Acetylcholine releases endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor and EDRF from rat blood vessels

1. The effects of haemoglobin and methylene blue on the acetylcholine (ACh)-induced electrical and mechanical responses of smooth muscle cells were investigated in rat aorta and rat main pulmonary artery. 2. When the endothelium was intact, ACh induced a transient hyperpolarization and sustained relaxation of tissues precontracted with noradrenaline. Both hyperpolarization and relaxation were absent in preparations without endothelium. 3. Haemoglobin and methylene blue inhibited the ACh-induced relaxation, but not the transient hyperpolarization. 4. In aorta with an intact endothelium, ACh produced an increase in both the rate of 86Rb efflux and tissue cyclic GMP levels. The changes in ion flux were unaffected by either haemoglobin or methylene blue in concentrations which almost abolished the increase in cyclic GMP concentrations. 5. In arteries with an intact endothelium, indomethacin had no effect on the ACh-induced electrical and mechanical responses or on the increase in 86Rb efflux and tissue cyclic GMP levels. 6. It is concluded that in the rat aorta and rat main pulmonary artery, ACh releases two different substances, an endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) and a hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF), from the endothelial cells. Neither substance appears to be derived from a pathway dependent on cyclo-oxygenase. EDHF seems to play a minor role in the relaxation of noradrenaline-induced contractions.

Even transcriptionally competent proviruses are silent in bovine leukemia virus-induced sheep tumor cells

To investigate the role of proviral integration and expression in cellular transformation induced by bovine leukemia virus (BLV), three BLV-induced tumors harboring a single proviral copy were selected upon restriction and hybridization analysis. Tumors 344 and 395 were shown to contain a full-size proviral copy, whereas in tumor 1345 the provirus appeared to be heavily deleted. RNA gel blot hybridization with an antisense RNA probe showed no transcription of the viral sequences in the fresh tumors or in sheep tumor cells growing in vitro. The proviruses were cloned and transfected in mammalian cell lines. Transient-expression experiments revealed that the complete proviruses were still able to express the trans-activating protein (Tat) as well as structural proteins, demonstrating that the nonexpression of a provirus in a tumor cell does not necessarily imply a structural alteration of the viral information. In contrast, sequence analysis of the provirus with a large deletion and transient-expression assays proved that this truncated provirus, isolated from a tumor, was unable to code for viral proteins. These data indicate that expression of viral genes, including tat, is not required for the maintenance of the transformed state.

The Magnon Pairing Mechanism of Superconductivity in Cuprate Ceramics

The magnon pairing mechanism is derived to explain the high-temperature superconductivity of both the La2-xSrxCu(1)O(4) and Y(1)Ba(2)Cu(3)O(7) systems. Critical features include (i) a one- or two-dimensional lattice of linear Cu-O-Cu bonds that contribute to large antiferromagnetic (superexchange) coupling of the Cu(II)(d(9)) orbitals; (ii) holes in the oxygen ppi bands [rather than Cu(III)(d(8))] leading to high mobility hole conduction; and (iii) strong ferromagnetic coupling between oxygen ppi holes and adjacent Cu(II)(d(9)) electrons. The ferromagnetic coupling of the conduction electrons with copper d spins induces the attractive interaction responsible for the superconductivity, leading to triplet-coupled pairs called "tripgems." The disordered Heisenberg lattice of antiferromagnetically coupled copper d spins serves a role analogous to the phonons in a conventional system. This leads to a maximum transition temperature of about 200 K. For La(1.85)Sr(0.15)Cu(1)O(4), the energy gap is in excellent agreement with experiment. For Y(1)Ba(2)Cu(3)O(7), we find that both the CuO sheets and the CuO chains can contribute to the supercurrent.

Expression in bacteria of beta-galactosidase fusion proteins carrying antigenic determinants of the two X gene products of bovine leukemia virus

A cDNA corresponding to the bovine leukemia virus post-envelope region (X gene) was subcloned into the lambda gt11 expression vector. Two large protein fragments corresponding respectively to the long and short open reading frames of the X region were expressed as beta-galactosidase fusion proteins. These products were specifically recognized by sera from bovine leukemia virus-infected cattle.

The bovine leukemia virus p34 is a transactivator protein

Recombinant Moloney murine retroviruses containing the BLV post-envelope long open reading frame were constructed and transfected into the psi 2 packaging cell line. They were shown to encode and to express a 34-kd protein able to transactivate the BLV long terminal repeat-directed gene expression in the respective transfected cells. These data demonstrate that the BLV X-LOR gene encodes a p34 transactivator product. Furthermore, the different cell lines produced infectious recombinant retroviruses capable of transferring X-LOR genes into recipient cells. The availability of the BLV transactivator protein should allow us to understand the role of the transactivator protein in BLV-induced leukemogenesis.

Effect of hydrophobicity of utilization of peptides by ruminal bacteria in vitro

When mixed ruminal bacteria were incubated with a pancreatic casein hydrolysate and free amino acids of a similar composition, rates of ammonia production were much greater for peptides than for amino acids. The pancreatic digest of casein was then fractionated with 90% isopropyl alcohol. Hydrophobic peptides which dissolved in alcohol contained an abundance of phenolic and aliphatic amino acids, while the hydrophilic peptides which were precipitated by alcohol contained a large proportion of the highly charged amino acids. The Km values of the mixed ruminal bacteria for each fraction were similar (0.88 versus 0.98 g/liter), but the Vmax of the hydrophilic peptides was more than twice that of the hydrophobic peptides (18 versus 39 mg of NH3 per g of bacterial protein per h). Pure cultures of ruminal bacteria had a similar preference for hydrophilic peptides and likewise utilized peptides at a faster rate than free amino acids. Since peptide degradation rates differed greatly, hydrophobicity is likely to influence the composition of amino acids passing unfermented to the lower gut of ruminant animals.

A procedure for measuring peptides in rumen fluid and evidence that peptide uptake can be a rate-limiting step in ruminal protein degradation

A relatively simple and sensitive procedure was developed to measure the concentration of peptides in rumen fluid. Feed particles and microorganisms were removed by centrifugation, and the supernatant was treated with perchloric acid (5% final concentration). Perchloric acid precipitated macromolecules that included protein, RNA, and DNA. Perchlorate was subsequently removed by precipitation with an excess of potassium carbonate. Ammonia was removed by boiling the alkaline sample. Supernatant samples were then analyzed for ninhydrin reactive material before and after HCl hydrolysis. Because ninhydrin reaction was 3 to 7.5 times greater after HCl hydrolysis, peptides rather than amino acids were the primary source of nonprotein, nonammonia nitrogen. Rumen fluid from a cow fed timothy hay and concentrate supplement (16% crude protein) contained more than 1200 mg peptides/L (192 mg N/L), 1 h after feeding, and this value declined the prefeeding value of 400 mg/L (64 mg N/L) by 8 h after feeding. Comparison of ninhydrin reactivity with and without HCl hydrolysis indicated that peptides present before feeding contained more peptide bonds than the peptides soon after feeding. High pressure liquid chromatography revealed a variety of peaks soon after feeding and fewer dominant peaks 8 h later. The data suggest that peptide uptake into rumen microorganisms can be a rate-limiting step in ruminal protein degradation.

Concentration and estimated flow of peptides from the rumen of dairy cattle: effects of protein quantity, protein solubility, and feeding frequency

Experiments were conducted to ascertain the effect of dietary protein (type and amount) and feeding frequency on peptide concentration and flow from the rumen of lactating Holstein cows. When rations supplemented with soybean meal were fed 12 times/d and CP was 14.5, 17.1, or 20.6%, the estimated flow of N from the rumen was 22, 33, and 34 g/d, respectively. When the soybean meal was autoclaved to decrease protein solubility (14.4, 16.9, and 19.3% CP the flow of peptide N was 19, 26, and 31 g/d, respectively. In both of these experiments rumen volume and dilution rate remained relatively constant throughout the day, and flow was proportional to concentration. If the cows were fed rations containing 17.8% CP once a day, the peptide concentration and dilution rate were highest 2 h after feeding and declined significantly thereafter. Replacement of half the soybean protein with either extruded soybean meal or fish meal decreased the flow of peptide N from the rumen (19 versus 14 and 15 g/d, respectively). Because the total flow of soluble protein and ammonia as well as peptides was less if cows were fed once a day than 12 times per day, increased feeding frequency appeared to increase ruminal proteolysis.

Simultaneous visualization of vascular permeability change and leukocyte egress in the central nervous system during autoimmune encephalomyelitis

An unresolved issue in the study of demyelinating disease is whether blood-brain barrier damage is dependent upon the migration of inflammatory cells into the central nervous system (CNS). In a study of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in rabbits, a freeze-dried, paraffin-embedded tissue technique was exploited to enable (1) the immobilization of intravenously injected sodium fluorescein tracer, as an index of vascular permeability; and (2) an effective labeling by monoclonal antibodies of both T-lymphocytes and mononuclear phagocytes in "unfixed" neural tissue. Using these newly combined methods, evidence was found that increased vascular permeability in the CNS during EAE occurs concomitantly with, and not prior to, infiltration by mononuclear phagocytes.

Radiographic and histologic analyses of stress fracture in rabbit tibias

Sequential changes in remodeling of the internal structure of the tibia caused by controlled, excessive jumping and running were studied in 20 rabbits. Vascular changes and circulatory disturbances within the cortical bone occurred before osteoclastic resorption. Degeneration and necrosis of osteocytes due to circulatory disturbances also occurred. Periosteal new bone formation, found at and after 12 days of the experiment, was a compensatory reaction to support the tibia weakened by accelerated osteoclastic resorption. Small cracks appeared at the cement line and developed through the neighboring cement line of the haversian systems. At 21 days, incomplete fracture of the tibial cortex was found in two rabbits. Complete fracture through one side of the cortex was seen in one animal at the 50th day of the experiment. In this study, however, most of the tibias did not have visible fracture lines after a period of stressful exercise. This result suggests that most tibias adapt to changes in stress requirements through proper internal remodeling so that a complete fracture does not occur.

A critique of MSHA procedures for determination of permissible respirable coal mine dust containing free silica

The literature in selected technical subject areas related to the Mine Safety and Health Administration's (MSHA) respirable mine dust control policy was critically reviewed. Specific topics included: (1) the technical aspects of respirable dust sampling, (2) the development of a sampling strategy and (3) currently used analytical techniques for free silica content of respirable coal mine dust. The 2.0 Lpm MSHA respirable dust sampling flow rate does not conform with published results which indicate that to simulate existing pulmonary particle deposition models, the sampling flow rate should range from 1.4 to 1.7 Lpm. MSHA's sampling strategy focuses on controlling respirable coal mine dust with both area and personal samples of workers in selected occupations or activities. Many uncertainties are encountered as area samples are used to estimate personal exposures. Although all of the analytical methods for crystalline free silica are sufficiently sensitive to be able to detect and quantitate free silica at environmentally significant concentrations, they are all plagued with similar difficulties. Analytical standards representing the various forms of silica are not available. Available analytical methods do not differentiate among polymorphs of silica. Recommendations are presented to resolve identified problem areas.

The role of the human caudate nucleus in acupuncture analgesia

The role of the caudate nucleus in acupuncture analgesia was studied in 17 patients receiving caudate stimulation through chronic implanted electrodes to relieve intractable pain caused by late malignancy. Electrical stimulation of the head of the caudate nucleus provided relief from intractable pain in all 17 patients. The pain and pain tolerance threshold were elevated, the alteration in skin galvanic activity, respiratory movement and fingertip plethysmography elicited by a given painful stimulus were depressed. The analgesia required a period of induction and persisted for some time after cessation of stimulation; it showed no obvious segmental topography. These characteristics are similar to those observed in acupuncture analgesia. The effect of caudate stimulation was similar to that of electric needling in depressing the late component of the somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) recorded over the scalp and from the centrum medianum of the thalamus. Evoked potentials could be recorded from the caudate nucleus when an acupuncture point was electrically stimulated. The evoked potential record was a complex wave of positive and negative components, the peak latencies of main components being 100-180 msec for positive wave and 148-332 msec for negative wave components. The present study supports the supposition that the caudate nucleus may play a role in acupuncture analgesia. The possibility that the effect of caudate stimulation is brought on by inhibiting the activity of the medial thalamus is discussed.

Spectrofluorometric determination of the antibiotic lasalocid in blood

A spectrofluorometric assay was developed for the determination of the antibiotic lasalocid in dog blood, based on the intrinsic fluorescence of the compound in ethyl acetate. The assay can measure "total" levels of drug and any metabolites present. The specificity of the assay was verified by TLC separation of the dog blood extract, which indicated the presence of only intact drug. The overall recovery (+/- SD) of lasalocid was 62.0 +/- 3.6% in the concentration range of 1.0-10 mug of compound/ml of dog blood. The sensitivity of the assay is 0.5 mug/ml. The assay was applied to the determination of blood levels of lasalocid in the dog following the intravenous administration of a 5-mg/kg dose.

Control of the mRNA for hepatic tryptophan oxygenase during hormonal and substrate induction

Glucocorticoid hormones increase the level of hepatic tryptophan oxygenase (EC 1.13.11.11; L-tryptophan:oxygen 2,3-oxidoreductase (decyclizing) by increasing its rate of synthesis. Studies were performed to determine whether this induction is mediated by controlling the level of the mRNA for tryptophan oxygenase of by changing the translational efficiency of a fixed level of mRNA. Activity of tryptophan oxygenase mRNA was quantitated in a Krebs ascites cell-free, protein-synthesizing system, supplemented with tRNA and rabbit reticulocyte initiation factors. De novo synthesis of the protomeric unit(s) of the enzyme was a linear function of the amount of mRNA added. Time course and dose-response studies in which the enzyme level and mRNA activity in livers from rats injected with inducing doses of hydrocortisone were compared indicate that the induction of this enzyme is accompanied by a proportional increase in the level of its mRNA. This was true for mRNA isolated from total liver as well as from cytoplasmic polysomes. Induction of the enzyme by its substrate, tryptophan, however, was not accompanied by a parallel increase in mRNA activity.

Neurohumors in acupuncture

In acupuncture an increase of some substance at the reactive site seems to be required in order to have a biochemical response. Among the substances to be considered are the neurohormones. Experimentally, the sympathetic and parasympathetic neurohormones are shown to be involved in analgesia and in the transmission of nerve impulses.