Multiple Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases Regulate Vaccinia Virus Morphogenesis

Poxvirus morphogenesis is a complex process that involves the successive wrapping of the virus in host cell membranes. We screened by plaque assay a focused library of kinase inhibitors for those that caused a reduction in viral growth and identified several compounds that selectively inhibit phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). Previous studies demonstrated that PI3Ks mediate poxviral entry. Using growth curves and electron microscopy in conjunction with inhibitors, we show that that PI3Ks additionally regulate morphogenesis at two distinct steps: immature to mature virion (IMV) transition, and IMV envelopment to form intracellular enveloped virions (IEV). Cells derived from animals lacking the p85 regulatory subunit of Type I PI3Ks (p85α−/−β−/−) presented phenotypes similar to those observed with PI3K inhibitors. In addition, VV appear to redundantly use PI3Ks, as PI3K inhibitors further reduce plaque size and number in p85α−/−β−/− cells. Together, these data provide evidence for a novel regulatory mechanism for virion morphogenesis involving phosphatidylinositol dynamics and may represent a new therapeutic target to contain poxviruses

Sugar prices in Poland and their determinants

Rynek cukru w UE należy do najbardziej uregulowanych rynków żywnościowych, a podstawę regulacji stanowią kwoty produkcyjne i regulacje handlu zagranicznego. Równocześnie ogniwa łańcucha marketingowego charakteryzują się zróżnicowanym stopniem koncentracji, co przy silnej ochronie rynku stwarza potencjalne warunki dla praktyk monopolistycznych oraz uzyskiwania tzw. marż monopolistycznych. W tym kontekście celem opracowania było empiryczna ocena zmian cen cukru w Polsce oraz wskazanie ich determinant. Badania oparto na miesięcznych cenach cukru w Polsce, UE i w świecie, w latach 2000-2014. Do oceny prawidłowości wykorzystano modele szeregów czasowych. Przeprowadzone badania wskazują, że produkcja i ceny cukru w Polsce i UE są w przeważającym stopniu uwarunkowane systemem regulacji rynkowych, zaś przeprowadzona reforma rynku cukru w niewielkim stopniu wpłynęła na wzrost powiązań cen w UE z cenami światowymi. Równocześnie mamy do czynienia z silnymi współzależnościami między cenami detalicznymi i cenami zbytu w Polsce, które mogą przybierać charakter zależności nieliniowych.The sugar market in the EU is among the most regulated food markets in the world. This regulation is based on production quotas and foreign trade regulations. Individual links of the marketing chain are characterised by highly varied degree of concentration. Growers of sugar beets and consumers are very numerous and possibly have the weakest bargaining power. The highest degree of concentration is in the sugar industry, which is a classic oligopoly, because four producers manufacture a homogenous product. Thus differentiated structure, faced with strong market protection, creates potential conditions for monopolistic practices and obtaining the so-called monolithic margins. Sugar production and prices in Poland and in the EU are largely conditioned by the system of market regulations. The conducted sugar market reform had little effect on the interrelation of the EU prices with the world prices in the analysed period. As a result of the reform, the relations of the Polish or EU prices to the world prices dropped (this coincided with the growth in the world sugar prices) and, at the same time, there is no growth in the long- or short-terms relations. In 2004, the selling prices of sugar in Poland are linked to the EU prices and their level is not highly divergent from the average prices in the Community. These relations weakened slightly along with the end of the reform and the nature of long-term relations changed. Stronger interrelations are between retail and wholesale prices

Morfologicheskaja kartina perifericheskojj krovi u derevenskikh detejj, inficirovannykh parazitami pishhevaritel'nogo trakta

Coprological examinations of 576 children were conducted. In 380 of the children infected were conducted examinations of the alimentary tract and in 100 control cases were conducted haematological examinations. Haematotocrit, SDE, SSHb were determined in 118 infected children and in 77 controls. The following conclusicns were drawn: 1. Rural children infected with intestinal parasites exhibit symptoms of anaemia more commonly and in a major degree (60 per cent), than the children from the same environment and of similar conditions of life, in whom no parasites were found (40 per cent). 2. The present investigations proved that the anaemia had the character of hypochromic macrocytary anaemia. 3. The changes of the white blood cells count, neutrophils and lymphocytes are too small to ascribe to sole responsibility for them to the influence of parasites. 4. An increase cosinophils count was diagnosed in 51,6 per cent of the infested children, but the normal count or even their absence do not exclude the infection of the alimentary tract with parasites. 5. The present observations did not prove that there is a major influense of the infection with intestinal parasites on the cells of the reticulo-endothelial system in the peripheric blood

Purification And Characterization Of The Bifunctional Enzyme Lysine-ketoglutarate Reductase-saccharopine Dehydrogenase From Maize.

The first enzyme of the lysine degradation pathway in maize (Zea mays L.), lysine-ketoglutarate reductase, condenses lysine and [alpha]-ketoglutarate into saccharopine using NADPH as a cofactor, whereas the second, saccharopine dehydrogenase, converts saccharopine to [alpha]-aminoadipic-[delta]-semialdehyde and glutamic acid using NAD+ or NADP+ as a cofactor. The reductase and dehydrogenase activities are optimal at pH 7.0 and 9.0, respectively. Both enzyme activities, co-purified on diethylaminoethyl-cellulose and gel filtration columns, were detected on nondenaturing polyacrylamide gels as single bands with identical electrophoretic mobilities and share tissue specificity for the endosperm. The highly purified preparation containing the reductase and dehydrogenase activities showed a single polypeptide band of 125 kD on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The native form of the enzyme is a dimer of 260 kD. Limited proteolysis with elastase indicated that lysine-ketoglutarate reductase and saccharopine dehydrogenase from maize endosperm are located in two functionally independent domains of a bifunctional polypeptide.110765-77

Geographical Delineation of Sugar Market Basing on Elzinga-Hogarty Method

Celem artykułu było określenie zasięgu geograficznego rynku cukru z wykorzystaniem metody Elzinga−Hogarty. Do praktycznego zastosowa-nia metody przyjęto trzy założenia: 1) rynek cukru rozpatrywany był całościowo niezależnie od rodzaju cukru, pochodzenia cukru i rodzaju odbiorcy, 2) punktem wyjścia analizy był rynek Unii Europejskiej traktowany en bloc, 3) graniczna wielkość testów LOFI i LIFO na poziomie 90% („silny” rynek). W artykule wykorzystano dane wtórne dotyczące produkcji, konsumpcji, importu i eksportu cukru na poziomie państw i UE gromadzone przez International Sugar Organization za rok 2013. Rynek cukru został określony poprzez „doklejanie” do siebie kolejno rynków krajowych charakteryzujących się największą wymianą handlową. Rynki były dodawane do momentu, aż zostały spełnione założenia dwóch testów LOFI i LIFO na poziomie 90%. Uzyskane wyniki badań pozwoliły na określenie rynku cukru rynkiem globalnym obejmującym obszar UE i 30 krajów na świecie. Tak zdefiniowany rynek charakteryzował się produkcją na poziomie 114 mln t, konsumpcją prawie 110 mln t oraz małym udziałem importu i eksportu, odpowiednio na poziomie 10,7 mln t i 11,4 mln t. Określona w artykule definicja przestrzenna rynku cukru jest znacznie szersza w porównaniu z definicjami Komisji Europejskiej i polskiego Urzędu Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumentów. Istniejąca kontrowersja w definiowaniu zasięgu geograficznego rynku cukru wskazuje na potrzebę kontynuacji badań w tym obszarze.The aim of the paper was to define geographic scope of the sugar market using Elzinga−Hogarty method. For practical use of this method authors made three assumptions: 1) sugar market was studied integrally independently from type of sugar, its origin and kind of customer, 2) Starting point of the analysis was European Union market 3) LOFI i LIFO tests were established at the level of 90% („strong” market). The authors used secondary data on sugar production, consumption, imports and exports on country and EU level gathered for year 2013 by International Sugar Organization. Sugar market was defined by ‘adding’ in sequence another markets with the greatest trade exchange. The markets were added until the moment the requirements for LOFI and LIFO tests were met at the level of 90%. Results of the research allow the authors to define sugar market as a global market which consists of EU area and 30 other countries in the world. Such market has production of 114 mln tonnes, consumption of 110 mln tonnes and small import at the level of 10,7 mln tonnes as well as small exports at the level of 11,4 mln tonnes. The geographic definition of the sugar market determined in the article is much broader that the ones used by European Commission and Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection. The controversion about the geographic scope of sugar market sugests the need for further research in the area