Status of studying the reproductive function of women--passenger train engineers]

Analysis of medico-demographic indices of 3450 women--conductors of passenger long-distance trains give evidence of the presence of changes in the status of the reproductive function. Birth indices are low, in spite of favourable marriage levels. Childlessness levels in women working on trains are 5-6 times higher compared to the average values in the country. Unfavourable tendencies are observed in women of any age, however, they are more profoundly marked in older women who have been handling maximal contact with harmful occupational factors during many years of work. Significant relationships have not been observed between birth level and such parameters as nationality, place of living, educational level etc.     

Protective effect of low-doses of antibodies to S-100 protein on the formation of long-term sensitization in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helix lucorum</Emphasis>

Injection of antibodies to Ca-binding protein S-100 in a dilution of 10⁻¹² before the formation of long-term sensitization in Helix lucorum (10 min before the first electric shock) prevented the increase in defense reactions of pneumostome closure and ommatophore withdrawal. Thus, we demonstrated a protective effect of low-dose antibodies to S-100 on the formation of long-term sensitization as a neurobiological model of anxiety and depression. __________ Translated from Byulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 143, No. 5, pp. 490–493, May, 2007     

The effects of irradiation by 12C carbon ions on monoamine exchange in several rat brain structures

Rats were irradiated with carbon ions (¹²C) in a Nuklotron accelerator. The irradiation dose was 1 Gy, the energy of the ions was 500 MeV/nuclon, and the linear energy transmission (LET) was 10.6 keV/micron. The animals were decapitated 1 day after irradiation. We isolated the prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, hypothalamus, hippocampus, and striatum, where we determined the concentrations of monoamines and their metabolites. Strong changes were observed in three structures, viz., the prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and hippocampus. However, significant changes were found in the prefrontal cortex and weaker changes were seen in the nucleus accumbens, whereas changes were insignificant in the hippocampus. This reaction may be related to the fact that the animals were examined on the 2nd day after irradiation. It was shown that an increase in the interval between irradiation and examination of animals results in enhancement of the effects of radiation treatment. The experiments revealed the high sensitivity and reactivity of the prefrontal cortex, which we relate to the key role of this structure in vitally critical processes of behavior.