Assessment of Imidacloprid and Its Metabolites in Foliage of Eastern Hemlock Multiple Years Following Treatment for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Adelges tsugae (Hemiptera: Adelgidae), in Forested Conditions.

Widespread decline and mortality of eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière, have been caused by hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae (Annand) (HWA) (Hemiptera: Adelgidae). The current study is a retrospective analysis conducted in collaboration with Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) to determine longevity of imidacloprid and its insecticidal metabolites (imidacloprid olefin, 5-hydroxy, and dihydroxy) in GRSM's HWA integrated pest management (IPM) program. Foliage samples were collected from three canopy strata of hemlocks that were given imidacloprid basal drench treatments 4-7 yr prior to sampling. Foliage was analyzed to assess concentrations in parts per billion (ppb) of imidacloprid and its metabolites. Imidacloprid and its olefin metabolite were present in most, 95 and 65%, respectively, branchlets 4-7 yr post-treatment, but the 5-hydroxy and dihydroxy metabolites were present in only 1.3 and 11.7%, respectively, of the branchlets. Imidacloprid and olefin concentrations significantly decreased between 4 and 7 yr post-treatment. Concentrations of both imidacloprid and olefin were below the LC50 for HWA 5-7 yr post-treatment. Knowledge of the longevity of imidacloprid treatments and its metabolite olefin can help maximize the use of imidacloprid in HWA IPM programs.

Site-specific interactions of copper(II) ions with heparin revealed with complementary (SRCD, NMR, FTIR and EPR) spectroscopic techniques.

The interactions between Cu(II) ions and heparin were investigated using several complementary spectroscopic techniques. NMR indicated an initial binding phase involving specific coordination to four points in the structure that recur in slightly different environments throughout the heparin chain; the carboxylic acid group and the ring oxygen of iduronate-2-O-sulfate, the glycosidic oxygen between this residue and the adjacent (towards the reducing end) glucosamine and the 6-O-sulfate group. In contrast, the later binding phase showed little structural specificity. One- and two-dimensional correlated FTIR revealed that complex out of phase (asynchronous) conformational changes also occurred during the titration of Cu(II) ions into heparin, involving the CO and N-H stretches. EPR demonstrated that the environments of the Cu(II) ions in the initial binding phase were tetragonal (with slightly varied geometry), while the later non-specific phases exhibited conventional coordination. Visible spectroscopy confirmed a shift of the absorbance maximum. Titration of Cu(II) ions into a solution of heparin indicated (both by analysis of FTIR and EPR spectra) that the initial binding phase was complete by 15-20 Cu(II) ions per chain; thereafter the ions bound in the non-specific mode. Hetero-correlation spectroscopy (FTIR-CD) improved resolution and assisted assignment of the broad CD features from the FTIR spectra and indicated both in-phase and more complex out of phase (synchronous and asynchronous, respectively) changes in interactions within the heparin molecule during the titration of Cu(II) ions.

The effect of erythropoietin in normal healthy volunteers and pediatric patients with burn injuries.

BACKGROUND: Surgical procedures result in blood loss that can require replacement transfusions. Such therapy may result in multiple adverse sequelae, including transmission of infectious diseases and immune impairment. Alternative therapies are therefore desirable. METHODS: We evaluated the ability of recombinant human erythropoietin (rEPO) to increase red blood cell production in both normal healthy volunteers and patients with burn injuries. The effect of rEPO on immune function in the volunteers was also evaluated. The volunteers received 150 units/kg rEPO daily for 7 days, with immune function and hematopoiesis assayed on days 0, 7, and 14. The patients with burn injuries received either 500 units/kg/day rEPO with iron supplementation or merely the iron. RESULTS: rEPO increased erythropoiesis in both the volunteers and the patients with burn injuries. Failure to provide iron supplementation to the volunteers resulted in significant depletion of iron stores with a concomitant impairment in immune function that paralleled the iron depletion. CONCLUSIONS: rEPO therapy offers the potential to increase red blood cell production in surgical patients. Failure to provide iron supplementation in patients receiving rEPO can lead to a rapid depletion of iron stores and may contribute to an immune dysfunction.