Thirty-first Day Research Articles

Sustainable Use of the Fungus Aspergillus sp. to Simultaneously Generate Electricity and Reduce Plastic through Microbial Fuel Cells

The improper disposal of plastic waste has become a significant problem, with only a small amount recycled and the rest ending up in landfills or being burned, leading to environmental pollution. In addition, the cost of electric energy has risen by over 100% in the last 20 years, making it unaffordable for remote areas to access this service due to high installation costs, leaving people living far from major cities without electricity. This study proposes an innovative solution to these issues using microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology to simultaneously reduce plastic waste and generate electric energy by utilizing the fungus Aspergillus sp. As a substrate for 45 days. The MFCs reached maximum values of 0.572 ± 0.024 V and 3.608 ± 0.249 mA of voltage and electric current on the thirty-first day, with the substrate operating at a pH of 6.57 ± 0.27 and an electrical conductivity of 257.12 ± 20.9 mS/cm. Furthermore, it was possible to reduce the chemical oxygen demand by 73.77% over the 45 days of MFC operation, while the recorded internal resistance was 27.417 ± 9.810 Ω, indicating a power density of 0.124 ± 0.006 mW/cm2. The initial and final transmittance spectra, obtained using FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared), showed the characteristic peaks of polyethylene (plastic), with a noticeable reduction in the final spectrum, particularly in the vibration of the C-H compound. After 45 days of fungus operation, the plastic surface used as a sample exhibited perforations and cracks, resulting in a thickness reduction of 313.56 µm. This research represents an initial step in using fungi for plastic reduction and electric energy generation in an alternative and sustainable manner.

Modeling of <sup>137</sup>Cs Dispersion in the Atlantic Ocean at Ahanta West Coast: A Hypothetical Candidate Site for Ghana’s First Nuclear Power Plant

The government of Ghana has the intention of adding nuclear to its energy mix. Due to water availability for cooling, the coastal areas will be the right place for siting a nuclear power plant. This study was carried out to assess the distribution of 137Cs should liquid radioactive waste be released into coastal waters because of a non-routine event. The distribution was studied for the first month after the release. In the first week following the release, 137Cs was distributed within 16 km of the Ahanta West coastal waters with a concentration of about 9.1 Bq. L-1. On the seventh day, the distribution reached the entire coast of the Nzema East with a lower concentration with the bulk of the concentration still in the Ahanta waters. The 137Cs continued to spread into the eastern coast until the thirty-first day with a concentration of less than 1 Bq. L-1. This study provides useful data for future monitoring along the coast.

Investigation of Protein Patterns by Using Sds Page in Kidney, Liver and Brain of Cyprinus Carpio

Western transfer and dodecyl sodium sulphate- polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) are two of the most widely used and beloved techniques in cancer research to identify proteins and glycoproteins. the protein fraction expression on the protein profile is significantly lower on the seventh day than it is on the eighth, the protein fraction expression is directly inversely related to the number of days. In order to determine the number of protein bands expressed in different tissues of Cyprinus carpio exposed to mercury and lead as the number of days rose, electrophoretic research was conducted. The difference between the 27 bands for lead and 36 bands for mercury on the seventh day and the 29 bands for lead and 40 bands on the thirty-first day suggests that as the number of exposure days to lead and mercury rises, so do the number of protein bands that are expressed. Using gel electrophoresis, a mixture of proteins is categorized by kind and molecular weight in the Western Blotting method. The results are then put into a membrane, which results in the formation of a band for each protein. Two HSP70 gene bands were found in Cyprinus carpio tissues after exposure to lead and mercury.

Lorazepam induces acinar cells apoptosis of rat parotid glands

To evaluate the apoptotic action of Lorazepam on acinar cells of the parotid glands of rats, forty male Wistar rats were separated into four groups. Saline was given to the control groups for thirty (GS30) and sixty days (GS60). L30 received Lorazepam for thirty days and GL30 + S30 Lorazepam for thirty days, and from the thirty-first day, saline. For the counting of apoptotic cell nuclei, TUNEL technique was applied. The statistical tests used were ANOVA and Tukey HSD. On the thirtieth day, there was no statistically significant difference between GL30 and GS30, in relation to the number of apoptotic cell nuclei and cell proliferation. There was a statistically significant difference in the number of apoptotic cell nuclei in GL30 compared to GS30. The percentage of apoptotic cell nuclei from the GL30+S30 was significantly higher in relation to GS60. A statistically significant reduction in the value of acinar cell nuclei was also observed between these groups. No significant difference was found in the values of cell proliferation among the GL30+S30 and GS60 groups. Lorazepam caused significant decrease in the number of acinar cell nuclei and larger percentage of cellular apoptotic nuclei in rat parotid glands.

Preclinical searches of the preparation Thireomagnile

The article deals with the results of acute and chronic toxicity of the new iodine-lipid preparation Thireomagnile, which contains iodine and magnesium in its composition. This drug is used by cows in recent months of pregnancy to prevent the development of endogenous intoxication. It was found that the preparation Thireomagnile under conditions of intra gastric injection to white mice and rats in different doses did not cause their death. Only a short-term inhibition of white mice and rats due to the injection of the maximum test dose of 5000 mg/kg of body weight was established. During the period of search to determine the chronic toxicity of the drug Thireomagnile, there were no abnormalities in the behavior of the experimental animals. In doses of 1/50 DL 50 and 1/100 DL 50 , the With the injection of Thyreomagnet at a dose of 1/20 DL 50 on the thirty-first day of the experiment, did not affect the results of functional tests, which is associated with the normal functioning of the hepatic tissue and the absence of a negative effect on the animals body. With the injection of Thireomagnile, at a dose of 1/20 DL 50 on the thirty-first day of the experiment, it was established that against the background of a slight decrease in the body weight of white rats, the weight of the liver was significantly increased by 24.6% in relation to the animals of the control group. In the search of blood hematologic parameters of rats after the intrinsic muscular injection of Thireomagnile at a dose of 1/20 DL 50 , a tendency was established to decrease the level of hemoglobin, hematocrit, the number of leukocytes, and an increase in the number of erythrocytes. After prolonged injection of the preparation Thireomagnile to the experimental animals, no significant deviations were observed in the evaluation of hemopoiesis and the functional state of the liver in animals. Thireomagnile in doses of 1/50 and 1/100 DL 50 in serum reduced the level of ALT, in comparison with the rats of the control group. With the injection of Thireomagnile at a dose of 1/100 DL 50 , the number of leukocytes was significantly increased. By a one-time application on the skin of rabbits, Thireomagnile does not cause damage to the skin in the form of erythema or its edema. On a visual assessment of the conjunctiva, cornea and eyelid eyes of rabbits, it is established that the Thireomagnile preparation causes a slight irritation of the conjunctiva 30 minutes after instillation. Thus, when used externally, Thiromagnet preparation does not have irritating properties. As a result of the conducted searches, the allergenic properties of the Thireomagnile preparation were not revealed. In determining the acute and chronic toxicity of the preparation Thireomagnile, it is established that it belongs to the 4th toxicity class – low-toxic substances, and its DL 50 for intra gastric injection of laboratory animals (white mice and rats) exceeds 5000 mg/kg of body weight.The received results of researches specify that the preparation Thireomagnile is safe at application for preventive maintenance and treatment of animals at development of an endogenic intoxication.

Effect of Laserpuncture Shoot on Reproduction Point of Male Mojosari Duck (Anas Platyrhynchos) on The Numbers of Spermatogonium Cells and Seminiferous Tubules Diameter

The Objective of this research was to know the effect of laserpuncture on reproduction point of male Mojosari duck on the number of spermatogonium cells and seminiferous tubule diameter of the testes. This research using completely randomized design with eighteen male Mojosari ducks which divided into three group randomly. Group I (P0) without any treatment of laserpuncture, Group II (P1) with 0.2 J dose of laserpuncture, and Group III (P2) with 0.4 J dose of laserpuncture. Laserpuncture shooting was done on reproduction point with three days interval in one month. On the thirty-first day, the duck was dissected so that the testes can be taken then made by the histological slide of testes. The obtained data processed by Analysis of Variant (ANOVA) followed with Duncan. Research result showed that laserpuncture shoot on the reproduction point of five-month-old male Mojosari duck decreases the number of spermatogonium cells and seminiferous tubule diameter of the testes. Keyword: laserpuncture, Mojosari duck, spermatogonium, seminiferous tubule

N-acetylcysteine treatment attenuates the cognitive impairment and synaptic plasticity loss induced by streptozotocin

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder pathologically characterized by severe neuronal and glial structural changes and progressive cognitive decline. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a well-known pharmacological agent with pro-neurogenic properties and neuroprotective effects. In this study, we evaluated NAC protective effects on cognitive impairment and associated pathological markers in a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced sporadic dementia of AD type mice model. Animals were divided into six groups: I) Sham, II) NAC, III) physostigmine (PHY), IV) STZ, V) NAC + STZ and VI) PHY + NAC. NAC (5 mg/kg) and PHY (0.25 mg/kg) were administrated orally for 30 consecutive days and STZ (2.5 mg/kg) intracerebroventricularly at the first and third days. Novel object recognition (NOR, days 26–27) and Morris water maze (MWM, days 26–30) tasks were assessed to evaluate learning and memory. On the thirty-first day animals were euthanized and brains collected for biochemical analysis. Interestingly, our results showed that STZ treatment induced cognitive impairment in mice in the NOR and MWM tasks. Both NAC and PHY treatments prevented from this impairment. The increase in AChE activity and decrease in pTrkB and MnSOD levels caused by STZ in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, were prevented by the NAC and PHY treatments. The decrease in SYN, MAP2 and GFAP expressions were also prevented by NAC and PHY treatments. In conclusion, NAC treatment prevented the cognitive impairment induced by STZ, normalizing the AChE activity and rescuing the synaptic plasticity loss. Our results suggest that NAC is a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of AD.

Effect of Simvastatin on induced apical periodontitis in rats: a tomographic and biochemical analysis

Abstract Introduction Simvastatin is one of several statins that are used to treat hypercholesterolemia, and in dentistry, few studies have attempted to associate the administration of this compound with bone repair. Objective To evaluate the effect of simvastatin on the progression of induced apical periodontitis in rats. Material and method To this end, 36 male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups (N=12): Induced Apical Periodontitis Associated with Simvastatin Group (APSG N=12), Induced Periodontitis Apical Induced Group (APG N=12) and Negative Control Group (CG). On the first day, APG and APSG were anesthetized, and the coronal opening of the mandibular first molar was performed. For thirty days, the APSG received 6 mg of simvastatin daily via gavage. On the thirty-first day, all groups underwent blood collection and euthanasia. The jaws were removed and fixed in formalin. CT scans were performed to measure the periapical regions. In addition, the body mass and lipid profile were analyzed. The data were subjected to statistical analysis (ANOVA and Tukey’s test). Result The APG (3.42±0.65) showed the highest perimeters for the space periapical ligament, followed by APSG (1.54±0.78) and CG (0.64±0.24) (p<0.05). The lipid profile revealed the effect of simvastatin on the amount of glucose, triglycerides, HDL, and VLDL (p<0.05). Body mass APG showed the most weight gain (264.75±44.11), followed by CG (252.00±44.36) and APSG (245.41±42.56). The three groups showed significant differences in decreasing order (p<0.05). Conclusion The use of simvastatin decreased the progression of the increasing periapical ligament space in rats.

Human Leukocyte Antigen Genotypes and Trial of Desensitization in Patients With Oxcarbazepine-Induced Skin Rash: A Pilot Study

BackgroundSkin rash associated with specific antiepileptic drugs occurs not infrequently and it usually necessitates discontinuation of the causative drugs. An alternative strategy is to desensitize the individual to the offending drug. We checked the human leukocyte antigen genotypes and conducted a pilot study to investigate the usefulness and safety of desensitization in pediatric patients with skin rash associated with oxcarbazepine. MethodsWe enrolled 19 patients with epilepsy who had discontinued oxcarbazepine because of skin rash despite an initial good response and then became refractory to other antiepileptic drugs along with an individual with paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia with a similar situation. High-resolution HLA-A and -B genotyping was performed to investigate the genetic risk. The desensitization began with 0.1 mg daily reaching 120 mg on the thirty-first day. Thereafter, the dose was increased at a rate of 12 mg/day. ResultsNineteen patients completed the desensitization protocol to a target dosage over 2-5 months. Five patients developed itching and erythema during desensitization, but the symptoms disappeared after withholding a dose increment transiently. There were no human leukocyte antigen genotypes relevant to aromatic antiepileptic drug–induced severe hypersensitivity reactions. The seizure frequency was reduced to less than at baseline in 18 individuals. ConclusionThis study demonstrated 95% efficacy, including 42% seizure-free patients and the favorable tolerability of desensitization to oxcarbazepine in patients with intractable epilepsy and one patient with paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia. Screening for sensitive human leukocyte antigen types and exclusion of severe hypersensitivity reactions should precede desensitization.

MORPHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF CHRONIC CONSUMPTION OF ZOBO DRINKS ON THE KIDNEY OF ADULT WISTAR RATS

The effects of chronic consumption of zobo drinks commonly used as red coloured soft drinks on the kidney of adult wistar rats were investigated. The rats of both sexes (n=20), with an average weight of 200g were randomly assigned into test (n=10) and control (n=10) groups. The rats in the test group was given zobo drinks liberally on a daily basis for thirty days while the control group received water liberally for the same period and through the same route. The rats were fed with grower’s mash obtained from Edo Feeds and Flour Mill Limited, Ewu, Edo state, Nigeria. The rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation method on the thirty-first day of the experiment and the kidney was carefully dissected out, dried, weighed, and quickly fixed in 10% formal saline for further routine histological study. The findings indicated that there was a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in weights (g) and increase in relative weights (%) of the test kidneys (right and left) as compared to the control group. The microanatomy (H & E) indicated that the kidney in the test group showed some level of distortion and disruption of the cytoarchitecture of the renal cortical structure, diffuse glomerulonephritis with some congestion of blood and an enlarged Bowman’s space as compared to the control group. Chronic consumption of zobo drinks may therefore have an adverse effect on the kidney of adult wistar rats. It is recommended that further studies aimed at corroborating these observations be carried out.

Effects of chronic administration of efavirenz on DNA of the intracranial visual relay centers of adult Wistar rats

The effects of chronic administration of efavirenz commonly used as part of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) for the treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) type-1 therapy on the DNA of the intracranial visual relay centre namely the superior colliculus and lateral geniculate body of adult Wistar rats were carefully studied. The rats of both sexes (n=20), with an average weight of 200g were randomly assigned into treatment (n=10) and control (n=10) groups. The rats in the treatment group received 600mg/70kg bogy weight of efavirenz dissolved in distilled water daily for 30 days through the orogastric tube. The control group received equal volume of distilled water daily for 30 days through the same route. The rats were fed with grower’s mash obtained from Edo Feeds and Flour Mill Limited, Ewu, Edo State, Nigeria and given water liberally. The rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation method on the thirty-first day of the experiment. The superior colliculus and lateral geniculate body were carefully dissected out and quickly fixed in 10% formal saline for histochemical study. The histochemical findings indicated that the treatment sections of the superior colliculus and lateral geniculate body showed less intense staining and appeared pachychromatic. The stained neurons and glia cells were few as compared to the control sections. There were observations of neuronal enlargement in the superior colliculus and lateral geniculate body of the treated sections. The superior colliculus of the treated rats showed evidence of hypertrophy and microcytic changes in the darkly stained DNA positive granules, while the treated section of the lateral geniculate body showed positively stained DNA granules of various sizes and shapes, with an indication of hypertrophy and microcytic changes as compared to the control group. Chronic administration of efavirenz may therefore have an adverse effect on the DNA of the superior colliculus and lateral geniculate body of adult Wistar rats. It is recommended that further studies aimed at corroborating these observations be carried out.

Histological effects of chronic consumption of soda pop drinks on kidney of adult Wister rats.

Background:Health concerns over soda pop drinks have been severally report. However, histological perspectives are not very common.Aim:The objective of this study is to investigate histological effect of chronic consumption of soda pop drinks on the kidney of adult Wistar rats.Materials and methods:The rats of both sexes (n = 24), with average weight of 200g were randomly assigned into two treatment (A & B) (n=16) and Control (c) (n=8) groups. The rats in the treatment group (A) received a brand of soda pop drink on a daily basis for thirty days. The rats in treatment group (B) received another brand of soda drink, while the control group (C) received equal amount of water for the same period. The rats were given the drinks as well as feeds liberally for thirty days, and sacrificed by cervical dislocation on the thirty-first day of the experiment. The kidney was carefully dissected out and quickly fixed in 10% formal saline for histological study.Results:The findings indicate that rats in the treated groups (A&B) showed some varying degree of distortion and disruption of the renal structure. There are observable diffuse signs of glomerulonephritis with some congestion and tubular necrosis as compared to the control group.Conclusion:Chronic consumption of soda pop drinks may affect the microanatomy of the kidney of adult Wistar rats. Further study aimed at corroborating these observations in humans is warranted.

Histological effects of chronic administration of Phyllanthus amarus on the kidney of adult Wistar rat.

Background:Phyllanthus amarus is commonly used for treatment such as in gastro, urogenital diseases and infection. However, it is speculated to have some toxic effects such as renal tubular damage.Aims:This study was to investigate the histological effects of chronic administration of the herb on kidney of adult Wistar rats.Material and Methods:Rats of both sexes (n = 24), with average weight of 200g were randomly assigned into two treatments (A and B) and control (C) groups of 8 rats each. Rats in treatment groups (A) and (B) respectively received daily administration of 400mg and 800mg of aqueous Phyllanthus amarus, per 70kg body weight for 30days through the orogastric tube. The control group received distilled water through the same route. All rats were fed with grower's mash and given water liberally. The rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation on the thirty-first day of the experiment and the kidneys were carefully dissected out and quickly fixed in 10% formal saline for histological study.Results:The observations indicate that rats in the treated groups showed some varying degree of distortion and disruption in microanatomy of the kidney including interstitial oedema and tubular necrosis, when compared to the control section.Conclusion:This report provides further evidence that medicinal use of Phyllanthus amarus has a potential adverse effect. This warrants further studies to establish or rule out any untoward side-effect of chronic renal dysfunctions.

Histological effects of chronic administration of efavirenz on lateral geniculate body of adult Wistar rats.

Background:The effects of chronic administration of efavirenz commonly used as part of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for the treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) type-1 on the weight of the brain and inferior colliculus of adult Wistar rats was carefully studied.Methods and MaterialsThe rats of both sexes (n = 24), with average weight of 200g were randomly assigned into two treatment (A & B) (n=16) and Control (c) (n=8) groups. The rats in the treatment group received 600mg/70kg bogy weight of efavirenz dissolved in distilled water daily for 30days through the orogastric tube. The control group received equal volume of distilled through the same route. All rats were fed with grower's mash and given water liberally. The rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation method on the thirty-first day of the experiment and the lateral geniculate body was carefully dissected out and quickly fixed in 10% formal saline for histological study.ResultsThe findings indicate that rats in the treated group showed some cellular degenerative changes like sparse cellular population, pyknotic nuclei with some microcystic changes and edema in the stroma of the lateral geniculate body as compared to the control group.ConclusionChronic administration of efavirenz may have an adverse effect on the visual sensibilities by affecting the microanatomy of the lateral geniculate body of adult Wistar rats. It is recommended that further studies aimed at corroborating these observations be carried out.

Effects to chronic administration of Efavirenz on the body and brain weights of adult wistar rats

The effects of chronic administration of Efavirenz commonly used as part of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for the treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) type-1 on the body and brain weights of adult wistar rats were carefully studied. The rats of both sexes (n=16), with the average weight of 200g were randomly assigned into treatment (n=8) and control (n=8) groups. The rats in the treatment group received 8.57mg/kg bogy weight of Efavirenz dissolved in distilled water daily for 30 days (thirty days) through the orogastric tube. The control group received equal volume of distilled water daily for 30 days through the same route. The rats were fed with grower's mash obtained from Edo Feeds and Flour Mill Limited, Ewu, Edo state, Nigeria and given water liberally. The rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation method on the thirty-first day of the experiment. The brains were carefully dissected out, dried and weighed using the Mettler Toledo weighing balance. The body weights were taken before and during the period of treatment using the weighing balance.The findings indicate that there was a steady increase in the body weight during the period of acclimatization and before the treatment. During treatment, the control animals continues to increase in body weight, while that of the treatment group showed decrease in body weight that was statistically significant (P< 0.05) when compared with the control group.There was also a significant decrease (P< 0.05) in the dry brain weight and a significant increase (P< 0.05) in the relative dry brain weight of the treated group as compared to the control group in this experiment.

Two-stage explantation of a cirrhotic liver for liver transplantation in a patient with a coronary bypass using a right gastroepiploic artery

The right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA) has been considered a fair alternative choice for a coronary bypass graft. However, after such nonanatomical anastomosis, it is difficult to plan abdominal surgery without endangering the critical arterial supply. To date, gastrectomies and pancreatoduodenectomies have been reported in patients with RGEA grafts for coronary bypass. We recently performed living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in a patient who had previously undergone coronary bypass surgery using RGEA 3 years before the LDLT. This is the first case of LDLT after coronary bypass using RGEA. We report our two-stage explantation of the cirrhotic liver without any injury to the RGEA. The patient was a 63-year-old man suffering from end-stage liver failure and persistent cholangitis due to primary sclerosing cholangitis in May 2007. LDLT was indicated, and preoperative angio-computed tomography was performed and revealed that the patent RGEA graft was located on the left lobe of the cirrhotic liver (Fig. 1A). The LDLT was scheduled on May 28, 2007, with the attendance of a cardiac surgeon and full monitoring of cardiac function, including transesophageal ultrasound. Laparotomy showed that the RGEA was on the left lobe of the cirrhotic liver (Fig. 1B). In order to liberate the RGEA, the left lateral segmentectomy was performed first with the Cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator system (CUSA; Valley-Lab, Boulder, CO) and saline-linked cautery (Dissecting Sealer DS 3.0, Tissue Link Medical, Inc., Dover, NH) with minimal blood loss (Fig. 1B,C). Subsequently, the remnant right lobe of the liver was explanted without a spastic event of the RGEA being caused; a left lobe graft from a living donor was then implanted. The RGEA was placed on the dorsal side of the graft because this was the natural position of the RGEA (Fig. 1D). No cardiac event occurred throughout the LDLT, with total blood loss of 1900 g during a total operative time of 1015 minutes. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful, and he was discharged from our hospital on the thirty-first day after the LDLT. As of this writing, he has been doing well for 8 months since the LDLT. Performing LDLT in patients after previous abdominal surgery is a therapeutic challenge. In particular, the gastroepiploic artery used for coronary arterial bypass is a cumbersome entity because damage to the artery can cause significant consequences for the patient, including cardiac infarction. We performed two-stage explantation of the liver because it was impossible to mobilize the cirrhotic liver with the RGEA in place as the RGEA was present on the left lobe of the liver. After we recognized the situation through a preoperative three-dimensional recon-

Chronic glucocorticosteroid administration modulates the response of the fibrinolytic system to bacterial lipopolysaccharide

An in vivo rat model was used to study the effect of chronic glucocorticosteroid administration on the response of the fibrinolytic system to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Male Lewis rats were injected subcutaneously for 30 consecutive days with either saline or saline containing 0.1 μg/g dexamethasone. On the thirty-first day, the rats were challenged with intraperitoneal injections of LPS (0.5 μg/g). Plasma and selected tissues (liver, kidney, heart, lung, muscle, and fat) were removed for analysis at various times after LPS injection. LPS treatment caused a rapid rise in plasma type 1 plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAW) activity in both groups. However, in the dexamethasone-pretreated animals a transient decline in PAI-1 activity was detected at 4 h, coinciding with a transient increase in plasma tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) activity and a marked elevation of t-PA messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in the lung. Plasma t-PA activity returned below basal levels by 8 h and did not differ between the two groups at later times. At 24h, PAI-1 activity remained significantly elevated in the dexamethasone-pretreated rats while declining in the saline-pretreated rats. A greater induction of PAI-1 mRNA was evident in the dexamethasone-pretreated rats in all six tissues examined. Notably, a 3-fold greater increase in PAI-1 mRNA was detected in the liver at 24h, corresponding with the sustained elevation in plasma PAI-1 activity at this time. Collectively, these data suggest that chronic glucocorticosteroid treatment potentiates the induction of both t-PA and PAI-1 gene expression by LPS, resulting in an initial transient increase in plasma t-PA activity followed by a more sustained elevation in plasma PAI-1 activity.

Cinétique comparée de l'activité cytotoxique anticorps-dépendante à médiation cellulaire splénique de souris traitées par le BCG Ou Mycobacterium Smegmatis

Spleen cells from C3H/HeN mice treated with BCG or Mycobacterium smegmatis displayed similar increased antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) in vitro. This activity, which increased between the tenth and the thirty-first day after stimulation, reached twice the amount of ADCC activity developed by the control spleen cells. C3H/HeN mice treated with a complete adjuvant including M. smegmatis and squalane displayed a lower increase in their ADCC capacity (30% instead of 100%). Les cellules spléniques de souris C3H/HeN traitées par Mycobacterium smegmatis selon différents protocoles ont une activité ADCC (CCDA) (cytotoxicité anticorps-dépendante à médiation cellulaire) accure envers des globules rouges de poussin, selon une cinétique identique et dans des proportions semblables à celles observées au cours d'un traitement par le BCG. Ces résultats peuvent être rapprochés de l'effet antitumoral exercé in vivo par ces deux immunostimulants.

Abortifacient and teratogenic effects of triacetyl-6-azauridine in the monkey

Triacetyl-6-azauridine, developed as an antineoplastic agent, has been shown to be highly embryotoxic in rodents. To test the abortifacient effect in an infrahuman primate where the entire pregnancy could be followed, the drug was given to macaque monkeys as soon as pregnancy was diagnosed (day 21 to 28 after insemination). In 14 pregnancies the treatment at different dosages induced 13 delayed abortions between the thirty-sixth and one hundred and thirty-first day. No correlation could be made between dosage, weight of animal, and time of abortion. One pregnancy carried to term when fetal dystocia required a hysterotomy, and a teratogenic male infant was delivered. A new approach was necessary to avoid teratogenesis and the delayed abortions. The drug was then given after insemination at the end of 50 menstrual cycles on days 27 to 30. This was thought to make possible the evaluation of its capacity to prevent pregnancy. Three pregnancies were identified and ended early in abortions on days 23, 24, and 30. Since one out of 5 matings in this colony usually results in pregnancy it is possible that other implantations were interrupted without overt evidence.

Partial albinism in Syrian hamster.

DURING 1954, and also in 1955, a new mutant white hamster was imported from the United States. The adult mutant possesses pink (pigmentless) eyes and a white pelage but with dark (pigmented) ear pinna. The pigment is dark (melanin) and resides in the skin, the hair on the ears being white. Pigment is also present in the skin of the prepuce (as spots) and in the scrotum of males ; and in the perineum region of females. The amount of pigment in the ear appears comparable to that present in the normal golden hamster; but the amount in the genital regions is reduced. The young hamster at twenty-one days of age is devoid of skin melanism, with flesh-pink ears. By twenty-six days of age (range 24–28 days) the ears are distinctly tinged with pale grey. By the thirty-first day the ear colour is grey; thereafter the ear darkens more slowly, eventually becoming black. Some 2–3 months may elapse before pigment is manifested in the genitals. These observations strongly suggest that the phenotype is that of a thermo-sensitive acromelanic albino . (such as the Himalayan rabbit or Siamese cat). The symbol cd is proposed for the mutant allele.