Enchytraeidae (Oligochaeta, Annelida) from a field site in Portugal, with the description of five new species and a redescription of Enchylea heteroducta Nielsen & Christensen, 1963.

Five new species of terrestrial Enchytraeidae (Oligochaeta, Clitellata) are described from an experimental field area in Portugal. Achaeta coimbrensis sp. nov. belongs to a group of species without pyriform glands and with lateral spermathecal ectal pores. Fridericia sousai sp. nov., F. roembkei sp. nov., F. marginata sp. nov., and F. ciliotheca sp. nov. have a maximum of four chaetae per bundle and two spermathecal diverticula, a character combination shared by c. 30 other species of this genus. The new Fridericia species are distinguished from these congeners by combinations of characters, but the ventral pattern of the clitellum alone is sufficient to separate the new species from each other. Enchylea heteroducta Nielsen & Christensen, 1963 is redescribed, this being the first record after the original description and the first record from a natural habitat. Further 16 species of enchytraeids are recorded, and there are now 32 species of enchytraeids known from Portugal.

New insights in prism orientation within human enamel.

The knowledge about the orientation of the prisms in human dental enamel is mainly based on morphological observations (light optical, SEM, etc.). Hence there are many schematic drawings, showing the orientation as seen in the microscope. Locally resolved direct measurements of the orientations, proofing the observations, have not been done in detail up to now. X-ray diffraction methods adapted from material science are used in this study, providing directly the orientation of the crystallites in the examined positions. Hereby new and better detailed information was obtained, showing the orientation of the prisms and giving information about their intrinsic structure. Based on the measurements, existing prism orientation models can be enhanced and two structural suggestions can be made, showing possible inner building principles for the prisms. Future planned measurements will even allow deciding which of the two models is more likely.

Interaction of the metal chelator 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanesulfonate with the rabbit multispecific organic anion transporter 1 (rbOAT1).

The metal chelator DMPS (2,3-dimercapto-1-propanesulfonate) is used to treat heavy metal intoxication because it increases renal excretion of these toxins, which are accumulated in proximal tubule cells. To evaluate the involvement of the organic anion transporter 1 (OAT1) in the renal flux of DMPS, we examined the effect of DMPS on transport mediated by the rabbit ortholog of OAT1 and compared these characteristics with those observed in intact isolated rabbit proximal tubules. The rabbit OAT1 (rbOAT1) cDNA consisted of 2124 base pairs encoding a protein of 551 amino acids. Heterologous expression in COS-7 cells revealed rbOAT1-mediated transport of p-aminohippurate (PAH; K(t) = 16 microM). A 1 mM concentration of unlabeled PAH, alpha-ketoglutarate, urate, or probenecid inhibited [(3)H]PAH uptake by 70 to 90%. cis-Inhibition and trans-stimulation experiments using several Krebs cycle intermediates implicated alpha-ketoglutarate as the main intracellular exchange anion. Reduced DMPS inhibited rbOAT1-mediated fluorescein transport with an apparent K(i) of 102 microM. These characteristics paralleled those observed in isolated rabbit proximal tubules. PAH was transported into nonperfused single proximal tubule S(2) segments with a K(t) of 76 microM. DMPS inhibited FL uptake into single tubule segments with a K(i-app) of 71 microM. Fluorescein efflux from preloaded tubules was trans-stimulated by 1 mM PAH and 1 mM DMPS, consistent with DMPS entry into tubule cells by rbOAT1. In summary, rbOAT1 mediates basolateral uptake of DMPS into proximal tubule cells, implicating this process in the detoxification process of heavy metals in the kidneys.

Dihydroergotoxine: separation and determination of four components by high-performance liquid chromatography.

The evaluation of a new high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described. It permits the separation and determination of the four components of dihydroergotoxine (dihydroergocristine, dihydroergocornine, dihydro-alpha-ergocryptine, and dihydro-beta-ergocryptine) in a single step. On reversed-phase microparticles, complete baseline separation is possible with different mobile phases containing about 10(-2) M base. The analysis of dihydroergotoxine mesylate drug substance or its dosage forms can be carried out in about 15 min. No reference substance is required for the determination of the proportions of the components. This method is simple and exhibits high accuracy, reproducibility, and selectivity. It permits the analytical control of dosage forms containing dihydroergotoxine mesylate to ensure that they comply with the specifications for the drug substance used in clinical and pharmacological studies.