Age differences in temperature dependence of repolarization of the adrenocortical cell membrane

In experiments on isolated adrenals of male rats of two age groups (5 and 28–29 months) no age differences were found in the membrane potential of cells in the zona fasciculata of the cortex. The temperature dependence of repolarization of the cell membrane in the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex was investigated in rats of different ages within the temperature range from 7 to 17°C after preliminary cooling of the adrenals. The temperature coefficient of repolarization, calculated in old animals (Q₁₀=2.732) was significantly higher than in the young animals (Q₁₀=1.481). With age, the contribution of reactions with high activation energy increases in total balance of processes determining repolarization of the adrenocortical cell membrane.Biophysics Group, Laboratory of Physiology, Institute of Gerontology, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Kiev. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR D. F. Chebotarev.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 86, No. 12, pp. 651–653, December, 1978.     

Age differences in the effect of α- and β-adrenomimetics on adrenal glucocorticoid function

Laboratory of Physiology, Institute of Gerontology, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Kiev. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR D. F. Chebotarev.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 111, No. 4, pp. 343–345, April, 1991.     

Effect of ethyl p-chlorophenoxyisobutyrate on the adrenocortical glucocorticoid function in guinea pigs

After daily administration of ethyl p-chlorophenoxyisobutyrate in a dose of 0.2 g/kg by mouth daily for 15–26 days to guinea pigs the concentration of 17-hydroxycorticosteroids (17-HCS) in the peripheral blood plasma fell. A fall in the excretion of individual 17-HCS in the urine took place chiefly on account of free unchanged cortisol, tetrahydrocortisol, and tetrahydro-11-deoxycortisol. An abundance of sudanophilic material was detected in the zona fasciculata of the gland. The test with ACTH showed that the existing functional reserves of the adrenal cortex were unchanged by the compound. The blood serum level of nonesterified fatty acids fell but the cholesterol level was unchanged. The possible mechanisms of the action of the compounds and prospects for its use in the treatment of hypercorticism are discussed.Laboratory of Andrology, Khar'kov Research Institute of Endocrinology and Hormone Chemistry. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR L. T. Malaya.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 82, No. 10, pp. 1206–1208, October, 1976.     

Prolactin reception and its effect on ACTH binding in human and guinea pig adrenocortical cells

Laboratory of Hormonal Regulation of Metabolism, Kiev Research Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR Yu. A. Pankov.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 108, No. 8, pp. 177–179, August, 1989.     

Morphometric and statistical analysis of macro-and microscopic characteristics of the brain and their relationships with adrenocortical histophysiology in newborn rats

A direct relationship between the weights of the brain and hemisphere and parameters characterizing the development of the cortex and its neurons in intact newborn rats was revealed. Parameters of brain development in newborn rats correlate with 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity in the adrenal zona glomerulosa. __________ Translated from Byulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 140, No. 12, pp. 691–694, December, 2005     

应用组织芯片技术研究A103和inhibin α在肾上腺皮质肿瘤中的诊断价值

目的 研究肾上腺皮质肿瘤的免疫组织化学和临床病理特点及A103与inhibin α在其中的诊断价值并探讨组织芯片技术的可行性。方法 制备肾上腺皮质腺瘤(ACA)、肾上腺皮质癌(ACC)及嗜铬细胞瘤组织芯片各1个。肾上腺皮脂腺瘤芯片(79例),其中正常肾上腺皮质3例,胎儿肾上腺皮质2例,肾上腺皮质结节状增生2例,ACA72例;肾上腺皮质癌芯片(56例),其中ACC39例,肾上腺转移肿瘤17例(恶性黑色素瘤4例,转移癌13例);嗜铬细胞瘤芯片(44例)中含肾上腺髓质3例,嗜铬细胞瘤41例;20例正常成人肾上腺的常规石蜡组织作对照。用免疫组织化学EnVision法检测A103、inhibin α、calretinin、Ki-67等的表达情况。结果 A103阳性表达情况分别为正常肾上腺皮质100％(23／23),胎儿肾上腺皮质2／2,皮质增生2／2,ACA90．9％(60／66),ACC94．6％(3,5／37),肾上腺髓质及嗜铬细胞瘤阴性,转移肿瘤中除恶性黑色素瘤3／3阳性外其余均为阴性;inhibin α在正常肾上腺皮质、胎儿肾上腺皮质及皮质增生中100％表达,阳性部位主要在网状带与束状带内层,ACA阳性率75．8％(50／66),ACC75．7％(28／37),肾上腺髓质、嗜铬细胞瘤及转移肿瘤均为阴性。结论 组织芯片技术为快速原位检测提供了强有力的手段。应用组织芯片技术大规模高效检测组织样本是可行的。A103及inhibin α的联合应用对于明确肾上腺皮质肿瘤的诊断与鉴别诊断有较高价值。     

Age differences in the spontaneous termination of sleep

The stage from which the spontaneous ending of sleep occurred was investigated in 138 sleep episodes obtained from 14 younger (19-28 years) and 11 older (60-82 years) individuals. The possible influences of circadian phase and quality of the preceding sleep period, as well as the impact of aging on characteristics of sleep termination were examined. Under experimental conditions in which subjects were isolated from time cues, and behavioral options to sleep were limited, no age-associated differences in the duration of sleep periods, or in the number or duration of REM episodes were observed. Despite similar percentages of NREM (stages 2-4) and REM sleep across age groups, younger subjects awakened preferentially from REM while older subjects did not. Of the sleep episodes obtained from older subjects, those with sleep efficiencies higher than the median were more likely to terminate from REM than those with lower sleep efficiencies. For all subjects, the REM episodes from which sleep termination occurred were truncated relative to those that did not end the sleep period. In addition, nonterminating REM episodes that were interrupted by a stage shift were most often interrupted by brief arousals to stage 0. Such arousals within nonterminating REM episodes occurred, on average, after a similar duration as the terminating point of sleep-ending REM episodes. The results from this study demonstrate that there are age-related differences in the sleep stage from which spontaneous awakenings occur, and that these differences may be due in part to the quality of the sleep period preceding termination. Findings regarding the characteristics of both terminating and nonterminating REM episodes are consistent with the notion that the neural and biochemical context of REM sleep may facilitate a smooth transition to wakefulness. It is speculated that age-associated changes in sleep continuity may render unnecessary the putative role of REM sleep in providing a 'gate' to wakefulness.     

Expression of p53 in adrenocortical tumours: clinicopathological correlations

There are limited data to suggest that abnormalities of p53 expression may be a late event in the development of adrenocortical tumours. This has been investigated further by examining a series of adrenocortical adenomas and carcinomas by immunohistochemistry for p53 expression and a subset for evidence of mutation in exons 5–8 of the p53 gene using polymerase chain reaction/single strand conformational polymorphism (PCR/SSCP). In carcinomas, the findings have been correlated with survival data and with tumour ploidy. Immunopositivity for p53 was seen in 4 of 34 adenomas and 22 of 42 carcinomas. Mobility shifts were identified in 1 of 4 adenomas and 10 of 21 carcinomas. There was no correlation between immunostaining pattern or PCR/SSCP evidence of mutation and either survival or disease-free survival in carcinoma. There was also no correlation between p53 status and tumour ploidy. While these findings support a role for p53 in tumour progression, abnormal p53 expression does not appear to have any significant prognostic effect in carcinoma. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adrenaline inhibition of insulin release: role of the repolarization of the B cell membrane

Activation of ₂-adrenergic receptors affects several signalling pathways in pancreatic B cells. However, since adrenaline can inhibit insulin release by interfering with a late step of the secretory process, the functional significance of the earlier effects is unclear. In this study, normal mouse islets were used to determine whether the repolarization of the B cell membrane caused by adrenaline contributes to the inhibition of insulin release. The decrease in ⁸⁶Rb efflux and the repolarization of the B cell membrane produced by adrenaline were attenuated by tolbutamide, which depolarizes by blocking ATP-sensitive K⁺ channels, and by arginine, which depolarizes because of its transport in a charged form. It is also known that adrenaline does not affect the membrane potential and ⁸⁶Rb efflux in B cells depolarized by high K⁺. These three depolarizing conditions similarly shifted to the right the concentration dependence of adrenaline inhibition of insulin release: the effect of 1 nM and 10 nM adrenaline was reduced, but high concentrations of adrenaline still inhibited insulin release nearly completely under all conditions. In contrast, increasing insulin release by cytochalasin B did not alter the inhibitory potency of adrenaline. It is concluded that the repolarization of the B cell membrane and the ensuing decrease in Ca²⁺ influx play a significant role in the inhibition of insulin release by low concentrations of adrenaline. When high concentrations are used, a more distal effect becomes predominant.     

The presence of thin glomerular basement membranes in various glomerulopathies

Results of 61 cases of various glomerulopathies with thin glomerular basement membranes are presented. The largest group of 31 cases consisted of mesangial glomerulonephritis. The second largest group consisted of 19 patients with small glomerular lesions described as non-specific. This group stood out in both clinical presentations and in the higher diversity of lesions within the lamina densa of the basement membrane. The results of measurements of the lamina densa in various glomerulopathies were compared to those obtained in control groups consisting of thin basement membrane syndrome and submicroscopic glomerulonephritis.     

Age differences in transport ATP-ase activity in plasma membranes of small intestinal enterocytes

Ukrainian Agricultural Academy, Kiev. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR D. S. Sarkisov.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 111, No. 3, pp. 309–311, March, 1991.     

细菌性阴道病与胎膜早破的关系

目的了解细菌性阴道病与胎膜早破的关系。方法356名孕妇分为正常孕妇组295例、胎膜早破组61例,对阴道分泌物进行细菌性阴道病(BV)的检测,同时做细菌培养了解是否合并其他微生物感染,并追踪观察妊娠结局。结果胎膜早破组BV发生率为57.38%,明显高于正常孕妇组(9.15%),差异有显著性(P<0.05)。结论妊娠合并BV与胎膜早破明显相关,有必要对妊娠合并BV孕妇进行治疗。     

Effect of hypothermia on kinetic characteristics of acetylcholine esterase in rat erythrocyte membranes

We studied kinetic and thermodynamic characteristics of acetylcholine esterase in rat erythrocyte membrane after whole-body hypothermia (20°C) of different duration. Hypothermia increased the degree of substrate inhibition for acetylcholine esterase, maximum rate, and Michaelis constant. The temperature dependence of acetylcholine esterase activity remained practically unchanged. Translated fromByulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 138, No. 7, pp. 56–58, July, 2004 This work was supported by the “Russian Universities” Program (grant No. 07.01.034).     

Influence of melatonin and sexual hormones on the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen in the adrenal cortex of a seasonal breeder (Lagostomus maximus)

The viscacha (Lagostomus maximus) is a rodent of nocturnal habits, whose physiology and behavior vary according to modifications of environmental signals. The objective of this study is to assess the influence of melatonin and sexual hormones on the viscacha adrenal cortex proliferative activity through the immunohistochemical detection of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) along with hormonal determinations. PCNA expression was studied in male viscachas to assess the effect of melatonin administration, castration, and the annual reproductive cycle. In female viscachas, PCNA was studied in nonpregnant and pregnant viscachas. PCNA expression was observed in adrenocortical cells (PCNA-A) and endothelial cells (PCNA-E). Melatonin-administered animals showed a significantly lower number of PCNA-A compared to the control group. No significant difference could be established in the number of PCNA-A and PCNA-E between castrated and control animals. However, the morphometric analysis showed an increase in the size of the cortex of castrated animals, along with other cytological features. Significant differences in serum testosterone levels were observed during the male viscacha reproductive cycle, with the lowest levels encountered during the regression period (winter). Male viscachas exhibited a significantly high number of PCNA-A during late autumn and a high number of PCNA-E during winter. In females, hormonal determinations showed a peak of progesterone and estrogen during mid-pregnancy, along with a notably high number of PCNA-A and an increase in the number of PCNA-E. Our results suggest that proliferation in the adrenal cortex of the viscacha varies in relation to melatonin, sexual hormones, and environmental conditions.