A process optimization for bio-catalytic production of substituted catechols (3-nitrocatechol and 3-methylcatechol

Background  

Substituted catechols are important precursors for large-scale synthesis of pharmaceuticals and other industrial products. Most of the reported chemical synthesis methods are expensive and insufficient at industrial level. However, biological processes for production of substituted catechols could be highly selective and suitable for industrial purposes.     

Winter food availability limits winter survival of Mongolian gerbils (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Meriones unguiculatus</Emphasis>)

Food availability is important to the dynamics of animal social organizations or populations. However, the role of winter food availability in animal population dynamics is still controversial. We carried out an experimental study to test Lack’s hypothesis that reduced food in winter limits survival and spring numbers of breeding individuals of social groups, using the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) as model species. We established 24 gerbil social groups in 24, 10 × 10 m, pens in September 2008. We provided wheat seeds as supplemental food in 12 enclosures from September 2008 to March 2009; the other 12 enclosures, not provided with supplemental food, served as controls. We live-trapped gerbils at a 2-week interval from September to April. Supplemental food during winter increased biweekly survival by 10% relative to that in control groups. Only four control social groups survived to the end of our study whereas all 12 food-supplemented social groups survived through our study period. Supplemental food also increased cumulative numbers of recruits and group sizes of gerbils. We conclude that winter food availability limits winter survival and spring social groups or population sizes of Mongolian gerbils.     

Conformational study of 13C-enriched fibroin in the solid state, using the cross polarization nuclear magnetic resonance method

Silk fibroin with the alanyl carboxyl carbon enriched with 13C was obtained by giving a diet containing 13C-enriched alanine to the larvae of Bombyx mori and Antheraea pernyi at the fifth instar. Sericin-free fibroin fibers were prepared from cocoons, and gut was made from the liquid silk in the gland. The final 13C content was about 13%. Cross polarization/magic angle sample spinning spectra at 25 MHz and 75 MHz were measured for each sample at different orientations. Spectra were simulated using the principal values and orientations of the shielding tensor in the alanine crystal. The results indicate that the beta-structure of the fibroin may be a little more flattened than the typical pleated sheet beta-structure.     

Reply to Hussey et al.: The requirement for accurate diet-tissue discrimination factors for interpreting stable isotopes in sharks

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses have improved our understanding of food webs and movement patterns of aquatic organisms. These techniques have recently been applied to diet studies of elasmobranch fishes, but isotope turnover rates and isotope diet–tissue discrimination are still poorly understood for this group. We performed a diet switch experiment on captive sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus) as a model shark species to determine tissue turnover rates for liver, whole blood, and white muscle. In a second experiment, we subjected captive coastal skates (Leucoraja spp.) to serial salinity reductions to measure possible impacts of tissue urea content on nitrogen stable isotope values. We extracted urea from spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) white muscle to test for effects on nitrogen stable isotopes. Isotope turnover was slow for shark tissues and similar to previously published estimates for stingrays and teleost fishes with low growth rates. Muscle isotope data would likely fail to capture seasonal migrations or diet switches in sharks, while liver and whole blood would more closely reflect shorter term movement or shifts in diet. Nitrogen stable isotope values of skate blood and skate and dogfish white muscle were not affected by tissue urea content, suggesting that available diet–tissue discrimination estimates for teleost fishes with similar physiologies would provide accurate estimates for elasmobranchs.     

Interferon inhibits DNA Synthesis induced in Mouse Lymphocyte Suspensions by Phytohaemagglutinin or by Allogeneic Cells

IN addition to its well known antiviral activity, interferon has recently been shown to inhibit the multiplication of tumour and mammalian cells in cell culture^1–6. We report here the inhibition by interferon of DNA synthesis induced in mouse spleen lymphocytes by the non-viral stimuli phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and allogeneic lymphocytes. These findings are in accord with our contention that interferon affects cell function and, furthermore, they suggest that by acting on lymphocytes, interferon plays a role in the immunological response of the host.     

Untangling spider silk evolution with spidroin terminal domains

Background  

Spidroins are a unique family of large, structural proteins that make up the bulk of spider silk fibers. Due to the highly variable nature of their repetitive sequences, spidroin evolutionary relationships have principally been determined from their non-repetitive carboxy (C)-terminal domains, though they offer limited character data. The few known spidroin amino (N)-terminal domains have been difficult to obtain, but potentially contain critical phylogenetic information for reconstructing the diversification of spider silks. Here we used silk gland expression data (ESTs) from highly divergent species to evaluate the functional significance and phylogenetic utility of spidroin N-terminal domains.     

Inhalation of an Ethanol-Based Zileuton Formulation Provides a Reduction of Pulmonary Adenomas in the A/J Mouse Model

Potential efficacy of zileuton, a 5-LOX inhibitor, was evaluated for the reduction of pulmonary adenomas in the A/J murine model when administered via nose-only inhalation. Development of pulmonary adenomas was induced with benzo(a)pyrene. Animals were treated with a zileuton solution (5 mg/mL in 85:15 ethanol/water) either twice weekly or five times a week via nose-only inhalation; The placebo solution (85:15 EtOH/H₂O, no active) was also evaluated. Dose delivered was calculated to be 1.2 mg/kg per exposure for each zileuton group. After 20 weeks of treatment, surface tumors were enumerated and histologically assessed. A significant reduction in tumor count was noted for both the twice weekly administration (40%) and the five times a week administration (59%). The data also showed a significant reduction for the group, which received the placebo (approximately 58%). The treatment groups were also found to have an impact on the histological stages of adenoma development.     

Variability over time and correlates of cholesterol and blood pressure in systemic lupus erythematosus: a longitudinal cohort study

Introduction  

Total cholesterol (TC) and blood pressure (BP) are likely to take a dynamic course over time in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This would have important implications in terms of using single-point-in-time measurements of these variables to assess coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. The objective of this study was to describe and quantify variability over time of TC and BP among patients with SLE and to determine their correlates.