Antiinflammatory and antioxidant activities of gum mastic.

OBJECTIVES: Pistacia lentiscus has traditionally been used in the treatment of many diseases. Its resin was investigated for its mineral contents, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Inhibition of carrageenan induced edema was used to evaluate anti-inflammatory activity. Fe2+ chelating ability, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl radical (DPPH) and nitric oxide scavenging activities were used to evaluate antioxidant activities and mineral contents were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Gallic acid content was determined by HPLC. RESULTS: Resin produced statistically significant inhibition of edema at all doses when compared to the control groups. A 100% inhibition of inflammation was observed at 800 mg/kg i.p. Resin exhibit no toxicity up to 3 g/kg body weights i.p. in mice. Weak DPPH and nitric oxide scavenging activities were observed but showed good Fe2+ chelating ability (IC50 = 162 microg ml(-1)). The amount of elements was decreased in the order: Cu > Fe, Zn > Mn > Ni, Cd. Gallic acid content was 0.1 mg/g resin. CONCLUSIONS: These experimental data support the use of Pistacia lentiscus resin as an antiinflammatory and antioxidant agent.

An incidental enterocolic lymphocytic phlebitis pattern is seen commonly in the rectal stump of patients with diversion colitis superimposed on inflammatory bowel disease.

AIMS: Enterocolic lymphocytic phlebitis (ELP) is an uncommon cause of bowel pathology and most frequently results in ischaemia. It is characterised by an artery-sparing, venulocentric lymphoid infiltrate that causes a phlebitis and vascular compromise. Rare cases of ELP have been encountered with lymphocytic colitis in the absence of ischaemic bowel change. The present study examined the occurrence of ELP in the setting of diversion colitis and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as in random colectomy specimens. METHODS: The study cohort comprised the following: 26 completion proctectomy specimens for ulcerative colitis with superimposed diversion colitis in the rectal stump; 3 colectomy specimens for Crohn disease with diversion colitis; 6 colectomy specimens for adenocarcinoma and/or diverticular disease with diversion colitis; 34 resection specimens with ulcerative colitis only; 19 with Crohn disease only; and 100 random colon resection specimens for adenocarcinoma, adenoma, diverticular disease and ischaemia. RESULTS: ELP was present in 18 of the 26 ulcerative colitis cases with diversion colitis, 3/3 Crohn disease cases with diversion colitis, 1/6 cases of diverticular disease with diversion colitis, 6/34 cases of ulcerative colitis without diversion, 2/19 Crohn disease cases without diversion colitis, and only 1 of 100 colectomy cases without inflammatory bowel disease or diversion colitis. CONCLUSION: ELP occurs most frequently in cases that have been diverted for inflammatory bowel disease. Fewer cases of ELP were noted in cases of inflammatory bowel disease in the absence of diversion colitis. It is postulated that altered bowel flora and immune dysregulation may be pivotal in the causation of this association.

Effective dose to the public from 226Ra in drinking water supplies of Iran.

One of the most important and prevalent isotopes of radium (Ra) in the human food chain, and especially in drinking water, is 226Ra. To determine the contribution of this radionuclide to the annual effective dose to the public in Iran, a national program for determination of this radionuclide was established. Over 500 water samples from different surface and ground water supplies including wells, rivers and springs, as well as hot springs and sea water from the Caspian Sea and Persian Gulf have been analyzed. An emanation method with a minimum detection limit of less than 2 mBq L(-1) was developed and applied in this study. Unweighted mean concentrations of 3.3 mBq L(-1) and 8.0 mBq L(-1) were determined in surface and ground drinking water supplies, respectively. Based on such values, mean unweighted annual intakes of 226Ra were found to be 0.85 Bq for an infant, 1.97 Bq for a child, and 2.82 Bq for an adult, which correspond to mean unweighted annual effective doses of 0.17 microSv y(-1), 0.39 microSv y(-1), and 0.56 microSv y(-1), respectively. The mean 226Ra concentrations in hot springs were higher with a maximum of 146.5 Bq L(-1) measured in the Ab-e-Siah hot spring in Ramsar, a town on the coast of the Caspian Sea in Iran.

Centrosome duplication continues in cycloheximide-treated Xenopus blastulae in the absence of a detectable cell cycle.

Cycloheximide (500 micrograms/ml) rapidly arrests cleavage, spindle assembly, and cycles of an M-phase-specific histone kinase in early Xenopus blastulae. 2 h after cycloheximide addition, most cells contained two microtubule asters radiating from perinuclear microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs). In contrast, blastomeres treated with cycloheximide for longer periods (3-6 h) contained numerous microtubule asters and MTOCs. Immunofluorescence with an anticentrosome serum and EM demonstrated that the MTOCs in cycloheximide-treated cells were typical centrosomes, containing centrioles and pericentriolar material. We conclude that centrosome duplication continues in cycloheximide-treated Xenopus blastulae in the absence of a detectable cell cycle. In addition, these observations suggest that Xenopus embryos contain sufficient material to assemble 1,000-2,000 centrosomes in the absence of normal protein synthesis.

Study of two different recombination events in maize cmsT-regenerated plants during reversion to fertility.

The change of phenotype from sterility to fertility for some cmsT callus tissue culture regenerated plants and their progenies has been correlated with changes in their mitochondrial genome. Those changes that have been analyzed here are the result of recombination events. Two different sets of repeated sequences have been found to be involved in those recombination events. The most common one is a recombination through a 127-bp repeat between various independently isolated revertants. The second one is a recombination through a 58-bp repeat. In every case the products of recombination containing the urf13 gene have been deleted.