Two early Eocene vines from south-east England

Small diameter pyritized axes, commonly referred to as 'twigs', of fossil vitaceous and menispermaceous wood from the Lower Eocene, London Clay Formation of south-east England are described here for the first time. The vitaceous twigs, which represent the earliest known occurrence of fossil Vitaceae wood, are characterized by large diameter, solitary vessels, tall wide rays which dilate in the phloem region, scalariform intervessel pits and simple perforation plates. The wood anatomy supports a close relationship to the Vitaceae and in particular the genus Rhoicissus Planch. The menispermaceous twigs are characterized by medium to moderately large vessels, simple perforation plates, alternate intervascular pitting and very broad and high rays. The anatomical characters support a close relationship to the Menispermaceae and in particular the genera Tinomiscium Miers and Coscinium Colebr. However, as these fossil twigs are not exactly similar to any particular genus they have been placed in the organ genus, Vitacexoylon Wheeler and LaPasha and Menispermoxylon Vozenin-Serra, Privé-Gill & Ginsburg, with which, respectively, they have the greatest similarity. These specimens were studied using reflected light- and scanning electron microscopy.     

A review of the platanaceous woods from the Eocene paratropical rainforest of south-east England

Small diameter pyritized axes, commonly referred to as 'twigs', of fossil platanaceous wood are described from the Lower Eocene London Clay Formation of south-east England. These twigs are characterized by solitary vessels with scalariform perforation plates, opposite intervessel pits, and tall, multiseriate rays that dilate in the phloem region. The wood anatomy supports close relationship to members of extant Platanaceae and the material is placed in the organ genus Plataninium Unger erected for fossil woods with close anatomical similarity to Platanus L. This material supplements the fossil record of platanaceous type wood from the Eocene London Clay and documents the first record of Plataninium decipiens Brett in the twig flora.  © 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2002, 139 , 181–191.     

Comparative sectoriality in temperate hardwoods: hydraulics and xylem anatomy

In wood, lateral transport of water and minerals occurs readily in 'integrated' trees but is more restricted in 'sectored species'. Dye distribution and a novel hydraulic technique are used to quantify species-specific differences in sectoriality in three temperate hardwoods, Betula papyrifera , Acer saccharum and Quercus rubra. Sectoriality was related to key elements of xylem structure: intervascular pitting, vessel diameter and vessel grouping. Perfusion of 0.5% safranin through isolated roots showed root-to-branch dye transport was most extensive in B. papyrifera and least extensive in Q. rubra . To test sectorialty using hydraulics, 20 m m KCl solution was pushed at 0.1 MPa through 5-cm wood segments, before and after occluding the direct axial outlet with glue, with flow rate measured in grams of solution expelled over time. Direct (axial) conductance (g MPa⁻¹ s⁻¹) through unglued outlets was compared with indirect (tangential) conductance around occluded outlets. Species with high indirect/direct conductance ratios (Integration Index) are the most integrated. Integration Index ranged from 0.26 in B. papyrifera to 0.02 in Q. rubra . Macerates showed that B. papyrifera has much greater percentage of cell wall area covered with intervascular pits than does A. saccharum or Q. rubra . Vessel grouping was closest in B. papyrifera and vessels were most isolated in Q. rubra . Widest diameter vessels occurred in Q. rubra , where they concentrated in springwood. Intervascular pitting, vessel diameter and grouping are wood traits that contribute to the continuum of sectoriality in trees, and may influence the ability of tree species to dominate in homogeneous or in patchy environments.  © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 150 , 61–71.     

Anatomical features that facilitate radial flow across growth rings and from xylem to cambium in Cryptomeria japonica

Background and Aims

Although the lateral movement of water and gas in tree stems is an important issue for understanding tree physiology, as well as for the development of wood preservation technologies, little is known about the vascular pathways for radial flow. The aim of the current study was to understand the occurrence and the structure of anatomical features of sugi (Cryptomeria japonica) wood including the tracheid networks, and area fractions of intertracheary pits, tangential walls of ray cells and radial intercellular spaces that may be related to the radial permeability (conductivity) of the xylem.

Methods

Wood structure was investigated by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy of traditional wood anatomical preparations and by a new method of exposed tangential faces of growth-ring boundaries.

Key Results

Radial wall pitting and radial grain in earlywood and tangential wall pitting in latewood provide a direct connection between subsequent tangential layers of tracheids. Bordered pit pairs occur frequently between earlywood and latewood tracheids on both sides of a growth-ring boundary. In the tangential face of the xylem at the interface with the cambium, the area fraction of intertracheary pit membranes is similar to that of rays (2·8 % and 2·9 %, respectively). The intercellular spaces of rays are continuous across growth-ring boundaries. In the samples, the mean cross-sectional area of individual radial intercellular spaces was 1·2 µm² and their total volume was 0·06 % of that of the xylem and 2·07 % of the volume of rays.

Conclusions

A tracheid network can provide lateral apoplastic transport of substances in the secondary xylem of sugi. The intertracheid pits in growth-ring boundaries can be considered an important pathway, distinct from that of the rays, for transport of water across growth rings and from xylem to cambium.Key words: Cryptomeria japonica, bordered pit, intercellular spaces, lateral transport, tracheid network, water conduction, xylem permeability     

Woods of the Vitaceae—fossil and modern

Vitaceoxylon tiffneyi gen. et sp. nov. and Vitaceoxylon carlquistii sp. nov. from the Middle Eocene Clarno formation are the oldest known woods with characteristics of the Vitaceae. They are characterized by a tendency to two diameter classes of vessels, wide and tall rays, and a high proportion of their area is vessel. Other characteristics include septate imperforate elements, scanty paratracheal to vasicentric parenchyma, idioblasts in the rays, crowded alternate intervessel pitting, and vessel-parenchyma pits with reduced borders. Wood anatomy of the major extant genera of Vitaceae was examined and compared to the fossils. Features of secondary xylem useful for distinguishing between genera in the Vitaceae include vessel size and arrangement (two distinct diameter classes or not, radial multiples or tendency to tangential multiples), vessel pitting (scalariform or alternate), crystal type (prismatic, druses, and/or raphides) and location (in chambered parenchyma and/or ray parenchyma), cambial variants (present or absent). Wood anatomy supports the proposed close relationship of Cissus to Cayratia. Pronounced vessel dimorphism occurs in temperate Vitaceae; cambial variant structure occurs in tropical Vitaceae. Despite their conformity with Vitaceae at the family level, the two fossil woods are not comparable to any one extant genus. This contrasts with the Vitaceae seeds from Clarno, all of which are referable to extant genera. Two new combinations for fossil woods of the Vitaceae are proposed: Vitaceoxylon ampelopsoides (Schönfeld) comb. nov., and Vitaceoxylon megyazoense (Greguss) comb. nov.     

Tetracentron Wood from the Miocene of Noto Peninsula,Central Japan,with a short revision of homoxylic fossil woods

A vesselless fossil wood was discovered in the Miocene Yanagida Formation in the Noto Peninsula, central Japan. This fossil has distinct growth rings with gradual transition from the early- to the latewood ; tracheids, which are called 'usual traeheids' here, constitute the ground mass of the wood and have typical scalariform bordered pits on radial walls in the earlywood and circular sparse pits on those in the latewood ; rays are 1\2-4 cells wide and heterogeneous with low to high uniseriate wings; axial parenchyma strands are scattered in the latewood. This wood has a peculiar feature; sporadic radial files of broad tracheids whose tangential walls have crowded alternate bordered pits. The radial walls have crowded half-bordered pits to ray cells, but no pits to the usual tracheids. Among all of the extant and extinct angiosperms and gymnosperms, these unusual tracheids occur only in Tetracentron. From these features, we refer the fossil to the extant genus Tetracentron, and name it T. japonoxylum. A revision of homoxylic woods is made for comparision with the present fossil. Tetracentron japonoxylum is the only fossil wood of Tetracentron.     

Glutoxylon Chowdhury (Anacardiaceae): the first record of fossil wood from Bangladesh

This paper documents the first record of silicified fossil wood from a previously undescribed wood-rich horizon in the Sitakund Anticline, Eastern Bangladesh. The outcrop is composed of cross-stratified, fine-medium grained sandstones with bidirectional cross stratification indicative of a tidal environment, deposited ca. 5-5.2 million years before present (Miocene/Pliocene). The wood is characterised by large solitary vessels with alternate intervascular pits, banded parenchyma, uniseriate rays, and multiseriate rays with one radial canal per ray. This character combination closely resembles the wood of extant Gluta L. of the Anacardiaceae. This specimen has been assigned to the organ genus Glutoxylon Chowdhury erected for fossil woods with anatomical similarity to Gluta (including Melanorrhoea Wall.). The excellent preservation of this mature wood specimen illustrates the potential for using fossil wood from the Sitakund locality for palaeoecological studies in terms of biodiversity and adaptational response to climate change. Moreover such investigations of fossil woods from Bangladesh will compliment studies undertaken on fossil plants in other parts of Central and Southeastern Asia which will further the understanding of plant migration routes between India and Southeast Asia during the Tertiary.     

Anatomy of the vessel network within and between tree rings of Fraxinus lanuginosa (Oleaceae)

The three-dimensional (3-D) arrangement of vessels and the vessel-to-vessel connections in the secondary xylem of the stem of the ring-porous hardwood tree Fraxinus lanuginosa were studied in series of thick transverse sections with epifluorescence microscope and confocal laser scanning microscope. Vessels were traced in sequential sections, and vessel networks were reconstructed in two segments of wood with dimensions of 2 × 1.4 × 21.2 mm(3) and 2 × 1.4 × 5.8 mm(3) (tangential × radial × axial). The arrangement of vessels and intervessel pits were visualized by scanning electron microscopy in low-density polyethylene microcasts and on exposed tangential faces of growth-ring boundaries. The vessels deviated from the stem axis in the tangential direction and, to a lesser extent, in the radial direction. Some neighboring vessels were twisted around each other. Vessels that appeared solitary in single sections were found to be sequentially contiguous with a number of other vessels, forming networks that extended in the tangential direction and across growth-ring boundaries. In the 21.2-mm wood block, all earlywood vessels at the growth-ring boundary made contact with latewood vessels in the previous tree ring. Within a growth ring however, only a single contact was observed between individual earlywood and latewood vessels. Densely arranged intervessel pits were characteristic in the regions where adjacent vessels made contact with each other. Such bordered pits were abundant in the tangential walls of vessel elements adjacent to growth-ring boundaries. Therefore, bordered pits appear to provide the pathway for the radial transport of water via the vessel network across growth-ring borders. Fiber-tracheids, observed as terminal cells in the tree rings, might also contribute to the apoplastic transfer of water across ring borders.     

Complete microscale profiling of tumor microangiogenesis: A microradiological methodology reveals fundamental aspects of tumor angiogenesis and yields an array of quantitative parameters for its characterization

Complete profiling would substantially facilitate the fundamental understanding of tumor angiogenesis and of possible anti-angiogenesis cancer treatments. We developed an integrated synchrotron-based methodology with excellent performances: detection of very small vessels by high spatial resolution (~ 1 μm) and nanoparticle contrast enhancement, in vivo dynamics investigations with high temporal resolution (~ 1 ms), and three-dimensional quantitative morphology parametrization by computer tracing. The smallest (3–10 μm) microvessels were found to constitute > 80% of the tumor vasculature and exhibit many structural anomalies. Practical applications are presented, including vessel microanalysis in xenografted tumors, monitoring the effects of anti-angiogenetic agents and in vivo detection of tumor vascular rheological properties.     

Évaluation du contenu surrénalien en androstènedione et effets de la castration chez le lapin domestique (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

DHEA, DHEA sulphate and androstenedione are C19 steroïds secreted by the adrenal cortex. These hormones with a weak androgen activity are precursors of estrogens and androgens. In human and other primates these hormones are produced in important quantities, even though, in domestic and laboratory animals, a few secretion is measured. In this survey, the androstenedione is quantified both in plasma and adrenal gland of young, prepubertal and adult rabbits and the castration effects on adrenal cortex histology are noted too. The absolute weight (AW) of the left adrenal gland is slightly higher than the right (p > 0.05) for all animals and the gland absolute weight (AW) for the adult rabbit is superior to the young and prepubertal rabitts (p < 0.05). The castration effect in adult increases the adrenal weight (p < 0.001). A zonation of adrenal cortex for young rabbits is observed. The zona fasciculata is important for young and prepubertal rabbits whereas, the zona reticularis is thicker for the adults. Thickness of glomerulosa, fasciculata and reticularis zonas increased with 6.55% (p > 0.05), 15.9% (p < 0.01) and 79.21% (p < 0.001) for the castred adult rabbits and histological modifications were observed in the zona reticularis. The plasma androstenedione is negligible for the young (0.060 ± 0.01 ng/mL), weak for the prepubertal (0.152 ± 0.03 ng/mL) and reaches (0.263 ± 0.03 ng/mL) for the adult. The androstenedione relative content (ng/100 mg of adrenal weight) is 2.90 ± 0.30; 4.54 ± 0.82 and 1.34 ± 0.36 for the young, prepubertal and adult rabbits. In this work, an increase of the androstenedione adrenal content is observed for the prepubertal rabbits, which could intervene in the process of puberty.     

FLORA OF THE LOWER CRETACEOUS CEDAR MOUNTAIN FORMATION OF UTAH AND COLORADO. PART III: ICACINOXYLON PITTIENSE N. SP

Icacinoxylon pittiense, a new species of angiospermous wood from the Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah is described and compared with similar fossil and modem woods. It is distinguished from other species of Icacinoxylon by its thick-walled fiber-tracheids with their walls making up at least 50% of the total diameter of the cells, conspicuous bordered pits with obliquely crossing extended apertures on both the tangential and radial walls of its fiber-tracheids, scalariform perforation plates with as few as four or greater than 30 bars, transitional opposite to scalariform pitting on its vessel walls, thick-walled ray cells, and distinct sheath or border cells in its rays. Icacinoxylon pittiense is the first species of this genus to be reported from Cretaceous sediments. This wood is of special interest because very few angiosperm woods have been reported from lower Cretaceous strata.     

Biostratigraphie d’après les foraminifères et paléoenvironnements des séries post-Éocène du sondage ASHTART 28, golfe de Gabès (Tunisie)

The Cenozoic sequence of Ashtart 28 well drilled in the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia) is the subject of a biostratigraphical study. The samples recovered in cuttings from 390 m and downwards allowed to recognize, above the Late Eocene sediments, a sedimentary series, lithologically diversified, nearly 1600 m thick. Marine Pliocene deposits, generally attesting a low bathymetry, lie unconformably above the Messinian (Oued Bel Khedim formation), which shows the usual features of the Mediterranean confinement. The underlying Messinian pre-evaporitic platform series (Melqart formation), that is over 250 m thick, is typical of a perireefal environment. The sediments assigned to the Tortonian (Somâa Sands formation) are continental and occur unconformably above the approximately 500-metres-thick Middle Miocene strata (Saouaf, Mahmoud, Aïn Grab and Salammbô pars formations). The marine Lower Miocene and Oligocene sediments (Salammbô pars and Ketatna formations), that are more than 300 m thick, lie in continuity under the Middle Miocene. The infralittoral Chattian sequence has especially supplied a diversified assemblage of larger foraminifera recovered in other west-mediterranean basins. Datings were obtained based on planktonic and larger benthic foraminifera (Miogypsinidae, Nummulitidae, Lepidocyclinidae) and by correlations obtained by means of well loggings and lithostratigraphy. Benthic foraminifera, mainly listed for the Miocene and Oligocene, are studied from a systematic, stratigraphic and paleogeographic point of view. The paleoenvironments of deposits are defined for each considered stratigraphic interval. Comparisons are sketched with other drillings of the Gulf of Gabes. Thanks to the numerous data obtained by this detailed study, the Ashtart drilling can serve as a reference for the Tertiary sequence of this part of the Mediterranean domain.     

Fossil wood of Eristophyton sp. from the Carboniferous deposits of northern Russia (Arkhangelsk region)

Permineralised wood of Eristophyton sp. is first described from the Carboniferous deposits of the Arkhangelsk region, northern Russia. The specimens used in the study show scalariform thickening of the metaxylem tracheids both on radial and tangential walls. Eristophyton sp. indicates well preserved elements of secondary xylem: uni-, rarely biseriate xylem rays up to 15–16 cells high; uni-, multiseriate tracheid pitting only on radial walls; 1–8 contiguous cross-field pits and their inclined narrow apertures. A brief review and comparison with known anatomically preserved plants from the Lower Carboniferous of different localities of Scotland, France, USA and Poland is discussed.     

The first record of fossil Vitaceae wood from the Southern Hemisphere,a new combination for Vitaceoxylon ramunculiformis,and reappraisal of the fossil record of the grape family (Vitaceae) from the Cenozoic of Australia

Austrovideira dettmannaegen. & sp. nov. from the early Oligocene Capella Flora in central Queensland is the first fossil Vitaceae wood described from the Southern Hemisphere. A new combination, Stafylioxylon ramunculiformis (Poole & Wilkinson) Pace & Rozefelds for a Northern Hemisphere fossil wood is also proposed. Austrovideira and Stafylioxylon share with Vitaceoxylon secondary xylem with two diameter classes of vessels, wide vessels usually solitary, narrow vessels forming radial chains, very wide and tall rays, scanty paratracheal parenchyma and septate fibres. Austrovideira differs from Vitaceoxylon in having scalariform intervessel pits and homocellular rays composed exclusively of procumbent cells. This combination of features is seen in the Ampelocissus‐Vitis clade, and a clearly stratified phloem with fibre bands alternating with all other axial elements and phloem rays rapidly dilating towards the periderm is restricted to Parthenocissus and Vitis. Stafylioxylon shares with Austrovideira the presence of scalariform intervessel pits but it differs from that genus in both ray composition and bark anatomy, as it lacks a stratified phloem. These fossil wood genera demonstrate that the lianescent habit in the Vitaceae was established by the Eocene in the Northern Hemisphere and by the Oligocene in the Southern Hemisphere. The pollen and seed fossil record shows that the Vitaceae were in Australia by the Eocene and fossil seeds suggest that the family had radiated by this time. The Oligocene Capella flora with two seed taxa and fossil wood (Austrovideira) provides further evidence of an Australian radiation. The fossil evidence, suggests a significant Gondwanic history for the family.     

KLEINODENDRON AND XYLEM ANATOMY OF CLUYTIEAE (EUPHORBIACEAE)

Kleinodendron, a new genus of Euphorbiaceae, was assigned by Smith and Downs to the tribe Cluytieae. A xylem anatomical survey indicates that there are no objections to this placement. Woods of Cluytieae are diverse but may be characterized generally by having pores which average less than 80 μ in diameter and which are well divided between solitary and radial multiple distributions in the same species; simple vessel perforations; alternate intervascular pitting; fiber-tracheids and libriform wood fibers; exclusively uniseriate, or uniseriate and biseriate heterocellular vascular rays in the same species; uniseriate “bridges” linking superposed biseriate ray segments; diffuse, diffuse-in-aggregates, and scanty vasicentric axial parenchyma, sometimes in the same species; and crystal rhomboids. That Microdesmis and Pogonophora diverge sharply from these generalizations in having scalariform vessel perforations and broad vascular rays, is an indication that they may not be closely related to other genera in Cluytieae.     

Haemocyte morphology and function in the Akoya Pearl Oyster, Pinctada imbricata

The morphology and cytochemistry of Pinctada imbricata haemocytes were studied in vitro. Three distinct blood cell types were identified; hyalinocytes, granulocytes, and serous cells. Haemocytes were classified based on the presence/absence of granules, and nucleus to cytoplasm ratio. Granulocytes were the most common cell type (62 ± 2.81%), followed by hyalinocytes (36 ± 2.35%), and serous cells (2 ± 0.90%). Granulocytes, and hyalinocytes were found to be immunologically active, with the ability to phagocytose Congo red stained yeast. Of the cells involved in phagocytosis, granulocytes were the most active with 88.8 ± 3.9% of these haemocytes engulfing yeast. Cytochemical stains (phenoloxidase, peroxidase, superoxide, melanin, neutral red) showed that enzymes associated with phagocytic activity were localised in granules within granulocytes. Based on their affinities for Giemsa/May-Grünwald stain, haemocytes were also defined as either acidic, basic or neutral. Hyalinocytes and serous cells were found to be eosinophilic, whilst granulocytes were either basophilic (large granulocytes), eosinophilic (small granulocytes) or a combination of the two (combination granulocytes). Light, differential interference contrast and epi-fluorescence microscopy identified three sub-populations of granulocytes based on size and granularity; small (4.00-5.00 μm in diameter, with small granules (0.05-0.5 μm in diameter), large (5.00-9.00 μm in diameter, with large granules (0.50-2.50 μm in diameter) and combination (5.00-9.00 μm in diameter, with both large and small granules). These observations demonstrate that P. imbricata have a variety of morphologically and functionally specialized haemocytes, many of which maybe associated with immunological functions.     

The relationship between water availability and anatomical characters in Carex hirta

The effects of edaphic moisture in anatomical characters were evaluated in two different populations of Carex hirta L. with three watering treatment for 6 months to evaluate stability, and determined taxonomic value. Water availability increased (p < 0.001) leaf thickness from 239 to 289 μm, metaxylem vessel diameter from 17 to 23 μm, air cavity size from 10 to 24% and adaxial epidermal cell height from 18 to 34 μm, and abaxial from 11 to 16 μm, adaxial epidermal cell length from 54 to 105 μm, and abaxial from 35 to 86 μm, and adaxial epidermal cell width from 20 to 33 μm, and abaxial from 15 to 23 μm. Stomatal index and the number of cells in the girder of sclerenchyma did not vary with water availability, hence these traits have taxonomic value. Other characters (the length and amplitude of wall undulations in the epidermal cells, the number of bulliform cells) have a doubtful relation with water availability, because they are variable even in constant homogeneous conditions.     

Determination of cefazedone in human plasma by high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry: Application to a pharmacokinetic study on Chinese volunteers

A rapid, sensitive and simple high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) method was developed for determination of cefazedone in human plasma using metronidazole as internal standard (IS). The chromatographic separation was achieved on an Ultimate XB-CN column (2.1 mm × 150 mm, 5 μm) with an isocratic mobile phase of acetonitrile and 20 mM ammonium acetate in 0.1% formic acid in water (15:85, v/v). Detection was performed using electrospray ionization in positive ion multiple reaction-monitoring mode (SRM), monitoring the transitions m/z 548.2 → 344.1 for cefazedone and m/z 172.2 → 128.1 for IS. Calibration curves were linear over a wide range of 0.20–401.12 μg/mL for cefazedone in plasma. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 0.20 μg/mL. The intra- and inter-day precisions were less than 7.2%. The average recovery of cefazedone was 90.8–91.0%. The validated method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of cefazedone in Chinese healthy volunteers following intravenous (IV) administration of 500, 1000 and 2000 mg cefazedone injection.     

Development and validation of a LC–MS/MS method for the determination of clebopride and its application to a pharmacokinetics study in healthy Chinese volunteers

A sensitive and specific liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC–ESI-MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for the identification and quantification of clebopride in human plasma using itopride as an internal standard. The method involves a simple liquid–liquid extraction. The analytes were separated by isocratic gradient elution on a CAPCELL MG-III C₁₈ (5 μm, 150 mm × 2.1 mm i.d.) column and analyzed in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with positive electrospray ionization (ESI) interface using the respective [M+H]⁺ ions, m/z 373.9 → m/z184.0 for clebopride, m/z 359.9 → m/z71.5 for itopride. The method was validated over the concentration range of 69.530–4450.0 pg/ml for clebopride. Within- and between-batch precision (RSD%) was all within 6.83% and accuracy ranged from −8.16 to 1.88%. The LLOQ was 69.530 pg/ml. The extraction recovery was on an average 77% for clebopride. The validated method was used to study the pharmacokinetics profile of clebopride in human plasma after oral administration of clebopride.