Ultracytochemistry of cyclic 3′,5′-nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity in the planarian Dugesia lugubris (O. Schmidt)

Summary The enzyme 3,5-nucleotide phosphodiesterase was localized in certain tissues of the planarian Dugesia lugubris (O. Schmidt) by means of ultracytochemical methods. This enzyme was found to be active in epithelium, muscles, nerve tissue and in rhabdite-forming cells. The active enzyme was present at the outer or inner side of the membrane, and even in the cytoplasm. Problems of the ultracytochemical localization of PDE are discused.     

Small,odd and old: The mysterious Tarsius pumilus is the most basal Sulawesi tarsier

In this study, we present the first genetic evidence of the phylogenetic position of Tarsius pumilus, the mountain tarsier of Sulawesi, Indonesia. This mysterious primate is the only Eastern tarsier species that occurs exclusively in cloud forests above 1800 m.a.s.l. It exhibits striking morphological peculiarities—most prominently its extremely reduced body size, which led to the common name of ‘pygmy tarsier’. However, our results indicate that T. pumilus is not an aberrant form of a lowland tarsier, but in fact, the most basal of all Sulawesi tarsiers. Applying a Bayesian multi-locus coalescent approach, we dated the divergence between the T. pumilus lineage and the ancestor of all other extant Sulawesi tarsiers to 9.88 Mya. This is as deep as the split between the two other tarsier genera Carlito (Philippine tarsiers) and Cephalopachus (Western tarsiers), and predates further tarsier diversification on Sulawesi by around 7 Myr. The date coincides with the deepening of the marine environment between eastern and western Sulawesi, which likely led to allopatric speciation between T. pumilus or its predecessor in the west and the ancestor of all other Sulawesi tarsiers in the east. As the split preceded the emergence of permanent mountains in western Sulawesi, it is unlikely that the shift to montane habitat has driven the formation of the T. pumilus lineage.     

Sera of lung cancer patients affect the release of Th1, Th2 and monocyte-derived cytokines, and the expression of IL-2Ralpha by normal, stimulated mononuclear cells

We have shown that the sera of lung cancer patients affect the response of ConA-stimulated normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells by decreasing the expression of IL-2Ralpha and inhibiting the release of IL-1beta and IL-2. A tendency to enhance the release of IL-6 was also observed. We conclude that an imbalance in the Th1/Th2 cytokine response, typical for cancer patients, may at least partly be related to soluble factors circulating in the patients' blood. We discuss a putative role of serum IL-10, IL-1ra, and soluble IL-2Ralpha in the effects observed.     

Caffeic acid derivatives: in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory properties

Caffeic acid and some of its derivatives such as caffeic acid phenetyl ester (CAPE) and octyl caffeate are potent antioxidants which present important anti-inflammatory actions. The present study assessed the in vitro and in vivo effects of five caffeic acid derivatives (caffeic acid methyl, ethyl, butyl, octyl and benzyl esters) and compared their actions to those of CAPE. In the model of LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 macrophages, the pre-incubation of all derivatives inhibited nitrite accumulation on the supernatant of stimulated cells, with mean IC₅₀ (μM) values of 21.0, 12.0, 8.4, 2.4, 10.7 and 4.80 for methyl, ethyl, butyl, octyl, benzyl and CAPE, respectively. The effects of caffeic acid derivatives seem to be related to the scavenging of NO, as the compounds prevented SNAP-derived nitrite accumulation and decreased iNOS expression. In addition, butyl, octyl and CAPE derivatives significantly inhibited LPS-induced iNOS expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Extending the in vitro results, we showed that the pre-treatment of mice with butyl, octyl and CAPE derivatives inhibited carrageenan-induced paw edema and prevented the increase in IL-1β levels in the mouse paw by 30, 24 and 36%, respectively. Butyl, octyl and CAPE derivatives also prevented carrageenan-induced neutrophil influx in the mouse paw by 28, 49 and 31%, respectively. Present results confirm and extend literature data, showing that caffeic acid derivatives exert in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory actions, being their actions mediated, at least in part by the scavenging of NO and their ability to modulate iNOS expression and probably that of other inflammatory mediators.     

The effects of depowered airbags on skin injuries in frontal automobile crashes

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of depowered frontal airbags on the incidence of skin injuries. The National Automotive Sampling System database files from 1993 to 2000 were examined in a study including 2,246,524 occupants exposed to airbag deployment in the United States. There was no significant difference between full-powered and depowered airbags, with 60.2 percent of those exposed to a full-powered deployment sustaining a skin injury versus 59.5 percent of occupants exposed to a depowered airbag (p = 0.19). Whether occupants were exposed to a full-powered airbag (1,936,485 occupants) or a depowered airbay (310,039 occupants), the majority of skin injuries were to the upper extremity and the face. Regardless of airbag power, the overwhelming majority of the skin injuries were minor (99.8 percent). There was not a significantly greater risk of injury from any source for occupants exposed to a depowered airbag or a full-powered airbag (p = 0.87). The data suggest that the implementation of depowered airbags did not affect the number, seriousness, location, or source of skin injuries.     

Dynamic material properties of the pregnant human uterus

Given that automobile crashes are the largest single cause of death for pregnant females, scientists are developing advanced computer models of pregnant occupants. The purpose of this study is to quantify the dynamic material properties of the human uterus in order to increase the biofidelity of these models. A total of 19 dynamic tension tests were performed on pregnant human uterus tissues taken from six separate donors. The tissues were collected during full term Cesarean style deliveries and tested within 36 h of surgery. The tissues were processed into uniform coupon sections and tested at 1.5 strains/s using linear motors. Local stress and strain were determined from load data and optical markers using high speed video. The experiments resulted in a non-linear stress versus strain curves with an overall average peak failure true strain of 0.32±0.112 and a corresponding peak failure true stress of 656.3±483.9 kPa. These are the first data available for the dynamic response of pregnant human uterus tissues, and it is anticipated they will increase the accuracy of future pregnant female computational models.     

Ultracytochemistry of cyclic 3',5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity in the planarian Dugesia lugubris (O. Schmidt)

The enzyme 3',5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterase was localized in certain tissues of the planarian Dugesia lugubris (O. Schmidt) by means of ultracytochemical methods. This enzyme was found to be active in epithelium, muscles, nerve tissue and in rhabdite-forming cells. The active enzyme was present at the outer or inner side of the membrane, and even in the cytoplasm. Problems of the ultracytochemical localization of PDE are discussed.