Evaluation of five elements in lenses and aqueous humour of experimental rabbits after induced opacity

We evaluated the presence of Ca, Na, K, Cu and Zn in the lenses and aqueous humour of rabbits treated with an Nd:YAG laser to induce opacity of the crystalline. The mean concentrations of the elements found in control lenses were: Ca: 15.8+/-5.2 mg/kg; Na: 1.2+/-0.6 g/kg; K: 10.3+/-3.3 g/kg; Cu: 0.19+/-0.06 mg/kg; Zn: 20.6+/-3.0 mg/kg. With the exception of K and Zn, the values found in the lenses of treated eyes (Ca: 135+/-24 mg/kg; Na: 4.3+/-1.5 g/kg; K: 10.1 +/- 3.2 g/kg; Cu: 0.47+/-0.17 mg/kg; Zn: 21.8+/-4.2 mg/kg) were significantly higher than in the controls. On the other hand, the concentrations found in the aqueous humour of treated eyes (Ca: 21.7+/-4.5 mg/l; Na: 0.66+/-0.21 g/l; K: 0.29+/-0.10 g/l; Cu: 0.035+/-0.009 mg/l; Zn: 0.079+/-0.01 mg/l) were significantly lower than those of the controls. The greatest difference was observed for Na (-68.6%) and Cu (-52.7%), followed by Ca and Zn (-35.0% and -35.2%, respectively). A positive correlation was found between Ca and Na in treated lenses (r2 = 0.9226, p < 0.0001) whereas inverse correlations were found for both Ca (r2 = 0.9788, p<0.0001) and Na (r2 = 0.9491, p<0.0001) between the concentrations found in the lenses and in the aqueous humour of treated eyes.     

Estimation of activity of pharmakopeal disinfectants and antiseptics against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria isolated from clinical specimens, drugs and environment

The MIC of nine different disinfectants and antiseptics were determined for the Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Strains originated from clinical specimens, drugs and environment. A sensitivity was determined against chlorhexidinum digluconate (Gram-negative: 0,625-80 mg/L, Gram-positive: 0,3-10 mg/L), benzalconium chloride (Gram-negative: 2,5-1280 mg/L, Gram-positive: 1,25-20 mg/L), salicilic acid (Gram-negative and Gram-positive: 400-1600 mg/L), benzoic acid (Gram-negative: 800-1600 mg/L, Gram-positive: 400-1 600 mg/L), boric acid (Gram-negative: 800-12 800 mg/L, Gram-positive: 1 600-6400 mg/L), chloramine B (Gram-negative: 1600-6400 mg/L, Gram-positive:800- 6400 mg/L), jodine (Gram-negative: 200-1600 mg/L, Gram-positive: 200-1600 mg/L), etacridine lactate (Gram-negative: 40 do > 20480 mg/L, Gram-positive: 40-1280 mg/L) and resorcine (Gram-negative: 1600-6400 mg/L, Gram-positive: 800-6400 mg/L). Diversified values of MIC for different strains were obtained, especially in the case of benzalconium chloride, etacridine lactate, chlorhexidinum digluconate, boric acid and iodine. Strains isolated from environment were usually more susceptible to examined compounds than clinical strains. The biggest diversification of sensitivity was observed among strains originated from drugs where besides sensitive appeared strains characterizing by very high MIC values of some substances, eg. boric acid.     

Endogenous phospholipids of swine liver: effect of fat deprivation on molecular species of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine

Three 1-yr-old swine and two 2.5-wk-old swine were fed a fat-free diet for 1 month and 5 months, respectively. The hepatic phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine were fractionated by silver ion thin-layer chromatography. A distinctive feature of the chromatographic procedure was the development of the chromatograms at low temperatures: -10 degrees C for phosphatidylcholine and 4 degrees C for phosphatidylethanolamine. The chromatographic fractions were hydrolyzed with phospholipase A(2), and the fatty acids were characterized. Significant concentrations of odd-chain saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were found in the swine deprived of fat for 5 months. The major molecular species of phosphatidylcholine in both groups contained monoenoic fatty acids: 16:0/18:1(n - 9), 18:0/18:1(n - 9), and 18:1(n - 9)/18:1(n - 9). Their concentrations changed only slightly with the diet. The molecular species of phosphatidylethanolamine were more sensitive to dietary changes. In the swine deprived of fat for 1 month, about 50% of the molecular species of phosphatidylethanolamine contained tetraenoic fatty acids: 16:0/20:4(n - 6), 18:0/20:4(n - 6), and 18:1(n - 9)/20:4(n - 6). The phosphatidylethanolamine of animals deprived of fat for 5 months contained only 3% molecular species with tetraenoic acids, 18:0/20:4(n - 6), but 36% molecular species with trienoic acids: 18:0/20:3(n - 9), 18:1(n - 9)/20:3(n - 9), 18:0/19:3(n - 8), 16:0/20:3(n - 9), and 17:0/20:3(n - 9). Doubly unsaturated species, such as 18:1(n - 9)/18:1(n - 9), 18:1(n - 9)/20:3(n - 9), and 18:1(n - 9)/20:4(n - 6), were found in both groups of swine, although their total concentrations were higher in the group deprived of fat for a longer period.     

Biophysical analysis of the dynamics of calmodulin interactions with neurogranin and Ca2+/calmodulin‐dependent kinase II

Calmodulin (CaM) functions depend on interactions with CaM‐binding proteins, regulated by . Induced structural changes influence the affinity, kinetics, and specificities of the interactions. The dynamics of CaM interactions with neurogranin (Ng) and the CaM‐binding region of /calmodulin‐dependent kinase II (CaMKII_290−309) have been studied using biophysical methods. These proteins have opposite dependencies for CaM binding. Surface plasmon resonance biosensor analysis confirmed that and CaM interact very rapidly, and with moderate affinity ( ). Calmodulin‐CaMKII_290−309 interactions were only detected in the presence of , exhibiting fast kinetics and nanomolar affinity ( ). The CaM–Ng interaction had higher affinity under ‐depleted ( and k ₋₁ = 1.6 × 10⁻¹s⁻¹) than ‐saturated conditions ( ). The IQ motif of Ng (Ng₂₇₋₅₀) had similar affinity for CaM as Ng under ‐saturated conditions ( ), but no interaction was seen under ‐depleted conditions. Microscale thermophoresis using fluorescently labeled CaM confirmed the surface plasmon resonance results qualitatively, but estimated lower affinities for the Ng ( ) and CaMKII_290−309( ) interactions. Although CaMKII_290−309 showed expected interaction characteristics, they may be different for full‐length CaMKII. The data for full‐length Ng, but not Ng₂₇₋₅₀, agree with the current model on Ng regulation of /CaM signaling.     

A new species of the genus Haba Semenov, 1954 (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae) from Iran,with a key to species

Haba persica Strumia & Fallahzadeh sp. n. (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae: Elampini), from mountains in southwestern Iran, is described and illustrated.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9D537878-6215-4874-8970-7F7DE8F57422     

Variance component tests of multivariate mediation effects under composite null hypotheses

Mediation effects of multiple mediators are determined by two associations: one between an exposure and mediators (‐) and the other between the mediators and an outcome conditional on the exposure (‐). The test for mediation effects is conducted under a composite null hypothesis, that is, either one of the ‐ and ‐ associations is zero or both are zeros. Without accounting for the composite null, the type 1 error rate within a study containing a large number of multimediator tests may be much less than the expected. We propose a novel test to address the issue. For each mediation test , , we examine the ‐ and ‐ associations using two separate variance component tests. Assuming a zero‐mean working distribution with a common variance for the element‐wise ‐ (and ‐) associations, score tests for the variance components are constructed. We transform the test statistics into two normally distributed statistics under the null. Using a recently developed result, we conduct hypothesis tests accounting for the composite null hypothesis by adjusting for the variances of the normally distributed statistics for the ‐ and ‐ associations. Advantages of the proposed test over other methods are illustrated in simulation studies and a data application where we analyze lung cancer data from The Cancer Genome Atlas to investigate the smoking effect on gene expression through DNA methylation in 15 114 genes.     

The -429 T/C and -374 T/A gene polymorphisms of the receptor of advanced glycation end products gene (RAGE) are not risk factors for coronary artery disease in Slovene population with type 2 diabetes

Receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) plays a role in atherosclerosis in diabetics. There are two functional polymorphisms in the promoter of the RAGE gene (-429T/C and -374T/A). The aim of this study was to look for a relationship between the -429T/C and the -374T/A gene polymorphisms of the RAGE gene and the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the Slovene population with type 2 diabetes of duration longer than 10 years. One hundred and sixty-eight subjects with diabetes and CAD were compared to 241 diabetic subjects without CAD. The -429T/C and the -374T/A RAGE genotype distributions in patients with CAD (-429T/C: CC: 3%, TC: 31%, TT: 66.0%; -374T/A:AA: 7.7%, TA: 48.2%, TT: 44.1%) were not significantly different from those in patients without CAD (-429 T/C: CC: 1.7%, TC: 26.1%, TT: 72.2%; -374T/A: AA: 11.2%, TA: 43.2%, TT: 45.6%). Our study failed to demonstrate an association between either the -429T/C or the -374T/A gene polymorphism of the RAGE gene and CAD in the Slovene population with type 2 diabetes of duration longer than 10 years.     

TBG-dependency of age related variations of thyroxine and triiodothyronine.

Thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) were determined in healthy individuals ranging in age from newborn to 95 years. T4: 10.25 +/- 1.62 microng/100 ml, T3: 1.62 +/- 0.35 ng/ml and TBG: 1.34 +/- 0.15 mg/100 ml, were found elevated until puberty compared to a middle age group with T4: 7.27 +/- 2.26 microng/100 ml, T3: 1.15 +/- 0.24 ng/ml and TBG: 0.98 +/- 14 mg/100 ml. T4 and T3 followed almost TBG concentration. In old age is dissociation between T4: 5.79 +/- 1.56 microng/100 ml, T3: 0.79 +/- 0.21 ng/ml and TBG: 1.28 +/- 0.15 mg/100 ml was found. Except for old age the ratio T4/TBG and T3/TBG minimized the age dependent variation of T4 and T3 and reduced the coefficient of variance from 26% to 17.7% for T4 and from 26.5 to 25% for T3. Age reduction of T4/TBG is 15% and of T3/TBG 13% respectively more pronounced than for T4 and T3 alone. These data indicate: 1) age related variations of T4 and T3 due to age dependency of TBG, 2) deviation of T4 and T3 values in old age from that expected by their TBG levels and 3) the importance of the routine use of hormone/TBG ratio.     

The use of methane for production of bacterial protein

Single cell protein production was studied in a mixed bacterial culture grown in methane using batch and continuous culture techniques. Overall productivity was found to be higher in the continuous culture which gave a maximum productivity value p = 0.15 g/l/h. Methane and oxygen were consumed in the relation 1 : 1.7. Yield coefficients for methane, oxygen, and ammonium chloride were Y = 0.90, Y = 0.26, and Y = 0.14. The crude protein content of the biomass was 71%.     

Effects of chronic elevated nitrate concentrations on the structure and function of river biofilms

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Study of a therapeutic concentrate of factor VIII/vWf prepared in a closed system

An original procedure of preparation in a closed system of high purity Factor VIII concentrate is presented. Starting from cryoprecipitates, this method involves a first step of partial removal of fibrinogen by glycine precipitation (1.6 M) and a second step of Factor VIII concentration by cryoprecipitation. The yield is 16.5% of plasmatic F VIII:C (0.8 mu/ml.). Several batches of concentrates thus prepared are compared "in vitro" to 9 other commercially available concentrates from 8 different manufactories. The results show that most of the characteristics of our concentrate are within the range of specifications of other commercially available high-purity F VIII concentrate: F VIII: C activity (CRTS Lille concentrate: 25-40 U/ml.; other concentrates: 25-50 U/ml) solubility, specific activity (CRTS lille concentrate; 1.0-1.82 U F VIII:C/mg protein and 1.79-4.8 U F VIII: C/mg clottable proteins; other concentrates: 0.53-2.79 U F VIII:C/mg protein an 1.39-4.84 U F VIII:C/mg clottable proteins), isoagglutinin titers (CRTS Lille concentrate: 2-8 anti-A, 0.16 anti-B; other concentrates: 0-64 anti-A, 8-16 anti-B) F VIIIC/F VIII R: Ag ratios (CRTS Lille concentrate: 0.18-0.49; other concentrates: 0.20-0.42). Furthermore F VIII R:Ag electrophoretic mobility studied by crossed immunoelectrophoresis add F VIII R: RCo assays provide evidence that very high molecular weight multimeric forms of F VIII/vWf which support vWf activity are present in our concentrate. "In vivo" study and clinical efficacy in vWd patients confirm these results and show that our concentrate is appropriate for the treatment of patients with F VIII:C or V VIII R:RCo deficiency.     

Sex pheromone of Etiella behrii, a pod borer of soybean in Indonesia: identification and field attraction

Four EAG-active components were detected in GC-EAG analyses of hexane extracts from virgin Etiella behrii (Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) females. These components were identified as dodecyl acetate (12:Ac), (E)-9-dodecenyl acetate (E9-12:Ac), either (Z)-9- or (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate (Z9- or E11-14:Ac), and (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate (Z11-14:Ac) by comparison of retention indices on both nonpolar and polar GC columns. The available extract was insufficient for further GC-MS or other chemical analyses (<0.2 ng/female). In field tests carried out in East Java, a 10:90 mixture of E9-12:Ac and Z11-14:Ac showed attractiveness to male moths and addition of 12:Ac and/or E11-14:Ac significantly increased the trap catches while addition of Z9-14:Ac showed no significant effect. Maximum attraction was obtained with 5.35 or 10.7 g/rubber septum of a mixture of E9-12:Ac, Z11-14:Ac, 12:Ac and E11-14:Ac at the ratio of 10:90:0.7:6.3, respectively. The role of pheromone blends in species discrimination between E. behrii and the related E. zinckenella (Treitschke) is discussed.     

Existence of endogenous inhibitors of platelet-activating factor (PAF) with PAF in rat uterus

Two kinds of phospholipids in normal rat uterus were found to inhibit the aggregation of washed rabbit platelets induced by 1-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (alkylacetyl-GPC) and were named Inhibitor I and Inhibitor II and identified by mass spectrometry. Inhibitor I was a mixture of 1-acyl (16:0, 18:0, 18:1, 18:2, and 20:4)-2-lyso-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (acyllyso-GPC) and 1-alkyl (16:0, 18:0, and 18:1)-2-lyso-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (alkyllyso-GPC). 16:0 acyllyso-GPC was the most inhibitory, followed by 18:1, 18:2, 20:4, and 18:0 acyllyso-GPCs and 16:0 alkyllyso-GPC. Their IC50 values were in the range of 1-4 X 10(-5) M against the platelet aggregation induced by 1 X 10(-10) M 16:0 alkylacetyl-GPC, indicating that they were about 100 times weaker inhibitors than CV-3988. Inhibitor II was a mixture of N-acyl sphing-4-enyl phosphocholine (18:1/18:0, 18:1/20:0, 18:1/24:0, and 18:1/24:2). The most inhibitory of these components were 18:1/20:0 and 18:1/24:0, followed by 18:1/24:2 and 18:1/18:0, and their IC50 values were in the range of 4-5 X 10(-5) M against platelet aggregation induced by the alkylacetyl-GPC. Quantitatively, about 10(5) times higher concentrations of these inhibitors should be necessary to inhibit platelet aggregation induced by 1 X 10(-10) M 16:0 alkylacetyl-GPC. In fact, the contents of Inhibitors I and II, respectively, were approximately 10(5) times (4.7 X 10(-2) and 7.1 X 10(-2) mol/mol lipid-phosphorus of the original uterine phospholipids) than that of 16:0 alkylacetyl-GPC (1.4 X 10(-6) mol/mol lipid-phosphorus). The role of alkylacetyl-GPC in normal rat uterus is uncertain, but it coexists in situ with two kinds of endogenous inhibitors, choline containing lysoglycerophospholipids and sphingophospholipids.     

Electroantennogram and field responses of Korean population of the rice leaf folder,Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), to sex attractant candidates

A series of studies was conducted to determine the optimum sex attractant for monitoring the rice leaf folder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, in Korea, based on the previously reported pheromone composition in this species. (Z)-13-Octadecenal (Z13-18:Al) was most active in electroantennogram (EAG) and field tests. (Z)-11-Hexadecenal (Z11-16:Al), (Z)-11-octadecenal (Z11-18:Al), (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate (Z11-16:Ac), (Z)-13-octadecenyl acetate (Z13-18:Ac) and (Z)-13-octadecenol (Z13-18:OH) individually elicited significant EAG responses, but were not individually attractive in field trials. (Z)-11-Octadecenol (Z11-18:OH) alone was inactive in both EAG and field tests. The addition of Z11-18:OH and Z13-18:OH to the binary mixture of Z11-18:Al and Z13-18:Al, as the previously reported composition of the Japanese blend, significantly increased the trap catches of males in field trials. In contrast, the Philippine and Indian blends were not attractive to this species. Interestingly, when Z13-18:Ac alone was added to the binary mixture of Z11-18:Al and Z13-18:Al, the trap catch number was the same as that of the Japanese blend. The present study indicates that the four-component blend (Z11-18:Al/Z13-18:Al/Z11-18:OH/Z13-18:OH = 11/100/24/36) and the three-component blend (Z11-18:Al/Z13-18:Al/Z13-18:Ac = 11/100/11) can be used as sex attractants for monitoring the Korean populations of C. medinalis.     

New species and new records of Apataniidae (Insecta: Trichoptera) from east central China

Three new species of Apataniidae from China, Apatania protracta sp. n., Apatidelia paramartynovi sp. n., and Moropsyche dawuensis sp. n. are described and illustrated. We also report Apatania semicircularis Leng and Yang, 1998 for the first time from Hubei Province.

Apatania protracta: http://zoobank.org/urn:zoobank.org:pub:8317EB90-9316-4F7B-94C6-65938A6F2873

Apatidelia paramartynovi: http://zoobank.org/urn:zoobank.org:pub:8741CE6F-B339-4842-BD8C-04BE8B21A222

Moropsyche dawuensis: http://zoobank.org/urn:zoobank.org:pub:B5CB815D-59B5-401F-9308-9EE24A9BBAF7     

A stereospecific complex of poly(I) with ammonium ion

We describe conditions which lead to complete helix formation of poly(I) in the presence of NH. Binding of NH is shown to be specific in the presence of Li⁺, which does not by itself support helix formation under these conditions. The NH–poly(I) complex is characterized by uv, CD, and ir spectroscopy. The CD spectrum is strikingly different from those of the Na⁺ or K⁺ complexes, the first extremum being changed from negative for the metal ions to positive for NH. A stereospecific model is proposed for the NH–poly(I) helix in which the N of NH is located on the axis of the four-stranded helix, midway between planar tetramers formed by the bases. The model is consistent with the tetrahedral symmetry of NH, the requirement for four acceptable hydrogen bonds, the observed stability of the helix, and the accepted geometry of the backbone.