Fluid replacement following dehydration reduces oxidative stress during recovery

To investigate the effects of hydration status on oxidative DNA damage and exercise performance, 10 subjects ran on a treadmill until exhaustion at 80% VO_2max during four different trials [control (C), 3% dehydration (D), 3% dehydration + water (W) or 3% dehydration + sports drink (S)]. Dehydration significantly decreased exercise time to exhaustion (D < C and S). Plasma MDA levels were significantly higher at pre-exercise in D than C. Plasma TAS was significantly lower at pre-exercise in C and S than in D, and was significantly lower in S than D at 60 min of recovery. Dehydration significantly increased oxidative DNA damage during exercise, but fluid replacement with water or sports drink alleviated it equally. These results suggest that (1) dehydration impairs exercise performance and increases DNA damage during exercise to exhaustion; and (2) fluid replacement prolongs exercise endurance and attenuates DNA damage.     

Measuring ecological impact of water consumption by bioethanol using life cycle impact assessment

Purpose  

Though the development of biofuel has attracted numerous studies for quantifying potential water demand applying life cycle thinking, the impacts of biofuel water consumption still remain unknown. In this study, we aimed to quantify ecological impact associated with corn-based bioethanol water consumption in Minnesota in responding to different refinery expansion scenarios by applying a life cycle impact assessment method.     

Optimized fed-batch fermentation of L-β-hydroxy isobutyric acid by Yarrowia lipolytica

Yarrowia lipolytica KCCM50506, which transforms isobutyric acid to L-#-hydroxy isobutyric acid (L-#-HIBA), was screened. Chemostat cultures were carried out in jar fermentors at dilution rates of 0.02 h^у to 0.12 h^у. L-#-HIBA fermentation-regulating factors were determined to be specific growth rate, and concentrations of glucose and isobutyric acid in fermentor from analysis of steady-state data. The specific productivity of L-#-HIBA increased as the specific growth rate increased, apparently as a growth-associated type of product formation. A fed-batch culture was carried out under optimum conditions where the concentrations of glucose and isobutyric acid in the fermentor were maintained at 23 g l^у and 9 g l^у, respectively. The concentrations of cells and L-#-HIBA obtained at the end of fermentation were 20 g l^у and 49 g l^у, respectively, corresponding to 2.0 and 2.7 times more than concentrations in batch culture.     

Alteration of mitochondrial DNA sequence and copy number in nasal polyp tissue

This study was designed to investigate the possibility that mtDNA mutations might arise in inflammatory or chronically damaged nasal polyp tissue from 23 patients. Thirteen patients (57%) displayed nasal polyp tissue-specific mtDNA mutations in the hypervariable segment of the control region and cytochrome b gene, which were not found in the corresponding blood cells and/or adjacent normal tissue. Nasal polyp tissue-specific length heteroplasmic mutations were also detected in nucleotide position (np) 303–315 homopolymeric poly C track (39%), np 514–523 CA repeats (17%) and np 16184–16193 poly C track (30%). The average mtDNA copy number was about three times higher in nasal polyp tissue than in the corresponding peripheral blood cells and adjacent non-polyp tissues. The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was significantly higher in the nasal polyp tissues compared to those from the corresponding samples. High level of ROS in nasal polyp tissue may contribute to development of mtDNA mutations, which may play a crucial role in the vicious cycle of pathophysiology of nasal polyps.     

Human Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporter-3 (hENT3) Spectrum Disorder Mutations Impair Nucleoside Transport,Protein Localization,and Stability

Accumulating evidence reveals that sole mutations in hENT3 cause a spectrum of human genetic disorders. Among these include H syndrome, characterized by scleroderma, hyperpigmentation, hypertrichosis, hepatomegaly, cardiac abnormalities and musculoskeletal deformities, pigmented hypertrichotic dermatosis with insulin-dependent diabetes syndrome, characterized by autoantibody-negative diabetes mellitus and skin deformities, familial Rosai-Dorfman disease, characterized by short stature, familial histiocytosis and sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy (SHML), characterized by severe tissue infiltration of immune cells and swollen lymph nodes. hENT3 spectrum disorders share a common mutation and share overlapping clinical manifestations that display many intriguing resemblances to mitochondrial and lysosomal disorders. Although earlier studies identify hENT3 as a mitochondrial and a lysosomal nucleoside transporter, the precise connections between hENT3 and the pathophysiology of these disorders remain unresolved. In this study, we performed functional and biochemical characterization of these mutations in hENT3. We report severe reductions/losses of hENT3 nucleoside transport functions of hENT3 syndrome mutants. In addition to transport alterations, we provide evidence for possible loss of hENT3 functions in all H and pigmented hypertrichotic dermatosis with insulin-dependent diabetes syndromes due to either mistrafficking or altered stability of mutant hENT3 proteins.     

Taxonomic revision of the genus Jassidophaga Aczél (Diptera: Pipunculidae) in Korea

In this paper, three Korean species of the big‐head fly, genus Jassidophaga Aczél were treated: J. chiiensis (Ouchi), J. pala (Morakote) and J. villosa (Roser). Of these, J. pala is reported in Korea for the first time. A key to Korean species and photographs on external features are given.