The influence of native ribonucleases and their modified derivatives on the functional activity of rat peritoneal macrophages

The influence of native, hydrophobized and dimeric forms of ribonucleases (RNAse A and RNAse Bacillus intermedius) on the process of phagocytosis and fusion between lysosomes and phagosomes in rat macrophages has been studied. The effect of native RNAses depends on their concentration: comparatively low concentrations (0.5-50 μg ml-1) stimulate the phagocytosis and phagosome-lysosome fusion whereas high concentrations (above 75 μg ml -1) inhibit these processes. RNAses modified by surfactant oxanol-KD-6 and dimeric forms of RNAses possess only the inhibitory effect, which appears at concentration considerably lower than that of native enzymes. The stimulatory effect of native RNAses and the inhibitory effect of hydrophobized derivatives do not depend on the catalytic activity

Right-sided pneumothorax in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and tuberculosis-affected left lung: a case report

Introduction: A spontaneous pneumothorax occurring in a patient with underlying lung pathology is classified as a secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (SSP). Its main cause is the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), more rarely - a tuberculosis infection (TB). Untreated TB could lead to carnification of a part or the whole lung.Case report: A 35-year-old female patient was admitted with complaints of sudden right chest pain and severe dyspnea. The physical examination showed retracted and deformed left chest part, missing breathing sounds in the left and weakened breathing in the right. Chest CT revealed partial right-sided pneumothorax, bullous changes of the right lung and carnification of the whole left lung. Right thoracocentesis was performed. The postoperative period was uneventful. The chest drain was removed on the fifth day. After more detailed examinations the patient was diagnosed with COPD and TB and was transferred to the Department of Pulmonology and Phthisiatry for further treatment.Conclusion: In a patient who has two advanced and complicated lung diseases at the same time (COPD and TB), a spontaneous pneumothorax, even partial, is a life-threatening condition and requires special consideration and urgent therapeutic measures

Degradable Polyhydroxyalkanoates as Herbicide Carriers

The biodegradable polymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) has been used to design experimental sustained-release formulations of the herbicide Zellek Super in the form of films and microgranules. The kinetics of polymer degradation and the dynamics of herbicide release show that the rate and extent of herbicide release from the polymer matrix into the soil depends on the geometry of the carrier and the proportion of the pesticide loaded into it (polymer/pesticide mass ratio). Experiments with the creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) show that the formulations of the herbicide Zellek Super constructed as microgranules and films can be successfully used to suppress the growth of grasses. This study is the first to demonstrate that biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoates can be used effectively to construct environmentally friendly sustained-release PHA-herbicide systems that can be placed into the soil together with seeds.Russia (Federation) (Agreement 11.G34.31.0013

The peculiarities of electrostatic interaction of pancreatic and microbial ribonucleases with macrophages in vitro

The interaction of RNase A and RNase Bacillus intermedius with peritoneal macrophage of rats has been studied. To estimate the efficiency of this interaction the spontaneous chemiluminescence and induced by phagocytosis chemiluminescence of macrophages were investigated. It has been shown that electrostatic interaction of enzyme proteins with negatively charged cell membrane makes substantional contribution to the development of chemiluminescence reply of macrophages. The RNase A, which is more basical than the other (i. e. it has larger value of pI) is less effective with respect to macrophages. The calculation of total charge and dipole moment of pancreatic and microbial RNases showed that the efficiency of interaction between protein polycation and a cell was not connected with pi and depended on the charge and its distribution on the surface of protein molecule at the given pH value

Cytotoxic Properties of Pancreatic Ribonuclease Modified by Oxanole KD-6, a Surface Active Substance

Pancreatic RNase modified by the surface active substance oxanole KD-6 (OxRNase) was studied in respect to its cytotoxic action on cells. The studies included in vitro and in vivo tests with intravital staining of the cells by neutral red and the 3H uridine label, as well as the test with the preparation action on fusion of lysosomes and phagosomes. It was shown that in all the tests the hydrophobised RNase had a higher cytotoxic action versus the native enzyme. The analysis of the experimental data suggested that the cytotoxicity of the hydrophobised RNase was due to its action on the cell membrane structures including the lysosome membranes

Kinemon: inductively shunted transmon artificial atom

We experimentally investigate inductively shunted transmon-type artificial atoms as an alternative to address the challenges of low anharmonicity and the need for strong charge dispersion in superconducting quantum systems. We characterize several devices with varying geometries and parameters (Josephson energies and capacitances), and find a good agreement with calculations. Our approach allows us to retain the benefits of transmon qubit engineering and fabrication technology and high coherence, while potentially increasing anharmonicity. The approach offers an alternative platform for the development of scalable multi-qubit systems in quantum computing.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

Effect of binase on phorbol myristate acetate-induced apoptosis of human peripheral blood granulocytes and monocytes

Effect of binase (RNAse of Bacillus intermedius) on phorbol myristate acetate-(PMA)-induced apoptosis of human peripheral blood granulocytes and monocytes was studied in vitro by flow cytometry. Both toxic (400 μg/ml) and nontoxic (40 μg/ml) binase concentrations were tested. The binase end-point effect was dependent on the target cell population and the binase concentration. In a granulocyte subset, the 400 μg/ml concentration resulted in strongly pronounced stimulation of PMA-induced apoptosis. In a monocyte subset, the 40 μg/ml concentration developed a protective effect as judged by an increase in a percantage of viable cell subset and by slowing-down cells transtion from an early to late PMA-induced apoptotic phase

Kinetic regularities of in vitro interaction of pancreatic and microbial RNAses with cells in vitro

The kinetics of interaction of exogenic RNAses with isolated cell culture of the human amnion FL was studied in a mathematical model. It was shown that by a number of kinetic parameters the pancreatic RNAse had higher affinity to the cells which quite agreed with higher cytotoxicity of the enzyme as compared to that of the microbial RNAse in regrad to the cell culture

Study of characteristics of electrostatic interaction between RNases and mica surface using atomic force microscopy

The physical adsorption of pancreatic RNase A and Bacillus intermedius RNase on a negatively charged mica surface was investigated using atomic force microscopy. An analysis of the kinetics of RNase adsorption showed that Bacillus intermedius RNase was adsorbed 3-5 times more effectively than RNase A. At the same time, the adsorption of Bacillus intermedius RNase on mica was accompanied by the aggregation of enzyme molecules. © 2011 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd