Mannitol induces selective astroglial death in the CA1 region of the rat hippocampus following status epilepticus

In the present study, we addressed the question of whether treatment with mannitol, an osmotic diuretic, affects astrogliovascular responses to status epilepticus (SE). In saline-treated animals, astrocytes exhibited reactive astrogliosis in the CA1-3 regions 2-4 days after SE. In the mannitol-treated animals, a large astroglial empty zone was observed in the CA1 region 2 days after SE. This astroglial loss was unrelated to vasogenic edema formation. There was no difference in SE-induced neuronal loss between saline- and mannitol-treated animals. Furthermore, mannitol treatment did not affect astroglial loss and vasogenic edema formation in the dentate gyrus and the piriform cortex. These findings suggest that mannitol treatment induces selective astroglial loss in the CA1 region independent of vasogenic edema formation following SE. These findings support the hypothesis that the susceptibility of astrocytes to SE is most likely due to the distinctive heterogeneity of astrocytes independent of hemodynamics. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(9): 507-512]     

Hunting for Conservation in the Papua New Guinea Highlands

The animals of the Papua New Guinea highlands are relatively defenceless. People not only value their meat, hunters sharing catch with kin, but also formally transact several creatures in the all-important socio-political exchanges that characterise their social life. The local sedentary population is dense, yet it has not hunted species to extinction regardless of their value and vulnerability to predation. This paper seeks an answer in the context of socio-political exchange values that inform social status. It uses data from a survey of animal skull trophies displayed in a sample of houses in the Was valley of the Southern Highlands Province to investigate connections between hunting and social standing - exchange status, kin group affiliation and age - with a view to elucidating tacit conservation behaviour which agencies concerned to protect biodiversity might profitably consider given current participatory rhetoric.     

Contributions of astrocytes to epileptogenesis following status epilepticus: Opportunities for preventive therapy?

Status epilepticus (SE) is a life threatening condition that often precedes the development of epilepsy. Traditional treatments for epilepsy have been focused on targeting neuronal mechanisms contributing to hyperexcitability, however, approximately 30% of patients with epilepsy do not respond to existing neurocentric pharmacotherapies. A growing body of evidence has demonstrated that profound changes in the morphology and function of astrocytes accompany SE and persist in epilepsy. Astrocytes are increasingly recognized for their diverse roles in modulating neuronal activity, and understanding the changes in astrocytes following SE could provide important clues about the mechanisms underlying seizure generation and termination. By understanding the contributions of astrocytes to the network changes underlying epileptogenesis and the development of epilepsy, we will gain a greater appreciation of the contributions of astrocytes to dynamic circuit changes, which will enable us to develop more successful therapies to prevent and treat epilepsy. This review summarizes changes in astrocytes following SE in animal models and human temporal lobe epilepsy and addresses the functional consequences of those changes that may provide clues to the process of epileptogenesis.     

The effect of different strengths of extremely low-frequency electric fields on antioxidant status,lipid peroxidation,and visual evoked potentials

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of extremely low-frequency electric field (ELF EF) on visual evoked potential (VEP), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidant stress index (OSI). Thirty female Wistar rats, aged 3 months, were divided into three equal groups: Control (C), the group exposed to EF at 12 kV/m strength (E12), and the group exposed to EF at 18 kV/m strength (E18). Electric field was applied to the E12 and E18 groups for 14 days (1 h/day). Brain and retina TBARS, TOS, and OSI were significantly increased in the E12 and E18 groups with respect to the control group. Also, TBARS levels were significantly increased in the E18 group compared with the E12 group. Electric fields significantly decreased TAS levels in both brain and retina in E12 and E18 groups with respect to the control group. All VEP components were significantly prolonged in rats exposed to electric fields compared to control group. In addition, all latencies of VEP components were increased in the E18 group with respect to the E12 group. It is conceivable to suggest that EF-induced lipid peroxidation may play an important role in changes of VEP parameters.     

Plumage color as a status signal in male–male interaction in the red-flanked bushrobin, Tarsiger cyanurus

Recent studies have suggested that structural-based coloration is an honest signal of male genetic and/or conditional quality in sexual selection. However, whether structural coloration functions in intrasexual competition is unknown. We examined whether plumage color functions as a status signal during intrasexual interactions in the red-flanked bushrobin Tarsiger cyanurus; adult males have many blue plumes as structural coloration whereas yearling males and females are olive brown with few blue plumages. Blue males did not always dominate olive-brown males. The number of interactions did not differ with the colors of the two birds involved. The interactions of a blue male and an olive-brown male were less aggressive than those of two blue or of two olive-brown males. In this study, we found that structural plumage coloration may serve as a signal of aggressive intent and lower the escalation level of an aggressive interaction in a manner consistent with hypotheses regarding the evolution of delayed plumage maturation.     

我国生物医药企业发展建议

近年来,国外生物医药产业发展迅速,在发达国家,生物医药产品在药品市场中已占有了重要地位,哺乳动物细胞表达的产品已经占据生物医药的主流地位。相比之下,我国生物医药品种主要采用简单的大肠杆菌、酵母表达技术,技术难度较高的哺乳动物细胞药品与国外差距显著,因此,哺乳动物表达的生物药品将成为国内生物医药企业的重要发展机会。多年来,鉴于我国从发达国家获得生物技术转让少,国内生物医药发展需立足于自主研发,建立高效的研发技术平台,选择合适的开发项目,促进企业的发展。     

濒危植物巴东木莲的分布及保护策略

为了研究中国特有物种国家二级保护植物巴东木莲(Manglietiapatungensis)的濒危机制,对巴东木莲的分布现状、生境进行了野外调查。原生巴东木莲的空间分布范围是北纬28°47′10″～30°51′53″,东经107°9′～110°38′9″;垂直分布为海拔374～1029m。湖北咸丰县尖山乡和湖南桑植五道水乡杨家坪村为巴东木莲的新分布点。从整体来看,巴东木莲的分布是不连续的、零星的,而且范围很狭窄;分布区的环境条件差异大。人类对巴东木莲的不合理利用及生境片断化是造成其野生资源迅速减少和许多现有种群不能自然更新的主要原因。还对巴东木莲的分布现状提出了相关的保护措施。只有采取保护优先、合理开发的措施,才可获得资源的可持续性利用。     

污染河道治理技术研究进展

河道综合整治已引起人们广泛关注。综述了国内外河道治理常用的物理、化学和生物等方法的原理和工艺。物理法介绍了调水、机械除藻、底泥疏浚等,该法治标不治本;化学法有混凝沉淀,它易造成产生二次污染;生态-生物法是国外近年来发展很快的,借助自然界自身的水体自净能力治理受污水体的一类新技术,包括河道曝气法、生物膜法、生物修复技术,土地处理法等。同时也介绍了目前发展起来的最新河道治理工艺,如悬浮填料移动床、曝气生态净化系统和底泥生物氧化等多种方法,这类工艺是将生物法与其他工艺相结合,具有多功能、高效率等特点。     

中国动物行为学研究现状的文献计量学分析

采用文献计量学的方法,在《中国学术期刊网络出版总库》和《Science Citation Index》数据库中,以“动物行为”、“animal behavior”、“ethology”作为检索词,检索了中国学者在国内外期刊上发表的中英文文献,并对中国动物行为学领域发文的年代、期刊、研究单位、作者、被引频次、国际合作、基金项目、研究对象和领域等内容进行了定量分析。结果表明：中国动物行为学研究起步较晚,近三十多年来相关动物行为学文献在波动中增长,并在近几年有从中文向英文转移的趋势;平均每篇文献被引2.81次;作者和研究单位虽然分散,但已经形成了专门从事动物行为研究的核心作者群、研究机构群;国内外均存在动物行为学文献的主要期刊分布区,但国内迫切需要一种动物行为学的专业期刊;动物行为研究的基金来源广泛,其中国家自然科学基金占重要地位;有国外作者参与的英文文献比例远大于中文文献,主要合作国家是美国;中国动物行为研究对象主要为哺乳动物,鸟类是中文文献第二位研究对象而昆虫是英文文献的第二位研究对象;繁殖行为是中国动物行为主要研究领域,中文文献在行为观察记录和行为谱、活动节律和时间分配方面的比例远远大于英文文献。总体上看,中国动物行为学文献发展符合科学文献逻辑增长曲线;整体研究水平偏低,国际影响力有待提高;中国动物行为学已步入新的发展阶段。     

Relationship of CSF neurotransmitter metabolite levels to disease severity and disability in multiple sclerosis

Axonal degeneration and brain tissue loss occur during disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) and are expected to influence neurotransmitter activities, with consequences on neurologic and psychiatric symptomatology. We searched for relationships of disease duration, disability, and severity of MS patients to CSF levels of the major metabolites of noradrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin, MHPG, methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), homovanillic acid, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), respectively, in 39 patients with relapsing–remitting (RR) MS in remission, and 26 patients with progressive (PR) MS. Disability and Disease Severity were assessed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and the Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS). Compared with the levels of 50 control subjects, MHPG levels were not different in either MS group, correlated negatively to duration of illness and number of relapses in the RRMS group, but not to EDSS score or to MSSS. Homovanillic acid levels were significantly lower only in the PRMS group, with a negative correlation to duration of illness, and a strong negative correlation to EDSS score, but not to MSSS. 5-HIAA was significantly lower in both RRMS and PRMS groups. In the RRMS group, 5-HIAA levels were negatively related to EDSS and to MSSS. Multiple regression analyses revealed a significant association of MHPG to duration of illness, and a strong negative association of 5-HIAA to MSSS rather than to EDSS. The strong negative correlation of MSSS to CSF 5-HIAA levels in RRMS group of patients indicates that deficits in central serotonergic activity are related to the rate of disability accumulation in RRMS, and could be linked to the reported reduction of disease activity by serotonergic drugs.