First record of the family Spengeliidae (Hemichordata : Enteropneusta) from Chinese waters, with description of a new species

Six species belonging to two families of Hemichordata have previously been recorded in Chinese waters. This paper records the discovery and description of a new species of the genus Glandiceps found in Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao, Shandong Province, named Glandiceps qingdaoensis. The new species has a long proboscis with dorsal and ventral grooves, a stomochord with a long vermiform process, a proboscis cavity with a dorsal median, right and left glomeruli, right and left glomeruli very large and encircling the stomochord, a proboscis skeleton in the cavity extends into the median posterior of the collar, a well-developed dorsal ventral muscular septum in the proboscis cavity dividing the cavity completely into two separate parts. The collar cord is without giant nerve roots. The trunk with four distinct regions that can be recognized externally: branchial-genital region, genital region, hepatic region, and intestinal region. The dorsal pharynx is large and the gill pores are small. The tongue bars are encircled by vesicles, and the first gonad commences at the level of the second or third gill slit.

A nerve growth factor from the venom of Chinese cobra (Naja naja atra) and its effects on male reproductive system in rats

A nerve growth factor (NGF) was isolated from the venom of Chinese cobra (Naja naja ntr a) by ion exchange chromatography, gel filtration and fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC). The N-terminal sequence of 22 amino acid residues was identical with other NGFs previously purified from the venom of the same genus. The NGF monomer molecular weight was estimated to be 13 500 by reducing SDS-PAGE and the isoelectric point was determined to be 7.2 by isoelectric focusing electrophoresis. NGF improved the epididymal sperm motility of male rats and increased the pregnancy rate and fetus number of mated female rats. The serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) of male rats administrated NGF + gossypol was lower than that of male rats administrated gossypol. Histological sections of testes and epididymides showed that NGF reduced the destructive effects of gossypol on rat testes. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.