PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Begin

Publications and source records attributed to M Begin.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Inheritance of Strain Instability (Sectoring) in the Commercial Button Mushroom, Agaricus bisporus.

The button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, is a commercially important cultivated filamentous fungus. During the last decade, the button mushroom industry has depended mainly on two strains (or derivatives of these two strains). Using one of these highly successful strains (strain U1) we examined the phenomenon of strain instability, specifically, the production of irreversible sectors. Three "stromatal" and three "fluffy" sectors were compared with a healthy type U1 strain and with a wild-collected isolate. Compost colonization and fruit body morphology were examined. The main objective of this study, however, was to examine the meiotic stability of the sectored phenotype. Single basidiospores were isolated and subjected to a grain bioassay in which the ability to produce sectors was measured. Our results were as follows: (i) basidiospore cultures obtained from a wild-collected isolate showed no tendency to produce sectors; (ii) approximately 5% of the basidiospore cultures obtained from healthy type U1 strains produced irreversible sectors in the grain bioassay; (iii) the five primary sectors examined produced basidiospore cultures, half of which produced normal-looking growth in the grain bioassay and half of which produced some degree of sectoring; and (iv) the one sectored isolate that represented the F2 generation gave ratios similar to the 1:1 ratio observed for the F1 cultures.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

Identification of a critical period for motor development in neonatal rats.

Manipulation of the developing nervous system has provided valuable insights into nervous system function. One important concept to arise from this type of study has been the identification of specific "critical periods" for the development of various functions. A critical period has been most clearly shown for the visual system where monocular eye closure for a few weeks led to functionally significant changes in visually guided behaviors and the connectivity of the visual cortex. Critical periods have also been defined for other sensory systems. Although studies of the effect of manipulating sensory systems during development are sometimes difficult to interpret (e.g. Ref. 7), this difficulty is compounded in the case of the motor system. Problems arise because manipulations of the postnatal motor system are difficult to implement and usually require invasive procedures such as tenotomy, neurotomy, and nerve crush (for review, see Ref. 17). We have approached the problem of manipulating the motor environment by adapting a paradigm widely used to study the experimental effects of simulated weightlessness in adult rats: namely, tail suspension. This method has several advantages for manipulating the motor system: (i) because it is noninvasive, it is less discomforting than neurotomy, tenotomy or nerve crush; (ii) it does not immobilize the animals, they move about the cage and extend and flex their hindlimbs; and (iii) it specifically examines the importance of load-bearing on the development of antigravity muscles and their neuronal circuits.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aging↗
PubMed1991

Clinical responses to ORG 9426 during isoflurane anesthesia.

To determine average dose requirements and pharmacodynamic characteristics before general clinical use, the dose-response curve, onset time, and recovery time for the neuromuscular relaxant ORG 9426 were determined in 72 adult patients given doses of 120, 160, 200, or 240 micrograms/kg after establishment of a steady-state expired isoflurane concentration of approximately 1%. Neuromuscular blockade was continuously recorded using the ulnar evoked electromyogram. Using the log probit method, ED95 was 268 micrograms/kg, ED90 was 251 micrograms/kg, and ED50 was 144 micrograms/kg. The time until 80% blockade was 1.9 min at 240 micrograms/kg, and the average time to peak effect was 4.6 min, which did not vary with dose. The clinical duration (injection until T1 returned to 25%) was 20.5 min, and the recovery index (T1 increased from 25% to 75% of control) was 15.4 min, after a total dose of 300 micrograms/kg. The duration of 75-micrograms/kg and 100-micrograms/kg repeat (maintenance) dose was 14.6 and 17.8 min, respectively, and no cumulative effect was apparent after as many as five maintenance doses. No cardiovascular side effects were seen at doses used in the study. We conclude that ORG 9426 is a nondepolarizing muscle relaxant with a rapid onset and short duration of action that deserves further clinical evaluation.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Susceptibility of RDM4 lymphoma cells to LAK-mediated lysis is decreased in tumor bearers fed fish oil high fat regimen.

RDM4 lymphoma cells were grown intraperitoneally in genetically compatible AKR mice fed either regular mouse chow, or diet supplemented with either saturated fat (hydrogenated beef tallow = HBT) or unsaturated fat (fish oil = FO). It was observed that the lymphoma cells number was significantly greater in FO-fed hosts and lower in HBT-fed hosts, than in the mice fed regular chow. The tumor bearers diet did not dramatically influence the rate of DNA synthesis of RDM4 cells, as measured by [3H]thymidine uptake in culture, a few hours after harvesting from the peritoneal cavity. It was repeatedly found that FO feeding of the tumor bearers elicited an increased resistance of RDM4 cells to lysis by LAK effectors, as appraised in vitro by 51Cr release test and in vivo by the "Winn assay". Different FO percentage of the diet (16%, 8%, 4%) resulted in comparable reduction of susceptibility of RDM4 cells to lysis by LAK effectors. Lipid analysis showed that RDM4 cells grown in mice fed FO diet or HBT diet differed markedly in their fatty acid composition and that their resistance to lysis by LAK cells correlated with the quantity of oxidizable fatty acids especially of the n-6 type.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Genetic Analysis of Adenovirus Type 2 II. Preliminary Phenotypic Characterization of Temperature-Sensitive Mutants.

The properties of temperature-sensitive mutants of adenovirus type 2 representing 12 complementation groups were studied. All mutants were normal with respect to adsorption as measured by viral inclusion formation and viral DNA synthesis as shown by velocity sedimentation in alkaline sucrose gradients. One mutant, however, formed viral inclusions of altered morphology at the nonpermissive temperature. The synthesis of the major capsid proteins was examined by immunodiffusion. On this basis, the complementation groups could be arranged as follows: (i) one group was negative for all three proteins; (ii) three groups failed to synthesize penton bases; (iii) eight groups were positive for hexons, pentons, and fibers. The assembly of virus particles at 39 C was examined by equilibrium sedimentation in CsCl; three groups were found defective, whereas two of the penton-negative groups were positive for virion production. Tests of the thermolability of virions at 50 C revealed eight groups labile whereas the remainder were insensitive to heat inactivation. None of five mutants inoculated in newborn rats induced tumors, although three of them were capable of in vitro transformation.

Journal Article↗