Effect of neurotensin on pancreatic function in man

The effect of neurotensin on submaximally-stimulated hepatobiliary and pancreatic secretion was studied in 6 healthy subjects. An intravenous infusion of neurotensin 1.4 ± 0.3 pmol/kg/min, designed to reproduce plasma neurotensin immunoreactivity levels within the physiological range, produced a significant increase in pancreatic bicarbonate output. Plasma concentrations of pancreatic polypeptide rose by 83 ± 16 pmol/l and were associated with a small reduction in trypsin, but no significant change in bilirubin outputs.     

Chronic Administration of Proanthocyanidins or Docosahexaenoic Acid Reversess the Increase of miR-33a and miR-122 in Dyslipidemic Obese Rats

miR-33 and miR-122 are major regulators of lipid metabolism in the liver, and their deregulation has been linked to the development of metabolic diseases such as obesity and metabolic syndrome. However, the biological importance of these miRNAs has been defined using genetic models. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the levels of miR-122 and miR-33a in rat liver correlate with lipemia in nutritional models. For this purpose, we analyzed the levels of miRNA-33a and miR-122 in the livers of dyslipidemic cafeteria diet-fed rats and of cafeteria diet-fed rats supplemented with proanthocyanidins and/or ω-3 PUFAs because these two dietary components are well-known to counteract dyslipidemia. The results showed that the dyslipidemia induced in rats that were fed a cafeteria diet resulted in the upregulation of miR-33a and miR-122 in the liver, whereas the presence of proanthocyanidins and/or ω-3 PUFAs counteracted the increase of these two miRNAs. However, srebp2, the host gene of miR-33a, was significantly repressed by ω-3 PUFAs but not by proanthocyanidins. Liver mRNA levels of the miR-122 and miR-33a target genes, fas and pparβ/δ, cpt1a and abca1, respectively, were consistent with the expression of these two miRNAs under each condition. Moreover, the miR-33a and abca1 levels were also analyzed in PBMCs. Interestingly, the miR-33a levels evaluated in PBMCs under each condition were similar to the liver levels but enhanced. This demonstrates that miR-33a is expressed in PBMCs and that these cells can be used as a non-invasive way to reflect the expression of this miRNA in the liver. These findings cast new light on the regulation of miR-33a and miR-122 in a dyslipidemic model of obese rats and the way these miRNAs are modulated by dietary components in the liver and in PBMCs.     

Effect of Metalaxyl on the incidence and severity of Pearl millet downy mildew disease in Northern Nigeria

Pearl millet downy mildew (DM) incidence, severity and yield losses of two pearl millet varieties (local and improved) due to the disease were determined in the field. Significant differences in the disease incidence and severity were recorded in the plots sown with metalaxyl-treated seeds and those sown with non-treated seeds, indicating the efficacy of the fungicide on the fungus. Yield losses due to non-treatment of seeds with metalaxyl was 40.88 and 45.39% in a local variety and 43.00 and 18.60% in an improved variety in the 2000 and 2001 cropping seasons respectively. Significant differences between plots sown with metalaxyl-treated and those sown with non-treated seeds were obtained for other yield components such as 1000-grains weight, panicle length and weight.     

Effect of temperature on the saccharide composition obtained after alpha-amylolysis of starch

The hydrolysis of starch to low-molecular-weight products (normally characterised by their dextrose equivalent (DE), which is directly related to the number-average molecular mass) was studied at different temperatures. Amylopectin potato starch, lacking amylose, was selected because of its low tendency towards retrogradation at lower temperatures. Bacillus licheniformis alpha-amylase was added to 10% [w/w] gelatinised starch solutions. The hydrolysis experiments were done at 50, 70, and 90 degrees C. Samples were taken at defined DE values and these were analysed with respect to their saccharide composition. At the same DE the oligosaccharide composition depended on the hydrolysis temperature. This implies that at the same net number of bonds hydrolysed by the enzyme, the saccharide composition was different. The hydrolysis temperature also influenced the initial overall molecular-weight distribution. Higher temperatures led to a more homogenous molecular weight distribution. Similar effects were observed for alpha-amylases from other microbial sources such as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Bacillus stearothermophilus. Varying the pH (5.1, 6.2, and 7.6) at 70 degrees C did not significantly influence the saccharide composition obtained during B. licheniformis alpha-amylase hydrolysis. The underlying mechanisms for B. licheniformis alpha-amylase were studied using pure linear oligosaccharides, ranging from maltotriose to maltoheptaose as substrates. Activation energies for the hydrolysis of individual oligosaccharides were calculated from Arrhenius plots at 60, 70, 80, and 90 degrees C. Oligosaccharides with a degree of polymerisation exceeding that of the substrate could be detected. The contribution of these oligosaccharides increased as the degree of polymerisation of the substrate decreased and the temperature of hydrolysis increased. The product specificity decreased with increasing temperature of hydrolysis, which led to a more equal distribution between the possible products formed. Calculations with the subsite map as determined for the closely related alpha-amylase from B. amyloliquefaciens reconfirmed this finding of a decreased substrate specificity with increased temperature of hydrolysis. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

POCUS: mining genomic sequence annotation to predict disease genes

Here we present POCUS (prioritization of candidate genes using statistics), a novel computational approach to prioritize candidate disease genes that is based on over-representation of functional annotation between loci for the same disease. We show that POCUS can provide high (up to 81-fold) enrichment of real disease genes in the candidate-gene shortlists it produces compared with the original large sets of positional candidates. In contrast to existing methods, POCUS can also suggest counterintuitive candidates.