Differential effects of ethanol on regional glutamatergic and GABAergic neurotransmitter pathways in mouse brain

This study investigates the effects of ethanol on neuronal and astroglial metabolism using ¹H‐[¹³C]‐NMR spectroscopy in conjunction with infusion of [1,6‐¹³C₂]/[1‐¹³C]glucose or [2‐¹³C]acetate, respectively. A three‐compartment metabolic model was fitted to the ¹³C turnover of Glu_C3, Glu_C4, GABA_C2, GABA_C3, Asp_C3, and Gln_C4 from [1,6‐¹³C₂]glucose to determine the rates of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) and neurotransmitter cycle associated with glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons. The ratio of neurotransmitter cycle to TCA cycle fluxes for glutamatergic and GABAegic neurons was obtained from the steady‐state [2‐¹³C]acetate experiment and used as constraints during the metabolic model fitting. ¹H MRS measurement suggests that depletion of ethanol from cerebral cortex follows zero order kinetics with rate 0.18 ± 0.04 μmol/g/min. Acute exposure of ethanol reduces the level of glutamate and aspartate in cortical region. Gln_C4 labeling was found to be unchanged from a 15 min infusion of [2‐¹³C]acetate suggesting that acute ethanol exposure does not affect astroglial metabolism in naive mice. Rates of TCA and neurotransmitter cycle associated with glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons were found to be significantly reduced in cortical and subcortical regions. Acute exposure of ethanol perturbs the level of neurometabolites and decreases the excitatory and inhibitory activity differentially across the regions of brain.

     

Maintenance of Sex-Related Genes and the Co-Occurrence of Both Mating Types in Verticillium dahliae

Verticillium dahliae is a cosmopolitan, soilborne fungus that causes a significant wilt disease on a wide variety of plant hosts including economically important crops, ornamentals, and timber species. Clonal expansion through asexual reproduction plays a vital role in recurring plant epidemics caused by this pathogen. The recent discovery of recombination between clonal lineages and preliminary investigations of the meiotic gene inventory of V. dahliae suggest that cryptic sex appears to be rare in this species. Here we expanded on previous findings on the sexual nature of V. dahliae. Only 1% of isolates in a global collection of 1120 phytopathogenic V. dahliae isolates contained the MAT1-1 idiomorph, whereas 99% contained MAT1-2. Nine unique multilocus microsatellite types comprised isolates of both mating types, eight of which were collected from the same substrate at the same time. Orthologs of 88 previously characterized sex-related genes from fungal model systems in the Ascoymycota were identified in the genome of V. dahliae, out of 93 genes investigated. Results of RT-PCR experiments using both mating types revealed that 10 arbitrarily chosen sex-related genes, including MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1, were constitutively expressed in V. dahliae cultures grown under laboratory conditions. Ratios of non-synonymous (amino-acid altering) to synonymous (silent) substitutions in V. dahliae MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1 sequences were indistinguishable from the ratios observed in the MAT genes of sexual fungi in the Pezizomycotina. Patterns consistent with strong purifying selection were also observed in 18 other arbitrarily chosen V. dahliae sex-related genes, relative to the patterns in orthologs from fungi with known sexual stages. This study builds upon recent findings from other laboratories and mounts further evidence for an ancestral or cryptic sexual stage in V. dahliae.     

Grazing Lawns in Terai Grasslands,Royal Bardia National Park,Nepal1

We compared the community structure, nutritive quality, and aboveground biomass of grazing lawns (patches of shortgrass communities) to neighboring grasslands in the Terai of western Nepal. Grazing lawns differed from the adjacent grasslands in species composition and community structure. Species diversity and species richness were higher on grazing lawns (H = 1.60, S = 20.93) than the grasslands (H = 0.97, S = 8.97). Fencing that excluded grazers for 150 days made areas of grazing lawns indistinguishable from neighboring grasslands in terms of plant height and biomass. Growing shoots of forage from grazing lawns had higher digestibility, crude protein, and sodium than forage from the grasslands. Grazing lawns appear to be maintained by continuous grazing and are enriched by deposition of urine, dung, and by certain plant species not found in the the adjacent grasslands.     

Enzymatic synthesis of lactosylated and sialylated derivatives of epothilone A

Epothilone A is a derivative of 16-membered polyketide natural product, which has comparable chemotherapeutic effect like taxol. Introduction of sialic acids to these chemotherapeutic agents could generate interesting therapeutic glycoconjugates with significant effects in clinical studies. Since, most of the organisms biosynthesize sialic acids in their cell surface, they are key mediators in cellular events (cell-cell recognition, cell-matrix interactions). Interaction between such therapeutic sugar parts and cellular polysaccharides could generate interesting result in drugs like epothilone A. Based on this hypothesis, epothilone A glucoside (epothilone A 6-O-β-D-glucoside) was further decorated by conjugating enzymatically galactose followed by sialic acids to generate epothilone A 7-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl, 4′-O-α-D-galactoside i.e., lactosyl epothilone A (lac epoA) and two sialosides of epothilone A namely epothilone A 7-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl, 4′-O-α-D-galactopyranosyl 3″-O-α-N-acetyl neuraminic acid and epothilone A 7-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl, 4′-O-α-D-galactopyranosyl 6″-O-α-N-acetylneuraminic acid i.e., 3′sialyllactosyl epothilone A: 3′SL-epoA, and 6′sialyllactosyl epothilone A: 6′SL-epoA, respectively. These synthesized analogs were spectroscopically analyzed and elucidated, and biologically validated using HUVEC and HCT116 cancer cell lines.     

Comparative study of abiogenesis of cysteine and other amino acids catalyzed by various metal ions.

The present work pertains to the study of the influence of nickel, cobalt, thorium, vanadium, molybdate, ferrous ions on the formation of cysteine which is synthesized abiogenically together with other amino acids in sterilized aqueous mixtures of ammonium thiocyanate, formaldehyde, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, calcium acetate, and biological minerals after irradiating by artificial light. The effect of these catalysts on cysteine formation was of the order: Fe++ greater than Mo++ greater than Th++++ greater than V++ greater than Co++ greater than Ni.     

Study of a papain activation factor present in the dialysable fraction of soyabean extract

Soyabean extract contains an activator which passes through parchment paper. The increase in the activity of a mixture of urease and papain with increasing amount of papain in the mixture is due to the increase in the non-dialysable fraction of papain.     

Knowledge of health workers on snakes and snakebite management and treatment seeking behavior of snakebite victims in Bhutan

BackgroundPublished information on snakebite is rare in Bhutan although remarkably higher number of snakebites and associated deaths are reported from other South Asian countries.Aims and methodologyStructured questionnaire was used to collect knowledge of health workers in snakebite management and health seeking behavior of snakebite victims as observed by health workers. Study was conducted in purposively sampled 10 Dzongkhags (district level administrative units) with higher incidence of snakebites.ResultHeath workers scored 27–91% (with an average of 63%, SD = 14) for 52 questions related to snake identification and snakebite management. Among 118 health workers interviewed, 23% had adequate knowledge on snakes and snakebite management while 77% had inadequate knowledge. Among 32 Doctors, 63% of them scored above or equal to 75%. Health workers from Sarpang scored higher (76%, SD = 11) than those from other Dzongkhags. Snakebite victim''s visit to local (traditional) healers prior to seeking medical help from hospital was observed by 75 (63%) health workers. Fifty one percent of health workers observed patients treated with local methods such as the use of black stone called Jhhar Mauro (believed to absorb snake venom), application of honey, rubbing of green herbal paste made up of Khenpa Shing (Artemisia myriantha Wallich ex Besser var. paleocephala [Pamp] Ling) and consumption of fluid made up of Neem leaf (Azadirachta indica Juss). Use of tight tourniquet as a first aid to snakebite was observed by 80% of the health workers.ConclusionHealth workers lack confidence in snakebite management. Snakebite victims are likely to suffer from harmful local practices and traditional beliefs on local treatment practices. Empowering health workers with adequate knowledge on snakebite management and making locals aware in pre-hospital care of snakebites are needed to improve the pre- and in-hospital management of snakebite in Bhutan.     

A study of the changes in the physiological properties of Dhar Yeast by growing it in cultures containing sucrose,ethyl alcohol or methyl alcohol as source of carbon food

Summary On growing yeast in cultures containing different sources of carbon food as sucrose, ethyl alcohol and methyl alcohol, great changes in its physiological properties are observed. When these mutated yeasts are grown in similar cultures containing sucrose as carbon source, changes effected previously decrease to a minimum although a distinct residual effect is seen in all the above cases even after a month.