Performance of a narrow buffer strip in abating agricultural pollutants in the shallow subsurface water flux.

The performance of a narrow buffer strip in abating dissolved P, electrical conductivity and herbicides (terbuthylazine, alachlor, nicosulfuron, pendimethalin, linuron) in subsurface water coming from cropland was tested in an experiment carried out on the low plains of the Veneto Region (NE Italy). The experiment lasted from December 1997 to June 1999, monitoring subsurface water quality entering and exiting a buffer composed of a grass strip (5 m wide) and 1 m wide row of trees. Dissolved phosphorus concentrations were reduced by almost 100% passing through the buffer and in most cases exiting water satisfied the limit for avoiding eutrophication.

Abatement of NO3-N concentration in agricultural waters by narrow buffer strips.

The performance of narrow buffer strips in abating the NO3-N concentrations in the water coming from cropland was tested in an experiment carried out on the low plains of the Veneto Region (northeast Italy). The buffer was composed of a 5-m wide grass strip and a 1-m wide row of trees. Maize and wheat were cultivated in the neighbouring field during the monitoring period (December 1997-June 1999).

Prevention of postsurgical adhesions with an autocrosslinked hyaluronan derivative gel.

Background: ACP gel is a new crosslinked derivative of hyaluronic acid (HA) that displays the biocompatibility properties of its original polymer but has a higher viscosity. It has been demonstrated in an animal model that the gel reduces adhesions after gynecological surgery. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate the efficacy of ACP gel in increasing viscosity for the prevention of adhesions after abdominal surgery.

Efficacy of a hyaluronan derivative gel in postsurgical adhesion prevention in the presence of inadequate hemostasis.

Background: We previously demonstrated that an auto-cross-linked hyaluronan-based antiadhesion agent (auto-cross-linked polysaccharide [ACP] gel) was effective in postsurgical adhesion prevention after open laparotomy and laparoscopic surgery with adequate hemostasis in animal models. This study assessed the ability of different preparations of ACP gel to prevent adhesions in the presence of bleeding or inadequate hemostasis.

Methods: Ninety-seven female rabbits were subjected to a standardized surgical lesion with subsequent exudative abdominal bleeding (oozing model), and 97 animals were subjected to a standardized surgical lesion with severe abdominal bleeding (bleeding model).

Nerve growth factor (NGF) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with various neurological disorders.

It has been recently shown that NGF is not only involved in the survival and development of sympathetic and neural crest-derived sensory neurons, but also in some mechanisms of the immune system. For this reason, we studied the content of NGF in CSF samples from patients with diseases in which neuroimmunological mechanisms seem to be involved (multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer disease, chronic relapsing polyradiculoneuritis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and tumors of the nervous system), as well as from a number of normal control subjects. We setup an ELISA aimed at the beta subunit of NGF, obtaining good validation tests and a detection limit of 28 pg beta NGF per ml.

Synthesis of the biologically active beta-subunit of human nerve growth factor in Escherichia coli.

The gene (NGFB) encoding the beta subunit of mature human nerve growth factor (hNGFB) was subcloned into the pJLA503 expression vector under the control of bacteriophage promoters PR and PL, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein represented approximately 3% of the total cellular protein. Biologically active hNGFB was solubilized (0.

Synthesis, purification, and characterization of human ciliary neuronotrophic factor from E. coli.

The cDNA for human ciliary neuronotrophic factor (CNTF) has been cloned into an expression vector under the control of the T7 promoter. The BL21 strain of E. coli was transformed with this vector.

Production and characterization of antibodies to mouse scrapie-amyloid protein elicited by non-carrier linked synthetic peptide immunogens.

Two polyclonal antibodies were raised by immunizing rabbits with two non carrier-linked synthetic peptides whose amino acid sequences corresponded to codons 89-107 (peptide P1) and 219-233 (peptide P2) of the translated cDNA sequence of murine PrP protein. These free peptides, whose structural characteristics in solution were studied by circular dichroism, elicited a reasonable immunologic response in animals. Both antibodies still recognized the corresponding immunogens after affinity chromatography purification.

Pharmacokinetic characterization of phosphatidylserine liposomes in the rat.

1. The plasma decay, tissue uptake and biotransformation of radiolabelled phosphatidylserine (PS) liposomes have been investigated in rats following bolus i.v.

Large scale purification and immunological characterization of human placental nerve growth factor.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a protein which plays a critical role in the development and survival of not only peripheral neurons, but possibly also cholinergic brain neurons. The present study describes a procedure for large scale isolation of human NGF of placental origin, and its immunological characterization. A protein species of approximately 26 kDa was obtained, which cross-reacted with antibodies to mouse NGF.

GM1 ganglioside potentiates the effect of nerve growth factor in preventing vinblastine-induced sympathectomy in newborn rats.

The effects of vinblastine (VNB) and nerve growth factor (NGF) administrations were assessed on sympathetic nerve terminals by measuring the noradrenaline (NA) content in the heart, spleen and kidneys of developing animals. Six-day-old rats, treated with 0.15 mg/kg VNB on postnatal day 3 (P3) showed a dramatic decrease of NA content in all these organs.

Phospholipids in inflammatory synovial effusions.

The concentration of phospholipids and proteins was determined in 23 inflammatory synovial fluids obtained from human knee joints. The synovial fluid to plasma phospholipid ratio (0.48 and 0.

Synergism between lysophosphatidylserine and the phorbol ester tetradecanoylphorbolacetate in rat mast cells.

In rat peritoneal mast cells tetradecanoylphorbolacetate (TPA) induced a non cytotoxic histamine release in the absence of extracellular calcium. The addition of calcium prevented the TPA effect but micromolar concentrations of lysophosphatidylserine (lysoPS) converted the calcium-induced inhibition into a stimulation. Other lysophospholipids were inactive.

Lysophosphatidylserine as histamine releaser in mice and rats.

Lysophosphatidylserine is a specific inducer of histamine release in isolated mast cells. To determine whether a similar effect is manifest in vivo, the phospholipid was injected (1-5 mg/kg i.v.

Different responses of rodent mast cells to lysophosphatidylserine.

The lysophosphatidylserine-induced activation of mast cells has been studied in preparations obtained from different rodents. In mouse and gerbil peritoneal mast cells lysophosphatidylserine behaves as an agonist, inducing noncytotoxic histamine release at 0.2-8 microM.

Local effects of lysophosphatidylserine in rats.

To study the inflammatory properties of lysophosphatidylserine (a phospholipid acting as a histamine releaser), rats were subjected to local treatment with this compound. In the paw a rapid and dose-dependent edematous reaction occurred within 30-60 min (ED50 2.5 micrograms/rat).

Lysophosphatidylserine-induced release of intra-cellular amines in mice.

In the presence of mouse plasma, lysophosphatidylserine stimulates histamine secretion from isolated mast cells. The extensive modification of carbohydrate metabolism produced by lysophosphatidylserine in mice was largely prevented by the antihistaminic drug, pyrilamine. However, to prevent completely the change in carbohydrate metabolism induced by lysophosphatidylserine the administration of an antihistamine and an adrenoceptor antagonist was required.

Pharmacological effects of phosphatidylserine liposomes: the role of lysophosphatidylserine.

1. Unique among the phospholipids, phosphatidylserine depresses brain energy metabolism when injected intravenously into mice in the form of sonicated liposomes. The possibility that this effect results from a metabolic transformation of phosphatidylserine is examined in this paper.

Pharmacological effects of phosphatidylserine liposomes: regulation of gylcolysis and energy level in brain.

1 The accumulation of glucose in the brain produced by the administration of phosphatidylserine liposomes into mice has been studied by measurement of the cerebral contents of glycolytic intermediates and high-energy compounds. 2 With a normal supply of oxygen to the brain, inhibition of glycolysis is indicated mainly at the phosphofructokinase step. The ratio of glucose-6-phosphate to fructose-1,6-diphosphate increased, whereas the levels of pyruvate and especially lactate decreased.

F1-ATPase from different submitochondrial particles.

1. F1-ATPase has been extracted by the diphosphatidylglycerol procedure from mitochondrial ATPase complexes that differ in ATPase activity, cold stability, ATPase inhibitor and magnesium content. 2.

Cold lability of membrane-bound F1-ATPase.

1. Preincubation of MgATP submitochondrial particles with EDTA or Tris.HCl liberated a measurable amount of ATPase inhibitor that could be rapidly purified using only trichloroacetic acid precipitation and heat treatment.