scholarly journals VARIATION OF SPECIFIC ACTIVITY OF137Cs IN THE BOTTOM GROUND OF WATER RESERVOIRS AND WATERSIDE SOIL IN VILNIUS CITY, LITHUANIA

Author(s):  
Anastasija Moisejenkova ◽  
Milda Pečiulienė ◽  
Dainius Jasaitis
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Yakymchuk

Thirty years after the accident, the alienation zone of Chornobyl NPP continues to be an open source of radionuclide spread which is carried with superficial and soil waters into river systems and moves beyond the area. The study of mutagenic activity of radionuclide contamination of the water reservoirs in the near zone of Chornobyl NNP will make it possible to predict genetic consequences of their effect in the years after the accident. The purpose of this research is to study frequency and spectrum of chromosome aberrations in root meristem cells of Triticum aestivum L. under the prolonged effect of radionuclide contamination of water and bottom deposits of the water reservoirs in the near alienation zone of Chornobyl NPP. Seeds of winter wheat varieties Al’batros odes’kyi and Zymoiarka were sprouted in the conditions of the effect of water radionuclide contamination of the Prypiat River, Brahinka River, a reservoir-cooler of ChNPP, Semyhodskyi backwater, drainage-way 3 of ChNPP, Lakes Hlyboke and Azbuchyn (total specific activity of 137Cs and 90Sr – 0.17–52.99 Bq/м3) and bottom deposits of the left and right banks of Prypiat canal, a reservoir-cooler of ChNPP, drainage-ways 1–3 of ChNPP (total specific activity of 137Cs and 90Sr – 16.0–45.0 Bq/kg). Frequency and spectrum of cytogenetic disorders were identified in the cells of root meristem sprouts with help of the ana-telophase method. Under the influence of radiation on water and bottom deposits of the water reservoirs in the alienation zone of ChNPP, a 1.6–4.2 times increase in the frequency of chromosome aberrations and mitosis disorders was found. The highest levels of cytogenetic activity were shown by water radionuclide contamination in a reservoir-cooler of ChNPP, Semyhodskyi backwater and bottom deposits of drainage-way 2. The correlation between frequency of chromosome aberrations and specific value of radionuclide activity of water reservoirs has not been recorded, which can prove the induction of cytogenetic disorders resulting from the radiation in the low-rate range. The spectrum of cytogenetic disorder types is mostly represented by acentric fragments, bridges and lagging chromosomes. The induction of the cells with lagging chromosomes, which exhibit the highest levels (0.24–0.38%), under the effect of radionuclide contamination of water in Hlyboke Lake, the Brahinka River, the Prypiat River, a reservoir-cooler of ChNPP and bottom deposits of drainage-way 3, allows one to assume the availability of aneugenic factors in the water reservoirs in the alienation zone of ChNPP. The water entities of the alienation zone of ChNPP, the level of radionuclide contamination of which is characterized by a high cytogenetic activity, induce cells with complex chromosome rearrangements of high frequency. Despite the decrease in chromosome aberration frequency effected by the water of the Prypiat River near Chornobyl city, the Brahinka River and bottom deposits of the right bank of Prypiat canal, the increased level of aneugenic cells and the induction of multiple chromosome rearrangements confirm the persistence of mutagenic activity in the abovementioned contaminated water entities.


Author(s):  
Aline Byrnes ◽  
Elsa E. Ramos ◽  
Minoru Suzuki ◽  
E.D. Mayfield

Renal hypertrophy was induced in 100 g male rats by the injection of 250 mg folic acid (FA) dissolved in 0.3 M NaHCO3/kg body weight (i.v.). Preliminary studies of the biochemical alterations in ribonucleic acid (RNA) metabolism of the renal tissue have been reported recently (1). They are: RNA content and concentration, orotic acid-c14 incorporation into RNA and acid soluble nucleotide pool, intracellular localization of the newly synthesized RNA, and the specific activity of enzymes of the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway. The present report describes the light and electron microscopic observations in these animals. For light microscopy, kidney slices were fixed in formalin, embedded, sectioned, and stained with H & E and PAS.


1991 ◽  
Vol 66 (04) ◽  
pp. 453-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T Brandt

SummaryLupus anticoagulants (LAs) are antibodies which interfere with phospholipid-dependent procoagulant reactions. Their clinical importance is due to their apparent association with an increased risk of thrombo-embolic disease. To date there have been few assays for quantifying the specific activity of these antibodies in vitro and this has hampered attempts to purify and characterize these antibodies. Methods for determining phospholipid-dependent generation of thrombin and factor Xa are described. Isolated IgG fractions from 7 of 9 patients with LAs were found to reproducibly inhibit enzyme generation in these assay systems, permitting quantitative expression of inhibitor activity. Different patterns of inhibitory activity, based on the relative inhibition of thrombin and factor Xa generation, were found, further substantiating the known heterogeneity of these antibodies. These systems may prove helpful in further purification and characterization of LAs.


1990 ◽  
Vol 63 (02) ◽  
pp. 286-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Beurling-Harbury ◽  
Pehr B Harbury

SummaryActin is the major ATP and ADP binding protein in platelets, 0.9–1.3 nmol/108 cells, 50–70% in the unpolymerized state. The goal of these experiments was to develop a method for extracting all protein-bound ATP and ADP from undisturbed platelets in plasma. Extraction of actin-bound ADP is routine while extraction of actin-bound ATP from platelets in buffer has been unsuccessful. Prior to extraction the platelets were exposed to 14-C adenine, to label the metabolic and actin pools of ATP and ADP. The specific activity was determined from the actin-bound ADP in the 43% ethanol precipitate. Sequential ethanol and perchlorate extractions of platelet rich plasma, and the derived supernatants and precipitates were performed. ATP concentrations were determined with the luciferase assay, and radioactive nucleotides separated by TLC. A total of 1.18 nmol/108 cells of protein-bound ATP and ADP was recovered, 52% ATP (0.61 nmol). The recovery of protein-bound ADP was increased from 0.3 to 0.57 nmol/108 cells. This approach for the first time successfully recovered protein bound ATP and ADP from platelets in a concentration expected for actin.


1978 ◽  
Vol 39 (01) ◽  
pp. 193-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erwin F Workman ◽  
Roger L Lundblad

SummaryAn improved method for the preparation of bovine α-thrombin is described. The procedure involves the activation of partially purified prothrombin with tissue thromboplastin followed by chromatography on Sulfopropyl-Sephadex C-50. The purified enzyme is homogeneous on polyacrylamide discontinuous gel electrophoresis and has a specific activity toward fibrinogen of 2,200–2,700 N.I.H. U/mg. Its stability on storage in liquid media is dependent on both ionic strenght and temperature. Increasing ionic strength and decreasing temperature result in optimal stability. The denaturation of α-thrombin by guanidine hydrochloride was found to be a partially reversible process with the renatured species possessing properties similar to “aged” thrombin. In addition, the catalytic properties of a-thrombin covalently attached to agarose gel beads were also examined. The activity of the immobilized enzyme toward fibrinogen was affected to a much greater extent than was the hydrolysis of low molecular weight, synthetic substrates.


1968 ◽  
Vol 20 (03/04) ◽  
pp. 548-554
Author(s):  
J Gajewski ◽  
G Markus

SummaryA method for the standardization of human plasminogen is proposed, based on the stoichiometric interaction between plasminogen and streptokinase, resulting in inhibition of proteolytic activity. Activation of a constant amount of plasminogen with increasing amounts of streptokinase yields linearly decreasing activities, as a function of streptokinase, with a sharp transition to a constant residual level. The point of transition corresponds to complete saturation of plasmin with streptokinase in a 1:1 molar ratio, and is therefore a measure of the amount of plasminogen present initially, in terms of streptokinase equivalents. The equivalence point is independent of the kind of protein substrate used, buffer, pH, length of digestion and, within limits, temperature. The method, therefore, is not subject to the variations commonly encountered in the usual determination based on specific activity measurements.


1976 ◽  
Vol 36 (01) ◽  
pp. 200-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald G. Corby ◽  
Thomas F. Zuck

SummaryPer cent aggregation, release and content of adenine nucleotides, and specific radioactivity were evaluated in citrated platelet-rich plasma (PRP) prepared from paired samples of maternal and cord blood. Platelets of newborn infants aggregated normally in response to high dose ADP (20 μM), strong collagen suspensions, and thrombin; however, when compared with PRP from the mothers or from normal adults, per cent aggregation in response to lower concentrations of ADP (2 μM), weak collagen, and part particularly epinephrine was markedly reduced. Nucleotide release after stimulation of the newborns’ PRP with the latter two inducers was also impaired. ATP and ADP content of the newborns’ platelets was also significantly less than that of their mothers or of normal adults, but specific activity was normal. The data suggest that the impairment of ADP release in the platelets of newborn infants is due to decreased sensitivity to external stimuli. Since metabolic ATP is necessary for the platelet release reaction, it is postulated that the platelet dysfunction results from a lack of metabolic ATP.


1993 ◽  
Vol 69 (05) ◽  
pp. 430-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Longstaff ◽  
Man-Yu Wong ◽  
Patrick J Gaffney

SummaryAn international collaborative study has been carried out to investigate the reproducibility of hirudin assays in 13 laboratories using four recombinant hirudins and one natural, sulphated product. A simple assay procedure was proposed involving the titration of α-thrombin with inhibitor and measurement of residual activity using a chromogenic substrate. A standard α-thrombin preparation was supplied to ensure that this reagent was of uniform quality throughout the study. The method appeared to present no difficulties and laboratories reported similar potencies for the 5 hirudin samples, in line with expected values. This gave 200–222 Thrombin Inhibitory Units/ampoule (TIU/ampoule) of lyophilised hirudin, with geometric coefficient of variation (gcv) values ranging from 10.15–15.97%. This corresponds to specific activities of approximately 14,300–15,900 TIU/mg protein. This is close to the upper limit of previously reported values of specific activity. We conclude that the precision of this determination compared with the wider range of values in the literature (8,000–16,000 thrombin inhibitory units [TIU]/mg) results from the use of good quality standard α-thrombin by all laboratories. This study has important implications for hirudin standardisation.


1970 ◽  
Vol 24 (03/04) ◽  
pp. 325-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. H Tishkoff ◽  
L. C Williams ◽  
D. M Brown

SummaryAs a corollary to our previous studies with bovine prothrombin, we have initiated a study of human prothrombin complex. This product has been isolated in crystalline form as a barium glycoprotein interaction product. Product yields were reduced compared to bovine product due to the increased solubility of the barium glycoprotein interaction product. On occasion the crystalline complex exhibited good yields. The specific activity of the crystalline complex was 1851 Iowa u/mg. Further purification of human prothrombin complex was made by removal of barium and by chromatography on Sephadex G-100 gels. The final product evidenced multiple procoagulant activities (II, VII, IX and X). The monomeric molecular weight determined by sedimentation equilibrium in a solvent of 6 M guanidine-HCl and 0.5% mercaptoethanol was 70,191 ± 3,057 and was homogeneous with respect to molecular weight. This product was characterized in regard to physical constants and chemical composition. In general, the molecular properties of human prothrombin complex are very similar to the comparable bovine product. In some preparations a reversible proteolytic enzyme inhibitor (p-aminophenylarsonic acid) was employed in the ultrafiltration step of the purification scheme to inhibit protein degradation.


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