Epidemiological analysis of acute respiratory diseases (ARD) of viral etiology in the Czech Socialist Republic (CSR] and German Democratic Republic (GDR) over the period 1979 to 1984

An analysis is made of the ARD reported in CSR and the GDR over the period July 1st, 1979 to June 30th, 1984. During that time, there were 27,810,000 cases reported in CSR in the framework of ARD epidemiological surveillance, representing 2.67 cases per one inhabitant, whereas in the GDR, the total number of reported ARD was 28,900,000 yielding 1.73 cases per person. However, the GDR reported higher morbidity per one child of preschool age. The authors believe that the differences in the reported incidence of ARD between the two countries are due to differences in the reporting systems and medical officers' activity during an epidemic and in the interim period. Approximately one third of ARD reported annually in the two countries falls to the period of influenza epidemics. The authors also analyze the etiology of the influenza epidemics which affected the two countries in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984. In most seasons, the causative agents and morbidity excesses were different in the two countries. The drift variant B/USSR/100/83, which caused a major epidemy in CSR in 1984, has not to date been implicated in the DGR in the etiology of ARD. The cyclic epidemic due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae occurred in the GDR already in 1979-80, while CSR experienced it a year later. There was a temporal and territorial correlation between the course of A(H1N1) influenza epidemic in the two countries in 1984.     

Scavenging of Hydrogen Peroxide in the Endosperm of Ricinus communis by Ascorbate Peroxidase

The fat-storing endosperm of Ricinus communis L. was found tocontain an ascorbate peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.11 [EC] ), which is nearlyas active as catalase (EC 1.11.1.6 [EC] ) in degradation of hydrogenperoxide (H₂O₂) at its physiological concentrations. This ascorbateperoxidase probably functions together with monodehydroascorbatereductase (EC 1.6.5.4 [EC] ) or dehydroascorbate reductase (EC 1.8.5.1 [EC] )and glutathione reductase (EC 1.6.4.2 [EC] ) to remove the H₂O₂ producedduring the transformation of fat to carbohydrate in the glyoxysomes.The activities of these enzymes as well as the content of ascorbateand glutathione increase parallel to the activities of glyoxysomalmarker enzymes during the course of germination. Inhibitionof catalase by aminotriazole results in increases of the ascorbateperoxidase activity and of the glutathione content. All fourenzymes are predominantly localized in the cytosol of the Ricinusendosperm with low activities found in the plastids and themitochondria. The results suggest, that the ascorbate-dependentH₂O₂ scavenging pathway, which has been shown to be responsiblefor the reduction of photosynthetically derived H₂O₂ in thechloroplasts, operates also in the Ricinus endosperm. (Received June 5, 1990; Accepted July 31, 1990)     

Biosynthesis of digalactosyldiacylglycerol in plastids from 16:3 and 18:3 plants

Intact chloroplasts isolated from leaves of eight species of 16:3 and 18:3 plants and chromoplasts isolated from Narcissus pseudonarcissus L. flowers synthesize galactose-labeled mono-, di-, and trigalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG, DGDG, and TGDG) when incubated with UDP-[6-³H]galactose. In all plastids, galactolipid synthesis, and especially synthesis of DGDG and TGDG, is reduced by treatment of the organelles with the nonpenetrating protease thermolysin. Envelope membranes isolated from thermolysin-treated chloroplasts of Spinacia oleracea L. (16:3 plant) and Pisum sativum L. (18:3 plant) or membranes isolated from thermolysin-treated chromoplasts are strongly reduced in galactolipid:galactolipid galactosyltransferase activity, but not with regard to UDP-Gal:diacylglycerol galactosyltransferase. For the intact plastids, this indicates that thermolysin treatment specifically blocks DGDG (and TGDG) synthesis, whereas MGDG synthesis is not affected. Neither in chloroplast nor in chromoplast membranes is DGDG synthesis stimulated by UDP-Gal. DGDG synthesis in S. oleracea chloroplasts is not stimulated by nucleoside 5′-diphospho digalactosides. Therefore, galactolipid:galactolipid galactosyltransferase is so far the only detectable enzyme synthesizing DGDG. These results conclusively suggest that the latter enzyme is located in the outer envelope membrane of different types of plastids and has a general function in DGDG synthesis, both in 16:3 and 18:3 plants.     

Involvement of ferredoxin in desaturation of lipid-bound oleate in chloroplasts

Intact spinach (Spinacia oleracea) chloroplasts, pulse-labeled with [¹⁴C]acetate, desaturate newly formed fatty acids as ester groups of monogalactosyl diacylglycerol in a subsequent chase in the dark. Rupture of pulse-labeled chloroplasts by addition of a detergent solution 3-([3-cholamidopropyl]dimethylammonio)-1-propane sulfonate preserves part of this desaturation activity. Direct addition of different free fatty acids together with appropriate cofactors to detergent-ruptured chloroplasts results in fatty acid labeling of monogalactosyl diacylglycerol. During subsequent incubation these lipid-linked fatty acids are desaturated, i.e. 18:1 to 18:2 and 18:3 and to a small extent also 16:0 to 16:3. The formation of 18:2 was also observed after incorporation of 18:1 into sulfolipid and phosphatidyl choline. Density gradient centrifugation separated a membrane fraction from detergent-ruptured chloroplasts which in the presence of appropriate cofactors incorporated 18:1 and 18:2 into the above-mentioned lipids. In the light, desaturation was dependent on added ferredoxin, whereas in the dark, in addition to ferredoxin NAD(P)H was also required. Preliminary evidence for the involvement of membrane-bound ferredoxin:NADP oxidoreductase (FNR) as a third component of desaturation in the dark was obtained by inhibitor studies including antibodies against FNR. Desaturation of lipid-bound 18:1 and 18:2 resembles stearoyl-ACP desaturation with respect to its requirement of reduced ferredoxin and oxygen.     

Ichnology and sedimentology of the early Permian deep-water deposits from the Lercara-Roccapalumba area (Western Sicily,Italy)

Summary Diverse and abundant trace fossils of the deep-waterNereites ichnofacies have been found in well-dated Early Permian deep-water turbidites (Lercara Formation) of western Sicily (Italy). Conodonts indicate a latest Artinskian to Cathedralian (late Early Permian) age. Microfossils (pelagic conodonts, albaillellid Radiolaria, paleopsychrospheric ostracods, foraminiferal associations dominated byBathysiphon), trace fossils (deep-bathyal to abyssalNereites ichnofacies) and sedimentologic data collectively indicate a deep-water environment for the Early Permian turbidites of the Lercara Formation. The dominance ofAgrichnium and of thePaleodictyon subichnogeneraSquamodictyon andMegadictyon suggests that this icnofauna is closely related in ichnotaxonomic composition to other late Paleozoic deep-water ichnofaunas. The occurrence ofAcanthorhaphe. Dendrotichnium andHelicoraphe, to date only reported from Cretaceous or Tertiary flysch deposits, suggests that the entire ichnofauna corresponds well to previously documented Silurian-Tertiary flysch ichnofaunas. Eight new ichnospecies and a new ichnosubgenus,Megadictyon, are described.     

Storage and remobilisation of sulphur in beech trees (Fagus sylvatica)

Three-year-old beech trees were fed ³⁵S-sulphate in August 1993 via a flap in a mature leaf of an upper branch. Harvest of beech trees was performed 24 h after feeding ³⁵S-sulphate, before leaf senescence, after leaf abscission, in early winter (January 1994). in late winter (March 1994). before bud break and after bud break. Twenty-four h after feeding ³⁵S-sulphate, 0.7 ± 0.5% of the ³⁵S-radioactivity taken up was exported out of the fed leaf. When trees were analysed 2 months later, i.e., before leaf senescence, this value had increased to 22 ± 7%. The exported ³⁵S-radioactivity was located in the branch containing the fed leaf (2.8 ± 13%). in basipetal parts of the trunk (41 ± 77%) and in the main rool (21 ± 6%). Leaves and apical parts of the trunk were no sink organs for the exported sulphur. Along the tree axis the main proportion of the radiolabel was located in the wood, predominantly in the acid soluble fraction. In the bark the greater portion of the radiolabel was found in the acid insoluble fraction. In both tissues the bulk of the ³⁵S of the soluble fraction was sulphate together with small amounts of glutathione. This pattern did not change until bud break. After bud break, basipetal parts of the trunk lost part of its ³⁵S-radioactivity. Of the ³⁵S-radioactivity which had been exported out of the fed leaf during the previous autumn, 16 ± 2% remained in the trunk, whereas 47 ± 7% of the ³⁵S was found in branches, mainly in the newly developed leaves. The present results show that sulphur, mainly in the form of sulphate, is stored along the tree axis in both bark and wood of beech trees and is re-mobilised during leaf development in spring.     

Exchange of NO and NO2 between wheat canopy monoliths and the atmosphere

The fluxes of NO and NO₂ between wheat canopy monoliths and the atmosphere were investigated with the dynamic chamber technique. For this purpose monoliths were dug out at different plant growth stages from a field site, transported to the institute, and placed in an environmental growth chamber. The wheat canopy monoliths were exposed over a period of four days to the average ratios of atmospheric NO₂ and NO measured at the field site, i.e. NO₂ concentration of about 18 mL L^-1 plus NO concentration lower than 0.5 nL L^-1. Under these conditions NO emission into the atmosphere and NO₂ deposition into canopy monoliths was observed. Both fluxes showed diurnal variation with maximum rates during the light and minimum rates during darkness. NO₂ fluxes correlated with soil temperature as well as with light intensity. NO fluxes correlated with soil temperature but not with light intensity. From the investigation performed the diurnal variation of the NO and NO₂ compensation points, the maximum rates of NO and NO₂ emission, and the total resistances of NO and NO₂ fluxes were calculated. Under the assumption that the measured data are representative for the whole vegetation period, annual fluxes of NO and NO₂ were estimated. Annual NO emission into the atmosphere amounted to 87 mg N m^-2 y^-1 (0.87 kg ha^-1 y^-1), annual NO₂ deposition into canopy monoliths amounted to 1273 mg N m^-2 y^-1 (12.73 kg ha^-1 y^-1). Apparently, the uptake of atmospheric nitrogen by the wheat field from NO₂ deposition is about 15 times higher than the loss of nitrogen from NO emission. It can therefore be assumed that even in rural areas wheat fields are a considerable sink for atmospheric nitrogen. The annual sink strength estimated in the present study is ca. 12 kg N ha^-1 y^-1. The possible origin of the NO emitted and the fate of atmospheric NO₂ taken up by the wheat canopy monoliths are discussed.Preliminary results of this paper were presented at the Joint Workshop COST 611/Working Party 3 and EUROTRAC in Delft, The Netherlands (Ludwig et al., 1991).     

The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis in Obesity

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis normally maintains the concentration of Cortisol within a narrow range with a diurnal variation characterized by higher Cortisol concentrations in the morning and reduced levels in the evening. Excessive or deficient secretion of Cortisol is associated with pathologic changes. Obesity has been linked with age, sex and racial alterations in the functioning of the HP A axis which are reviewed. The possible relationship of altered HPA axis activity with the long-term complications of obesity are considered.