ACE Treatment Research Articles

ANI1. A sex pheromone-induced gene in ceratopteris gametophytes and its possible role in sex determination.

Antheridiogen (ACE) is a pheromone that is required for the development of male gametophytes in the homosporous fern Ceratopteris richardii. Subtractive hybridization of cDNAs isolated from ACE-treated and non-ACE-treated gametophytes was used to isolate genes that are induced by the pheromone. The expression of one gene, ANI1 (for antheridiogen induced), was induced within 3 hr of ACE treatment, but its expression was transient. Patterns of ANI1 expression in wild-type and mutant gametophytes show that ANI1 expression inversely correlates with the predicted activity of one of the sex-determining genes, TRANSFORMER5 (TRA5). These data suggest that ANI1 transcription or transcript accumulation is directly or indirectly prevented by TRA5 in the absence of ACE and that ACE inactivates the TRA5 gene or its product, leading to the upregulation of ANI1. Cycloheximide (no ACE) induced the expression of ANI1, also indicating that ANI1 expression is subject to negative regulation in the absence of ACE. The sequence and inferred protein structure of ANI1 suggest that it is a novel, extracellular protein. The secreted portion of the ANI1 protein potentially forms a beta barrel with superficial similarities to lipocalins, which bind small hydrophobic molecules such as pheromones, steroids, and odorants. ANI1 may be an extracellular carrier of ACE that is required to initiate the male program of development as the sexual fate of the young gametophyte is determined.

Effect of N-Acetylcysteine on the Superoxide Release, Chemotaxis from the Neutrophils and Glutathione Level of Plasma and Neutrophils

Background N-acetylcysteine(ACE) is used both orally and intravenously in a variety of experimental pathologies resembling human disease states which exhibit endothelial toxicity as a result of oxidative stress, including acute pulmonary oxygen toxicity, septicemia and endotoxin shock. Despite these observations in vivo, it is not certain how this thiol drug produces its protective effects. ACE is a cysteine derivative which is able to directly react with oxygen radicals and may also act as a cysteine and glutathione(GSH) precursor following deacetylation. In this paper, we tried to know whether the therapeutic doses of ACE can modify the inflammatory function of the neutrophils and can increase the glutathione level of plasma in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) patients. In addition, the effect of ACE to the purified neutrophil in terms of superoxide release and glutathione synthesis were observed. Method Firstly, we gave 600mg of ACE for seven days and compare the release of superoxide, luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence from the neutrophils, neutrophil chemotaxis, and plasma GSH levels before and after ACE treatment in COPD patients. Secondly, we observed the dose dependent effect of ACE to the purified neutrophil's superoxide release and GSH levels in vitro. Results 1) Usual oral therapeutic doses(600mg per day) of ACE for seven days did affect neither on the neutrophils superoxide release, chemiluminescence, chemotaxis, nor on the plasma GSH concentration in the COPD patients. 2) ACE decreases the purified neutrophil's superoxide release and increase the GSH production in dose dependent fashion in vitro. Conclusion Despite the fact that oral ACE treatment did not affect on the neutrophil's inflammatory function and plasma GSH concentration in COPD patients in usual therapeutic doses, it decreases the superoxide release and increases the GSH production from the isolated neutrophils in high molar concentrations. These findings suggest that to obtain an antioxidative effects of ACE, it might be needed to increase the daily dosage of ACE or therapeutic duration or change the route of adminisration in COPD patients.

Influence of the technical parameters of outside-the-furnace treatment on refractory wear in the slag belt of furnace-ladle type unit ladles

Since the treatment technical parameters change from heat to heat and even in the course of a single heat, determination of the functional relationships of refractory wear to these parameters by methods of statistical analysis is possible only with a method providing measurement of refractory wear during each heat. Taking this into consideration the change in magnesium oxide content in the slag during the course of a heat was seleted as the criterion for evaluating refractory wear in the slag zone of the ladle. This choice is based on the fact that periclase--chromite refractories containing about 60% MgO are used in the lining of the ladle slag zone while, with the exception of lime with an MgO content of 1-2%, MgO is present in not one of the heat-forming and deoxidizing components added to the ladle for outside-the-furn ace treatment~ Consequently, an increase in magnesium oxide content in the slag during the course of the heat may be taken as a qualitative characteristic of the wear of the Periclase~chromite refractories. In this investigation statistical material accumulated from the moment of start up of a unit in 1977 was processed. The course of treatment of more than 300 heats of steel was

Effect of adrenal cortex extract on blood cells of the embryonic chick.

Summary1. The blood picture of 14, 15 and 16 day White Leghorn chick embryos injected into the allantois with aqueous adrenal cortex extract, shows no significant change in the number of lymphocytes but a market absolute polymorph leukocytosis, 24 hours after injection. The erythrocytes are not affected by the extract.2. Large individual variation in the lymphocyte count and greater difficulty involved in their identification may have obscured the effect of the hormonal preparation on the lymphocyte count.3. ACE treatment induced a tendency (not statistically significant) toward weight loss in the 14 day embryos, a significant decrease in the hatchability rate, and an apparent defective feather development. However the blood picture and weight in comparison with the controls was normal after hatching.