Utility of [16 alpha-125I] iodoestradiol for autoradiography for the study of cellular and regional distribution of receptors

We demonstrate the utility of [16 alpha-125I]iodoestradiol for thaw-mount autoradiography with 2 micron and 4 micron thick sections of rat and mouse uterus, pituitary, and brain after in vivo administration. Under the conditions of the experiments, short-term autoradiography with exposure times between 3 and 14 days provides optimal cellular resolution, whereas long-term autoradiography with 1-2 months of exposure may be used to obtain topographic-regional surveys of distribution.     

Growth enhancement induced by prolonged L-dopa administration in rats

To follow growth of rats, in which growth hormone secretion has been chronically stimulated, L-Dopa (5 mg/kg) was injected subcutaneously twice daily for 70 days to growing rats. A control group, matched for sex and sibship, pair fed with the treatment group was given saline injections. At 10-day intervals, the rats were weighed and measured. At 90 days of age the rats were ether anesthesized, bled for growth hormone determination, and internal viscera weighed. Weight gain and length in the L-Dopa-treated group was found to be significantly greater. A mean weight gain of 6% and 12% in the male and female rats, respectively, and a mean length gain of 5% in both male and female rats was observed at 90 days of age. The thymus, thyroid, adrenals, uterus, and gonads all tended to be heavier in the L-Dopa-treated group. Significantly heavier kidneys were found in the L-Dopa group. Serum growth hormone was found to be 8.44 +/- 1.4(SE) ng/ml in the L-Dopa group and 4.6 +/- 0.9 ng/ml in the control group. It is concluded that the continuous administration of L-Dopa produces an increase of circulating serum growth hormone levels, and this in turn enhances growth.     

The synthesis of poly-4-thiouridylic acid and its effect on protein synthesis in a cell free system derived from rat liver

The synthesis of poly-4-thiouridylic acid by thiolation of polycytidylic acid is described. A quantitative thiolation was achieved without any cleavage of the phosphodiester bond. The inhibitory effect of the poly-4-thiouridylic acid on protein synthesis in a cell free system derived from rat liver was investigated.     

Identification of Fluorescent-Antibody Labeled Group A Streptococci by Fluorometry

A quantitative system, amenable to automation, for determining the presence of group A streptococci in broth culture is described. After separation from the broth, the cells' protein coats are removed by digestion with 0.1% trypsin, and they are then stained with anti-A fluorescent antibody (FA). Excess FA is removed, and bound FA is put into solution by dissociation with demineralized distilled water. The amount of FA bound to the cells is quantitated by fluorometry of the solution. The level of nonspecific staining is measured by staining the cells with fluorescein-conjugated normal rabbit globulin absorbed with group A cells, dissociating, and quantifying, as above. The two quantities are subtracted to measure specific binding of FA to group A cells. A clinical trial showed 92% agreement with microscopists.     

The synthesis and testing of E-17 alpha-(2-iodovinyl)-5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone and Z-17 alpha-(2-iodovinyl)-5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone as gamma-emitting ligands for the androgen receptor

Two iodinated steroids, E-17 alpha-(2-iodovinyl)-5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone and Z-17 alpha-(2-iodovinyl)-5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone were synthesized in a search for a gamma-emitting androgen that binds with high affinity to the androgen receptor. Such compounds would be extremely useful research tools for studies of androgen responsive tissues and as in vivo probes of androgen responsive tumors such as prostate cancer. These 17 alpha-iodovinyl steroids were synthesized because many 17 alpha-substituents do not interfere markedly with binding to the androgen receptor and because similar analogs of other steroids, estrogens and progestins, have been shown to have the requisite properties for ligands to those receptors. Both of these potential ligands were tested for their ability to compete with [3H]R1881 for binding to the androgen receptor in cytosols from prostate, hypothalamus and pituitary. The relative binding affinities ranged between 5 and 20%, depending upon the tissue and steroid. In order to test the two ligands directly, they were both synthesized labelled with 125I and tested for binding to the androgen receptor in prostatic cytosol and in vivo for specific concentration in androgen responsive tissues. While there was considerable binding in the prostatic cytosol, it was not specific because 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone did not compete. Likewise in the in vivo experiment there was no evidence for androgen receptor mediated concentration of the tracers. While on the basis of relative binding affinity, these 2 steroids appeared to be good candidates for androgen receptor ligands, neither were useful for this purpose. These results contribute new information which will be valuable in the design of other gamma-emitting androgens and emphasises that, in this process, other factors such as metabolism and nonspecific binding must be considered.     

Synthesis,characterization, and electrocatalytic behaviour of hydrothermally grown nanostructured La2O3 and La2O3/K-complex

Rare earth metals play a conspicuous role in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detecting cancerous cells. The alkali metal potassium is a neurotransmitter in the sodium–potassium pump in biomedical sciences. This unique property of rare earth metals and potassium drew our attention to carry forward this study. Therefore, in this work, previously synthesized potassium (K) complexes formed by the reflux of 4-N,N-dimethylaminobenzoic acid (DBA) and potassium hydroxide in methanol, and named [(μ2–4-N,N-dimethylaminobenzoate-κO)(μ2–4-N,N-dimethylaminobenzoic acid-κO)(4-N,N-dimethylaminobenzoic acid-κO) potassium(I) coordination polymer)] were treated hydrothermally with La₂O₃ nanomaterials to obtain a nanohybrid La₂O₃/K-complex. After that, the K-complex was analyzed using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. In addition, the structural and morphological properties of the as-prepared nanostructured La₂O₃/K-complex were also characterized, which involved an investigation using X-ray diffraction (XRD)spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, atomic force spectroscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. After this, the electrochemical redox behaviour of the synthesized nanohybrid material was studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Therefore, the results from these studies revealed that the as-prepared material was a La₂O₃/K-complex that has a promising future role in sensing various analytes, as it showed effective electrocatalytic behaviour.     

Maintenance of two genetic entities by habitat selection

Summary In the laboratory, the two species of copepodsLepeophtheirus thompsoni andLepeophtheirus europaensis, ectoparasites of flatfishes, can meet and mate on at least one host species. In the wild however, these two species are found isolated on their sympatric hosts. Habitat selection theoretically represents a powerful enough mechanism to explain the maintenance of genetic heterogeneity in the wide sense. In this paper, the host colonization process is studied for both parasite species. It is shown that each parasite can develop and reach adult age on each host species. However,L. thompsoni is highly selective; it almost totally refuses to colonize hosts other than its natural one.Lepeophtheirus europaensis, on the contrary, readily infests turbot and brill in single-host experiments, but strongly prefers the brill when it has a choice. It appears that these two genetic entities are sympatrically maintained due to strong habitat selection. Such a pattern could theoretically only occur in a soft-selection context (density dependence). This point is discussed with respect to the different patterns in host use found in the geographical distribution of these parasites.     

Refuge evolution and the population dynamics of coupled host—parasitoid associations

Summary We have investigated the theoretical consequences of character evolution for the population dynamics of a host—parasitoid interaction, assuming a monophagous parasitoid. In the purely ecological model it is assumed that hosts can escape parasitism by being in absolute refuges. A striking property of this model is a threshold effect in control of the host by the parasitoid, when host density dependence is weak. The approximate criteria for the parasitoid to regulate the host to low densities are (1) that the parasitoid's maximum population growth rate should exceed the host's and (2) that the maximum growth rate of the host in the refuge should be less than unity. We then use this ecological framework as a basis for a model which considers evolutionary changes in quantitative characters influencing the size of the absolute refuge. For each species, an increase in its refuge-determining character comes at a cost to maximum population growth rate. We show that refuge evolution can substantially alter the population dynamics of the purely ecological model, resulting in a number of emergent and sometimes counter-intuitive properties. In general, when the host has a high carrying capacity, systems are polarized either with low or minor refuge and top-down control of the host by the parasitoid or with a refuge and bottom-up control of the host by a combination of its own density dependence and the parasitoid. A particularly tantalizing result is that co-evolutionary dynamics can modify ecologically unstable systems into ones which are either stable or quasi-stable (with bouts of unstable dynamics, punctuating long-term periods of quasi-stable behaviour). We present five quantitative criteria which must all be met for the parasitoid to be the agent responsible for control of the host at a co-evolutionary equilibrium. The apparent stringency of this full set of requirements supports the empirically-based suggestion that monophagous parasitoid-driven systems should be less common in nature than those driven by multiple forms of density dependence. Further, we apply our theory to the question of whether exploiters may harvest their victims at maximum sustainable yields and to the evolutionary stability of biological control. Finally, we present a series of testable predictions of our theory and methods useful for testing them.