The influence of acute diazepam pretreatment on the action and disposition of [14C]pentobarbital in rats

Diazepam (DZP) pretreatment (100mg/kg, ip) of rats 6 h before pentobarbital administration (45 mg/kg, ip) prolonged the barbiturate-induced narcosis. The concentrations of [14C]pentobarbital and total pentobarbital derivatives in blood or brain showed no differences between control and DZP-pretreated animals. The brain and blood concentrations of pentobarbital, when measured at a time corresponding to the respective arousal times from pentobarbital narcosis, were lower in the DZP-pretreated group. These results indicate that acute DZP pretreatment increases the sensitivity of the rat brain to pentobarbital rather than inducing changes in the disposition of the barbiturate.     

Electron microscopic study of the rat submaxillary gland during development

Cytological changes in the submaxillary glands of rat embryos of the 14th-21st days of the intrauterine development and of 7-day-old rats were studied electron microscopically. The cytoplasm of the salivary gland primordium cells of the 14-day embryo was found to possess multiple polysomes, the canals of the granular cytoplasmic network (GCN) being solitary. The latter elongated in the process of embryonic development, and later predominant development of GCN was observed in basal portions of the acinar cells. At early stages of the gland development the GCN was often observed to approximate mitochindria. The laminar complex in the course of embryonic development enlarges its size and at later stages it has a well differentiated appearance in the acinar cells. Secretory inclusions make their appearance in the forming cells of acinuses long before birth, the composition of the embryo gland secretion being somewhat different from that of adult animals. Differentiation of acinuses and striated parts of the salivary tubules is well pronounced in the embryonic period while no signs of appearance of granular portions of the salivary tubules are observed both in light and electron microscopy either in embryos or in 1-week-old rats.     

Asymmetry of the pelvic ureters in normal females

A total of 65 cases showing asymmetry of the pelvic ureters of greater than 1.4 cm for which no cause could be identified are presented. Only one was a male. The right ureter was situated more medially in 61 of the 64 females. Comparison of the characteristics of these patients with 51 females with symmetrical pelvic ureters revealed no differences except for a significantly more frequent left-sided position of the uterus in the asymmetrical group. Gross medial displacement of the right ureter in a female probably represents a normal variant in a large majority of patients.     

Disinfection of surgical silk with decamethoxin, antibiotics and their combinations

The disinfecting effect of decametoxin, antibiotics, such as bensylpenicillin, streptomycin, monomycin and their combinations was studied on surgical threads of various thickness previously infected with Staph. aureus, Pr. vulgaris, Bac. anthracis, E. coli, Ps. aeruginosa and Bac. subtilis. It was shown that disinfection of the surgical silk with 0.1% solution of decametoxin for 15 minutes followed by its treatment with an antibiotic solution for 105 minutes provided absolute sterility. Treatment of the surgical silk with decametoxin and antibiotic combinations alone did not provide absolute destruction of the above test-microbes. It was found that treatment of the silk with 0.1% decametoxin solution for 24 hours did not decrease its strength.     

Effects of pinealectomy of rams on secretory profiles of luteinizing hormone, testosterone, prolactin and cortisol

In a study of pineal gland influences on hormone secretory profiles, blood samples were collected at 20 min intervals for 26 h from 4 pinealectomized and 4 sham-operated rams which were subjected to a 14.5 h daily photoperiod. Plasma levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone (T) underwent rapid pulsatile fluctuations in all rams. Pinealectomized rams produced more LH than the sham-operated rams and a similar trend was recorded for plasma T data, since T secretion closely followed that of LH. A nocturnal elevation of plasma prolactin (Prl) levels displayed by sham-operated rams was substantially abolished by pinealectomy. Also a rise in cortisol secretion during the morning hours recorded from 3 of the sham-operated rams was absent in 2 of the pinealectomized rams. The possible significance of the pineal gland in the regulation of secretion of these hormones is discussed.