Untersuchungen zur experimentellen Fasciologse bei Reh-(Capreolus capreolus) und Rotwild (Cervus elaphus)

Zusammenfassung Rehkitze und Rotwildkälber wurden experimentell mitF. hepatica infiziert. Die ermittelten Befunde zur Präpatenz, Leberegeleigröße, Eiausscheidung, Veränderungen des Zellgehaltes im venösen Blut und die pathologisch-anatomischen Veränderungen werden mitgeteilt und vergleichend mit Befunden aus der Literatur von Fasziolose beim Rind und Schaf diskutiert. Rehwild ist empfänglich für künstliche Infektionen mitF. hepatica. Auch Todesfälle durch akute Fasziolose sind sogar nach relativ niedrigen Infektionsdosen möglich. Die Immunitätsausbildung ist schlecht, denn die Zweitinfektion nahm beim Reh im wesentlichen denselben Verlauf wie eine Erstinfektion 7 1/2 Monate vorher. Der in den Gallengängen angekommene Leberegel scheint jedoch in der Rehleber schlechte Lebensbedingungen vorzufinden; seine Eiproduktion ist gering und bereits nach 15–18 Wochen, also wesentlich früher als beim Schaf und Rind, sind alle Parasiten abgetrieben. Dies beeinflußt die Bewertung therapeutischer Maßnahmen erheblich. Zur Ausbildung einer Anämie kommt es nicht. Die Reaktion des Lebergewebes aufF. hepatica ist beim Reh relativ geringfügig. Typisch sind die Ausbildung gekammerter cystöser Auftreibungen der Gallengänge. Die pathologisch-anatomischen Veränderungen an der Leber scheinen mehr eine Eigenart der Cervidenleber als der ParasitenspeciesF. hepatica zu sein. Das Reh scheint für Metazerkarien, die vom Rind stammen, empfänglicher zu sein als für solche vom Schaf.Beim Rotwild scheinen etwas andere Verhältnisse vorzuliegen als beim Reh. Auch bei dieser Wildart fanden wir eine gute Angehensrate nach künstlicher Infektion. Die Leberegel werden in ihrem Wachstum aber z. T. gehemmt, noch 14 Wochen p. i., zu einem Zeitpunkt als beim Reh bereits 97% der Parasiten adult waren, war ein Drittel der Leberegelpopulation immatur. Wir fanden aber keine Anzeichen für eine ähnlich rasche Spontanheilung wie sie beim Rehwild zu beobachten war. Die Reaktion des Lebergewebes ist etwas heftliger als beim Reh, prinzipiell sind jedoch die pathologisch-anatomischen Veränderungen an der Leber sehr ähnlich wie beim Rehwild.

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Summary Roe and red deer calves were experimentally infested withFasciola hepatica. All ascertained results concerning prepatence, size of liverfluke-eggs, egg-elimination, change of the cell-content in the venous blood and pathological-anatomical changes are reported and then discussed for comparison with those results stated in the literature about Fascioliasis in cattle and sheep. Roes are susceptible for artificial infections ofF. hepatica. Deaths caused by acute Fascioliasis are possible even after relatively low infection doses. Development of immunity is bad as the reinfestation mostly took the same course as the first infestation 71/2 months before. After having reached the bile ducts the liverfluke seems to find bad living conditions in the roe liver. It shows a decreased egg-production and 15–18 weeks later, i. e. much earlier than in sheep and cattle all parasites are eliminated. This has quite an important influence on the evaluation of therapeutical measures. An anaemia was not developed. The reaction of the liver tissue toF. hepatica in roes is relatively insignificant. The formation of ventricular cystoid dilations are typical. Pathological-anatomical changes of the liver rather seem to be typical for the cervide liver than for the parasite speciesF. hepatica. Roes seem to be more susceptible to metacercariae originating from cattle than to those of sheep.The conditions for red deer are apparently different. There was a good infection rate in these animals, too, but the development of the liverfluke is partly inhibited. 14 weeks p. i., when 97% of parasites in roes were already mature, 1/3 of the liverfluke population was still immature. However, signs of similarly spontaneous recovery could not be found. The reaction of the liver tissue is somewhat stronger than in roes, however, the pathological-anatomical changes of the liver are basically similar.

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Résumé Chevrillards et jeunes cerfs étaient dans un expériment soumis d'une infection avecF. hepatica. Les résultats trouvés sur la diffusion desF. hepaticae, sur la taille de leurs oeufs, sur l'élimination des oeufs, sur la modification du contenu des cellules dans le sang veineux et les modifications pathologiques-anatomiques sont documentés et ils sont comparés aux résultats trouvés dans la littérature sur le Fasciolosis chez le boeuf et chez le mouton.La famille de chevreuil est sensible aux infections artificielles avecF. hepatica. Il y a même des animaux qui sont morts après un Fasciolosis aigu provoqué par des doses infectieuses relativement bases. L'immunisation est insignifiante. La deuxième infection chez le chevreuil montre en général le même aspect qu'une première infection qui s'est passée il y a 71/2 mois. LeF. hepatica étant arrivé dans les canaux cholédoques trouve de mauvaises conditions vitales dans le foie du chevreuil; sa production des oeufs est insignifiante et déjà après 15–18 semaines, ce qui est plus tôt que chez le mouton et chez le boeuf, tous les parasites sont éliminés. Ce fait influence énormément les mesures qui sont à prendre pour la thérapie. Une formation d'anaemie n'a pas lieu. La réaction du tissu de foie àF. hepatica est chez le chevreuil relativement insignifiante. Des formations des gonflements cystiques dans les canaux cholédoques sont typiques. Des modifications pathologiques-anatomiques de foie semblent d'être plutôt une particularité du foie de chevreuil que dues àF. hepatica. Le chevreuil semble d'être plus sensible aux métazercaries provenants de boeuf qu'aux ceux provenants de moutons.Les résultats trouvés chez la famille de chevreuil se distinguent de ceux trouvés chez la famille de cerf. Chez cette famille le Fasciolosis commence aussi vite après infection artificielle. La croissance de la plupart deF. hepaticae est inhibitée après 14 semaines, un tier deF. hepaticae est non developpé tandis que chez le chevreuil au même temps deja 97% de parasites étaient développés. Nous n'avons pas trouvé des signes d'une guérison spontanée que nous avons remarqué chez le chevreuil.

     

Clarification of the relationship between free radical spin trapping and carbon tetrachloride metabolism in microsomal systems

It has been proposed that the C-phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone/trichloromethyl radical adduct (PBN/.CCl3) is metabolized to either the C-phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone/carbon dioxide anion radical adduct (PBN/.CO2-) or the glutathione (GSH) and CCl4-dependent PBN radical adduct (PBN/[GSH-.CCl3]). Inclusion of PBN/.CCl3 in microsomal incubations containing GSH, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), or GSH plus NADPH produced no electron spin resonance (ESR) spectral data indicative of the formation of either the PBN/[GSH-.CCl3] or PBN/.CO2- radical adducts. Microsomes alone or with GSH had no effect on the PBN/.CCl3 radical adduct. Addition of NADPH to a microsomal system containing PBN/.CCl3 presumably reduced the radical adduct to its ESR-silent hydroxylamine because no ESR signal was observed. The Folch extract of this system produced an ESR spectrum that was a composite of two radicals, one of which had hyperfine coupling constants identical to those of PBN/.CCl3. We conclude that PBN/.CCl3 is not metabolized into either PBN/[GSH-.CCl3] or PBN/.CO2- in microsomal systems.     

Mirror system for collecting Thomson-scattered light in a tangential direction

We describe an optical system for collecting Thomson-scattering light in the tangential direction of a tokamak. The key part of the optics is a set of mirrors arranged as a Venetian blind. This system makes it possible to look around the corner of the tokamak vessel. Design considerations and test performance are presented.     

Fine structure of olfactory sensilla in myriapods and arachnids.

Structural features of various types of olfactory sensilla are reviewed. 1) Sensilla basiconica which differ in form and size are found on the antennae of centipedes and millipedes. Their walls show longitudinal slits or grooves that either open into the sensillum lumen or do not penetrate the cuticle. In other such sensilla the outer surface is pierced by pores and the inner surface grooved and pocketed. These sensilla are innervated by one to six sensory cells. Their unbranched outer dendritic segments extend to the tip of the sensillum. The sensory cells are surrounded by two or three sheath cells which terminate at the sensillum base or form a continuous tube around the entire length of the outer dendritic segments. 2) Temporal organs of centipedes are located between the insertion of the antenna and the ocelli. These sensilla consist of a shallow cuticular ring with a central sensory plate made up by a layer of unperforated cuticle or a capsule with a mushroom-shaped structure inside formed by fibrous-looking cuticle. A dozen sensory cells with unbranched outer dendritic segments innervate each sensillum. They extend toward the sensory cuticle and pass just below it. Numerous sheath cell processes run parallel to the outer dendritic segments up to the sensory cuticle. 3) Thread-like flagella of Pauropoda are found on the antennae. They possess a flexible unperforated cuticular wall. These sensilla contain nine sensory cells surrounded by several sheath cells which form a continuous cytoplasmic tube around the outer dendritic segments. 4) Single-walled sensilla with numerous plugged pores penetrating the cuticular wall occur on the tarsus of the first leg in ticks. Each sensillum is innervated by 4-15 sensory cells. Three sheath cells terminate in the base of the sensillum. 5) Double-walled sensilla with spoke canals are found on the first tarsus of ticks. Their shaft is longitudinally grooved. Pore canals lead inward from the bottom of the grooves and open into vase-shaped chambers. From its base these canals extend into the lumen of the sensillum which contains unbranched outer dendritic segments of 1-2 sensory cells. 6) Single-walled sensilla with pore openings occur on the distal tarsal segments of the first leg of whip spiders. These sensilla are innervated by 40-45 sensory cells. Their unbranched outer dendritic segments fill the shaft lumen and extend partly into the wall pores. Microvillus-shaped sheath cell processes line the inner surface of the cuticular wall.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Characterization of the elastin binding domain in the cell-surface 25-kDa elastin-binding protein of staphylococcus aureus (EbpS)

Our previous studies have established that a cell-surface 25-kDa elastin-binding protein of Staphylococcus aureus (EbpS) mediates binding of this pathogen to the extracellular matrix protein elastin. Results from binding assays examining the activity of various EbpS fragments suggested that the elastin recognition domain is contained within the first 59 amino acids. In this report, we have used functional analyses with synthetic peptides and recombinant truncated forms of EbpS to localize the elastin binding domain to a 21-amino acid region contained within residues 14-34 of EbpS. Further evidence for the importance of this domain was obtained by demonstrating that the inhibitory activity of anti-EbpS antibodies on staphylococcal elastin binding was neutralized when these antibodies were pre-absorbed with a truncated recombinant EbpS construct containing residues 1-34. Overlapping synthetic peptides corresponding to EbpS residues 14-36 were then generated and tested for elastin binding activity to define further the elastin binding domain, and results from these studies showed that sequences spanning amino acids Gln14-Asp23, Asp17-Asp23, and Thr18-Glu34 inhibit binding of Staphylococcus aureus to elastin. Our analyses indicate that the hexameric sequence Thr18-Asn-Ser-His-Gln-Asp23 is the minimal sequence common to all active synthetic peptides, proteolytic fragments, and recombinant constructs of EbpS. Furthermore, substitution of Asp23 with Asn abrogated the blocking activity of the synthetic peptides, demonstrating the requirement for a charged amino acid at this location. The composite data indicate that staphylococcal elastin binding is mediated by a discrete domain defined by short peptide sequences in the amino-terminal extracellular region of EbpS.     

Cerebral mantle thickness: a measurement useful in anatomic diagnosis of fetal ventriculomegaly

The ultrasonographic diagnosis of cerebral ventriculomegaly carries grave implications, in that affected fetuses may suffer abnormal postnatal development or therapeutic abortion. It is important for pathologists to corroborate the clinical diagnosis, but because diagnostic methodologies and criteria differ so radically, this can be problematic. The clinical diagnosis is made primarily by serial ultrasound examinations of the cerebral ventricles, spaces that can be altered postmortem, particularly when the brain is autolysed or deformed artifactually. We therefore sought to learn if examination of tissue, rather than spaces, can identify accurately those fetuses diagnosed with cerebral ventriculomegaly by prenatal ultrasound. The thickness of the cerebral mantle was obtained in 100 control fetuses aged 14 to 26 postmenstrual weeks. Statistical analysis revealed significant correlation of cerebral mantle thickness with crown-rump length, foot length, and head circumference. Twenty fetuses diagnosed with ventriculomegaly showed mantle thicknesses that were less than the control mean. In a few cases, mantle thickness fell between the mean and -1 SD; in several others, thickness was diminished by -1 SD to -2 SD; in one-half of cases, mantle thickness was 2 SDs or more below the expected mean. Head circumference was within 2 SDs of the control mean in most cases, and increased beyond 2 SDs in only two cases. Head circumference is an unreliable indicator of ventriculomegaly in the midgestational fetus. By contrast, cerebral mantle thickness is a simple and useful way of corroborating ultrasonographic diagnoses at autopsy and may also prove useful in clinical settings.     

Role of maintenance treatment in opioid dependence

Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) involves the daily administration of the oral opioid agonist methadone as a treatment for opioid dependence-a persistent disorder with a substantial risk of premature death. MMT improves health and reduces illicit heroin use, infectious-disease transmission, and overdose death. However, its effectiveness is compromised if low maintenance doses of methadone (<60 mg) are used and patients are pressured to become prematurely abstinent from methadone. Pregnancy and psychiatric comorbidity are not contraindications for MMT. As an alternative to MMT, other oral opioid agents (eg, naltrexone, buprenorphine) may increase patient choice and avoid some of the more unpleasant aspects of MMT. The public-health challenge for the future is to develop and continue to deliver safe and effective forms of opioid maintenance treatment to as many opioid-dependent individuals as can benefit from them.     

The aminoacceptor stem of the yeast tRNA(Lys) contains determinants of mitochondrial import selectivity

The effect of quinine, a cinchona alkaloid, was studied on gastrointestinal transit in mice. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of quinine inhibited the intestinal propulsion of a charcoal suspension at a dose of 100 mg/kg, comparing favorably with 5 mg/kg morphine. In an attempt to probe into the mechanism underlying this inhibition, a possible modulation by minoxidil (1 mg/kg, p.o.) and glibenclamide (1 mg/kg, p.o.), the drugs that, respectively, open and close ATP-sensitive K+ channels was tested on gastrointestinal transit in animals treated or not with quinine or morphine. While minoxidil produced no significant change of normal transit, glibenclamide significantly increased it. However, both drugs blocked the quinine-induced reduction in gastrointestinal transit. In contrast, the inhibitory effect of morphine on gastrointestinal transit was not modified by either drug. The effects of quinine as well as of morphine on gastrointestinal transit were significantly antagonized by naloxone (2 mg/kg, s.c.), a mu-opioid receptor antagonist but not by yohimbine (1 mg/kg, i.p.), an alpha2-adrenoceptor antagonist. Furthermore, quinine at a lower dose (25 mg/kg) that showed no per se effect on gastrointestinal transit, significantly potentiated the response to 2.5 mg/kg morphine. Although the role of ATP-sensitive K+ channels in the action of quinine and morphine was not clarified by the present results, a possible involvement of endogenous opioid(s) in the quinine-induced inhibition of gastrointestinal transit can be suggested.