Smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase is transiently expressed in skeletal muscle during embryogenesis and muscle regeneration both in vivo and in vitro

Byusing a polyclonal antibody raised against smooth muscle MyosinLight Chain Kinase of adult chicken we show that the 135 kDasmooth muscle Myosin Light Chain Kinase isoform is present inneonatal and regenerating rat skeletal muscle, as well as inadult atrial myocardium. No reaction was evident in adultskeletal muscle fibres. In neonatal and in early regeneratingmuscle smooth muscle Myosin Light Chain Kinase is associated withembryonic myosin as revealed by their co-presence in musclefibres. Experiments in vitro show the same results in myotubes.In atrial myocardium there is a patchy positivity in certaingroup of myocytes. Immunoblotting experiments show in muscle cellcultures, in neonatal and in regenerating skeletal muscle aprotein band with electrophoretic mobility corresponding to thatof smooth muscle Myosin Light Chain Kinase. These results suggestthat the expression of smooth muscle Myosin Light Chain Kinase isnot fully tissue-specific and that regulation of the contractilemachinery could be different during myogenesis and in adulthood,in relation to the peculiar dynamic characteristics of developingmuscles     

MODIFICATION OF THE CIRCULATORY EFFECTS OF EXTRADURAL BLOCK COMBINED WITH GENERAL ANAESTHESIA BY THE ADDITION OF ADRENALINE TO LIGNOCAINE SOLUTIONS

The cardiovascular changes associated with extradural blockwere measured in two groups of patients who were also receivinglight general anaesthesia. In the first group (five patients)2% plain lignocaine 20 ml was used and decreases occurred inmean arterial pressure, cardiac output, stroke volume and peripheralresistance. In the second group (10 patients) 2% lignocaine20 ml to which adrenaline 1: 200 000 had been added was used.Decreases in arterial pressure and peripheral resistance occurredin all patients, but the responses of the cardiac output andheart rate were variable, decreasing in three patients and remainingstable or increasing in seven patients. A high segmental blockwas presumed to have occurred in those patients who developedbradycardia and a decreased cardiac output. The differencesbetween these studies in anaesthetized patients and those previouslyreported in conscious volunteers are discussed.     

Genetic and population structure of four Sardinian villages

1. Data on microgeographic population structure on four neighbouring villages of Sardinia island (Italy) are presented and discussed.
2. Two villages are located in the lowlands where malaria from Plasmodium falciparum was endemic until the eradication of paludism. The other two villages are located in the highlands and they were malaria-free because of the altitude.
3. Census data, inbreeding, migration matrices and surname distributions have been collected. The genetic differentiation of the four villages, tested for 31 genetic polymorphisms (106 alleles), is only in part compatible with migration rates inferred from demographic data.
4. The possible adaptive nature of some genetic markers with respect to malarial resistance is discussed. Ambiguous results from population genetics quantitative methods do not support definite answers.