Induction of male flowers in a pistillate line ofRicinus communis L. by silver and cobalt ions

Aqueous solutions of silver nitrate (10–100 g/plant) and cobalt chloride (125–500 g/plant), injected into the main stem of plants of the pistillate cv. 240 ofRicinus communis when the vegetative shoot apex was beginning to become reproductive, induced the formation of staminate (male) flowers with viable pollen in the normally strictly pistillate (female) terminal inflorescence, their number increasing with the dose of Ag⁺ and Co²⁺. No formation of bisexual flowers was noted. Female flowers pollinated with pollen from the induced male ones produced fruits and viable seeds.     

Application of adsorption isotherms to chromium adsorption onZ.ramigera

Summary Adsorption isotherms for the adsorption of chromium onZoogloea ramigera are developed. The rates were affected by the pH and temperature of adsorption medium. The biomass ofZ. ramigera at pH 2.0 where the optimum pH for biosorption lies exhibited the highest chromium adsorptive uptake capacity. In general, higher adsorptive uptake was observed at 25°C than 35°C and 45°C.     

Effect of alpha-tocopherol on the concentration of alpha-tocopherylquinone in human blood lipids

The electron-spin resonance (ESR) was applied to examine human plasma and red cell lipids. In the lipids, the signal of ESR of alpha-tocopherylquinone was recorded. The concentration of the latter in the lipids was found to be elevated in coronary heart disease. Intramuscular injection of 30% oily solution of alpha-tocopherylquinone in a dose of 2 ml two times a day over three days entailed an increase in the concentration of alpha-tocopherylquinone in plasma and red cell lipids.     

Sustained Release of a Water-Soluble Drug from Alginate Matrix Tablets Prepared by Wet Granulation Method

Alginate matrix tablet of diltiazem hydrochloride (DTZ), a water-soluble drug, was prepared using sodium alginate (SAL) and calcium gluconate (CG) by the conventional wet granulation method for sustained release of the drug. The effect of formulation variables like SAL/CG ratio, drug load, microenvironmental pH modulator, and processing variable like compression force on the extent of drug release was examined. The tablets prepared with 1:2 w/w ratio of SAL/CG produced the most sustained release of the drug extending up to 13.5 h. Above and below this ratio, the drug release was faster. The drug load and the hardness of the tablets produced minimal variation in drug release. The addition of alkaline or acidic microenvironmental modulators did not extend the release; instead, these excipients produced somewhat faster release of diltiazem. This study revealed that proper selection of SAL/CG ratio is important to produce alginate matrix tablet by wet granulation method for sustained release of DTZ.     

The Impact of Heat on an Emergency Department in Italy: Attributable Visits among Children,Adults, and the Elderly during the Warm Season

Introduction

Recent studies suggest that heat is associated with an increase in the number of ambulance calls and emergency department visits. We investigated the association between heat and daily number of emergency department visits at the University Hospital of Verona during the warm seasons 2011–2012 and we assessed the magnitude of the impact in terms of attributable events, focusing on the role of age and triage codification.

Materials and methods

We used a Poisson model to analyse the association between daily number of visits and daily mean apparent temperature, accounting for air pollution level and seasonality. The analyses were stratified by age group and were performed both on the total number of emergency department visits and on the subsample of high-priority visits. Impact estimates were obtained only for this subsample, using a Monte Carlo approach to account for sampling variability. Number of attributable events and attributable community rate were calculated.

Results

We found a positive and immediate association between event occurrence and mean apparent temperatures exceeding a threshold located around 28–29°C. The estimated percent change in the total number of visits per 1°C increase of exposure above the threshold was equal to 3.75 (90% CI: 3.01; 4.49). Focusing only on high-priority visits, the estimated percent change was larger and the greatest effect was among children. We estimated that apparent temperatures above the threshold were responsible for 1177 high-priority visits during the study period. Due to the record high temperatures observed in 2012 in Italy and in Europe, the impact in 2012 was much larger than in 2011, and consisted in 34 high-priority visits every 10000 children, 30 every 10000 people aged 15–64, and 38 every 10000 people aged 65 and over.

Discussion

Our results indicate that heat affects not only the elderly, but also children and non-elderly adults, stressing the need for developing public health preparedness plans for the entire community.     

细胞内信号分子传导的研究进展

近年来有关细胞内信号传导的研究,着重体现在Ca²⁺信号传导途径及相应的蛋白质分子如蛋白激酶C(PKC)、钙调素(CaM)、钙调素激酶Ⅱ(CaMKⅡ),同时也对Ras途径中出现的Vav、Rap、Crk、C3G等蛋白质分子以及cAMP和NF-κB途径作了有益的补充与修改.细胞外信号分子通过以上4种途径及其相互通讯(cross-talk),激活了某些蛋白激酶,调控了基因转录及其他相关功能,其中磷酸化对蛋白激酶及转录因子活性的调节起到了非常重要的作用.