Stirtonanthus, a new name for Stirtonia (Leguminosae, tribe Podalyrieae)

The new generic name Stirtonanthus is proposed to replace the illegitimate Stirtonia Van Wyk & Schutte (1994), which proves to be a later homonym of Stirtonia A. L . Smith (1926) and Stirtonia R. Brown (1900).     

Xerxes, a new name to replace Alcantara (Asteraceae: Vernoniae)

Xerxes is proposed as a new name to replace Alcantara Glaziou ex G. M Barroso (Asteraceae) (1969), not Alcantarea (Morren ex Mez) Harms (Bromeliaceae) (1929). The genus is monotypic, represented by Xerxes ekmanianum , comb. nov.     

A new name and a new species in MexicanRuellia (Acanthaceae)

Based on pollen and floral morphology,Blechum grandiflorum is transferred toRuellia, and the nameR. mirandana is proposed for this species. A new species,Ruellia tuxtlensis, is described which is distinguishable fromR. mirandana by its longer spike and elliptic bracts. It is presently known only from the lowlands of Veracruz, Mexico.     

Neolaugeria,a new name for Terebraria (Rubiaceae) of the West Indies

Terebraria Kuntze (1903), formerly known asLaugeria Hooker (1873) non Linnaeus (1764), has been found to be a later homonym ofTerebraria Greville (1864) and is renamed asNeolaugeria. The new combinations,Neolaugeria apiculata,N. densiflora andN. resinosa are proposed, and a key, synonymies and specimen citations (US) are provided for these species.Terebraria hotteana andT. lineolata are synonymized underN. apiculata.     

Electroelution of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] from native polyacrylamide gels: a new, simple method to purify Lp(a)

Lipoprotein(a), Lp(a), is an atherogenic lipoprotein consisting of an LDL like core particle and a covalently linked glycoprotein of variable size. Lp(a), isolated from serum always contains LDL and HDL(2) as contaminants since Lp(a) floats in the density range 1.05-1.12 g/ml which overlaps that of LDL and HDL(2). Purified Lp(a) is increasingly needed as a standard to overcome various problems in the standardization of Lp(a) measurements and for in vitro biological studies. Problems inherent to the purification of Lp(a) include the aggregation of Lp(a) with LDL, overlapping size distribution and the inability of some fractions to bind to affinity columns. Here, we describe the development of a new method to purify Lp(a) from contaminating LDL and HDL(2) particles. Lp(a) was isolated from serum by sequential ultracentrifugation, resolved by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and the gel segments were electroeluted to obtain pure Lp(a). l-Proline was added to the sample to a final concentration of 0.1 M to prevent the aggregation of Lp(a) with LDL.     

A new name in vernonia (Compositae)

Vernonia rigiophylla Schultz-Bip. ex Baker is a later homonym ofV. rigiophylla DC. and therefore a new name,Vernonia elsieae, is proposed for this species.     

Triso,a new generic name for the serranid fish previously known asTrisotropis dermopterus,with comments on its relationships

The generic nameTriso is proposed for the epinephelin fish recent authors have identified asTrisotropis dermopterus (Temminck et Schlegel).Trisotropis Gill is a junior synonym ofMycteroperca Gill.Triso is distinctive in its short head, broad interorbital, foreshortened neurocranium, anteriorly inclined parasphenoid, high and laterally oriented frontoparietal crests, high dorsal fin-ray counts, and pouch-like esophageal swellings.Altiserranus woorei Whitley from New South Wales is placed in the synonymy ofT. dermopterus. Altiserranus Whitley, type speciesEpinephelus multinotatus (Peters), is synonymized withEpinephelus Bloch.T. dermopterus occurs in the Northern Hemisphere off Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and China, and in the Southern Hemisphere off eastern and western Australia; thus it is antitropical in distribution. Available evidence indicates thatTriso may be most closely related to the New World genusParanthias Guichenot.     

Lectotypification of a name and a new combination in North American Mentzelia (Loasaceae)

A lectotype for the nameMentzelia multiflora var.integra is selected and a new combination inMentzelia (Loasaceae) is made. A key to the varieties ofMentzelia marginata is included.     

A new name and new combinations in Campomanesia and Pimenta (Myrtaceae)

One new name is proposed and eleven new combinations are made inCampomanesia andPimenta. Lectotypes are selected forC. eugenioides var.desertorum, C. phaea, andP. racemosa var.hispaniolensis, var.ouza, and var.terebinthina.     

Synthesis, characterization, DNA-binding and photocleavage studies of [Ru(bpy)2(PPIP)]2+ and [Ru(phen)2(PPIP)]2+

A novel ligand 2-(4'-phenoxy-phenyl)imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline (PPIP) and its complexes [Ru(bpy)(2)(PPIP)](2+) (1) (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) and [Ru(phen)(2)(PPIP)](2+) (2) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) have been synthesized and characterized by mass spectroscopy, (1)H NMR and cyclic voltammetry. The interaction of two complexes with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) was investigated by spectroscopic and viscosity measurements. The results suggest that both complexes bind to DNA via an intercalative mode. Both complexes have also been found to promote the photocleavage of plasmid pBR 322 DNA under irradiated.     

Misapplication of the name stachys nuttallii (Lamiaceae) to a new southeastern species

A recent study of Southeastern species ofStachys points out a problem involving the identity ofS. nuttallii Shuttlew. ex Bentham. Type material ofS. nuttallii is clearly representative of what is commonly known asS. riddellii House.S. riddellii of current authors must now be calledS. nuttallii, S. riddellii becoming a taxonomic synonym. However, no valid names have been uncovered in the literature that can be correctly applied to the species, primarily from the Blue Ridge Mountains, previously known to most botanists as “S. nuttallii.” These plants are described as a new species,Stachys eplingii.     

In vitro and in vivo opioid activity of [DPro(6)]dermorphin,a new dermorphin analogue

To study the effects of inducing stereo-chemical modifications in the structure of dermorphin (DM) so as to improve its mu-opioid receptor affinity and its resistance to C-terminal enzymatic degradation, in the Institute of Molecular Genetics of Moscow, we synthesized a new DM analogue ([DPro(6)]DM) and analyzed the changes induced in the biological activities of DM by substituting the Pro(6) residue with DPro(6). We compared the activity of the new DM analogue and DM in in vitro assays and in in vivo tests of analgesia, thermoregulation, heart rate recordings, and gastrointestinal motility in rats. In the in vitro tests, guinea pig ileum (GPI) and mouse vas deferens (MVD), although the opioid activities of [DPro(6)]DM indicated that the peptide was always less potent than DM, its lower IC(50) ratios (mu/delta) showed that it had higher mu-opioid receptor selectivity. In the in vivo analgesic test, [DPro(6)]DM, when injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) (0.5-5 and 10mg/kg) in rats, had the same antinociceptive efficacy as DM and when injected intranasally (i.n.) (0.005 and 0.02 mg/kg) it induced a more stable and long-lasting analgesia than DM (the AUC was about 91% higher for [DPro(6)]DM than for DM). Moreover, these data confirm that the intranasal route is advantageous for peripheral drug administration. In the heart rate study, [DPro(6)]DM and DM (0.5mg/kg, i.p.), induced a similar, weak bradycardia. The only difference was that [DPro(6)]DM induced a longer-lasting effect than DM. Conversely, in body temperature regulation [DPro(6)]DM induced weaker inhibitory activity than DM (56% of the DM-induced response); it did so only in a cold environment and at the maximal used dose (0.5mg/kg, i.p.) without inducing vasomotor effects. In the gastrointestinal study, [DPro(6)]DM and DM (0.005, 0.05, and 0.5mg/kg, i.p.) significantly slowed upper gastrointestinal transit of a charcoal meal and inhibited colonic propulsion. Comparison of the ED(50) values of [DPro(6)]DM (0.03 mg/kg) and DM (0.009 mg/kg) showed that the DM analogue was about three times less potent than DM in slowing gastrointestinal and colonic transit. In conclusion, all these data overall suggest that structural maneuvering in the Pro(6)-residue of the DM molecule changes its affinity for mu-opioid receptor subtypes and confirms the usefulness of experimental studies involving structural modifications in obtaining new therapeutic agents.