovered worms were morphologically normal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Functional characterization of beta-adrenoceptor subtypes in rabbit right atria

The advent of radioligand binding studies has allowed the classification of receptor subtypes in various tissues. However, the presence of a receptor subtype in a heterogenous tissue does not insure that the receptor has a significant physiological role. beta 1- and beta 2-Adrenoceptors have been reported to coexist in the rabbit right atria. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the physiological role of beta-adrenoceptor subtypes in catecholamine-induced chronotropic responses in the rabbit right atria through comparison of data from functional and radioligand binding studies. Rank order of potency was determined using isoproterenol, epinephrine and norepinephrine for both chronotropic and inotropic responses in the rabbit right atria and right ventricular papillary muscles, respectively. These studies indicated that the beta 1-adrenoceptor was primarily responsible for catecholamine-induced responses. Next, the beta 1-selective antagonist, atenolol, was found to inhibit the chronotropic responses of the nonselective beta-agonist, isoproterenol, and the beta 2-selective agonist, terbutaline, to the same extent. These data indicate that terbutaline produces its chronotropic effects in the rabbit right atria through stimulation of beta 1-, not beta 2-adrenoceptors. Finally, competition studies for [125I]iodocyanopindolol and the relatively selective beta 1- and beta 2-adrenoceptor antagonists (ICI 89406 and ICI 118551, respectively) indicated that the ratio of beta 1- to beta 2-adrenoceptor subtypes is 6:1. It is concluded that while both receptors may be present in the rabbit right atria, the beta 1-adrenoceptor is the predominant subtype both in density and physiological significance, while the beta 2-adrenoceptor plays little, if any role, in the chronotropic responses induced by catecholamines.     

Free fatty acids activate a high-affinity saturable pathway for degradation of low-density lipoproteins in fibroblasts from a subject homozygous for familial hypercholesterolemia.

This paper describes a mechanism for degradation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in fibroblasts unable to synthesize the LDL receptor. In this cell line, long-chain free fatty acids (FFA) activated 125I-LDL uptake; unsaturated FFA were the most efficient. The first step of this pathway was the binding of LDL apoB to a single class of sites on the plasma membrane and was reversible in the presence of greater than or equal to 10 mM suramin. Binding equilibrium was achieved after a 60-90-min incubation at 37 degrees C with 1 mM oleate; under these conditions, the apparent Kd for 125I-LDL binding was 12.3 micrograms/mL. Both cholesterol-rich (LDL and beta-VLDL) and triglyceride-rich (VLDL) lipoproteins, but not apoE-free HDL, efficiently competed with 125I-LDL for this FFA-induced binding site. After LDL bound to the cell surface, they were internalized and delivered to lysosomes; chloroquine inhibited subsequent proteolysis of LDL and thereby increased the cellular content of the particles. A physiological oleate to albumin molar ratio, i.e., 1:1 (25 microM oleate and 2 mg/mL albumin), was sufficient to significantly (p less than 0.01) activate all three steps of this alternate pathway: for example, 644 +/- 217 (25 microM oleate) versus 33 +/- 57 (no oleate) ng of LDL/mg of cell protein was degraded after incubation (2 h, 37 degrees C) with 50 micrograms/mL 125I-LDL. We speculate that this pathway could contribute to the clearance of both chylomicron remnants and LDL.     

小鼠LAK细胞对红系祖细胞及多向造血祖细胞增殖的影响

小鼠脾细胞经重组人白细胞介素-2(rhIL-2)激活后对YAC-1,LP-3和WEHI-164等肿瘤细胞均有很强的杀伤活性。在CFU-E和BFU-E培养体系中,不同浓度LAK细胞与BMC直接加入或预温育4h后再培养,均能加强CFU-E和BFU-E增殖。低浓度LAK细胞(LAK/BMC为0.5)与BMC直接加入或预温育后再加入CFU-mix培养体系中,均能增强CFU-mix增殖,而高浓度LAK细胞和BMC(LAK/BMC=8.0)直接加入培养体系则抑制CFU-mix增殖;若共温育后再培养则非常明显地抑制CFU-mix增殖,CFU-mix仅为对照的17.6％。小鼠LAK细胞对造血祖细胞体外增殖具有调节作用,这种调节可能包括分泌某些细胞因子以及细胞间直接相互作用两种方式。     

Environmental and Genetic Effects on the Asymmetry Phenotype: Diazinon Resistance in the Australian Sheep Blowfly, Lucilia Cuprina

The asymmetry phenotype of diazinon-resistant flies lacking a fitness/asymmetry Modifier (+/+; R/-) was dominant and independent of developmental temperature, larval density and diazinon concentration. Asymmetry score, pooled over three bristle characters, was ~50% greater for these phenotypes than for those of modified genotypes (M/-; -/-) and unmodified susceptibles (+/+; S/S) reared under standard laboratory conditions. Modified and susceptible phenotypes showed increased asymmetry score for temperatures and larval densities above and below standard rearing conditions; a positive correlation was observed between diazinon concentration and asymmetry score. Single and multiple environmental stresses resulted in similar scores that approached, but never exceeded, those of unmodified resistant phenotypes. Irrespective of the developmental conditions anti-symmetry and fluctuating asymmetry were typically observed for each bristle character of unmodified resistant and the modified and susceptible phenotypes, respectively. Thus while similar asymmetry scores could arise from genetic or environmental effects, asymmetry pattern was genetically based. Population cage analyses at different temperatures and larval densities showed a negative association between mean asymmetry and relative fitness.     

The State of Phosphorylation of Normal Adult Brain τ, Fetal τ, and τ from Alzheimer Paired Helical Filaments at Amino Acid Residue Ser262

Abstract: Antibody Ab262 was raised against a synthetic τ peptide (SKIGSTENLK, amino acids 258–267 of τ, termed Ser²⁶² peptide). The antibody was more reactive with Ser²⁶² peptide and unphosphorylated τ than a related phosphopeptide [SKIGS(P)TENLK, termed P-Ser²⁶² peptide] and τ phosphorylated by a partially purified kinase, glycogen synthase kinase (GSK) 3β. Ab262 reacted poorly with a peptide having the sequence DRVQSKIGSLD (amino acids 348–358). Treatment of P-Ser²⁶² peptide or GSK 3β phosphorylated τ with alkaline phosphatase increased Ab262 immunoreactivity, indicating that Ab262 is a reagent useful for studying τ phosphorylation at the Ser²⁶² residue. The Ab262 immunoreactivity was detected in τ from normal brains and Alzheimer paired helical filament (PHF-τ) and in PHFs. Alkaline phosphatase treatment had no effect on the Ab262 immunoreactivity of normal τ and PHF-τ but altered the Tau-1 and PHF-1 immunoreactivities. τ proteins from rat brains at 3 and 8 h postmortem exhibited 5 and 19%, respectively, more Ab262 immunoreactivity than τ from fresh tissues. In comparison, rat τ at 8 h postmortem was 40% more immunoreactive with Tau-1. The results suggest that Ser²⁶² is not a major phosphorylation site in vivo. Moreover, there is little or no difference between PHF-τ and normal τ in the extent of phosphorylation at Ser²⁶².