Effects of Eriobotrya japonica (Lindl.) flower extracts on mercuric chloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

Mercury(II) is an important factor in hepatotoxicity that can enter the body through marine diets and amalgams.In the present study,the protective effect of the Eriobotrya japonica flower extract(EJFE) on HgCl 2-induced hepatotoxicity was investigated.Five mg/kg of mercuric chloride in drinking water was given to rats either with saline or EJFE(100 and 200 mg/kg as intraperitoneal(IP)) for 30 d.The mercury levels in different groups of liver tissues of the rats were measured with flameless atomic absorption spectroscopy(F-AAS).Also,mercury accumulation in the liver of the rats was modeled by using a parallel chemical kinetic model.The results showed that HgCl 2-induced oxidative damage led to a significant decrease in glutathione(GSH) and the total antioxidant capacity(TAC) levels,and to a significant increase in lipid peroxidation level.Accumulated mercury was 14.47% more in the livers of the stress groups than in those of the control groups(P<0.001),whereas the amount of Hg was adjusted to 13.49% and 13.93% in groups treated with 100 and 200 mg/kg of EJFE respectively,as compared with stress groups(P<0.001).HPLC analysis of EJFE revealed that hesperetin and gallic acid are the major antioxidants in EJFE.Results demonstrate that flowers of the Eriobotrya japonica cause a significant protection against HgCl 2 induced hepatotoxicity in all diagnostic parameters by strengthening the antioxidant defense mechanisms and they may have a therapeutic function in free radical mediated diseases.     

新疆两河源自然保护区鼓藻属植物分布新资料

报道了采自新疆两河源国家级自然保护区的鼓藻属(绿藻门)新疆新记录植物9种,包括3种5变种1变型,分别为厚皮鼓藻增厚变种C. pachydermum var. incrassatum Scottet et Gr?nblad、圆齿鼓藻圆齿变种博尔变型C. crenatum var. crenatum f. boldtiana (Gutwinski) West & West、帽状鼓藻C. galeretum Nordsted、近缘鼓藻C. connatum Ralfs、穿孔纹鼓藻斯科亚变种C. perforatum var. skujae Gr?nblad、方形鼓藻C. quadratum Ralfs、亚脊鼓藻贝克变种C. subcostatum var. beckii (Gutwinski) West & West、四眼鼓藻C. tetraophthalmum Ralfs、特平鼓藻拔萃变种C. turpinii var.eximium West & West.对每一个种(包括变种及变型)的形态分类学特征进行了详细的描述,编制了检索表,丰富了新疆鼓藻类植物研究资料.     

Biodegradable starch/poly (vinyl alcohol) film reinforced with titanium dioxide nanoparticles

Biodegradable starch/poly (vinyl alcohol)/nano-titanium dioxide (ST/PVA/nano-TiO₂) nanocomposite films were prepared via a solution casting method. Their biodegradability, mechanical properties, and thermal properties were also studied in this paper. A general full factorial experimental approach was used to determine effective parameters on the mechanical properties of the prepared films. ST/PVA/TiO₂ nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results of mechanical analysis show that ST/PVA films with higher contents of PVA have much better mechanical properties. In thermal analysis, it is found that the addition of TiO₂ nanoparticles improves the thermal stability of the films. SEM micrographs, taken from the fracture surface of samples, illustrate that the addition of PVA makes the film softer and more flexible. The results of soil burial biodegradation indicate that the biodegradability of ST/PVA/TiO₂ films strongly depends on the starch proportion in the film matrix. The degradation rate is increased by the addition of starch in the films.     

新疆北疆地区鼓藻类(绿藻门)植物新纪录

报道了采自新疆北疆地区湿地的鼓藻类新疆新纪录植物7个分类单位,包括4种3变种,隶属于1纲2目2科5个属,分别为双星藻目中带鼓藻科的柱胞鼓藻属(Cylindrocystis)的柱胞鼓藻Cylindrocystis brebissonii Meneghini和梭形鼓藻属(Netrium)的指状梭形鼓藻Netrium digitus(Ehrenberg)Itzigson & Rothe;鼓藻目鼓藻科的新月藻属(Closterium)的微小新月藻角状变种Closterium parvulum var.cornutum(Playfair)Krieger和锥形新月藻Closterium subulatum(Kützing)Brébisson,凹顶鼓藻属(Euastrum)的特纳凹顶鼓藻Euastrum turnerii West和瘤状凹顶鼓藻具翅变种Euastrum verrrucosum var.alatum Wolle,鼓藻属(Cosmarium)的六角形鼓藻小形变种Cosmarium sexangulare var. minus Roy & Bissett.该结果丰富了新疆湿地的藻类植物资源及物种多样性.     

RGD peptides induce apoptosis by direct caspase-3 activation

Synthetic peptides containing the arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) motif have been used extensively as inhibitors of integrin-ligand interactions in studies of cell adhesion, migration, growth and differentiation, because the RGD motif is an integrin-recognition motif found in many ligands. Here we report that RGD-containing peptides are able to directly induce apoptosis without any requirement for integrin-mediated cell clustering or signals. We show that RGD-containing peptides enter cells and directly induce autoprocessing and enzymatic activity of procaspase-3, a pro-apoptotic protein. Using the breast carcinoma cell line MCF-7, which has a functional deletion of the caspase-3 gene, we confirm that caspase-3 is required for RGD-mediated cell death. In addition to an RGD motif, pro-caspase-3 also contains a potential RGD-binding motif, aspartate-aspartate-methionine (DDM), near the site of processing to produce the p12 and p17 subunits. On the basis of the ability of RGD-DDX interactions to trigger integrin activation, we suggest that RGD peptides induce apoptosis by triggering conformational changes that promote pro-caspase-3 autoprocessing and activation. These findings provide an alternative molecular explanation for the potent proapoptotic properties of RGD peptides in models of angiogenesis, inflammation and cancer metastasis.     

Quantitative estimation of dust fall and smoke particles in Quetta Valley

Tightening of air quality standards for populated urban areas has led to increasing attention to assessment of air quality management areas, where violation of air quality standards occurs, and development of control strategies to eliminate such violation of air quality standards. The Quetta urban area is very densely built and has heavy motorized traffic. The increase of emissions mainly from traffic and industry are responsible for the increase in atmospheric pollution levels during the last years. The dust examined in the current study was collected by both deposit gauge and Petri dish methods at various sites of Quetta Valley. Smoke particles were obtained by bladder method from the exhausts of various types of motor vehicles. The concentration of lead found in the smoke ranged from 1.5×10⁻⁶ to 4.5×10⁻⁶.     

乌鲁木齐地区鼓藻科植物初步研究

2010年6月至8月对于乌鲁木齐周围部分地区的鼓藻科植物进行了首次调查,共采集到54号藻类标本,对其中鼓藻类的形态特征进行了鉴定、描述和绘图、同时对鼓藻类和生活环境之间的关系进行了初步的分析.初步鉴定鼓藻科植物有16个分类单位,包括10种6变种,隶属1纲1目1科3属,其中葡萄鼓藻隆起变种(Cosmarium.botrytis var.gemmiferum(Bréd.)Nordst)、葡萄鼓藻平滑变种(Cosmarium.botrytis var.mediolaeve West)、含钙鼓藻(Cosmarium calcareum wittr)、葫芦鼓藻(Cosmarium.cucurbita Bréd)、葫芦鼓藻狭顶变种(Cosmarium.cucurbita var.attenuatum G.S.West)、双粒鼓藻近距形变种(Cosmarium.bipunctalum f.subrectaglaris W.et G.S.West)、双隆起鼓藻(Cosmarium.didymoprotusum W.et G.S.West)、埃切鼓藻(Cosmarium.etchachanense Roy et Biss.).美丽鼓藻(Cosmarium.formosulum Hoff.)、叉孢鼓藻(Cosmarium.furcatospermum W.et G.S.West)、光滑鼓藻北方变种Cosmarium.leave var.septentrionale Wille)、伦德尔鼓藻圆孔文变种(Cosmarium.lundellii var.corruptum(Turn.)W.et G.S.West)、锐新月藻(Closterium acerosum(Schrank)Eherenberg)、库津新月藻(Closterium kuetzingii Brébisson)、宽带鼓藻(Pleuroteanium trabecula(Ehrenberg)N(a)geli)、小宽带鼓藻(Pleuroteanium minutum(Ralfs)Delponte)等10种6变种为新疆维吾尔自治区第一次报道.     

新疆库车野生维管束植物区系分析

2009年对新疆库车县北部天山山地,山前砾质戈壁和南部冲积平原地带分布的植物和植被进行了野外考察,经初步整理和统计分析表明:①研究区共有野生维管束植物72科308属732种,其中野生种子植物68科303属726种,分别占中国种子植物总科、属、种数的19.8%,40.67%,2.36%,占新疆种子植物总科、属、种数的68%,61.96%,21.03%.②在库车县分布的303属野生种子植物属的分布类型中(不包含世界分布),温带成分占绝对优势,占该地区植物总属的90.94%.其中北温带分布占46.06%,旧世界温带分布占16.54%,地中海和西亚至中亚分布占16.14%,其后依次为热带分布占9.06%、中亚分布占5.91%、温带亚洲分布占4.33%、东亚分布占1.97%.说明本地区种子植物区系中北温带、地中海、西亚至中亚和旧世界温带成分占明显优势,表现出该区植物分布的温带性质,同时与中亚、温带亚洲和热带有一定的交流,而与东亚交流很少.     

Researching-Acting-Reflecting on Public Health Services in Venezuela. I. A Conceptual Framework

This is the first of a duology of articles reporting on an action research project about public health services in Venezuela. This first paper presents a summary of a conceptual framework from which a process of intervention was launched. The second paper, which follows immediately in this special issue, presents a narrative of the intervention process and a final discussion about it. The conceptual framework is constituted by two types of interpretive models of the role of the state concerning health services. On the one hand, four logical interpretive models are summarized. They correspond to four theories about the socioeconomic mission of the state in a modern society. Different thematic interpretations concerning the role of the state in health services are derived from such general missions. On the other hand, two different and, to a certain degree, opposed historical interpretive models about the present Venezuelan socioeconomic-political situation and their corresponding power structures are outlined. The four logical interpretive models are discussed in the light of the two historical models in terms of desirable and feasible courses of political action.     

青格达湖湿地原生动物的群落生态学研究

文章研究报道了青格达湖湿地原生动物的种类组成、优势类群、相似性系数等,与中国典型地带土壤原生动物做了比较。结果共观察到原生动物4个纲6个目8个科10个属17个种。