Significance of adrenal hormones in brain energy metabolism

Intensity of glycolysis was studied under conditions of immobilization stress and adrenalectomy as well as with administration of adrenaline and hydrocortisone. The processes of aerobic glycolysis, activity of enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and mitochondria respiratory chain, content of total, free and protein-bound glycogen, glucose-I-phosphate, glucose-6-phosphate, pyruvate, alpha-ketoglutarate, cytrate and macroergs in the brain are shown to depend on the level of adrenal hormones producing a multilateral effect on a series of energy metabolism links.     

Anisotropy of radiance in tissue phantoms and Dunning R3327 rat tumors: radiance measurements with flat cleaved fiber probes

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of conduct problems (CP) according to level of urbanization and to determine which factors account for the potential difference in prevalence rates. METHOD: Study 1 used a questionnaire survey of a nationally representative sample of 10,462 Norwegian adolescents. Study 2 used a questionnaire survey of a representative sample of 1,346 adolescents living in Oslo. Self-reported CP included most DSM-III-R criteria for conduct disorder. RESULTS: CP rates were similar in all levels of urbanization, except for the only semimetropolitan city in the country, the capital Oslo, which had CP rates twice those of the rest of the country. This increase rate could not be explained by a series of commonly advocated explanations: family structure and parental practices, social network, socioeconomic status, integration in community activities, religious involvement, and race. However, involvement in "soft" drugs and associating with antisocial peers could explain the statistically differential rates. Furthermore, in the Oslo study, adolescents' CP did not vary according to density of population or region within the city. CONCLUSIONS: The results support previous studies showing increased rates of CP in urban areas. However, urbanization must pass a certain threshold before it has this effect. Moreover, the lack of support for commonly advocated explanations for the difference between urban and nonurban areas suggests that investigations specifically addressing potential explanations for this difference should be conducted. The results indicate that the increased rates of substance use in highly urbanized areas may account for the difference in CP rates by prolonging and aggravating CP.     

Hprt- mutation spectrum in a closely related pair of human bladder tumour cell lines after gamma-irradiation at different dose-rates

Inactivation of p53 gene and overexpression of MDR1 gene are both associated with drug resistance. Previous studies have suggested that p53 gene can modulate the expression activity of MDR1 gene promoter in a promoter-CAT system. In the present study, wild-type p53 gene cDNA was introduced into a multidrug-resistant cell line, KBv200, in which endogenous p53 gene is aberrant. In wt-p53 transfected cells, the expression of MDRI gene was significantly increased, accumulation of adriamycin (ADM) was decreased, and the sensitivity to vincristine (VCR), ADM and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was increased compared with the parent KBv200 cells. After treatment with ADM and VCR, the p53-transfectants were more susceptible to apoptosis. The results suggest that the increase in drug sensitivity of the cells may be, at least in part, due to p53-dependent apoptosis induced by anticancer agents.     

Diagnosis and treatment of suppurative complication of anaerobe etiology in trauma and orthopedic patients

An extensive study of road traffic accident cases occurring within eastern suburban Calcutta during April 1992 to March 1993 was done. Of which 276 fatal cases having minimum medical aids were taken into consideration to avoid erroneous interpretation. Male pedestrians of age group of 50 years and above were mostly involved during the time period of 5 A.M. to 12 Noon. Fatal Accidents mostly occurred during winter and on the broader roads (Highways) and in majority of cases victims were at fault.     

Nature of the Thermal pretransition of synthetic phospholipids: dimyristolyl- and dipalmitoyllecithin

The hydrated synthetic lecithins, dimyristoyl and dipalmitoyllecithins, undergo two thermal transitions, a broad low enthalpy "pretransition" prior to the sharp first-order "chain-melting" transition. Both phospholipids exhibit the same temperature-dependent structural changes associated with the thermal pretransition. At low temperatures, below the pretransition, a one-dimensional lamellar lattice is observed. The hydrocarbon chains are fully extended and tilted with respect to the plane of the lipid bilayer. The hydrocarbon chain packing displays a temperature dependence and the angle of tilt of the hydrocarbon chains decreases with increasing temperature, reaching a minimum value of 30 degrees at the pretransition temperature of both lecithins. The pretransition is associated with a structural transformation from a one-dimensional lamellar to a two-dimensional monoclinic lattice consisting of lipid lamellae distorted by a periodic ripple. The hydrocarbon chains remain tilted in the temperature range intermediate between the pretransition and chain-melting transition. The cell parameters of this two-dimensional lattice exhibit a compositional dependence. The a parameter (proportional to the lamellar repeat distance) increases with increasing water content, while the b parameter (a measure of the ripple periodicity) decreases with increasing water content. At the chain-melting transition, the hydrocarbon chains of the phospholipid melt and assume a liquid-like conformation and the lattice reverts to one-dimensional lamellar. These structural changes observed for dimyristoyl- and dipalmitoyllecithins may be a common feature of all synthetic lecithins exhibiting a thermal pretransition. The appearance of the pretransition and accompanying two-dimensional may arise from specific interactions between the choline moiety of the polar head group and the structured water matrix surrounding it.     

Cloning, expression and sequence analysis of the SphI restriction-modification system

SphI, a type II restriction-modification (R-M) system from the bacterium Streptomyces phaeochromogenes, recognizes the sequence 5'-GCATGC. The SphI methyltransferase (MTase)-encoding gene, sphIM, was cloned into Escherichia coli using MTase selection to isolate the clone. However, none of these clones contained the restriction endonuclease (ENase) gene. Repeated attempts to clone the complete ENase gene along with sphIM in one step failed, presumably due to expression of SphI ENase gene, sphIR, in the presence of inadequate expression of sphIM. The complete sphIR was finally cloned using a two-step process. PCR was used to isolate the 3' end of sphIR from a library. The intact sphIR, reconstructed under control of an inducible promoter, was introduced into an E. coli strain containing a plasmid with the NlaIII MTase-encoding gene (nlaIIIM). The nucleotide sequence of the SphI system was determined, analyzed and compared to previously sequenced R-M systems. The sequence was also examined for features which would help explain why sphIR unlike other actinomycete ENase genes seemed to be expressed in E. coli.     

Exercise training, postprandial hypertriglyceridemia, and LDL subfraction distribution

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in postprandial hypertriglyceridemia (PP-HTG) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) subfraction distribution among groups of men and women with different fitness levels. Fifty-four men and women (ages 30-53 yr) were recruited based on their previous two-year activity level: sedentary (S), recreational exercisers (R), and endurance trained (T). After a 24-h dietary preparation, blood was collected, and LDL subfractions were separated and analyzed for cholesterol (C) and apoprotein B100. Plasma triglyceride (TG) concentration was assessed before and at 2, 4, 6, and 8 h after fat meal. PP-HTG was significantly higher for the S group compared with the two activity groups. LDL3-C and LDL3-apoprotein B100 were significantly higher for the S group compared with the T group and for men compared with women. These findings suggest that both recreational and competitive aerobic training are associated with a lower TG response after a fatty meal. However, higher volume aerobic training may be necessary to reduce the number of dense LDL molecules and their cholesterol content.