Seizures abolished by excision of a cavernous hemangioma of the scalp and skull.

A large vascular malformation of the supraorbital and scalp areas was present in an adolescent girl who had seizures and headaches. Removal of the malformation included the outer table of the skull. The patient has had no seizures during a two-year follow-up.     

Catecholamine melanins. Structural changes induced by copper ions

Melanins synthesized from adrenaline and dopamine in the presence or absence of copper ions were characterized by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and by IR and ESR methods. It was shown that Cu2+ are able to induce changes in the melanin structure. Melanins obtained from adrenaline-Cu2+ and dopamine-Cu2+ complexes are composed mainly from monomeric units of the indole type. Melanins synthesized from these catecholamines without Cu2+ contain additionally large amounts of unindolized monomeric units. The structure differences in both types of melanins are reflected in their sorptive abilities and spectroscopic characteristics.     

叶损伤诱导兴安落叶松针叶中10种酚酸的变化

酚酸是一类重要次生抗虫物质.为研究损伤及昆虫取食诱导对兴安落叶松针叶内酚酸含量的影响,采用3种不同程度剪叶或落叶松毛虫幼虫取食处理兴安落叶松幼树,以高效液相色谱技术测定兴安落叶松健康针叶中酚酸含量.结果表明：与对照相比,处理后1 d,剪叶或昆虫取食4枝50%针叶处理的兴安落叶松幼苗健康针叶中,除阿魏酸无显著差异外,苯甲酸、咖啡酸、绿原酸、水杨酸、苯乙酸、肉桂酸、香草酸、丁香酸和没食子酸9种酚酸均差异显著;4枝75%针叶处理的10种酚酸含量均发生显著变化.说明剪叶及虫害50%、75%针叶处理均达到诱导阈值,能显著诱导兴安落叶松化学防御.在损伤程度相同情况下,处理1 d时,剪叶4枝50%、75%诱导的咖啡酸、苯乙酸、肉桂酸、香草酸和没食子酸的含量显著高于虫害诱导处理;5 d时,剪叶4枝50%、75%诱导处理的这5种酚酸含量显著低于虫害诱导处理;10 d时,两种方法诱导的酚酸含量差异不显著.说明剪叶诱导处理的酚酸含量变化比昆虫取食处理迅速,且诱导强度与剪叶程度相关.采用适当处理诱导针叶中酚酸含量的变化来增强兴安落叶松对害虫的防御能力是可行的.     

The viable-but-nonculturable condition is induced by copper in Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Rhizobium leguminosarum.

Many bacteria respond to changes in environmental conditions by entering the viable-but-nonculturable state. We have determined that copper can induce nutrient-starved Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Rhizobium leguminosarum cells to become viable but nonculturable. This is the first report of a chemical inducer of this condition.     

Functional and structural alterations induced by copper in xanthine oxidase

Xanthine oxidase （XO）, a key enzyme in purine metabolism, produces reactive oxygen species causing vascular injuries and chronic heart failure. Here, copper＇s ability to alter XO activity and structure was investigated in vitro after pre-incubation of the enzyme with increasing Cue＋ concentrations for various periods of time. The enzymatic activity was measured by following XO-catalyzed xanthine oxidation to uric acid under steady-state kinetics conditions. Structural alterations were assessed by electronic absorption, fluorescence, and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Results showed that Cu^2＋ either stimulated or inhibited XO activity, depending on metal concentration and preincubation length, the latter also determining the inhibition type. Cu^2＋-xo complex formation was characterized by modifications in XO electronic absorption bands, intrinsic fluorescence, and α-helical and β-sheet content. Apparent dissociation constant values implied high- and low-affinity Cu^2＋ binding sites in the vicinity of the enzyme＇s reactive centers. Data indicated that Cu^2＋ binding to high-affinity sites caused alterations around XO molybdenum and flavin adenine dinucleotide centers, changes in secondary structure, and moderate activity inhibition; binding to low affinity sites caused alterations around all XO reactive centers including FeS, changes in tertiary structure as reflected by alterations in spectral properties, and drastic activity inhibition. Stimulation was attributed to transient stabilization of XO optimal conformation. Results also emphasized the potential role of copper in the regulation of XO activity stemming from its binding properties.     

Impaired iron status in rats as induced by copper deficiency

The hypothesis was tested that marginal copper deficiency affects iron status. Copper restriction (1 vs 5 mg Cu/kg diet) significantly lowered iron concentrations and transferrin saturation in plasma and reduced blood hemoglobin, hematocrit, and iron concentrations in tibia and femur, but raised iron concentrations in liver. Marginal copper deficiency did not affect feed intake and body-weight gain.     

Fungal melanin detection by the use of copper sulfide-silver

Silver-staining procedures were investigated for their effectiveness in identifying cell wall-based fungal melanins in live and fixed plastic embedded samples, particularly 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) based polyketide melanins. We developed a simple and reliable melanin-staining technique based on a silver accumulation method originally published for histological demonstration of heavy metal sulfides in mammalian tissues. Copper is bound to fungal melanin followed by formation of the copper sulfide at melanin sites in fungal cell walls, which then are amplified into vivid black stains using a silver enhancement step. The method demonstrates patterns of melanization in a range of fungal hyphae and is suitable for light and electron microscopy. Albino mutant fungi and normally nonmelanized fungi do not stain with the sulfide-silver technique. Mammalian melanocytes also were labeled by the technique, indicating its universality as a melanin probe.     

The uptake of and structural changes induced by trichloroacetic acid in the needles of Scots pine seedlings

The uptake of trichloroacetic acid (TCA) and structural changesinduced in the needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlingswere studied. Two exposure set-ups, a root route and an atmosphericroute through the surfaces simulating the wet deposition offog, were used. Both set-ups included two dose levels and correspondingcontrol treatments. The temperature and the relative humidityin the climate chambers were adjusted to represent the conditionsof June–July in a subarctic area in central Finland. Theseedlings were exposed three times a week for two months. Theresults showed that the uptake of TCA in needles occurred bothvia roots and via needle surface. However, most of the TCA viathe atmospheric route was absorbed on the surface of the needles.The structural responses in pine needles depended partly onthe treatment method: TCA applied via the atmospheric routedisintegrated the structures of the epicuticular waxes and thatof the stomatal cells, which was not seen in the exposures viaroots. A common feature was the decrease in size of the chloroplastsin concert with the increasing TCA concentrations inside theneedles. Key words: Pinus sylvestris L., climate chamber, effects, microscopic structure, secondary pollutant, TCA, trichloroacetic acid     

Overexpressed Derlin-1 inhibits ER expansion in the endothelial cells derived from human hepatic cavernous hemangioma

Proteins that are unfolded or misfolded in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) must be targeted for refolding or degradation to maintain the homeostasis of the ER. Derlin-1 was reportedly implicated in the retro-translocation of misfolded proteins from the ER to the cytosol for degradation. In this report, we showed that Derlin-1 was down-regulated in the endothelial cells derived from human hepatic cavernous hemangioma (CHEC) compared with other tested cells. Electron microscopy analysis showed that ER was aberrantly enlarged in CHEC cells, but not in other tested cells. When overexpressed, Derlin-1 induced the dilated ER to return normal size. This ER dynamic was associated with the activation of unfolded protein response (UPR). In CHEC cells where Derlin-1 was down-regulated, increased expression of the immunoglobulin heavy chain-binding protein (Bip) and UPR-specific splicing of X-box DNAbinding protein 1 (XBP1) mRNA were detected, as compared with that in other tested cells, indicating that UPR was activated. After Derlin-1 overexpression, the extent of UPR activation diminished, as evidenced by decreased expression of Bip, reduced amount of the spliced form of XBP1 (XBP1s), and elevated expression of the unspliced form of XBP1 (XBP1u). Taken together, these findings provide another example of a single protein being able to affect ER dynamic in mammalian cells, and an insight into the possible molecular mechanism(s).