The generic placement of a morphologically enigmatic species in Asteraceae: evidence from ITS sequences

 Bidens cordylocarpa is a high polyploid species restricted in distribution to stream sides in the mountains of Jalisco, Mexico. The morphologically enigmatic species was originally described as a member of the genus Coreopsis, but later transferred to Bidens, largely because the involucral bracts appear most similar to Bidens. Characters of the cypselae, often useful in generic placement, are of no value for this species because the fruits have features not detected in either Bidens or Coreopsis. Sequences from the internal transcribed spacer region of nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS) were used to assess the relationships of Bidens cordylocarpa. The molecular phylogeny places B. cordylocarpa in a strongly supported clade of Mexican and South American Bidens, and provides more definitive evidence of relationships than morphology, chromosome number, or secondary chemistry. Molecular, morphological, and chromosomal data suggest that B. cordylocarpa is an ancient polyploid, perhaps the remnant of a polyploid complex. Received August 28, 2000 Accepted February 11, 2001     

Rapid, simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method for detection and determination of acyclovir in human plasma and its use in bioavailability studies

A rapid, simple and sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed for the measurement of acyclovir concentrations in human plasma and its use in bioavailability studies is evaluated. Unchanged acyclovir has been quantified without the introduction of an internal standard using the present method. Human plasma proteins were selectively precipitated by the addition of 7% perchloric acid to spiked plasma samples or to the plasma samples obtained after acyclovir administration to human volunteers and the mixture was spun at 1000 g for 10 min. The supernatant was directly injected into a Novaflex C₁₈ column and detected at 254 nm. The mobile phase consisted of octane sulfonic acid buffer (pH 2.5) and methanol (92:08). The limit of quantitation for acyclovir in plasma was 20 ng/ml, which enabled the determination of the area under the curve (AUC) more precisely, that is, it is much closer to its extrapolated value. The present method has been successfully applied to samples from bioavailability studies.     

Action of pilocarpine on the normal frog heart and in pathology

Experiments on frogs were performed to examine the effect of the M-cholinomimetic pilocarpine on the heart. It was discovered that at concentrations of 10(-15)--10(-5) g/ml pilocarpine exerted only an adverse chronotropic effect on the perfused heart. When applied at a concentration of 10(-4) g/ml the drug produced a negative as well as a positive chronotropic effect. The latter occurred spasmodically (without progressive rise in the heart rate) in association with a slow heart rate. In some experiments such effects were preceded by a certain deceleration of the heart. In experiments with positive chronotropic effects, arrhythmias and sinoatrial dissociation were observed sometimes. Experiments with recording of the electrograms of the sinuses and lower parts showed that such effects were caused not by pacemaker acceleration but by the removal of the blockade of conduction, between the pacemaker and the atria. As far as the pacemaker is concerned, pilocarpine exerted only a negative chronotropic effect.     

Effect of the lymphocytosis-stimulating factor from Bordetella pertussis on murine lymphoid and hemopoietic cells

Effect of B. pertussis lymphocytosis-promoting factor (LPF) on the lympho-hematopoietic system of mice was studied. The injection of LPF was shown to sharply enhance endogenous colony formation and to induce a severe depletion of thymus cells, reaching its maximum of day 4. Thymocytes obtained on day 2 or 3 after the injection of LPF produced a suppressive effect on endogenous colony formation. The proliferative activity of hematopoietic stem cells sharply increased under the influence of LPF, though it had no radioprotective action. On the following day after the injection of LPF a steep rise in the number of hematopoietic stem cells was observed in the blood of mice: their content increased 20-fold in comparison with the control level. These data may be important for the evaluation of the side effects of pertussis vaccine on the lympho-hematopoietic system.     

The cluster method in conducting epidemiological research

The Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) whose goal is to reduce morbidity and mortality by providing children with immunizations against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles, and tuberculosis continually faces the problem of documenting immunization coverage rates. Therefore the EPI seeks simple, effective, and inexpensive methods of evaluation which could be implemented in different countries. An example of such a method is a simplified cluster sampling technique of estimation of immunization coverage through the examination of 210 children, selected randomly as 30 groups of 7 children each. In 1978-1984 more than 1000 immunization coverage surveys were performed all over the world, mainly in developing countries. In a modified way this method is also used to collect data on morbidity and mortality of certain EPI target diseases as well as diarrhoeal diseases.     

Antibodies against calcium-regulating hormones in infectious-allergic forms of bronchial asthma

Antibodies to calcitonin, parathyroid hormone and cortisol are detected in acute stage of infection-caused bronchial asthma. The appearance of antibodies is paralleled by marked hypercalcaemia. The antibodies may bind excessive hormones in the blood, preventing further hormonal imbalance. Ten-day treatment with glucocorticoids decreased the amount of antibodies possibly due to normalization of hormonal secretion and restoration of their balance. As a result, calcium blood levels returned to normal.