Comparative effects of ethanol, n-propranol and isopropanol on lipid disposal by rat liver.

Besides ethanol, other aliphatic alcohols such as n-propanol and isopropanol induce a triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation in the liver. To determine whether a common mechanism is responsible for the effects of these three alcohols on hepatic lipid metabolism, each was administered by gastric tube to female Wistar rats at the dose of 50 mmol/kg body wt. Whichever alcohol was administered, the hepatic triacylglycerol accumulation was found to be related to the duration of elevated blood alcohol concentration. After administration of n-propanol or isopropanol, the liver [14C]palmitate uptake was increased whereas hepatic palmitate oxidation to 14CO2 was impaired and palmitate esterification into TAG enhanced; these perturbations were however more discrete than after ethanol administration. In contrast to ethanol and n-propanol which, at the dose presently used, increase precursor incorporation into blood TAG, isopropanol inhibits this incorporation. Interference with the process of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) synthesis and/or secretion, which appears only at a late stage of isopropanol intoxication, is probably responsible for the intensity and duration of the fatty liver observed after administration of this alcohol.     

Mortality differentials within large American cities in 1890

This article presents a multiple regression analysis of demographic and social data for 335 wards in 17 American cities in 1890. The most important findings are: (1) Density effects on mortality were uniformly positive and statistically significant; the magnitude of these effects was much greater for child mortality than for adult mortality; and child mortality was more sensitive to persons per dwelling than to persons per acre. (2) Unsanitary conditions, as measured by the city-specific typhoid fever death rate, significantly increased mortality and child mortality was much more sensitive in this respect than adult mortality. (3) Given the same age composition and population density, foreign-born whites, native-born whites, and the colored population had about the same adult death rate.     

Reconstituted low density lipoprotein: A vehicle for the delivery of hydrophobic fluorescent probes to cells

Previous studies have shown that the cholesteryl ester core of plasma low density lipoprotein (LDL) can be extracted with heptane and replaced with a variety of hydrophobic molecules. In the present report we use this reconstitution technique to incorporate two fluorescent probes, 3-pyrenemethyl-23, 24-dinor-5-cholen-22-oate-3β-yl oleate (PMCA oleate) and dioleyl fluorescein, into heptane-extracted LDL. Both fluorescent lipoprotein preparations were shown to be useful probes for visualizing the receptor-mediated endocytosis of LDL in cultured human fibroblasts. When normal fibroblasts were incubated at 37°C with either of the fluorescent LDL preparations, fluorescent granules accumulated in the perinuclear region of the cell. In contrast, fibroblasts from patients with the homozygous form of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) that lack functional LDL receptors did not accumulate visible fluorescent granules when incubated with the fluorescent reconstituted LDL. A fluorescence-activated cell sorter was used to quantify the fluorescence intensity of individual cells that had been incubated with LDL reconstituted with dioleyl fluorescein. With this technique a population of normal fibroblasts could be distinguished from a population of FH fibroblasts. The current studies demonstrate the feasibility of using fluorescent reconstituted LDL in conjunction with the cell sorter to isolate mutant cells lacking functional LDL receptors.     

Alkali solubility of hemicelluloses in relation to delignification

The polysaccharide composition of bark from Pinus radiata, Salix fragilis, and Populus euramericana has been determined. All the barks contained lower levels of cellulose and hemicellulose than the corresponding woods; cellulose: hemicellulose ratios were also lower in the barks. Alkali extracted all of the hemicellulose-A but only half of the hemicellulose-B from P. radiata bark without prior delignification. Similar alkaline extraction removed almost all of the hemicellulose (A + B) from ryegrass leaves without delignification. With the other samples tested only a part of the hemicellulose A and B is extracted without delignification. It is suggested that the polysaccharide so extracted represents wall hemicellulose which is not linked to lignin or other wall constituents by alkali-stable links.     

氮磷添加与不同栽植密度交互对樟树幼苗土壤化学性质的短期影响

研究氮磷添加对不同密度樟树(Cinnamomum camphora)幼苗土壤化学性质的影响,以期为全球化背景下樟树人工林生态系统的土壤养分管理提供依据。以1年生樟树幼苗为试验材料,选择氯化铵(NH4Cl)作为氮肥模拟大气氮沉降,以二水合磷酸二氢钠(NaH_2PO_4·2H_2O)模拟磷添加。氮磷处理设置CK、施N、施P和施N+P 4个水平,其中N、P和N+P施肥量分别为40 g m~(-2)a~(-1)(NH_4Cl)、20 g m-2a-1(NaH_2PO_4·2H_2O)和40g m~(-2)a~(-1)(NH_4Cl)+20 g m~(-2)a~(-1)(NaH_2PO_4·2H_2O)。种植密度设置4个水平:10、20、40和80株/m~2,试验时间为2017年6月至9月。研究结果表明,在各密度幼苗土壤中,N和N+P处理引起pH值的显著下降,N、P和N+P处理的土壤有机质和碱解N含量的变化规律不明显,P处理的幼苗土壤全P含量上升,P和N+P处理的土壤有效P含量增加,N+P处理的土壤全K含量以及N、P和N+P处理的土壤速效K含量均下降。在10、20和40株/m~2幼苗的土壤中,P处理的土壤全N含量高于N和N+P处理的,而80株/m~2幼苗的土壤全N含量低于其他密度幼苗。随着种植密度的增加,各施肥处理的土壤pH、全P、有效P、全K和速效K含量均呈现上升趋势,而施N和施P处理的土壤有机质呈现下降趋势,各施肥处理的土壤碱解N含量变化规律不明显。施肥和密度处理对樟树幼苗土壤有机质、碱解氮和速效钾含量有显著的交互作用。     

漠河地区养殖的北极狐冬季被毛性状与保温性能的关系

被毛是哺乳动物最主要的特征之一,其保温功能对动物适应寒冷环境意义重大。为了探讨北极狐(Alopex lagopus)在被毛性状上如何适应寒冷的气候条件,对大兴安岭漠河地区人工养殖北极狐的背中部直针毛、上层绒毛、下层绒毛的长度、毛根细度、毛干细度以及毛密度、单个毛束内的毛数量、毛束密度、复合毛囊最大横切面积、1mm2内复合毛囊最大横切面总面积等14个性状因子进行测量分析。结果表明,北极狐绒毛分为上下两层,下层绒毛的长度、毛根细度和毛干细度均小于上层绒毛,上层绒毛长度与直针毛接近,直针毛长度与上层绒毛、下层绒毛长度均不存在显著相关性;毛密度与毛束密度极度正相关(P0.01),但与毛根细度、毛干细度、单个毛束内的毛数量和1mm2内复合毛囊最大横切面总面积不存在显著相关性,且与复合毛囊最大横切面积的相关性较小;复合毛囊最大横切面积受毛根细度、单个毛束内的毛数量和毛束密度的影响较小。北极狐不是通过降低毛细度的方式来增加毛密度以加强保温功能,而是通过改变被毛在皮肤内的分布格局来增加毛密度,以及将有髓质的绒毛分为上下两层来改变被毛空间结构这两种策略提高被毛内静止空气的量以加强保温功能,进而适应高纬度地区的寒冷环境。     

放牧及土壤斑块质量对白三叶密度及分枝格局的影响

对白三叶长期禁牧草地及土壤斑块质量不同的春季休牧草地的研究结果显示,４月份,在中等放牧强度草地上,约有７６．５％￣８０．４％的白三叶植株为茎部出现断折的残株,放牧草地植株密度明显高于对照草地。放牧草地较好的土壤营养条件使白三叶单株构件数量明显上升,但使分枝强度略有下降。白三叶各构件密度之间存在显著正相关。不同样地上白三叶的分枝均以２、３级分枝为主。放牧草地的分枝角度大小顺序为：１级分枝角＞２级分枝