Long-term bird colonization and turnover in restored woodlands

The long-term effectiveness of restored areas for biodiversity is poorly known for the majority of restored ecosystems worldwide. We quantified temporal changes in bird occurrence in restoration plantings of different ages and geometries, and compared observed patterns with a reference dataset from woodland remnants on the same farms as our plantings. Over time, bird species richness remained unchanged in spring but exhibited modest increases in winter. We found that wider plantings supported significantly greater bird species richness in spring and winter than narrow plantings. There was no evidence of a significant interaction between planting width and time. We recorded major temporal changes in the occurrence of a range of individual species that indicated a clear turnover of species as plantings matured. Our results further revealed marked differences in individual species occurrence between plantings and woodland remnants. Life-history attributes associated with temporal changes in the bird assemblage were most apparent in winter survey data, and included diet, foraging and nesting patterns, movement behaviour (e.g. migratory vs. dispersive), and body size. Differences in bird assemblages between plantings of different ages suggest that it is important that farms support a range of age classes of planted woodland, if the aim is to maximize the number of native bird species in restored areas. Our data also suggest that changes in the bird species occupying plantings of different ages can be anticipated in a broadly predictable way based on planting geometry (especially width) and key life-history attributes, particularly movement patterns and habitat and diet specialisation.     

Circadian Patterns of Myocardial Ischaemia and the Effects of Antianginal Drugs

Chronopathology of cardiovascular disease is now well documented. Silent myocardial ischaemia involves the same pathophysiological changes as conventional ischaemia. Early morning peaks in angina and myocardial ischaemia call for adequate timing of medication, β-blockers abolish the morning peak, and aspirin reduces morning infarctions. The effects of other antianginals on these phenomena are presently unknown.     

Biosynthesis of glyantrypine by Aspergillus clavatus

The biosynthesis of glyantrypine from radiolabelled amino acid precursors has been shown experimentally to involve anthranilic acid, tryptophan and glycine. Low values for percentage incorporation of radiolabel into glyantrypine were partly influenced by a complex array of other novel alkaloids shown by the radiolabelling experiments to be related to glyantrypine. Interpretation of radiolabel incorporation from [14C-carboxyl]-anthranilic acid into microbial metabolites seen to contain an anthranilyl moiety in various biosynthetic arrangements is discussed. The possibility of diversion of anthranilic acid from the kynurenine pathway to glyantrypine biosynthesis is recognised.     

EPR spectroscopic detection of free radical outflow from an isolated muscle bed in exercising humans.

There is no direct evidence to support the contention that contracting skeletal muscle and/or associated vasculature generates free radicals in exercising humans. The unique combination of isolated quadriceps exercise and the measurement of femoral arterial and venous free radical concentrations with the use of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy enabled this assumption to be tested in seven healthy men. Application of ex vivo spin trapping using alpha-phenyl-tert-butylnitrone (PBN) resulted in the detection of oxygen- or carbon-centered free radicals (a(N) = 1.38 +/- 0.01 mT and a(beta)(H) = 0.17 +/-0.01 mT, where a(N) and a(beta)(H) are the nitrogen and beta-hydrogen coupling constants, respectively) with consistently higher EPR signal intensities of the PBN spin adduct observed in the venous compared with the arterial circulation (P < 0.05). Incremental exercise further increased the venoarterial intensity difference [85 +/- 58 arbitrary units (AU) at 24 +/- 6% maximal work rate (WR(max)) vs. 387 +/- 214 AU at 69 +/- 7% WR(max); P < 0.05]. When combined with measured changes in femoral venous blood flow (Q), this resulted in a net adduct outflow of 130 +/- 118 and 1,146 +/- 582 AU/min (P < 0.05), which was positively associated with leg oxygen uptake (r(2) = 0.47, P < 0.05) and Q (r(2) = 0.47, P < 0.05). These results provide the first evidence for oxygen- or carbon-centered free radical outflow from an active muscle bed in humans.