Isolation and identification of Mycobacterium cultures antagonistic to phytopathogenic microflora

The immunosuppressive activity of extracellular and water-phenol lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of S.minnesota in S- and R-forms, as well as their gel-filtration, polysaccharide and lipid fractions, was studied in mouse experiments on the model of delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH). The study revealed that the extracellular LPS of S-form S.minnesota was capable of suppressing DTH with lipid A playing the decisive role in this immunosuppressive activity. The extracellular LPS of Reform S.minnesota did not possess the capacity for immunosuppression, but acquired it after redox treatment.     

The effect of the immunomodulator neurotropin on the learning of active defensive behavior by rats

Rats were intraperitoneally injected with neurotropin (NSP), a substrate extracted from the inflammatory dermis of rabbits inoculated with Vaccine virus. Active avoidance behaviour of rats was studied. After NSP administration rats demonstrated higher levels of conditioning and true responses compared with control. In NSP-treated rats relationship between the time of beginning of intersignal run during learning and success of the avoidance trial differed from that in the control group. The results suggest that neurotropin administration activates the retrieval processes and leads to stronger consolidation of avoidance behaviour.     

Primary binding domain of bovine von Willebrand factor fragment expressed in E. coli

Bovine vWF cDNA has been cloned from a bovine endothelial cell library. A fragment of this cDNA, corresponding to amino acid sequence Leu 469-Ser 723, called primary adhesion domain (PAD-1), and containing the binding sites for platelet glycoprotein Ib (GPIb), heparin and collagen, has been expressed in E. coli. The reduced and alkylated form of fragment PAD-1 inhibited native vWF binding to GPIb. Fragment PAD-1 bound to heparin and botrocetin in a specific and dose dependent manner as did the native vWF. In a solid-phase assay, fragment PAD-1 bound to calf skin collagen in contrast to a human vWF recombinant fragment (Ser 445-Val 733) which was inactive in the same assay. The studies presented in this paper demonstrated that the A1 domain of bovine vWF contained the GPIb, heparin, botrocetin as well as collagen binding sites and that integrity of the disulfide bond (Cys 509-Cys 695), did not seem to be essential for binding of bovine vWF fragment to GPIb.     

Anomalous double blood supply to the lung

We report an unusual case in which an apparently normal upper lobe of the right lung was supplied by major systemic arterial and pulmonary arterial vessels. The anomalous artery arose from the descending aorta. Following interruption of this vessel, the machinery-like murmur previously present disappeared.