A study of water diffusion into a high-amylose starch blend: the effect of moisture content and temperature

The effect of moisture content and temperature on water diffusion into a modified high amylose (< or = 90%) maize thermoplastic starch blend was investigated. Gravimetric and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies were conducted to elucidate the diffusion mechanism and diffusion coefficients for this system. The diffusion coefficient data demonstrated that the rate of water diffusion into this blend was significantly dependent upon temperature and moisture content. Water diffusion was faster at higher temperatures and generally for samples stored at higher relative humidity environments. It was revealed from the gravimetric data that water diffusion into this starch blend was Fickian; however, further analysis of the MRI images found that the water diffusion mechanism was exponentially dependent on the concentration. This result was determined by comparing experimental water concentration profiles to a theoretical model calculated using the implicit Crank-Nicolson finite difference method.     

Mitoproteome plasticity of rat brown adipocytes in response to cold acclimation

Cold acclimation induces an adaptative increase in respiration in brown adipose tissue (BAT). A comparative analysis by two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis of mitochondrial protein patterns found in rat control and cold-acclimated BAT was performed. A total of 58 proteins exhibiting significant differences in their abundance was unambiguously identified. Proteins implicated in the major catabolic pathways were up-regulated as were ATP synthase and mitofilin. Moreover, these results support the fact that adipocytes can balance their ATP synthesis and their heat production linked to UCP1-sustained uncoupling.     

Safeguarding marine life: conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries - Marine ecosystems and their associated biodiversity sustain life on Earth and hold intrinsic value. Critical marine ecosystem services include maintenance of...     

Eph/ephrin interactions modulate muscle satellite cell motility and patterning

During development and regeneration, directed migration of cells, including neural crest cells, endothelial cells, axonal growth cones and many types of adult stem cells, to specific areas distant from their origin is necessary for their function. We have recently shown that adult skeletal muscle stem cells (satellite cells), once activated by isolation or injury, are a highly motile population with the potential to respond to multiple guidance cues, based on their expression of classical guidance receptors. We show here that, in vivo, differentiated and regenerating myofibers dynamically express a subset of ephrin guidance ligands, as well as Eph receptors. This expression has previously only been examined in the context of muscle-nerve interactions; however, we propose that it might also play a role in satellite cell-mediated muscle repair. Therefore, we investigated whether Eph-ephrin signaling would produce changes in satellite cell directional motility. Using a classical ephrin 'stripe' assay, we found that satellite cells respond to a subset of ephrins with repulsive behavior in vitro; patterning of differentiating myotubes is also parallel to ephrin stripes. This behavior can be replicated in a heterologous in vivo system, the hindbrain of the developing quail, in which neural crest cells are directed in streams to the branchial arches and to the forelimb of the developing quail, where presumptive limb myoblasts emigrate from the somite. We hypothesize that guidance signaling might impact multiple steps in muscle regeneration, including escape from the niche, directed migration to sites of injury, cell-cell interactions among satellite cell progeny, and differentiation and patterning of regenerated muscle.     

The regulation of Rubisco activity in response to variation in temperature and atmospheric CO2 partial pressure in sweet potato

The temperature response of net CO(2) assimilation rate (A), the rate of whole-chain electron transport, the activity and activation state of Rubisco, and the pool sizes of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) and 3-phosphoglyceric acid (PGA) were assessed in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) grown under greenhouse conditions. Above the thermal optimum of photosynthesis, the activation state of Rubisco declined with increasing temperature. Doubling CO(2) above 370 mubar further reduced the activation state, while reducing CO(2) by one-half increased it. At cool temperature (<16 degrees C), the activation state of Rubisco declined at CO(2) levels where photosynthesis was unaffected by a 90% reduction in O(2) content. Reduction of the partial pressure of CO(2) at cool temperature also enhanced the activation state of Rubisco. The rate of electron transport showed a pronounced temperature response with the same temperature optimum as A at elevated CO(2). RuBP pool size and the RuBP-to-PGA ratio declined with increasing temperature. Increasing CO(2) also reduced the RuBP pool size. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the reduction in the activation state of Rubisco at high and low temperature is a regulated response to a limitation in one of the processes contributing to the rate of RuBP regeneration. To further evaluate this possibility, we used measured estimates of Rubisco capacity, electron transport capacity, and the inorganic phosphate regeneration capacity to model the response of A to temperature. At elevated CO(2), the activation state of Rubisco declined at high temperatures where electron transport capacity was predicted to be limiting, and at cooler temperatures where the inorganic phosphate regeneration capacity was limiting. At low CO(2), where Rubisco capacity was predicted to limit photosynthesis, full activation of Rubisco was observed at all measurement temperatures.     

Chronic kidney disease and automatic reporting of estimated glomerular filtration rate: a position statement

The systematic staging of chronic kidney disease (CKD) by glomerular filtration measurement and proteinuria has allowed the development of rational and appropriate management plans. One of the barriers to early detection of CKD is the lack of a precise, reliable and consistent measure of kidney function.The most common measure of kidney function is currently serum creatinine concentration. It varies with age, sex, muscle mass and diet, and interlaboratory variation between measurements is as high as 20%.The reference interval for serum creatinine concentration includes up to 25% of people (particularly thin, elderly women) who have an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) that is significantly reduced (< 60 mL/min/1.73 m). The recent publication of a validated formula (MDRD) to estimate GFR from age, sex, race and serum creatinine concentration, without any requirement for measures of body mass, allows pathology laboratories to "automatically" generate eGFR from data already acquired. Automatic laboratory reporting of eGFR calculated from serum creatinine measurements would help to identify asymptomatic kidney dysfunction at an earlier stage. eGFR correlates well with complications of CKD and an increased risk of adverse outcomes such as cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We recommend that pathology laboratories automatically report eGFR each time a serum creatinine test is ordered in adults. As the accuracy of eGFR is suboptimal in patients with normal or near-normal renal function, we recommend that calculated eGFRs above 60 mL/min/1.73 m be reported by laboratories as "> 60 mL/min/1.73 m", rather than as a precise figure.     

Discovery of 1-amino-4-phenylcyclohexane-1-carboxylic acid and its influence on agonist selectivity between human melanocortin-4 and -1 receptors in linear pentapeptides

Linear pentapeptides (Penta-cis-Apc-DPhe-Arg-Trp-Gly-NH2) containing 1-amino-4-phenylcyclohexane-1-carboxylic acid (cis-Apc) and substituted Apc are potent hMC4R agonists and they are inactive or weakly active in hMC1R, hMC3R, and hMC5R agonist assays. This study, together with our earlier report on 5-BrAtc, demonstrated the importance of replacing His6 with phenyl-containing rigid templates in achieving good hMC4R agonist potency and selectivity against hMC1R in linear pentapeptides.     

Low-dose infectivity of Staphylococcus aureus (SMH strain) in traumatized rat tibiae provides a model for studying early events in contaminated bone injuries

Animal models of post-traumatic acute osteomyelitis (OM) that closely mimic human scenarios, including infection prophylactic procedures such as debridement and lavage, may provide a better understanding of OM. We contaminated mechanically traumatized rat tibiae (n = 69) with various doses of a Staphylococcus aureus strain (SMH) known to cause human OM and then performed curettage and lavage. Tibiae were harvested 24 h after lavage for assessment of bacterial load and determination of minimal infective doses for 50% (ID50) and 95% (ID95) of rats. Some experiments varied tibial harvest time after lavage (n = 10); for progressive infection, tibiae were evaluated at 7 and 15 days after contamination (n = 17 for each time point). At 24 h after contamination, the ID50 was 1.8 x 10(3) CFU, and the ID95 was 9.2 x 10(3) CFU. Tibial bacterial loads did not increase with inocula greater than the ID95. Lavage removed many bacteria from bone, but it did not prevent subsequent infection or disease. At 15 days after contamination, most tibiae (14 of 17) were infected, with macroscopic and radiological signs of established OM. This newly described rat OM model, with a low ID95 despite prophylactic curettage and lavage, closely mimics events in contaminated human bone injuries. This situation will allow study of early factors in contaminated bone injuries, including clinical interventions that may reduce infection and prevent disease.