Detection of viral particles in the blood lymphocytes of a patient with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

The electron microscopic examinations of the short-term cultures of mononuclear cells from patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia were conducted for the detection of viral particles. The viral particles which correspond in their morphology to C type retroviruses are observed in the intercellular space of the culture.     

Mortality from ship emissions: a global assessment

Epidemiological studies consistently link ambient concentrations of particulate matter (PM) to negative health impacts, including asthma, heart attacks, hospital admissions, and premature mortality. We model ambient PM concentrations from oceangoing ships using two geospatial emissions inventories and two global aerosol models. We estimate global and regional mortalities by applying ambient PM increases due to ships to cardiopulmonary and lung cancer concentration-risk functions and population models. Our results indicate that shipping-related PM emissions are responsible for approximately 60,000 cardiopulmonary and lung cancer deaths annually, with most deaths occurring near coastlines in Europe, East Asia, and South Asia. Under current regulation and with the expected growth in shipping activity, we estimate that annual mortalities could increase by 40% by 2012.     

A novel method to measure both the reductive and the radical scavenging activity in a linoleic acid model system

The aim of this study was to develop a combined method for measuring the total antioxidant activity, the reductive and the radical scavenging activity. Linoleic acid was used as the substrate for an iron-initiated lipid peroxidation to measure the total antioxidant activity. In addition, methyl esters of linoleic acid hydroperoxides were used as substrates to measure the reductive antioxidant activity. The radical scavenging antioxidant activity was calculated by subtracting the reductive antioxidative activity from the total antioxidative activity. As representative examples, the antioxidants alpha-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, trans-resveratrol and L-glutathione as well as commonly used food additives such as 2(3)-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole (BHA) and 2,6-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-methylphenol (BHT) were analyzed. The results for the novel antioxidation test showed that alpha-tocopherol, BHA and BHT are primarily acting as radical scavengers, whereas ascorbic acid and L-glutathione show a strong reductive capacity. As linoleic acid as well as its hydroperoxides both are present in foods and in the organism, the test presented here can be considered representative of radical reactions occurring in food matrixes and in vivo. Further experiments are required to document the comprehensive applicability in foods and in vivo.     

Bioactivity and metabolism of trans-resveratrol orally administered to Wistar rats

The purpose of this study was to investigate the implications of selected chemopreventive parameters and metabolic conversion of resveratrol in vivo. In two 8-week long feeding experiments with rats, a low-resveratrol diet containing 50 mg resveratrol per kg body weight (bw) and day and a high-resveratrol diet with 300 mg per kg bw and day were administered. For chemopreventive evaluation selected phase I and phase II enzymes of the biotransformation system, the total antioxidant activity, and the vitamin E status of the animals were determined. The level of resveratrol and its metabolites in the feces, urine, plasma, liver, and kidneys was identified and quantitated by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) using synthesized resveratrol conjugate standards. Feeding of different dosages of resveratrol revealed no effect on the different chemopreventive parameters, except for the total antioxidant activity, which was elevated in plasma by 19% after feeding 50 mg resveratrol per kg bw and day. The formation of trans-resveratrol-3-sulfate, trans-resveratrol-4'-sulfate, trans-resveratrol-3,5-disulfate, trans-resveratrol-3,4'-disulfate, trans-resveratrol-3,4',5-trisulfate, trans-resveratrol-3-O-beta-D-glucuronide, and resveratrol aglycone was detected by HPLC analysis, depending on the biological material. Total resveratrol recovery in urine and feces of rats fed on 50 mg resveratrol per kg bw and day was 15% and 13%, respectively. For rats fed the higher dosage of 300 mg resveratrol per kg bw and day recovery was 54% and 17%, respectively. This is the first study performed with synthesized standards of relevant resveratrol conjugates. The lack of effect on the chemopreventive parameters is probably due to the formation of various resveratrol conjugates reducing its bioavailability in the rat.     

Evolution of Hungarian residential energy efficiency support programmes: road to and operation under the Green Investment Scheme

The residential sector is the largest final energy consumer and is responsible for 30% of total carbon dioxide emissions in Hungary. In order to address the general poor condition of the building stock and resulting inefficiency in energy use, from 1990 onwards, the government and local authorities initiated energy efficiency support programmes in the residential buildings sector. Furthermore, technical assistance and loan guarantee schemes by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) helped to establish a market for financing energy efficiency investments. EU funds also played a role in the modernisation of non-residential buildings. Residential energy efficiency support programmes entered a new phase in 2009 with the start of the Green Investment Scheme (GIS). While Hungary was a front-runner in establishing the legal framework for GIS, the success of early AAU sales (the financing source of the scheme) were overshadowed by reputation concerns in terms of additionality and the disbursement of funds. At the same time the GIS brought with it improved environmental integrity compared to earlier programmes in terms of monitoring and verification of results, establishing a focus on GHG emission reductions in addition to energy savings, and introducing incentives for deeper refurbishment. The aim of the paper is to provide an overview of the evolution of energy efficiency support programmes for residential buildings in the Hungarian context, pointing out prevailing problematic elements, as well as areas of improvement and good practice.