Under what circumstances is the human XY bivalent tangled? A note on chromosomally-derived sterility

A microspread, early-mid diplotene nucleus of a man with a normal karyotype and presumably normal meiosis is compared with a similar, earlier described nucleus of a man with meiotic arrest, heterozygous for a (14;21) Robertsonian translocation (Rosenmann et al., 1985). The axes of the XY bivalent of normal diplotene have an extremely tangled configuration, whereas those of the meiotically-arrested cell are straight, recalling the shape of the XY which is normally found in early pachytene. The morphological reversal from the complex configuration to a simpler shape may be associated with reactivation of the sex chromosome(s). Such a reactivation may be responsible for the sterility of the carrier of the Robertsonian translocation which thus may be considered as chromosomally-derived. The diplotene cells shown here have autosomal bivalents with continuous axes and various degrees of focal separation as is typical for diplotene in general. The observations on axis continuity, bivalent segmental dilatations, and XY tanglement in diplotene are compared with findings by others in human ultrathin sectioned material.     

Between folk concepts of illness and psychiatric diagnosis: Kitsune-tsuki (fox possession) in a mountain village of Western Japan

Two cases of kitsune-tsuki (fox possession) in a mountain village are examined from psychiatric and ethnographic viewpoints. Kitsune-tsuki, one of the most familiar expressions of madness in Japan, represents, as an interactive performance, religious and mythopoetic contexts metaphorically in time of crises. The atypical symptoms and the complicated clinical process of these cases reflect a multistratified cultural background and its transformation; communal religion, folk tales, kyôgen play, shared concepts of illness, and the post-war rise of one religious cult. The psychiatric diagnosis, trying to arrive at a single correct understanding, partially translates the entangled indigenous illness. Focusing on these issues; the dichotomy between form and content of mental illness, the atypicality of the symptoms and the restructive process of illness experiences, the author reconsiders the possibility of interpretation, diagnosis and treatment which respect the multiple realities.     

Characteristics of a Urate-Degrading Diamine Oxidase-Peroxidase Enzyme System in Soybean Radicles

The cadaverine content of soybean radicles showed a maximumpeak 3–4 days after planting. The variation coincidedwith radicle uricase activity during seed germination. The uricase activity could not be fractionate when the bufferpH for the extraction was at 6.0. The addition of 1 M KCl orNaCl to the buffer allowed the extraction of the uricase activity,but an addition of 1 M MgCl₂ or BaCl₂ inhibited this enzyme'sactivity. The urate-degrading enzyme system was purified 248-fold permilligram of protein from soybean radicles. The respective K_mvalues of the diamine oxidase activity for cadaverine and ofthe urate-degrading activity for hydrogen peroxide and uratewere 1.25, 2.93 and 50.3 µM. Analysis by gel electrophoresisof the partially purified enzyme fraction revealed that theurate-degrading enzyme system consisted of a peroxidase thatdegrades urate with hydrogen peroxide and a diamine oxidasethat releases hydrogen peroxide. These data are evidence that a urate-degrading diamine oxidaseand peroxidase system exists in soybean radicles and that thereaction rate of urate-degradation is controlled by the concentrationof cadaverine. (Received November 28, 1984; Accepted April 8, 1985)     

Length heterogeneity of the large spacer of Vicia faba rDNA is due to the differing number of a 325 bp repetitive sequence elements

Summary The DNA fragments including the whole large spacer region of Vicia faba rDNA were cloned in plasmid pBR325. Sixteen clones were classed into five groups which differed from each other in the lengths of the rDNA inserts. Physical maps of these length variants cloned were constructed using EcoRI, SalI, HpaI, MluI and AccI and evidence was obtained that the length heterogeneity was due mainly to the differing number of 325 base pairs (bp) subrepeating elements in the large spacer. Sequence analysis of this subrepeating element revealed that it consisted of a duplet of an approximately 155 bp sequence and a 14 bp unrelated sequence. This structure of the repetitive element is novel.     

Dispersion distance of queens from natal sites in the two haplometrotic paper waspsPolistes riparius andP. snelleni (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Dispersion capabilities of new queens were studied in the two haplometrotic paper wasps Polistes riparius and P. snelleni. New queens were marked on the nests in the late summer and located in the next spring. Dispersion distances greatly varied among queens: although a large part of recovered queens nested in close proximity to their natal sites, some did disperse over 100–300 m. This suggests that queens' emigration from and immigration into the censused areas occurred to a substantial extent. On the whole, these species exhibited a weaker “philopatric” tendency than those so far studied for dispersion distance, and seem to have the potential for a long-distance dispersion.     

Molecular Cloning and Restriction Analysis of EcoRI-fragments of Vicia faba rDNA

EcoRI-fragments of Vicia faba rDNA were cloned in plasmid pBR325.Southern blot hybridization of BamHI-digests of these clonedplasmids and Vicia genomic DNA led to the determination of relativepositions of BamHl sites in the rDNA and the physical map thathad been tentatively made is corrected. (Received May 20, 1982; Accepted July 13, 1983)     

Chronotoxicity of Sodium Valproate and Its Mechanisms in Mice: Dose-Concentration-Response Relationship

A significant circadian rhythm of acute toxicity was demonstrated in mice with intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of sodium valproate (VPA). The role of pharmacokinetics on the rhythms of the toxicity and electroshock seizure (ES) threshold was investigated. ICR male mice, housed under a light-dark (12 :12) cycle, were injected intraperitoneally 1200 mg/kg for the acute toxicity study and 300 mg/kg for the anticonvulsant effect study. In the acute toxicity, the highest mortality was found when VPA was injected at 1700 and the lowest at 0900 or 0100. The time course of mean plasma and brain VPA concentrations after an injection of VPA was not different between mice injected at 1700 and mice injected at 0100. In the anticonvulsant effect, no significant circadian rhythm was demonstrated for both the ES threshold and the plasma VPA concentrations after i.p. Injection, although a significant rhythm has been reported for them after oral administration. The results suggest that the circadian rhythm in the mortality after an i.p. Injection of VPA may be due to the rhythm in the sensitivity of the central nervous system to the drug and that the mechanism underlying the rhythm of VPA acute toxicity is different from that of the anticonvulsant action of VPA. The route and the time of drug administration are essentially important to study the anticonvulsant effect and acute toxicity of VPA in mice.     

Domains for G-protein coupling in angiotensin II receptor type I: studies by site-directed mutagenesis.

To delineate domains essential for G-protein coupling in angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1), we mutated the receptor cDNA in the putative cytosolic regions and determined consequent changes in the effect of GTP analogs on angiotensin II (Ang II) binding and in inositol trisphosphate production in response to Ang II. Polar residues in targeted areas were replaced by small neutral residues. Mutations in the second cytosolic loop, carboxy terminal region of the third cytosolic loop or deletional mutation in the carboxyl terminal tail simultaneously abolished both the GTP-induced shift to the low affinity form and Ang II-induced stimulation of inositol trisphosphate production. These results suggest that polar residues in the second cytosolic loop, the carboxy terminal region of the third cytosolic loop, and the carboxy terminal cytosolic tail are important for G-protein coupling of AT1 receptor.