The effect of iodine-containing x-ray contrast media on water status in the blood plasma

The impact of radio-opaque agents on human blood plasma water pool was studied by using relaxation proton magnetic resonance methods with a pulse gradient of magnetic field. The findings suggest that blood plasma water imbalance was induced by human serum albumin dehydration processes after RCN-HSA interaction.     

Anomalous temperature dependence of the activity of immobilized alpha-chymotrypsin preparations

Catalytic activity of alpha-chymotrypsin preparations covalently included in the matrix of the poly-N-isopropylacrylamide gel does not follow Arrhenius equation above the low critical temperature of the polymer dissolution. Starting from this temperature, at which the changes of polymer structure takes place (hydrophobization), the temperature increase results in a rate lowering for the chemical reaction catalyzed by the enzyme. This phenomenon is reversible. A correlation between temperature dependence of the immobilized alpha-chymotrypsin activity and the dehydration degree of the carrier is observed. The decrease of the water content in the matrix causes a change of the substrate specificity of the immobilized alpha-chymotrypsin.     

The impact of cognitively impaired patients and shift on nursing assistant stress

Sixty-four male Wistar rats (mean weight 215 +/- g) were divided into two groups of 32 animals each, with four additional subgroups (n = 8). The experimental group was subjected to immobilization stress for 24 hours and sacrificed during the photo - (10:00-14:00 hours) and scotophases (00:00-02:00 hours) of spring and winter. Photophase and seasonal differences were observed (p < 0.0001) between the corticomedullary karyometric values obtained in the control group. Similar results were obtained in the experimental group, though the seasonal differences were greater and favored spring (p < 0.0001), while the photophase differences were less important (p < 0.03). The number of synaptic ribbons showed a significant inversion of the physiological day/night ratio in both seasons. Similar results were obtained for the melatonin serum levels. The results suggest that photophase and season may be conditioning factors in the albino rat regarding pineal response to stress immobilization.