Deoxyribouncleic acid content of the regenerative nodule cells in liver cirrhosis

An increased content in sialic acid in the carbohydrate moiety of fibrinogen (fibrinogen sialic acid, FSA) as described in a number of different liver patients has been accounted for the polymerization defect often found in conditions of liver damage.In 22 cases of liver cirrhosis divided into “moderate” (n = 11) and “severe” (n = 11) according to standardized criteria, FSA was measured with the method of Warren after purification of fibrinogen with β-alanine and glycine, and expressed in mg per 100 mg of fibrinogen.In the whole group of cirrhotics FSA was 0.79 mg ± 0.17 (controls n = 10, FSA 0.70 mg ± 0.13, p > 0.05). However, FSA was markedly increased in “severe” cases (0.90 mg ± 0.16) both vs controls (p < 0.001) and vs “moderate” cases (0.69 mg ± 0.10, p < 0.005). Thrombin time (TT) although prolonged in cirrhotics (p < 0.001) was not significantly different between the subgroups. FSA correlated inversely with fibrinogen level (p < 0.01) but did not correlate with TT.These results show that the increase in FSA is a feature of severe liver cirrhosis especially in presence of a low fibrinogen level. Although probably involved in the polymerization defect, this increase alone cannot properly explain the prolongation of TT which is known to occur also in absence of serum FDP.

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Effect of light intensity on the ultrastructure of the filamentous cyanobacterium, Anabaena variabilis

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100103565 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 300-301

Author(s):

C. S. Bricker ◽

S. R. Barnum ◽

B. Huang ◽

J. G. Jaworskl

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acid ◽

Light Intensity ◽

Acid Content ◽

Fatty Acid Content ◽

Anabaena Variabilis ◽

Chloroplast Envelope ◽

Major Constituent ◽

Filamentous Cyanobacterium ◽

Photosynthetic Membrane ◽

Effect Of Light

Cyanobacteria are Gram negative prokaryotes that are capable of oxygenic photosynthesis. Although there are many similarities between eukaryotes and cyanobacteria in electron transfer and phosphorylation during photosynthesis, there are two features of the photosynthetic apparatus in cyanobacteria which distinguishes them from plants. Cyanobacteria contain phycobiliproteins organized in phycobilisomes on the surface of photosynthetic membrane. Another difference is in the organization of the photosynthetic membranes. Instead of stacked thylakolds within a chloroplast envelope membrane, as seen In eukaryotes, IntracytopIasmlc membranes generally are arranged in three to six concentric layers. Environmental factors such as temperature, nutrition and light fluency can significantly affect the physiology and morphology of cells. The effect of light Intensity shifts on the ultrastructure of Internal membrane in Anabaena variabilis grown under controlled environmental conditions was examined. Since a major constituent of cyanobacterial thylakolds are lipids, the fatty acid content also was measured and correlated with uItrastructural changes. The regulation of fatty acid synthesis in cyanobacteria ultimately can be studied if the fatty acid content can be manipulated.

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