Do rice water weevils and rice stem borers compete when sharing a host plant? / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

The rice water weevil (RWW) Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is an invasive insect pest of rice Oryza sativa L. in China. Little is known about the interactions of this weevil with indigenous herbivores. In the present study, adult feeding and population density of the weevil, injury level of striped stem borer Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and pink stem borer Sesamia inferens (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to rice, as well as growth status of their host plants were surveyed in a rice field located in Southeastern Zhejiang, China, in 2004 with the objective to discover interspecific interactions on the rice. At tillering stage, both adult feeding of the weevil and injury of the stem borers tended to occur on larger tillers (bearing 5 leaves) compared with small tillers (bearing 2~4 leaves), but the insects showed no evident competition with each other. At booting stage, the stem borers caused more withering/dead hearts and the weevil reached a higher density on the plants which had more productive tillers and larger root system; the number of weevils per tiller correlated negatively with the percentage of withering/dead hearts of plants in a hill. These observations indicate that interspecific interactions exist between the rice water weevil and the rice stem borers with negative relations occurring at booting or earlier developmental stages of rice.

Oogenesis in summer females of the rice water weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in southern Zhejiang, China / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

The rice water weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel, has two generations in southern Zhejiang, China. To determine oogenesis in first-generation females (summer females) and its relations to temperature, females were collected from a rice field in early and mid-July and reared on young rice plants at 28, 31 and 34 degrees C in the laboratory. Percentage of females having oocytes, number of oocytes of different stages (stage-I, from early previtellogenesis to middle vitellogenesis; stage-II, late vitellogenesis; and mature-oocyte stage), and length of ovarioles were determined every 10 d of feeding. At each temperature, oogenesis took place in over 40% of females after 20~40 d of feeding, but only 0.0~3.3 stage-I, 0.0~0.8 stage-II and 0.0~1.1 mature oocytes were observed at each observation date. Temperature had significant effect on number of stage-I oocytes but not on number of stage-II and mature oocytes in early July females; temperature had no significant effect on number of oocytes of either stage in mid-July females. Conclusively, in southern Zhejiang, summer L. oryzophilus females have great potential to become reproductive on rice, but their oogenesis activity is very low, with the overall procedures little affected by temperature.

Effects of amiloride on potassium and calcium currents in guinea pig ventricular myocytes / 药学学报

<p><b>AIM</b>To elucidate the possible mechanisms underlying antiarrhythmia of the non-selective Na+/H+ exchanger inhibitor--amiloride.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Single ventricular cells were isolated using a double-enzyme method. Effects of amiloride on voltage-dependent potassium and calcium currents in isolated guinea pig ventricular myocyte were recorded by using whole-cell patch clamp techniques.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Exposure to amiloride (10 -100 micromol x L(-1)), the L-type and T-type calcium currents were depressed. Amiloride resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of peak (Ca,L), But amiloride did not change the shape of their I - V curves. It only decreased the amplitudes of the currents of the two types. When myocytes were incubated with 100 micromol x L(-1) amiloride, I(Kr) was slightly depressed and I(Ks) did not change. Amiloride (1 - 100 micromol x L(-10) depressed I(K1) in a concentration-dependent manner.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Amiloride depressed potassium and calcium currents, which may give support to its uses in some diseases of the cardiovascular system.</p>

Effects of Rbl on action potentials and force of contraction in guinea pig ventricular papillary muscles / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effects of Rbl on action potentials and force of contraction in guinea pig ventricular papillary muscles.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The ventricular papillary muscles of guinea pig were isolated regularly and immersed with Tyrode, s solution. The effects of Rbl (purified saponins of panaxnotoginseng) on the action potentials (AP), the slow action potentials and the force of contraction (FC) of the muscles were studied. The AP and FC were measured synchronously.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Rbl shortened the duration of AP, including APD2O and APD90, and reduced the FC(n = 5, P < 0.01), but didn't affect the rest potential (RP), the amplitude of action potential (APA), overshot (OS) and maximal upstrok velocity (Vmax). Rbl also decreased the APA of slow action potential, but quinidine had no such effects.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Rbl may be a channel blocker.</p>

Effects of benzyltetrahydropalmatine on the rapidly activating component of delayed rectifier potassium current in guinea pig ventricular myocytes / 药学学报

<p><b>AIM</b>To investigate the effect of benzyltetrahydropalmatine (BTHP) on the rapidly activating component of delayed rectifier K+ current (Ikr) in single guinea pig ventricular myocytes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Whole-cell patch clamp technique was used to record Ikr.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Ikr was blocked by 1-100 mumol.L-1 BTHP in concentration-, voltage-, and specifically frequency-dependent fashion, with IC50 of 13.5 mumol.L-1 (95% confidence range: 11.2-15.8 mumol.L-1). 30 mumol.L-1 BTHP reduced Ikr and Ikr.tail by (31 +/- 4)% and (36 +/- 5)% (n = 6, P < 0.01), respectively. The time constant for deactivation (tau') of the tail current was decreased by 30 mumol.L-1 BTHP from (238 +/- 16) ms to (196 +/- 14) ms, while drug had no any effect on the time constant for activation (tau) of Ikr,tail.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>BTHP inhibited Ikr in a frequency-dependent fashion.</p>