鄂西木林子种子植物区系与邻近区系的比较研究

木林子地处武陵山脉东北端,自然地理条件优越,种子植物种系饱和度大。在2100公顷的面积内有种子植物134科~1 488属、1043种(包括亚种和变种)。本文选取11个较有代表性地区的自然种子植物区系与木林子区系进行比较分析,以求深化对木林子种子植物区系性质、起源及与邻近区系关系的认识。多区系比较研究中,优势科的确立和其相似性指标是一个指示区系特征异同的重要参数,木林子种子植物区系优势科与湖北神农架、江西庐山、广东黑石顶和海南尖峰岭区系的相似性指标分别为73.3%、46.7%、33.3%和13.3%,共有优势科下辖的各种系在各区系中具明显的替代现象。在各区系种子植物属的比较中,沿用经典的分布区类型的划分和相似性指标的比较分析,并运用数量分类方法,以11个不同种子植物区系的14个分布区类型进行聚类分析,将11个种子植物区系分为3组。实践证明数量分类方法可客观地反映各区系间的异同,以及起源上的内在同一性。     

Double-Blind Study of the Chronopharmacotherapy of Depression

To investigate the possibility of chronotherapy with antidepressants for patients with depression, we gave single daily doses of clomipramine 150 mg/day to 30 patients with depression at three different times of day, i.e., morning, noon, or before bedtime, using a double-blind method over a 4-week period. Beneficial effects differed according to the administration time of day, with the most effective result being found for the administration at noon. Time-dependent differences in side effects were observed in tremors and dryness of mouth. An additional 10 patients were administered their medications three times a day by traditional, equally divided doses, and the efficacy was inferior than daily single doses at noon. The study results showed the significance of the administration time of day for the benefits and side effects of antidepressant therapy for depression.     

Plasmodium falciparum: isolation and purification of spontaneously released merozoites by nylon membrane sieves

A new procedure for isolating spontaneously released merozoites from in vitro cultures of Plasmodium falciparum (FVO and FCB strains) is described. The mature forms of relatively synchronous cultures containing predominantly trophozoites and few schizonts were concentrated with Plasmagel and then incubated at 37 C, without adding fresh red blood cells, until trophozoites matured into schizonts. Merozoites which were subsequently released were harvested and freed from host red blood cell material by low-speed centrifugations and nylon membrane sieves (3- and 1.2-μm pore size). From a culture containing about 5.2 × 10⁹ mature-form parasites, a total of about 10.7 × 10⁹ merozoites were released during three consecutive harvests and about 69% of these merozoites were recovered after the isolation and purification procedures. As demonstrated by both light and electron microscopy, most merozoites were morphologically intact and the merozoite preparations were free of host cell constituents. SDS-acrylamide gel electrophoresis confirmed the absence of host cell material and also showed that merozoites had a complex protein pattern of apparent molecular weights between 225 and 15 kdaltons. Such purified merozoite preparations will be invaluable for malaria immunization studies, for identification of protective antigens of P. falciparum, and for other immunological and biochemical studies.     

Plasmodium falciparum: Comparative analysis of erythrocyte stage-dependent protein antigens

Proteins of erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum were biosynthetically labeled at different times during the first cycle of in vitro synchronous cultivation after collection from patients in the Madang region of Papua New Guinea. Proteins were immunoprecipitated with a pool of hyperimmune serum collected in the region then analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis. Antigens were recognized in all life cycle stages but the majority of antigens, particularly those of high molecular weight, were present in the mature forms of the parasite.     

Plasmodium falciparum: Synthesis of glycoprotein by cultured erythrocytic stages

The human malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, incorporated significant radioactivity into glycoconjugates when cultured in the presence of [¹⁴C]- or [³H]glucosamine for 48 to 50 hr. Digestion of the labeled proteins with pronase and subsequent precipitation with absolute ethanol showed that 90 to 95% of the radioactive glucosamine was incorporated into the precipitated material. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the labeled macromolecules revealed eight bands with approximate molecular weights from 19,000 to 90,000 daltons.     

Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia: Growth responses to reducing agents

The growth responses of Entamoeba histolytica strains HM-1:IMSS and HK-9 to a variety of reducing agents were tested for one subculture in TYI-S-33 medium, prepared with no cysteine or ascorbic acid. Amoebae did not grow in this medium. Addition of l-ascorbic acid, d- or l-cysteine, or l-cystine each permitted the maximum growth observed. Dithiothreitol supported 68% maximum growth of HK-9 amoebae, but only 12% of HM-1. In contrast, growth of both strains was greatly diminished (0–13% growth) with 11 other compounds tested including glutathione, thiomalic acid, thioglycolic acid, and methionine. The growth responses of Giardia lamblia were similarly tested in TYI-S-33, as well as in TP-S-1 media. If l-cysteine was omitted from either medium, trophozoites did not grow, and eventually lysed. In TYI-S-33 medium, the requirement for l-cysteine was specific, whereas in TP-S-1 medium, other sulfhydryl compounds were partially effective and lower concentrations of l-cysteine satisfied the requirement. Ascorbic acid or l-cystine alone was totally ineffective; however, in combination, 30 to 60% of maximum growth was achieved. Once added to either medium, cysteine was rapidly oxidized. Amino acid analysis of the growth media revealed that the broth components of TP-S-1 medium contained 2.8 mM and TYI-S-33 broth 2.1 mM endogenous levels of cysteine (or half-cystine), with an additional 3 mM contributed by 10% serum.     

Benthic macroinvertebrates of northwestern lake victoria,East Africa: Abundance,distribution, intra-phyletic relationships and relationships between taxa and selected element concentrations in the lake-bottom sediments

Phytoplankton assemblage and seston composition of the San José's gulf (Argentine, 42° S) were studied during a period of two years. Cell counts, chlorophyll, particulate nitrogen and particulate carbon determination were made. Phytoplankton synecology was studied using principal component analysis.

     

Plasmodium falciparum: loss of knobs on the infected erythrocyte surface after long-term cultivation.

After long-term in vitro cultivation in human erythrocytes, variants of three strains of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum no longer produce the “knob” alterations on the host erythrocyte surface. The time in continuous culture before knobs failed to appear ranged from 18 months for the Gambian strain FCR-4 to 33 months for the Vietnamese strain FCR-1. The loss of knobs is correlated with the inability to concentrate trophozoites, schizonts, and segmenters from these variant lines by the use of gelatin-containing media. This is the first report of a change in Plasmodium falciparum or its host cell as a consequence of long-term culture.     

Trypanosoma cruzi: defined medium for continuous cultivation of virulent parasites.

A liquid medium was developed for the continuous cultivation of Trypanosoma cruzi. Among the several highly purified macromolecules tested only bovine liver catalase, horseradish peroxidase, lactoperoxidase, and bovine hemoglobin supported the continuous growth, at high yield, of mice-virulent Trypanosoma cruzi; other hemoproteins were inactive. Bovine liver catalase showed optimal Trypanosoma cruzi growth-promoting activity, parasites reaching 20 × 10⁶ parasites/ml (95% epimastigotes) at about 10 days in most of the 45 subpassages to date. Furthermore, this protein in the incubation medium provided all the amino acid requirements of actively growing parasites, thus eliminating the need for exogeneous free amino acids. Additional experiments revealed that the hemoprotein's growth-promoting activity was independent of any enzymatic activity and that reconstituting the exact protein composition by means of exogeneous amino acids did not support parasite multiplication, suggesting the importance of the primary structure of the active proteins for growth-promoting activity. These active macromolecules supported the multiplication of five different strains of Trypanosoma cruzi, but did not support Leishmania brasiliensis or Leishmania mexicana proliferation, suggesting species specificity.     

Plasmodium falciparum: physiological interactions with the human sickle cell.

The malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, enhances the rate and extent of sickling of infected hemoglobin S heterozygous human erythrocytes. Upon sickling of the host cell, the parasite is killed. Parasite-free lysates of highly infected cells were analyzed to determine the mechanism by which sickling is enhanced. The intraerythrocytic pH of the infected cell was estimated to be 0.4 units below that of the uninfected cell, a difference which could result in a 20-fold increase in the extent of sickling under physiological conditions. Sickle-cell hemoglobin (HbS) heterozygous (AS) erythrocytes had decreased intracellular potassium after 24 hr of culture under conditions which cause sickling and parasite death. When infected AS cells were cultured in high-potassium medium under these conditions the parasites were protected. The medium did not prevent sickling but did maintain normal intracellular potassium levels. It is suggested that sequestration of trophozoite-infected AS cells in the venules leads to the sickling of the host cell, loss of erythrocytic potassium, and parasite death. The resulting attenuation of parasite multiplication would favor the survival of the HbS heterozygote and maintain the HbS gene at high frequencies in areas endemic for falciparum malaria.