Ectomycorrhization of Tricholoma matsutake and two major conifers in Finland—an assessment of in vitro mycorrhiza formation

This study aimed to test the ability of Tricholoma matsutake isolates to form mycorrhizas with aseptic seedlings of Pinus sylvestris L. and Picea abies (L.) Karst. Germinated seedlings of Scots pine and Norway spruce were separately inoculated with either isolates originating from Finland or Japan. Eight months after inoculation, the Finnish isolate had formed a sheath and Hartig net on both host species. Ectomycorrhizal Scots pine seedlings inoculated with the Finnish isolate showed the same shoot height and dry mass as the controls. Ectomycorrhizal Norway spruce seedlings inoculated with the Finnish isolate had similar shoot height but slightly less dry mass than the control seedlings. For both tree species, inoculation with the Finnish isolate resulted in reduced total nitrogen content per seedling, but carbon content was unaffected. Inoculation with the Japanese isolate resulted in an initial Hartig net-like structure in pine but not in spruce. No typical Hartig net was observed on either tree species. Furthermore, seedlings of both species inoculated with the Japanese isolate showed significantly reduced growth, dry mass, nitrogen, and carbon content per seedling and shoot height (in spruce) compared to the controls. This study documents and describes the in vitro ectomycorrhization between T. matsutake and Scots pine or Norway spruce and the variable mycorrhizal structures that matsutake isolates can form.     

Non-Selective Calcium Channel Blocker Bepridil Decreases Secondary Pathology in Mice after Photothrombotic Cortical Lesion

Experimental studies have identified a complex link between neurodegeneration, β-amyloid (Aβ) and calcium homeostasis. Here we asked whether early phase β-amyloid pathology in transgenic hAPP_SL mice exaggerates the ischemic lesion and remote secondary pathology in the thalamus, and whether a non-selective calcium channel blocker reduces these pathologies. Transgenic hAPP_SL (n = 33) and non-transgenic (n = 30) male mice (4–5 months) were subjected to unilateral cortical photothrombosis and treated with the non-selective calcium channel blocker bepridil (50 mg/kg, p.o., once a day) or vehicle for 28 days, starting administration 2 days after the operation. Animals were then perfused for histological analysis of infarct size, Aβ and calcium accumulation in the thalamus. Cortical photothrombosis resulted in a small infarct, which was associated with atypical Aβ and calcium accumulation in the ipsilateral thalamus. Transgenic mice had significantly smaller infarct volumes than non-transgenic littermates (P<0.05) and ischemia-induced rodent Aβ accumulation in the thalamus was lower in transgenic mice compared to non-transgenic mice (P<0.01). Bepridil decreased calcium load in the thalamus (P<0.01). The present data suggest less pronounced primary and secondary pathology in hAPP_SL transgenic mice after ischemic cortical injury. Bepridil particularly decreased calcium pathology in the thalamus following ischemia.     

A new mycotoxin from Fusarium

A new mycotoxin was isolated from a strain of Fusarium tricinctum cultivated for four months on a grain mixture. It was shown to be 4β, 8α-diacetoxy-12,13-epoxytrichotec-9-ene-3α, 15-diol by PMR and MS-analysis.     

The breeding biology of the starling Sturnus vulgaris in northern Finland

The breeding biology of the starling Sturnus vulgaris was studied in three populations in northern Finland, with additional reference localities in nearby areas. Results from a total of 329 nests are presented from years 1962-1976.
The onset of laying in the Oulu area took place on 5 May, the median date being 10 May, about one week later than in southern Finland and 2–3 weeks later than in central Europe. The clutch-size was 5.29 ± 0.05 in the first nests and 5.06 ± 0.26 in later ones. Incubation time was 12.1 ± 0.6 d. An average of 3.31 ± 0.10 fledglings was produced per pair, 3.69 ± 0.08 in succesful clutches, which is significantly less than usually reported from central Europe. Most of the losses were due to starvation of the young.
No second broods were observed in the Oulu area, and repeated nesting was not common, probably because of the general late start of laying.
The reasons for the recent decline in several Finnish starling populations do not lie in the production capacity but must be sought for elsewhere.     

Body Weight and Health Status: Importance of Socioeconomic Position and Working Conditions

Objective: To examine the association between relative body weight and health status and the potential modifying effects of socioeconomic position and working conditions on this association. Research Methods and Procedures: The data were derived from three identical cross‐sectional surveys conducted in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Respondents to postal surveys were middle‐aged employees of the City of Helsinki (7148 women and 1799 men, response rate 67%). BMI was based on self‐reported weight and height. Health status was measured by the Short‐Form 36 subscales and component summaries. Results: Body weight was inversely associated with physical health, but in mental health, differences between BMI categories were small and inconsistent. In women, physical health deteriorated monotonically with increasing BMI, whereas in men, poor physical health was found among the obese only. Socioeconomic position did not modify the association between BMI and health. In women, the association between body weight and physical health became stronger with decreasing job control and increasing physical work load, whereas in men, a similar modifying effect was found for high job demands. Discussion: Body weight was associated with physical health only. Lower levels of relative weight in women than in men may be associated with poor physical health. High body weight combined with adverse working conditions may impose a double burden on physical health.     

Maternal coding variants in complement receptor 1 and spontaneous idiopathic preterm birth

Preterm birth (PTB) is a major global public health concern. However, little is known about the pathophysiology of spontaneous idiopathic PTB. We tested the hypothesis that rare variants in families would target specific genes and pathways that contribute to PTB risk in the general population. Whole-exome sequencing was performed on 10 PTB mothers from densely affected families including two mother–daughter pairs. We identified novel variants shared between the two mother–daughter pairs when compared to a 1000 Genomes Project background exome file and investigated these genes for pathway aggregation using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Genes in enriched pathways were then surveyed in the other six PTB exomes and tested for association in a larger number of nuclear families. The KEGG complement and coagulation cascade was one of the most enriched pathways in our two mother–daughter pairs. When the six genes found in this pathway (CFH, CR1, F13B, F5, CR2, and C4BPA) were examined for novel missense variants, half of all the exomes harbored at least one. Association analysis of variants in these six gene regions in nuclear families from Finland (237 cases and 328 controls) found statistically significant associations after multiple test corrections in three CR1 SNPs; the strongest in an exonic missense SNP, rs6691117, p value = 6.91e?5, OR = 1.71. Our results demonstrate the importance of the complement and coagulation cascades in the pathophysiology of PTB, and suggest potential screening and intervention approaches to prevent prematurity that target this pathway.