Phytohormone Levels in Different Types of Symbiotic Mutants of Pea

The levels of the phytohormones auxin and gibberellin were studied in the original pea (Pisum sativumL.) cultivars Rondo and Ramonskii 77 and in different types of symbiotic mutants (non-nodulating, with single nodules, and supernodulating) induced from them. The results obtained indicated that the levels of the phytohormones in the symbiotic mutants depend on the plant's genotype, developmental phase, and infection with rhizobia. Two mutants were isolated whose phytohormonal status markedly differed from the original forms. These mutants may be used for identification of the genes that determine the auxin and gibberellin statuses.     

Basketball Shot Types and Shot Success in Different Levels of Competitive Basketball

The purpose of our research was to investigate the relative frequencies of different types of basketball shots (above head, hook shot, layup, dunk, tip-in), some details about their technical execution (one-legged, two-legged, drive, cut, …), and shot success in different levels of basketball competitions. We analysed video footage and categorized 5024 basketball shots from 40 basketball games and 5 different levels of competitive basketball (National Basketball Association (NBA), Euroleague, Slovenian 1^st Division, and two Youth basketball competitions). Statistical analysis with hierarchical multinomial logistic regression models reveals that there are substantial differences between competitions. However, most differences decrease or disappear entirely after we adjust for differences in situations that arise in different competitions (shot location, player type, and attacks in transition). Differences after adjustment are mostly between the Senior and Youth competitions: more shots executed jumping or standing on one leg, more uncategorised shot types, and more dribbling or cutting to the basket in the Youth competitions, which can all be attributed to lesser technical and physical ability of developing basketball players. The two discernible differences within the Senior competitions are that, in the NBA, dunks are more frequent and hook shots are less frequent compared to European basketball, which can be attributed to better athleticism of NBA players. The effect situational variables have on shot types and shot success are found to be very similar for all competitions.     

Correlation of Calcium and Magnesium Levels in the Biological Samples of Different Types of Acute Leukemia Children

We aimed to investigate the effect of maternal exposure to NaF on mandibular bone microarchitecture and phosphocalcic plasma parameters of the offspring. For this purpose, 10-, 15-, and 21-day-old pups (n?=?6–8 per group) from two groups of mothers, control and NaF 50mg/L treated dams, were used. Plasma calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) levels and alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) were measured. Fluoride concentration (F^?) in bone and in stomach content was measured using potentiometry after isothermal distillation. Morphometric, histological, and histomorphometric analyses of the jaw bones were performed. Plasma Ca and P levels and ALP activity increased in 10-day and decreased in 21-day-old pups from NaF-treated mothers. Fluoride concentration in stomach content samples of 15- and 21-day-old nursing pups from mothers exposed to NaF in their drinking water was higher compared to that observed in control dam offspring. Mandibular F^? content was higher in 21-day-old pups born to F^?-exposed dams compared to those observed in age-matched control pups. Mandibular area increased in 21-day-old pups born to treated mothers as compared to controls. Mandibular bone volume BV/TV (%) was higher in offspring from NaF-exposed dams than in controls at all the studied times. The increase in bone volume after exposure to F^? was concomitant with the increase in trabecular thickness and the decrease in trabecular separation. Altogether, our results showed that exposure to NaF during gestation and lactation increased mandibular area and bone volume of pups, with concomitant changes in phosphocalcic parameters associated with the bone modeling process.     

Endogenous Levels of Gibberellins, IAA and Cytokinins in Catharanthus Crown Gall Tissues of Different Tumor Types

Endogenous levels of gibberellins, auxins and cytokinins incrown gall tissues of Catharanthus roseus G. Don. (Vinca roseaL.) of two different tumor types, induced by a nopaline-typeand an octopine-type Ti-plasmid, were examined. The levels of gibberellins were higher in nopaline-type V208cells than in octopine-type V277 cells. GA₁₂ and GA₂₄ were identifiedfrom V208 cells. The level of IAA was 20-fold higher in V208cells than in V277 cells. The level of trans-ribosylzeatin washigher in V277 cells than in V208 cells, whereas trans-zeatinwas present at higher levels in V208 cells than in V277 cells. Our results revealed that the production of gibberellins, aswell as of IAA and cytokinins, in the crown gall tissues ofCatharanthus roseus differed between the octopine- and nopaline-typetumors, even though the crown galls apparently grow as unorganizedaggregates of cells in both cases. ⁴Present address: Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia UniversidadJaveriana, Bogota, Colombia. (Received September 29, 1989; Accepted February 2, 1990)     

Degradation of Chlorinated Dibenzofurans and Dibenzo-p-Dioxins by Two Types of Bacteria Having Angular Dioxygenases with Different Features

Two kinds of bacteria having different-structured angular dioxygenases—a dibenzofuran (DF)-utilizing bacterium, Terrabacter sp. strain DBF63, and a carbazole (CAR)-utilizing bacterium, Pseudomonas sp. strain CA10—were investigated for their ability to degrade some chlorinated dibenzofurans (CDFs) and chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (CDDs) (or, together, CDF/Ds) using either wild-type strains or recombinant Escherichia coli strains. First, it was shown that CAR 1,9a-dioxygenase (CARDO) catalyzed angular dioxygenation of all mono- to triCDF/Ds investigated in this study, but DF 4,4a-dioxygenase (DFDO) did not degrade 2,7-diCDD. Secondly, degradation of CDF/Ds by the sets of three enzymes (angular dioxygenase, extradiol dioxygenase, and meta-cleavage compound hydrolase) was examined, showing that these enzymes in both strains were able to convert 2-CDF to 5-chlorosalicylic acid but not other tested substrates to the corresponding chlorosalicylic acid (CSA) or chlorocatechol (CC). Finally, we tested the potential of both wild-type strains for cooxidation of CDF/Ds and demonstrated that both strains degraded 2-CDF, 2-CDD, and 2,3-diCDD to the corresponding CSA and CC. We investigated the sites for the attack of angular dioxygenases in each CDF/D congener, suggesting the possibility that the angular dioxygenation of 2-CDF, 2-CDD, 2,3-diCDD, and 1,2,3-triCDD (10 ppm each) by both DFDO and CARDO occurred mainly on the nonsubstituted aromatic nuclei.     

不同类型和强度的干旱胁迫对黑麦草实验种群物质生产与水分利用的影响

 对田间条件下不同类型和强度的干旱胁迫对黑麦草(Lolium perenne)实验种群物质生产与水分利用特征的影响进行了研究。实验结果表明：在周期性和持续性胁迫条件下,轻度与中度胁迫对草群干物质产量的影响相接近并与对照无显著差异,重度胁迫导致干物质产量的降低;渐进性胁迫条件下轻度胁迫对干物质产量的影响与对照相接近,中度和重度胁迫导致产量的降低;在每一种胁迫类型下植物地上部绿色部分的干物质含量与其干物质产量呈反向对应关系;草群干物质产量与栽植桶水分散失量之间呈极显著的直线关系;周期性胁迫条件下中度胁迫提高了草群水分利用效率,持续性和渐进性胁迫条件下草群水分利用效率对干旱胁迫强度的反应随生长季节推移而有所改变。     

Comparative Analysis of the Gut Microbiota in People with Different Levels of Ginsenoside Rb1 Degradation to Compound K

Panax ginseng (family Araliaceae) which contains ginsenoside Rb1 as a main constituent is traditionally used as a remedy for cancer, inflammation, stress, and ageing. The ginsenoside Rb1 in orally administered ginseng is metabolized to bioactive compounds by gut microbiota before their absorptions to the blood. However, its metabolizing activities in individuals are significantly different as we previously demonstrated. Here, we selected 5 samples with fecal activity potently metabolizing ginsenoside Rb1 to compound K (FPG; metabolic activity, 0.058±0.029 pmol/min/mg) and 5 samples with fecal activity non-metabolizing ginsenoside Rb1 to compound K (FNG) from a pool of 100 subjects investigated in a previous study and analyzed fecal microbiota by 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. Taxonomy-based analysis showed that the population levels of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria in FPG were lower than in FNG, but those of Bacteroidetes and Tenericutes in FPG were higher than in FNG. At the genus level, the population levels of Clostridiales_uc_g, Oscillibacter, Ruminococcus, Holdemania, and Sutterella in FPG were significantly higher than in FNG, but that of Leuconostoc in FPG was lower than in FNG. The population levels of Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium, which potently metabolizes ginsenoside Rb1 to compound K were dramatically increased in FPG. The gut microbiota compositions of FPG and FNG were segregated on PCO2 by Principal Coordinate Analysis. Intestinal bacterial metabolism of ginseng, particularly ginsenoside Rb1, may be dependent on the composition of gut microbiota, such as Ruminococcus spp., Bacteroides spp. and Bifidobacterium spp.     

Control of Cellular Bcl-xL Levels by Deamidation-Regulated Degradation

The cellular concentration of Bcl-x_L is among the most important determinants of treatment response and overall prognosis in a broad range of tumors as well as an important determinant of the cellular response to several forms of tissue injury. We and others have previously shown that human Bcl-x_L undergoes deamidation at two asparaginyl residues and that DNA-damaging antineoplastic agents as well as other stimuli can increase the rate of deamidation. Deamidation results in the replacement of asparginyl residues with aspartyl or isoaspartyl residues. Thus deamidation, like phosphorylation, introduces a negative charge into proteins. Here we show that the level of human Bcl-x_L is constantly modulated by deamidation because deamidation, like phosphorylation in other proteins, activates a conditional PEST sequence to target Bcl-x_L for degradation. Additionally, we show that degradation of deamidated Bcl-x_L is mediated at least in part by calpain. Notably, we present sequence and biochemical data that suggest that deamidation has been conserved from the simplest extant metazoans through the human form of Bcl-x_L, underscoring its importance in Bcl-x_L regulation. Our findings strongly suggest that deamidation-regulated Bcl-x_L degradation is an important component of the cellular rheostat that determines susceptibility to DNA-damaging agents and other death stimuli.     

Investigation of Alteration in the Levels of Iron and Copper in Scalp Hair Samples of Patients Having Different Types of Viral Hepatitis

The aim of this study was to measure the alterations of copper and iron contents in scalp hair samples of hepatitis A–E patients of both genders, same age group, and socioeconomic status. For comparative study, the scalp hair samples of healthy individuals of the same age and socioeconomic status were collected. The concentrations of copper and iron were measured using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, after microwave-assisted acid digestion. The validity and accuracy of methodology was checked using a certified reference material. The results of this study showed that the mean values of copper and iron were higher in scalp hair samples of hepatitis patients than those of age-matched control subjects, while the difference was significant in the cases of patients having viral hepatitis B, C, and D as compared to those who have viral hepatitis A and E (p?<?0.001). It was concluded that the overload of copper and iron in the human body may cause lipid peroxidation and eventually damage the hepatic system.     

A Comparative Analysis of the Altered Levels of Human Seminal Plasma Constituents as Contributing Factors in Different Types of Male Infertility

(1) Background: The relationships between the biochemical and immunological components in seminal plasma and their physiological effects on male reproductive system have been underreported. In this study, we evaluated the potential of several seminal plasma biochemical and immunological markers in the pathophysiological developments of the infertile male patients. The study was designed to identify and assess different markers that may be associated with semen functions in different types of male infertility. (2) Methods: A total of 50 infertile male patients who underwent checkup for fertility assessment and 50 fertile controls were included in this study. The complete medical history of each recruited participant was reviewed. The infertile sub-groups (non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), asthenozoospermia (AS), normozoospermic infertile (NI), and oligozoospermia (OZ)) were characterized based on sperm motility and concentration, while NI patients were included after a thorough check up of their female partners as well. We investigated each sample for 21 different analytes, enzymes, trace elements, and immunological markers to find crucial markers posing as contributing factors to a specific type of male infertility. (3) Results: The levels of 15 out of 21 markers, assayed from the seminal plasma of infertile males, were significantly altered in comparison to fertile controls (p < 0.05). For the first time, microprotein levels were also analyzed. The presence of monocytes, lymphocytes, and granulocytes was limited to semen from NOA patients, while a significant increase in the level of platelets was observed in AS. Hierarchical clustering and ROC-AUC analysis identified the three most significant markers (zinc, LDH, and TG) for the healthy control group and asthenozoospermic group (AUC, of 0.92 and 0.81, respectively). (4) Conclusions: The altered levels of biochemical and immunological markers in seminal plasma might be associated with the different male infertility profiles and could be required for the sperm metabolism and maintenance. However, a larger sample size and follow up analysis is required for establishing the hypothesized panel of markers as biomarkers at clinical stage.     

Low Levels of Allochthony in Consumers Across Three High-Elevation Lake Types

The integration of lakes into watershed-scale energy budgets remains a major goal of aquatic ecosystem ecology. However, this enterprise has focused almost exclusively on temperate and boreal systems and on zooplankton as representatives of system-wide energy flow. We investigated the proportion of consumer biomass derived from terrestrial sources, allochthony, in three classes of high-elevation lakes—alpine, large and small montane—of varying geometry and watershed ecosystem development, and across five taxa, including macrobenthic invertebrates and fish. We used stable isotopes of carbon (¹³C:¹²C), nitrogen (¹⁵N:¹⁴N), and hydrogen (²H:¹H) to fit a modular Bayesian mixing model, which estimated proportional assimilation of phytoplankton, algal periphyton, and terrestrial organic matter by each consumer. The stable isotope analysis was supplemented with a comparison of fatty acid profiles between consumers and producers, and with a Daphnia magna rearing study involving aquatic and terrestrial nutrient sources. The most probable estimate of allochthony across consumer taxa was 41% in small montane lakes (< 0.1 ha) with high terrestrial C loading. For large montane (3–11 ha) and alpine lakes (0.8–3 ha), with substantially less terrestrial influence, allochthony was just 4 and 3%, respectively. Allochthony was also lower on average for benthic grazers than for pelagic consumers. Our results corroborate previous findings that lake size, depth, and light penetration are dominant physical controls on allochthony, but add that it sharply declines at high elevation due to changes in terrestrial primary production near or above tree line.     

结直肠腺瘤中的微卫星不稳定性类型

应用微切割 聚合酶链反应 单链长度多态性 (PCR SSLP)的方法 ,检测 1 6个微卫星位点在 5 9例 6 2个结直肠腺瘤标本的微卫星不稳定性状态 .结果表明 :腺瘤 1 6个位点的总微卫星不稳定性(microsatelliteinstability ,MSI)发生率为 1 4 4 % ,MSI H所占的比率为 9 7% ;在 1 0例可以同时微切割得到腺瘤和癌变成分的病例中 ,腺瘤和癌变成分在每个微卫星位点的改变情况不完全相同 ,并且当在某一位点同时表现为阳性时 ,部分凝胶电泳的图像相同 ,而部分不同 ;在某些位点表现为癌变成分的异常条带泳动速度更快 ,说明序列比腺瘤中更短 ;MSI H与病人的年龄、性别、腺瘤发生部位和病理学亚型之间未见统计学差异 ,但MSI H组的平均年龄 (5 6 5 0± 1 1 38)低于MSI L组 (6 0 36±1 1 34) ,女性所占比率 (5 6 )明显高于男性 ,6例MSI H中无 1例组织学类型为管状腺瘤 ;各位点在MSI H组的MSI改变率明显高于MSI L组 ,在TGFβRⅡ (A) 1 0 、hMSH6、TCF4、BAT2 6等位点有明显差异 (P <0 0 5 ,其中BAT2 6的P <0 0 1 ) .可以推断 :在结直肠癌发生发展的早期即腺瘤阶段即可表现微卫星不稳定性 ;微卫星不稳定性可以随结直肠肿瘤的发展过程而发展 ,并且特定的微卫星位点的改变可能仅发生于肿瘤进程的特定阶段 ;在结直肠癌     

The Structure of Picfeltarraegenin IV and Its Degradation Product

A series of new triterpenoid aglycones has been isolated from fraction B of Picria fel-tarrae Lour extract. The structure of picfeltarraegenin Ⅳ was assigned as 4 by means of spectroscopic data (UV, IR,¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and MS) and some chemical reactions. The structure of degradation product (8) obtained from 1 and 4 was also determined.     

Enzymes of beta-Oxidation in Different Types of Algal Microbodies

The algae Mougeotia and Eremosphaera were used for isolation of microbodies with the characteristics of leaf peroxisomes and unspecialized peroxisomes, respectively. In both types of organelles, the following enzymes of the β-oxidation pathway were determined: acyl-CoA oxido-reductase, enoyl-CoA hydratase, and 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase. There are indications that the peroxisomal oxidoreductase of both algae is a H₂O₂-forming oxidase rather than a dehydrogenase.

The enzymes enoyl-CoA hydratase and acyl-CoA oxidoreductase are located also in the mitochondria from Eremosphaera but not from Mougeotia. The mitochondrial acyl-CoA oxidizing enzyme was found to be a dehydrogenase. The specific activities of acyl-CoA oxidase and enoyl-CoA hydratase are lower than in spinach leaf peroxisomes. However, the activity of 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase in the peroxisomes of both algae is almost 2-fold higher. The capability for degradation of fatty acids is a common feature of all different types of peroxisomes from algae.

     

Mechanisms of Accommodation in Different Types of Frog Neurons

Responses of individual spinal ganglion neurons, sympathetic ganglion neurons, and motoneurons of frogs to linearly rising currents were investigated utilizing microelectrodes for intracellular stimulation and recording. Spinal ganglion neurons exhibited rapid accommodation to linearly rising currents. Minimal current gradients (MCG's) required to excite these neurons (average value, 106 rheobases/sec) were of the same order of magnitude as for some nerve fibers. Although sympathetic ganglion neurons exhibited responses to lower current gradients than spinal ganglion neurons, distinct MCG's (average value, 26 rheobases/sec) could always be established. MCG's could not be detected in most motoneurons, even with current gradients as low as 0.6 rheobase/sec. A few motoneurons exhibited distinct MCG's (average value, 11 rheobases/sec). The failure of spinal ganglion neurons to respond to anything other than rapidly rising currents appears to be due primarily to the development of severe delayed rectification. The inability of sympathetic ganglion neurons to respond to low current gradients appears to depend not only on delayed rectification but also on increases in depolarization threshold. When present in motoneurons, accommodation appears to result from the same mechanisms responsible for its appearance in sympathetic ganglion neurons.