Update of the BIPM comparison BIPM.RI(II)-K1.Cs-134 of activity measurements of the radionuclide 134Cs to include the 2008 results of the BEV (Austria), the 2009 result of the IRA (Switzerland) and the 2010 results of the NMISA (South Africa)

Purine nucleotide pyrophosphotransferase was purified to apparent homogeneity from a culture filtrate of Streptomyces morookaensis. It is a monomeric protein with a molecular weight of 24 000-25 000, and its isoelectric point is 6.9. The enzyme synthesizes purine nucleoside 5'-phosphate (mono, di, or tri) 3'-diphosphates such as pppApp, ppApp, pApp, pppGpp, ppGpp and pppIpp by transferring a pyrophosphoryl group from the 5'-position of ATP, dATP and ppApp to the 3'-position of purine nucleotides. The purified enzyme catalysed the formation of 435 mumol of pppApp and 620 mumol of pppGpp from ATP and GTP per min mg protein under the standard conditions. The enzyme requires absolutely a divalent cation for activity, and optimum pH for the enzyme activity lay above 10 for Mg2+, for Co2+ and Zn2+ from 9 to 9.5, and for Fe2+ from 7.5 to 8. The following Michaelis constants were determined: AMP, 2.78 mM; ADP, 3.23 mM; GMP, 0.89 mM; GDP, 0.46 mM and GTP, 1.54 mM, in the case of ATP donor. The enzyme is inhibited by guanine, guanosine, dGDP, dGTP, N-bromosuccinimide, iodacetate, sodium borate and mercuric acetate.

Cell Therapy Assistance in Reconstructive Surgery for Musculoskeletal Tissues Following Burn and Trauma: Swiss Cellular Transplantation Platform

The sterol compositions of three oceanic jellyfish have been determined using gas chromatographic mass spectrometric techniques involving the use of two separate gas chromatographic column systems. The components in overlapping peaks have been identified by comparison of the mass spectra of peaks in the two column systems using subtractive techniques. A mid-water animal, Periphylla periphylla, was found to contain a very complex and unusual sterol profile including rare 5alpha-stanols, whereas two other oceanic jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca and Atolla wyvillei contained similar mixtures of delta5 sterols to those previously isolated from coastal species.

Induced responses to herbivory and jasmonate in three milkweed species

We studied constitutive and induced defensive traits (latex exudation, cardenolides, proteases, and C/N ratio) and resistance to monarch caterpillars (Danaus plexippus) in three closely related milkweed species (Asclepias angustifolia, A. barjoniifolia and A. fascicularis). All traits showed significant induction in at least one of the species. Jasmonate application only partially mimicked the effect of monarch feeding. We found some correspondence between latex and cardenolide content and reduced larval growth. Larvae fed cut leaves of A. angustifolia grew better than larvae fed intact plants. Addition of the cardenolide digitoxin to cut leaves reduced larval growth but ouabain (at the same concentration) had no effect. We, thus, confirm that latex and cardenolides are major defenses in milkweeds, effective against a specialist herbivore. Other traits such as proteases and C/N ratio additionally may be integrated in the defense scheme of those plants. Induction seems to play an important role in plants that have an intermediate level of defense, and we advocate incorporating induction as an additional axis of the plant defense syndrome hypothesis.

Early intervention for conversion disorder: neurologists and psychiatrists working together

It has been shown that for the reaction catalyzed by "biodegradative" L-threonine dehydratase from E. coli strains K-12 and 980 in 0.5 M phosphate-carbonate buffer, pH 8.4 and pH 9.5, the plots of initial reaction rate (v) versus the initial substrate concentration ([S]0 are characterized by several inflection points, i. e. an intermediate plateau. The plot of v versus the allosteric activator (AMP) concentration have very complicated shapes: there are several inflection points, and also the maximum at L-threonine concentration equal to 3-10(2) and 5-10(-2) M. High AMP concentrations inhibit the enzyme at high substrate concentrations. The reduced glutathion dose not influence the enzyme and does not alter the activating effect of AMP. On the basis of the data obtained it is proposed that the substrate and AMP shift the equilibrium between multiple oligomeric enzyme forms differing in catalytic activity and kinetic manifestations of allosteric interactions between the active and allosteric AMP-binding sites towards polymerization. Thus, the functioning the enzyme under study is discussed in the frames of the model of dissociating regulatory enzymes with multiple intermediate oligomeric forms.

ACAO ANTIARRITMICA DA METOCLOPRAMIDA (PLASIL®) EM INTOXICACAO DIGITALICA EXPERIMENTAL. COMPARACAO COM A DIFENIL-HIDANTOINA

The antiarrhythmic action of metoclopramide in cardiac arrhythmias caused by toxic doses of desacetyl-lanatoside C and digitoxin was studied in dogs. A comparison was made between the efficacy of metoclopramide and diphenylhydantoin in arrhythmias caused by digitoxin. The results indicate that metoclopramide antagonized the arrhythmias induced by desacetyl-lanatoside C, while causing a transitory reversion of those induced by digitoxin in most of the experiments. Diphenylhydantoin failed to show an arrhythmic effect in the majority of the tested animals.