Fluctuations of grass pollen content in the atmosphere of East Perugia and meteorological correlations (year 1989)

Summary Gramineae pollination from a pollen monitoring station located in the eastern suburb of Perugia and meteorological correlations are reported. The data refers to the year 1989. Grass pollen peak pollination was from May to July; in this period the influence of relative humidity and of temperature on pollen concentration was very high. Phenological observations, to identify the time of maximum stamen extension in the most common genera in the area, are also reported. During the period of investigation the counts of pollen grains over four-hour periods showed a regular diurnal rhythm with peaks of concentration in the four-hour period 16.00–20.00. Aerosporological data and meteorological data related to four-hour periods were correlated following different criteria.     

Accurate MS-based Rab10 Phosphorylation Stoichiometry Determination as Readout for LRRK2 Activity in Parkinson's Disease

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Highlights

• •MS-based clinical assay that accurately determines phospho Rab10 occupancy.
• •Stable isotope labeled phosphopeptide injected as a standard with endogenous tryptic phospho Rab peptide for accurate ratio determination.
• •Determination of pRab levels in neutrophils of Parkinson disease patients.
• •Relevance of pRab levels as marker of PD.

     

Evaluation of the efficacy of various hypotensive drugs in broad-breasted white turkeys as an experimental model of arterial hypertension with high catecholamine levels

Male Broad Breasted White Turkeys (BBWT) represent an experimental model of arterial hypertension characterized by high levels of circulating and tissue catecholamines. We thought interesting to evaluate the efficacy of the long term treatment with different antihypertensive drugs. 59 male BBWT were studied, divided in five groups. The first group (13 animals) was treated with placebo; the second (14 animals) with oxprenolol 4 mg/Kg/q.d.; the third (10 animals) with labetalol 25 mg/Kg/q.d.; the fourth (11 animals) with verapamil 15 mg/Kg/ q.d.; the fifth (11 animals) with captopril 8 mg/Kg/ q.d. and furosemide 2,5 mg/Kg/q.d. All drugs were given p.o, from the 8th to the 33rd week of age. Weekly or every two weeks Blood Pressure (BP) and Heart Rate (HR) were measured by an indirect method. In all animals BP progressively increased and HR progressively decreased with age. Only the labetalol-treated animals showed a significant reduction of BP and HR through the study period as compared with the placebo-treated animals. These results confirm the preminent role played by the high levels of circulating catecholamines in determining and maintaining the arterial hypertension.     

On the spontaneous adherence of myelin basic protein to T lymphocytes.

We have applied a double tagging system in order to study whether purified myelin basic protein is able to adhere to normal human peripheral T lymphocytes without the need to purify cells. Evaluation of myelin basic protein adherence to peripheral blood mononuclear cells was determined with biotinylated myelin basic protein and fluoresceinated avidin, and lymphocyte population was identified by the corresponding phycoerythrinated monoclonal antibody. The observed adherence of myelin basic protein to T lymphocytes was found to depend on protein conformation.     

The nature of the neutral Na+−Cl−-coupled entry at the apical membrane of rabbit gallbladder epithelium: II. Na+−Cl− symport is independent of K+

Summary In the epithelium of rabbit gallbladder, in the nominal absence of bicarbonate, intracellular Cl^– activity is about 25mm, about 4 times higher than intracellular Cl^– activity at the electrochemical equilibrium. It is essentially not affected by 10^–4 m acetazolamide and 10^–4 m 4-acetamido-4-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2-disulfonate (SITS) even during prolonged exposures; it falls to the equilibrium value by removal of Na⁺ from the lumen without significant changes of the apical membrane potential difference. Both intracellular Cl^– and Na⁺ activities are decreased by luminal treatment with 25mm SCN^–; the initial rates of change are not significantly different. In addition, the initial rates of change of intracellular Cl^– activity are not significantly different upon Na⁺ or Cl^– entry block by the appropriate reduction of the concentration of either ion in the luminal solution. Luminal K⁺ removal or 10^–5 m bumetanide do not affect intracellular Cl^– and Na⁺ activities or Cl^– influx through the apical membrane. It is concluded that in the absence of bicarbonate NaCl entry is entirely due to a Na⁺–Cl^– symport on a single carrier which, at least under the conditions tested, does not cotransport K⁺.     

The nature of the neutral Na+−Cl−-coupled entry at the apical membrane of rabbit gallbladder epithelium: I. Na+/H+, Cl−/HCO 3 − double exchange and Na+−Cl− symport

Summary Cl^– influx at the luminal border of the epithelium of rabbit gallbladder was measured by 45-sec exposures to³⁶Cl^– and³H-sucrose (as extracellular marker). Its paracellular component was evaluated by the use of 25mm SCN^– which immediately and completely inhibits Cl^– entry into the cell. Cellular influx was equal to 16.7eq cm^–2 hr^–1 and decreased to 8.5eq cm^–2 hr^–1 upon removal of HCO ₃ ^– from the bathing media and by bubbling 100% O₂ for 45 min. When HCO ₃ ^– was present, cellular influx was again about halved by the action of 10^–4 m acetazolamide, 10^–5 to 10^–4 m furosemide, 10^–5 to 10^–4 m 4-acetamido-4-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2-disulfonate (SITS), 10^–3 m amiloride. The effects of furosemide and SITS were tested at different concentrations of the inhibitor and with different exposure times: they were maximal at the concentrations reported above and nonadditive. In turn, the effects of amiloride and SITS were not additive. Acetazolamide reached its maximal action after an exposure of about 2 min. When exogenous HCO ₃ ^– was absent, the residual cellular influx was insensitive to acetazolamide, furosemide and SITS. When exogenous HCO ₃ ^– was present in the salines, Na⁺ removal from the mucosal side caused a slow decline of cellular Cl^– influx; conversely, it immediately abolished cellular Cl^– influx in the absence of HCO ₃ ^– . In conclusion, about 50% of cellular influx is sensitive to HCO ₃ ^– , inhibitable by SCN^–, acetazolamide, furosemide, SITS and amiloride and furthermore slowly dependent on Na⁺. The residual cellular influx is insensitive to bicarbonate, inhibitable by SCN^–, resistant to acetazolamide, furosemide, SITS and amiloride, and immediately dependent on Na⁺. Thus, about 50% of apical membrane NaCl influx appears to result from a Na⁺/H⁺ and Cl^–/HCO ₃ ^– exchange, whereas the residual influx seems to be due to Na⁺–Cl^– contranport on a single carrier. Whether both components are simultaneously present or the latter represents a cellular homeostatic counterreaction to the inhibition of the former is not clear.     

Expression of HOX homeogenes in human neuroblastoma cell culture lines

Mammalian genes containing a class-I homeobox (HOX genes) are highly expressed in the embryonic nervous system. As a first step towards the molecular analysis of the role these genes play in neural cells, we studied the expression of four human HOX genes in five neuroblastoma (NB) cell lines - SK-N-BE, CHP-134, IMR-32, SK-N-SH and LAN-1 - during the process of differentiation induced by treatment with retinoic acid (RA). The four genes, HOX1D, 2F, 3E and 4B, located at corresponding positions in the four HOX loci, share a high degree of sequence similarity with the Drosophila Deformed homeotic gene and constitute a homology group, group 10. One of these genes, HOX1D, is not expressed in the cells used, whereas the other three are highly expressed in untreated and RA-induced NB cells, even though the expression pattern in the various lines is slightly different for the three genes. Our analysis reveals a complex and specific expression pattern in these lines, paving the way to an identification of different NB-cell populations by means of specific HOX gene expression schemes. On the other hand, in every line studied, morphological maturation toward a neuronal differentiated phenotype appears to be associated with increased HOX gene expression.     

The circadian rhythm of the N-terminus and C-terminus of the atrial natriuretic factor prohormone

Circadian variation in the circulating concentrations of the N-terminal and C-terminal portions of the atrial natriuretic factor prohormone (pro ANF) was evaluated in 8 men, ages 41-47, who have been followed for 19 years with respect to circadian variation in physiological variables including blood pressure and clinical chemistries. The N-terminus of the ANF prohormone contains two peptides consisting of amino acids 1-30 and 31-67 while the C-terminus contains 1 peptide (amino acids 99-126) of this 126 amino acid prohormone which lower blood pressure and have natriuretic properties. To determine if either the N-terminus and/or the C-terminus of the prohormone have a circadian variation in their circulating plasma concentrations these 8 men had blood samples obtained for radiommunoassay every 3 hr during a 24-hr period. Three radiommunoassays which immunologically recognize (1) the whole N-terminus (i.e. amino acids 1-98), (2) the midportion of the N-terminus (amino acids 31-67) and (3) the C-terminus (amino acids 99-126) of the ANF prohormone were utilized. The whole N-terminus, the midportion of the N-terminus which circulates after being proteolytically cleaved from the rest of the N-terminus, and the C-terminus each had a peak circulating concentration between 0400 and 0700 which were significantly (P less than 0.001) higher than their concentrations at any other time throughout the 24-hr period.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)