Atypical cilia in the oviductal epithelium of healthy cats.

Specimens of the uterine tube were obtained from ten healthy, ovario-hysterectomized cats. Ultrastructurally, a total of 66,000 cilia were examined. Atypical cilia were found in all examined subjects. The prevalence of compound cilia showed a range of 0.2% to 1.8%. Intracytoplasmic and swollen cilia ranged from 0.06% to 0.3% and from 0.03% to 0.3%, respectively. The microtubular pattern was examined in 7,000 cross-sectioned cilia and an abnormal pattern was found in 2.6%-6.5%. Abnormalities of peripheral microtubules were the prevailing defect. A central plug of electron-dense material was observed in 2-3% of the examined basal bodies. Several basal bodies characterized by an abnormal spatial configuration were also shown.

Extrapulmonary silicosis in two water buffaloes.

Two cases of extrathoracic silicosis in buffaloes raised near a quartz quarry and suffering from clinically severe silicosis are described. The extrapulmonary changes were characterized by silicoconiotic nodules in the tonsils, mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen. A combination of energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the mineral component of these lesions consisted mainly of silicon, aluminium, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, sulphur and potassium. It is concluded that domestic animals raised in polluted environmental conditions represent an important biological source from which helpful data may be obtained for assessing risks to human health and gaining new insight into pathogenetic mechanisms.

Chemotactic peptide binding by rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Presence of two compartments having similar affinities but different kinetics.

N-Formylnorleucylleucylphenylalanine (f-Nle-LeuPhe) bound to rabbit peritoneal polymorphonuclear leukocytes at 4 degrees C exists in at least two compartments that can be differentiated by their off rates. The off rate of one compartment is similar to that of the receptor characterized previously, about 0.4 min-1 (Aswanikumar, S., Corcoran, B., Schiffmann, E., Day, A. R., Freer, R. J., Showell, H. J., Becker, E. L., and Pert, C. B. (1977) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 74, 810-817; Sullivan, S. J., and Zigmond, S. H. (1980) J. Cell Biol. 85, 703-711); the off rate of the second compartment is about 0.005 min-1. Lysis of the cells at 4 degrees C with 1% Triton does not affect the peptide release from either compartment. Accumulation of peptide at 4 degrees C into the fast off-rate compartment is rapid, reaching a plateau in about 5 min, while peptide in the slow off-rate compartment continues to increase for up to 4 h. The rate of accumulation in the slow off-rate compartment is approximately proportional to the amount of peptide bound to the fast off-rate compartment. Cells lysed at 4 degrees C before binding are still able to accumulate peptide into both compartments. Three possible models to explain the data are presented.