Effect of coix on plasma, liver, and fecal lipid components in the rat fed on lard- or soybean oil-cholesterol diet.

To determine the influence of dietary coix on lipid metabolism, the effect of coix on plasma, liver, and fecal lipid components was studied using Sprague-Dawley male rats. All rats were divided into four groups, and the rats of each group were fed the coix-lard diet, coix-soybean oil diet, or the respective control diets (containing 1% cholesterol each) for 27 days. Plasma and liver cholesterol levels in the coix-lard diet group significantly decreased as compared with those in the control group, whereas there was no effect on the fecal excretion of cholesterol.

Characterization of the genes for the hexagonally arranged surface layer proteins in protein-producing Bacillus brevis 47: complete nucleotide sequence of the middle wall protein gene.

Bacillus brevis 47 contains two surface (S)-layer proteins, termed the outer wall protein (OWP) and the middle wall protein (MWP), which form a hexagonal array in the cell wall. The MWP and OWP genes are contained in the 9-kilobase-pair (kbp) BclI fragment and constitute an operon under coordinate control of their expression. The nucleotide sequence of a 3.

Horn antenna with low sidelobe response for observations of diffuse celestial radiation.

A horn antenna with low sidelobe response has been fabricated for a rocket-borne observation of the diffuse brightness of the sky at submillimeter wavelengths. The antenna consists of a Winston concentrator which defines the field of view and a flared baffle which minimizes diffraction. The sidelobe response for lambda = 337 microm was measured to be <10(-9) at an angle of 70 degrees from the optical axis.

Rocket-borne submillimeter radiometer.

We report the performance of a rocket-borne absolute radiometer which was designed to measure the diffuse brightness of the sky in six passbands between 100 microm and 1 mm. The radiometer consisted of a horn antenna and a photometer, both of which were cooled to 1.2 K by liquid (4)He.

Ultrastructural characterization of the retrovirus particles (Sm-MTV) liberated from the mammary tumor cell line (Sm-MT) of a house musk shrew, Suncus murinus (Insectivora).

Detailed ultrastructure of a new type of retrovirus (Sm-MTV) released by cultured cells (Sm-MT) of a spontaneous mammary tumor from a house musk shrew Suncus murinus, Insectivora, is described. The virus particles were revealed as three forms: intracellular; budding; and extracellular. The intracellular type A particles were similar in profile to those associated with mouse mammary tumor cells and tended to form a small cluster of several particles in the cytoplasm.

Biochemical and immunological characterization of Suncus murinus mammary tumor virus DNA polymerase.

Enzymological properties of the RNA-directed DNA polymerase associated with the Suncus murinus mammary tumor virus (Sm-MTV) was investigated and its antigenic relatedness to other retroviral DNA polymerases was examined. The enzyme exhibited higher activity in the presence of Mg2+ than in the presence of Mn2+ with endogenous RNA as well as with almost all of the synthetic template X primers tested. Mg2+ was also effective with poly(2'-O-methylcytidylate) X oligodeoxyguanylate which was known to be specific for Mn2+.

[An autopsy case of adult neuroblastoma].

The patient was a 31-year-old man with neuroblastoma of the right adrenal gland, which presented at first as metastatic spinal epidural tumor. Catecholamine and its products in the blood and urine and neuron-specific enolase in the blood were increased. Six months after right adrenectomy followed by chemotherapy, the patient died due to cachexia.

Effect of age on the modification of rat plasma lipids by fish and soybean oil diets.

The effects of sardine and soybean oils on plasma lipids have been studied in young and aged rats. Plasma cholesterol and bile acids of aged rats fed on a sardine oil diet decreased to a greater degree than those of young rats. Cholesterol, bile acids and phospholipids of the soybean oil diet group decreased only in aged rats.

Age-associated changes in rat plasma lipids, platelet fatty acids and prostacyclin release.

The effect of age on plasma lipids, platelet fatty acids and prostacyclin release was studied in the rat. The contents of arachidonic acid, cholesterol, bile acids and free fatty acids in the plasma of aged rats (15 months old) were higher than those of young rats (3 months old). No significant differences in fatty acid composition of platelet lipids and release of prostacyclin from aortas between young and aged rats were observed.

A new retrovirus produced by tissue culture cell line from mammary tumor of a house musk shrew, Suncus murinus.

A new type of retrovirus (Sm-MTV) released by cultured cells of a spontaneous mammary tumor from a house musk shrew, Suncus murinus, is described. The Sm-MTV is distinct morphologically from type C particles. In spite of certain morphological similarities to type B and type D retroviruses, the Sm-MTV is readily distinguishable.

[The purification of pregnancy specific beta 1-glycoprotein (SP1) from third trimester serum and the immunological identification of gamma-component of SP1].

This paper describes the SP1 purification procedures with high recovery from third trimester serum and the finding of a new SP1 antigen with gamma-mobility (tentatively called SP1-gamma). The serum was salted out at 40% saturation with ammonium sulfate and this was followed by Sephadex G-150, DEAE-cellulose, SP1-negative affinity chromatography and the mono-Q column of FPLC system. The anti-serum for the immunoadsorption techniques was made from the fractionated male serum.

[The localization of SP1-like substance in the rat placenta by immunohistochemical method].

A protein which reacted with an anti-serum to pregnancy specific beta 1-glycoprotein (SP1) was found in rat placenta by the immunohistochemical method, and is tentatively called SP1-like substance in this paper. By means of a PAP method, the localization of SP1-like substance in the placentae of mice and rats was investigated. Placentae were fixed with 10% neutralized formaldehyde and Bouin's fluid.

Purification and characterization of the multiple forms of 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in rat liver cytosol.

The presence of multiple forms of 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in the cytosol of male rat livers was demonstrated. The enzyme activity was separated into two fractions (F3 and F4) by DEAE-cellulose chromatography, and further fractionation of F3 into four (I-IV) and F4 into three (I-III) fractions was achieved by subsequent CM-Sephadex chromatography. Six forms (F3-II-IV and F4-I-III) were further purified by chromatofocusing and Red-Sepharose 4B chromatography.