In Vitro Anticancer Effects of Aqueous Leaf Extract from L. ssp. .

Despite significant efforts, cancer remains the second leading cause of mortality worldwide. The medicinal plant L. represents a valuable source of biologically active compounds with pharmacological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral.

Pea Seed Priming with Pluronic P85-Grafted Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Affects Photosynthetic Gas Exchange but Not Photosynthetic Light Reactions.

Nanotechnology is rapidly advancing towards the development of applications for sustainable plant growth and photosynthesis optimization. The nanomaterial/plant interaction has been intensively investigated; however, there is still a gap in knowledge regarding their effect on crop seed development and photosynthetic performance. In the present work, we apply a priming procedure with 10 and 50 mg/L Pluronic-P85-grafted single-walled carbon nanotubes (P85-SWCNT) on garden pea seeds and examine the germination, development, and photosynthetic activity of young seedlings grown on soil substrate.

Priming of seeds with stabilized nanomicelles: effects on seedling development and photosynthetic function.

Natural and synthetic polymers are widely explored for improving seed germination and plant resistance to environmental constraints. Here, for the first time, we explore stabilized nanomicelles composed of the biocompatible triblock co-polymer (SPM) as a priming agent for (var. RAN-1) seeds.

Seed Priming with Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Grafted with Pluronic P85 Preserves the Functional and Structural Characteristics of Pea Plants.

The engineering of carbon nanotubes in the last decades resulted in a variety of applications in electronics, electrochemistry, and biomedicine. A number of reports also evidenced their valuable application in agriculture as plant growth regulators and nanocarriers. In this work, we explored the effect of seed priming with single-walled carbon nanotubes grafted with Pluronic P85 polymer (denoted P85-SWCNT) on (var.

Insights into graphene oxide interaction with human serum albumin in isolated state and in blood plasma.

The interactions of graphene oxide (GO), a 2-dimensional nanomaterial with hydrophilic edges, hydrophobic basal plane and large flat surfaces, with biological macromolecules, are of key importance for the development of novel nanomaterials for biomedical applications. To gain more insight into the interaction of GO flakes with human serum albumin (HSA), we examined GO binding to HSA in its isolated state and in blood plasma. Calorimetric data reveal that GO strongly stabilizes free isolated HSA against a thermal challenge at low ionic strength, indicating strong binding interactions, confirmed by the drop in ζ-potential of the HSA/GO assemblies compared to bare GO flakes.

Hybrid graphene oxide/polysaccharide nanocomposites with controllable surface properties and biocompatibility.

Herein, a strong interdependence between the composition of hybrid graphene oxide/hyaluronan/chitosan GO/HA/Chi multilayers and their surface properties and biocompatibility was demonstrated that can be used to build up coatings with desirable and precisely tunable properties. Both the position and the abundance of GO-layers into the polymer matrix were systematically varied to draw interconnection with the growth type, thickness, morphology, roughness, hydrophilicity and biocompatibility. It was found that when deposited in-between the HA and Chi layers GO forms diffusion barrier, hindering the mobility of Chi-chains and changing the exponential film growth to linear.

Low pH modulates the macroorganization and thermal stability of PSII supercomplexes in grana membranes.

Protonation of the lumen-exposed residues of some photosynthetic complexes in the grana membranes occurs under conditions of high light intensity and triggers a major photoprotection mechanism known as energy dependent nonphotochemical quenching. We have studied the role of protonation in the structural reorganization and thermal stability of isolated grana membranes. The macroorganization of granal membrane fragments in protonated and partly deprotonated state has been mapped by means of atomic force microscopy.

Isolation and identification of poplar isoplastocyanins.

An improved four-stage isolation and purification procedure for preparing poplar isoplastocyanins is described in detail. Absorbance (UV-VIS) spectroscopy and isoelectric focusing (IEF) are used to determine the protein purity and identity. The present procedure increases twice the total plastocyanin (PC) yield.

Determinants of the left ventricular function in patients with coronary heart disease: a multivariate approach.

251 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and a control group of 32 normal persons were examined with the purpose of establishing the determinants of the left ventricular function and comparing these determinants with the functional significance of coronary stenosis. The subjects were divided into four groups: I--controls; II--patients with normal left ventricular function (EF more than 60%); III--patients with impaired LV function (EF less than 60%) and Group IV--patients with left ventricular aneurysm. Nine parameters were obtained by multivariate discriminant analysis, which characterize and classify the left ventricular function: the ejection fraction (EF), angina pectoris, exercise ECG, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, mean velocity of circumferential fibre shortening, left ventricular functional index, longitudinal shortening, LV systolic pressure/systolic volume ratio, and coronary index.

[Clinical chemical parameter changes in patients with liver metastases].

Certain biochemical serum parameters: GOT, GPT, LAP, HK, AP and Regan isoenzyme, GGTP, CE, ESR, Weltman test, thymol test, serum bilirubin and urine urobilogen were determined in 39 patients with different localization of malignant processes in the abdominal cavity (stomach, large intestines, pancreas, ovaries). The patients were subdivided into two groups, depending on the presence or absence of liver metastases, confirmed at laparatomy, laparascopy or necropsy material examination. The results revealed that in patients with liver metastases AP, CE, GOT, GGTP, ESR and Weltman test are most commonly and simultaneously abnormal.

[Production and titration of a vaccine against the infectious encephalomyelitis of poultry].

A vaccine was produced against infectious encephalomyelitis of day-old chicks infected cerebrally with strain Calnek 1143. It is a brain suspension from killed birds that have shown disease symptoms, treated with penicillin and streptomycin and stored at -20 degrees C. Experiments were carried out to titrate the vaccine through determining the minimum infective dose for day-old chicks treated with 0.

[Carcinoplacental alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes in malignant neoplasms].

A screening method for carcinoplacental alkaline phosphatase (CPAP) has been developed on the following principle: following the inactivation at 56 degrees C for sixty minutes, the sera with a residual activity are incubated in the presence of 5 mM L-phenylalanine. In case of L-phenylalanine inactivation by more than 60 per cent the serum is considered CPAP positive. Of 184 cancer patients 28 or 15.

[Mass screening in the diagnosis of precancerous diseases of the stomach].

The authors emphasize the importance of diagnosticating and systematic observation of cancer preneoplasms for earlier detection of stomach cancer. For this purpose a clinico-laboratory test for thiocompounds in the urine has been used. The former has been found to be convenient for mass screening because of its prompt performance.

[Attempts at obtaining a pentavalent vaccine against leptospirosis].

Obtained was a five-valent vaccine (Leptospira pomona, L. canicola, L. grippotyphosa, L.

[Adaptation and cultivation of the Perego strain of ovine smallpox virus in tissue culture and an evaluation of its immunogenic properties].

The strain Perego of the sheep pox virus, used for the production of the ovinized vaccine in this country, was adapted and cultured in tissue cultures of lamb testes. A total of ten passages in succession of the virus were performed with the manifestation of a characteristic cytopathic effect in the cultures. The titer of the virus was found to be within the range of 10(3.