Seismic and auditory tuning curves from bullfrog saccular and amphibian papular axons

We present seismic and auditory frequency tuning curves of individual bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, saccular and amphibian papilla axons that responded to both seismic and auditory stimuli. In this study we found: 1) most saccular axons respond well to auditory stimuli with moderate signal strength (50-70 dB SPL) as well as to seismic stimuli; 2) most amphibian papilla axons respond well to seismic stimuli as well as to auditory stimuli, and their seismic sensitivities are comparable to those of saccular axons (responding to sinusoidal stimuli with peak accelerations in the range 0.001 to 0.1 cm/S2); 3) the responses to both seismic and auditory stimuli from both saccule and amphibian papilla are tuned, i.e. the strength of the response varies with the frequency of the stimulus; and this tuning is clearly not the result of second order resonance; 4) in individual axons the tuning properties for seismic stimuli often are not the same as those for auditory stimuli, a fact that may provide clues about how the stimulus signal energy is transferred to the hair cells in each case.     

Reperfusion-induced arrhythmias are not prevented by ibuprofen in isolated rat heart

Free radicals have been implicated in the genesis of reperfusion-induced arrhythmias and the cyclooxygenase pathways has been suggested as a potential source. We have therefore assessed whether a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, ibuprofen, is able to reduce reperfusion-induced injury in the isolated perfused rat heart. A duration of 10 min of regional ischemia, which resulted in a high (83%) incidence of ventricular fibrillation, was selected and hearts (n = 12/group) were perfused with ibuprofen (2, 20, or 30 mg/L) throughout the experiment. Ibuprofen did not affect heart rate, although it did produce a dose-dependent increase in coronary flow. However, at all doses studied, ibuprofen had no effect upon the time to onset, incidence, or duration of arrhythmias. In subsequent studies with 30 min of regional ischemia, ibuprofen (30 mg/L) again caused vasodilatation but without effect upon heart rate or severity of arrhythmias. In conclusion, we were unable to obtain evidence in support of the concept that cyclooxygenase activity or cyclooxygenase-derived free radicals are involved in the genesis of ischemia- and reperfusion-induced arrhythmias.     

Reducing acetylated tau is neuroprotective in brain injury

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Profiling of Volatile Organic Compounds in Exhaled Breath As a Strategy to Find Early Predictive Signatures of Asthma in Children

Wheezing is one of the most common respiratory symptoms in preschool children under six years old. Currently, no tests are available that predict at early stage who will develop asthma and who will be a transient wheezer. Diagnostic tests of asthma are reliable in adults but the same tests are difficult to use in children, because they are invasive and require active cooperation of the patient. A non-invasive alternative is needed for children. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) excreted in breath could yield such non-invasive and patient-friendly diagnostic. The aim of this study was to identify VOCs in the breath of preschool children (inclusion at age 2–4 years) that indicate preclinical asthma. For that purpose we analyzed the total array of exhaled VOCs with Gas Chromatography time of flight Mass Spectrometry of 252 children between 2 and 6 years of age. Breath samples were collected at multiple time points of each child. Each breath-o-gram contained between 300 and 500 VOCs; in total 3256 different compounds were identified across all samples. Using two multivariate methods, Random Forests and dissimilarity Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis, we were able to select a set of 17 VOCs which discriminated preschool asthmatic children from transient wheezing children. The correct prediction rate was equal to 80% in an independent test set. These VOCs are related to oxidative stress caused by inflammation in the lungs and consequently lipid peroxidation. In conclusion, we showed that VOCs in the exhaled breath predict the subsequent development of asthma which might guide early treatment.     

Proteomic insights into the stimulatory effect of Tween 80 on mycelial growth and exopolysaccharide production of an edible mushroom Pleurotus tuber-regium

Proteomic analysis was applied to investigate the mechanism of the stimulatory effect of Tween 80 on the mycelial growth and exopolysaccharide production by an edible mushroom Pleurotus tuber-regium. 32 differentially expressed proteins were identified by one-dimension gel electrophoresis. Combined with our previous findings, the up-regulation of heat shock proteins might help to maintain cellular viability under environmental stress. The up-regulation of ATP:citrate lyase isoform 2 could suppress the activity of tricarboxylic acid cycle and, consequently, stimulate exopolysaccharide production. The present results provide important insight to the mechanism by which stimulatory agents (Tween 80) can increase the production of useful fungal metabolites and also fill the gap of our knowledge on the under-developed mushroom proteomics.