Localization of allatostatin-immunoreactive material in the central nervous system, stomatogastric nervous system, and gut of the cockroach Blattella germanica

Immunoreactivity against peptides of the allatostatin family having a typical YXFGL-NH2 C-terminus has been localized in different areas of the central nervous system, stomatogastric nervous system and gut of the cockroach Blattella germanica. In the protocerebrum, the most characteristic immunoreactive perikarya are situated in the lateral and median neurosecretory cell groups. Immunoreactive median neurosecretory cells send their axons around the circumesophageal connectives to form arborizations in the anterior neuropil of the tritocerebrum. A group of cells in the lateral aspect of the tritocerebrum project to the antennal lobes in the deutocerebrum, where immunoreactive arborizations can be seen in the periphery of individual glomeruli. Nerve terminals were shown in the corpora allata. These terminals come from perikarya situated in the lateral neurosecretory cells in the pars lateralis and in the subesophageal ganglion. Immunoreactive axons from median neurosecretory cells and from cells positioned in the anteriormost part of the tritocerebrum enter together in the stomatogastric nervous system and innervate foregut and midgut, especially the crop and the valve between the crop and the midgut. The hindgut is innervated by neurons whose perikarya are located in the last abdominal ganglion. Besides immunoreactivity in neurons, allatostatin-immunoreactive material is present in endocrine cells distributed within the whole midgut epithelium. Possible functions for these peptides according to their localization are discussed.     

Prostate-specific antigen and its complexes with alpha 1-antichymotrypsin in the plasma of patients with prostatic disease

OBJECTIVE: To improve the specificity and sensitivity of the prostate-specific-antigen (PSA) assay for the distinction between prostate cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: Two sensitive immunoassays, one that measures free PSA and PSA complexed to alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (alpha 1-ACT) with the same efficiency (PSAag assay) and another that specifically measures the complex between PSA and alpha 1-ACT, have been designed to measure the PSA forms in the plasma of 84 patients with prostate disease and in the seminal plasma from 60 healthy individuals. RESULTS: The proportion of plasma PSA in complex with alpha 1-ACT was significantly higher in the 34 patients with prostate cancer (89 +/- 12%, mean +/- SD; median, 91%) than in the 50 patients with BPH (71 +/- 12%; 73%) and did not correlate with the total amount of PSA. Normal seminal plasma (n = 60) had 2.1 +/- 0.6 mg/ml PSA, 175 +/- 62 microns/ml alpha 1-ACT and 9.6 +/- 3.4 micrograms/ml PSA: alpha 1-ACT complex. CONCLUSION: These results confirm that PSA: alpha 1-ACT may be a good marker for a differential diagnosis of carcinoma of the prostate and BPH.     

Design and development of a multichannel potentiometer for monitoring an electrode array and its application in flow analysis

A versatile potentiometer that works with electrode arrays in flow injection and/or monosegmented flow systems is described. The potentiometer is controlled by a microcomputer that allows individual, sequential multiplexed or random accesses to eight electrodes while employing only one reference electrode. The instrument was demonstrated by monitoring an array of seven flow-through ion-selective electrodes for Ag(+) and for three electrodes for Cl(-), Ca(2+) and K(+). The figures of merit of the individual and multiplexed (summed) readings of the electrode array were compared. The absolute standard deviation of the measurements made by summing the potential of two or more electrodes was maintained constant, thus improving the precision of the measurements. This result shows that an attempt to combine the signals of the electrodes to produce a more intense signal in the Hadamard strategy is feasible and accompanied by a proportional improvement in the precision of individual measurements. The preliminary tests suggest that the system can allow for 270 determinations per hour, with a linear range from 1.0 x 10(-2) to 1.0 x 10(-4) mol l(-1) for the three di inverted exclamation markerent analytes. Detection limits were estimated as 3.1 x 10(-5), 3.0 x 10(-6) and 1.0 x 10(-5) mol l(-1) for Cl(-), Ca(2+) and K(+), respectively.     

Dyadic perfectionism as a predictor of relationship continuity and distress among college students.

This study examined the nature and impact of dyadic perfectionism over a 3-month interval within a sample of 116 college students who were currently involved in an intimate heterosexual relationship. Dyadic perfectionism scores were stable and correlated as expected with scores on concurrent measures of adult attachment orientations and relationship satisfaction. Logistic regression analyses revealed that, controlling for initial commitment status and adult attachment orientations, Time 1 dyadic perfectionism scores significantly and uniquely predicted relationship continuity 3 months later. Lastly, controlling for social desirability, relationship commitment status, and Time 1 adult attachment orientation scores, Time 1 dyadic perfectionism scores also uniquely predicted Time 2 relationship distress. Findings provide additional evidence that dyadic perfectionism is a risk factor for relationship dysfunction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stress intensity factor for a surface semielliptical crack

A method is proposed for calculating the stress intensity factor K_I of a surface semielliptical crack for almost any monotonie stress function in the crack section. The equations are derived for calculating correction and adjustment coefficients M_i and A_i. Computed values of K_I are compared with the published data. The results of comparison show that agreement between these results is satisfactory.Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 1, pp. 33–36, January, 1992.