Duration of spinal anaesthesia is determined by the partition coefficient of local anaesthetic

We have compared the duration of motor block produced by four local anaesthetics administered into a chronically implanted subarachnoid catheter in rabbits. Each group (n = 6) received four different doses of amethocaine, bupivacaine, lignocaine or procaine, and the duration of the resulting motor block was assessed. Dose-response curves were plotted for each drug. As a measure of activity of the anaesthetics, we used the dose of each drug required to produce block of 60-min duration (D60 min) and the correlation between D60 min and different drug properties was examined. An inverse linear correlation (r = 0.995; P < 0.01) was observed between log D60 min and the log of the partition coefficient of the local anaesthetics. No correlation was found between the effect and degree of protein binding, pKa or molecular weight. These results suggest that, in spinal anaesthesia, the partition coefficient could be used as a predictor of the duration of anaesthetic action.     

Agenesis of the corpus callosum in a mother and son

Most reported familial cases of agenesis of the corpus callosum have followed either an autosomal recessive or an X-linked recessive pattern of inheritance. To the best of our knowledge, there is only one previous report of a family showing clear-cut autosomal dominant inheritance. We present the second such family, among whom a mother and her son had moderately severe coordination problems and low-normal intelligence. We suggest that agenesis of the corpus callosum, when transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait, is clinically characterized by a relatively milder phenotype than that occurring when inheritance is either autosomal or X-linked recessive and may be more common than has been thought.     

Inefficiency of lactation in primiparous rats: the costs of first reproduction

To investigate the energetic costs of lactation in a female mammal in relation to previous reproductive history, we compared the performance of adult female Long-Evans rats that had previously bred (multiparous) with young females that had not previously given birth (primiparous). All litters were standardized to 10 +/- 1 young. We compared maternal production (growth of pups), body mass, and energy intake (food consumption) of mothers, as well as their energy expenditure (resting oxygen consumption). The mass of litters at birth and the growth of pups during lactation did not differ according to reproductive history of the mothers. The body mass of primiparous mothers was less than that of multiparous mothers, and primiparous mothers showed an increase in mass during early lactation. To accomplish the essentially identical production of offspring under these circumstances, the primiparous mothers consumed and expended more energy than the multiparous mothers. This remarkable performance of first-time mothers results in an overall efficiency of energy allocation to reproduction amounting to only 25%, compared with 38% in multiparous mothers. The energetic inefficiency of primiparous female lactation results largely from the excessive expenditures associated with physiological and behavioral performances of first-time reproduction, together with a small component of additional expenditure due to further growth by the primiparous mothers. We suggest that this inefficiency probably contributes to the observed low reproductive success of novice breeders; furthermore, active restraint of fecundity may be an evolutionary response to the constraints of the energetic inefficiency of primiparous breeding by female mammals.     

Insect chitinases: molecular biology and potential use as biopesticides

Chitin, an insoluble structural polysaccharide that occurs in the exoskeletal and gut linings of insects, is a metabolic target of selective pest control agents. One potential biopesticide is the insect molting enzyme, chitinase, which degrades chitin to low molecular weight, soluble and insoluble oligosaccharides. For several years, our laboratories have been characterizing this enzyme and its gene. Most recently, we have been developing chitinase for use as a biopesticide to control insect and also fungal pests. Chitinases have been isolated from the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, and several other insect species, and some of their chemical, physical, and kinetic properties have been determined. Also, cDNA and genomic clones for the chitinase from the hornworm have been isolated and characterized. Transgenic plants that express hornworm chitinase constitutively have been generated and found to exhibit host plant resistance. A transformed entomopathogenic virus that produces the enzyme displayed enhanced insecticidal activity. Chitinase also potentiated the efficacy of the toxin from the microbial insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis. Insect chitinase and its gene are now available for biopesticidal applications in integrated pest management programs. Current knowledge regarding the molecular biology and biopesticidal action of insect and several other types of chitinases is described in this mini-review.     

Mechanisms of virus assembly probed by Raman spectroscopy: the icosahedral bacteriophage P22

A microdialysis flow cell has been developed for time-resolved Raman spectroscopy of biological macromolecules and their assemblies. The flow cell permits collection of Raman spectra concurrent with the efflux of small solute molecules into a solution of macromolecules and facilitates real-time spectroscopic detection of structural transitions induced by the effluent. Additionally, the flow cell is well suited to the investigation of hydrogen-isotope exchange phenomena that can be exploited as dynamic probes of viral protein folding and solvent accessibility along the assembly pathway. Here, we describe the application of the Raman dynamic probe to the maturation of the icosahedral capsid of bacteriophage P22, a double-stranded DNA virus. The P22 virion is constructed from a capsid precursor (procapsid) consisting of 420 coat subunits (gp5) in an outer shell and a few hundred scaffolding subunits (gp8) within. Capsid maturation involves expulsion of scaffolding subunits coupled with shell expansion at the time of DNA packaging. Raman static and dynamic probes reveal that the scaffolding subunit is highly alpha-helical and highly thermolabile, and lacks a typical hydrophobic core. When bound within the procapsid, the alpha-helical fold of gp8 is thermostabilized; however, this stabilization confers no apparent protection against peptide NH-->ND exchange. A molten globule model is proposed for the native scaffolding subunit that functions in procapsid assembly. Accompanying capsid expansion, a small conformational change (alpha-helix-->beta-strand) is also observed in the coat subunit. Domain movement mediated by hinge bending is proposed as the mechanism of capsid expansion. On the basis of these results, a molecular model is proposed for assembly of the P22 procapsid.     

Bone SPECT of the jaws after fracture, onlay osteoplasty of insertion of implants

AIM: The aim of this study was early differentiation between uncomplicated and complicated processes of healing in the jaw using bone SPECT. METHODS: Investigations were performed in 40 mandibular fractures and 26 jaws after onlay osteoplasty as well as secondary insertion of implants. Bone SPECT was carried out within 1-2 months and after approximately 4-5 months. The uptake in the jaw was assessed semi-quantitatively using ROI analysis. RESULTS: Fractures with uncomplicated healing showed a decrease of uptake in follow-up, whereas fractures with an infection in the later course showed an increase, resulting in a significantly higher uptake at the follow-up investigation for the latter group. 1-2 months after onlay osteoplasty significantly lower uptake was found in regions with later occurrence of sequestration. In regions with implants in which osseointegration failed, there was significant reduction of uptake initially and significant elevation at the follow-up investigation. CONCLUSION: These results indicate a prognostic relevance of bone SPECT in the evaluation of processes of healing in the jaw.