Physiological responses of spring wheat to 5-aminolevulinic acid under water stress applied at seedling stage

5-Aminolevulinic acid relieves the effects of environmental stresses in plants. Therefore, the aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) on the activity of the photosynthetic apparatus in spring wheat. Other analyzed parameters involved plant height, relative turgidity, membrane status, and chlorophyll level. The plant material consisted of three genotypes of spring wheat (J × Z, R × K, K × M), subjected to mild and severe drought in the early phase of vegetative development. 5-ALA showed a positive effect on the activity of the photosynthetic apparatus under water stress. The relieving action of 5-ALA on PSII was the most evident in J × Z genotype during severe soil drought. 5-ALA positively influenced the maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm), the overall performance index of PSII photochemistry (PI) and the effective quantum field of PSII (φEo). In the same genotype, the investigated acid stimulated light energy absorption (ABS/CSm), and enhanced the amount of excitation energy trapped in PSII reaction centers (TRo/CSm) and the amount of energy used for electron transport (ETo/CSm). Moreover, 5-aminolevulinic acid showed its potential to overcome the adverse effects of water deficit on Triticum aestivum L. by increasing plant growth, relative turgidity, and chlorophyll content and reducing the degree of damage to cell membranes at the early phase of vegetative development

Multifractal structure of turbulence in the magnetospheric cusp

Magnetospheric cusps are regions which are characterized by highly turbulent plasma. We have used Polar magnetic field data to study the structure of turbulence in the cusp region. The wavelet transform modulus maxima method (WTMM) has been applied to estimate the scaling exponent of the partition function and singularity spectra. Their features are similar to those found in the nonlinear multifractal systems. We have found that the scaling exponent does not allow one to conclude which intermittency model fits the experiment better. However, the singularity spectra reveal that different models can be ascribed to turbulence observed under various IMF conditions. For northward IMF conditions the turbulence is consistent with the multifractal <i>p</i>-model of fully developed fluid turbulence. For southward IMF experimental data agree with the model of non-fully developed Kolmogorov-like fluid turbulence

The α2β1 integrin mediates the malignant phenotype on type I collagen in pancreatic cancer cell lines

Pancreatic cancer is characterised by a hallmark desmoplastic response that includes upregulated expression of the extracellular matrix, and type I collagen in particular. Recent studies indicate that pancreatic cancer cells stimulate type I collagen synthesis in adjacent stellate cells, and that this upregulated type I collagen expression promotes the malignant phenotype in tumour cells as defined by increased proliferation, resistance to chemically induced apoptosis, and increased tumorigenesis. The integrin specificity of this interaction between type I collagen and tumour cells was not identified, however. In the present study, we examined eight pancreatic cancer cell lines for adhesion, proliferation, and migration, on types I and IV collagen, fibronectin, laminin, and vitronectin, as well as integrin expression. Our results indicate, for the overwhelming majority of cell lines, that type I collagen promotes the strongest adhesion, proliferation, and migration relative to the other substrates tested. Utilising function-blocking monoclonal antibodies directed against particular integrin subunits in cell adhesion and migration inhibition assays, we demonstrate further that the malignant phenotype on type I collagen is mediated specifically by the α2β1 integrin. These results identify α2β1 integrin-mediated adhesion to type I collagen as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of pancreatic cancer

Learning to Sew: A Student Pharmacist’s Service-Learning Experience

Karolina Grzesiak is a fourth-year professional student in the College of Pharmacy at Purdue University and will earn her Doctor of Pharmacy degree in May 2017. She was raised in Poland but has called La Porte, Indiana home for the past eight years. Craig Vargo is a 2012 pharmacy graduate working as a clinical specialist pharmacist at the James Cancer Hospital at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in the LDHA Gene as a Potential Marker for the Racing Performance of Pigeons

The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the g.2582481G>A, g.2583935G>A and g.2584057C>T single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the lactate dehydrogenase A gene (LDHA) coding for lactate dehydrogenase isoform A and the racing performance of homing pigeons. As a measure of racing performance, we used the mean values of ace points won by individual birds during the whole season. The estimated heritability of the racing performance of pigeons was relatively low (h2=0.0596; SE=0.0249). The analysis performed for all race reports together showed that the factors such as gender, weather conditions at the start and at the end of the race affect the analyzed trait. Of the 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms, only the effect of the g.2582481G>A genotype on the performance of racing pigeons was significant. Statistical analysis indicated the difference in the value of ace points between the animals of GG and GA genotypes for the g.2582481G>A SNP. The study showed that the genotype homozygous for g.2582481A is linked to the highest mean value of ace points. Consequently, the relationship between the genotype for g.2582481G>A and the racing performance was shown

Poboljšanje fizičko-mehaničkih svojstava karbamazepina prekristalizacijom pri različitim pH

The morphology of crystals has an appreciable impact on the physicochemical properties of drugs. Drug properties such as flowability, dissolution, hardness and bioavailability may be affected by crystallinity behaviors of drugs. The objective of this study was to achieve improved physicomechanical properties of carbamazepine powder through recrystallization from aqueous solutions at different pH values. For this purpose, carbamazapine was recrystallized from aqueous solutions at different pH values (1, 7, 11). The morphology of crystals was investigated using scanning electron microscopy; X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) was used to identify polymorphism; thermodynamic properties were analyzed using differential scanning calorimetery (DSC). Dissolution was determined using USP dissolution apparatus. Mechanical behavior of recrystallized carbamazepine powders was investigated by making tablets under different compaction pressures and measuring their hardness. SEM studies showed that carbamazepine crystallization in different media affected the morphology and size of carbamazepine crystals. The shape of carbamazepine crystals changed from flaky or thin plate-like to needle-shaped. XRPD and DSC results ruled out any crystallinity changes occurring due to the temperature or pH of crystallization media. The crushing strength of tablets indicated that all the recrystallized carbamazepine samples had better compactibility than the original carbamazepine powder. In vitro dissolution studies of carbamazepine samples showed a higher dissolution rate of carbamazepine crystals obtained from media with pH 11 and 1. Carbamazepine particles recrystallized from aqueous solutions of different pH values (all media) appeared to have superior mechanical properties to those of the original carbamazepine sample.Morfologija kristala ima značajan utjecaj na fizičko-mehanička svojstva lijekova. Kristaliničnost može utjecati na tečnost, oslobađanje, tvrdoću i bioraspoloživost lijekova. Cilj ovog rada bio je poboljšati fizičko-mehanička svojstva praha karbamazepina prekristalizacijom iz vodenih otopina pri različitim pH vrijednostima (1, 7 i 11). Fizičko-mehanička svojstva prekristaliziranog karbamazepina određivana su na sljedeći način: morfologija kristala ispitivana je pretražnom elektronskom mikroskopijom, polimorfi su identificirani rendgenskom difrakcijom praha (XRPD), a termodinamička svojstva analizirana su diferencijalnom pretražnom kalorimetrijom (DSC). Topljivost je određena pomoću aparata prema USP. Mehanička svojstva prekristaliziranog karbamazepina ispitivana su tijekom tabletiranja pri različitim tlakovima i mjerenjem tvrdoće nastalih tableta. SEM ispitivanja pokazala su da kristalizacija karbamazepina iz različitih medija utječe na morfologiju i veličinu kristala. Oblik kristala mijenjao se od pahuljastog ili pločastog do igličastog. Rezultati dobiveni XRPD i DSC metodama isključili su promjene kristaliničnosti zbog temperature ili pH medija. Mjerenjem lomljivosti tableta utvrđeno je da su svi prekristalizirani uzorci karbamazepina bili kompaktniji od polaznog praškastog uzorka. Ispitivanja topljivosti in vitro pokazala su da su kristali dobiveni iz otopine s pH 11 i 1 topljiviji. Uzorci karbamazepina dobiveni prekristalizacijom iz vodenih otopina različite pH vrijednosti imali su bolja mehanička svojstva od originalnog uzorka karbamazepina