Indirect estimation of the maximal aerobic power of a male and female population from Brussels aged 6 to 23 years. Comparison with a direct technic for measuring maximal oxygen consumption

Validation of the maximal multistage 20 m shuttle run test with 1 min steps has been compared with a stepwise load increase on a bicycle ergometer among 201 male and female subjects ranging from 14 to 30 years. A slight underestimation of VO2 max (5.2%) amounting to 2.71 ml . min-1 . kg-1 was observed for the multistage shuttle test as compared to the bicycle test (r = 0.72). The analysis of the biological values collected after exercise does not show major differences between the two tests (plasma lactate, urinary total protein and albumin, creatinine). The renal handling of plasma proteins appears to be equally disturbed under the influence of exhaustive exercise. Maximal aerobic power regularly increases with age in both sexes, being more pronounced however for boys (1.16 to 3.37 l . min-1) than for girls (1.17 to 2.43 l . min-1) from 6 to 20 years old. Boys nearly sustain 50 ml . min-1 . kg-1 throughout childhood. On the contrary, from 8 years on girls progressively reduce their VO2 max down to 37.1 ml . min-1 . kg-1 at the age of 19. The decrease is more pronounced during the 11-16 years period. The present results constitute tentative norms on 1,025 brussels male and female subjects ranging from 6 to 23 years.     

Effect of continuous passive motion (machine-assisted) exercise as an alternative form of training on physiological profiles of women aged 40-65 years

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of 16 weeks of continuous passive motion (CPM) or machine-assisted exercise as an alternative form of training on body composition, muscle strength, and flexibility in women aged 40-65 years. Thirty-one exercisers and 8 controls completed 16 weeks of training, with the exercisers averaging 3 sessions per week. Six toning tables targeted different muscle groups by moving the body and/or limbs while subjects attempted to resist the movements. Body composition was assessed by individual measures (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, hydrodensitometry, and bioelectric impedance) and a 4-compartment model, flexibility was assessed by a Leighton flexometer and the sit and reach procedure, and strength was measured by standard 1 repetition maximum procedures before training began, after 5 weeks of training, and after 16 weeks of training. When the 2 groups were compared after week 5 and week 16 of training, few significant (p < 0.05) group by trial differences were noted; however, these differences were minimal and represented little or no practical significance (very low effect sizes). In conclusion, CPM training did not appear to provide a sufficient stimulus to significantly alter measures of strength, flexibility, or body composition in women aged 40-65 years.     

Cross-sectional morphometric data on a population of semifree-ranging squirrel monkeys,Saimiri sciureus (Iquitos)

Eight morphometric measurements and weights were taken on 169 members of a semifree-ranging population of squirrel monkeys, Saimiri sciureus (Iquitos), at the MonkeyJungle, Goulds, Florida. Age- and sex-related differences were determined. Weight and brow-rump length correlated most highly with age. Sexually dimorphic differences were particularly evident in weight and head width, and both of these showed seasonal variation in the males.     

Effect of hydratation on renal water and sodium excretion in patients with renal arterial stenosis (S) and essential hypertension (EH).

Water and electrolyte excretion after a large water load and a small Na load was studied in a group of healthy volunteers (C) and in patients with renal arterial stenosis (S) and essential hypertension (EH). It was found that both groups of hypertensive patients reacted to this stimulus by higher Na, Cl, Ca and Mg excretion tan group C. In the two hypertension groups, cumulative Na excretion was comparable in size, but cumulative water excretion was significantly greater in group EH than in group S. The results indicate that these differences can be attributed to different localization of reduced Na reabsorption in the nephron. Signs of a decrease in Na resorption were found in the distal part of the nephron in both hypertension groups, but in the EH group they were also found in the proximal part.     

Effects of salinity and temperature on oxygen consumption in a freshwater population of Palaemonetes antennarius (Crustacea,decapoda)

• 1.1. After step-like increases in salinity the shrimps exhibit the smallest increase in oxygen consumption in the lower salinity range. At higher salinities the shrimps show longer recovery times and greater increases in the metabolic rate after salinity shock.
• 2.2. In steady-state experiments, the shrimps display the lowest oxygen consumption rates near the isosmotic point. The lowest metabolic rates occur at salinities of 3‰ and 10‰ At salinities of 20‰ and above the rate of metabolism increases by 20–30%.
• 3.3. The calculated osmoregulatory work for animals in fresh water amounts to only 2.7% of routine metabolism and drops to 1.1% for shrimps in 3‰ and 0.7% in 5‰ salinity.
• 4.4. Locomotory activity in the form of position change was not responsible for the increased oxygen consumption of the animals after salinity shocks. A “tentative swimming activity” by fast and frequent beating of the pleopods without position change may be an important factor in the increase of metabolic rates.
• 5.5. In its temperature response, the brackish water population has a higher metabolic rate than the freshwater one. Between 5 and 35°C Q ₁₀-values range from 4.01 to 1.37.

     

Postglacial population expansion of Dacrydium pectinatum(Podocarpaceae)in Hainan,southern China,based on cpDNA tmL-F nocoding sequence data

This study determined the sequences of chloro plast DNA(cpDNA)trnL-F non-coding regions of indiViduals of a tropical coniferous species,Dacrydium pectinatum,collected from 12 natural populations located in Hainan Province,southern China.Sequence length varied from 868 bp to 876 bp,indicating length polymorphism.Base composition in the sequences was high in A+T content between 64.17% and 64.95%.and no recombination event occurred (Rm=0).Thirty haplotypes were identified based on statistical parsimony algorithm by running the TCS program.Populations of D.pectinatum in Hainan were lacking genetic differentiation.Such a deduction was supported by the observed FST values(0.00),AMOVA(24.17% of molecular variance attributed to difference among populations,P＞0.05),high values of Nm(ranging from 1.92 to 2.50)and the branching structure in neighbor-joining(NJ)tree conin the TCS network of trnL-F haplotypes,and majority of the haplotypes coalesced near the tips in NJ tree.Gene genealogies of cpDNA haplotypes proposed a recent population expansion of D.pectinatum in Hainan,which was further supported by the results from Tajima's D test and mismatch distribution analysis.Our data.in COnjunction with geological and palynological evidences,showed that in the Holocene,due to global warming,refugee populations of D.pectinatum in Hainan might experience a range expansion.     

Isolation by distance,based on microsatellite data,tested with spatial autocorrelation (spaida) and assignment test (spassign)

spassign and spaida are two small programs useful to detect isolate by distance of microsatellite loci. The programs are written in C and are available for Linux and Windows system at http://www.hi.is/~snaebj/programs.html . spaida calculates two estimates of spatial autocorrelation, Moran's I and Geary's c, first by assuming the infinite allele model, and second by assuming a stepwise mutational model. spassign calculates the assignment probabilities of an individuals genotype to the location where it was sampled and compares probabilities of assignment to other locations. Genetic distances among regions based on the overall differences in likelihoods are calculated.     

Pharmacokinetic data of propranolol enantiomers in a comparative human study with (S)- and (R,S)-propranolol

The pharmacokinetics of (S)-propranolol were compared after the oral administration of a 40 mg dose of the pure enantiomer and an 80 mg dose of a racemic mixture of (R,S)-propranolol. The results of this study indicate that the bioavailability of (S)-propranolol, as expressed by the mean area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) and maximum serum concentration, is lower after 40 mg of the optically pure drug than after the racemic drug.     

Association study of folate-related enzymes (MTHFR,MTR, MTRR) genetic variants with non-obstructive male infertility in a Polish population

Spermatogenesis is a process where an important contribution of genes involved in folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism is observed. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between male infertility and the MTHFR (677C > T; 1298A > C), MTR (2756A > G) and MTRR (66A > G) polymorphisms in a Polish population. No significant differences in genotype or allele frequencies were detected between the groups of 284 infertile men and of 352 fertile controls. These results demonstrate that common polymorphisms in folate pathway genes are not major risk factors for non-obstructive male infertility in the Polish population.     

Effect of furosemide on the plasma level of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in healthy persons and in patients with uncomplicated primary arterial hypertension

The study included 15 healthy individuals aged 37.3 +/- 7.7 years and 27 patients with the primary uncomplicated blood hypertension (stages I and II according to WHO classification) of the comparable age, untreated and given a diet containing 100-120 nM Na+ daily. Plasma ANP concentrations were measured prior to and after 30, 60, and 90 minutes following 40 mg furosemide intravenously. An increase in 1-minute urine output and 1-minute Na+ excretion in the urine were determined during 90 minutes following furosemide administration. A significant decrease in ANP plasma levels was noted in all examined individuals following furosemide administration in all time intervals comparing with baseline values. An increase in 1-minute urine output and 1-minute sodium excretion with the urine significantly correlated with plasma ANP decrease during 90 minutes following furosemide administration. The obtained results suggest that furosemide inhibits ANP secretion in the patients with uncomplicated primary hypertension similarly to healthy individuals.     

Postglacial population expansion of Dacrydium pectinatum (Podocarpaceae) in Hainan, southem China, based on cpDNA trnL-F nocoding sequence data

This study determined the sequences of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) trnL-F non-coding regions of individuals of a tropical coniferous species, Dacrydium pectinatum, collected from 12 natural populations located in Hainan Province, southern China. Sequence length varied from 868 bp to 876 bp, indicating length polymorphism. Base composition in the sequences was high in A+T content between 64.17% and 64.95%, and no recombination event occurred (Rm = 0). Thirty haplotypes were identified based on statistical parsimony algorithm by running the TCS program. Populations of D. pectinatum in Hainan were lacking genetic differentiation. Such a deduction was supported by the observed F _ST values (0.00), AMOVA (24.17% of molecular variance attributed to difference among populations, P>0.05), high values of Nm (ranging from 1.92 to 2.50) and the branching structure in neighbor-joining (NJ) tree constructed from haplotypes. A ‘star-like’ pattern was exhibited in the TCS network of trnL-F haplotypes, and majority of the haplotypes coalesced near the tips in NJ tree. Gene genealogies of cpDNA haplotypes proposed a recent population expansion of D. pectinatum in Hainan, which was further supported by the results from Tajima’s D test and mismatch distribution analysis. Our data, in conjunction with geological and palynological evidences, showed that in the Holocene, due to global warming, refugee populations of D. pectinatum in Hainan might experience a range expansion. __________ Translated from Acta Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Sunyatseni, 2005, 44(5): 70–74 [译自: 中山大学学报 (自然科学版), 2005, 44(5): 70–74]     

Detection of novel blast resistance genes, Pi58(t) and Pi59(t), in a Myanmar rice landrace based on a standard differential system

The use of broad-spectrum R genes is an effective way to achieve durable resistance against rice blast (Magnaporthe oryzae Couch, anamorph: Pyricularia oryzae Cavara) in rice (Oryza sativa L.). We previously surveyed the diversity of blast resistance in 948 rice varieties and found a Myanmar rice landrace, Haoru (International Rice Research Institute genebank acc. no. IRGC33090), with broad-spectrum resistance against the standard differential blast isolates. Here, we examined the genetic basis of Haoru’s broad-spectrum resistance by using the standard blast differential system consisting of the standard isolates and differential varieties. For genetic analysis, we used a BC1F1 population and BC1F2 lines derived from crosses of Haoru with a susceptible variety, US-2. Co-segregation analysis of the reaction pattern in the BC1F1 population against the 20 standard isolates suggested that Haoru harbors three R genes. By using bulk-segregant and linkage analysis, we mapped two of the three R genes on chromosomes 12 and 6, and designated them as Pi58(t) and Pi59(t), respectively. Pi58(t) and Pi59(t) were differentiated from other reported R genes using the standard differential system. The estimated resistance spectrum of Pi58(t) corresponded with that of Haoru, suggesting that Pi58(t) is primarily responsible for Haoru’s broad-spectrum resistance. In addition, Pi59(t) and the third gene were also proven to be new and useful genetic resources for studying and improving blast resistance in rice.     

Design of novel analogues with potent antibiotic activity based on the antimicrobial peptide, HP(2-9)-ME(1-12)

To develop novel antibiotic peptides useful as therapeutic drugs, a number of analogues were designed to increase the hydrophobic helix region either by Trp-substitution or net positive charge increase by Lys-substitution, from HP(2-9)-ME(1-12). The antibiotic activities of these peptides were evaluated using bacterial (Salmonella tryphimurium, Proteus vulgaris, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus), fungi (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Trichosporon beigelii and Candida albicans), tumor and human erythrocyte cells. The substitution of Lys for Thr at position 18 and 19 of HP(2-9)-ME(1-12) (HM5) increased activity against Proteus vulgaris and fungal strains without hemolysis. In contrast, substitution of Trp for Lys and Thr at positions 2, 15 and 19 of HP(2-9)-ME(1-12), respectively (HM3 and HM4), decreased activity but increased hemolysis against human erythrocytes. This suggests that an increase in positive charge increases antimicrobial activity whereas an increase in hydrophobicity by introducing Trp residues at C-terminus of HP(2-9)-ME(1-12) causes a hemolytic effect. Circular dichroism spectra suggested that the alpha-helical structure of these peptides plays an important role in their antibiotic effect but that the alpha-helical property is not connected with the enhanced antibiotic activity.     

Zonal characteristics of the dynamics of viral hepatitis A morbidity over a period of many years (based on data from the Ukrainian SSR)

The previously established zonal character of the prevalence of viral hepatitis A in the Ukraine is a stable epidemiological regularity observed for more than 30 years (1952-1985). Zonal differences in the dynamics of the epidemic process of viral hepatitis A were established. These differences became particularly hepatitis manifest in the years of periodic rises in the morbidity rate which is also irregular within zonal and regional boundaries. The main typological variants of the dynamics of the epidemic process ("urban" and "rural") were defined. Typological approach appears to be useful in the provision of information necessary for the proper functioning of epidemiological surveillance and for taking measures aimed at epidemics control.