[Impact of pesticides on biodiversity in agricultural areas].

Large amount application of pesticides caused a lot of ecological and environmental problems, among which, the impact of pesticides on biodiversity was most important. In this paper, an overview of the impacts of pesticides on biodiversity in agricultural areas, including the community structure of insects, populations of soil invertebrates and microorganisms, and plant communities was provided, and the reasonable use of pesticides and the measures of protecting biodiversity in agricultural areas were also put forward.

Distribution of nimodipine in brain following intranasal administration in rats.

Aim: To determine whether nasally applied nimodipine (NM) could improve its systemic bioavailability and be transported directly from the nasal cavity to the brain.

Methods: NM was administered nasally, intravenously (iv), and orally to male Sprague-Dawley rats. At different times post dose, blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and brain tissue samples were collected, and the concentrations of NM in the samples were analyzed by HPLC.

Zeta-associated protein of 70 kDa (ZAP-70), but not Syk, tyrosine kinase can mediate apoptosis of T cells through the Fas/Fas ligand, caspase-8 and caspase-3 pathways.

The TCR zeta-chain-associated protein of 70 kDA (ZAP-70) and Syk tyrosine kinases play critical roles in regulating TCR-mediated signal transduction. They not only share some overlapped functions but also may play unique roles in regulating the function and development of T cells. However, it is not known whether they have different effects on the activation and activation-induced cell death of T cells.

Detection and characterization of T cells specific for BDC2.5 T cell-stimulating peptides.

Nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice expressing the BDC2.5 TCR transgene are useful for studying type 1 diabetes. Several peptides have been identified that are highly active in stimulating BDC2.