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The metabolism of phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC), derived from [3H]serine, has been studied in rat hepatocytes. After an initial pulse with radioactivity for 10 min and a chase for up to 240 min, cells were harvested and PS, PE and PC isolated. At the end of the pulse, greater than 90% of [3H]serine derived phospholipid radioactivity was associated with PS. In the subsequent chase, newly-made PS was degraded rapidly with less than 25% of the label lost from PS appearing in the PE and PC pools. In contrast, [3H]serine-labeled PE turnover was not detectable. Very little newly-made PS was converted to PC. PE and PC were further fractionated into molecular species by high-performance liquid chromatography. We report that [3H]serine-labeled PE is deacylated/reacylated with the major product of remodeling being 18:0-20:4 PE. In contrast, [3H]serine-labeled PC is not significantly remodeled.

The metabolism of the molecular species of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) derived from [3H]ethanolamine has been studied in rat hepatocytes during prolonged inhibition of phosphatidylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PEMT) with 3-deazaadenosine (DZA). After an initial pulse of radioactivity for 1 h and a chase for up to 24 h in the presence or absence of DZA, the cells were harvested and the incorporation of label into the various molecular species of PE and PC was determined. Prolonged inhibition of PEMT did not affect the mol% distribution of either PE or PC molecular species. Thus, PE methylation is not required for the maintenance of cellular PE and PC molecular species composition. While the overall catabolism of PE was not affected by DZA treatment, inhibition of PEMT resulted in the selective degradation of 16:0-22:6-PE. The major catabolic products of PE in the hepatocytes and the medium were glycerophosphoethanolamine and ethanolamine-phosphate. PC, derived from PE, was remodeled at both the sn-1 and sn-2 positions and this process was not affected by the inhibition of PEMT. The major species being remodeled was 16:0-22:6-PC. The rapid turnover of 16:0-22:6-PE and PC species compared to other PE and PC species may be due to the presence of a 16:0-22:6 selective phospholipase.

The remodeling of the fatty acyl moieties of phosphatidylcholine (PC) has been studied in choline-deficient and choline-supplemented hepatocytes prepared from a choline-deficient rat. Choline-deficient hepatocytes were prelabeled with [Me-3H]choline for 30 min and subsequently incubated for up to 12 h in the presence or absence of choline. Analysis of the molecular species of PC from choline-deficient cells showed that, at the end of the pulse, approx. 75% of the label was incorporated into palmitate-containing species and only approx. 16% of the labeled species contained stearate. During the chase period there was a redistribution of label and after 12 h approx. 56% of the total radioactivity was associated with palmitate containing species and 37% was recovered in stearate-containing species. A similar distribution of radioactivity was observed in choline-supplemented cells. Measurement of the specific radioactivity of the major molecular species of PC was consistent with a precursor-product relationship between palmitate-containing species and stearate-containing species with arachidonate or linoleate on the sn-2 position. A model is presented which takes into account remodeling of both the sn-1 and sn-2 positions of PC.

Physiotherapy on the back of the moved horse has two important dimensions: 1) The somatotropic effect regards mainly spasticity, ataxia, the vertebral column, the basis of the pelvis and the skin. 2) A general psychotherapeutic and psychohygienic effect is created by joy, change and new impetus in rehabilitation and by the emotional contact with the "comrade animal". Or unit was the first to introduce hippotherapy with adults in Austria. There is specially good experience with the spastic atactic component in multiple sclerosis. However other diagnosis as well showed good profit, such as stroke, etc. Some good effects in cephalaea patients indicate transition to riding as a medical pedagogic instrument with further transitions to psychosomatic patients. We want to proceed in this direction. Well organized hippotherapy is cheaper than the hydrotherapy (being current almost everywhere. Therefore opposition against the valuable hippotherapy by reasons of economics should be ruled out. Today's medicine goes farther and farther away from natural possibilities (slogan: "overtechnologized"). We see in hippotherapy an important counterweight in the sense of a valuable methodology towards holistic therapy especially in rehabilitation.