Suppressive effect of pectic polysaccharides from Cucurbita pepo L. var. Styriaca on citric acid-induced cough reflex in guinea pigs

Several water-soluble pectic polysaccharides were isolated from the pumpkin fruit biomass and characterized by composition, structural features and molecular properties. The pectic polysaccharides were tested for antitussive activity by studying the effects of citric acid-induced cough reflex in guinea pigs and reactivity of the airway smooth muscle in vivo conditions in comparison to the narcotic drug codeine. Oral administration of all pectic polysaccharides from pumpkin inhibited the number of coughs induced by citric acid in guinea pigs, but to various extents. The results indicated that the antitussive activity of the pectic polysaccharides is affected by their molecular and structural properties, whereby a synergistic action between the polysaccharide and non-carbohydrate components on the biological response has been suggested as well. The cough depressive efficacy of most of the tested polysaccharides was comparable and even higher than that of codeine. Moreover, the application of these polysaccharides provoked any side effects what is their advantage towards the conventional opioid-derived antitussive agents.     

Effects of sodium salicylate on the expression of NGB mRNA and protein of spiral ganglion in guinea pig

AIM: To study the effects of sodium salicylate on the expressions of NGB mRNA and protein of spiral ganglion in guinnea pig.METHODS: Forty-eight Kunming guinea pigs were divided into four groups (A group;B group;C group and D group).The drugs were given by ip.The expression of NGB mRNA was measured by RT-PCR.The protein expression of NGB was detected by immunohistochemical method.RESULTS: The expression of NGB mRNA in control group was increased remarkably than that in the other groups administrated with sodium salicylate (group B,C and D,P<0.01),the expression of NGB mRNA in D group was the lowest among the three groups administrated with sodium salicylate while the expression of NGB mRNA in B group was the highest.The NGB protein expression in A group was the highest among 4 groups.The protein expression in D group was the lowest among the three groups administrated with sodium salicylate while the protein expression in B group was the highest.CONCLUSION: The results suggest that administration of sodium salicylate can decrease the expression of NGB mRNA and protein of spiral ganglion cells in guinea pig and these changes are relative with the dosage of sodium salicylate.     

药物诱发豚鼠胆囊炎的病理学及酶组化研究

以酶病理组织化学方法研究了林可霉素、石胆酸、硫氨酸α－萘酶和月桂红霉素酯四种药物豚鼠胆囊炎和胆结石形成过程中，酶、粘多糖及胆汁成份的变化。结果表明：四种药物都能诱发豚鼠胆囊炎，内源性β－ＧＣＤ酶含量显著升同且与胆囊为症程度明显相关；胆汁β－ＧＣＤ酶到ＵＣＢ／ＴＢ幽会显著正相关；β－ＧＣＤ酶和Ｃａ＾２＋的关系与成石时间有关而各组有所差异。胆囊和肝脏ＡＣＰ和Ｇ－６－Ｐ活性也有明显变化。本文进一步证实内     

新城疫HA-HI试验中可用豚鼠醛化红细胞代替鸡新鲜红细胞

在鸡新城疫血凝（HA）和血凝抑制（HI）试验中,将豚鼠红细胞用戊二醛醛化处理后配制成2%细胞悬液,与2%新鲜豚鼠红细胞、1%新鲜鸡红细胞获得的检测结果基本一致.经醛化的豚鼠红细胞在4℃或室温条件下也能长时间保存而不溶血.结果表明,在新城疫HA-HI试验中可以用豚鼠醛化红细胞代替鸡新鲜红细胞.     

Annotated checklist and fisheries interactions of cetaceans in Togo,with evidence of Antarctic minke whale in the Gulf of Guinea

Based on strandings and captures, 9 cetacean species, including 6 odontocetes and 3 mysticetes, are documented (photos and specimens) in Togo's coastal waters (newly‐recorded species marked with an asterisk): Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis*), Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera brydei or B. edeni), humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps*), short‐finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus*), pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata*), common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and common dolphin Delphinus sp. An anecdotal sighting record for killer whale (Orcinus orca) is considered reliable. The lack of Sousa teuszii records in Togo is consistent with its apparent contemporaneous absence in Ghana. The B. bonaerensis specimen, entangled in a purse seine set on small pelagics, is a first record for the Gulf of Guinea. The occurrence of this Southern Ocean species north of the equator underscores the severe gaps in our understanding of cetacean distribution off western Africa. The majority of artisanal fishermen operating in Togolese coastal waters are of Ghanaian origin and are thought to promote trade and consumption of cetacean bushmeat. Because captures are illegal, enforced with some success in the main fishing centers, covert landings of cetaceans are exceedingly difficult to monitor, quantify or sample. Concern is expressed about pollution of Togo's coastal waters with heavy metals due to phosphorite mining and export from the coastal basin near Hahotoé and Kpogamé.     

Small arms,violence and gender in Papua New Guinea: Towards a research agenda

Among Pacific states, Papua New Guinea (PNG) has attracted the most attention from researchers looking at problems caused by small arms and light weapons. There is now a substantive body of work cataloguing different aspects of the country's problems with firearms and gun violence. This research sits alongside a large scholarly literature on violence in PNG and the connection between violence, gender and masculine identities. There has, however, been strikingly little research bringing these literatures together and looking directly at the gendered dimensions of PNG's gun violence. This paper explores some connections between small arms, violence and gender in PNG. After providing a general overview of small arms issues in PNG, it examines the misuse of firearms in urban crime and inter‐communal fighting in the Highlands, specifically noting the limited evidence that is available about the differently gendered consequences of gun violence. It identifies three potential areas for further research: exploring the relationship between changing notions of masculinity and demand for firearms; gender and PNG's growing private security industry; and fragile signs of change in the role of women in the PNG Defence Force.     

Influence of Panicum maximum ecotypes on plant root growth and soil chemical characteristics after 3-year study in Soudanian region of West Africa

A study was carried out to compare the influence of four Guinea grass ecotypes (Panicum maximum) differing in their morphological, physiological, and agronomical traits on soil fertility in Soudanian region of West Africa. Plants were sown in a randomized complete block design with four replicates and cultivated during three successive years under a cut-and-carry regime without any fertiliser use. A natural fallow served as the control. Soil samples were collected before and after cultivation, and analyzed for pH, organic carbon, nitrogen, available P, and exchangeable cation contents. Aerial plant production was quantified and analyzed for N, P, and K content to estimate the uptake of these nutrients. Root biomass, depth, and distribution were also measured. Data were analyzed through ANOVA. After 3 years of cultivation, soil pH under plants did not vary but C and N concentrations declined from the initial levels. Owing to their deep rooting systems, two ecotypes can recycle nutrients apparently from deeper soil layers. While these ecotypes could be used for ley pastures in savannah regions of West Africa, maintenance fertiliser applications would be required to prevent nutrient depletion under a cut-and-carry regime. Further studies to test the efficacy of farmyard manure in providing these nutrients seem warranted.     

豚鼠染色体核型及带型的研究

用骨髓细胞染色体制备法研究了豚鼠染色体核型及带型。结果表明：豚鼠染色体核型为2n=64,雄豚鼠为XY,雌豚鼠为XX;在常染色体中,亚中着丝粒或近端着丝粒的染色体有14对、端着丝粒的有17对;X染色体为中着丝粒,Y染色体为端着丝粒。所有染色体均能出现明显的C带带型,其中常染色体和X染色体的着丝粒部位被深染,两个臂均为浅染;Y染色体几乎全部深染,极易识别。染色体标本经G显带技术处理后,豚鼠常染色体和性染色体的着丝粒区均浅染,两臂上显示出清晰的G-带带型。Ag-NOR s位于1、19、20号染色体上,Ag-NOR s的众数为3个,分布范围1~6之间,Ag-NOR s具有多态性,在不同的染色体上银染的颗粒大小、深浅度不同。     

Managing inequality or managing stocks? An ethnographic perspective on the governance of small‐scale fisheries

A growing volume of recent research on small‐scale fisheries governance has a focus on local perspectives and priorities of small‐scale fisherfolk. This paper develops from this local perspective a novel focus on what is a fundamental priority of many small‐scale fishers: concerns about inequality. The paper begins with a critical review of the literature on small‐scale fisheries governance and suggests how a focus on inequality can make a useful contribution. The paper uses case‐studies of small‐scale fisheries in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Philippines to highlight local priorities about inequality and the implications for small‐scale fisheries governance. PNG and the Philippines have very different social, political and environmental contexts, yet in both cases, local inequalities were a key pre‐occupation of fisherfolk and posed major challenges for fisheries governance. While in both of the case‐studies, fishers were aware of and keen to act on resource sustainability, this concern was overridden by concerns over: who obtained benefits from the fishery; who was responsible for resource degradation; and who should bear the costs of regulation. We conclude by discussing how our emphasis on the importance of inequality at a local level can potentially be integrated within many influential approaches to small‐scale fisheries governance.