Decreased acetylcholinesterase activity in the area of epileptogenic foci created by met-enkephalin in the hippocampus of rats

Experiments on rats with electrochemotrodes implanted in the left and right hippocamp have shown that in epileptogenic foci created by microinjections of met-enkephalin or D-ala-2-met-enkephalin into the hippocamp, acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE) was diminished. It is assumed that reduction in AChE activity is an adaptive mechanism by which the excitability of hippocampal inhibitory basket cells, which are sensitive to acetylcholine, is increased.     

Detection of HBsAg in the familial environment of children with viral hepatitis B

A total of 231 persons from the families of 62 children hospitalized in connection with viral hepatitis B were examined for the presence of HBsAg in their blood over a period of 3 years. Simultaneously with countercurrent electrophoresis (CIE) and the gel precipitation (GP) test, the passive hemagglutination (PHA) test and the GP test with sandwich treatment were used in this work. The presence of HBs-antigenemia in the members of the families of children with viral hepatitis confirmed by laboratory methods were found to occur 6.7 times more frequently than in the families of children with HBsAg-negative hepatitis. The use of the PHA test and the GP test with sandwich treatment increased the frequency of the detection of HBsAg 2.5 times in comparison with CIE and the GP test. The data indicating the possibility of children being infected through everyday contacts in families with cases of HBs-antigenemia among their members are presented, but further studies are necessary to make the final decision on this problem.     

Accumulation of Nickel by Excluder Thlaspi arvense and Hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens upon Short-Term and Long-Term Exposure

Russian Journal of Plant Physiology - The ability to accumulate nickel (Ni) was compared in hyperaccumulator Noccaea сaerulescens F.K. Mey and excluder Thlaspi arvense L. after a...     

Spontaneous and induced myogenesis in cell culture from rat fetal liver

Fetal liver stroma consists of different cell populations that are studied insufficiently. We have found skeletal muscle precursors that express MyoD in liver of 17 day and 20 day rat fetuses. Spontaneous myotube formation was observed in primary cultures of liver cells of 15, 17 and 20 day fetuses. Estimating antigenic profiles of these myogenic elements by immunocytochemistry and PCR methods unambiguously indicated their skeletal muscle nature. Comparative study of major myogenic gene expression demonstrated dependence of the myogenic potencies of liver cells on both the stage of fetal development and the duration of cell cultivation. It was shown that fetal liver MSCs were capable of myotube formation in the induction medium with 5-azacitidin. The results of our study, thereby, indicate that 15-20 day prenatal rat liver contains pre-existing skeletal muscle precursors expressing MyoD and, probably, inducible muscle precursors.     

Epidemiologic and etiologic characteristic of enterovirus infections in Khabarovsk region

Results of epidemiologic, virologic, and serologic studies of enterovirus infections in Khabarovsk region from 1975 to 2006 were analyzed. Patterns of epidemic process of these infections were established: periodic change of dominating type of pathogen in the population; onset of the large epidemic peaks of incidence during emergence of circulation of new for the given area serotypes of enteroviruses; possibility of realization of several routes of virus transmission. Role of water factor in the progress of the epidemic process was revealed. Etiology of the large epidemic rise of aseptic meningitis incidence in Khabarovsk region in 2006 was established--the leading pathogens were ECHO viruses serotypes E6 and E30.     

New insights into the phylogeny and biogeography of subfamily Orontioideae (Araceae)

Proto‐Araceae, the earliest diverged lineage within the family Araceae, includes two subfamilies, Gymnostachydoideae (one species) and Orontioideae (eight species). Based on an extensive sampling (a total of 198 accessions) of six chloroplast non‐coding regions (5799 aligned sites), we assessed phylogenetic relationships among the genera and species within subfamily Orontioideae and estimated the timing of intercontinental disjunct events in the Northern Hemisphere. Overall phylogenetic relationships among the genera were consistent with results from previous studies, but several new important findings were discovered, primarily within Symplocarpus Salisb. ex W. P. C. Barton. First, two major lineages within Symplocarpus were identified: one lineage included S. foetidus (L.) Salisb. ex W. Barton, S. nabekuraensis Otsuka & K. Inoue, and S. renifolius Schott ex Tzvelev (Japan), whereas the other included S. nipponicus Makino, S. egorovii N. S. Pavlova & V. A. Nechaev, and S. renifolius (Korea). Symplocarpus renifolius in Japan was tetraploid and closely related to the tetraploid S. foetidus in eastern North America. Populations of S. renifolius in Korea were confirmed to be diploid (2n = 30) and shared the most recent common ancestor with the other diploid species, S. nipponicus. Second, two recently described species, S. nabekuraensis and S. egorovii, were deeply embedded within S. renifolius in Japan and Korea, respectively, and their distinct taxonomic status requires further assessment. Finally, two intercontinental disjunction events in the subfamily, one in Lysichiton Schott between eastern Asia and western North America and the other in Symplocarpus between eastern Asia and eastern North America, were estimated to be between 4.5 and 1.4 million years ago (Pliocene and Pleistocene) and between 1.9 and 0.5 million years ago (Pleistocene), respectively.