Mannitol induces selective astroglial death in the CA1 region of the rat hippocampus following status epilepticus

In the present study, we addressed the question of whether treatment with mannitol, an osmotic diuretic, affects astrogliovascular responses to status epilepticus (SE). In saline-treated animals, astrocytes exhibited reactive astrogliosis in the CA1-3 regions 2-4 days after SE. In the mannitol-treated animals, a large astroglial empty zone was observed in the CA1 region 2 days after SE. This astroglial loss was unrelated to vasogenic edema formation. There was no difference in SE-induced neuronal loss between saline- and mannitol-treated animals. Furthermore, mannitol treatment did not affect astroglial loss and vasogenic edema formation in the dentate gyrus and the piriform cortex. These findings suggest that mannitol treatment induces selective astroglial loss in the CA1 region independent of vasogenic edema formation following SE. These findings support the hypothesis that the susceptibility of astrocytes to SE is most likely due to the distinctive heterogeneity of astrocytes independent of hemodynamics. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(9): 507-512]     

Hunting for Conservation in the Papua New Guinea Highlands

The animals of the Papua New Guinea highlands are relatively defenceless. People not only value their meat, hunters sharing catch with kin, but also formally transact several creatures in the all-important socio-political exchanges that characterise their social life. The local sedentary population is dense, yet it has not hunted species to extinction regardless of their value and vulnerability to predation. This paper seeks an answer in the context of socio-political exchange values that inform social status. It uses data from a survey of animal skull trophies displayed in a sample of houses in the Was valley of the Southern Highlands Province to investigate connections between hunting and social standing - exchange status, kin group affiliation and age - with a view to elucidating tacit conservation behaviour which agencies concerned to protect biodiversity might profitably consider given current participatory rhetoric.     

姜黄素对癫痫大鼠认知功能障碍的预防作用及其可能机制

目的：探讨姜黄素（curcumin）对癫痫大鼠认知功能障碍的预防作用及其可能机制。方法：将30只成年雄性SD大鼠分为正常对照组、单纯致痫组（SE组）、姜黄素[60mg／（kg·d）]干预组（curcumin组）。采用MorriS水迷宫方法检测大鼠学习记忆功能变化,并检测脑片水平的长时程增强（LTP）变化,处死大鼠后取脑组织并匀浆,测超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GSH．PX）、谷胱甘肽（GSH）、丙二醛（MDA）的水平。结果：（1）SE组大鼠寻找平台的潜伏期明显长于对照组,具有统计学意义（P〈0．05）,姜黄素组寻找平台的潜伏期相对于SE组显著缩短（P〈0．05）。撤离平台后,SE组大鼠在平台所在象限的停留时间明显短于对照组（P〈0．05）,姜黄素治疗后大鼠在平台所在象限的停留时间较SE组显著延长（P〈0．05）。（2）给予HFS刺激后各组兴奋性突出后电位（fEPSP）斜率较前明显增加,均可持续1h以上,与对照组比较SE组HFS刺激后fEPSP斜率明显减小（P〈0．05）,姜黄素可减轻SE所致的fEPSP斜率减小（P〈0．05）。（3）SE组SOD、GSH—PX、GSH显著下降,MDA明显增高,姜黄素可逆转上述现象,有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。结论：姜黄素可显著减轻癫痫持续状态所致的大鼠认知功能障碍,减轻海马区的氧化应激反应从而保护海马海马是其可能机制之一。     

Relationship of CSF neurotransmitter metabolite levels to disease severity and disability in multiple sclerosis

Axonal degeneration and brain tissue loss occur during disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) and are expected to influence neurotransmitter activities, with consequences on neurologic and psychiatric symptomatology. We searched for relationships of disease duration, disability, and severity of MS patients to CSF levels of the major metabolites of noradrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin, MHPG, methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), homovanillic acid, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), respectively, in 39 patients with relapsing–remitting (RR) MS in remission, and 26 patients with progressive (PR) MS. Disability and Disease Severity were assessed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and the Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS). Compared with the levels of 50 control subjects, MHPG levels were not different in either MS group, correlated negatively to duration of illness and number of relapses in the RRMS group, but not to EDSS score or to MSSS. Homovanillic acid levels were significantly lower only in the PRMS group, with a negative correlation to duration of illness, and a strong negative correlation to EDSS score, but not to MSSS. 5-HIAA was significantly lower in both RRMS and PRMS groups. In the RRMS group, 5-HIAA levels were negatively related to EDSS and to MSSS. Multiple regression analyses revealed a significant association of MHPG to duration of illness, and a strong negative association of 5-HIAA to MSSS rather than to EDSS. The strong negative correlation of MSSS to CSF 5-HIAA levels in RRMS group of patients indicates that deficits in central serotonergic activity are related to the rate of disability accumulation in RRMS, and could be linked to the reported reduction of disease activity by serotonergic drugs.     

我国生物医药企业发展建议

近年来,国外生物医药产业发展迅速,在发达国家,生物医药产品在药品市场中已占有了重要地位,哺乳动物细胞表达的产品已经占据生物医药的主流地位。相比之下,我国生物医药品种主要采用简单的大肠杆菌、酵母表达技术,技术难度较高的哺乳动物细胞药品与国外差距显著,因此,哺乳动物表达的生物药品将成为国内生物医药企业的重要发展机会。多年来,鉴于我国从发达国家获得生物技术转让少,国内生物医药发展需立足于自主研发,建立高效的研发技术平台,选择合适的开发项目,促进企业的发展。     

Plumage color as a status signal in male–male interaction in the red-flanked bushrobin, Tarsiger cyanurus

Recent studies have suggested that structural-based coloration is an honest signal of male genetic and/or conditional quality in sexual selection. However, whether structural coloration functions in intrasexual competition is unknown. We examined whether plumage color functions as a status signal during intrasexual interactions in the red-flanked bushrobin Tarsiger cyanurus; adult males have many blue plumes as structural coloration whereas yearling males and females are olive brown with few blue plumages. Blue males did not always dominate olive-brown males. The number of interactions did not differ with the colors of the two birds involved. The interactions of a blue male and an olive-brown male were less aggressive than those of two blue or of two olive-brown males. In this study, we found that structural plumage coloration may serve as a signal of aggressive intent and lower the escalation level of an aggressive interaction in a manner consistent with hypotheses regarding the evolution of delayed plumage maturation.     

The effect of different strengths of extremely low-frequency electric fields on antioxidant status,lipid peroxidation,and visual evoked potentials

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of extremely low-frequency electric field (ELF EF) on visual evoked potential (VEP), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidant stress index (OSI). Thirty female Wistar rats, aged 3 months, were divided into three equal groups: Control (C), the group exposed to EF at 12 kV/m strength (E12), and the group exposed to EF at 18 kV/m strength (E18). Electric field was applied to the E12 and E18 groups for 14 days (1 h/day). Brain and retina TBARS, TOS, and OSI were significantly increased in the E12 and E18 groups with respect to the control group. Also, TBARS levels were significantly increased in the E18 group compared with the E12 group. Electric fields significantly decreased TAS levels in both brain and retina in E12 and E18 groups with respect to the control group. All VEP components were significantly prolonged in rats exposed to electric fields compared to control group. In addition, all latencies of VEP components were increased in the E18 group with respect to the E12 group. It is conceivable to suggest that EF-induced lipid peroxidation may play an important role in changes of VEP parameters.     

Contributions of astrocytes to epileptogenesis following status epilepticus: Opportunities for preventive therapy?

Status epilepticus (SE) is a life threatening condition that often precedes the development of epilepsy. Traditional treatments for epilepsy have been focused on targeting neuronal mechanisms contributing to hyperexcitability, however, approximately 30% of patients with epilepsy do not respond to existing neurocentric pharmacotherapies. A growing body of evidence has demonstrated that profound changes in the morphology and function of astrocytes accompany SE and persist in epilepsy. Astrocytes are increasingly recognized for their diverse roles in modulating neuronal activity, and understanding the changes in astrocytes following SE could provide important clues about the mechanisms underlying seizure generation and termination. By understanding the contributions of astrocytes to the network changes underlying epileptogenesis and the development of epilepsy, we will gain a greater appreciation of the contributions of astrocytes to dynamic circuit changes, which will enable us to develop more successful therapies to prevent and treat epilepsy. This review summarizes changes in astrocytes following SE in animal models and human temporal lobe epilepsy and addresses the functional consequences of those changes that may provide clues to the process of epileptogenesis.     

污染河道治理技术研究进展

河道综合整治已引起人们广泛关注。综述了国内外河道治理常用的物理、化学和生物等方法的原理和工艺。物理法介绍了调水、机械除藻、底泥疏浚等,该法治标不治本;化学法有混凝沉淀,它易造成产生二次污染：生态-生物法是国外近年来发展很快的,借助自然界自身的水体自净能力治理受污水体的一类新技术,包括河道曝气法、生物膜法、生物修复技术,土地处理法等。同时也介绍了目前发展起来的最新河道治理工艺,如悬浮填料移动床、曝气生态净化系统和底泥生物氧化等多种方法,这类工艺是将生物法与其他工艺相结合,具有多功能、高效率等特点。     

Experimentally elevated testosterone increases status signalling in male Greylag geese (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Anser anser</Emphasis>)

Testosterone modulates male vertebrates sexual and social behaviour. We experimentally investigated the testosterone-sensitive behaviours in male greylag geese (Anser anser) by implanting silastic tubes containing crystalline testosterone during the mating season (February; 5 implanted and 5 control males) and in the early winter (November; 7 and 7). Focal animals were part of a semi-tame, unrestrained flock with fully intact social relationships. Excreted testosterone and corticosterone immunoreactive metabolites (TM, BM) were determined by enzyme immunoassay. Individual faecal samples and behavioural protocols were collected daily over a period of 5 weeks, including 1 control week before implantation. In February, no significant behavioural effects of the supplemental testosterone were observed, which may be due to the naturally occurring high systemic androgen levels in spring. In November, however, implanted males had higher TM excretion rates and performed status signalling behaviour (beak up) more frequently than control males. No differences between implanted and control males were found with respect to BM, agonistic interactions or vigilance behaviour. Furthermore, during the second week after implantation, TM positively correlated with the frequency of beak up of implanted males, whilst their female partners were attacked with lower latency by other members of the flock than the females of control males. Hence, status signalling in greylag ganders seems to be testosterone-sensitive year-long and inappropriate status signalling of males may draw attacks towards their females.