The influence of the social environment on sexual maturation of female deermice (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdi)

Population Ecology - Female deermice housed from weaning with groups of five females, five males or five males plus five females had significantly smaller uteri at 35–38 days of age compared...     

Effects of host endocrine gland removal on the permissive status of laboratory rodents to infection by Schistosoma mansoni

Knopf P. M. and Soliman M. 1980. Effects of host endocrine gland removal on the permissive status of laboratory rodents to infection by Schistosoma mansoni. International Journal for Parasitology, 10: 197–204. The capacity of Schistosoma mansoni to complete its life cycle was compared in CD-1 mice (permissive hosts) and Sprague-Dawley rats (nonpermissive hosts) from which the pituitary gland had been removed prior to infection with cercariae. Except for a modest decrease in egg burden, none of the parameters of worm life cycle assessed were affected in hypophysectomized mice. In contrast, all these parameters were affected in hypophysectomized rats, e.g. onset of adult worm elimination was delayed, worm development improved, oviposition increased and miracidia developed. Effects of removal from rats of the thyroid/parathyroid glands on the parasite life cycle were similar to hypophysectomy; adrenalectomy or gonadectomy were without affect. Differences between thyroidectomized and thymectomized rats are discussed. It is concluded that host hormones contribute to the nonpermissive status of rats to Schistosoma mansoni infections.     

Transport of material between the nucleus,the chromatoid body and the golgi complex in the early spermatids of the rat

Summary The movement and transport of material between intranuclear dense particles, the chromatoid body and the Golgi complex have been studied in early spermatids of the rat. The analyses involved observation of living accurately identified cells, time-lapse cinemicrography and electron microscopy.The chromatoid body establishes transient contacts with intranuclear material during early spermiogenesis. The chromatoid body also makes contacts with the Golgi complex. It is suggested that the chromatoid body receives material from the nucleus during the postmeiotic period and participates in the early formation of the acrosomic system.This work was supported by the Finnish National Research Council for Medical Sciences. The authors are grateful to Mrs. Marita Aaltonen and Mrs. Raija Andersen for their skilful technical assistance     

Trypanosoma brucei: An evaluation of salicylhydroxamic acid as a trypanocidal drug

The chemotherapeutic potential of salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM) was studied in adult rats infected with a strain of Trypanosoma brucei that kills the rats in about 100 hr. The median lethal dose, administered intraperitoneally in a carboxymethyl-cellulose suspension, is approximately 820 mg/kg body weight for male and 850 mg/kg for female rats. The apparent cause of death is severe depression of the central nervous system.Half-maximal inhibition of O₂ uptake by trypanosomes in vitro requires 15 μM SHAM, whereas 100 μM inhibits over 90%. This inhibitory effect on trypanosome respiration was used as a biological assay for the effective SHAM concentration in rat plasma. After administration of a sublethal SHAM dose to rats, the effective plasma SHAM concentration rose rapidly to about 500 μM and then fell to about 10 μM at 4 hr. Nevertheless, this dose did not significantly affect the survival time of rats infected with T. brucei. Even if, by repeated SHAM administration, the plasma SHAM concentration was kept at around 100 μM for more than 4 hr, no therapeutic effect was observed.These results show that O₂ uptake is not essential for the survival of trypanosomes in rats and they support the idea that bloodstream trypanosomes have an alternative pathway for glycolysis, allowing energy production in the absence of respiration.The possibility that SHAM or other inhibitors of trypanosome respiration could stilll be trypanocidal if used in conjunction with another inhibitor of glycolysis is discussed.     

The role of body mass in thermoregulation

Inbred Fisher and Buffalo rats were raised in small and in large litters and by such litter manipulation, large- and small-bodied animals were obtained within the same strain. When the rats were exposed to extreme cold and heat, it appeared that large-bodied rats in both strains survived longer in cold and small-bodied rats survived longer in heat. The two trends were clearly evident, and individual correlations between survival time and body mass were generally significant. However, there were also irregularities in such correlations. It is concluded that this is due to the fact that body mass is only one factor determining temperature tolerance in addition to hypothalamic, endocrine, and possibly neurochemical factors not known to be correlated to body mass.     

淇县宋庄东周墓殉人颅骨的形态学

河南省鹤壁市的淇县宋庄东周墓地的多座墓葬不仅出土大量青铜礼乐器和陶器,而且存在人殉现象,宋庄墓地的发现为探讨东周时期豫北地区考古学文化与政治格局提供了重要线索。为了分析宋庄墓地东周墓葬人殉的种系来源,本文对其中保存较好的7例女性人殉颅骨进行了形态学分析。淇县宋庄组与仰韶文化的宝鸡组和大汶口、龙山文化的呈子组均具有较大相似性,与青铜时代的毛饮合并B组、西村周组和双楼组也较为接近。初步认为,淇县宋庄女性人殉与东周时期的豫北和晋地传统居民在体质特征存在一定的区别,而与周人畿内和郑韩故城及其以西以北地区的中原文化居民有更多的亲缘关系。     

原发性醛固酮增多症大鼠自主活动和学习记忆行为的影响

摘要 目的：探讨原发性醛固酮增多症(primary aldosteronism,PA)大鼠其自主活动和对学习记忆行为的影响。方法：8周龄健康雄SD(Sprague-Dawley)大鼠(n=30)随机分为对照组与模型组各15只。两组都皮下埋置微量渗透泵,模型组泵内灌注醛固酮,对照组泵内灌注等量的生理盐水,记录大鼠自主活动和学习记忆行为的变化情况。结果：所有大鼠均存活,模型组都造模成功,切口愈合良好。模型组造模后的收缩压高于对照组(P<0.05),也高于造模前(P<0.05),两组造模前后心率对比差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。模型组造模后的逃避潜伏期与穿台次数少于对照组(P<0.05),也少于造模前(P<0.05)。模型组造模后的自主活动次数高于对照组(P<0.05),也高于造模前(P<0.05)。造模后模型组的鼠双微基因2(Mouse Double Microgene 2,MDM2)蛋白相对表达水平高于对照组(P<0.05)。造模后模型组的血清醛固酮含量都高对照组(P<0.05),血清钾离子、钠离子、肾素活性低于对照组(P<0.05)。结论：原发性醛固酮增多症大鼠伴随有血清钾离子、钠离子含量降低与MDM2蛋白的高表达,从而导致大鼠出现自主活动和学习记忆行为障碍。     

右美托咪定通过抑制线粒体凋亡水平缓解大鼠脑缺血后记忆障碍的实验研究

摘要 目的：探右美托咪定缓解缺血性脑损伤记忆障碍大鼠记忆功能的作用机制。方法：选择雄性SD大鼠36只,随机分为三组,分别为：假手术组（12只）、缺血性脑损伤模型组（12只）、右美托咪定组（12只）,除假手术组外其余动物均采用双侧颈动脉结扎术建立慢性脑缺血模型。假手术组和模型组给予生理盐水静注,右美托咪定组给予右美托咪定0.5 μg /kg,静注,均在15 min内滴完。比较大鼠给药前和给药后4 w的记忆情况以及线粒体凋亡因子Bcl-2、Cleaved Caspase-3、Caspase-9的表达水平。结果：（1）与假手术组相比,模型组和右美托咪定组大鼠逃逸潜伏期明显增高（P＜0.05）,右美托咪定组逃逸潜伏期与模型组相比有显著降低（P＜0.05）;与假手术组相比,模型组和右美托咪定组大鼠游泳路程明显延长（P＜0.05）,右美托咪定组游泳路程与模型组相比有显著降低（P＜0.05）;（2）与假手术组相比,模型组和右美托咪定组大鼠海马区部分凋亡因子Bcl-2,Cleaved Caspase-9,Cleaved Caspase-3的蛋白表达均有明显提升（P＜0.05）;与模型组相比,右美托咪定组在给药4 w后上述蛋白的表达有明显降低（P＜0.05）。结论：右美托咪定对脑缺血记忆障碍大鼠的记忆功能有显著改善作用,其作用机制可能与抑制线粒体凋亡水平有关,具体信号通路还有待进一步探索。