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Biomedical subjects

G Singh

Publications and source records attributed to G Singh.

At least 541 records · Page 30Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Innervation of the monkey vas deferens.

Fluorescent and acetylcholinesterase-positive cell bodies occur in the connective tissue surrounding the prostatic end of the monkey vas deferens. At both the testicular and prostatic ends, noradrenergic nerve fibres are distributed mainly in the smooth muscle coats while acetylcholinesterase-positive fibres are most densely distributed in the lamina propria but also quite significantly in the inner part of the smooth musculature. The percentage of cholinergic varicosities (containing a predominance of small agranular vesicles and some large granular vesicles) is higher in the smooth muscle coat than in the lamina propria at both the testicular (9.1% against 1.5%) and prostatic (19.38% against 5.16%) ends of the vas deferens and the percentages of cholinergic varicosities in both the lamina propria and smooth muscle coat (5.16% and 19.38% respectively) at the prostatic end are higher than those (1.5% and 9.1% respectively) at the testicular end. The percentage of noradrenergic varicosities (containing a predominance of small granular vesicles interspersed with some large granular vesicles and agranular vesicles) in the muscle coat is higher at the testicular (56.72%) than the prostatic (39.73%) end. In addition to cholinergic and noradrenergic nerves, varicosities resembling purinergic nerve fibres, varicosities containing flattened vesicles and sensory terminals are also present. In nearly all cases where no collagen fibres intervene between an axon varicosity and the smooth muscle membrane, the interval between the two is less than 180 nm, and may be as little as, or even less than, 20 nm. Lastly, close nerve-mast cell and nerve-fibroblast contacts have been observed.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed1990

Indirect haemagglutination test for the assay of antibodies against Japanese encephalitis viral antigen in human & animal sera.

The indirect haemagglutination (IHA) test was standardized for the assay of antibodies against Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus. Glutaraldehyde fixed sheep erythrocytes were sensitized with purified and concentrated JE vaccine (200-300% brain concentration). The JE vaccine made from Nakayama-NIH strain of JE virus was purified by protamine sulphate treatment and by ultracentrifugation in a sucrose gradient. The sensitized cells were quite stable in liquid as well as in lyophilized state both at -70 degrees C and 4-8 degrees C. These cells could be used for two years without much loss (4-8 times loss) in titre. The IHA test was as sensitive as the neutralization (N) test performed by plaque reduction method in chick embryo fibroblasts. The sensitivity of the test was influenced by the source of erythrocytes i.e., from the different sheep from which these were drawn. After standardization of the test, 16 human sera and 18 sera of immunized mice were assayed for antibodies against JE virus by N and IHA tests. There were no significant differences between titres of both human and mice sera determined by N and IHA tests (P greater than 0.05). The correlation coefficient between N and IHA titres for human sera was 0.60 (P less than 0.05) and for mice sera 0.82 (P less than 0.01). The IHA test has been found to be very simple, inexpensive, sensitive and reproducible.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Chemotactic activity of bone and platelet-derived TGF-beta for bone-metastasizing rat Walker 256 carcinosarcoma cells.

Bone is a major source of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), and a preferred target organ for metastasis of the rat Walker carcinosarcoma 256 (W256). Since chemotactic mechanisms may contribute to metastatic site specificity, we have tested the hypothesis that TGF-beta is a chemoattractant for these cancer cells. Purified platelet-derived TGF-beta elicited dose-dependent migration of W256 cells in the Boyden chamber assay with half-maximal responses (ED50) elicited by 0.12 +/- 0.01 ng TGF-beta/ml. Checkerboard analysis confirmed dependence of the response upon a concentration gradient. Conditioned media from organ cultures of bone contained TGF-beta and chemotactic activity in proportion to the extent of bone resorption. The chemotactic activity in conditioned bone culture medium and that of the purified platelet-derived TGF-beta were both inhibited after incubation with anti-TGF-beta 1. We conclude that TGF-beta, released from resorbing bone, can influence the migratory behavior of the osteotropic W256 cell line.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

The primary structure of a plasma membrane guanylate cyclase demonstrates diversity within this new receptor family.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) binds directly to a plasma membrane form of guanylate cyclase (GC-A), stimulating the production of the second messenger cyclic GMP. We show that a second guanylate cyclase/receptor (GC-B) exists, with distinctly different specificities for various natriuretic peptides. A cDNA clone encoding GC-B was isolated by low-stringency screening of a rat brain cDNA library using GC-A cDNA as a probe. The deduced amino acid sequence of GC-B is 78% identical with GC-A within the intracellular region, but 43% identical within the extracellular domain. Cyclic GMP concentrations in cells transfected with GC-A were half-maximally elevated at 3 nM ANP, 25 nM brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and 65 nM atriopeptin 1, while 25 microM ANP, 6 microM BNP, and greater than 100 microM atriopeptin 1 were required for half-maximal stimulation of GC-B. The potencies of natriuretic peptides on GC-A and GC-B activity are therefore markedly different; furthermore, despite the specificity of GC-B for BNP, the relatively high BNP concentration required to elicit a response suggests the possible presence of a more potent, unidentified natural ligand.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

A mitochondrial DNA mutation as a cause of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy.

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy is a maternally inherited disease associated with the late onset of bilateral loss of central vision and cardiac dysrhythmias. The maternal inheritance is explained by the mitochondrial origin of the disease. Analysis of the sequence of a mitochondrial DNA has indicated that a single nucleotide change at position 11778 is associated with this disease. This mutation converts the 340th amino acid of NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 from an arginine to a histidine and eliminates an SfaNI endonuclease restriction site. A survey of restriction-fragment-length polymorphisms in the mitochondrial DNA of three independent families with this disease (an American black and two white European families) and 10 controls confirmed that this SfaNI site is associated with the disease. A phylogenetic tree for mitochondrial DNA polymorphism and sequence variants from three probands with Leber's disease and four controls was constructed, and the mutation at position 11778 was found to be associated with two mitochondrial DNA backgrounds--an American black mitochondrial DNA and a European mitochondrial DNA. Thus, this mutation must have arisen twice independently. Since the mutation correlated with symptoms of Leber's disease in both cases, these findings indicate that the mutation is a cause of the disease. This genetic analysis has identified the specific point mutation in the mitochondrial DNA that results in Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy.

Black People↗
PubMed1989

Effects of aflatoxin on the immune system of the chick.

A decreased antibody response to injected sheep red blood cells and weight losses to the extent of 25-38% were observed in the bursa Fabricii and thymus in chicks fed an aflatoxin diet (10% w/w) for 3 weeks. The immune organs did not show any significant histopathological changes. The antibody titre decreased from day 6 of treatment onward until the 15th day, when the antibody titre had disappeared completely in the test chicks. The body weight gain was also less in test chicks (9.7-37.3%) given test feed or test feed along with Salmonella pullorum in water (10(8) cfu ml 1) in comparison to chicks given toxin-free diet and water after 3 weeks of feeding trials. The disappearing component in the test chicks' liver homogenate was found to be antigenic by immunoelectrophoretic studies.

Aflatoxins↗
PubMed1989

Does intrauterine site of insemination in cattle really matter?

Two trials were conducted to determine the influence of semen placement on pregnancy rate in dairy heifers and cows. Seventy-two dairy heifers were artificially inseminated (AI) 10 to 12 h after the first detection of estrus. Control heifers (n = 25) were inseminated at the junction of the uterine body and internal cervical os. The remaining heifers were inseminated deep in one uterine horn, 3 to 5 cm anterior to the external bifurcation. Twenty-three heifers were inseminated in the horn ipsilateral to the ovary bearing the ovulatory follicle, and 24 heifers were inseminated in the contralateral horn. Pregnancy rates did not differ for the three groups of heifers. In a second trial, 64 inseminations were performed in 38 nonlactating, adult dairy cattle. Thirty-one inseminations were made deep in the uterine horn ipsilateral to the ovary bearing the ovulatory follicle and 33 in the contralateral horn. Pregnancy rates were similar for both groups. Combining both trials, pregnancy rates for ipsilateral and contralateral inseminations were equal (32 54 = 59% and 34 57 = 60% , respectively). Therefore, placement of semen in one horn of the uterus does not appear to be a cause of decreased or increased pregnancy rate with AI.

Journal Article↗