Zircon U-Pb geochronology and trace element dataset from the Southern Rocky Mountain Volcanic Field, Colorado, USA.

This contribution provides in-situ LA-ICP-MS U-Pb ages and trace element determinations of zircons from dacitic to rhyolitic lavas, ignimbrites and intrusions in the Southern Rocky Mountain Volcanic Field (SRMVF) in Colorado, USA. The data record a period of intense magmatic activity in the Oligocene-early Miocene (∼37-22 Ma) which gave rise to some of the largest explosive ignimbrites in the geological record (e.g. the Fish Canyon Tuff). Age data are drift corrected, but not corrected for radiation dosage or Th disequilibrium, in order to allow users to apply their own algorithms. Xenocrysts (much older crystals up to 2 Ga from the Proterozoic basement) are included in this record.

New crystalline complex of quinine and quinidine.

A new complex of diastereoisomeric pair, quinine and quinidine (QQd), was obtained from a mixture of saturated ethanol solutions of quinine and quinidine (0.5:1). The complex crystallises in the triclinic system, space group P1, and contains two molecules of quinine, two molecules of quinidine and four water molecules in the asymmetric unit. The X-ray structure analysis of a single crystal revealed that quinine and quinidine molecules occur in the so-called open conformation, characteristic for Cinchona alkaloids, whenever they are engaged in intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Quinine and quinidine molecules are organized in two very similar kinds of chains. In each chain the links that contain 14-membered rings can be distinguished. Within these rings quinine and quinidine molecules interact via intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the quinuclidine nitrogens and hydroxyl groups, mediated by water molecules. The links are connected with each other by hydrogen bonds between water molecules and nitrogens of the quinoline moieties, which interact via pi-pi stacking. The architecture of the hydrogen bond system in QQd, compared to those observed in the crystal structures of nonhydrated quinidine, cinchonine and cinchonidine, reveals the effect of the co-crystallizing water on the molecular packing. In nonhydrated alkaloid structures the hydrogen-bonded molecules form helical chains, different from those observed in the hydrated QQd complex and hydrated quinine toluene solvate (QTol). Comparison of QQd structure with that of QTol suggests that while the intermolecular hydrogen bonds in the system quinine-water-quinidine-water are very similar to those in quinine-water-quinine-water system, the mode of pi-pi interaction between their quinoline moieties depends on the absolute configuration of the interacting alkaloid molecules.

Crystal and molecular structure of a new cobalt complex of quinine.

A new cobalt complex of quinine, C20H25Cl3CoN2O2, was obtained from a mixture of saturated alcohol solutions of CoCl2 6H2O and quinine. The X-ray structure analysis of a single crystal revealed that the complex is a zwitterion in which the positive charge is localised on the protonated nitrogen atom, N1, of the quinuclidine fragment and the negative charge is shared by the three chlorine atoms. The cobalt atom coordinates the chlorines and the nitrogen atom, N13, of the quinoline fragment. Each chlorine atom is engaged in intermolecular hydrogen bonds. One of them is an acceptor of the proton of the hydroxyl group, while the two others share the proton of the quinuclidine nitrogen atom, N1, in a bifurcated hydrogen bond. Quinine has open conformation typical for Cinchona alkaloids forming intermolecular hydrogen bonds in the crystalline state.

Flexibility of CuCl4-tetrahedra in bis[cinchoninium tetrachlorocuprate(II)]trihydrate single crystals. X-ray diffraction and EPR studies.

Crystal structure of bis[cinchoninium tetrachlorocuprate(II)] trihydrate, [(C19H24N2O)CuCl4]2-3H2O, has been determined by X-ray diffraction at 100 K and reexamined at 293 K. The compound crystallizes in orthorhombic system with a P2(1)2(1)2(1) space group and unit cell parameters a = 15.3031(14), b = 36.415(3), and c = 7.8341(5) A at 100 K, and Z = 4. The asymmetric unit consists of two (CuCl4)(2-) tetrahedral anions linked by hydrogen bonds to two doubly protonated cinchonine molecules and three water molecules. The tetrahedra are strongly flattened, to approximately D(2d) symmetry, with different deformation for two inequivalent (CuCl4)(2-) -ions in the asymmetric unit. The deformation of (CuCl4)(2-) and cinchoninium cations varies with temperature due to a rearrangement of the bifurcated hydrogen bond network. This is a continuous process observed as a monotonic variation of the EPR spectral parameters and the unit cell dimensions. EPR spectra show that very weak exchange coupling J(12) = 0.0030 cm(-1) operates between Cu(2+) ions within asymmetric units, corresponding to the general formula of the compound, as well as between equivalent Cu(2+) sites of different molecules, whereas the coupling is negligible between inequivalent sites. The intermolecular J(12) coupling is temperature-independent indicating that the whole asymmetric unit behaves as a magnetic unit (pseudodimer) in the whole temperature range.

Conformation of epicinchonine and cinchonine in view of their antimalarial activity: x-ray and theoretical studies.

X-ray structure analysis was carried out for a single crystal of 9-epi-10,11-dihydrocinchonine in the form of free base obtained by stereoselective interconversion of cinchonine via 9-O-tosylcinchonine. An intramolecular hydrogen bond was found between the carbinol hydroxyl group, -O12-H12, and the quinuclidine nitrogen atom, N1, with the parameters: O12...N1=2.688(3)A, O12-H12=0.84(4)A, N1...H12=2.11(4)A and O12-H12...N1=126(3) degrees. Theoretical calculations for isolated molecules of epicinchonine and cinchonine with the use of AM1 semiempirical method and comparative studies of the crystal structures have shown that the conformation of the alkaloid molecules with respect to the C8-C9 bond depends on the absolute configuration at C9. The conformation with respect to the C9-C16 bond depends on the protonation of N1 for threo but not for erythro alkaloids. It was established that the ability to form inter- or intramolecular hydrogen bonds is determined by the energetically preferred conformations of erythro and threo alkaloids, respectively. In most cases the conformations preferred for erythro alkaloids are energetically forbidden for their threo epimers and vice versa. The differences in conformation and capability to form intramolecular hydrogen bonds may explain why their antimalarial activities are incomparable.

[DNA metabolism in lymphocytes of patients with lupus nephropathy]. / Metabolizm DNA w limfocytach chorych na nefropatie toczniowa.

DNA metabolism in lymphocytes was evaluated in patients suffering from the nephrotic syndrome decompensation, basing on measurement of endonucleases (DNases) activity in these cells. The examination involved 17 patients, aged 27.7 +/- 7.11 with clinical and biochemical active disease, all with the nephrotic syndrome decompensation and erythrocytes in urine. A significant rise in the enzyme activity was observed in T and B lymphocytes (p < 0.001) in all the patients, with a distinct 3-fold increase in enzyme activity in B lymphocytes, when compared with the other cell populations. To elucidate the nature of the observed changes in DNases activity in systemic lupus erythematosus, nucleus proteins of the cells were separated electrophoretically in acrylamide gradient with immobilized DNA. Degradation processes in nucleic acids were considerably more efficient than the DNA synthesis in B lymphocytes of these cells. A smaller increase in the enzyme activity in T cells than in B lymphocytes results exclusively from more intense catabolism of nucleic acids not parallel to the intensified DNA synthesis in these cells.

High prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus in three haemodialysis centres in south-western Poland.

We assessed the prevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) antibodies and markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in patients of three haemodialysis centres before initiating anti-HBV vaccinations. Of the 94 patients, 39 (41.5%) were anti-HCV positive (+) and 81 (86.2%) were anti-hepatitis B core antigen (HBc) positive. There was a high rate of anti-HBc positivity among anti-HCV (+) patients (92.3%), although the presence of anti-HCV and anti-HBc antibodies were not significantly related to each other. Multiple blood transfusions (> 5 units) was a risk factor for development of HCV infection (P < 0.02), while none of our patients admitted intravenous drug abuse. Although 53.8% of anti-HCV (+) patients have had moderate serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevations during the study period, none has had considerable liver disease, nor did the increased ALT correlate with the presence of anti-HCV. Only two of 17 staff members participating in the survey were anti-HCV (+), though almost every one gave a history of accidental needlestick exposure. All the study subjects were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative. Our results, obtained with the second-generation, highly specific enzyme immunoassay and verified by the immunoblot assay for anti-HCV antibodies, support a recent suggestion that earlier reports might have underestimated the true prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies in haemodialysis patients.

Acupuncture induced immunoregulatory influence on the clinical state of patients suffering from chronic spastic bronchitis and undergoing long-term treatment with corticosteroids.

36 patients suffering from chronic spastic bronchitis were treated with acupuncture. The patient group consisted of 13 men and 23 women varying in age from 26 to 64 years, with an average age of 42.2 years. The therapy consisted of two or three months of acupuncture treatment in alternation with an equal period (2 or 3 months) of recess during which no treatment was administered. Before acupuncture, patients had taken corticosteroids either orally and/or intramuscularly for a period of 2 to 24 years. For those taking corticosteroids orally the daily dosages ranged from 10 to 40 mg Encorton (Polfa, Poland). The patients took intramuscular injections of 40 to 60 mg Kenalog (Squibb) every three or four weeks. Acupuncture sessions were twice a week. All the patients had 42 acupuncture sessions. Before the treatment all the patients, and 30 healthy volunteers, made leukocytes migration tests [(in vivo, using the Rebuck method (1) as modified by Southam (2)]. It was found that patients suffering from chronic spastic bronchitis have leukocytes migration defect. This defect increases in patients who have taken corticosteroids. We have also found that after 42 acupuncture sessions the amount of leukocytes in the tissue pool comes close to the value found in healthy persons during leukocyte migration, [(tested in vivo, using the Rebuck method as modified by Southam (2)].

Immunoregulating influence of levamisole on migration of leukocytes in vivo and in vitro in patients treated for a long time with corticosteroids.

Migration of peripheral blood leukocytes test in vivo and in vitro was performed in 60 patients with chronic spastic bronchitis. More than half of subjects studied were given Levamisole (Decaris, Richter). On the basis of a three-year-long observation it was shown, that levamisol eliminates a depressive effect of corticosteroids on the migration of leukocytes both in vivo and in vitro.

Gravitropism in Higher Plant Shoots : III. Cell Dimensions during Gravitropic Bending; Perception of Gravity.

Cross and longitudinal sections were prepared for light microscopy from vertical control plants (Xanthium strumarium L. Chicago strain), free-bending horizontal stems, plants restrained 48 hours in a horizontal position, and plants restrained 48 hours and then released, bending immediately about 130 degrees . Top cells of free-bending stems shrink or elongate little; bottom cells continue to elongate. In restrained stems, bottom cells elongate some and increase in diameter; top cells elongate about as much but decrease in diameter. Upon release, bottom cells elongate more and decrease in diameter, while top cells shorten and increase in diameter, accounting for the bend. During restraint, bottom cells take up water while tissue pressures increase; top cells fail to take up water although tissue pressures are decreasing.Settling of amyloplasts was observed in cells of the starch sheath.Removal of different amounts of stem (Xanthium; Lycopersicon esculentum Miller, cv Bonny Best; Ricinus communis L. cv Yolo Wonder) showed that perception of gravity occurs in the bending (elongation) zone, although bending of fourth and fifth internodes from the top was less than in uncut controls. Uniform application of 1% indoleacetic acid in lanolin to cut stem surfaces partially restored bending. Reversing the gradient in tension/compression in horizontal stems (top under compression, bottom under tension) did not affect gravitropic bending.

The effect of acupuncture on the clinical state of patients suffering from chronic spastic bronchitis and undergoing long-term treatment with corticosteroids.

51 patients suffering from chronic spastic bronchitis were treated with acupuncture over a period of three years. The patient group consisted of 15 men and 36 women varying in age from 19 to 75 years, with an average age of 45.7 years. The therapy program consisted of 2 or 3 months of acupuncture treatment in alternation with an equal period (2 or 3 months) of recess during which no treatment was administered. Before acupuncture, patients had taken corticosteroids either orally and/or intramuscularly for a period of 2 to 24 years. For those taking corticosteroids orally the daily dosages ranged from 10 to 40 mg Encorton (Polfa, Poland). The patients took intramuscular injections of 60 to 80 mg Kenalog (Squibb) every two or three weeks. Of the 51 patients, 36 completed 3 years of acupuncture treatment. It was found that 63.8% of the patients were able to eliminate corticosteroids for the last part of this study period, i.e., from 3 to 26 months (average period 10.2 months). In 13.9% of the patients the dose of intramuscular injection of corticosteroids was reduced by over 60% during acupuncture treatment. In 16.7% of the patients, the oral administration of corticosteroids was only during lung infections with dyspnoea. In 7 patients (i.e., in 19.5% of the 36 patients) administration of all previously required drugs (i.e., corticosteroids, mucolytic drugs, appropriate antibiotics, aminoxanthines, sympathomimetic beta-agonists, sedation drugs, aerosolized drugs with corticosteroids, and nebulized drugs) during the last 3 to 15 months of this study period (average of 9.8 months) were no longer required.

Granulocyte migration in vivo in patients with atopic bronchial asthma during specific desensitization.

Examination was made of 40 patients suffering from atopic bronchial asthma during specific desensitization using Rebuck's and Southam's methods for testing phagocyte migration in vivo. It was found that specific allergens during specific desensitization caused an increase in phagocyte migration to the skin test site.

Subunit structure of Eutherian sperm chromatin.

The beta-mercaptoethanol induced decondensation of spermatozoon cell nuclei from several Eutherian species has been followed from the intact spermatazoon cell to the solubilized linear unit sperm chromosomal fiber using fluorescence and electron microscopy. Data from nuclease digestion studies in conjunction with electron microscopic evidence indicate that the gross structure of the unit Eutherian sperm chromosomal fiber consists of DNA folded around sperm specific histone multimers spaced regularly along the fiber generating a linear array of sperm nucleosomes connected by short stretches of uncomplexed DNA. The sperm nucleosomes, 80 A in diameter are separated by 20 A filaments of DNA. This structure is remarkably similar to the structure of somatic chromatin although the protein components of the two chromosomes are markedly different. It seems likely that chromosomal fibers, similar to those described herein, may be present in the male pronucleus following fertilization.