Peroxisomes in intestinal and gallbladder epithelial cells of the stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus L. (Teleostei)

The occurrence of microbodies in the epithelial cells of the intestine and gallbladder of the stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus L., is described. In the intestine the organelles are predominantly located in the apical and perinuclear zone of the cells and may contain small crystalline cores. In gallbladder epithelial cells the microbodies are distributed randomly. The latter organdies are characterized by the presence of large crystalloids. Cytochemical and biochemical experiments show that catalase and D-amino acid oxidase are main matrix components of the microbodies in both the intestinal and gallbladder epithelia. These organelles therefore are considered peroxisomes. In addition, in intestinal mucosa but not in gallbladder epithelium a low activity of palmitoyl CoA oxidase was detected biochemically. Urate oxidase and L-α hydroxy acid oxidase activities could not be demonstrated.

Comparison of codes assessing galactic cosmic radiation exposure of aircraft crew

The assessment of the exposure to cosmic radiation onboard aircraft is one of the preoccupations of bodies responsible for radiation protection. Cosmic particle flux is significantly higher onboard aircraft than at ground level and its intensity depends on the solar activity. The dose is usually estimated using codes validated by the experimental data. In this paper, a comparison of various codes is presented, some of them are used routinely, to assess the dose received by the aircraft crew caused by the galactic cosmic radiation. Results are provided for periods close to solar maximum and minimum and for selected flights covering major commercial routes in the world. The overall agreement between the codes, particularly for those routinely used for aircraft crew dosimetry, was better than ±20 % from the median in all but two cases. The agreement within the codes is considered to be fully satisfactory for radiation protection purpose

Weak localization in ultrananocrystalline diamond

In this letter we present results of magnetotransport measurements, carried out on heavily nitrogen-doped ultrananocrystalline diamond films, prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. This material having at room temperature appreciably high electric conductivity ( ∼ 4200 S m−1) revealed surprisingly at Kelvin temperatures a giant negative magnetoresistance reaching up to 22% at 1.28 K and at 8 T. The analysis of experimental data has borne evidence of the fact that the transport in this subsystem has a character of low-dimensional disordered metal and it is controlled by quantum interference effects of electrons resulting in their weak localization

Some remarks on the angular momenta of galaxies, their clusters and superclusters

We discuss the relation between angular momenta and masses of galaxy structures base on the Li model of the universe with global rotation. In our previous paper (God{\l}owski et al 2002) it was shown that the model predicts the presence of a minimum in this relation. In the present paper we discuss observational evidence allowing us to verify this relation. We find null angular momentum J=0 for the masses corresponding to mass of galaxy grups and non-vanishing angular momenta for other galactic structures. We check these theoretical predictions analysing Tully's galaxy grups. The existing data comparing alignment in different galactic structure are consistent with obtained theoretical relation $J(M)$ if we interpret the groving alignment as the galactic increasing angular momenta in the galactic structure.Comment: 20 pages 1 figure. GRG accepte

Determination of nutrient salts by automatic methods both in seawater and brackish water: the phosphate blank

9 páginas, 2 tablas, 2 figurasThe main inconvenience in determining nutrients in seawater by automatic methods is simply solved: the preparation of a suitable blank which corrects the effect of the refractive index change on the recorded signal. Two procedures are proposed, one physical (a simple equation to estimate the effect) and the other chemical (removal of the dissolved phosphorus with ferric hydroxide).Support for this work came from CICYT (MAR88-0245 project) and Conselleria de Pesca de la Xunta de GaliciaPeer reviewe

Pharmacological options for the management of refractory cancer pain—what is the evidence?

Refractory cancer pain that does not respond to standard opioid and/or co-analgesic therapy occurs in 10–20 % of patients. Risk factors include young age, neuropathic pain type, incident pain, psychological distress, previous opioid use, high tolerance, a history of addiction and impaired cognition. The management of patients with refractory pain remains a challenge. Treatment options include opioid manipulation (parenteral delivery, rotation, combination, methadone and buprenorphine), non-opioids and co-analgesics (paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, antidepressants and anticonvulsants), NMDA receptor antagonists, cannabinoids, lignocaine and corticosteroids. The evidence of benefit for any of these agents is weak, and each additional agent increases the risk of adverse events. Evidence-based guidelines cannot, therefore, be developed at present. New approaches are recommended including targeted opioid therapy, multimodal analgesia, a goal-oriented approach to pain management and increasing use of the multidisciplinary team and support services