The content of lead in greening etiolated barley leaves remained the same, regardless the time of incubation of excised leaves in the presence of lead ions (8 -24 h). The lead deposits have not been detected within mesophyll cells, but were found in intercellular spaces of mesophyll, in guard cells and in cuticle coveting stomata. This suggests that lead may be transported in the leaves via transpiration stream. Lead reduced the content of chlorophyll, especially chlorophyll b content and the average number of grana, whereas in the presence of kinetin the content of chlorophyll increased. In the combined treatment (lead + kinetin) kinetin diminished the inhibitory effect of lead on the chlorophyll content. The number of chloroplasts in mesophyll cells remained unchanged after lead treatment, whereas kinetin alone or applied together with. lead increased the average chloroplasts number. The thylakoids system in chloroplasts of kinetin and kinetin + lead treated plants was similar to that observed in control, although the grana number was smaller. Both lead and kinetin increased the content of condensed chromatin in nuclei.

The metabolic activity of the red cell glycolytic pathway hexose monophosphate shunt (HMP) with dependent glutathione system was studied in patients with hyperthyroidism (n = 10), hyperlipoproteinemia (n = 16), hypoglycemia (n = 25) and hyperglycemia (n = 23). In uncontrolled diabetics and patients with hyperthyroidism the mean value of glucose phosphate isomerase (GPI), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD), glutathione reductase (GR) was increased, whereas these enzyme activities were reduced in patients with hypoglycemia. Apart from a few values of hexokinase (HK) which were lower than normal the results in hyperlipoproteinemia patients remained essentially unchanged, including the intermediates such as 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and reduced glutathione (GSH). While increased rates of 2,3-DPG and ATP in hypoglycemia patients were obtained, these substrates were markedly reduced in diabetics.

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