Spectrophotometric determination of aminacrine hydrochloride in creams, jellies, and suppositories: interlaboratory study

A previously reported visible spectrophotometric method for the analysis of aminacrine hydrochloride in creams, jellies, and suppositories was studied collaboratively by 8 laboratories. Aminacrine hydrochloride was extracted into acidic ethanol and its visible spectrum recorded. The amount present was calculated by determining the net absorbance between the absorbance maximum at about 402 nm and one-half the sum of the absorbance of the minima at about 389 and 412 nm. Each collaborator received 4 creams (0.2%), 1 jel (0.2%), 1 molded suppository (6 mg/3.198 g), and 2 gelatin-encapsulated suppository samples (12 mg/6.661 g and 14 mg/6.863 g). The cream samples included blind duplicates prepared to contain 0.212% aminacrine hydrochloride, 15% sulfanilamide, and 2% allantoin. Mean recovery for the authentic cream was 104.7% with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 9.22%. The commercial products contained these respective amounts (CVs): creams, 100.0% (2.48%) and 101.5% (2.16%); jel, 118.0% (9.58%); molded suppository, 102.7% (1.88%); and gelatin encapsulated suppositories, 93.1% (1.0%) and 94.3% (1.60%). Standard aminacrine hydrochloride provided for the study was 99.6% pure by nonaqueous titration. Thin layer chromatographic identification of aminacrine hydrochloride was also tested collaboratively. The method was not adopted by AOAC.     

Macronutrient (N, P, K) and Redoximorphic Metal (Fe, Mn) Allocation in Leersia oryzoides (Rice Cutgrass) Grown Under Different Flood Regimes

Vegetated drainages are an effective method for removal of pollutants associated with agricultural runoff. Leersia oryzoides, a plant common to agricultural ditches, may be particularly effective in remediation; however, research characterizing responses of L. oryzoides to flooding are limited. Soil reduction resulting from flooding can change availability of nutrients to plants via changes in chemical species (e.g., increasing solubility of Fe). Additionally, plant metabolic stresses resulting from reduced soils can decrease nutrient uptake and translocation. The objective of this study was to characterize belowground and aboveground nutrient allocation of L. oryzoides subjected to various soil moisture regimes. Treatments included: a well-watered and well-drained control; a continuously saturated treatment; a 48-h pulse-flood treatment; and a partially flooded treatment in which water level was maintained at 15 cm below the soil surface and flooded to the soil surface for 48 h once a week. Soil redox potential (Eh, mV) was measured periodically over the course of the 8-week experiment. At experiment termination, concentrations of Kjeldahl nitrogen, phosphorus (P), potassium (K), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn) were measured in plant tissues. All flooded treatments demonstrated moderately reduced soil conditions (Eh < 350 mV). Plant Kjeldahl nitrogen concentrations demonstrated no treatment effect, whereas P and K concentrations decreased in aboveground portions of the plant. Belowground concentrations of P, Mn, and Fe were significantly higher in flooded plants, likely due to the increased solubility of these nutrients resulting from the reductive decomposition of metal–phosphate complexes in the soil and subsequent precipitation in the rhizosphere. These results indicate that wetland plants may indirectly affect P, Mn, and Fe concentrations in surface waters by altering local trends in soil oxidation–reduction chemistry.     

Density, biomass and vertical distribution ofAporrectodea caliginosa (Savigny 1826) (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae) in Benghazi, Libya

Studies were conducted during the period May 1993 to April 1994 on the density, biomass and vertical distribution ofAporrectodea caliginosa, a common species of earthworm found in the Benena farms in Benghazi, Libya. The soil of the farm was a clay loam, pH 7.3, and the organic matter averaged 4.2%. Maximum density and biomass ofA. caliginosa were recorded from October to December 1993 and again during March and April 1994, and minimum values were recorded from May to July 1993. A juvenile dominant population was observed during the summer. This was followed by an increase in subadults and adults during the autumn, winter and spring seasons. A positive correlation of the moisture and an inverse correlation of soil temperature on the density and biomass of these animals were discernible. A. caliginosa mainly confined their activities to the surface organic zone (0–10 cm depth) of the soil for most of the months studied.     

Theoretical speciation of ethylenediamine-N-(o-hydroxyphenylacetic)-N'-(p-hydroxyphenylacetic) acid (o,p-EDDHA) in agronomic conditions

The presence of ethylenediamine-N-(o-hydroxyphenylacetic)-N'-(p-hydroxyphenylacetic) acid (o,p-EDDHA) as the second largest component in commercial EDDHA iron chelates has recently been demonstrated. Here is reported the speciation of o,p-EDDHA by the application of a novel methodology through the determination of the complexing capacity, protonation, and Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Cu(2+), and Fe(3+) stability constants. The pM values and species distribution in solution, hydroponic, and soil conditions were obtained. Due to the para position of one phenol group in o,p-EDDHA, the protonation constants and Ca and Mg stability constants have different values from those of o,o-EDDHA and p,p-EDDHA regioisomers. o,p-EDDHA/Fe(3+) stability constants are higher than those of EDTA/Fe(3+) but lower than those of o,o-EDDHA/Fe(3+). The sequence obtained for pFe is o,o-EDDHA/Fe(3+) >/= o,p-EDDHA/Fe(3+) > EDTA/Fe(3+). o,p-EDDHA/Fe(3+) can be used as an iron chelate in hydroponic conditions. Also, it can be used in soils with limited Cu availability.     

Metallothionein Induction in the Sandhopper Talitrus saltator (Montagu) (Crustacea, Amphipoda)

We investigated metallothionein (MT) induction in the talitrid amphipod Talitrus saltator, a well-established biomonitor of trace metal contamination in the supralittoral environment, in response to laboratory exposure to Hg, Cd, or Cu for 3, 6, 24, and 48 h. Analyses were also carried out on animals collected in the wild from six localities along the Tuscan coast with different degrees of trace metal contamination. Animals exposed to Hg in the laboratory showed a strong dose-dependent increase of MT levels after 3 and 6 h; in the following hours (24 and 48 h), the MT concentrations reached control levels, possibly due to a general toxic effect of Hg. For the other metals, MT induction was observed in animals exposed to 10 ppm of Cd and 5 and 10 ppm of Cu. Therefore, despite the positive correlation between MT concentrations and trace metals in sandhoppers collected in the wild, the fast MT response observed in the laboratory suggests an inappropriate use of MT as biomarkers to assess trace metal pollution in coastal areas.     

Contents of heavy alkaline-earth (Sr,Ba) and rare-earth (Y,La, Ce) metals in technogenically contaminated soils

The contents of heavy alkaline-earth (Sr and Ba) and rare-earth (Y, La, and Ce) metals have been studied in two technogeochemical anomalies and in the soils of Perm and Chusovoi. The soils are contaminated with barium, lanthanum, and cerium in the territory of the Cherepovets technogeochemical anomaly formed due to the atmospheric emissions from the Severstal metallurgical works. Strontium, barium, and yttrium are accumulated in the soils of the Revda technogeochemical anomaly formed by aerial emissions from the Mid-Urals copper smelter. The portion of technogenic strontium reaches 43–84% near the metallurgical works, while that of barium and yttrium, 47–63 and 28–32%, respectively. In Perm, the urban soils are polluted with technogenic alkaline-earth metals, i.e., strontium and barium, with their content reaching 31–48%. In Chusovoi, the calcareous horizons of the soddy soils are enriched in strontium and depleted in barium. The eluvial-illuvial distribution of the rare-earth metals is registered in the soddy-podzolic soil. The soils of the terrace are contaminated with barium. The technozem is contaminated with all the metals (barium and yttrium, in particular).     

Characterization, antimicrobial activity, and mechanism of a high-performance (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG)-CuII/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibrous membrane

(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) exhibited strong antimicrobial activity. However, the easy oxidation of EGCG has limited its application. To increase the antimicrobial activity and stability of EGCG, the EGCG-Cu(II) complex was formed by chelating copper ions and then electronspun into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers. Electronspun nanofibrous membranes were investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which showed that the average fiber diameter was 210 nm. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of EGCG-Cu(II)/PVA membranes were tested against the tested strains. The bactericidal activity of EGCG-Cu(II) was suppressed by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Cell killing was accompanied by the leakage of intracellular proteins, indicating that the cytoplasmic membrane was badly damaged after exposure to the EGCG-Cu(II)/PVA membrane. We observed the process of cell damage by SEM. On the basis of experimental evidence and theoretical analyses, the mechanism proposed that copper ions played a cooperative role in the bactericidal process of EGCG. To evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the EGCG-Cu(II)/PVA membrane, we developed a rapid detection method by labeling cells with water-soluble CdTe quantum dots.     

Interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus intraradices,Glomeromycota) and amoebae (Acanthamoeba castellanii,Protozoa) in the rhizosphere of rice (Oryza sativa)

Rice plants (Oryza sativa L.) were grown in microcosms containing soil with a diverse bacterial community (control) and inoculated either with an axenic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (Glomus intraradices) or an axenic inoculum of protozoan grazers of bacteria (Acanthamoeba castellanii), or both, in a factorial design.Amoebae and mycorrhiza affected the root architecture of rice in opposite directions, with mycorrhiza reducing and protozoa increasing early root growth. Rice biomass did not increase in presence of mycorrhiza (×1.08), but strongly increased in presence of Acanthamoebae (×1.29). The positive effects of amoebae were always reduced when plants were also infected with mycorrhiza. Microbial biomass increased (×1.4) and microbial growth was less limited by phosphorus in presence of mycorrhiza. However, plant phosphorus uptake did not increase, rather, plant concentrations of carbon and nutrients decreased in presence of mycorrhiza, suggesting a sequestration of resources during the establishment of a mycorrhizal network. Amoebae strongly interacted with, and partly compensated for, the effects of mycorrhiza, demonstrating that interactions between AM fungi and the microbial food web in the rhizosphere significantly feed back on early plant performance.     

Quince (Cydonia oblonga Miller) fruit (pulp, peel, and seed) and Jam: antioxidant activity

To study the antioxidant activity of quince fruit (pulp, peel, and seed) and jam, methanolic extracts were prepared. Each extract was fractionated into a phenolic fraction and an organic acid fraction and was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/diode array detection and HPLC/UV, respectively. Antiradical activities of the extracts and fractions were evaluated by a microassay using 1,1'-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl. The phenolic fraction always exhibited a stronger antioxidant activity than the whole methanolic extract. Organic acid extracts were always the weakest in terms of antiradical activity, which seems to indicate that the phenolic fraction gives a higher contribution for the antioxidant potential of quince fruit and jam. The evaluation of the antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts showed that peel extract was the one presenting the highest antioxidant capacity. The IC50 values of quince pulp, peel, and jam extracts were correlated with the caffeoylquinic acids total content. Among the phenolic fractions, the seed extract was the one that exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity. The IC50 values of quince pulp, peel, and jam phenolic extracts were strongly correlated with caffeoylquinic acids and phenolics total contents. For organic acid fractions, the peel extract was the one that had the strongest antiradical activity. The IC50 values of quince pulp, peel, and jam organic acid fractions were correlated with the ascorbic acid and citric acid contents.     

Elementgehalte (C,N, P,K) wirbelloser Bodentiere

Elemental analyses (C, N, P, K) of invertebrate soil animals Contents of C, N, P and K were analysed in the dry matter of 14 soil organisms (13 species of animals + cysts of protozoa + 1 phytoflagellate) as well as the contents in C and N of further 9 animal species. The investigated material was partly collected in the field, partly raised in laboratory cultures. On the basis of similar C-contens, the investigated organisms may be classified into 4 groups: (1) snails (with shell) 18,3–20,7% C, (2) myriopodes and isopodes 30,3–34,1% C, (3) protozoa, nematodes and oligochaetes 41,2–49,5% C, (4) insects (adult) 48,4–53,3% C. The chemical composition of the organisms is discussed and possible causes of fluctuating concentrations are indicated.     

Spectrophotometric assay of salsolidine hydrochloride.

The proposed method is based on the reaction of salsolidine HCl with carbon disulfide and ammoniacal copper sulfate. The resulting salsolidine-copper-dithiocarbamate complex is extracted with benzene and measured spectrophotometrically at 448 nm. The method is applicable for the detection of 40-500 mug salsolidine/5 ml.     

Density, biomass and vertical distribution ofAporrectodea caliginosa (Savigny 1826) (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae) in Benghazi, Libya

Studies were conducted during the period May 1993 to April 1994 on the density, biomass and vertical distribution ofAporrectodea caliginosa, a common species of earthworm found in the Benena farms in Benghazi, Libya. The soil of the farm was a clay loam, pH 7.3, and the organic matter averaged 4.2%. Maximum density and biomass ofA. caliginosa were recorded from October to December 1993 and again during March and April 1994, and minimum values were recorded from May to July 1993. A juvenile dominant population was observed during the summer. This was followed by an increase in subadults and adults during the autumn, winter and spring seasons. A positive correlation of the moisture and an inverse correlation of soil temperature on the density and biomass of these animals were discernible. A. caliginosa mainly confined their activities to the surface organic zone (0–10 cm depth) of the soil for most of the months studied.