Evaluation of Three Different Procedures for Extracting Adenylates from Barley Roots Prior to Luminometric Quantification

Three methods were compared for extracting adenylates from barley roots prior to their quantification by a lumino-metric method. In respect of efficiency in extracting adenylates and easiness in handling, the best result was obtained in the root sample which was homogenized in perchloric acid, neutralized by mixing with octylamine dissolved in 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane and centrifuged.高等植物根のアデニル酸をルシフェリン－ルシフェラーゼ法による定量に適する抽出法を捜すために、数種の抽出法を比べた。過塩素酸で抽出し、オクチルアミンで中和し、フロンの一種で洗う方法が最も抽出効果が高く、また比較的操作が簡便であった

Lightning-induced ventricular fibrillation

We present a case of a previously healthy 17 year-old white male boy scout who collapsed after a lightning strike, and was found to be in ventricular fibrillation when emergency medical services arrived. The ventricular fibrillation was defibrillated into sinus rhythm after a single direct current (DC) countershock. However, the patient has remained in coma. Commotio cordis, sudden cardiac death from low-energy chest wall impact, is a phenomenon in which an exactly timed and located blow on the chest during the cardiac cycle results in ventricular fibrillation. Commotio cordis and electrical shock can both result in ventricular arrhythmias. We speculate that in this patient, ventricular fibrillation began immediately after the lightning, which probably struck at the peak of the T wave. (Cardiol J 2007; 14: 91–94

Studies on Liver Phospholipids Metabolism of Sphingomyelin, Lecithin and Cephalin in Subcellular Fractions.

It was found that C16:0- and C21-fatty acid were predominant in rat liver sphingomyelin and also fast-moving sphinomyelin (Sph-F) contained C16:0 as the main fatty acid and slow-moving sphingomyelin (Sph-S) did C20-24 as the major fatty acids. It was also confirmed by various facts that sphingomyelin existed in the mitochondria as one of the lipid components, although its percentage to total phospholipids was as low as 0.44%. In other subcellular fractions percent of total sphingomyelin in total phospholipids was found to be 1.80 in microsomes and 6.27 in cell sap. Determination of Sph-F/Sph-S ratios showed that the value (2.18) in mitochondria was a little lower than those (2.64, 2.61) in other fractions. The values lecithin/cephalin and phospholipid/protein ratios were always lower in mitochondria than those in microsomes. Specific activities of sphingomyelin in each fraction were compared with those of lecithin and cephalin at 0.5, 1, 3, 6 and 12 hrs after intraperitoneal injection of 32Pi. Specific activity of total sphingomyelin in mitochondria was clearly lower than those of microsomes until 6 hrs. Specific activities of Sph-S were always higher than those of Sph-F in the same subcellular fraction. Specific activities of lecithin and cephalin were extemely higher than those of sphingomyelin in corresponding subcellular fractions at short time period after injection. Specific activities of cephalin were always higher than those of lecithin. However, the difference in each fraction was divergent, that is, specific activity of microsomal cephalin was 5.6 times greater than that of lecithin. On the other hand, specific activity of cephalin was only 1.3 times greater than that of lecithin in mitochondria

Tigriopus japonicus(ハルパクチコイダ橈脚類)成体の休眠生態について

筆者らは，餌料生物としての利用におけるT. japonicusの培養，ならびに保存に関する基礎的研究を行なっているが，ここでは，後者に関連して行なった本種成体の休眠生態に関する二三の観察結果について報告する。 (1) 25℃で培養したものは4～8℃で，15～20℃で培養したものは-2～2℃でそれぞれ全個体が休眠状態となり1日後に元の水温に戻すとすべてが蘇生した。また，16℃で培養し0℃で休眠した個体をそのまま0℃で保存した場合，1か月後に80%(雌雄ともに)， 2か月後に55%(雌)，20%(雄)の蘇生率を示した。 (2) 飼育海水の濃縮による高塩分条件下では，濃縮速度(但し塩分約150‰へ20～100時間の範囲)と特に関係なく，いずれの場合も塩分130～150‰(水温23～26℃)程で全個体が休眠状態となり，それらを1～7℃に置いた場合，1か月後に60%(雌雄混在)の蘇生率が得られた。 (3) 休眠生起の条件としての塩分と温度の関係については断片的な検討にとどまったが，塩分濃度が高くなるにつれ，いわゆる冷休止帯よりさらに高い水温で休眠状態になることが認められた。 (4) 以上の実験を通じ，概して雌は雄より休眠状態に陥り難い一方，休眠からの蘇生率は若干良好であった。Experiments have been done on the salinities and temperatures causing dormancy in the adults of Tigriopus japonicus. The results are as follows; (1) The animals cultured in sea-water media (salinity, 32.5～34‰) at 25℃ and 20～15℃ wholly lie dormant in 8～4℃ and 2～-2℃, respectively. (2) These dormant animals of both sexes show a revival rate of 80% after being stored at 0℃ for a month. (3) When the sea water containing the animals is gradually concentrated by evaporation at 23～26℃, all the individuals fall into dormancy at salinities of 130～150‰. At these salinities the dormant animals survive for more than one month at 1～7℃. (4) The animals fall into dormancy at higher temperatures as the environmental salinity is higher. (5) Females are slightly more resistant to falling into dormancy than males, either at lower temperatures or at raised salinities.The expenses for this study were partially covered by a research grant from the Ministry of Education

Wyładowanie atmosferyczne jako przyczyna migotania komór

W niniejszej pracy zaprezentowano przypadek 17-letniego harcerza, uprzednio zdrowego, który po uderzeniu pioruna stracił przytomność. Po przybyciu zespołu pogotowia ratunkowego w badaniu elektrokardiograficznym stwierdzono migotanie komór (VF). Wykonano defibrylację (1 impuls, prąd stały), która przywróciła rytm zatokowy, jednak mimo skutecznej interwencji pacjent pozostał w śpiączce. Angielski termin commotio cordis, który oznacza wystąpienie nagłej śmierci sercowej w wyniku działania niskiej energii na ścianę klatki piersiowej, jest fenomenem polegającym na pojawieniu się VF wskutek uderzenia ściśle określonej okolicy klatki piersiowej w danym okresie podczas cyklu serca. Zarówno energia fizyczna (uraz serca wskutek uderzenia - commotio cordis), jak i elektryczna (uderzenie pioruna) mogą wywołać VF. Autorzy pracy spekulują, że u omawianego chorego VF pojawiło się natychmiast po rażeniu piorunem, którego uderzenie prawdopodobnie nastąpiło podczas szczytu załamka T

Recombinant human interleukin 6 (B-cell stimulatory factor 2) is a potent inducer of differentiation of mouse myeloid leukemia cells (M1)

AbstractRecombinant human interleukin 6 (IL-6), a lymphokine involved in the final differentiation of activated B-cells into antibody-forming cells, greatly suppressed proliferation and induced differentiation of murine myeloid leukemia cells (M1) into mature macrophage-like cells. When M1 cells were treated with IL-6, their growth was completely arrested as early as on day 2, and they were induced to differentiate morphologically into macrophage-like cells. Differentiation-associated properties such as phagocytic activity, adherence to the dish surface, Fc and C3 receptors, were also induced within 24 h by IL-6, and they reached their respective maximal levels on day 2 or 3. The potency of IL-6 in suppressing proliferation and inducing differentiation was much greater than that of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 one of the most potent inducers of M1 cells. The present report indicates that IL-6 is involved in the differentiation of not only B-cells but also myeloid leukemia cells