In vitro analysis of the properties of Beiqishen tea.

OBJECTIVE: Chinese Beiqishen tea was studied in an in vitro test system. METHODS: Phytochemical screening, trace element analysis, and the analysis of antioxidant properties were carried out. Characteristic constituents were determined by chromatographic (capillary gas chromatography and GCQ Ion Trap mass spectrometry) and spectrometric (ultraviolet and UV-VIS) methods. Element concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Antioxidant capacity was studied by spectrophotometric and luminometric techniques using a Berthold Lumat 9501 luminometer. Hydrogen-donating activity, reducing power, and total scavenger capacity were measured. RESULTS: Total polyphenol content was 20.77 +/- 0.52 g/100 g of drug; total flavonoid content was 0.485 +/- 0.036 g/100 g of drug; and tannin content was 9.063 +/- 0.782 g/100 g of drug. Caffeine content was 1.08 mg/100 g of drug. Essential oils were identified by gas chromatography: (+)-limonene (21%), p-cymene (1.7%), estragol (3.2%), beta-ocimene (1.4%), and thymol (2.6%). Metallic ion analysis showed significantly high concentrations of Al, As, Ba, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Ti in the drug. Antioxidant and scavenger properties were identified as a function of concentration. CONCLUSIONS: The tea infusion contained some non-desirable trace elements and caffeine in addition to polyphenols and tannins in high concentrations. Therefore, the consumption of this tea may involve risks.

Phenomenological experiences associated with hypnotic susceptibility.

Following the administration of a Hungarian translation of the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C (SHSS:C), 104 Hungarian subjects completed the Hungarian translation of the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI). Subjects had also been administered the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A (HGSHS:A) about 1 week to 2 months before the SHSS:C. The pattern of correlations between hypnotizability (as measured by the HGSHS:A and the SHSS:C) and the 5 factors of the PCI was quite similar to that of previous work carried out using the English language versions on subjects in the United States. SHSS:C and HGSHS:A scores correlated significantly with the PCI factors of dissociated control, positive affect, and attention to internal processes factors. In addition, the SHSS:C score correlated significantly with the visual imagery factor, as found in previous work.

Studies on kinetic parameters and stability of aminoacylase in non-conventional media.

Catalytic properties and conformational stability of aminoacylase (N-acylamino acid amidohydrolase, EC 3.5.1.14) were studied in water-N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and water-dioxane solvent mixtures. Beside the prompt inhibition the solvents caused further inactivation during incubations. In the presence of 5% DMF content the inactivation proceeds with a well-measurable rate (t1/2 39 min), while in the case of 20% DMF the enzyme practically lost its starting activity during 50 min incubation (t1/2 13 min). The K(m) value of the enzyme increased about three times with increasing DMF concentrations up to about 2.6 M DMF, while the Vmax value decreased practically to zero in the same concentration range.

Drought stress, peroxidase activity and formaldehyde metabolism in bean plants.

In our investigations we have studied the changes of total peroxidase and isozyme activities, peroxidase isozyme pattern and the level of endogenous formaldehyde and trigonelline. We have examined the effect of drought stress resulted by Carbowax treatment (2, 5, 7, 10%) of two different snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes [drought tolerant (T) and drought sensitive (S)]. There were no detectable differences in the peroxidase isozyme patterns but the total peroxidase activity was increased. We have found similar steep enhancement in the peroxidase activities of one of three peroxidase fractions while the increase in the other isozyme fractions was not so significant in the two genotypes. Increasing peroxidase activities and changes in the amount of endogenous formaldehyde and trigonelline were detectable with increasing Carbowax treatment in both genotypes, but in different ways. According to our experiments, the total peroxidase and some isozyme activity correlated with the concentration of endogenous formaldehyde and trigonelline, playing an important role during drought stress.

Investigation of some methylated compounds and peroxidase activity during plant ontogenesis in snap bean.

Changes in the level of endogenous formaldehyde (HCHO) and some N-methylated compounds were investigated in the leaves of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) during ontogenesis. In addition, the activity and isozyme pattern of peroxidase enzymes were also examined. HCHO, as dimedone adduct, and fully N-methylated compounds were determined by overpressured layer chromatography in different development stages of snap bean plant. Peroxidase activities were measured by spectrophotometry and isozyme patterns were examined by isoelectric focusing. HCHO level decreased until blooming with aging of the plant being the highest in the youngest leaves all the time, but then increased again in old leaf tissues. At the same time the concentration of choline and trigonelline as potential HCHO generators (marker molecules or gene products) decreased considerably while peroxidase activity increased with aging of plants.

The effect of environmental pollution on the function of enzymes of active skeleton muscle. Part 1: An adequate method to study the effect of metal ions on the activity of phosphofructokinase.

The possibilities of exact measuring the effect of metal ions on the activity of phosphofructokinase (PFK) by means of both a heat inactivation and an auxiliary enzyme system were studied. It was found that both methods are suitable for measuring the inhibition of phosphofructokinase by metal ions. It was further found that metal ion concentrations causing 50% deactivation of PFK could not considerably influence the measuring capacity of the auxiliary enzyme system.

Parallel application of the experiential analysis technique with subject and hypnotist: a new possibility for measuring interactional synchrony.

The Parallel Experiential Analysis Technique (PEAT), a new method for gathering data on the subjective experiences of both the hypnotist and the subject, is described. The PEAT is an interactional modification of the Experiential Analysis Technique (EAT). Procedural details and methodological observations resulting from the modification of the EAT are discussed. Suggestions on how to characterize the phenomenology of the hypnotic interaction and to determine the degree of interactional synchrony on the subjective level between the hypnotist and subject are made.

Retention of radionuclides on metal sulphide precipitates.

The retention of various radionuclides on metal sulphide precipitates has been studied. The sulphide precipitates quantitatively retained the common radionuclides. The condition for 100% retention in a thin layer is small particle size (a few microm) in the precipitate. This can be ensured by pulverization of the dried precipitate of metal sulphide. (203)Hg(2+) is retained by mercury sulphide and (65)Zn(2+) by zinc sulphide by isotopic exchange. The retention of foreign radioactive ions can be reduced or even eliminated by counter-carrier technique in cases where the retention is not due to chemical reaction, precipitate exchange. The isotopic exchange with mercury(II) sulphide and zinc sulphide enables mercury and zinc ions to be separated rapidly and determined in the presence of a number of interfering ions.