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.     

Contemporary effective population and metapopulation size (Ne and meta‐Ne): comparison among three salmonids inhabiting a fragmented system and differing in gene flow and its asymmetries

We estimated local and metapopulation effective sizes ( and meta‐) for three coexisting salmonid species (Salmo salar, Salvelinus fontinalis, Salvelinus alpinus) inhabiting a freshwater system comprising seven interconnected lakes. First, we hypothesized that might be inversely related to within‐species population divergence as reported in an earlier study (i.e., F_ST: S. salar> S. fontinalis> S. alpinus). Using the approximate Bayesian computation method implemented in ONeSAMP, we found significant differences in () between species, consistent with a hierarchy of adult population sizes (). Using another method based on a measure of linkage disequilibrium (LDNE: ), we found more finite values for S. salar than for the other two salmonids, in line with the results above that indicate that S. salar exhibits the lowest among the three species. Considering subpopulations as open to migration (i.e., removing putative immigrants) led to only marginal and non‐significant changes in , suggesting that migration may be at equilibrium between genetically similar sources. Second, we hypothesized that meta‐ might be significantly smaller than the sum of local s (null model) if gene flow is asymmetric, varies among subpopulations, and is driven by common landscape features such as waterfalls. One ‘bottom‐up’ or numerical approach that explicitly incorporates variable and asymmetric migration rates showed this very pattern, while a number of analytical models provided meta‐ estimates that were not significantly different from the null model or from each other. Our study of three species inhabiting a shared environment highlights the importance and utility of differentiating species‐specific and landscape effects, not only on dispersal but also in the demography of wild populations as assessed through local s and meta‐s and their relevance in ecology, evolution and conservation.     

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.     

Polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing phosphatidic acids selectively interact with L-lactate dehydrogenase A and induce its secondary structural change and inactivation

Phosphatidic acid (PA) consists of various molecular species that have different fatty acyl chains at the sn-1 and sn-2 positions; and consequently, mammalian cells contain at least 50 structurally distinct PA molecular species. However, the different roles of each PA species are poorly understood. In the present study, we attempted to identify dipalmitoyl (16:0/16:0)-PA-binding proteins from mouse skeletal muscle using liposome precipitation and tandem mass spectrometry analysis. We identified L-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) A, which catalyzes conversion of pyruvate to lactate and is a key checkpoint of anaerobic glycolysis critical for tumor growth, as a 16:0/16:0-PA-binding protein. LDHA did not substantially associate with other phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, phosphoinositides and cardiolipin at physiological pH (7.4), indicating that LDHA specifically bound to PA. Interestingly, 18:0/18:0-, 18:0/20:4- and 18:0/22:6-PA also interacted with LDHA, and their binding activities were stronger than 16:0/16:0-PA at pH 7.4. Moreover, circular dichroism spectrometry showed that 18:0/20:4- and 18:0/22:6-PA, but not 16:0/16:0- or 18:0/18:0-PA, significantly reduced the α-helical structure of LDHA. Furthermore, 18:0/20:4- and 18:0/22:6-PA attenuated LDH activity. Taken together, we demonstrated for the first time that LDHA is a PA-binding protein and is a unique PA-binding protein that is structurally and functionally controlled by associating with 18:0/20:4- and 18:0/22:6-PA.     

Intuitive and broadly applicable definitions of niche and fitness differences

Explaining nature’s biodiversity is a key challenge for science. To persist, populations must be able to grow faster when rare, a feature called negative frequency dependence and quantified as ‘niche differences’ () in modern coexistence theory. Here, we first show that available definitions of differ in how link to species interactions, are difficult to interpret and often apply to specific community types only. We then present a new definition of that is intuitive and applicable to a broader set of (modelled and empirical) communities than is currently the case, filling a main gap in the literature. Given , we also redefine fitness differences () and illustrate how and determine coexistence. Finally, we demonstrate how to apply our definitions to theoretical models and experimental data, and provide ideas on how they can facilitate comparison and synthesis in community ecology.     

No difference in pubertal growth and final height between treated hypogonadal and non-hypogonadal thalassemic patients

BACKGROUND: Many factors can negatively affect growth in thalassemic patients, and hypogonadism has been considered as the main factor responsible for their pubertal growth failure. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of hypogonadism and its treatment on pubertal growth and final height in thalassemic patients. METHODS: We compared the growth of 28 hypogonadal thalassemic patients in whom puberty was induced to that of 25 patients in whom puberty occurred spontaneously. RESULTS: In both groups of patients we observed reduced peak height velocity (induced puberty: females 4.9 +/- 2.1, males 6.0 +/- 1.8 cm/year; spontaneous puberty: females 6.1 +/- 1.5, males 7.3 +/- 2.1 cm/year) and pubertal height gain (induced puberty: females 11.3 +/- 4.0, males 18.0 +/- 4.5 cm/year; spontaneous puberty: females 15.8 +/- 2.7, males 18.1 +/- 5.3 cm/year) and a short final height (induced puberty: females -1.8 +/- 0.7, males -2.1 +/- 1.0 SDS; spontaneous puberty: females -2.3 +/- 1.0, males -1.9 +/- 1.0 SDS). CONCLUSIONS: Poor pubertal growth is present in thalassemic patients regardless of hypogonadism. Other factors are responsible for the reduced growth spurt and the final short stature observed in these patients.     

Regulation of changes in cytosolic Ca2+ and Na+ concentrations in rat submandibular gland acini exposed to carbachol and ATP

The relationship between cytosolic concentrations of Ca²⁺ (Ca) and Na⁺ (Na) were studied in preparations of rat submandibular and pancreatic acini loaded with the Ca²⁺-sensitive dye Fura-2 or the Na⁺-sensitive dye SBFI. Pancreatic acini showed no changes in Na during either transient or persistent changes in Ca. Increases in Ca produced by exposure of submandibular gland acini to carbachol, a muscarinic cholinergic agonist, were followed by an increase in Na after a delay of 5–10 s. When Ca²⁺ stores were mobilized without Ca²⁺ influx Na also increased, but in acini loaded with BAPTA, a nonfluorescent Ca²⁺ chelator, the transient increase in Ca²⁺ caused by mobilization of stored Ca²⁺ was virtually abolished, as was the increase in Na. In the presence of ionomycin, increases in Ca were followed by increases in Na. Ca²⁺-dependent increases in Na were abolished in Na⁺-free buffer and by the presence of furosemide, a blocker of Na⁺-K⁺-2Cl⁻ cotransport. In other studies, extracellular ATP (ATP_o) produced an increase in Ca and Na. The steady-state increase in Ca was reduced by increasing extracellular Na⁺ concentrations (Na) in dose-dependent fashion (IC₅₀ = 16.4 ± 4.7 mM Na⁺). Likewise, increasing Na reduced ATP_o-stimulated ⁴⁵Ca²⁺ uptake at steady state (IC₅₀ = 15.8 ± 9.2 mM Na⁺). Changing Na had no effect on carbachol-stimulated increases in Ca. We conclude that, in rat submandibular gland acini, ATP_o promotes an increase in Ca and Na via a common influx pathway and that, under physiologic conditions, Na⁺ significantly limits the ATP_o-stimulated increase in Ca. In the presence of carbachol, however, Na rises in Ca-dependent fashion in submandibular gland acini via stimulation of Na⁺-K⁺-2Cl⁻ cotransport. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Discovery and characterization of a fructosylated capsule polysaccharide and sialylated lipopolysaccharide in a virulent strain of Actinobacillus suis

We are developing a serotyping system for Actinobacillus suis based on its capsule (K) and lipopolysaccharide O-chain (O) structures. Previously, we have shown that less virulent strains of this swine pathogen express a (1→6)-β-D-glucan as both K- and O-chain polysaccharides and were serologically classified as K:1/O:1. Here, we show that representative A. suis strains with a high (H91-0380; serotype K:2/O:2) and intermediate (C84; serotype K:2/O:1) degree of virulence possess a capsule polysaccharide (K:2) composed of an O-acetylated diglycosyl phosphate repeat decorated with fructose: [→4)-3-O-Ac-β-D-GlcpNAc-(1→3)-[β-D-Fruf-(2→2)]-α-D-Galp-(1→PO(4)(-)→]. In addition, the serotype O:2 lipopolysaccharide was shown to express a sialylated O-chain [→3)-β-D-Galp-(1→4)-[Neu5Ac-(2→3)-α-D-Galp-(1→6)]-β-D-Glcp-(1→6)-β-D-GlcpNAc-(1→]. As (1→6)-β-D-glucan is ubiquitous in the environment, low levels of antibodies in the animals are predicted to prevent disease by K:1/O:1 strains. The greater potential associated with K:2/O:2 and K:2/O:1 strains is most likely due to the absence of (1→6)-β-D-glucan as the K antigen and, in the case of K:2/O:2, the presence of sialic acid in the lipopolysaccharide, a nonulosonic acid known to promote evasion of host recognition.     

Effect of aproteic diet and fasting on insulin, pancreatic noradrenaline and luteinizing hormone. Changes after 24-hour refeeding

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: the objective of this study performed in adult male rats was to determine the alteration in glycemic, insulin and gonadotrophin luteinizing hormone secretion, and noradrenaline pancreatic concentration caused by fasting (F) and aproteic diet (Ap) during 7 and 21 days respectively, as well as the recovery after 24-hour refeeding with control diet (Co). RESULTS: a significant decrease in glycemic levels was only achieved through fasting (F: 86 +/- 5.1 mg %), when compared with controls (Co: 107 +/- 5 mg %). In spite of the high levels of carbohydrates (89%) present in the aproteic diet, the animals fed with this diet showed no differences in glycemic levels (Ap: 120.3 +/- 12.2 mg %), compared with controls. As a result of fasting and aproteic diet, there was a significant decrease in insulin (F: 8.67 +/- 1.36; Ap: 5.7 +/- 0.67; Co: 31 +/- 3.4 uU/ml) and LH levels (F: 10.175 +/- 1.74; Ap: 13.7 +/- 4; Co: 29.83 +/- 4.91 ng/ml). The refed recovered insulin (FR: 50.57 +/- 6.63; ApR: 43.5 +/- 6.85 uU/ml), but not LH levels (FR: 14.25 +/- 3.54; ApR: 13.03 +/- 4.25 ng/ml). A significant increase was observed in the pancreatic noradrenaline concentration (P<0.001) of rats receiving aproteic diet (889.9 +/- 34.65 ng/mg tissue) and fasting during 7 days (827.5 +/- 55.7 ng/mg tissue), compared with controls (531.1 +/- 48.6 ng/mg tissue). CONCLUSIONS: fasting and aproteic diets altered gonadal and metabolic control. When returning to a normal nutritional condition, only the metabolic control, not the reproductive function, could be recovered in the first 24 hours of refeeding. Malnutrition-induced hypoinsulinemia would be caused by an increase in a specific noradrenergic tone.     

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.     

Estimators for QST and coalescence times

Comparisons of to can provide insights into the evolutionary processes that lead to differentiation, or lack thereof, among the phenotypes of different groups (e.g., populations, species), and these comparisons have been performed on a variety of taxa, including humans. Here, I show that for neutrally evolving (i.e., by genetic drift, mutation, and gene flow alone) quantitative characters, the two commonly used estimators have somewhat different interpretations in terms of coalescence times, particularly when the number of groups that have been sampled is small. A similar situation occurs for estimators. Consequently, when observations come from only a small number of groups, which is not an unusual situation, it is important to match estimators appropriately when comparing to .     

Heat capacity changes and partial molal heat capacities of some di- and tripeptides in water

Integral enthalpies of solution of several dipeptides and tripeptides in water at low concentrations have been determined at 25 and 35°C. These data have been used to derive the changes in heat capacity on dissolution at infinite dilution ΔC at 30°C. Limiting partial molal heat capacities ΔC have been determined by combining ΔC with C_p2 (heat capacity of pure solid peptides). Using the data on ω-amino acids and these peptides, the partial molal heat capacity of a peptide group ? CONH? was semiquantitatively estimated.     

Pancreatic B-cell function in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus during successive periods of sulfonylurea and insulin treatment: serum C-peptide response to glucagon and urine C-peptide excretion

Serum C-peptide responses to glucagon and daily urine C-peptide excretion in successive periods of different treatment in two groups of patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (mean interval between two tests less than 1 month) were compared. In group A patients (n = 8), the glycemic control was improved after transferring the treatment from sulfonylurea (SU) to insulin (fasting plasma glucose: SU: 192 +/- 47, insulin: 127 +/- 21 mg/dl, mean +/- S.D., p less than 0.01). Fasting serum C-peptide immunoreactivity (CPR) was significantly lower at the period of insulin treatment (SU: 1.93 +/- 1.01, insulin: 1.47 +/- 0.79 ng/ml, p less than 0.05), but there was no difference in the increase in serum CPR (maximal--fasting) (delta serum CPR) during glucagon stimulation in the two periods of treatment (SU: 1.70 +/- 0.72, insulin: 1.47 +/- 0.98 ng/ml). In group B patients (n = 7), there was no significant difference in glycemic control after transferring the treatment from insulin to SU (fasting plasma glucose: insulin: 127 +/- 24, SU: 103 +/- 13 mg/dl). Fasting serum CPR was significantly lower during the period of insulin treatment (insulin: 1.39 +/- 0.64, SU: 2.21 +/- 0.86 ng/ml, p less than 0.025), but delta serum CPR during glucagon stimulation still showed no significant difference between the two periods (insulin: 1.97 +/- 1.16, SU: 2.33 +/- 1.57 ng/ml).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

E2F1 and p53 are dispensable, whereas p21(Waf1/Cip1) cooperates with Rb to restrict endoreduplication and apoptosis during skeletal myogenesis

We describe temporal and genetic analyses of partially rescued Rb mutant fetuses, mgRb:Rb-/-, that survive to birth and reveal specific defects in skeletal muscle differentiation. We show that in the absence of Rb, these fetuses exhibit increased apoptosis, bona fide endoreduplication, and incomplete differentiation throughout terminal myogenesis. These defects were further augmented in composite mutant fetuses, mgRb:Rb-/-:p21-/-, lacking both Rb and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21(Waf1/Cip1). Although E2F1 and p53 mediate ectopic DNA synthesis and cell death in several tissues in Rb mutant embryos, both endoreduplication and apoptosis persisted in mgRb:Rb-/-:E2F1-/- and mgRb:Rb-/-:p53-/- compound mutant muscles. Thus, combined inactivation of Rb and p21(Waf1/Cip1) augments endoreduplication and apoptosis, whereas E2F1 and p53 are dispensable during aberrant myogenesis in Rb-deficient fetuses.     

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.     

脱甲河氢氧同位素组分时空分布特征及其影响因素

河水氢氧稳定同位素特征是研究水体转化和示踪水循环过程的重要内容.为研究河水氢氧稳定同位素特征,揭示河水补给来源,于2017年4—8月对亚热带农业小流域脱甲河4级河段(S_1、S_2、S_3和S_4)水体氢(D)、氧(¹⁸O)稳定同位素进行了监测,分析其时空动态特征和过量氘(d-excess)的变化规律,并探讨了它们与降水、高程和水质等影响因子的相关关系.结果表明:δD、δ¹⁸O和d-excess的变化范围分别在-43.17‰^-26.43‰(-35.50‰±5.44‰)、-7.94‰^-5.70‰(-6.86‰±0.74‰)和16.77‰~23.49‰(19.39‰±1.95‰).受季风环流的影响,δD和δ¹⁸O具有明显的季节变化特征,即春季(δD和δ¹⁸O为-29.88‰±3.31‰和-6.18‰±0.57‰)>夏季(δD和δ¹⁸O为-39.25‰±2.65‰和-7.32‰±0.42‰);空间上,δD和δ¹⁸O表现出明显的沿程变化,随着采样点的位置到河流源头的距离波动增加,δD为S_118O为S_118O与水温呈显著负相关(δD:r=-0.92;δ¹⁸O:r=-0.88);δ¹⁸O与海拔呈显著负相关(r=-0.96);在空间上,δ¹⁸O与水温呈显著正相关(r=0.98);δD和δ¹⁸O与降水量呈不显著负相关.