Protocol of a prospective study on the diagnostic value of transcranial duplex scanning of the substantia nigra in patients with parkinsonian symptoms

Background  

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. As there is no definitive diagnostic test, its diagnosis is based on clinical criteria. Recently transcranial duplex scanning (TCD) of the substantia nigra in the brainstem has been proposed as an instrument to diagnose PD. We and others have found that TCD scanning of substantia nigra duplex is a relatively accurate diagnostic instrument in patients with parkinsonian symptoms. However, all studies on TCD so far have involved well-defined, later-stage PD patients, which will obviously lead to an overestimate of the diagnostic accuracy of TCD.     

Screening of Lactobacillus spp. and Pediococcus spp. for glycosidase activities that are important in oenology

AIMS: To assess glycosidase activities from a range of Lactobacillus and Pediococcus species and characterize these activities under conditions pertinent to the wine industry. METHODS AND RESULTS: Lactic acid bacteria were cultured in MRS broth supplemented with apple juice before being harvested, washed and assayed for glycosidase activity using p-nitrophenol-linked substrates. All strains exhibited a detectable capacity for the hydrolysis of the beta- and alpha-d-glucopyranosides. The magnitude of these activities and their response to the physico-chemical parameters investigated varied in a strain-dependent manner. The use of an assay buffer with a pH below 4 generally resulted in a reduced hydrolysis of both substrates while temperature optima ranged between 35 and 45 degrees C. The effect of the inclusion of ethanol in the assay buffer (up to 12%, v/v) ranged from near complete inhibition to increases in activity approaching 80%. With the clear exception of a single strain, glucose and fructose (0.1-20 g l(-1)) acted as inhibitors. An assessment of glycosidase activity during simultaneous exposure to glucose and ethanol at a pH of 3.5 suggested that ethanol decreased loss of activity under these wine-like conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Lactobacillus spp. and Pediococcus spp. possess varying degrees of beta- and alpha-d-glucopyranosidase activities, which in turn are influenced differently by exposure to ethanol and/or sugars, temperature and pH. Several strains appeared suited for further evaluation under winemaking conditions. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This work highlights the fact that strains of Lactobacillus and Pediococcus have the potential to influence the glycoside composition of wine. Tailoring of wine may therefore be possible through selective application of strains or enzymatic extracts thereof.     

Timing of malolactic fermentation inoculation in Shiraz grape must and wine: influence on chemical composition

Malolactic fermentation (MLF) is an integral step in red winemaking, which in addition to deacidifying wine can also influence the composition of volatile fermentation-derived compounds with concomitant affects on wine sensory properties. Long-established winemaking protocols for MLF induction generally involve inoculation of bacteria starter cultures post alcoholic fermentation, however, more recently there has been a trend to introduce bacteria earlier in the fermentation process. For the first time, this study shows the impact of bacterial inoculation on wine quality parameters that define red wine, including wine colour and phenolics, and volatile fermentation-derived compounds. This study investigates the effects of inoculating Shiraz grape must with malolactic bacteria at various stages of alcoholic fermentation [beginning of alcoholic fermentation (co-inoculation, with yeast), mid-alcoholic fermentation, at pressing and post alcoholic fermentation] on the kinetics of MLF and wine chemical composition. Co-inoculation greatly reduced the overall fermentation time by up to 6 weeks, the rate of alcoholic fermentation was not affected by the presence of bacteria and the fermentation-derived wine volatiles profile was distinct from wines produced where bacteria were inoculated late or post alcoholic fermentation. An overall slight decrease in wine colour density observed following MLF was not influenced by the MLF inoculation regime. However, there were differences in anthocyanin and pigmented polymer composition, with co-inoculation exhibiting the most distinct profile. Differences in yeast and bacteria metabolism at various stages in fermentation are proposed as the drivers for differences in volatile chemical composition. This study demonstrates, with an in-depth analysis, that co-inoculation of yeast and bacteria in wine fermentation results in shorter total vinification time and produces sound wines, thus providing the opportunity to stabilise wines more rapidly than traditional inoculation regimes permit and thereby reducing potential for microbial spoilage.     

Floristic variation and willow carr development within a southwest England wetland

Abstract. Woodland colonization on wetlands is considered to have a detrimental effect on their ecological value, even though detailed analysis of this process is lacking. This paper provides an evaluation of the ecological changes resulting from succession of poor fen (base‐poor mire) to willow wet woodland on Goss Moor NNR in Cornwall, UK. Different ages of willow carr were associated with eight understorey communities. During willow colonization, in the ground flora, there was a progressive decrease in poor fen species and an associated increase in woodland species, which appeared to be related to an increase in canopy cover and therefore shade. The most diverse community was found to be the most recent willow and was dominated by poor fen species. The oldest willow was the second most diverse and was associated with a reduction in poor fen species and an increase in woodland species. Architectural features were used successfully to assess the general condition and structure of willow. Tree height and DBH were identified as useful parameters to accurately assess willow age in the field. The implications of active intervention to remove willow in order to conserve the full range of communities within the hydrosere are discussed.     

Lucky rugose corals on crinoid stems: unusual examples of subepidermal epizoans from the Devonian of Morocco

Berkowski, B & Klug, C. 2011: Lucky rugose corals on crinoid stems: unusual examples of subepidermal epizoans from the Devonian of Morocco. Lethaia, Vol. 45, pp. 24–33. In the fossil record, evidence for true epizoans, i.e. living animals inhabiting other living host‐animals, is rather rare. A host reaction is usually needed to proof the syn vivo‐settling of the epizoan. Herein, we provide a first report of such an epizoan biocoenosis from various strata of the Early Devonian of Hamar Laghdad, the world‐renowned Moroccan mud‐mound locality. In this case, solitary rugose corals settled as larvae on crinoid stems, perhaps at a spot where the epidermis was missing for some reason (injury, disease). Both the crinoid and the coral began to grow around each other. By doing so, the affected crinoid columnals formed a swelling, where ultimately only an opening slightly larger than the coral orifice remained. We discuss both macroecological and small‐scale synecological aspects of this biocoenosis. The coral profited from its elevated home because it reached into more rapid currents providing the polyp with more food than at the densely populated seafloor, which was probably covered by a coral‐meadow around the mounds and hydrothermal vents. □Corals, crinoids, Early Devonian, epizoans, Morocco, Rugosa.