Dermaprotecting properties of sodium succinate under conditions of impaired circulation

Sodium succinate improves the survival of a skin graft in mice, rats, and dogs normalizes histamine and serotonin concentrations in the epidermis and blood, exhibits antitoxic activity, improves microcirculation in the skin, brain, heart, kidneys, and testes without any appreciable effect on systemic arterial pressure, cardiac function, and liver blood flow in rats. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 126, No. 10, pp. 420–424, October, 1998     

The role of central parts of the brain in the control of sound production during courtship in Drosophila melanogaster

The question of the roles of the two main parts of the insect brain, the mushroom bodies and the central complex, in controlling motor coordination and triggering a variety of behavioral programs, including sound production, remains controversial. With the aim of improving our understanding of this question, we studied the parameters of songs used by five-day-old males during courtship for fertilized wild-type females (Canton-S, C-S) over 5-min periods at 25°C; males were of two wild-type Drosophila Melanogaster lines (Berlin and C-S). Berlin males lacking mushroom bodies because of treatment with hydroxyurea during development (chemical removal of the mushroom bodies) were used, along with two mutants with defects in the mushroom bodies (mbm ¹ and mud ¹), two mutants with defects in the central complex (ccb ^KS127 and cex ^KS181), and mutant cxb ^N71 with defects in both the mushroom bodies and the central complex. The experiments reported here showed that courtship songs in males lacking mushroom bodies were virtually identical to those of wild-type males. The main parameters of pulsatile song in mutants mbm ¹ and mud ¹ (interpulse interval and train duration) were insignificantly different from those of the songs of wild-type flies, though the stability of the pulse oscillator was the same. Flies of these lines were no different from wild-type flies in terms of courtship success (percentage of copulating pairs in 10-min tests). Conversely, the songs of mutants with defects in the central complex differed from those of wild-type males. Firstly, there was degradation of the stability of the pulse oscillator and interpulse intervals were very variable. In addition, pulses were often significantly longer and appeared multicyclic, as in the well-known cacophony mutant, while the mean train duration was significantly shorter. Males of the line cex ^KS181 usually courted very intensely, though abnormal sounds were generally emitted. Mutants cex ^KS181 and ccb ^KS127 were significantly less successful in courtship than wild-type flies. These data show that the central complex appears to play a very important role in controlling song, while the mushroom bodies are not related to this function.     

Bilateral Occlusion of Carotid Artery in Awake Hypertensive Rats (SHR-SP) as a Model of Global Cerebral Ischemia

Bilateral occlusion of carotid arteries in awake hypertensive rats (SHR-SP) was used as a model of global brain ischemia (duration of occlusion — until appearance of seizures). In normotensive rats (WKY), no seizures developed over 60 min. We revealed swelling of mitochondria in dendrites of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells, which was more pronounced in SHP-SP than in WKY rats. Blood pressure and heart rate in SHR-SP rats increased starting from the first minutes of occlusion, while in WKY rats these parameters remained unchanged. We proved that bilateral occlusion of the carotid arteries in awake SHR-SP rats can be used as an adequate model of global cerebral ischemia. Translated from Byulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 146, No. 12, pp. 627–630, December, 2008     

Interaural intensity and latency difference in the dolphin's auditory system.

Binaural hearing mechanisms were measured in dolphins (Inia geoffrensis) by recording the auditory nerve evoked response from the body surface. The azimuthal position of a sound source at 10-15 degrees from the longitudinal axis elicited interaural intensity disparity up to 20 dB and interaural latency difference as large as 250 microseconds. The latter was many times greater than the acoustical interaural time delay. This latency difference seems to be caused by the intensity disparity. The latency difference seems to be an effective way of coding of intensity disparity.     

Assessment of the state of the myocardium from the histochemical detection of dehydrogenases in the presence of granular diformazan

Histochemical tests for dehydrogenases in isolated rat myocardia have shown the level of granular diformazan to correlate with the presence of fat drops in cardiomyocytes. Using a semiquantitative method they developed for assessing myocardial status from histochemical tests for dehydrogenases (glutamate, isocitrate, lactate, succinate, beta-hydroxybutyrate NADH, or NADPH dehydrogenases), the authors found that demonstration of granular diformazan in such tests is not associated with alterations in the state of particular dehydrogenases but is indicative of fatty dystrophy.     

Aggregates of modified low-density lipoproteins induce lipid accumulation in intimal cells of the human aorta in vitro

Institute of Experimental Cardiology, All-Union Cardiologic Scientific Center, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR V. N. Smirnov.) Translated from Byulleten's Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 110, No. 7, pp. 34–36, July, 1990.     

A Simple Method for Isolation of Cardiomyocytes from Adult Rat Heart

A simple, economic, and sparing method for isolation of cardiomyocytes from adult rat heart is proposed. Ultrastructure of cardiomyocytes from suspension of freshly isolated cells was studied by light and transmission electron microscopy. The isolated cardiomyocytes were viable, had characteristic shape and size, and retained their normal structure. __________ Translated from Byulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 140, No. 9, pp. 357–360, September, 2005     

Dynamics of Functioning of Thyroid Gland Transplant under Conditions of Stimulation with Autologous Adherent Bone Marrow Cells

The efficiency of thyroid tissue autotransplantation was studied in 150 male Wistar rats for 3 months. Comparative analysis of functional competence of the thyroid tissue transplanted into the great omentum showed restoration of the thyroid hormonal activity in animals receiving cell suspension of autologous adherent bone marrow cells. __________ Translated from Kletochnye Tekhnologii v Biologii i Meditsine, No. 4, pp. 200–202, November, 2005