Enthalpy relaxation of gelatin in the glassy state.

The enthalpy relaxation during the ageing of gelatin in the glassy state was studied for partially crystalline or amorphous materials at different water contents and ageing temperatures. The extent and rate of this relaxation associated with physical ageing were found to increase when the shifted temperature parameter (Ta-Tg) increased. This parameter was able to account for the effects of structure and water content (through Tg) and ageing temperature (Ta).

Reduction of activity of cyanocobalamin in the presence of methylparaben sodium at autoclave temperature.

Reduction of activity of cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) due to degradation or interaction with methylparaben sodium was measured by UV spectrophotometry and microbial assay. TLC of the heated mixture showed two different spots, which indicate some alteration in the structure of the cyanocobalamin molecule in the presence of methylparaben sodium at 115 degrees for 10 min. The losses were about 20% by UV measurements and 32% by microbial assay. The degree of loss was sufficient to suggest that methylparaben sodium might have considerable influence on the stability of pharmaceutical products containing cyanocobalamin. Methylparaben and sodium chloride had no effect on cyanocobalamin.

[A new approach to the treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome. The use of Telo Cypro]. / Un nuovo approccio al trattamento della sindrome fibromialgica. L'uso del Telo Cypro.

BACKGROUND: The therapy of fibromyalgia (SF), with pharmacological and non pharmacological treatments, is not always effective and the benefits obtained can be unsteady or non-lasting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a pure copper wire sheet ("Telo Cypro") used as bedsheet, on sleep quality as well as spontaneous and provoked pain. METHODS: The study was double-blind, with two parallel groups, versus placebo. Forty patients with fibromyalgia were enrolled, thirty-eight females and two males, with a mean age of 48.8 years and without any current pharmacological treatment. RESULTS: The results obtained show how the use of "Telo Cypro" is extremely beneficial in subjects with fibromyalgia, in reducing painful symptomatology at the tender point level and improving sleep quality, with a positive effect on the patients' cenesthesia at awakening. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the use of "Telo Cypro" can be a valid help in the treatment of fibromyalgia.

Increased production of aflatoxins by Aspergillus parasiticus Speare in the presence of rubratoxin B.

The influence of rubratoxin B, a metabolite of Penicillium rubrum Stoll, on the growth and aflatoxin production of a strain of Aspergillus parasiticus Speare grown in the chemically defined medium of Reddy et al. (Appl. Microbiol. 22:393-396, 1971) was studied. After 4 days of incubation on a rotary shaker at 25 degrees C, the presence of 10 microgram/ml caused 45 to 50% reduction in dry weight production, although at the same concentration of rubratoxin B, the reduction of growth after 10 days was only 15%. In the presence of 50 microgram/ml there was a reduction in dry weight production of 94% after 4 days of incubation, and it was still 86% after 8 days. Rubratoxin B concentrations of 50 microgram/ml and higher usually caused a reduction in aflatoxin production in the medium comparable with the reduction in biomass, but at concentrations as low as 10 microgram/ml, there was a pronounced increase in the production of aflatoxins, especially of G1, despite the reduction in biomass. The ecological significance of these observations is discussed.

The RpoN-box motif of the RNA polymerase sigma factor sigma N plays a role in promoter recognition.

The RNA polymerase sigma factor sigma N (sigma 54) is characterized by the presence, near the C-terminal end of the protein, of a highly conserved sequence of 10 amino acids (ARRTVAKYRE) that has been termed the RpoN box. In order to examine the function of this motif, which is predicted to adopt an alpha-helical structure, we have isolated a number of mutations that alter residues within the box and examined the properties of the sigma N derivatives encoded by them. Certain mutations that alter charged and potentially exposed residues within the motif result in transcriptionally inactive proteins with impaired promoter recognition but no impairment in core RNA polymerase binding. We therefore suggest that the RpoN box could play a direct or indirect role in recognition of the -24, -12 promoter consensus that is characteristic of sigma N-dependent genes.