Neutrophil-stimulating activity of staphylococci based on reactive chemiluminescence data

The neutrophil-stimulating properties of 38 S. aureus strains and 32 S. epidermidis strains were studied in the reaction of luminol-mediated chemiluminescence. All S. aureus strains and 29 S. epidermidis strains were found to possess neutrophil-stimulating activity, the mean activity index for S. aureus being significantly higher. The stimulating activity of the strains varied within a wide range (the variation coefficient was 120.0 +/- 21.9%) and did not correlate with the content of protein A in bacterial cells and the degree of their hydrophoby. The opsonization of staphylococci with normal human serum enhanced the neutrophil reaction 1.5- to 100-fold and simultaneously leveled out the chemiluminescence indices in experiments with different strains (the variation coefficient was 8.0 +/- 1.5%). The nature of the neutrophil-stimulating effect of staphylococci and its relationship to the exploratory reactions of phagocytes are discussed.     

Range of the antigenic specificity of peptidoglycan in Staphylococcus aureus compared to other representatives of the Staphylococcus genus

In investigations based on the use of a highly sensitive test system permitting the detection of normal human antibodies to S. aureus peptidoglycan, the antigenic relationships between the peptidoglycans of S. aureus and other representatives of the genus Staphylococcus have been studied. Among other staphylococcal species, S. simulans, S. xylosus, S. hyicus, S. cohnii, S. hyicus s. s. chromogenes have been found to possess peptidoglycans most closely related to S. aureus peptidoglycans, while S. warneri and S. epidermidis peptidoglycans have proved to be least closely related to it.     

Chemiluminescence of human lymphocytes in reactions with Staphylococcus aureus peptidoglycan

The capacity of S. aureus peptidoglycan (PG) for inducing the luminol-dependent chemiluminescence of human lymphocytes has been studied. Lymphocytes taken from adult donors have been found to give dose-dependent reaction to S. aureus PG, while lymphocytes from newborn infants have been inert under the same conditions. Essential differences in the kinetics of response to PG (the maximum intensity of chemiluminescence occurs in 25-30 minutes) and to phytohemagglutinin (the maximum intensity is reached in 1 minute) were observed. These results are considered as the manifestation of specific sensitization to bacterial peptidoglycans, which may be rapidly detected by reactive chemiluminescence.     

Lipid peroxidation in the rat liver during macrophage stimulation

The content of malonyl dialdehyde, one of the final products of lipid peroxidation, was determined at different stages after zymosan stimulation of mononuclear phagocyte system in the rat liver. The gradual increase (with the maximum on day 7) of colloidal carbon clearance from the blood and the number of nonparenchymal cells, especially their nonphagocytic fraction, was noted in the rat liver after zymosan injection. A considerable reduction of hepatic malonyl dialdehyde was observed after the initial (on day 1) rising of its level. The distinct antioxidant effect developed by day 7 and coincided with maximal activity of hepatic macrophages.     

Multichannel Thomson scattering diagnostics for the GOL-3 facility

A multichannel Thomson scattering diagnostics for measuring the plasma parameters in the GOL-3 facility was designed and created at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The diagnostics operates at the fundamental harmonic of a neodymium laser (1.06 μm) and allows one to perform measurements over a wide range of electron temperatures and densities with high spatial and time resolutions. A special multipulse oscillator is developed that makes it possible to perform up to 20 measurements of the plasma temperature and density over a period of 300 μs during one shot. The laser used to generate probing radiation, the recording system, and the calibration procedure are described. Results from measurements of the temporal evolution of the plasma density in the GOL-3 in different stages of the discharge are presented to illustrate the system operation. Original Russian Text ? S.V. Polosatkin, A.V. Burdakov, M.V. Ivantsivskiĭ, V.S. Koĭdan, V.K. Ovchar, A.F. Rovenskikh, V.V. Semionov, M.G. Fedotov, 2006, published in Fizika Plazmy, 2006, Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 128–133.     

长江经济带林地和其他生物质碳储量及碳汇量研究

以全国林业应对气候变化碳汇计量监测体系建设结果数据为基础，应用森林碳库专项调查建立的碳计量模型和参数，结合历次森林资源清查成果等数据，估算了2020年长江经济带林地和其他生物质碳储量和碳汇量。研究表明：（1）2020年长江经济带林地碳储量24543.58 Tg C （其中森林植被碳储量为4372.85Tg C），散生木和四旁树等其他生物质碳储量329.59 Tg C。2020年长江经济带林地碳汇量81.81 Tg C/a （300.26Tg CO₂/a）、散生木和四旁树等其他生物质碳汇量6.60 Tg C/a （24.21 Tg CO₂/a）。无论是林地和其他生物质碳储量、碳汇量、还是森林植被碳储量，乔木林地所占比例最大（69%-85%）；长江经济带11个省市中，云南省最大，上海市最小；林地碳储量中土壤有机质碳库贡献最大（81.46%），林地碳汇量中生物量碳库贡献最大（90.99%）；林地碳汇量中"一直为林地的土地"产生碳汇量贡献最大（71.74%），其中一直为乔木林的土地产生的碳汇量占69.89%；（2）阐述了长江防护林工程、天然林资源保护工程、珠江防护林工程和沿海防护林工程4大重点生态工程对长江经济带碳储量和碳汇量的贡献，长江防护林工程贡献率最大（81%-83%），其次是天然林资源保护工程（32%-38%），珠江防护林工程和沿海防护林工程影响较小。分析了人工造林、中幼林抚育、次生林和低效林改造、退化林修复等生态保护修复措施对长江经济带碳储量和碳汇量的贡献，并提出了碳中和愿景下森林固碳增汇的有效途径。     

Changes in the H-alloantigen-recognizing function of mouse lymphoid cells following hydrocortisone administration]

The capacity of spleen, thymus, and bone marrow cells of intact (control) and of hydrocortisone-treated mice CBA to induce the lymph node type of graft-v-host reaction (GVHR) in hybrids F1 (CBA X c57bl) was studied. After hydrocortisone injection (2.5 mg per mouse) the donor spleen cells became more active in GVHR, considering the value of lymph node indices and immunoblast content in the regional lymph node as compared with a control group. Following transplantation of thymus cells taken from the hydrocortison-treated donors the immunoblast count was higher, although the lymph node weight remained the same as in the control group. On the contrary, following the transfer of the bone marrow cells from the hydrocortisone-treated mice the lymph nodes enlarged, while the immunoblast count remained as low as in control. Consequently, exogenously conditioned increase in the hydrocortisone level was accompanied by an enrichment of the spleen and thymus cell populations with T-lymphocytes, proliferating in response to H-alloantigens.