Differential membrane phospholipid synthesis during the cell cycle of Caulobacter crescentus.

The pattern of phospholipid synthesis during the cell cycle of Caulobacter crescentus has been determined. Although the phospholipid composition of swarmer and stalked cells was indistinguishable in continuously labeled cultures if the two cell types were pulse-labeled for a short time period, marked differences in the pattern of phospholipid synthesis were detected. Pulse-labeled swarmer cells exhibited a higher proportion of phosphatidic acid and a lower proportion of phosphatidylglycerol. In addition, minor phospholipids were detected in the swarmer cells that were not detected in stalked cells. Stalked cells that developed directly from swarmer cells showed that same phospholipid profile as the swarmer cells. The switch to the second phospholipid profile was observed to occur at the predivisional cell stage. Because cell division then yielded a swarmer cell with a different phospholipid profile than its sibling stalked cell, the cell division process may trigger a mechanism which alters the pattern of phospholipid synthesis.     

Cyclic 3',5'-AMP phosphodiesterase in Physarum polycephalum. I. Chemotaxis toward inhibitors and cyclic nucleotides.

The effect of several inhibitors of the enzyme cyclic 3',5'-AMP phosphodiesterase as chemoattractants in Physarum polycephalum was examined. Of the compounds tested, 4-(3-butoxy-4-methoxybenzyl)-2-imidazolidinone (Roche 20-1724/001) and 1-ethyl-4-(isopropylidinehydrazino)-1H-pyrazolo-(3,4-b)-pyridine-5-carboxylic acid ethyl ester, hydrochloride (Squibb 20009) were the most potent attractants. 3-Isobutyl-1-methyl xanthine, theophylline, and morin (a flavanoid) were moderate attractants and sometimes gave negative chemotaxis at high concentrations. Cyclic 3',5'-AMP was an effective, but not potent attractant. A repellent effect following the positive chemotactic action was sometimes observed with cyclic 3',5'-AMP at concentrations as high as 1 . 10(-2) M. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP appeared to be a somewhat more potent attractant than cyclic 3',5'-AMP. The 8-thiomethyl and 8-bromoderivatives of cyclic AMP, which are poorly hydrolyzed by the phosphodiesterase, were not attractants in Physarum. Possible participation of cyclic 3',5'-AMP in the directional movement in P. polycephalum is discussed.     

Anthropological studies among Libyans. Erythrocyte genetic factors,serum haptoglobin phenotypes and anthropometry

Anthropological studies were done on 1276 Libyans from the Mediterranean cities of Tripoli and Benghazi, and from Sabha southward in The Sahara. The incidences of hemoglobin (Hb)-S and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficiency were low in the coastal areas and significantly high in Sabha. Hb-C occurred sporadically in Tripoli and Sabha, and was absent from Benghazi in the east. One case of Hb-J Benghazi was noted. There were no significant differences in the ABO blood group and Rh₀ (D) type distributions in the three localities. G-6-PD gene Gd^A frequency was significantly high in Sabha. The lowest value of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6-PGD) gene PGD^A frequency and highest value of the gene PGD^C were in Sabha. Adenylate kinase (AK) gene AK² was only detectable in Tripoli. Acid phosphatase (AP) gene P^a frequency in Sabha was more than twice that in Tripoli and Benghazi, while P^c was distinctly lower in Sabha than in the northern cities. Haptoglobin gene Hp¹ frequency was almost identical in all areas. Anthropometric measurements revealed overall homogeneity of the three samples, closer similarity in the coastal region to adjacent North African populations, and Negroid influence in the Saharan Libyans. Anthropometry substantiated findings from blood markers.     

Characterization of Polar and Non‐Polar Compounds of House Edible Bird's Nest (EBN) from Johor,Malaysia

This work investigated the polar (PC: protein, amino acid and metabolite) and non‐polar (NPC: fatty acid) compounds and bioactivity characteristics of the EBN harvested from the state of Johor in Malaysia. The electrophoretic gels exhibited 15 protein bands (16–173 kD) with unique protein profile. Amino acids analysis by AccQ?Tag method revealed 18 types of amino acids in EBN. Metabolite profiling was performed using High‐Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Quadrupole Time‐of‐Flight Mass Spectrometer (HPLC‐QTOF/MS) technique and a total of 54 compounds belonging to different groups were detected and identified. These findings help to uncover the relation of therapeutic activity of EBN. The EBN was further extracted with AcOEt and BuOH. The AcOEt extract was fractionated into three fractions (F₁?F₃), and the high triglyceride content in F₂ was verified by gC‐FID. The three groups of fatty acids discovered in EBN are 48.43 % of poly‐unsaturated (PUFA), 25.35 % of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and 24.74 % of mono‐unsaturated fat (MUFA). This is the first time to report results ofEBN, BuOH, and AcOEt extracts and of fraction F₂ (TEBN) on their analysis for their antioxidant activities by DPPH, ABTS and catalase assay and for their paraoxonase and anti‐tyrosinase activities. The results showed that TEBN exhibited the significant bioactivity in all assays. These findings suggest that TEBN is a good source for natural bioactive compounds in promoting body vigor. Current work widened the content of EBN especially on the triglyceride and also marked the content of specific location (Johor, Malaysia) of EBN origin.     

Inter-rater reliability of physiotherapists using the Action Research Arm Test in chronic stroke

Objectives:The purpose of this study is to establish whether physiotherapists’ ratings are consistent, when using the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) to score a chronic stroke patient.Methods:This was part of a large project establishing the reliability in chronic stroke. This study used a correlational design comparing the association between physiotherapist scores of the same patient, to establish the ARAT’s inter-rater reliability. The COSMIN checklist was followed to enhance the methodology of the study.Results:Twenty physiotherapists (8 female and 12 male) aged between 25 and 53 years were selected. There were no participant dropouts or withdrawals. The sample size was normally distributed. The physiotherapists appeared representative of the UK physiotherapy population, with the exception of gender. The distribution of scores showed a normal distribution with standard deviation of score of 1.9. The Kendall’s W test showed 0.711 of agreement between the raters. The scores achieved statistical significance showing consistency between physiotherapists’ scores with chronic stroke. Limitations of the study were the use of a small single center convenience sample that may reduce the generalizability of the findings.Conclusions:The ARAT is consistent when scored by physiotherapists in a chronic stroke population. The inter-rater reliability range was (0.70 to 0.90) which is categorized as good.     

Synthesis of Some New Pyrazoline-Based Thiazole Derivatives and Evaluation of Their Antimicrobial,Antifungal, and Anticancer Activities

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - 3-(2-Thienyl)-5-aryl-1-thiocarbamoyl-2-pyrazolines were reacted with chloroacetone derivatives and hydrazonyl chloride derivatives in ethanol to afford the...     

Immunolocalization of androgen and vitamin D receptors in the epididymis of mature ram (Ovis aries)

This study illustrated the immunohistochemical distribution of androgen and vitamin D receptors of epididymis in 20 sexually mature ram (Rahmani breed) with average age ranged from (2^_4) years and average weight ranged from (50^_65kg). Androgen receptor was localized in the cytoplasm of both ciliated and non ciliated cells of efferent ductules, besides the principal cells via the entire epididymal duct. The principal cells of both corpus and proximal cauda epididymis showed the highest immunoreactivity to androgen receptors. Furthermore, vitamin D receptor was localized in the cytoplasm of all epithelium of the efferent ductules besides principal cells of all epididymal regions, however the immunoreaction was significantly higher in the efferent ductules, distal caput and distal cauda epididymis. In conclusion, these results suggest that the function of ram epididymis is regulated by both androgen and Vitamin D.