Protective effect of Shigyaku-to,a traditional Chinese herbal medicine,on the infection of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in mice

The antiviral activity of Shigyaku-to (TJS-109), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, was investigated in mice infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). TJS-109 is a combination of the medicinal plant extracts fromZingiberis siccatum rhizoma,Aconiti tuber andGlycyrrhizae radix in a specific proportion. Mice infected with a 10 LD₅₀ dose of HSV-1 were treated with TJS-109 orally at doses of 1.25 to 20 mg/kg 2 days before, and 1 and 4 days after the infection. The treated groups had 80% (1.25 mg/kg), 40% (5 mg/kg) and 23% (20 mg/kg) mortality rates 25 days after the infection as compared with a 100% mortality rate in control mice treated with saline. When HSV-1 infected mice (recipients) received CD8⁺T cell fractions derived from spleens of mice treated with TJS-109 (donors), 70% of recipients survived, as compared with 0% survivors in the groups of mice treated with saline, B cell fractions, CD4⁺ T cell fractions or macrophage-enriched fractions prepared from the same donors. TJS-109 did not show any virucidal activities against HSV-1 or any virostatic activities on the growth of HSV-1 in Vero cells. These results suggest that TJS-109 protected mice exposed to lethal amounts of HSV-1 through the activation of CD8⁺ T cells.     

Role of hsp70 in cytokine production

Interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha are potent, multifunctional cytokine mediators of inflammation and immune responses that are produced primarily by activated monocytes and macrophages. Three published papers by different groups have shown that heat shock and chemical stress with heavy metal salts or sulfhydryl reagents, all of which induce the expression of heat shock protein 70 (hsp70), concomitantly inhibit the production of these cytokines in human monocytes and mouse macrophages activated by lipopolysaccharide. These papers are reviewed and discussed in some detail. Other studies suggest that various anti-inflammatory drugs, including acetylsalicyclic acid, auranofin and dexamethasone, can also facilitate HSP expression in macrophages. However, while these studies are interesting, it is clear that not a great deal of work has been done and/or published in this area. Since many pharmaceutical companies are developing cytokine synthesis inhibitors as potential anti-inflammatory drugs, one aim of this article is to emphasize that understanding the molecular mechanism(s) that lead to increased HSP expression and decreased cytokine biosynthesis may assist in achieving this goal.     

Nb对Li／MgO甲烷氧化偶联催化剂的助催化作用

Ｌｉ／ＭｇＯ甲烷氧化偶联催化剂引入铌的氧化物可降低活性温度，７５０℃以下便达到最高Ｃ２烃产率。铌与锂、镁有多种结合方式，引入方法对活性测试结果有重要影响。铌不与镁紧密结合且分布于锂、镁之间时作用最好。     

石棉对N，N－二甲基苯胺的吸附和氧化作用

研究了青石棉、温石棉、直闪石和铁石棉与不同浓度Ｎ，Ｎ－二甲基苯胺（ＤＭＡ）在１１０℃的吸附氧化反应，测定了产物的紫外可见光谱、红外光谱、元素分析和热分析数据．结果表明，四种石棉均能使ＤＭＡ氧化为甲基紫．质子可以提高石棉的氧化能力．此外，反应过程还生成一种紫外可见光最大吸收为３４０ｎｍ的物质，其结构有待进一步鉴定．     

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II increases glutamate and noradrenaline release from synaptosomes

A variety of evidence indicates that calcium-dependent protein phosphorylation modulates the release of neurotransmitter from nerve terminals. For instance, the injection of rat calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (Ca2+/CaM-dependent PK II) into the preterminal digit of the squid giant synapse leads to an increase in the release of a so-far unidentified neurotransmitter induced by presynaptic depolarization. But until now, it has not been demonstrated that Ca2+/CaM-dependent PK II can also regulate neurotransmitter release in the vertebrate nervous system. Here we report that the introduction of Ca2+/CaM-dependent PK II, autoactivated by thiophosphorylation, into rat brain synaptosomes (isolated nerve terminals) increases the initial rate of induced release of two neurotransmitters, glutamate and noradrenaline. We also show that introduction of a selective peptidergic inhibitor of Ca2+/CaM-dependent PK II inhibits the initial rate of induced glutamate release. These results support the hypothesis that activation of Ca2+/CaM-dependent PK II in the nerve terminal removes a constraint on neurotransmitter release.     

Sex determination compared in Drosophila and Caenorhabditis

Fruitflies and nematodes show many similarities in the general organization of the gene networks that control sexual dimorphism and dosage compensation. In contrast, the underlying molecular mechanisms appear to be very different in these two species. Developmental processes such as sex determination need not be strongly conserved in evolution.     

A binding site for the T-cell co-receptor CD8 on the alpha 3 domain of HLA-A2

Adhesion measurements between CD8 and 48 point mutants of HLA-A2.1 show that the CD8 alpha-chain binds to the alpha 3 domain of HLA-A2.1. Three clusters of alpha 3 residues contribute to the binding, with an exposed, negatively charged loop (residues 223-229) playing a dominant role. CD8 binding correlates with cytotoxic T-cell recognition and sensitivity to inhibition by anti-CD8 antibodies. Impaired alloreactive T-cell recognition of an HLA-A2.1 mutant with reduced affinity for CD8 is not restored by functional CD8 binding sites on an antigenically irrelevant class I molecule. Therefore, complexes of CD8 and the T-cell receptor bound to the same class I major histocompatibility complex molecule seem to be necessary for T-cell activation.     

New Sivapithecus humeri from Pakistan and the relationship of Sivapithecus and Pongo

New humeri of two species of the Miocene hominoid Sivapithecus are described from near Chinji in Pakistan from between approximately 9 and 11 Myr ago. Sivapithecus, a middle and late Miocene hominoid from Turkey and Indo-Pakistan, is overall unlike any living hominoid, although facial-palatal similarities to the extant orangoutan, Pongo, have been used to support a hypothesis of close relationship. Living hominoids have postcranial similarities assumed to be shared derived, among them features of the proximal humerus. However, the new Sivapithecus proximal humeri differ from those of living hominoids, supporting an alternative hypothesis in which Sivapithecus and Pongo are not closely related. It is not clear how to choose between these incompatible hypotheses.