Sialic acid content of serum, urine and leukocytes during pregnancy in the bonnet monkey (Macaca radiata)

Serum, urinary and leukocyte sialic acid content was determined in five bonnet monkeys (Macaca radiata) during the later two-thirds or pregnancy. There was a progressive increase in the levels of serum sialic acid till about one week prior to delivery, followed by a significant decline at parturition and a sharp peak shortly after delivery. The levels came down to non-pregnancy values by two months postpartum. The urinary sialic acid levels were also elevated during pregnancy, but there was no parallelism between the trends exhibited in serum and urine. The sialic acid content of leukocytes was in the non-pregnancy range throughout the period of the study. The results are discussed in relation to the possible role of high levels of serum-bound sialic acid in the protection of the antigenically foreign fetus from the adverse reactions of the maternal immune response.

Histological grading and sequential morphological changes during the production of acute duodenal ulcers

A method of grading histological changes in the duodenum and the sequential morphological appearances during the development of acute duodenal ulceration is described. After s.c. infusion of ulcerogenic doses of gastric secretagogues, rats were killed hourly and the duodenal lesions were graded from 1, which was the earliest change seen consisting of focal necrosis of the tips of villi to 6, which showed perforation of duodenal ulcer. For the first 4 h the duodenum was normal but after this there was progressive necrosis of the mucosa and submucosa, and inflammatory-cell infiltration. From 18 h rats were shown to have duodenal ulcers with or without perforation.

A rapid micro radial electrophoretic method of protein separation on cellulose acetate membranes

A new rapid micromethod for protein separation under a radial electric field is described. As many as 12 rabbit serum samples could be separated in 4--6 min.

Hematological data of the laboratory-maintained bonnet (Macaca radiata) and the langur (Presbytis entellus entellus) monkeys

The various hematological parameters of the laboratory-maintained bonnet monkeys (Macaca radiata) and the langur monkeys (Presbytis entellus entellus) are presented.

Raising of antisera to protein hormones without using Freund's adjuvant

A new method has been developed to produce antiserum to protein hormones without the use of Freund's complete adjuvant. Antiserum to human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) was elicited by injecting rabbits with 6 subcutaneous injections of sheep red blood cells (SRBC) coated with hCG. The antiserum produced was observed to be both serologically and biologically active. A small quantity of the hormone (15--20 IU/injection) sufficed to produce hyperimmune sera. This could ensure an overall economy if large amounts of the antisera are required for clinical and diagnostic purposes.

Use of dithiothreitol for improved visibility of the F body in human Y-bearing spermatozoa

Dithiothreitol was used to decondense the nuclear chromatin before staining human spermatozoa with quinacrine for the F body present in Y-bearing spermatozoa. In unseparated fractions and those enriched in X- or Y-bearing spermatozoa, the number of spermatozoa with F bodies increased by 2-9% after dithiothreitol treatment.

Enumeration of t rosette-forming cell population in rabbit peripheral blood using human, sheep, guinea-pig, rat, mouse and chicken red blood cells under different experimental conditions

Attempts were made to estimate peripheral T-lymphocytes in rabbits by their ability to form rosettes with sheep, human, guinea-pig, rat, mouse and chicken RBC. The reaction was studied under different conditions of pH and temperature. The test was also carried out in the presence or absence of glutaraldehyde. With sheep RBC, lymphocytes from 2 of the 5 rabbits studied formed rosettes to the extent of 1.5% in the system containing glutaraldehyde. These results however were not reproducible when studied after a week. The RBCs from other species, under similar experimental conditions, did not give rise to rosettes. The test carried out at pH 6.8 and pH 7.2 showed up to 4 and 8% rosettes respectively with rat RBCs, while RBCs of no other species showed rosettes. When rabbit lymphocytes preincubated at 37 degrees C for 1 h were used for rosette test with guinea-pig RBC, a maximum of 14.6% rosettes were obtained. Here, again the percentage of rosettes formed in the 5 animals, over a period of one month, varied widely. The reasons for the variations of the percentage of rosettes formed are discussed.