Absorption, Excretion, and Biotransformation of Dimethyl Sulfoxide in Man and Miniature Pigs After Topical Application as an 80% Gel

The absorption, excretion, and biotransformation of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) 80% gel, DEMASORB®, was studied in man and in miniature pigs. DMSO 80% gel (15 cc, t.i.d.) was applied topically to the elbows of human subjects and allowed to remain there for 30 minutes after each application. Under these conditions, daily absorption of DMSO 80% gel ranged from 25 to 40% of the total dose. DMSO 80% gel (15 g, t.i.d.) was completely absorbed within 4 hours after application to the shaved backs of miniature pigs. Both man and miniature pig transformed DMSO to dimethylsulfone (DMSO2) and dimethylsulfide (DMS). DMSO and DMSO2 were excreted in the urine, whereas DMS was eliminated in the expired air. In man, the relative amounts of DMSO and DMSO2 in the plasma were similar to those found in the urine. The biological half-life of DMSO2 in both the plasma and urine of man was 2.5 to 3 days. Urinary excretion of DMSO plus DMSO2 ranged from 9 to 35% of the dose in both man and miniature pigs; only 1.6% of the dose was present in the feces of miniature pigs. Whereas DMSO2 was the main excretory product in the urine of man, DMSO was the major component in the urine of miniature pigs

Topology of molecular machines of the endoplasmic reticulum: a compilation of proteomics and cytological data

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a key organelle of the secretion pathway involved in the synthesis of both proteins and lipids destined for multiple sites within and without the cell. The ER functions to both co- and post-translationally modify newly synthesized proteins and lipids and sort them for housekeeping within the ER and for transport to their sites of function away from the ER. In addition, the ER is involved in the metabolism and degradation of specific xenobiotics and endogenous biosynthetic products. A variety of proteomics studies have been reported on different subcompartments of the ER providing an ER protein dictionary with new data being made available on many protein complexes of relevance to the biology of the ER including the ribosome, the translocon, coatomer proteins, cytoskeletal proteins, folding proteins, the antigen-processing machinery, signaling proteins and proteins involved in membrane traffic. This review examines proteomics and cytological data in support of the presence of specific molecular machines at specific sites or subcompartments of the ER

Eau, Environnement, Biofilms.

National audienc

Les cressonnières et le risque de distomatose à <em>Fasciola hepatica</em> chez l'homme

National audienc

The mud snail (Galba truncatula) Ecology, parasitism and control

This book provides an up-to-date synthesis on the different data which are known, at the present time, on the mud snail. From about two hundred years, this small freshwater gastropod had acquired a poor celebrity for its role as an intermediate host in the life-cycle of the liver-fluke Fasciola hepatica and its name had often been associated to the outbreaks of fasciolosis which have occurred in most European countries. Several previous reviews on this snail have already dealt with its role in larval development of the parasite and its control. However, numerous questions were still shelved. Can the habitats of this species be recognized in the field? Is the snail also an intermediate host for other parasites? What is the visceral response of the snail towards larval development of the parasite? Can the snail be raised under laboratory conditions? Can it be eliminated from its natural habitats? Information published on each above point by the authors in France during the past 45 years is compared to reports of foreign teams to draw the main traits on snail ecology, parasitism and control

The detection of snail host habitats in liver fluke infected farms by use of plant indicators.

International audienceField investigations in 361 liver fluke infected cattle- or sheep-breeding farms on acid soil were carried out during thirty years in March and April to record indicator plants in relation to the category of site colonized by the intermediate host of liver fluke, the snail Galba truncatula. Seven types of snail zones and six species of indicator plants were recorded in the 7709 positive sites studied. The most frequent habitats were located at the peripheral extremities of open drainage furrows. Juncus acutiflorus, Juncus effusus, Glyceria fluitans, and Agrostis stolonifera were the indicator plants. Plant indicators were highly efficient (38-80% of variance explained) when used with the size of site area within a hydrographical zone. The identification of positive sites for G. truncatula is a key for controlling the intermediate host on pastures through biological control with predatory molluscs. The positive sites may be detected using a two-step method including first categorization of hydrographical zones and then, within a zone, use of one or several indicator plants (frequently J. acutiflorus)

Fasciola hepatica: the infectivity of an Argentinean isolate in three French populations of Galba truncatula

International audienc

hnRNP G: sequence and characterization of a glycosylated RNA-binding protein.

The autoantigen p43 is a nuclear protein initially identified with autoantibodies from dogs with a lupus-like syndrome. Here we show that p43 is an RNA-binding protein, and identify it as hnRNP G, a previously described component of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein complexes. We demonstrate that p43/hnRNP G is glycosylated, and identify the modification as O-linked N-acetylglucosamine. A full-length cDNA clone for hnRNP G has been isolated and sequenced, and the predicted amino acid sequence for hnRNP G shows that it contains one RNP-consensus RNA binding domain (RBD) at the amino terminus and a carboxyl domain rich in serines, arginines and glycines. The RBD of human hnRNP G shows striking similarities with the RBDs of several plant RNA-binding proteins