Influence of Pregnancy on the Course of Malaria in Mice Infected with Plasmodium berghei

The course of malarial infection was compared in pregnant mice inoculated with Plasmodium berghei at different stages of gestation. When 12–14 wk old, pregnant BALB/c mice were inoculated with 1 × 10⁶ of P. berghei NK65-infected red cells at gestation day 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16, the mice inoculated on gestation days 6–12 expired 6.5 days after inoculation compared to 9.5 days in non-pregnant mice. Parasitemia in these pregnant mice increased rapidly on day 4 after inoculation and anemia also developed earlier on day 5. However, the degree of parasitemia and anemia in the terminal stage of infection in these pregnant mice was milder than that of non-pregnant controls. Blood urea nitrogen increased at the terminal stage although the degree of increase in mice inoculated on gestation days 6–10 was comparatively small. Pregnant malarial mice died earlier with less physiological changes than non-pregnant controls. It was concluded that pregnancy makes the host susceptible to physiological changes caused by malaria.     

Association between microtubules and symbiotic fungal hyphae in protocorm cells of the orchid species, Spiranthes sinensis

Seeds of the orchid species, Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames, were sterilized and germinated in vitro with the symbiotic fungus Ceratobasidium cornigerum (Bourdot) Rogers. Colonized embryos developed into protocorms and these were examined for changes in microtubule arrays, after initial invasion of fungal hyphae into embryos and during peloton formation and degradation. Methods utilized to detect microtubules included immunofluorescence combined with laser scanning confocal microscopy, conventional transmission electron microscopy combined with morphometric analysis, and immunogold labelling. Microtubules were regularly found in close association with intracellular hyphae and degraded hyphal masses. Cortical microtubules disappear during peloton formation but reappear in cells that show fungal lysis. With conventional transmission electron microscopy and immunogold labelling the microtubules associated with fungal hyphae and degenerated hyphal masses were located close to the perifungal membrane that separates fungal hyphae from protocorm cytoplasm.     

SURROGACY: DONOR CONCEPTION REGULATION IN JAPAN

As of 2008, surrogacy is legal and openly practised in various places; Japan, however, has no regulations or laws regarding surrogacy. This paper reports the situation of surrogacy in Japan and in five other regions (the USA, the UK, Taiwan, Korea and France) to clarify the pros and cons of prohibiting surrogacy, along with the problems and issues relating to surrogacy compensation. Not only in a country such as France that completely prohibits surrogacy within the country, but also in a country such as the UK that allows non‐commercial surrogacy, infertile couples travel overseas for the purpose of surrogacy. In addition, some couples might seek underground surrogacy if the government prohibits surrogacy. If an intended parent couple and a surrogate make an agreement among themselves and then a problem occurs, they cannot ask for support from professionals or bring a case to court, as can be observed in South Korea and Taiwan. We also conclude that there is little difference between commercial surrogacy and non‐commercial surrogacy in the absence of a clear definition of ‘reasonable expenses.’ In the UK, the law does not allow surrogates to receive compensation. However, in reality, there may be little difference between the amounts paid to surrogates for profit in the US and those paid to surrogates for reasonable expenses in the UK. We conclude that the issue of surrogacy demands further discussion in Japan.