Impact of irrigation with high arsenic burdened groundwater on the soil-plant system: Results from a case study in the Inner Mongolia, China.

Consequences of irrigation by arsenic (As) enriched groundwater were assigned in the Hetao Plain, part of Chinas' Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Examinations followed the As flow path from groundwater to soil and finally plants. A sunflower and a maize field were systematically sampled, each irrigated since three years with saline well water, characterized by elevated As concentrations (154 and 238µgL(-1)). The annual As input per m(2) was estimated as 120 and 186mg, respectively. Compared to the geogenic background, As concentrations increased toward the surface with observed enrichments in topsoil being relatively moderate (up to 21.1mgkg(-1)). Arsenic concentrations in plant parts decreased from roots toward leaves, stems and seeds. It is shown that the bioavailability of As is influenced by a complex interplay of partly counteracting processes. To prevent As enrichment and soil salinization, local farmers were recommended to switch to a less problematic water source.

Two examples of rapid and simple drug analysis in pharmaceutical formulations using capillary electrophoresis: naphazoline, dexamethasone and benzalkonium in nose drops and nystatin in an oily suspension.

Capillary electrophoresis is a versatile tool in pharmaceutical analysis. In the course of a revision of the "Standardrezepturen", a German formula of standard dispensings for preparation in pharmacies, this technique has been applied to drug analysis in pharmaceutical formulations. The present paper deals with two different examples. First, naphazoline, dexamethasone and the preservative benzalkonium are quantified in nose drops without any sample preparation. Second, the antifungal antibiotic nystatin is quantified using nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis in methanol after sample preparation from an oily suspension.

Enhancement of neutrophil function by in vivo filgrastim treatment for prophylaxis of sepsis in surgical intensive care patients.

PURPOSE: To determine the kinetics of leukocyte counts and of oxygen radical production of neutrophils from postoperative/posttraumatic patients with or without infusion of filgrastim (recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, rhG-CSF) as prophylaxis against sepsis. METHODS: Twenty postoperative/posttraumatic patients with a Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (TISS) score greater than 30 were included in this study. In the 10 patients of the study group, filgrastim (1 microgram/kg/d) was infused continuously within the first 3 days and tapered to 0.5 microgram/kg/d on the following 4 days or until discharge from the surgical intensive care unit. Ten patients without administration of filgrastim served as controls. Oxygen radical production of isolated neutrophils of these patients was tested by N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP)- and zymosan-induced chemiluminescence from serial blood samples, taken until the 16th postoperative day. RESULTS: Compared with the first postoperative day, in vitro FMLP-induced neutrophil chemiluminescence was significantly increased during the following 4 postoperative days in the patients with filgrastim infusion; however, only during the first 2 postoperative days in the control group. The increase in the FMLP-induced neutrophil chemiluminescence was significantly greater (P < .05) in the study group than in the control group on the third and on the fourth postoperative day. Tapering of filgrastim by 0.5 microgram/kg/d in the study group resulted in a reduction of FMLP-induced neutrophil oxygen radical production within 48 hours. In contrast, zymosan-induced neutrophil chemiluminescence was not measurably affected in both groups. Leukocyte count of the study group significantly (P < .05) exceeded the leukocyte count of the control group from the third up to the 10th postoperative day. None of the patients treated with filgrastim developed sepsis; however, three patients within the control group did. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged enhancement of neutrophil count and function induced by rhG-CSF may be useful in the prophylaxis of sepsis in posttraumatic/postoperative patients at high risk of sepsis.

Cloning of a new member of the TGF-beta family: a putative new activin beta C chain.

The complete amino acid sequence of a new member of the TGF-beta superfamily has been determined through initial degenerate PCR, subsequent cloning and nucleotide sequencing of the human cDNA. Amino acid homology comparison among members of this superfamily suggests it to be a new member of the activin/inhibin subgroup. The proposed mature part of the precursor shows 53% amino acid identity to the activin beta B and 51% identity to the activin beta A chain whereas beta A and beta B show an identity of 64% to each other.

Cloning and expression of recombinant human growth/differentiation factor 5.

The complete amino acid sequence of human Growth/differentiation factor 5 (huGdf5), a new member of the TGF-beta superfamily, has been determined through initial degenerate PCR and subsequent cloning and nucleotide sequencing of genomic DNA and cDNA encoding the precursor and flanking regions. The huGdf5 gene consists of only two coding exons. The protein is highly homologous to its murine equivalent, particularly the mature part which differs only by one amino acid. Expression in HuTK- cells using recombinant vaccinia virus revealed the expected processed dimeric mature protein. Antibodies against huGdf5 were raised in chicken.

A viable HSV-1 mutant deleted in two nonessential major glycoproteins.

A HSV-1 recombinant lacking the two major glycoproteins gC and gE was isolated from cells co-infected with mutants negative for only one of these glycoproteins. The deletions of the appropriate genes were shown to be the same as on the respective parental genomes. In cell culture, the gC/gE minus recombinant virus replicated to titers similar to those obtained with the gC minus parental strain.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoprotein E is not indispensable for viral infectivity.

A mutant of the herpes simplex virus type 1 Angelotti was isolated in which 87% of the coding region of glycoprotein E (gE) was deleted and replaced by a functional neomycin resistance gene of the Tn5 transposon. The mutant was characterized by restriction enzyme analyses and Southern blotting. Western blotting of proteins and immunofluorescence assays revealed that gE was completely absent and that the Fc receptor was not expressed in cells infected with the mutant. The fact that this mutant was viable and that it replicated to a slightly lower titer than did the wild-type virus suggests that the presence of gE is not a prerequisite of viral infectivity in tissue culture.