Preferential cytotoxicity on tumor cells by caffeic acid phenethyl ester isolated from propolis

Summary The honeybee hive product, propolis, is a folk medicine employed for treating various ailments. Many important pharmaceutical properties have been ascribed to propolis, including anti-inflammatory, antiviral, immunostimulatory and carcinostatic activities. Propolis extracts have provided an active component identified as caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), which was readily prepared in one step. Differential cytotoxicity has been observed in normal rat/human versus transformed rat/human melanoma and breast carcinoma cell lines in the presence of CAPE.     

Factor forecasts for the UK

Data are now readily available for a very large number of macroeconomic variables that are potentially useful when forecasting. We argue that recent developments in the theory of dynamic factor models enable such large data sets to be summarized by relatively few estimated factors, which can then be used to improve forecast accuracy. In this paper we construct a large macroeconomic data set for the UK, with about 80 variables, model it using a dynamic factor model, and compare the resulting forecasts with those from a set of standard time‐series models. We find that just six factors are sufficient to explain 50% of the variability of all the variables in the data set. These factors, which can be shown to be related to key variables in the economy, and their use leads to considerable improvements upon standard time‐series benchmarks in terms of forecasting performance. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A dialysable glutamine hydrolysing enzyme from normal and malignant tissues

Résumé Dans les reins et dans les tissus de tumeur un facteur provoquant une glutaminase a été mis en évidance. Cette activité est plus faible dans les reins. Le dialysat du rein accuse deux pH optima de 5.0 à 8.0, tandis que celui de la tumeur n'a qu'un pH optimum de 8.0.     

Aldolase and dehydrogenase activities inSpirillum bengal

Summary Spirillum bengal is unable to grow on sugars, but can utilize different organic acids as carbon sources. Dehydrogenase activities were tested with different substrates and were found highest with lactate, glutamate, acetate, succinate and malate. A low aldolase activity was also detectable.     

Structural basis for removal of adenine mispaired with 8-oxoguanine by MutY adenine DNA glycosylase

The genomes of aerobic organisms suffer chronic oxidation of guanine to the genotoxic product 8-oxoguanine (oxoG). Replicative DNA polymerases misread oxoG residues and insert adenine instead of cytosine opposite the oxidized base. Both bases in the resulting A*oxoG mispair are mutagenic lesions, and both must undergo base-specific replacement to restore the original C*G pair. Doing so represents a formidable challenge to the DNA repair machinery, because adenine makes up roughly 25% of the bases in most genomes. The evolutionarily conserved enzyme adenine DNA glycosylase (called MutY in bacteria and hMYH in humans) initiates repair of A*oxoG to C*G by removing the inappropriately paired adenine base from the DNA backbone. A central issue concerning MutY function is the mechanism by which A*oxoG mispairs are targeted among the vast excess of A*T pairs. Here we report the use of disulphide crosslinking to obtain high-resolution crystal structures of MutY-DNA lesion-recognition complexes. These structures reveal the basis for recognizing both lesions in the A*oxoG pair and for catalysing removal of the adenine base.     

Effect of light and darkness on the hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal system of the garden lizard,Calotes versicolor

Résumé Nous avons étudié l'effet d'une l'illumination continue ou d'une obscurité de 7 jours sur le système hypothalamique neurosécréteur (HNS) du lézard des jardinsCalotes versicolor. L'illumination a stimulé le HNS par activation de la synthèse, du transport et de la libération de la neurohormone(s) tandis que l'obscurité a fait diminuer la quantité libérée de neurohormone de la pars nervosa.     

Die Reizbewegungen der Mimosoideen und ihre Hormone

Summary The irritation substances of various plants of the family of Mimosoideae are highly sensitive to oxygen, and their chemical behaviour is that of reductones. Just the same substances were also found in non-sensitive plants. Meso-inositol is perhaps one of the original compounds leading to the active substances. It became possible to explain some characteristics of the irritation-process ofMimosa pudica by regarding known properties of reductones, i.e. the irritation reaction, the restitution, the influence of sun-light and their sleeping in darkness.

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Herrn Prof.Arthur Stoll zum 70. Geburtstag gewidmet.

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Aus dem chemischen Institut der Universität Freiburg i. Br. und dem Institut für organische Chemie an der Universität Erlangen.

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Mein lieber Freund Dr.B. Banerjee hat die Fortsetzung dieser Untersuchung nicht mehr erlebt. Noch während seines Aufenthalts in Deutschland überfiel ihn die tückische Krankheit, der er kurz nach seiner Heimkehr erlag.