Leishmaniasis phytotherapy. Nature's leadership against an ancient disease.

The use of phytotherapy to treat human diseases has its roots in pre-historical times. Despite the modern advances achieved in the field of synthetic chemistry, the most efficient drugs available have their genesis directly or indirectly related with the vegetal kingdom. Indigenous communities have long used plant extracts to treat illnesses. Many of these extracts have shown effective action, with new bioactive compounds being extracted and screened every year. These extracts have also proven to be good sources of therapeutic agents to the treatment of Leishmaniasis. This work highlights some of these agents, while trying to emphasize the importance of plants as a source of new and powerful drugs against this widespread disease.     

Purification and some properties of Papaya meleira virus, a novel virus infecting papayas in Brazil

'Meleira', or 'sticky disease', is currently the most damaging papaya disease in the mid-eastern Brazilian growing regions. Consistent disease transmission via latex injection, presence of similar isometric particles in the laticiferous vessels of diseased plants, and detection of double-stranded DNA in naturally and experimentally infected papaya trees suggest that a virus is the causal agent. Conclusive evidence for viral aetiology was previously lacking, mostly because every attempt to purify the putative virus from infected papayas had failed. Following the successful purification and partial characterization of the meleira virus, healthy papaya seedlings injected with purified virus particles later developed typical symptoms of the disease. Negatively stained, isometric, full and 'empty' purified virus particles measured 42 and 38 nm, respectively. The viral genome was a single dsRNA molecule of about 12 kbp. Several capsid proteins, ranging in size from 14·4 to 45 kDa, were consistently revealed by PAGE. Papaya meleira virus (PMeV) appears to represent a novel group of viruses, with no known similar counterpart among known plant-, vertebrate-, invertebrate- or prokaryote-infecting viruses.     

不同声音对草鱼幼鱼负趋音性行为反应影响研究

声驱鱼技术作为辅助过鱼措施之一,承担着保证鱼类洄游顺利通过过鱼设施,继而保护鱼类资源和恢复河流连通性的重要作用。本研究采用交替播音的形式,以草鱼(Ctenopharyngodon idellus)幼鱼为研究对象进行负趋音性实验,旨在探究草鱼幼鱼面对不同声音的行为反应。实验水槽(3.6 m×1.1 m×1.0 m)布置于下牢溪周围水域,平均水深为0.5 m,平均流速为0.06 m/s。实验使用1种单频音(1 000 Hz)和5种复杂音(鱼游动声、引擎声、短吻鳄叫声、打桩声和游艇声),声压级(sound pressure level)为(117.69±2.77) dB re 1 μPa,对照组为未播放声音时草鱼的行为反应数据。结果显示,播放复杂音时,草鱼的反应次数、趋音速度、运动时间比均显著高于单频音和对照组(P<0.001),草鱼的初次反应时间、平均反应时间均显著低于单频音和对照组(P<0.001);复杂音中,受到游艇声刺激的草鱼反应次数和趋音速度最大,受到鱼游动声刺激的草鱼反应次数、趋音速度最小;复杂音中,受到游艇声刺激的草鱼初次反应时间最短,为(23.40±5.13) s;受到引擎声刺激的草鱼初次反应时间最长,为(146.00±7.82) s,显著低于其他复杂音(P<0.05);受到游艇声和打桩声刺激的草鱼平均反应时间最短,分别为(26.52±3.01) s和(28.76±4.07) s;受到鱼游动声刺激的草鱼平均反应时间最长,为(64.76±17.82) s;复杂音中,受到鱼游动声刺激的草鱼运动时间比最高,为(98.47±0.48)%;受到引擎声刺激的草鱼运动时间比最低,为(94.58±0.54)%;播放单频音时,草鱼的反应次数、初次反应时间、平均反应时间、运动时间比均与对照组无显著差异(P>0.05)。本研究表明,5种复杂音(鱼游动声、引擎声、短吻鳄叫声、打桩声和游艇声)对草鱼幼鱼具有驱赶效果。本研究在丰富鱼类负趋音性研究的同时,为实际工程中声驱鱼辅助过鱼设施的设计和优化提供了科学依据。     

黄浦江上游近自然混交林和人工纯林水源涵养功能评价

以上海黄浦江上游水源涵养林为研究对象,选择近自然混交林、香樟(Cinnamomum camphora)人工纯林和无患子(Sapindus mukorossi)人工纯林,对比了地上部分、枯落物层、土壤层三个垂直层次的持水量,综合评价了其水源涵养功能。结果表明:地上部分持水量近自然混交林与香樟纯林持平,大于无患子纯林,分别为16.36t/hm2,16.85t/hm2,12.54t/hm2;枯落物层最大持水量依次为近自然混交林(0.37t/hm2)无患子纯林(0.004t/hm2)香樟纯林(0.003t/hm2);土壤层最大持水量近自然混交林(2 657.02t/hm2)无患子纯林(2 526.81t/hm2)香樟纯林(2 474.80t/hm2)。土壤层对森林涵养水源功能的贡献最大,但同时离不开地上部分及枯落物层三者间的相互依存和影响。综合评价得到不同类型林分的总持水量为近自然混交林(2 673.73t/hm2)无患子纯林(2 539.35t/hm2)香樟纯林(2 491.65t/hm2)。由此可见,林分复杂、树种多样、林下植被丰富的近自然混交林涵养水源的能力最强,优于单一的无患子纯林,而香樟纯林最差。     

Nitric oxide impacts bovine sperm capacitation in a cGMP‐dependent and cGMP‐independent manner

We aimed to elucidate whether NO acts in in vitro sperm capacitation in bovine via cGMP/PKG1 pathway. For this, cryopreserved bovine sperm were capacitated in vitro with 20 µg/ml heparin (Control) plus treatments: 1 mM L‐arginine (L‐arg, NO precursor), 50 µM Rp‐8‐Bromo‐β‐phenyl‐1,N²‐ethenoguanosine‐3′,5′‐cyclic monophosphorothioate (Rp‐8‐Br‐cGMPS, selective inhibitor of the binding site for cGMP in PKG1), 1 mM 2‐Phenyl‐4,4,5,5‐tetramethylimidazoline‐1‐oxyl 3‐oxide (PTIO, NO scavenger), and the combinations of L‐arg + RP‐8‐Br‐cGMPS and L‐arg + PTIO. Sperm motility and vigour were determined by phase‐contrast microscopy, capacitation status by chlortetracycline staining, and the intracellular concentration of cGMP was measured by ELISA. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and means compared with SNK test at 5% probability. Motility and vigour were lower in sperm treated with PTIO when compared to Control and other treatments (p < .05). The L‐arg treatment showed the highest percentage of capacitated sperm when compared to the Control and other treatments (Rp‐8‐Br‐cGMPS, L‐arg + Rp‐8‐Br‐cGMPS and PTIO) (69.8 ± 3.4%, 51.2 ± 3.0, 51.1 ± 2.1, 51.2 ± 3.0 and 45.5 ± 2.7, respectively) (p < .05). The capacitation ratio (%) was lower in treatments with Rp‐8‐Br‐cGMPS, L‐arg + Rp‐8‐Br‐cGMPS and PTIO, respectively (p < .05). Lastly, cGMP concentration (pmol/ml) was lower in PTIO and L‐arg + PTIO (1.3 ± 0.3 and 1.6 ± 0.4) and was higher in Rp‐8‐Br‐cGMPS and L‐arg + Rp‐8‐Br‐cGMPS (3.7 ± 0.4 and 4.0 ± 0.5) treatments. We showed that during in vitro capacitation of cattle: (a) NO influences sperm motility and vigour; (b) NO is associated with cGMP synthesis through two independent pathways and (c) the cGMP/PKG1 pathway has a partial role in sperm capacitation and does not involve the L‐arg/NO.     

沉水植物化感作用抑制藻类生长的研究进展

根据国内外相关报道,重点对9科15种沉水植物化感作用物质的构成及抑制15种藻类的生长,沉水植物化感作用抑制藻类生长的机理等方面的研究进展进行综合评述。     

Joint Acaricidal Action of Diafenthiuron and Fenbutatin-oxide Against Tetranychus cinnabarinus （Boisduval） （Acari： Tetranychidae）

[Objective]This study was conducted to obtain a new high-efficiency acaricide mixture.[Method]The synergism acaricidal of diafenthiuron and fenbutatin-oxide against carmine spider mite was investigated,and the optimal ratio of both acaricides were determined by means of co-toxicity factors and co-toxicity coefficients（CTC）.[Result]At 24 h post-treatment,the LC50values of diafenthiuron and fenbutatin-oxide against T.cinnabarinus female adults were 154.67 and 93.26 mg/L,respectively,and the synergistic mass ratios of diafenthiuron and fenbutatin-oxide ranged from 1：0.06 to 1：0.87,and the optimal diafenthiuron-to-fenbutatin-oxide ratio was 1：0.39 with the LC50and CTC of 67.87 mg/L and 188.93（CTC significantly above 100 strongly indicated synergism）,respectively,and the toxicity relative to diafenthiuron and fenbutatin-oxide was 2.28 and 1.37 times,respectively.[Conclusion]The joint acaricidal action of diafenthiuron and fenbutatin-oxide strongly indicates synergism.These findings proved scientific theoretical basis for mixing diafenthiuron and fenbutatin-oxide to control spider mites and developing a new synergisic acaricide.     

不同干豆豆浆机制备豆浆的主要品质评价

以大豆为原料选用我国2个主导品牌的3款豆浆机(九阳精磨豆浆机、九阳无网干豆豆浆机、美的无网干豆豆浆机)制作豆浆,从蛋白质含量、蛋白质回收率、豆浆颗粒度及感官特性等方面对豆浆品质进行评价.结果表明:豆浆的蛋白含量为1.72%～2.66%,蛋白回收率为47.13%～68.66%,带有精磨器的豆浆机制备的豆浆蛋白含量及蛋白回...