Effect of aspirin on prostaglandin synthesis by human platelets

When platelet rich plasma is exposed to N-ethylmaleimide, a ten fold increase in measurable prostaglandin E synthesis occurs. This effect is almost completely abolished within 2 hours of ingestion of 600 mg of aspirin by human volunteers. Recovery of this platelet function is slow for the first two days, returning sharply to normal over the next six days and plateauing approximately 8 days following initial removal from aspirin. It is suggested from these studies that platelet prostaglandin E production following NEM may be a useful test of platelet function.     

Floating Treatment Wetlands (FTWs) is an Innovative Approach for the Remediation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons-Contaminated Water

Globally, water resources contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons are under much consideration due to their hazardous effects on human beings as well as on plants and animals in the ecosystem. Petroleum hydrocarbons are classified as recalcitrant pollutants in nature. These petroleum products are mostly released in the water resources during the petroleum refining process by oil refineries. The conventional clean-up technologies for hydrocarbons contaminated water have more destructive effects on the aquatic and land ecosystems. Consequently, to develop cost-effective and more environment-friendly techniques that clean up the environment and restore the marine ecosystem to its original forms. Keeping in view, this review article explores the detailed information on fabrication, cost-effectiveness, and an overview of innovation of the floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) using plants and bacterial combined functions to remediate the petroleum hydrocarbons contaminated water. The review also discusses the improvement of microbial efficacy for hydrocarbon degradation using FTWs. The review article shows the various applications of FTWs to remove different organic pollutants in petroleum hydrocarbons contaminated water. The review also describes the prospective benefits of FTWs for their multiple uses for removal of hydrocarbons, chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), phenol, and solids from hydrocarbons contaminated water. This review widely discusses the role of hydrocarbons in degrading bacteria, and wetland plants and the mechanism involved during the remediation process of hydrocarbons in FTWs. It further demonstrates features disturbing the treatment efficiency of FTWs, and finally, it is concluded by successful applications of FTWs and various suggestions for potential future research prospects.

Graphical Abstract

     

A new potent inhibitor of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase: p-methylbenzyl hydroperoxide.

A product of p-xylene auto-oxidation, p-methylbenzyl hydroperoxide, acts as a very strong reversible inhibitor of the ethanol dehydrogenating activity of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase. Concentrations of hydroperoxide as low as that of the enzyme active site (about 10(-8) mol.dm-3) in the assay depresses the activity by 50%. Somewhat less potent is benzyl hydroperoxide (derived from toluene) while the (secondary) hydroperoxide derived from ethylbenzene and tert.butyl hydroperoxide and cumyl hydroperoxide do not inhibit HLAD appreciably.     

Participation of Leaky Ribosome Scanning in Protein Dual Targeting by Alternative Translation Initiation in Higher Plants

Postendosymbiotic evolution has given rise to proteins that are multiply targeted within the cell. Various mechanisms have been identified to permit the expression of proteins encoding distinct N termini from a single gene. One mechanism involves alternative translation initiation (aTI). We previously showed evidence of aTI activity within the Arabidopsis thaliana organellar DNA polymerase gene POLγ2. Translation initiates at four distinct sites within this gene, two non-AUG, to produce distinct plastid and mitochondrially targeted forms of the protein. To understand the regulation of aTI in higher plants, we used Polγ2 as a model to investigate both cis- and trans-acting features of the process. Here, we show that aTI in Polγ2 and other plant genes involves ribosome scanning dependent on sequence context at the multiple initiation sites to condition specific binding of at least one trans-acting factor essential for site recognition. Multiple active translation initiation sites appear to operate in several plant genes, often to expand protein targeting. In plants, where the mitochondrion and plastid must share a considerable portion of their proteomes and coordinate their functions, leaky ribosome scanning behavior provides adaptive advantage in the evolution of protein dual targeting and translational regulation.