bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gear Composition of Stable Set Polytopes and 𝒢-Perfection
Authors: Galluccio Anna , Gentile Claudio , Ventura Paolo
Published: October 2009

Graphs obtained by applying the gear composition to a given graph H are called geared graphs. We show how a linear description of the stable set polytope STAB(G) of a geared graph G can be obtained by extending the linear inequalities defining STAB(H) and STAB(He), where He is the graph obtained from H by subdividing the edge e. We also introduce the class of 𝒢-perfect graphs, i.e., graphs whose stable set polytope is described by nonnegativity inequalities, rank inequalities, lifted 5-wheel inequalities, and some special inequalities called geared inequalities and g-lifted inequalities. We prove that graphs obtained by repeated applications of the gear composition to a given graph H are 𝒢-perfect, provided that any graph obtained from H by subdividing a subset of its simplicial edges is 𝒢-perfect. In particular, we show that a large subclass of claw-free graphs is 𝒢-perfect.
Should Pathologists Send All or Only Selected Slides for Patient-Requested Interlaboratory Second Opinion?
Authors: Renshaw Megan A. , Renshaw Andrew A. , Gould Edwin W.
Published: October 2009

For interlaboratory second opinions requested by patients or clinicians, whether all or selected slides should be sent is unknown. We compared the disagreement rate for requested second opinions for 4 years of sending selected slides with the rate for 1 year of sending all slides. Disagreements were identified in 81 (13.6%) of 596 cases (468 selected slides, 128 all slides). The disagreement rate was less when sending selected slides (n = 58 [12%]) vs all slides (n = 23 [18%]; P = .03). Only 5 cases were identified with disagreement related to whether all or selected slides were sent (selected slides, 1 case [slide of interest inadvertently not chosen]; all slides, 4 cases; P = .03). When all slides were sent (disagreement in number of positive nodes, 2 cases; failure of second laboratory to identify microinvasive ductal carcinoma when present in 1 of 10 core biopsy slides, and ductal carcinoma in situ [DCIS] adjacent to invasive ductal carcinoma when DCIS present on only 1 of 5 slides [2/81 (2%)], 1 case each). Sending all slides is associated with a higher disagreement rate than sending only selected slides, but this disagreement comes from correcting and introducing error.
Lymphocyte-Depleted Thymic Remnants
Authors: Talmon Geoffrey A. , Lewis Jean E.
Published: October 2009

The head and neck region is a frequent site for potentially confusing incidental benign findings not related to the primary pathologic process and having no impact on patient prognosis. Several lesions are thymic in origin. We report 3 cases of lymphocyte-poor thymic remnants identified in central cervical (level VI) lymph node dissections for unrelated benign and malignant pathology. In each, the rests were nearly completely composed of bland epithelial cells with rare admixed lymphocytes. These cells were immunophenotypically similar to thymic epithelial cells, although they differed in the paucity of associated thymic lymphocytes and lack of Hassall corpuscles. Lymphocyte-depleted thymic remnants in the central cervical compartment are not well described in the literature. It is important to be aware of these and other benign inclusions to avoid making incorrect diagnoses of malignancy.
Grammar and Lexicon in Individuals With Autism: A Quantitative Analysis of a Large Italian Corpus
Authors: Tuzzi Arjuna
Published: October 2009

Statistical and linguistic procedures were implemented to analyze a large corpus of texts written by 37 individuals with autism and 92 facilitators (without disabilities), producing written conversations by means of PCs. Such texts were compared and contrasted to identify the specific traits of the lexis of the group of individuals with autism and assess to what extent it differed from the lexis of the facilitators. The purpose of this research was to identify specific language features using statistical procedures to analyze contingency lexical tables that reported on the frequencies of words and grammatical categories in different subcorpora and among different writers. The results support the existence of lexis and distributional patterns of grammatical categories that are characteristic of the written production of individuals with autism and that are different from those of facilitators.
Teacher Qualifications and Attitudes Toward Inclusion
Authors: Hsien Michelle , Brown P. Margaret , Bortoli Anna
Published: October 2009

The inclusion of children with disabilities into the regular education classroom has resulted in many studies on teacher attitudes. Current research has examined teacher beliefs about inclusion, their concerns, and issues pertaining to their ability to cater effectively for children with disabilities in their classrooms. Despite this, there appears to be little research investigating potential associations between teacher attitudes and beliefs toward inclusion, their education levels, and teacher training. This study investigated the attitudes and beliefs of 36 general and special education/early intervention teachers in Victoria. Results of the study show that teachers with higher educational qualifications in special education were more positive about inclusion.
Living with diversity: what difference can film-making make?
Authors: Hjort Mette
Published: October 2009

When it comes to meeting the multicultural challenge that currently confronts some of the smaller European nations, film-making has an important role to play. For a variety of reasons, documentary film-making has a particularly significant contribution to make. With its capacity to bring the concrete other into clear focus and its emphasis on basic epistemological norms, a properly assertoric approach to film-making helps to counteract stereotyped thinking while encouraging depth of understanding. In contexts characterized by thoughtful cultural policy, by visionary programming efforts, and by a clear sense of the opportunities that new platforms for debate and exchange afford, documentary film-making emerges as a particularly powerful means of both forging and strengthening the social bonds on which civil society be it local, regional, or global depends.
Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence
Authors: Lutz Antoine , Slagter Heleen A. , Rawlings Nancy B. , Francis Andrew D. , Greischar Lawrence L. , Davidson Richard J.
Published: October 2009

The capacity to stabilize the content of attention over time varies among individuals, and its impairment is a hallmark of several mental illnesses. Impairments in sustained attention in patients with attention disorders have been associated with increased trial-to-trial variability in reaction time and event-related potential deficits during attention tasks. At present, it is unclear whether the ability to sustain attention and its underlying brain circuitry are transformable through training. Here, we show, with dichotic listening task performance and electroencephalography, that training attention, as cultivated by meditation, can improve the ability to sustain attention. Three months of intensive meditation training reduced variability in attentional processing of target tones, as indicated by both enhanced theta-band phase consistency of oscillatory neural responses over anterior brain areas and reduced reaction time variability. Furthermore, those individuals who showed the greatest increase in neural response consistency showed the largest decrease in behavioral response variability. Notably, we also observed reduced variability in neural processing, in particular in low-frequency bands, regardless of whether the deviant tone was attended or unattended. Focused attention meditation may thus affect both distracter and target processing, perhaps by enhancing entrainment of neuronal oscillations to sensory input rhythms, a mechanism important for controlling the content of attention. These novel findings highlight the mechanisms underlying focused attention meditation and support the notion that mental training can significantly affect attention and brain function.
Single-Trial Phase Precession in the Hippocampus
Authors: Schmidt Robert , Diba Kamran , Leibold Christian , Schmitz Dietmar , Buzsáki György , Kempter Richard
Published: October 2009

During the crossing of the place field of a pyramidal cell in the rat hippocampus, the firing phase of the cell decreases with respect to the local theta rhythm. This phase precession is usually studied on the basis of data in which many place field traversals are pooled together. Here we study properties of phase precession in single trials. We found that single-trial and pooled-trial phase precession were different with respect to phase-position correlation, phase-time correlation, and phase range. Whereas pooled-trial phase precession may span 360°, the most frequent single-trial phase range was only ∼180°. In pooled trials, the correlation between phase and position (r= −0.58) was stronger than the correlation between phase and time (r= −0.27), whereas in single trials these correlations (r= −0.61 for both) were not significantly different. Next, we demonstrated that phase precession exhibited a large trial-to-trial variability. Overall, only a small fraction of the trial-to-trial variability in measures of phase precession (e.g., slope or offset) could be explained by other single-trial properties (such as running speed or firing rate), whereas the larger part of the variability remains to be explained. Finally, we found that surrogate single trials, created by randomly drawing spikes from the pooled data, are not equivalent to experimental single trials: pooling over trials therefore changes basic measures of phase precession. These findings indicate that single trials may be better suited for encoding temporally structured events than is suggested by the pooled data.
Evidence against AMPA Receptor-Lacking Glutamatergic Synapses in the Superficial Dorsal Horn of the Rat Spinal Cord
Authors: Yasaka Toshiharu , Hughes David I. , Polgár Erika , Nagy Gergely G. , Watanabe Masahiko , Riddell John S. , Todd Andrew J.
Published: October 2009

Pure NMDA receptor (NMDAr)-mediated EPSCs, thought to correspond to “silent” glutamatergic synapses that lack AMPA receptors (AMPArs), have been observed in superficial spinal dorsal horn of neonatal but not adult rats. Recent anatomical studies suggest that AMPArs are present at virtually all glutamatergic synapses in this region in adults. We used antigen retrieval to examine colocalization of AMPArs and PSD-95 (a marker for glutamatergic synapses) in laminae I–II of neonatal and adult rats. We found a high degree of colocalization in all cases, which suggests that AMPArs are present in the great majority of glutamatergic synapses even in neonatal animals. We therefore reexamined evidence for silent synapses by performing blind whole-cell recordings from superficial dorsal horn neurons in slices from neonatal or adult rats, with focal stimulation to activate glutamatergic synapses. On some occasions in both neonatal (10 of 109, 9%) and adult (9 of 77, 12%) slices, NMDAr-mediated EPSCs were observed when the holding potential was raised to +50 mV at a stimulus strength that had failed to evoke AMPAr-mediated EPSCs. However, in all cases tested, AMPAr-mediated EPSCs were then observed when the cell was returned to −70 mV; this and other properties of the EPSCs suggest that they do not represent genuine silent synapses. When compared with previous findings, our results indicate that the appearance of silent synapses depends on experimental protocol. This suggests that pure NMDAr-mediated EPSCs seen in previous studies do not correspond to AMPAr-lacking synapses but result from another mechanism, for example, loss of labile AMPArs from recently formed synapses.
Mrgprd-Expressing Polymodal Nociceptive Neurons Innervate Most Known Classes of Substantia Gelatinosa Neurons
Authors: Wang Hong , Zylka Mark J.
Published: October 2009

TheMas-related G-protein-coupled receptor D(Mrgprd) marks a distinct subset of sensory neurons that transmit polymodal nociceptive information from the skin epidermis to the substantia gelatinosa (SG, lamina II) of the spinal cord. Moreover,Mrgprd-expressing (Mrgprd+) neurons are required for the full expression of mechanical but not thermal nociception. While such anatomical and functional specificity suggestsMrgprd+neurons might synapse with specific postsynaptic targets in the SG, precisely howMrgprd+neurons interface with spinal circuits is currently unknown. To study circuit connectivity, we genetically targeted the light-activated ion channel Channelrhodopsin-2-Venus (ChR2-Venus) to theMrgprdlocus. In these knock-in mice, ChR2-Venus was localized to nonpeptidergicMrgprd+neurons and axons, while peptidergic CGRP+neurons were not significantly labeled. DissociatedMrgprd+DRG neurons from mice expressing one or two copies of ChR2-Venus could be activatedin vitroas evidenced by light-evoked currents and action potentials. In addition, illumination ofMrgprd-ChR2-Venus+axon terminals in spinal cord slices evoked EPSCs in half of all SG neurons. Within this subset,Mrgprd+neurons were monosynaptically connected to most known classes of SG neurons, including radial, tonic central, transient central, vertical, and antenna cells. This cellular diversity ruled out the possibility thatMrgprd+neurons innervate a dedicated class of SG neuron. Our findings set broad constraints on the types of spinal neurons that process afferent input fromMrgprd+polymodal nociceptors.
Edging Toward a New Politics in Malaysia: Civil Society at the Gate?
Authors: Weiss Meredith L.
Published: October 2009

Activists from civil society contributed significantly to the strong performance of the opposition in Malaysia's March 2008 elections, strategizing opposition collaboration, standing as candidates, informing debates, and expanding media options. These efforts boosted the excitement of the polls and the opposition's odds, but they also pose new challenges for the future.
From The History of a Book to a "History of the Book"
Authors: Price Leah
Published: October 2009

The ambition of this article is to wrest attention away from the fraction of any book's life cycle spent in the hands of readers and toward, instead, the whole spectrum of social practices for which printed matter provides a prompt. It asks, how accounts of print culture would look if narrated from the point of view not of human readers and users, but of the book. Turning to the nineteenth-century genre of "it-narrative"—which traces the travel of a book among a series of owners and handlers—it asks how such a narrative might compare to more familiar accounts of selves shaped by texts.
Reading on the Left
Authors: Nealon Christopher
Published: October 2009

This essay traces some of the paths followed by literary interpretation on the left since the early 1970s. I identify two kinds of symptomatic reading, one multicultural and one Marxist, as well as a style of "situational" reading. I suggest that these styles of reading are limited by their philosophical understandings of "matter" and argue that the history of literary (especially poetic) "matter" might better ground a reading practice that tells historical time.
Surface, Depth, and the Spatial Imaginary: A Cognitive Reading of The Political Unconscious
Authors: Crane Mary Thomas
Published: October 2009

This essay argues that cognitive approaches to literature are less widely used than they might be if they offered a hermeneutic practice in addition to providing insight about the ways in which texts are produced and read. It offers a history of the spatial metaphors of surface and depth that structure Jameson's interpretive practice in The Political Unconscious, arguing that Jameson deploys spatial metaphors in order to negotiate aporiae that are not reconcilable in theory.
HYDROLYSIS OF URINARY 17-KETOSTEROID CONJUGATES WITH β-GLUCURONIDASE PREPARATIONS FROM LIVER, BACTERIAE AND PATELLA VULGATA
Authors: Vestergaard Per
Published: October 2009

A comparative study has been undertaken of three commercial preparations of β-glucuronidase: a liver preparation, a preparation of bacterial origin and a preparation deriving from patella vulgata.

Studies on pooled urine showed that each of these preparations would release (within the experimental error of the method) the same amounts of individual 17-ketosteroids from the same pool if proper combinations of incubation time and concentration of enzyme were used.

Optimal concentrations of enzyme for different incubation periods were established and it was shown that most of the recommendations in the literature call for low or suboptimal concentrations of β-glucuronidase to be used.

The use of ether/alcohol extracts of urine instead of the urine itself was found to greatly activate the liver and limpet preparations whereas it had the opposite effect on the bacterial preparation. Enzymatic hydrolysis of dehydroisoandrosterone sulfate through the effect of the steroid sulfatase in the patella vulgata preparation is possible in such conjugates.

Artefact formation with transformation of dehydroisoandrosterone sulfate into i-androstenolone was noted under the conditions of the enzymatic assay.

Organic solvents were found without activating effect on the bacterial preparation in the splitting of 17-ketosteroid conjugates.
PRELIMINARY STUDIES ON THE APPLICATION OF GAS PHASE CHROMATOGRAPHY TO THE SEPARATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF STEROIDS IN BIOLOGICAL FLUIDS
Authors: Patti A. Anne , Bonanno Philip , Frawley Thomas F. , Stein A. A.
Published: October 2009

The separation and the identification of steroids in biological fluids by gas phase chromatography are described. Comparison of hydrolytic procedures indicated that fractionation into groups of similar compounds: pregnanediol, 17-ketosteroids, estrogens and corticoids was necessary. Bongiovanni's method was qualitatively and quantitatively superior for urinary pregnanediol in crude and purified extracts. Enzymatic hydrolysis, solvolysis and acid hydrolysis with and without simultaneous extraction were employed for the commonly occurring 11-oxo- and desoxy-17-ketosteroids and the estrogens. Solvolysis yielded the highest concentration of DHEA and seemed fairly specific for this steroid. Estrone, estradiol and estriol have been separated and identified as their acetoxy derivatives. Cortisone, cortisol and their tetrahydro reduced forms were detected in extracts from urines hydrolyzed with beta-glucuronidase and with acid at pH 1.0 at room temperature. Column and paper chromatography were used for purifying the extracts but molecular alteration was observed with cortisol in extracts from papergrams which had been scanned by ultraviolet light. The order of the migration of steroids was reversed from that usually observed on paper chromatograms.
ANTI-OVULATORY ACTIVITY OF SUBCUTANEOUSLY INJECTED STEROIDS IN THE ADULT OESTRUS RABBIT
Authors: Kind Fred A. , Dorfman Ralph I.
Published: October 2009

Thirty-six steroids of various structures were studied by subcutaneous injection in a rabbit anti-ovulatory test which depends upon the suppression of luteinizing hormones at the pituitary level, the direct interference with the peripheral action of the luteinizing hormone on the ovary or a combination of both.

The steroid 19-norprogesterone was the most active anti-ovulatory steroid found and was judged to be about 150 times more active than progesterone. The highly active progestational agents, 6-chloro-Δ6-dehydro-17α-acetoxyprogesterone, 6-chloro-Δ1,6-bisdehydro-17α-acetoxyprogesteroune, 6-chloro-16α-methyl-Δ6-dehydro-17α-acetoxyprogesterone, 6α-chloro-Δ1-dehydro-17α-acetoxyprogesterone and Δ6=dehydro-17α-acetoxyprogesterone were highly active anti-ovulatory agents having potency ratios compared to progesterone of 30, 8, 5, 2.8, ≥ 2, 2. The anti-ovulatory activity of a steroid was not necessarily related to its progestational activity nor its anti-gonadotrophic activity as determined in a parabiosis assay.
STUDIES ON THE TESTICULAR-HYPOPHYSEAL FEED-BACK MECHANISM IN MAN
Authors: Johnsen Svend G.
Published: October 2009

Quantitative measurements of the urinary excretion of gonadotrophins and androgen metabolites have been correlated with the functional condition of the germinal epithelium in various forms of male hypogonadism. Data on the influence of Leydig-cells, Sertoli-cells and the spermatogenetic stages on the gonadotrophin production are given. The finding of some, previously undescribed, lesions in spermatogenesis in certain clinical conditions is discussed.

It is concluded that the testicular-hypophyseal feed-back mechanism in man depends on a very late stage in spermatogenesis. The suggestion is put forward that the cytoplasm which is split off from the spermatid immediately before liberation of the mature spermatozoon produces the hypophyseal inhibitor.
INHIBITION BY CORTICOSTEROIDS OF RED CELL LYSIS IN VITRO
Authors: Agarwal Kailash N. , Garby Lars
Published: October 2009

The effect of different corticosteroids on the lysis of human erythrocytes caused by sulfhydryl inhibitors, mechanical stress and whole blood incubation was investigated.

Several of the corticosteroids inhibited the lysis obtained under these conditions.

Some conclusions were drawn regarding the molecular configuration required for the inhibitory effect.
CLINICAL TRIAL OF HUMAN GONADOTROPHINS
Authors: Crooke A. C. , Butt W. R. , Bertrand P. V.
Published: October 2009

Thirteen patients with prolonged secondary amenorrhoea and 5 with anovular cycles each provided sufficient data to establish their individual sensitivity to FSH.

The parameters used were based on the rise in excretion of oestriol and of pregnanediol.

The sensitivity expressed as the ED 50 (that dose which is effective in 50 per cent of times it is given) varied between patients over at least a sevenfold range but the difference between the 2 groups of patients was not significant.

After adjusting for differences between patients a dose-response relationship was established and it was found that a dose equal to half the ED 50 would be expected to produce a response in less than Io per cent of the times it is given while a dose equal to twice the ED 50 would be expected to produce a response in more than go per cent of the times it is given. Such a dose would be likely to produce an excessive response.

An excessive response occurred three times in 140 months of treatment.

Sixteen of the I8 patients became pregnant. The 2 who failed gave up treatment prematurely.

A test of individual patient's sensitivity to FSH was established which depended on single injections of the hormone mixed with HCG. The test was repeated at 2 to 3 weekly intervals with increasing dosages until a positive response was obtained as judged by an increase in excretion of oestriol.

The rate at which the dose should be increased was investigated and a 30 per cent rate was selected.

When the effective test dose was established a standard schedule of dosages was recommended for treatment using 3 equal doses of FSH in 8 days and HCG on the tenth.
STUDIES ON THE INTERACTIONS OF ETHYNYL OESTRADIOL AND NORGESTREL (dl-13β-ETHYL-17α-ETHYNYL-17β-HYDORXYGON-4-EN-3-ONE; WY 3707)
Authors: Edgren Richard A. , Jones Robert C. , Peterson DeAnn L. , Gillen Anne L.
Published: October 2009

The interactions of norgestrel (dl-13β-ethyl-17α-ethynyl-17β-hydroxygon-4-en-3-one; Wy 3707) and ethynyl oestradiol (EO) have been examined in a variety of experiments. Norgestrel is an antagonist of EO in mouse uterine growth and vaginal smear tests; in a rat uterine growth test the progestagen appeared to potentiate the oestrogen. EO was an antagonist of norgestrel in the Clauberg test for progestational activity. In tests for pregnancy maintenance in spayed rats, the oestrogen was largely antagonistic to the progestagen, although a suggestion of potentiation was observed at certain dose combinations. The pituitary effects of EO, as judged from studies in hemicastrated rats, were not modified by the simultaneous administration of norgestrel. Cohabitation experiments in rats failed to demonstrate a »contraceptive« effect of norgestrel alone, whereas EO and the combinations were effective; essentially normal fertility and fecundity were recovered after termination of treatment.

None of these results differed significantly from what would be expected from data on other oestrogen/progestagen combinations.
EFFECTS OF TESTOSTERONE ON THE METABOLISM OF THE ISOLATED LEVATOR ANI MUSCLE OF THE RAT
Authors: Arvill A.
Published: October 2009

The effects of restosterone were studied on the rate of intracellular accumulation of D-xylose-14C, AIB-14C, glycine-3H, valine-14C and leucine-14C in the isolated levator ani muscle of immature male rats. The effects of testosterone were also investigated on the incorporation of glycine-3H and leucine-14C into the muscle protein as well as on the incorporation of adenine-14C in muscle RNA. The testosterone stimulated AIB transport is described by the formulation of Michaelis-Menten and approximate values of Km and Vmax are calculated for this transport in the levator ani muscle. Testosterone stimulated the intracellular accumulation of D-xylose-14C, AIB-14C and glycine-3H, but only when injected to the rats at least six hours before the in vitro experiment. No effect could be observed when testosterone was added to the incubation media. Testosterone also stimulated the incorporation of glycine-3H and leucine-14C into the muscle protein. When puromycin was added to the medium no radioactivity was found in the protein fraction. Stimulating effects during the incubation period, of previously injected testosterone, were nevertheless observed on the intracellular accumulation of AIB-14C, glycine-3H and valine-14C.

Testosterone also stimulated the incorporation of adenine-14C into the muscle RNA.

No effects on these parameters were ever observed in the diaphragm muscles of the same rats.
SENSITIVITY OF THE RAT DIAPHRAGM TO GROWTH HORMONE
Authors: Hjalmarson Å.
Published: October 2009

In vitro administration of bovine growth hormone (GH) to intact hemidiaphragms from hypophysectomized rats was found to produce both an early stimulatory and a late inhibitory effect on the rate of intracellular accumulation of α-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) and D-xylose. These effects were obtained by using an in vitro system, in which the diaphragms were incubated for periods up to 5 hours, a procedure found suitable for studying early and late effects of GH in vitro.

GH (25 μg/ml) was added at the start of incubation and after various lengths of exposure to the hormone the diaphragms were transferred to other flasks and were incubated with AIB-14C (for 60 min) or D-xylose-14C (for 30 min). The stimulatory effect produced by GH on the uptake of the labelled substances in the diaphragm was seen during 2—3 hours after the initial addition of the hormone. The duration of the corresponding stimulatory effect of insulin was at least 4½ hours.

Exposure of the diaphragms in vitro to GH in a concentration of 5 μg/ml for 3 hours made the diaphragms almost completely insensitive to further addition of GH (25 μg/ml) later on, when the ability of the muscles to accumulate AIB-14C and D-xylose-14C was studied. Thus, a late inhibitory effect of GH on the membrane transport of AIB and D-xylose in the diaphragm was obtained after in vitro administration of the hormone.

The biphasic action of GH in vitro on the accumulation of AIB and D-xylose does not seem to be secondary to GH-produced changes of the glucose utilization in the diaphragm. This phenomenon cannot be explained by different dose levels of GH either, since qualitatively the same effects were obtained by GH at different concentrations from 0.1 to 100 μg/ml medium.

The results from the present study are discussed in relation to available observations of the dual nature of GH exerted both in vivo and in vitro.
ANALYSIS OF THE BIPHASIC ACTION OF GROWTH HORMONE IN VITRO ON THE RAT DIAPHRAGM
Authors: Hjalmarson Å.
Published: October 2009

In vitro addition of bovine growth hormone (GH) to intact hemidiaphragms from hypophysectomized rats has previously been found to produce both an early stimulatory effect lasting for 2—3 hours and a subsequent late inhibitory effect during which the muscle is insensitive to further addition of GH (Hjalmarson 1968). These effects on the accumulation rate of α-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) and D-xylose have been further studied.

In presence of actinomycin D (20 μg/ml) or puromycin (100 μg/ml) the duration of the stimulatory effect of GH (25 μg/ml) was prolonged to last for at least 4—5 hours and the late inhibitory effect was prevented. Similar results were obtained when glucose-free incubation medium was used.

Preincubation of the diaphragm at different glucose concentrations (0—5 mg/ml) for 3 hours did not change the GH sensitivity. Addition of insulin at start of incubation could not prevent GH from inducing its late inhibitory effect, while dexamethasone seemed to potentiate this effect of GH. Furthermore, adrenaline was found to decrease the uptake of AIB-14C and D-xylose-14C in the diaphragm, but not to change the sensitivity of the muscle to GH.

Preincubation of the diaphragm for 3 hours with puromycin in a concentration of 200 μg/ml markedly decreased the subsequent basal uptake of both AIB-14C and D-xylose-14C, in the presence of puromycin, and abolished the stimulatory effect of GH on the accumulation of AIB-14C. However, the effect of GH on the accumulation of D-xylose-14C was unchanged. The present observations are discussed and evaluated in relation to various mechanisms of GH action proposed to explain the dual nature of the hormone.
TESTOSTERONAUSSCHEIDUNG BEI MÄNNLICHEN PERSONEN UNTER NORMALEN UND PATHOLOGISCHEN BEDINGUNGEN
Authors: Schmidt Helmuth
Published: October 2009

Until recently our knowledge concerning the endocrine function of the human testes was mainly based on clinical and morphological data. Biochemical criteria of Leydig cell function such as certain constituents of semen (fructose, citric acid, acid phosphatase) or urinary metabolites of testicular hormones (17-ketosteroids and their fractions, estrogens) were not able to give reliable and precise information. Since 1960 however progress in methodology has enabled us to determine testosterone itself in plasma and urine. Plasma and urinary testosterone is not only derived from the testicular but also from the adrenal androgens and urinary testosterone represents only 1% of the total testosterone produced in the male organism. If however the production of androgens by the testes or adrenals is suppressed by blocking ICSH or ACTH, it can be demonstrated that 80–90% of the plasma testosterone is derived from the testes; in contrast, about two thirds of the "androgenic" fractions of 17-ketosteroids are metabolites of adrenal precursors; similar relationships seem to exist in the urinary estrogens of the male. It can therefore be assumed that testosterone values correlate better with the endocrine testes function than any of the parameters formerly employed. Furthermore, testosterone is the most active androgen whereas the 17-ketosteroids are derived mainly from weak androgenic steroids and they do not represent the total androgenicity of the organism.
SATURATION ASSAYS FOR PLASMA PROGESTERONE AND 17-HYDROXYPROGESTERONE
Authors: Lipsett Mortimer B. , Doerr Peter , Bermudez Jose A.
Published: October 2009

Saturation assays for progesterone and 17-hydroxyprogesterone have been discussed. These methods have a sensitivity of 0.06 ng/ml and satisfactory precision and reproducibility for physiologic concentrations. Practical points of technique and a system for analysis of data are presented. Steroids that can be converted to progesterone or 17-hydroxyprogesterone, either chemically or enzymatically, may also be measured by these techniques.
RELIABILITY OF PLASMA TESTOSTERONE ASSAYS BY COMPETITIVE PROTEIN BINDING METHODS
Authors: Nugent C. A. , Mayes D.
Published: October 2009

This report examines the reliability of different methods for competitive protein binding assay of plasma testosterone. Most of the methods give results similar to those reported by the most reliable of the competitive protein binding methods and by established double isotope derivative methods. In a few instances poor reliability was demonstrated. However, the reliability of the remaining methods usually had not been investigated thoroughly.

An adequate examination of accuracy was one of the most frequent omissions in the investigation of the reliability of these methods. Differences between direct standards and samples containing known amounts of testosterone purified in the same manner as unknown samples can develop easily in competitive protein binding methods. These differences may be caused by substances other than the steroid being measured or by alteration of the labelled or unlabelled steroid. The interfering substance or altered steroid may be present before or appear during or after purification. The impurity may or may not be removed in purification and it may or may not bind with the binding protein. To detect these types of errors, accuracy studies should be done throughout the range of concentrations in which it is expected to apply the method.
ASSAY OF 17β-OESTRADIOL BY COMPETITIVE PROTEIN BINDING METHODS
Authors: Corker C. S. , Exley D. , Naftolin F.
Published: October 2009

This report gives details of the authors' procedure for the measurement of 17β-oestradiol in plasma by competitive protein binding analysis, together with the results of studies on various parameters of the assay system. The preparation of the receptor cytosol, the assay system, extraction of plasma and reliability criteria are all discussed. The procedure is compared with those reported by other workers. Finally the results obtained by this technique are compared with those obtained by other methods and current applications are presented.
RADIOIMMUNOASSAY OF STEROIDS
Authors: Midgley A. R. , Niswender G. D.
Published: October 2009

A number of radioimmunoassay systems have been developed for quantitation of a variety of steroid hormones. Suitable antisera were obtained by immunizing rabbits with steroid derivatives conjugated at various positions to bovine serum albumin. The specificity of the antisera varied directly with the position of conjugation. Changes in the latter resulted in greater than 2000-fold shifts in relative inhibitory activity for a given steroid. The data indicate that conjugation should be done through a region (such as position 6) that is remote from distinguishing functional groups. The specificity data and nature of the inhibition curves suggest that the major portion of the steroid molecule is being recognized as a single immunoreactive unit. The advantages and problems associated with use of radioiodinated conjugates for labeled steroids are discussed. With conjugates, it has been possible to quantitate reliably as little as one pg of some steroids in a single assay tube.
RADIOIMMUNOASSAY OF ESTRONE AND ESTRADIOL
Authors: Mikhail G. , Wu C. H. , Ferin M. , Wiele R. L. Vande
Published: October 2009

Antibodies to estradiol were produced by immunization of sheep with 17β-estradiol-succinyl-BSA. The antiserum cross reacted readily with estrone and was used for radioimmunoassay of plasma estrone and estradiol. The method includes ether extraction, separation of estrone and estradiol by Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and radio-immunoassay using a mixture of polymerized estradiol antibodies and tracer 3H-estradiol. Separation of the free and protein bound radio-activity was effected by centrifugation. The water blank of the method is 11 ± 1 picogram (pg). The lower limit of sensitivity is 50 pg. The coefficient of variation was 8–18% for estrone and 4–17% for estradiol. Analysis of plasma estrone and estradiol in 5 ovulatory menstrual cycles revealed a midcycle peak of estradiol in each subject.
IN VITRO METHODS FOR THE STUDY OF THE ADENOHYPOPHYSIAL FUNCTIONS TO SECRETE GONADOTROPHIN
Authors: Kobayashi T. , Kigawa T. , Mizuno M. , Watanabe T.
Published: October 2009

There are several in vitro methods to analyse the function of the adenohypophysis or the mechanisms of its regulation. The present paper deals with single cell culture, organ culture and short term incubation techniques by which the morphology and gonadotrophin-secreting function of the adenohypophysis were studied. In trypsin-dispersed cell culture, the adenohypophysial cells showed extensive propagation to form numerous cell colonies and finally develop into a confluent monolayer cell sheet covering completely the surface of culture vessels. Almost all of the cultured cells, however, became chromophobic, at least at the end of the first week of cultivation, when gonadotrophin was detectable neither in the culture medium nor in the cells themselves. After the addition of the hypothalamic extract, gonadotrophin became detectable again, and basophilic or PAS-positive granules also reappeared within the cells, suggesting that the gonadotrophs were stimulated by the extract to produce gonadotrophin. In organ culture and short term incubation, the incorporation of [3H] leucine into the adenohypophysial cells in relation to the addition of hypothalamic extract was examined. It was obvious that the ability to incorporate [3H] leucine into the gonadotrophs in vitro was highly dependent upon the presence of the hypothalamic extract.
ULTRASTRUCTURAL CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING THE FUNCTIONAL INTEGRITY OF ENDOCRINE CELLS IN VITRO
Authors: Milner A. Josephine , Hamilton David W.
Published: October 2009

The morphological and biochemical evidence supporting a relationship between structure and function has been examined for those endocrine cells involved in steroid biosynthesis. Recent evidence indicating that this relationship may not be a simple one has been presented and the usefulness of a morphological approach in assessing the functional activity of cells is discussed.
ASSESSMENT OF HORMONE ACTION IN CULTURED CELLS
Authors: Lee Kai-Lin , Kenney Francis T.
Published: October 2009

Corticosteroids effect a rapid and marked increase in the enzyme tyrosine transaminase in cultured cells of the Reuber or H-35 hepatoma. This change is comparable in all essential aspects to changes in the livers of rats treated with the same hormones. Methods of cell culture and of biochemical analysis designed to determine the mechanism of steroid action on cultured cells are described.
QUANTITATIVE STUDIES OF TISSUE UPTAKE AND DISPOSITION OF HORMONES
Authors: Gurpide Erlio , Stolee Ann , Tseng Linda
Published: October 2009

A two-tracer continuous flow perfusion experimental design has been used to measure the entry of steroids (oestradiol, oestrone, progesterone, 20α-dihydroprogesterone, testosterone, androstenedione, cortisol, cortisone) and nucleic acid precursors (uridine, cytidine, UMP) into several tissues, using slices (human endometrium, endometrial adenocarcinoma, placenta, foetal membranes, rat and rabbit liver) or cell suspensions (chorion, amnion, liver, choriocarcinoma Be/Wo). Rates of interconversion between the perfused compounds and rates of release into the medium were also measured. The response of the system to additions of hormones, drugs and plasma proteins was evaluated by measuring rates and concentrations. The entry of oestrogen sulphates and UMP into tissues was compared with the entry of the corresponding unesterified compounds.
IN SITU AND PILOT ORGAN PERFUSION TECHNIQUES FOR THE STUDY OF METABOLIC DYNAMICS
Authors: Urquhart John , Keller Nancy
Published: October 2009

Two techniques for organ perfusion with blood are described which provide a basis for exploring metabolic or endocrine dynamics. The technique of in situ perfusion with autogenous arterial blood is suitable for glands or small organs which receive a small fraction of the animal's cardiac output; thus, test stimulatory or inhibitory substances can be added to the perfusing blood and undergo sufficient dilution in systemic blood after passage through the perfused organ so that recirculation does not compromise experimental control over test substance concentration in the perfusate. Experimental studies with the in situ perfused adrenal are described. The second technique, termed the pilot organ method, is suitable for organs which receive a large fraction of the cardiac output, such as the liver. Vascular connections are made between the circulation of an intact, anaesthetized large (> 30 kg) dog and the liver of a small (< 3 kg) dog. The small dog's liver (pilot liver) is excised and floated in a bath of canine ascites, and its venous effluent is continuously returned to the large dog. Test substances are infused into either the hepatic artery or portal vein of the pilot liver, but the small size of the pilot liver and its blood flow in relation to the large dog minimize recirculation effects. A number of functional parameters of the pilot liver are described.
MEASUREMENT OF BLOOD FLOW WITH FREELY DIFFUSIBLE INDICATORS AS INERT GASES, ANTIPYRINE, LABELLED WATER AND RUBIDIUM
Authors: Lassen Niels A. , Larsen Ole Andrée
Published: October 2009

Indicators which freely cross the capillary wall can be used for measurement of tissue blood flow in many different ways. Basically one can distinguish two categories of methods, viz. the ones where the indicator enters the tissue via the inflowing blood and the ones where the indicator is deposited locally in the tissue. The most important methods are briefly described with special emphasis on the theory of blood flow measurement.
PERFUSION OF THE RAT ANTERIOR PITUITARY VIA A CANNULATED PORTAL VESSEL1
Authors: Porter John C. , Mical Renon S. , Ondo Jerome G. , Kamberi Ibrahim A.
Published: October 2009

A procedure is described for exposing parapharyngeally the hypothalamic-hypophysial complex, enabling one to cannulate a pituitary stalk portal vessel, and thereby perfuse the anterior pituitary. When a crude hypothalamic extract is infused into the anterior pituitary via a cannulated portal vessel, LH and FSH release are markedly stimulated, whereas prolactin release is inhibited. The infusion of a cerebrocortical tissue extract has no effect on the release of LH, FSH, or prolactin, showing that the infusion per se does not affect the release of these hormones. The responses of the perfused anterior pituitary to hypothalamic extract are related to the concentration of the extract in the infusate.
IDENTIFICATION OF MAMMALIAN CHROMOSOMES
Authors: Caspersson Torbjörn , Zech Lore
Published: October 2009

Quantitative cytochemistry in the form of microspectrophotometry can be of help in chromosome recognition. In most mammals, among them man, the sensitivity of these methods is, however, not sufficiently high. Fluorometric techniques permit the application of twice as high microscope resolution and many times higher sensitivity in quantitative work, when dealing with substances with suitable fluorescence.

A technique, working with fluorescence microscopy and fluorometry has been developed for the identification of mammalian chromosomes. For instance, in man all 22 autosome pairs and the X- and Y-chromosomes can be recognized. The technique also considerably improves the possibilities of observing and identifying chromosome aberrations of different kinds. The fluorescence of the Y-chromosome can be observed also in interphase nuclei and can thus be of use in the determination of genetic sex.

A considerable number of DNA-reacting fluorescent agents have been tested. The best results have been obtained with quinacrine and quinacrine mustard.

Sorting of chromosomes can in most cases be done visually after photography. More detailed information can be obtained by microfluorometry. Computerized analysis of the fluorescence patterns of the human chromosomes has shown a great statistical significance of the shape of these patterns. This has also led to efforts towards automated sorting of chromosomes.

Several other techniques have recently been developed for chromosome banding, some giving patterns closely resembling the quinacrine patterns. The methods have been applied to many problems of medical genetical interest. They have also been used for analysis of the karyotypes of several other mammals and of somatic cell hybrids. Work on some plant material indicates that some types of heterochromatic regions have characteristic fluorescence properties.
RIBONUCLEOPROTEIN PARTICLES CONTAINING mRNA and pre-mRNA
Authors: Samarina O. P. , Lukanidin E. M. , Georgiev G. P.
Published: October 2009

This paper is a review of the data concerning the nature, structural organization, properties and biological significance of the particles, containing mRNA and pre-mRNA (precursor of mRNA), i. e., (1) nuclear pre-mRNA-containing particles (2) free cytoplasmic mRNP (ribonucleoproteins), or informosomes (3) polysome-bound mRNP. Some new data on the comparison of nuclear and cytoplasmic particles, the nature of poly A-containing structures, involvement of informofers in Adenovirusspecific RNA transfer are presented. The general scheme of mRNA transport from nucleus to cytoplasm is discussed.
THE RELATION OF PROTEIN SYNTHESIS REGULATION AND RNA METABOLISM
Authors: Penman Sheldon , Goldstein Elliott , Reichman Marsha , Singer Robert
Published: October 2009

The mechanism for regulating protein synthesis in mammalian cells appears to be fundamentally different from that in bacteria. The protein synthesis system of bacteria is largely regulated by the supply of a short-lived messenger RNA and thus is controlled at the level of transcription. In contrast, the messenger RNA of mammalian cells is very long-lived and thus does not appear to vary in amount in response to different demands for protein synthesis. There appears to be a fundamental control system operating at the level of the initiation of translation.

The lifetime of messenger RNA in growing HeLa cells is measured directly. There are two components. Forty per cent of the messenger RNA has a half-life of approximately 7 h, while the remaining 60 % has a half-life of from 21 to 24 h. The decay of messenger RNA in actinomycin is somewhat more rapid, but still much slower than the decay of protein synthesis in the presence of the drug. The failure of protein synthesis, caused by actinomycin, appears due to an inhibition of the factor necessary for ribosome association with messenger RNA.

Cells can respond to depressed rates of protein synthesis by producing a factor which promotes the association of ribosomes with messenger RNA. This is demonstrated by inhibiting the initiation of translation at elevated temperatures. The cell response, which corrects the lesion, is inhibited by actinomycin but not by cycloheximide. Incubation in cycloheximide alone apparently induces the factor and makes cellular protein synthesis resistant to high temperature.

The production of a factor stimulating initiation is demonstrated in vitro. Prior incubation of cells in cycloheximide leads to greatly enhanced rates of initiation in extracts obtained from those cells. Since the cell response is inhibited by actinomycin but induced by cycloheximide, it is concluded that the factor promoting initiation may be RNA.