Variation range and “limits of the norm” of relative spleen weight in small mammals from natural populations

Variation in the relative spleen weight was studied in three small rodent species of two genera, Microtus and Myodes. Its range was found to reach 80?C94/%.. Regression equations for the upper and lower limits of normal spleen weight were calculated, and its values were shown to lie between 2.0 and 2.0?C5.0??.     

Chlorophyll a fluorescence, antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation in tomato in response to ozone and benomyl.

Ozone is a widely distributed phytotoxic air pollutant and is known to reduce the yield of several important agricultural crops in Spain. However, benomyl has been found to lessen the adverse impact of ozone on plants. We studied the effects of ozone and benomyl on chlorophyll a fluorescence, antioxidant enzymes, and lipid peroxidation in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Tiny Tim) grown in open-top chambers in the field. Our results indicate that benomyl prevented the peroxidation of membrane lipids and increased protection of PSII from ozone. There was also a significant reduction in the activity of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase in ozone-exposed plants that had not been treated with benomyl. Comparing plants treated with benomyl to untreated plants we found that, on exposure to ozone, a greater fraction of light absorption energy was cycled through the photosynthetic system in benomyl-treated plants, as shown by the higher PSII-mediated electron flow and the higher fraction of open PSII reaction centers. The values analyzed in the fluorescence parameters and lipid peroxidation were similar for plants without benomyl grown in a charcoal-filtered environment and benomyl-treated plants exposed to ozone.     

Is there a role for fetal interventions in gastroschisis management? – An updated comprehensive review

We conducted a comprehensive evidence-based review on the epidemiology and current standard of care of gastroschisis management as well as the pathophysiology, rationale and feasibility of fetal therapy as a viable alternative. Gastroschisis is a periumbilical abdominal wall defect characterized by abdominal viscera herniation in utero. It affects 4 in 10 000 live births, but the prevalence has steadily increased in recent years. Gastroschisis is typically diagnosed on routine second-trimester ultrasound. The overall prognosis is favorable, but complex gastroschisis, which accounts for about 10% to 15% of cases, is associated with a higher mortality, significant disease burden and higher healthcare costs due to long- and short-term complications. The current standard of care has yet to be established but generally involves continued fetal surveillance and multidisciplinary perinatal care. Postnatal surgical repair is achieved with primary closure, staged silo closure or sutureless repair. Experimental animal studies have demonstrated the feasibility of in utero closure, antiinflammatory therapy and prenatal regenerative therapy. However, reports of early preterm delivery and amnioinfusion trials have failed to show any benefit in humans. Further experimental studies and human trials are necessary to demonstrate the potential benefit of fetal therapy in gastroschisis.     

NOAA satellite data: a useful tool for macro inventory

This article discusses some of the demonstrated and potential uses of data from satellites with large fields of view and high frequency of coverage, such as NOAA AVHRR data and Nimbus-7 CZCS data. The use of such data is discussed for three types of applications: (a) stratification, (b) change detection, and (c) area estimation. It is concluded that such data have considerable promise as an aid to a variety of large-area inventory and monitoring tasks.     

Clean catalytic technology for liquid phase hydrocarbon oxidation

 Liquid phase hydrocarbon oxidation is one of the principal routes towards industrial organic chemicals. However, low product selectivity and associated by-product formation are major problems in several oxidation processes. As a result of the increasingly stringent environmental regulations, the development of oxidation catalysts has been a major challenge in the last decade. An overview of novel selective and clean oxidation catalysts and processes is presented. Received: 27 July 1998 / Accepted: 8 September 1998