Effect of introducing parts of the rye genome into barley

Tardyferon was administered to 51 patients with iron deficiency anaemia. The drug was very well tolerated and even after administration to fasting patients it was tolerated well by 92% of patients. The iron absorption curve was on the average twice as high after 1 hour and increased up to 3 hours. A significant therapeutic effect with raised haemoglobin level by 10--27% was obtained after 4--6 weeks of treatment in 44 patients (86%). In the remaining cases the improvement was less pronounced.     

Micromechanism of Crystallization in Multicomponent Metallic Glass

A micromechanism in an atomic level of crystallization of transition metal-metalloid TM80M20 metallic glass is thermodynamically proposed by taking Bernal polyhedra as the starting structure of metaIlic glass. It is composed of two competitively processes: (i) densification process of atom cluster leads to the formation of the precursor in amorphous matrix, (ii) the growth of atom cluster leads to the decreasing packing density. The preferential precipitation sequence of metastable phase is bcc, bct. cpc (close-packed crystal, hcp or fcc structure). A metastable phase decomposition (Fe,Mo)23B6 (fcc)-Fe2B highly strained bct phase was observed during crystallization of (Fe0.99Mo0.01)78Si9B13 metallic glass, which is related to the occurrence of nanocrystalline.     

Interconnections among nuclei of the subcortical visual shell: the intergeniculate leaflet is a major constituent of the hamster subcortical visual system

The intergeniculate leaflet (IGL), a major constituent of the circadian visual system, is one of 12 retinorecipient nuclei forming a "subcortical visual shell" overlying the diencephalic-mesencephalic border. The present investigation evaluated IGL connections with nuclei of the subcortical visual shell and determined the extent of interconnectivity between these nuclei. Male hamsters received stereotaxic, iontophoretic injections of the retrograde tracer, cholera toxin beta fragment, or the anterograde tracer, Phaseolus vulgaris-leucoagglutin, into nuclei of the pretectum (medial, commissural, posterior, olivary, anterior, nucleus of the optic tract, posterior limitans), into the superior colliculus, or into the visual thalamic nuclei (lateral posterior, dorsal lateral geniculate, intergeniculate leaflet, ventral lateral geniculate). Retrogradely labeled cell bodies identified nuclei with afferents projecting to the site of injection, whereas the presence of anterogradely labeled fibers with terminals revealed brain nuclei targeted by neurons at the site of injection. The IGL projects bilaterally to all nuclei of the visual shell except the lateral posterior and dorsal lateral geniculate nuclei. The IGL also has afferents from the same set of nuclei, except the nucleus of the optic tract. The extensive bilateral efferent projections distinguish IGL from the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus. The superior colliculus, commissural pretectal, olivary pretectal, and posterior pretectal nuclei also project bilaterally to the majority of subcortical visual nuclei. The IGL has a well-established role in circadian rhythm regulation, but there is as yet no known function for it in the larger context of the subcortical visual system, much of which is involved in oculomotor control.     

Inhibition of estrogen-induced sexual receptivity by androgens: role of the androgen receptor

The human IGFBP family consists of at least seven proteins, designated as IGFBP-1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, and-7. IGFBPs 1-6 bind IGF-I and IGF-II with high affinity whereas IGFBP-7, a newly identified IGFBP, binds IGFs with lower affinity and constitutes a low-affinity member of the IGFBP family. IGFBPs serve to transport the IGFs, prolong their half-lives, and modulate their biological action. At the cellular level, IGFBPs can either potentiate or inhibit the mitogenic effects of IGFs, depending upon cell types and IGFBP species (IGF-dependent action of IGFBPs). However, recent studies have indicated that IGFBPs, especially IGFBP-3, potently inhibit breast cancer cell growth in an IGF-independent manner. The IGF-independent action of IGFBP-3 requires interaction with cell-surface association proteins, presumably putative IGFBP-3 specific receptors, and is responsible for growth inhibitory action of the known growth suppressing factors such as TGF-beta, retinoic acid, and antiestrogens in breast cancer cells. Thus, IGFBP-3 appears to be a major factor in a negative control system involved in regulating human breast cancer cell growth in vitro. IGFBP-7, representing a low affinity IGFBP, appears to function as an IGF-independent cell growth regulator in breast cancer cells. Overall structural similarity between IGFBP-7 and classical high affinity IGFBPs 1-6 suggests that the mechanisms of action and signaling pathways used by IGFBP-7 may provide insight into the IGF-independent actions of the high affinity IGFBPs. A fuller understanding of the IGF-independent action of IGFBPs will allow us to understand how the growth of neoplastic cells can be modulated by the IGF/IGFBP system, and how other growth factors or pharmacological agents can interface with this system.