p-nitroacetophenoxime N-methylcarbamate,a new electron acceptor in isolated thylakoids

p-Nitroacetophenoxime N-methylcarbamate (MCPNA) is a rather potent inhibitor of the electron transfer in spinach class A chloroplasts. In isolated thylakoids, MCPNA is an electron acceptor at the level of photosystem I (PS I). It inhibits O₂ evolution in the presence of NADP and ferredoxin but not the reduction of ferricyanide. MCPNA is active as an acceptor between 3 μM and 100 μM. At concentrations higher than 300 μM, inhibition of photosystem II (PS II) occurs. MCPNA has no uncoupling effect on photophosphorylation. Reduction of MCPNA by thylakoids in the presence of light is in accordance with the E′_o of this compound (??0.57 V) and is followed by an electron transfer to O₂. This reaction probably explains the inhibitory effect of MCPNA on class A chloroplasts.     

Photosynthetic electron transport activity in heat-treated barley leaves: The role of internal alternative electron donors to photosystem II

Electron transport processes were investigated in barley leaves in which the oxygen-evolution was fully inhibited by a heat pulse (48 °C, 40 s). Under these circumstances, the K peak (∼ F_400 μs) appears in the chl a fluorescence (OJIP) transient reflecting partial Q_A reduction, which is due to a stable charge separation resulting from the donation of one electron by tyrozine Z. Following the K peak additional fluorescence increase (indicating Q_A⁻ accumulation) occurs in the 0.2-2 s time range. Using simultaneous chl a fluorescence and 820 nm transmission measurements it is demonstrated that this Q_A⁻ accumulation is due to naturally occurring alternative electron sources that donate electrons to the donor side of photosystem II. Chl a fluorescence data obtained with 5-ms light pulses (double flashes spaced 2.3-500 ms apart, and trains of several hundred flashes spaced by 100 or 200 ms) show that the electron donation occurs from a large pool with t_1/2 ∼ 30 ms. This alternative electron donor is most probably ascorbate.     

Effects of polyamines on the functionality of photosynthetic membrane in vivo and in vitro

The three major polyamines are normally found in chloroplasts of higher plants and are implicated in plant growth and stress response. We have recently shown that putrescine can increase light energy utilization through stimulation of photophosphorylation [Ioannidis et al., (2006) BBA-Bioenergetics, 1757, 821-828]. We are now to compare the role of the three major polyamines in terms of chloroplast bioenergetics. There is a different mode of action between the diamine putrescine and the higher polyamines (spermidine and spermine). Putrescine is an efficient stimulator of ATP synthesis, better than spermidine and spermine in terms of maximal % stimulation. On the other hand, spermidine and spermine are efficient stimulators of non-photochemical quenching. Spermidine and spermine at high concentrations are efficient uncouplers of photophosphorylation. In addition, the higher the polycationic character of the amine being used, the higher was the effectiveness in PSII efficiency restoration, as well as stacking of low salt thylakoids. Spermine with 50 μM increase F_V as efficiently as 100 μM of spermidine or 1000 μM of putrescine or 1000 μM of Mg²⁺. It is also demonstrated that the increase in F_V derives mainly from the contribution of PSIIα centers. These results underline the importance of chloroplastic polyamines in the functionality of the photosynthetic membrane.     

溶瘤痘苗病毒的研究进展

溶瘤病毒可靶向性杀伤肿瘤细胞而不对正常细胞产生杀伤作用。近几年已开发出十余种溶瘤病毒。痘苗病毒曾在全球消灭天花行动中被广泛使用,并且有着复制速度快、免疫原性强、副作用明确等优点。痘苗病毒经过基因改造,可以选择性地在肿瘤细胞中复制并裂解细胞。目前,用于溶瘤痘苗病毒改造的主要有痘苗病毒Western Re verse株、Wyeth株、Lister株和Copenhagen株,我国使用的痘苗病毒天坛株尚未有相关报道。     

溶瘤性流感病毒的研究进展

溶瘤病毒疗法属于免疫治疗的手段之一。其可通过病毒特异性地感染裂解肿瘤细胞和激活肿瘤免疫两种途径来达到杀伤肿瘤的目的;同传统疗法比,具有安全、高效、副作用小等优点。流感病毒自1900年代首次发现其可能作为“有益”的病毒缓解白血病病情以来,不断有研究证明流感病毒具有杀伤肿瘤细胞的能力;利用反向遗传操作技术对病毒进行改造,有望将其发展成为一种更加安全、有效的肿瘤治疗生物制剂。本文将对近年来溶瘤流感病毒利用肿瘤分泌的胰蛋白酶促进病毒感染并在RAS基因突变导致干扰素缺陷的肿瘤中复制来提高肿瘤靶向性,编码CTLA-4的单链抗体或HER-2增强流感病毒的抗癌特异性及作为外源基因IL-2、IL-15、GM-CSF和抗PD-1单克隆抗体的载体激活机体免疫几个方向进行综述。     

Formation of N-nitrosodiphenylamine from 1,1-diphenylhydrazine by rat liver microsomal preparations

The present study provides the first evidence for in vitro metabolic conversion of a 1,1-disubstituted hydrazine to the corresponding nitrosamine. The study shows that superoxide radical which is generated by NADPH-cytochrome c reductase is involved in the oxidation of 1,1-diphenylhydrazine to N-nitrosodiphenylamine catalyzed by rat liver microsomes.     

Addressing the dosimetric impact of bone cement and vertebroplasty in stereotactic body radiation therapy

PurposeBone cement used for vertebroplasty can affect the accuracy on the dose calculation of the radiation therapy treatment. In addition the CT values of high density objects themselves can be misrepresented in kVCT images. The aim of our study is then to propose a streamlined approach for estimating the real density of cement implants used in stereotactic body radiation therapy.MethodsSeveral samples of cement were manufactured and irradiated in order to investigate the impact of their composition on the radiation dose. The validity of the CT conversion method for a range of photon energies was investigated, for the studied samples and on six patients. Calculations and measurements were carried out with various overridden densities and dose prediction algorithms (AXB with dose-to-medium reporting or AAA) in order to find the effective density override.ResultsRelative dose differences of several percent were found between the dose measured and calculated downstream of the implant using an ion chamber and TPS or EPID dosimetry. If the correct density is assigned to the implant, calculations can provide clinically acceptable accuracy (gamma criteria of 3%/2 mm). The use of MV imaging significantly favors the attribution of a correct equivalent density to the implants compared to the use of kVCT images.ConclusionThe porosity and relative density of the various studied implants vary significantly. Bone cement density estimations can be characterized using MV imaging or planar in vivo dosimetry, which could help determining whether errors in dose calculations are due to incorrect densities.