Validation of DNA methylation profiling in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 Microarray

A formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) sample usually yields highly degraded DNA, which limits the use of techniques requiring high-quality DNA, such as Infinium Methylation microarrays. To overcome this restriction, we have applied an FFPE restoration procedure consisting of DNA repair and ligation processes in a set of paired fresh-frozen (FF) and FFPE samples. We validated the FFPE results in comparison with matched FF samples, enabling us to use FFPE samples on the Infinium HumanMethylation450 Methylation array.     

What Do We Know About Metal Recycling Rates?

The recycling of metals is widely viewed as a fruitful sustainability strategy, but little information is available on the degree to which recycling is actually taking place. This article provides an overview on the current knowledge of recycling rates for 60 metals. We propose various recycling metrics, discuss relevant aspects of recycling processes, and present current estimates on global end‐of‐life recycling rates (EOL‐RR; i.e., the percentage of a metal in discards that is actually recycled), recycled content (RC), and old scrap ratios (OSRs; i.e., the share of old scrap in the total scrap flow). Because of increases in metal use over time and long metal in‐use lifetimes, many RC values are low and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Because of relatively low efficiencies in the collection and processing of most discarded products, inherent limitations in recycling processes, and the fact that primary material is often relatively abundant and low‐cost (which thereby keeps down the price of scrap), many EOL‐RRs are very low: Only for 18 metals (silver, aluminum, gold, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, niobium, nickel, lead, palladium, platinum, rhenium, rhodium, tin, titanium, and zinc) is the EOL‐RR above 50% at present. Only for niobium, lead, and ruthenium is the RC above 50%, although 16 metals are in the 25% to 50% range. Thirteen metals have an OSR greater than 50%. These estimates may be used in considerations of whether recycling efficiencies can be improved; which metric could best encourage improved effectiveness in recycling; and an improved understanding of the dependence of recycling on economics, technology, and other factors.     

"Pertussis toxin induces tachycardia and impairs the increase in blood pressure produced by alpha 2-adrenergic agonists"

Administration of purified pertussis toxin to rats induced persistent tachycardia, (observed in conscious rats but not after pithing); as little as 0.05 microgram/100 g produced a significant effect. Pertussis toxin-treatment did not affected the pressor response produced in the pithed rats by the alpha 2-adrenergic agonist methoxamine but markedly diminished the pressor effect of the alpha 2-adrenergic agonists clonidine and azepexole. A role of adenylate cyclase inhibition in the action of postsynaptic vascular alpha 2-adrenergic receptors is suggested.     

Extending the Cellulosome Paradigm: the Modular Clostridium thermocellum Cellulosomal Serpin PinA Is a Broad-Spectrum Inhibitor of Subtilisin-Like Proteases

Clostridium thermocellum encodes a cellulosomal, modular, and thermostable serine protease inhibitor (serpin), PinA. PinA stability but not inhibitory activity is affected by the Fn(III) and Doc(I) domains, and PinA is a broad inhibitor of subtilisin-like proteases and may play a key role in protecting the cellulosome from protease attack.     

The Expanded mtDNA Phylogeny of the Franco-Cantabrian Region Upholds the Pre-Neolithic Genetic Substrate of Basques

The European genetic landscape has been shaped by several human migrations occurred since Paleolithic times. The accumulation of archaeological records and the concordance of different lines of genetic evidence during the last two decades have triggered an interesting debate concerning the role of ancient settlers from the Franco-Cantabrian region in the postglacial resettlement of Europe. Among the Franco-Cantabrian populations, Basques are regarded as one of the oldest and more intriguing human groups of Europe. Recent data on complete mitochondrial DNA genomes focused on macrohaplogroup R0 revealed that Basques harbor some autochthonous lineages, suggesting a genetic continuity since pre-Neolithic times. However, excluding haplogroup H, the most representative lineage of macrohaplogroup R0, the majority of maternal lineages of this area remains virtually unexplored, so that further refinement of the mtDNA phylogeny based on analyses at the highest level of resolution is crucial for a better understanding of the European prehistory. We thus explored the maternal ancestry of 548 autochthonous individuals from various Franco-Cantabrian populations and sequenced 76 mitogenomes of the most representative lineages. Interestingly, we identified three mtDNA haplogroups, U5b1f, J1c5c1 and V22, that proved to be representative of Franco-Cantabria, notably of the Basque population. The seclusion and diversity of these female genetic lineages support a local origin in the Franco-Cantabrian area during the Mesolithic of southwestern Europe, ∼10,000 years before present (YBP), with signals of expansions at ∼3,500 YBP. These findings provide robust evidence of a partial genetic continuity between contemporary autochthonous populations from the Franco-Cantabrian region, specifically the Basques, and Paleolithic/Mesolithic hunter-gatherer groups. Furthermore, our results raise the current proportion (≈15%) of the Franco-Cantabrian maternal gene pool with a putative pre-Neolithic origin to ≈35%, further supporting the notion of a predominant Paleolithic genetic substrate in extant European populations.