DNA methylation-associated colonic mucosal immune and defense responses in treatment-na?ve pediatric ulcerative colitis

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are emerging globally, indicating that environmental factors may be important in their pathogenesis. Colonic mucosal epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation, can occur in response to the environment and have been implicated in IBD pathology. However, mucosal DNA methylation has not been examined in treatment-naïve patients. We studied DNA methylation in untreated, left sided colonic biopsy specimens using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip array. We analyzed 22 control (C) patients, 15 untreated Crohn’s disease (CD) patients, and 9 untreated ulcerative colitis (UC) patients from two cohorts. Samples obtained at the time of clinical remission from two of the treatment-naïve UC patients were also included into the analysis. UC-specific gene expression was interrogated in a subset of adjacent samples (5 C and 5 UC) using the Affymetrix GeneChip PrimeView Human Gene Expression Arrays. Only treatment-naïve UC separated from control. One-hundred-and-twenty genes with significant expression change in UC (> 2-fold, P < 0.05) were associated with differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Epigenetically associated gene expression changes (including gene expression changes in the IFITM1, ITGB2, S100A9, SLPI, SAA1, and STAT3 genes) were linked to colonic mucosal immune and defense responses. These findings underscore the relationship between epigenetic changes and inflammation in pediatric treatment-naïve UC and may have potential etiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic relevance for IBD.     

Simple synthesis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">P</Emphasis><Superscript>1</Superscript>-(11-phenoxyundecyl)-<Emphasis Type="Italic">P</Emphasis><Superscript>2</Superscript>-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-<Emphasis Type="Italic">D</Emphasis>-galactopyranosyl) diphosphate

A simple method of the synthesis of P ¹-(11-phenoxyundecyl)-P ²-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-D-galactopyranosyl) diphosphate, which is a synthetic lipid acceptor for glycosyl transferases participating in the biosynthesis of O-antigenic polysaccharides of Gram-negative bacteria, is suggested.     

Functional morphology of the myosatellitocytes in ontogenesis of higher vertebrates and man

By means of electron microscopic radioautography of RNA and DNA synthesis, morphometry of satellite cells, transmissive electron microscopy applying photometric scanning of the image, a successive development and maturation of myosatellites has been studied in ontogenesis of hens, rats and the man. The initial muscle cells for simplasts are promyoblasts. At the stage of myotubes and young muscle fibres, structural and functional heterogeneity of the satellite cells in the myotubes takes place. It is possible to distinguish satellite promyoblasts (the cells which are at the state of proliferative rest, interact with simplasts, intensively synthesize RNA, temporarily do not fuse with simplasts but have certain metabolic connection with them). Subsequently, promyocytes form myosatellitocytes of the I type, they are constantly found in small amount in the muscle fibre composition during the whole course of the animal's ontogenesis. According to the morphological classification, promyoblasts and promyocytes belong to myosatellitocytes of the II type. When studying myosatellitogenesis in the animals, no other sources of cell production have been found.     

Quantum mechanical study of bases interactions in various associates in atomic dipole approximation

Expressions for the various components of the long-range interaction energy of any number of molecules are obtained by the perturbation theory method in atomic dipole approximation. These expressions are used for the study of base interaction nature in coplanar pairs and stacked dimers formed of neighbouring Watson-Crick pairs. Bases wave functions are computed by the CNDO-CI method. The in-plane interactions are shown to give the dominant contribution into the DNA stabilization energy in vacuum. The estimations performed for the solvent effect on intermolecular interaction energy allowed one to draw a conclusion about the decisive role of hydrophobic interactions in a base stacking.     

The reaction of the N-cholinoreceptors of the isolated neuron of the mollusk Planorbarius corneus to polymethylene-bis-trimethylammonium compounds

Experiments have been made on isolated giant neurones of the mollusc Planorbarius corneus using clamp technique at temperatures 10 and 20 degrees C. The effect of polymethylene-bis-trimethylammonium compounds with 7-18 methylene groups in the molecule (C7...C18) on N-cholinoreceptors with chloride ionic channels was investigated. All these drugs were found to be agonists. Their cholinomimetic activity depends on the number of methylene groups (up to a certain extent) in their structure. This finding stands true also for skeletal muscles of frog and chick, as it had been shown in our earlier experiments. Analysis of membrane current fluctuations showed that the elementary current, the channel opened time, temperature coefficient (Q10) of the neuronal response to application of an agonist and the calculated Q10 of the reaction rate of the agonist with cholinoreceptor did not significantly differ for C8...C18 from the reaction rate of the agonist with cholinoreceptor. As compared with C8, C12...C18 exhibited 30 ... 40 times higher cholinomimetic activity, all other parameters in them being similar. Presumably, this difference is explained by concentrating capacity of C12...C18 at the membrane site because of their higher hydrophobic properties.     

Comparison of the cholinoreceptor and cholinesterase properties of the frog Rana temporaria and the squid Todarodes pacificus

Studies have been made on the interaction of several groups of quartenary ammonium salts with cholinoreceptors of m. rectus abdominis of the frog Rana temporaria, and isolated m. retractor infundibuli of the octopus Todarodes pacificus, as well as with cholinesterases of the frog brain and visual ganglia of the octopus. The derivatives of polymethylene bis(trimethylammonium) compounds, being cholinomimetic drugs for frog muscle, do not exert cholinomimetic influence on octopus muscle. The same difference with respect to their effect on frog and octopus receptors was found in anabazin derivatives. Among amide derivatives of acetylcholine, the strongest mimetic effect on cholinoreceptors of both animals was exhibited by a piperazine isolog with gauche-conformation, whereas N-methyl isolog with trans-conformation was found to be the strongest inhibitor of cholinesterases. Cholinoreceptors and cholinesterase of the octopus were less sensitive to the effect of the investigated quartenary ammonium salts than those of the frog.     

A method of estimating the effectiveness of ionizing radiation and magnetic fields for phage induction in lysogenic bacterial culture

Either the difference delta N of the content of free phage particles in the experiment and the control or K ratio of these values can be used to estimate the effectiveness of ionizing radiation or other agents inducing phage formation in a lysogenic bacterium culture. The estimation technique the results of which are nearly independent of the fluctuations in the number of phage particles in the control, the inductor dose being invariable, is the most adequate one. The induction of phage in E. coli K12 (lambda) culture by X-rays and magnetic field is an example illustrating that the K ratio, which can be called "the induction coefficient", is in a good agreement with the requirement mentioned above. A possible nature of the phenomenon observed is discussed.     

Red squirrels decline in abundance in the boreal forests of Finland and NW Russia

Recent global warming and other anthropogenic changes have caused well‐documented range shifts and population declines in many species over a large spatial extent. Most large‐scale studies focus on birds, large mammals, and threatened species, whereas large‐scale population trends of small to medium‐sized mammals and species that are currently of least concern remain poorly studied. Large‐scale studies are needed because on a smaller scale, important patterns may be masked by local variation and stochastic processes. Here, we utilized snow track census data from Finland and NW Russia to estimate population growth rates of the Eurasian red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris for a period of 17 yr in an area of over 1 000 000 km². We also studied the effects of changes in summer and winter temperatures, winter precipitation, predator abundance, and canopy cover on estimated red squirrel population growth rates. Our results suggest that red squirrel populations have declined in most parts of the study area, the only remarkable exception being SW Russia. These results are in concordance with previous studies suggesting that species that are still common and of least concern may be declining. However, our findings are in contrast to the common pattern of northern populations of boreal species increasing due to global warming. The estimated population growth rates are in synchrony over vast areas, suggesting that the underlying reasons also operate on a large scale. We indeed find that the population growth rate was lower in regions where winters warmed faster during the study period, suggesting that changes in the environment (or biotic changes associated with it) are linked with the decline of red squirrels.