To examine the detoxification effect of mineral-encaged zeolites on cells impaired by pollutant-intoxication, we used a bioassay system involving Euglena gracilis Z as the model organism and TBTCl as a pollutant. TBTCl exposure causes Euglena cells to quickly change shape from a spherical to spindle form, with the process being reversible by detoxification. Taking advantage of this morphologica...

1. Isopenicillin N synthetase (IPNS) from Cephalosporium acremonium, which requires Fe2+ and O2 for activity, was highly purified for studies of factors affecting its conversion of delta-(L-alpha-aminoadipoyl)-L-cysteinyl-D-valine (LLD-ACV) into isopenicillin N (IPN). EDTA was used to quench the reaction by removal of Fe2+. 2. IPNS was inactivated during the course of the conversion of LLD-ACV ...

The zoopathogenic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, like other eukaryotic aerobic microorganisms, requires iron for growth. Under conditions of low iron availability, the fungus secretes hydroxamates that function as siderophores (iron chelators). The experiments to be reported were designed to gather further information on the hydroxamate siderophores of H. capsulatum. The fungus was grown in a s...

Leptospirosis is a worldwide distributed zoonosis, caused by pathogenic strains of spirochetes belonging to the genus Leptospira spp. So far, the only gold standard diagnostic method for this disease has been the Micro-Agglutination Test (MAT). The purpose of this study was to test whether a correlation exists between serological diagnosis by MAT and the presence of Leptospira spp. DNA traces i...

The suitability of isotachophoresis for the analysis of metals in, e.g., environmental samples was studied. In a cationic operational system the heavy metals Fe, Cu, Ni, Cd, Co, Zn, Pb and Mn were simultaneously determined. The separation was achieved through complex formation with one of the counter ions, hydroxyisobutyric acid. The other counter ion was acetic acid, the leading ion was 0.02 M...

In recent years, many studies have reported potential associations between cytokine gene polymorphisms and the development, course, and outcome of sepsis, often with apparently conflicting results. The objective of this study was to investigate single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the interleukin (IL)-1β -31 T/C, IL-6 -174 G/C, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) -308 G/A, and interferon γ (IFN-...

We have shown that superparamagnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles with a surface functionalization of dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) are an effective sorbent material for toxic soft metals such as Hg, Ag, Pb, Cd, and Tl, which effectively bind to the DMSA ligands and for As, which binds to the iron oxide lattices. The nanoparticles are highly dispersible and stable in solutions, have a larg...

The aim of this study was to determine the genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum by analyzing the polymorphism of the msp-1 and msp-2 genes and the multiplicity of infection in children with uncomplicated malaria in southern Benin. Blood samples of children with fever or history of fever with thick smear positive P. falciparum were collected on filter paper. After extraction of DNA by Chel...