Fluprazine hydrochloride does not decrease defensive behaviors of wild and septal syndrome rats.

Recent studies indicate that fluprazine hydrochloride reduces offensive attack in laboratory rats and mice without decreasing defensive behavior during conspecific encounters. Since wild rats and rats displaying the "septal lesion syndrome" show much more pronounced defensive reactions than do normal laboratory rats, these animals were used to provide a more critical test of fluprazine's effectiveness on defense. When a dose of fluprazine hydrochloride (8 mg/kg), previously shown to be highly effective in reducing or eliminating offense, was given to wild and septal syndrome rats these animals showed no reliable decrement in a wide range of defensive reactions including biting attack (defensive attack) to human handling and other stimulation.

Kinetics and characterization of interferon production by murine spleen cells stimulated with Legionella pneumophila antigens.

Formalin-killed Legionella pneumophila bacterial cells, as well as a purified cell wall preparation (designated F-1 antigen) containing lipopolysaccharide (LPS), stimulated production of interferons (IFNs) in mouse spleen cell cultures. L. pneumophila whole-cell vaccine induced an IFN that was pH 2 labile and neutralized by anti-IFN-gamma indicating that IFN-gamma was the dominant form present.

Social stress, mortality and aggression in colonies and burrowing habitats.

High mortality was found within six mixed-sex groups of Long-Evans rats living in burrowing habitats with 58% of subordinate males dying within 4 mo. of group formation. By contrast, no subordinate deaths occured during this time in six identical adult groups(3 males and 3 females) housed in similar (1 m square) colony cages without burrows.

Identification of a novel ganglioside on erythrocytes with blood group Cad specificity.

The blood group Cad antigen is a carbohydrate structure well characterized on the sialoglycoproteins of the red cell membrane from some rare individuals (Blanchard, D., Cartron, J. P.

Equine alternative pathway activation by unsensitized rabbit red blood cells.

The equine alternative complement pathway has been partially characterized and compared to the equine classical activation pathway. A dose-dependent lysis of RbRBC was observed with peak lytic values noted within 10 minutes at 37 degrees C when rabbit red blood cells (RbRBC) were used as an alternative pathway activator. Sheep red blood cells (SRBC) sensitized with rabbit hemolysin or partially purified equine IgM antibodies were equally sensitive to lysis.

The effect of insulin treatment on myelinated nerve fibre maturation and integrity and on body growth in streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

Diabetes mellitus was produced in rats by the administration of streptozotocin and observations made over a period of 2 months. Four groups of animals were studied: onset and end controls, untreated diabetic rats and rats treated daily with a long-acting insulin preparation. Body weight increased in the end controls and insulin-treated diabetic animals to a similar degree over the observation period but was reduced in the untreated diabetic rats.

Life-span changes in the copulatory behavior of male rats (Rattus norvegicus).

The copulatory behavior of 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-month-old sexually naive male rats (Long-Evans) was studied during 2-hr tests with receptive females. There was no apparent change in sexual arousal as measured by latency to initiate copulation across age, with subjects from all groups exhibiting comparable latencies to first mount and first mount with intromission. The numbers of ejaculations achieved were also similar across ages.

Structure determination of oligosaccharides isolated from Cad erythrocyte membranes by permethylation analysis and 500-MHz 1H-NMR spectroscopy.

Alkaline borohydride reductive cleavage (beta-elimination) of glycophorin A isolated from one individual of the rare blood group Cad, resulted in the release of six acidic oligosaccharide-alditols which were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on an alkyl amine silicagel column. The structure of four of them has been determined by the application of methanolysis, methylation analysis and 1H-NMR spectroscopy at 500 MHz. The structures and relative amounts were as follows: oligosaccharide 1: NeuAc(alpha 2-3)Gal(beta 1-3)GalNAc-ol (3.

Specific anti-aggressive effects of fluprazine hydrochloride.

Two experiments were performed with adult male rats of the Long-Evans strain to determine the specificity of fluprazine hydrochloride in decreasing offensive attack. Both 4 and 8 mg/kg doses (IP) significantly reduced offense by resident males selected for high or medium levels of aggression when tested with intruders 30 min postinjection. No reliable differences in other social or nonsocial behaviors were observed.

Fluprazine hydrochloride decreases copulation in male rats.

The copulatory performance of 18 sexually experienced male rats was tested 30 min after IP injection of the phenylpiperazine, Fluprazine Hydrochloride (4 and 8 mg/kg), or saline solution. Three 20-min tests with an estrous female were conducted at weekly intervals. Each drug dose produced a significant depressive effect on copulatory behavior (latency to and frequency of intromissions and ejaculations) without affecting social investigation.

The effects of age and strain on aggression in male rats.

Aggressive behaviors were compared for male Fischer-344 and Long-Evans rats formed into mixed-sex colonies at 100, 200, or 300 days of age. Within each strain, male aggression did not differ across these ages, nor did it differ for an additional group of 600-day old Long-Evans males: both the form and the incidence of specific aggressive and defensive behaviors remained relatively constant over an age range representing nearly the entire normal life span for this species. However, Fischer-344 males at all ages were reliably lower in aggression than the Long-Evans rats.

Isolation and partial characterization of bovine and equine factor D.

Bovine and equine factor D were purified to apparent homogeneity as evidenced by a single protein staining band on 7.5-17.5% SDS-PAGE slab gels under both reducing and non-reducing conditions.

Purification and properties of the H2-oxidizing (uptake) hydrogenase of the N2-fixing anaerobe Clostridium pasteurianum W5.

Clostridium pasteurianum has two distinct hydrogenases, the bidirectional hydrogenase and the H2-oxidizing (uptake) hydrogenase. The H2-oxidizing hydrogenase has been purified (up to 970-fold) to a specific activity of 17,600 mumol H2 oxidized/min X mg protein (5 mM methylene blue) or 3.5 mumol H2 produced/min X mg protein (1 mM methyl viologen).

Interaction of Vicia graminea anti-N lectin with cell surface glycoproteins from erythrocytes with rare blood group antigens.

The erythrocyte receptors for Vicia graminea (Vg) anti-N lectin have been investigated after 125I-labelling of the purified lectin and binding to membrane components separated by dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. GP alpha (synonym glycophorin A or MN glycoprotein) and GP delta (synonym glycophorin B or Ss glycoprotein) are the main Vg receptors of native human blood group NN and MN erythrocytes whereas Vg lectin only binds to GP delta from MM red cells. The glycoprotein of 28 kDa present in Mi III erythrocytes (a presumed variant of GP delta) carries Vg receptors.

[Magnesium deficiencies in cardiovascular diseases].

Plasma (pl), red blood cell (ery) and urinary magnesium (Mg) concentrations were measured by spectrophotometry in over 300 patients at the Cardiology Department of Broussais Hospital. Other biological parameters, including pl and ery potassium, calcium and phosphate concentrations were measured simultaneously. In a control group (54 subjects) the mean pl Mg was 0,851 mmol/l in men and 0,819 mmol/l in women; mean ery Mg was 2,12 mmol/l and 2,09 mmol/l respectively.

Dominance and aggression in social groups of male and female rats.

Two experiments were performed to examine aggression and dominance in domestic male and female Rattus norvegicus living in small mixed-sex (3 males and 3 females) groups. Experiment 1 examined the development of aggression in females. A single female (alpha) within each of the six colonies tested showed the preponderance of attacks on male intruders placed into the home-cage when male colony residents were absent.

Taming in wild rats following medial amygdaloid lesions.

Flight behavior, startle reactions, and defensiveness to nonpainful stimuli were examined before and after medial amygdaloid lesions in wild Rattus norvegicus and R. rattus. Lesions which included bilateral damage to the medial nucleus strongly reduced defensiveness but had no effect on flight behavior.

A monoclonal antibody directed against the homologous N-terminal domain of glycophorin A and B.

A monoclonal antibody (iB5, IgG1 kappa) reacting with human red cells was produced after immunization of BALB/C mice with cord red cells, followed by fusion of the spleen cells with the murine myeloma cell line Ag 8-653. The monoclonal antibody agglutinated blood group N+ much better than M + N-red cells but did not recognize erythrocytes from rare individuals typed as M + N-S-s-U- and those from an En(a-) individual (M.E.

[Intravenous subtraction angiography in kidney transplant patients].

Conventional arteriography in patients with kidney transplants and severe hypertension is performed principally to determine the presence of a renal artery stenosis. In patients with renal failure its use enables detection of any arterial lesions. Technological advantages provided by computerized angiography within the field of medical imaging should permit earlier diagnosis of arterial lesions, with a reduced risk and at a lower cost using a simple intravenous injection of the iodized contrast medium.