2-Methoxybenzoyl phosphate: a new substrate for continuous fluorimetric and spectrophotometric acyl phosphatase assays

A new aromatic acyl phosphate, 2-methoxybenzoyl phosphate, has been synthesized. The compound shows an intrinsic fluorescence; it displays an intense emission band at 390 nm upon excitation in the near UV region. This band practically disappears after hydrolysis of the product. On the other hand, the product displays differences in the near UV absorption spectra measured before and after hydrolysis. The at 301 nm is 2720 M^–1 cm^–1, a value that is 4.3-fold higher than that of benzoyl phosphate (the usual substrate for acylphosphatase assay) at 283 nm. The main kinetic parameters of three different acylphosphatase molecular forms (the muscular isoenzyme and two subtypes of the organ common isoenzyme) were determined using both benzoyl phosphate and 2-methoxybenzoyl phosphate as substrates, and then compared. These kinetic data and the UV absorption and fluorescence properties of 2-methoxybenzoyl phosphate sugest that this compound has better substrate features than benzoyl phosphate, and can be used for both high sensitivity continuous fluorimetric and UV absorption spectrophotometric assays of acylphosphatase.     

Presence of hsp65 in bacterial extracts (OM-89): A possible mediator of orally-induced tolerance?

Heat shock proteins (HSP) have been implicated in rodent models of autoimmunity, particularly arthritis, and there is suggestive though inconclusive evidence that they may also play a role in human autoimmune disease. The simplest hypothesis is based on molecular mimicry due to the amino-acid sequence homology between mammalian and microbial HSP. Recently OM-89, an extract of several strains ofEscherichia coli, has shown some efficacy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) when taken orally. Using species-specific antibodies, we show here that OM-89 contains the 65 kDa HSP (hsp65), while hsp65 was not detected in another bacterial extract containing other microorganisms, includingStaphylococcus aureus (OM-85). We suggest that if the human homologue of hsp65 is a relevant target antigen in the human disease, the efficacy of the preparation could be due to induction of oral tolerance or to switching the Th1 response towards Th2. Alternatively, even if the human hsp65 is not a target molecule in RA joints, OM-89 may evoke bystander suppression of joint inflammation via induction of TGF-secreting effector cells. These hypotheses should be tested in further studies.     

Sex pheromone of the pine sawflyDiprion pini (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae): Chemical identification,synthesis and biological activity

The main component of the sex pheromone secretion of femaleDiprion pini L. (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) from insects collected both in Finland and in France has been identified as athreo-3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol (8 ng per female) stereoisomer by GC-MS and synthesis. The secretion also contains lower and higher homologues in small amounts (1–4% of the main component). Combined gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection showed activity in both natural and esterified extracts (acetates and propionates); the esters of the main component gave the largest responses. The acetates and propionates of the eight stereoisomers of 3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol were synthesized from enantiomerically highly enriched (>99% ee) building blocks. The stereochemistry of the main component was established to be (2S,3R,7R)-3,7-dimethyl-2-tridecanol by GC analysis of the natural material. It was purified by liquid chromatography prior to the GC analysis of both its pentafluorobenzoates and its isopropylcarbamates on a non-chiral polar column (ECD) and a chiral column (NPD), respectively. Field tests demonstrated that both the acetate and propionate of the main component (100 g of each applied on cotton roll dispensers) were active in attracting males, with or without the presence of several of the minor compounds. Experiments with smaller amounts of the acetate and the propionate (1 g in France and 50 g in Finland) demonstrated that the propionate was more active than the acetate, and that it also caught more males than a blend of the two compounds.     

The first known use of vermillion

Vermillion has been shown to be useful in preserving human bones from 5000 years ago. Remarkably well-preserved human bones have been found in the dolmenic burial La Velilla in Osorno (Palencia, Spain), carefully covered by pulverized cinnabar (vermillion) which ensured their preservation even in non-favorable climatic conditions. We believe the red powder was deliberately deposited for preservative use because no cinnabar mine is to be found within 160 km, because of the large amount (hundreds of kilograms) used, and because its composition, red mercuric sulphide, is similar to that of preparations used in technical embalming. This finding pushes back the data of the use of mercury ore for preservation by four millennia in South America, and by at least one millennium in the Old World. Chemical and thermal analyses of vermillion in La Velilla have demonstrated its great purity and shown that the cinnabar was pulverized and washed (but not heated), producing a bright red-orange tone.     

近炸引信炮口保险距离的计算

该文以国外某舰炮弹药无线电近炸引信为例,分析研究了该无线电近炸引信炮口安全保险距离有关的参量,通过对火药燃烧时间和电路延迟时间的计算推出了几种不同情况下该无线电近炸引信炮口保险距离,分析计算方法具有普遍性。     

枪口火焰光电测量方法探讨

该文简述了常用枪口火焰测量的几种方法,对各方法存在的问题下作了系统分析,类比于枪口噪声的测量科学地提出了评价枪口火焰大小及强弱的评价指标,在此基础上提出了一种行之有效的光电测试方法,文中阐明了该方法的原理及系统组成,通过枪口火焰的实弹实验,证明了该方法的可行性。     

新型钢管砼框架节点试验研究及其应用

给出了钢管混凝土框架节点的试验结果,并采用有限元法对新型节点模式进行了应力场分析。介绍了该新型节点的设计方案及在实际工程中的应用。     

Stability of the Sarcin/Ricin domain of 28S RNA in rat ribosome under hydrostatic pressure

Under 2 100 bar of hydrostatic pressure, KNA N-glycosidase can still cleave the N-C bond of adenosine at position 4324 in R/S domain of 28S RNA in rat ribosome, demonstrating that high pressure has no effect on the tertiary structure of S/R domain.     

Kinetic model for the smectite to illite transformation in active geothermal systems

The smectite to illite transformation in active geothermal systems of New Zealand can be simulated by a first-order reaction kinetic model, which provides direct estimates about the minumum ages of active geothermal systems themselves. The derived kinetic values show that the smectite to illite transformation is sensitive to both temperature and time.     

用^1H—NMR测定纤维素的摩尔取代度

用＾１Ｈ－ＮＭＲ测定羟丙基纤维素的摩尔取代度,根据纤维素在ＤＣｌ中水解后的＾１Ｈ－ＮＭＲ谱峰面积来计算ＭＳ值。同时还应用铬酸氧化蒸馏法测定了羟丙基纤维素的ＭＳ值,以及利用ＭＳ与羟丙基含量的关系得到ＭＳ值,可以发现ＮＭＲ的方法是可行的。