GA3 content in young and mature antheridia of Chara tomentosa estimated by capillary electrophoresis

The content of gibberellic acid (GA3) in male sex organs of Chara tomentosa L. was estimated using capillary electrophoresis. Young antheridia contained 0.25 μg GA3 while mature ones 0.48 μg per antheridium. Although there are significant differences in GA3 content in antheridia between C. vulgaris and C. tomentosa, these values calculated per one spermatid are 2.4 and 3.3 pg, respectively. The present results compiled with the previous knowledge about regulation of GA3-dependent development of Characeae species allow an implication that the mechanisms controlling antheridia differentiation in both species can be simila

Cytochemical and immunocytochemical studies of the localization of histones and protamine-type proteins in spermatids of Chara vulgaris and Chara tomentosa.

Spermiogenesis in Chara algae, which has been divided into 10 phases (sp I-X), is similar to spermiogenesis in animals. The most important process during spermiogenesis in animals is remodeling of chromatin leading to "sleeping genome", being the result the exchange of histone proteins into protamine-like proteins. Cytochemical studies showed in both Chara species (C. vulgaris, C. tomentosa) that at spI-IV phases only histones were present, at spV-VIII phases--the amount of nuclear protamine-type proteins progressively increased and that of histones decreased while at spIX-X only pro-tamine-type proteins were present. This was also confirmed with capillar electrophoresis. In order to localize more precisely both histones and protamines the immunocytochemical studies with the use of anti-protamine antibodies (protamine-type proteins were obtained from C. tomentosa antheridia) and anti-histone H3 antibodies, have been carried out. More specific immunocytochemical studies confirmed cytochemical results including the exchange of histones into protamine-type during spermiogenesis (spV-VIII) in both Chara species. At phase V spermiogenesis these strong strand-like anti-protamine signals were observed in cytoplasm which might suggest that protamine synthesis took place in ER

Verification of the Stormwater Drainage System Overloads in Wrocław for an Assessment of Climate Change Effects

This paper presents a verification of the performance of the stormwater drainage system in Gaj and Tarnogaj residential developments in Wrocław with regard to climate changes, by means of a calibrated hydrodynamic model created within the SWMM software. The verification was carried out for two criterial rainfalls: the Euler model rainfall with occurrence frequency C = 3 years and an actual rainfall with C = 5 years. Two parameters: degree of flooding (DOF) and specific flood volume (SFV) were adopted to indicate potential system overloads. The simulations showed numerous outflows from the sewers, which means, that the investigated system needs adapting to climate changes. The causes of this should be sought in the too small diameters of the sewers and so in the insufficient hydraulic capacity of the sewerage system dimensioned in the past using methods which are inadequate today

Wpływ emisji energii dźwiękowej ze szlaków komunikacyjnych i innych miejsc konsumpcji energii na zdrowie ludzi

This article aims to draw attention to the hitherto unexplored and scarcely noticed the problem of the effects of the consumption of increasing amounts of energy to human health and ecosystems exposed to emissions processed in the phase of energy consumption. Ever-increasing amounts of energy are consumed in relatively small areas of highways. Reference is made to the results of pioneering research on the impact of emitted sound energy by transport routes and by industrial noise on human health (Borzyszkowski 2010). This was clearly found to increase in people exposed to prolonged acoustic wave energy. The results of the effect of noise on human health clearly indicate the need for further research in this field. It should be emphasized that although the research and evaluation conducted by the Institute for Environmental Protection and Proeko CDM Ltd., which have been presented in this article, are pioneering and include an analysis of the cause-and-effect phenomenon, they do not, however, indicate the mechanism of the effect of noise on human health. The category rating of disease symptoms caused by the noise indicates that the key to clarifying the influence of the energy supplied to the organisms of people on the way of acoustic waves on their health may be forced supplied energy changes of biochemical reactions occurring in humans

Kinetin induces microtubular breakdown, cell cycle arrest and programmed cell death in tobacco BY-2 cells

Plant cells can undergo regulated cell death in response to exogenous factors (often in a stress context), but also as regular element of development (often regulated by phytohormones). The cellular aspects of these death responses differ, which implies that the early signalling must be different. We use cytokinin-induced programmed cell death as paradigm to get insight into the role of the cytoskeleton for the regulation of developmentally induced cell death, using tobacco BY-2 cells as experimental model. We show that this PCD in response to kinetin correlates with an arrest of the cell cycle, a deregulation of DNA replication, a loss of plasma membrane integrity, a subsequent permeabilisation of the nuclear envelope, an increase of cytosolic calcium correlated with calcium depletion in the culture medium, an increase of callose deposition and the loss of microtubule and actin integrity. We discuss these findings in the context of a working model, where kinetin, mediated by calcium, causes the breakdown of the cytoskeleton, which, either by release of executing proteins or by mitotic catastrophe, will result in PCD

Visualization of amphetamine and its analogues in TLC

Derivatisation followed by iodine azide reaction was employed for detection of amphetamines and its analogues in TLC. The derivatisation reaction with phenyl isothiocyanate took place directly on the TLC plate before the developing step. Afterwards, the plate was sprayed with a mixture of sodium azide and starch solution and then exposed to iodine vapour. The obtained limits of detection were compared with other commonly visualization techniques: UV, iodine vapour, Marquis and Simon’s reagents, ninhydrin, Fast Black K

Ferulic acid is a putative surrender signal to stimulate programmed cell death in grapevines after infection with Neofusicoccum parvum

An apoplectic breakdown from grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) has become a serious challenge to viticulture as a consequence of drought stress. We hypothesize that fungal aggressiveness is controlled by a chemical communication between the host and colonizing fungus. We introduce the new concept of a ‘plant surrender signal’ accumulating in host plants under stress and facilitating the aggressive behaviour of the strain Neofusicoccum parvum (Bt-67) causing Botryosphaeriaceae-related dieback in grapevines. Using a cell-based experimental system (Vitis cells) and bioactivity-guided fractionation, we identify trans-ferulic acid, a monolignol precursor, as a ‘surrender signal’. We show that this signal specifically activates the secretion of the fungal phytotoxin fusicoccin A aglycone. We show further that this phytotoxin, mediated by 14-3-3 proteins, activates programmed cell death in Vitis cells. We arrive at a model showing a chemical communication facilitating fusicoccin A secretion that drives necrotrophic behaviour during Botryosphaeriaceae–Vitis interaction through trans-ferulic acid. We thus hypothesize that channelling the phenylpropanoid pathway from this lignin precursor to the trans-resveratrol phytoalexin could be a target for future therapy

Pandemia COVID-19 a popyt na pieniądz gotówkowy i zmiany w zachowaniach płatniczych w Polsce w 2020 r.

COVID-19 pandemic has become the catalyst of rapid changes taking place in social behaviour and in modus operandi of contemporary economies. Immediately after the outbreak of the pandemic was declared, in Poland and in Europe demand for cash soared. However, the studies conducted so far suggest that the increase has not been reflected in the value of cash payments made by consumers. The paper explores reasons why demand for cash grew, as well as the scale of substitution of cash by cashless instruments. To achieve this goal, the authors deployed a broad spectrum of data and analytical methods which, to the best of their knowledge, had never been used before to examine the Polish market. The obtained results have led to the conclusion that the main reason why demand for cash increased was the wish to use it to store value while, at the same time, the usage of cash in transactions during the pandemic exhibited a downward trend.Pandemia COVID-19 stała się katalizatorem raptownych zmian w zachowaniach społecznych oraz funkcjonowaniu współczesnych gospodarek. Tuż po jej ogłoszeniu, zarówno w Polsce, jak i Europie, gwałtowanie wzrósł popyt na gotówkę. Jednak dotychczasowe badania sugerują, że wzrost ten nie znalazł odzwierciedlenia w wartości płatności gotówkowych realizowanych przez konsumentów. W artykule badane są przyczyny wzrostu zapotrzebowania na gotówkę, jak również skala substytucji gotówki przez instrumenty bezgotówkowe. Do realizacji tego celu zastosowano szeroki zakres danych oraz metod analitycznych, które zgodnie z wiedzą autorów nie były dotychczas wykorzystywane dla rynku polskiego. Na podstawie uzyskanych wyników należy stwierdzić, że głównym powodem wzrostu popytu na pieniądz gotówkowy była chęć jego tezauryzacji, przy jednoczesnym spadku wykorzystania gotówki do celów transakcyjnych w trakcie pandemii

Hodgkin lymphoma transformation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia: cases report and discussion

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) is the most common form of leukemia affecting adults in Europe and North America. Large B-cell lymphoma known as Richter’s syndrome (RS) may develop approximately in 3–15 % patients. Furthermore, other hematological malignancies may also occur as RS variants, among them—Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). CLL/SLL transformation into HL is observed in about 0.5 % of patients, and till now, fewer than 100 cases have been reported in the medical literature. We present two cases of HL transformation of CLL/SLL and review the previously published literature