Pollen–plant–climate relationships in sub-Saharan Africa

Aim  To demonstrate that incorporating the bioclimatic range of possible contributor plants leads to improved accuracy in interpreting the palaeoclimatic record of taxonomically complex pollen types.
Location  North Tropical Africa.
Methods  The geographical ranges of selected African plants were extracted from the literature and geo-referenced. These plant ranges were compared with the pollen percentages obtained from a network of surface sediments. Climate-response surfaces were graphed for each pollen taxon and each corresponding plant species.
Results  Several patterns can be identified, including taxa for which the pollen and plant distributions coincide, and others where the range limits diverge. Some pollen types display a reduced climate range compared with that of the corresponding plant species, due to low pollen production and/or dispersal. For other taxa, corresponding to high pollen producers such as pioneer taxa, pollen types display a larger climatic envelope than that of the corresponding plants. The number of species contained in a pollen taxon is an important factor, as the botanical species included in a taxon may have different geographical and climate distributions.
Main conclusions  The comparison between pollen and plant distributions is an essential step towards more precise vegetation and climate reconstructions in Africa, as it identifies taxa that have a high correspondence between pollen and plant distribution patterns. Our method is a useful tool to reassess biome reconstructions in Africa and to characterize accurately the vegetation and climate conditions at a regional scale, from pollen data.     

Plague Meningitis—A Retrospective Analysis of Cases Reported in the United States, 1970-1979

Meningitis caused by Yersinia pestis developed in 6 (6%) of a total of 105 patients with plague reported to the Centers for Disease Control from 1970 to 1979. Five of the six cases occurred in children aged 10 to 15 years. All six patients received antibiotic therapy before meningitis developed, which appeared between the 9th and 14th days after the onset of acute illness in five of the six patients. There were no neurologic sequelae. The antigenic and biochemical profiles of the Y pestis strains isolated from cerebrospinal fluid in the meningitis cases did not differ from those of the Y pestis strains obtained from blood and bubo aspirates in the other 99 patients, and neither did in vitro studies suggest antibiotic resistance. While plague meningitis is an uncommon complication of acute plague infection, physicians in the western United States should be aware that it may develop as much as 14 days after antibiotic therapy for the acute plague infection has been initiated.     

Mechanism of hypercholesterolemia produced by biotin deficiency

The effect of biotin deficiency on the metabolism of cholesterol was studied in rats fed cholesterol-free and cholesterol-containing diet. Biotin deficiency induced by feeding raw egg-white resulted in higher cholesterol in the serum and aorta, and higher high density lipoprotein cholesterol and low density lipoprotein + very low density lipoprotein cholesterol. In the liver, cholesterol increased only in the cholesterol diet group but not in the cholesterol-free diet group. Levels of triglycerides were lower in the biotindeficient, cholesterol-free diet group, but triglycerides were elevated in the cholesterol diet group. Concentration of bile acids in the liver and activity of lipoprotein lipase in the heart and adipose tissue were significantly decreased in the biotin-deficient rats. Release of lipoproteins into the circulation, incorporation of [1,2-¹⁴C] acetate into cholesterol, and activity of plasma lecithin: cholesterol acyl transferase were higher.     

一个1B/1R小麦-黑麦染色体易位的鉴定

本研究对冬小麦品系73(36)9-1的1B/1R易位染色体进行了遗传分析。发现73(36)9-1有一对随体染色体,它的两个亲本矮丰四号及洛夫林10(Lovrin lo)分别有两对和一对随体染色体。观察用矮丰四号回交的F_1,绝大部分花粉母细胞的中期染色体都能正常配对,而用洛夫林10回交的,除了多数产生两个单价体之外,正常配对的情况也能经常看到。同时还发现,73(36)9-1和“中国春”双端体(CSDT)的1BL能很好地配对并形成一个棒状的异形二价体,而它和CSDT 1BS的染色体则主要产生20″+1′+t′的构型,从而证明易位发生在1B染色体的短臂,并且该易位的片段来自黑麦染色体1RL。本文还讨论了该易位发生的可能途径,推断是由于在F_1花粉母细胞中的两个单价体(一个是小麦染色体1B,一个是黑麦染色体1R)同时进行错分裂之后产生的两种端着丝点染色体(1BL和1RL)重新并合形成的,因而冬小麦73(36)9-1可能是一个自发产生的易位系。     

海南岛尖峰岭热带山地雨林采伐迹地更新群落的初步分析

 海南岛西南部热带山地雨林采伐迹地上的更新群落大多数是以闽粤栲占优势的森林植被。本文以尖峰岭为例,对热带山地雨林不同采伐方式迹地上更新的群落进行了群落数量特征、种群年龄结构的分析。同时从林业生产的角度,评定了群落的更新质量,并提出了热带山地雨林适宜的采伐方式和群落更新的抚育管理方法。     

几种药物抑制马传染性贫血病毒和人免疫缺陷病毒的实验研究

用马传染性贫血病毒—驴胚肺二倍体细胞(EIAV-DELDC)为实验体系,以细胞中病毒逆转录酶活性及病毒相关抗原的表达为观察指标,检测了叠氮胸苷(AZT)、三氮唑核苷(Ribavirin,病毒唑)、磷羧基甲酸钠(PFA)和苏拉明等4种已知抗人免疫缺陷病毒(HIV-1)药物对马传染性贫血病毒的抑制作用。结果表明,PFA、AZTTP(三磷酸AZT)和苏拉明均能抑制病毒相关抗原的表达,AZT虽无此作用,但能抑制细胞内逆转录酶活性。用~3H-TMP掺入法比较了PFA、AZTTP、苏拉明对体外无细胞系EIAV逆转录酶粗提物和HIV-1基因工程产物逆转录酶活性的抑制作用表明,两种逆转录酶对苏拉明的敏感性相近,而HIV-1逆转录酶对PFA和AZTTP的敏感性较EIAV者高约100倍。又以无细胞系中逆转录酶活性测定法,检测了12种中药提取物的抑制作用,其中小柴胡汤对EIAV和HIV-1逆转录酶活性都有抑制作用,IC_(50)为717μg/ml和700μg/ml(生药浓度)。小柴胡汤对两种病毒感染细胞中抗原的表达和HIV引起细胞病变都有抑制作用,对HIV-1的抑制比EIAV强。这些结果表明,EIAV-DELDC体系可考虑作为抗HIV-1药物筛选模型。     

Suppressor factor secreted by T hybridoma established from peripheral blood lymphocytes of a bone marrow transplantation patient. I. Establishment of human T-cell hybridoma and partial characterization of suppressor factor

A stable human T-cell hybridoma was established by cell fusion between activated human peripheral blood lymphocytes from an allogeneic bone marrow transplantation patient and the JD1-17 cell line, a subclone of the human T leukemia Jurkat cell line. This hybrid clone 1-8, which bore the surface phenotype of suppressor cells (CD8+HNK1+), spontaneously secreted a factor which, at high dilutions, suppressed the responses of T and B cells induced by mitogens and alloantigens. This suppressor factor was found to be heat-resistant (56 degrees C, 30 min), stable at alkaline but not acid pH, unaffected by 2-mercaptoethanol, and sensitive to trypsin. Preparative isoelectric focusing revealed an isoelectric point of 5.35. The suppressor activity was selectively absorbed by blast T cells. By gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 and HPLC, the suppressor activity was found in two peaks corresponding to 40-45 kDa (monomer) and 90-95 kDa (dimer).     

Resumption of cellular activity induced by cytokinin and gibberellin treatments in tomato flowers targeted for abortion in unfavorable light conditions

Mitotic activity and nuclear DNA synthesis in tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., cv. King plus) flowers targeted for abortion under unfavorable light conditions are completely stopped 6 days after macroscopic appearance of the inflorescence. Ovular cells are arrested at the G₁ (80%) and G₂ (20%) stages of the cell cycle. Exogenous applications of a mixture of N⁶-benzyladenine (BA) and gibberellins A₄₊₇ (GA) directly on the inflorescence may prevent its failure. Nuclear DNA synthesis and mitoses resume in ovules of the flower 16 to 20 h after the BA+GA treatment. When applied alone, BA and GA are able to mimic the effect of the mixture upon the progression of ovular cells through their cycle. Sporogenesis processes are also set in motion by the exogenous plant growth regulators. The mechanism of action of cytokinins and gibberellins in the control of floral development is discussed.