Regional variation in the chemical composition of winter snow pack and terricolous lichens in relation to sources of acid emissions in the Usa river basin, northeast European Russia.

The chemical composition of snow and terricolous lichens was determined along transects through the Subarctic towns of Vorkuta (130 km west-east), Inta (240 km south-north) and Usinsk (140 km, southwest-northeast) in the Usa river basin, northeast European Russia. Evidence of pollution gradients was found on two spatial scales. First, on the Inta transect, northward decreases in concentrations of N in the lichen Cladonia stellaris (from 0.57 mmol N g(-1) at 90 km south to 0.43 mmol N g(-1) at 130 km north of Inta) and winter deposition of non-sea salt sulphate (from 29.3 to 12.8 mol ha(-1) at 90 km south and 110 km north of Inta, respectively) were attributed to long range transport of N and S from lower latitudes. Second, increased ionic content (SO42-, Ca2+, K+) and pH of snow, and modified N concentration and the concentration ratios K+:Mg2+ and K+: (Mg2++Ca2+) in lichens (Cladonia arbuscula and Flavocetraria cucullata) within ca. 25-40 km of Vorkuta and Inta were largely attributed to local deposition of alkaline coal ash. Total sulphate concentrations in snow varied from ca. 5 micromol l(-1) at remote sites to ca. 19 micromol l(-1) near Vorkuta. Nitrate concentration in snow (typically ca. 9 micromol l(-1)) did not vary with proximity to perceived pollution sources.

Anthropogenic metal enrichment of snow and soil in north-eastern European Russia.

Trace metal composition of winter snowpack, snow-melt filter residues and top-soil samples were determined along three transects through industrial towns in the Usa basin, North-East Russia: Inta, Usinsk and Vorkuta. Snow was analysed for Ag, Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr and Zn using ICP-MS (Ca and K by F-AAS for Vorkuta only), pH and acidity/alkalinity. Filter residues were analysed for: Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Cu, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr and Zn using F-AAS and GF-AAS; top-soil samples were analysed for Ba, Cu, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Sr, Zn using F-AAS. Results indicate elevated concentrations of elements associated with alkaline combustion ash around the coal mining towns of Vorkuta and Inta. There is little evidence of deposition around the gas and oil town of Usinsk. Atmospheric deposition in the vicinity of Vorkuta, and to a lesser extent Inta, added significantly to the soil contaminant loading as a result of ash fallout. Acid deposition was associated with pristine areas whereas alkaline combustion ash near to emission sources more than compensated for the acidity caused by SO2.

Phenotypic diversity and molecular mechanisms of airway smooth muscle proliferation in asthma.

Chronic persistent asthma is characterized by poorly reversible airflow obstruction and airways inflammation and remodelling. Histopathological studies of airways removed at post mortem from patients with severe asthma reveal marked inflammatory and architectural changes associated with airway wall thickening. Increased airway smooth muscle content, occurring as a result of hyperplastic and/or hypertrophic growth, is believed to be one of the principal contributors to airway wall thickening. In recent years, significant advances have been made in elucidating the mediators and the intracellular pathways that regulate proliferation of airway smooth muscle. The contribution that smooth muscle makes to persistent airflow obstruction may not, however, be limited simply to its increased bulk within the airway wall. Interest is growing in the possibility that reversible phenotypic modulation and increased heterogeneity of airway smooth muscle function may also be a feature of the asthmatic airway. This review focuses on possible mechanisms controlling smooth muscle phenotype heterogeneity as well as on the mediators and intracellular pathways implicated in its cellular proliferation. Particular attention is paid to mechanisms involving activation of the extracellular signal regulated kinase-, protein kinase C- and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-dependent pathways, since these appear to be the major candidate second messenger pathways for G protein- and tyrosine kinase-coupled receptor-stimulated proliferation.

Chiral silylation reagents for the determination of absolute configuration by NMR spectroscopy.

We have investigated the use of chiral silylating reagents as analytical probes for determining the absolute stereochemistry of natural products by NMR spectroscopy. These reagents are prepared in high chemical yield in one step and can be used to derivatize chiral allylic alcohols which are incompatible with ester-based methodologies. Microscale ( approximately 400 nmol) derivatization conditions have been defined. The resulting siloxane diastereomers are readily distinguished by their (1)H NMR spectra.

Soluble E-selectin acts in synergy with platelet-activating factor to activate neutrophil beta 2-integrins. Role of tyrosine kinases and Ca2+ mobilization.

Selectins play a critical role in neutrophil recruitment to sites of inflammation, in tethering and rolling of neutrophils on vascular endothelium, as well as triggering beta(2)-integrin-mediated adhesion. We have previously demonstrated potential pro-inflammatory effects of soluble E-selectin upon neutrophil effector functions, using a soluble recombinant molecule (E-zz), which increased beta(2)-integrin-mediated adhesion, decreased beta(2)-integrin-dependent migration, and triggered reactive oxygen species generation and release. In this study, we have examined the intracellular signals following neutrophil activation by soluble E-selectin. We show that exposure of neutrophils to E-selectin and platelet-activating factor (PAF) in combination induced a synergistic effect upon beta(2)-integrin-mediated adhesion. Although soluble E-selectin did not induce Ca(2+) mobilization in neutrophils by itself, elevation of intracellular Ca(2+) was specifically prolonged in response to PAF but not leukotriene B(4) or N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe. The prolonged Ca(2+) mobilization observed in the presence of E-selectin was dependent on Ca(2+) influx from intracellular stores rather than influx of extracellular Ca(2+) through SKF 96365-sensitive channels. The specific alteration of Ca(2+) mobilization reported here appears not to have a role in the synergistic effects of E-selectin and PAF upon neutrophil O(2) release but may be involved in augmentation of beta(2)-integrin-mediated adhesion.

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase: a critical signalling event in pulmonary cells.

Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI-3Ks) are enzymes that generate lipid second messenger molecules, resulting in the activation of multiple intracellular signalling cascades. These events regulate a broad array of cellular responses including survival, activation, differentiation and proliferation and are now recognised to have a key role in a number of physiological and pathophysiological processes in the lung. PI-3Ks contribute to the pathogenesis of asthma by influencing the proliferation of airways smooth muscle and the recruitment of eosinophils, and affect the balance between the harmful and protective responses in pulmonary inflammation and infection by the modulation of granulocyte recruitment, activation and apoptosis. In addition they also seem to exert a critical influence on the malignant phenotype of small cell lung cancer. PI-3K isoforms and their downstream targets thus provide novel therapeutic targets for intervention in a broad spectrum of respiratory diseases.

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase mediates mitogen-induced human airway smooth muscle cell proliferation.

Hypertrophy and hyperplasia of airway smooth muscle (ASM) are important pathological features that contribute to airflow obstruction in chronic severe asthma. Despite considerable research effort, the cellular mechanisms that modulate ASM growth remain unknown. Recent evidence suggests that mitogen-induced activation of phosphoinositide (PI)-specific phospholipase C (PLC) and PI-dependent calcium mobilization are neither sufficient nor necessary to stimulate human ASM proliferation. In this study, we identify phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) 3-kinase as a key regulator of human ASM proliferation. Pretreatment of human ASM with the PtdIns 3-kinase inhibitors wortmannin and LY-294002 significantly reduced thrombin- and epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced DNA synthesis (IC(50) approximately 10 nM and approximately 3 microM, respectively). In separate experiments, wortmannin and LY-294002 markedly inhibited PtdIns 3-kinase and 70-kDa S6 protein kinase (pp70(S6k)) activation induced by stimulation of human ASM cells with EGF and thrombin but had no effect on EGF- and thrombin-induced p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation. The specificity of wortmannin and LY-294002 was further suggested by the demonstrated inability of these compounds to alter thrombin-induced calcium transients, total PI hydrolysis, or basal cAMP levels. Transient expression of constitutively active PtdIns 3-kinase (p110*) activated pp70(S6k), whereas a dominant-negative PtdIns 3-kinase (Deltap85) blocked EGF- and thrombin-stimulated pp70(S6k) activity. Collectively, these data suggest that activation of PtdIns 3-kinase is required for the mitogenic effect of EGF and thrombin in human ASM cells. Further investigation of the role of PtdIns 3-kinase may offer new therapeutic approaches in the treatment of diseases characterized by smooth muscle cell hyperplasia such as asthma and chronic bronchitis.

Platelet-derived growth factor-BB and thrombin activate phosphoinositide 3-kinase and protein kinase B: role in mediating airway smooth muscle proliferation.

Proliferation of airway smooth muscle results from persistent inflammatory cytokine and growth factor stimulation and is a critical component of airway luminal narrowing in chronic asthma. Using primary cultures of bovine tracheal smooth muscle (BTSM) cells to examine the signaling basis of cell proliferation, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB and thrombin (which act through distinct receptor types) were found to induce DNA synthesis in BTSM cells. Mitogen-induced DNA synthesis could be completely inhibited by LY294002, a selective phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PtdIns 3-kinase) inhibitor. Exposure of BTSM cells to PDGF-BB or thrombin resulted in rapid activation of PtdIns 3-kinase and accumulation of phosphoinositide-3,4,5-trisphosphate. Protein kinase B, a novel signaling protein kinase, was identified in BTSM cells and was activated by PDGF-BB and thrombin in a PtdIns 3-kinase-dependent manner; this may underlie mitogen-stimulated activation of p70(s6k). PD98059, a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 inhibitor, also partially inhibited PDGF-BB- and thrombin-stimulated DNA synthesis, indicating a modulatory role for mitogen-activated protein kinase in proliferation. GF109203X, Ro 31-8220, calphostin C, and chelerythrine (selective protein kinase C inhibitors) had no effect on PDGF-BB- or thrombin-stimulated DNA synthesis, suggesting that, despite abolishment of mitogen-stimulated protein kinase C activity, cell proliferation stimulated by PDGF-BB and thrombin is protein kinase C-independent. These data demonstrate that the PtdIns 3-kinase/protein kinase B pathway represents a key signaling route in airway smooth muscle proliferation, with the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade providing a complementary signal required for the full mitogenic response.

The presence of a constitutively active phosphoinositide 3-kinase in small cell lung cancer cells mediates anchorage-independent proliferation via a protein kinase B and p70s6k-dependent pathway.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is characterized by early and widespread metastases. Anchorage-independent growth is pivotal to the ability of tumor cells to survive and metastasize in vivo and, under in vitro conditions, allows transformed cells to form colonies in semisolid medium. Here, we report that of five SCLC cell lines tested, all exhibited high basal constitutive phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) activity, which results in high basal protein kinase B (PKB) and ribosomal p70 S6 kinase activity (p70s6k). Inhibition of PI 3-kinase activity markedly inhibited SCLC cell proliferation in liquid culture as a result of stimulating apoptosis and promoting cell cycle delay in G1. Furthermore, PI 3-kinase inhibition reduced basal SCLC cell colony formation in agarose semisolid medium that could not be overcome by the addition of neuropeptide growth factors. Thus, constitutive PI 3-kinase activity in SCLC cells plays an important role in promoting the growth and anchorage independence of SCLC. This is not due to activating ras mutations or increased basal src or focal adhesion kinase activity. These data represent the first description of constitutively activated PI 3-kinase/PKB in any human cancer. Constitutive activation of these integrin-dependent signaling events provides a molecular explanation for the anchorage-independent growth of SCLC cells and may account for the nonadherent phenotype and highly metastatic nature of this aggressive cancer. Up-regulation of the PI 3-kinase/PKB pathway may, therefore, represent a novel target for therapeutic intervention in SCLC.

[3H]inositol polyphosphate metabolism in muscarinic cholinoceptor-stimulated airways smooth muscle: accumulation of [3H]inositol 4,5 bisphosphate via a lithium-sensitive inositol polyphosphate 1-phosphatase.

Agonist-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis is the principal mechanism underlying pharmacomechanical coupling in airways smooth muscle. In bovine tracheal smooth muscle, activation of muscarinic cholinoceptors results in sustained phospholipase C-mediated PtdIns(4,5)P2 hydrolysis but transient Ins(1,4,5)P3 accumulation, which implies agonist-stimulated metabolism of Ins(1,4,5)P3. To investigate the metabolic fate of Ins(1,4,5)P3 in bovine tracheal smooth muscle, we developed a [3H]inositol-labeling protocol wherein more than 98% of the [3H]inositol polyphosphates that accumulated over a 0 to 30-min incubation with 100 microM carbachol in the presence of 5 mM LiCl were derived from [3H]Ins(1,4,5)P3 and wherein the Ins(1,4,5)P3 3-kinase (EC 2.7.1.127) and 5-phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.56) pathways generated a set of mutually exclusive [3H]-inositol polyphosphate isomers. Under these conditions, the 5-phosphatase pathway was shown to be the dominant route for [3H]Ins(1,4,5)P3 metabolism at all time intervals measured, especially at early times (0-300 sec), where it accounted for more than 85% of [H]Ins(1,4,5)P3 metabolism. We also observed accumulation of a novel agonist and LiCl-sensitive [3H]InsP2 isomer identified as [3H]Ins(4,5)P2. The presence of a LiCI-sensitive inositol polyphosphate 1-phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.57) was demonstrated, and high LiCl concentrations (30 mM) caused a significant enhancement of [3H]Ins(1,4)P2 accumulation and a corresponding decline in [3H]Ins4P levels. Because nearly identical bell-shaped LiCl concentration-response curves were obtained for [H]Ins4P and [3H]Ins(4,5)P2 accumulation, and [3H]Ins(4,5)P2 was not generated under conditions expected to stimulate phospholipase D, these data suggest that the most likely precurser of [3H]Ins(4,5)P2 is [3H]Ins(1,4,5)P3. This is the first demonstration of Ins(4,5)P2 accumulation in a non-neuronal cell type, and the foregoing data suggest a novel route of formation via an Ins(1,4,5)P3 1-phosphatase, which would represent an additional pathway for [H]Ins(1,4,5)P3 removal.

The turkey erythrocyte beta-adrenergic receptor couples to both adenylate cyclase and phospholipase C via distinct G-protein alpha subunits.

By contrast with mammalian beta-adrenergic receptors, the avian isoform elicits two distinct effector responses, activation of adenylate cyclase and polyphosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) leading to the accumulation of both cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP) and inositol phosphates. We have investigated the mechanisms of beta-adrenergic receptor signalling in turkey erythrocytes. Stimulation of adenylate cyclase by the beta-adrenergic-receptor agonist isoprenaline exhibits a 30-fold lower EC50 than that for PLC activation, which may indicate a marked receptor reserve for the former effector. Similar Ki values were obtained for the inhibition of both responses by four beta-adrenergic antagonists, arguing that a single receptor population is responsible for both effects. Antibodies raised against G-protein peptide sequences were used to show that the identity of the G-protein mediating the PLC response was an avian homologue of G11, the level of expression of which was very similar to that of the stimulatory G-protein of adenylate cyclase, Gs. Thus a single population of beta-adrenergic receptors apparently interacts with distinct G-proteins to activate different effectors. The stoichiometries of the receptor-G-protein-effector interactions are therefore similar for both second-messenger responses and the data are discussed in terms of the different efficacies observed for each response.

Allergic reactions to parenteral beta-lactam antibiotics in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Certain antibiotics, particularly piperacillin, have been reported to be associated with a high incidence of allergic reactions in patients with cystic fibrosis. We initiated a study to determine the relative frequency of allergic reactions, ie, drug-induced fever and rash, to parenteral beta-lactam antibiotics in adult patients with cystic fibrosis. Charts of 111 patients were reviewed for each hospitalization to assess allergic reactions. Of 90 evaluable patients, 26 patients developed one or more allergic reactions to beta-lactam antibiotics. The number of allergic reactions per number of patients receiving specific antibiotics were carbenicillin (4/56), mezlocillin (7/42), piperacillin (11/31), ticarcillin (1/20), cefazolin (0/24), ceftazidime (1/35), imipenem/cilastatin (4/16), and nafcillin (3/36). The mean time to onset of drug-induced fever or of rash was 9.1 days. As a group penicillins had a higher frequency of allergic reactions than cephalosporins. The frequency of reactions was greatest with acylaminopenicillins (mezlocillin and piperacillin) and imipenem/cilastatin. The results of this study indicate that in addition to piperacillin, mezlocillin and imipenem/cilastatin may be associated with a high incidence of allergic reactions in patients with CF.

Measurements of Seasonal Rates and Annual Budgets of Organic Carbon Fluxes in an Antarctic Coastal Environment at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands, Suggest a Broad Balance between Production and Decomposition.

We report here the first comprehensive seasonal study of benthic microbial activity in an Antarctic coastal environment. Measurements were made from December 1990 to February 1992 of oxygen uptake and sulfate reduction by inshore coastal sediments at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica. From these measurements the rate of benthic mineralization of organic matter was calculated. In addition, both the deposition rate of organic matter to the bottom sediment and the organic carbon content of the bottom sediment were measured during the same period. Organic matter input to the sediment was small under winter ice cover, and the benthic respiratory activity and the organic content of the surface sediment declined during this period as available organic matter was depleted. On an annual basis, about 32% of benthic organic matter mineralization was anoxic, but the proportion of anoxic compared with oxic mineralization increased during the winter as organic matter was increasingly buried by the amphipod infauna. Fresh organic input occurred as the sea ice melted and ice algae biomass sedimented onto the bottom, and input was sustained during the spring after ice breakup by continued primary production in the water column. The benthic respiratory rate and benthic organic matter content correspondingly increased towards the end of winter with the input of this fresh organic matter. The rates of oxygen uptake during the southern summer (80 to 90 mmol of O(2) m day) were as high as those reported for other sediments at much higher environmental temperatures, and the annual mineralization of organic matter was equally high (12 mol of C m year). Seasonal variations of benthic activity in this antarctic coastal sediment were regulated by the input and availability of organic matter and not by seasonal water temperature, which was relatively constant at between -1.8 and 0.5 degrees C. We conclude that despite the low environmental temperature, organic matter degradation broadly balanced organic matter production, although there may be significant interrannual variations in the sources of the organic matter inputs.

Activation of human platelets by peroxovanadate is associated with tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase C gamma and formation of inositol phosphates.

Vanadate ions in the presence of H2O2 (peroxovanadate) induce a marked increase in the degree of tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins in human platelets. This increase preceded the onset of platelet shape change and aggregation, and is associated with activation of phospholipase C and increased [32P]phosphorylation of proteins of 47 kDa, a substrate for protein kinase C, and 20 kDa, a substrate for both myosin light-chain kinase and protein kinase C. The non-selective inhibitor of protein kinases, staurosporine, inhibits the increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of nearly all proteins and inhibits completely all other functional responses, suggesting that these events may be linked. In support of this, peroxovanadate stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase C gamma 1, suggesting that this may underlie its mechanism of platelet activation. Staurosporine also inhibited activation of phospholipase C by collagen, suggesting that tyrosine phosphorylation has an important role in the early stages of collagen-induced platelet activation.

Synergy between Ca2+ and protein kinase C is the major factor in determining the level of secretion from human platelets.

The aim of this study was to establish further the role of protein kinase C in aggregation and secretion of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) from human platelets by using the selective inhibitor Ro 31-8220. Ro 31-8220 (3 microM) inhibited completely phosphorylation of pleckstrin, the major protein kinase C substrate, induced by thrombin, A23187 or phorbol dibutyrate (PDBu). Myosin light-chain phosphorylation induced by PDBu was also inhibited completely, but that induced by thrombin or A23187 was only inhibited partially. As myosin light chain is a substrate for both myosin light-chain kinase and protein kinase C, these results suggest that Ro 31-8220 is inhibiting only the protein kinase C-induced phosphorylation and that Ro 31-8220 has a greater selectivity to protein kinase C than does its structural analogue staurosporine. The stimulation of secretion of 5-HT by maximally effective concentrations of thrombin and A23187 was decreased significantly by 3 microM Ro 31-8220, but not inhibited completely. These results indicate a major role for protein kinase C in the stimulation of secretion by agonist- and ionophore-induced activation. On its own, a maximal concentration of PDBu induced a small degree of secretion (3.3 +/- 1.0%), but potentiated markedly the response to a submaximal concentration of A23187 (300 nM) to a level greater than seen with a maximal concentration of A23187. A similar set of results was also seen with aggregation, but not with shape change. We interpret these results to mean that the signalling event for secretion and aggregation is Ca2+, and this is potentiated markedly by protein kinase C. In the case of secretion, it appears that it is the synergy which is the major determining factor in influencing the extent.

Okadaic acid inhibits activation of phospholipase C in human platelets by mimicking the actions of protein kinases A and C.

1. The effect of okadaic acid, a potent inhibitor of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A (PP1 and PP2A), on human platelets has been investigated. 2. Okadaic acid exerts a general increase in phosphorylation of platelet proteins but did not induce aggregation or secretion of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). Okadaic acid, however, did inhibit thrombin-induced functional responses. 3. Maximally effective concentrations of prostacyclin, to elevate adenosine 3'-5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP), or phorbol dibutyrate, to activate protein kinase C, inhibited the formation of inositol phosphates by thrombin by approximately 60%. When used in combination, prostacyclin and phorbol dibutyrate reduced the levels of inositol phosphates induced by thrombin to 11%. 4. Okadaic acid (1 microM) decreased thrombin-induced formation of inositol phosphates by approximately 55% and increased the inhibitory action of prostacyclin or phorbol dibutyrate. Okadaic acid had no further effect when prostacyclin and phorbol dibutyrate were used in combination. 5. These results suggest that protein kinases A and C act to inhibit phospholipase C by distinct mechanisms and that their action is reversed by PP1 and/or PP2A.

Integrated pharmacy nurse program of medication administration and intravenous therapy.

This is a descriptive report of a pharmacy nurse program involving medication administration and intravenous (IV) therapy programs that have been in continuous operation for over 15 years. Information is presented on organizational and personnel considerations for initiating and maintaining such a program. The benefits and obstacles encountered with this program are addressed. The primary reasons for an integrated pharmacy nurse program of medication administration and IV therapy are to better ensure quality of patient services in the medication distribution process from the inception of the physician's order until a patient receives a medication and to assign administrative responsibility for the entire medication process. The presence of a controlled environment with properly trained personnel is more likely to result in decreased medication errors. In this era of unprecedented medical malpractice judgements and high costs for extended lengths of stay associated with medication and IV therapy misadventures, low error rates are especially important.

Energy and nitrogen metabolism of diseased chickens: interaction of Ascaridia galli infestation and vitamin A status.

1. Effects of Ascaridia galli infection on the energy and nitrogen (N) metabolism were studied on groups of 5 cross-bred cockerels aged about 5 weeks and given a diet deficient or adequate in vitamin A at two levels of feeding in respiration chambers. 2. Metabolisability of dietary energy was 67% and N retention 33% in infected chickens compared with 71 and 41% respectively, in uninfected chickens. 3. Maintenance energy requirement of vitamin A-deficient birds was 882 kJ/kgW d compared with 998 kJ/kgW d for normal birds. N balance of the deficient chickens was also less when compared at the same energy balance. Infection did not affect maintenance energy requirement nor N balance. 4. Starvation heat production of infected chickens (619 kJ/kgW d) was higher than that of uninfected controls (586 kJ/kgW d). When infection treatments were combined, vitamin A-adequate chickens had a higher heat production (615 kJ/kg d) than the vitamin A-deficient (580 kJ/kgW d). Endogenous N excretion (mg/gW) was less in vitamin A-deficient than in adequate, starved birds. 5. Deficient chickens had undetectable liver reserves of vitamin A and only very low plasma concentrations. There was a difference in the length of larvae (17 d after infection) associated with vitamin A status, and with level of feeding.