The role of novelty and fat and sugar concentration in food selection by captive tufted capuchins (Sapajus apella)

Capuchins, like other primates, use feedback from sensory cues and digestion to make decisions about which foods to consume and which to avoid. However, little is known about how capuchins make consumption decisions when simultaneously presented with novel and familiar foods, or how food familiarity and macronutrient concentration together influence food choice, topics with potential implications for developmental and health research. In this study, we evaluated the role of familiarity, as well as fat and sugar concentration, in the food selections of captive tufted capuchins (Sapajus apella). In the first experiment, over 10 sessions, subjects were assigned to either a group that chose between one familiar and one novel food item both high in fat or sugar (high condition), or to a group that chose between one familiar and one novel food item both low in fat or sugar (low condition). In the second experiment, subjects were divided into three groups, familiarized with food over five feeding sessions, and then offered the familiarized food and a novel food that varied in fat or sugar for 10 sessions. When offered foods high in fat, capuchins showed no clear signs of neophobia, forming an initial preference for the novel food, rejecting foods less frequently, and selecting foods faster than when offered foods low in fat. These trends were generally not observed in response to foods with sugar. When presented with options that varied in macronutrient concentration, subjects showed an initial interest in the novel food irrespective of whether it was high in fat or sugar, yet formed a final preference for the higher-concentration item. Findings suggest that the concentration of fat or sugar in novel foods may be an important mediator of exploratory behavior and that capuchins rely on immediate feedback from taste and other sensory cues to make consumption decisions.     

Subunit arrangement of gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptors

The GABA(A) receptors are ligand-gated chloride channels. The subunit stoichiometry of the receptors is controversial; four, five, or six subunits per receptor molecule have been proposed for alphabeta receptors, whereas alphabetagamma receptors are assumed to be pentamers. In this study, alpha-beta and beta-alpha tandem cDNAs from the alpha1 and beta2 subunits of the GABA(A) receptor were constructed. We determined the minimal length of the linker that is required between the two subunits for functional channel expression for each of the tandem constructs. 10- and 23-amino acid residues are required for alpha-beta and beta-alpha, respectively. The tandem constructs either alone or in combination with each other failed to express functional channels in Xenopus oocytes. Therefore, we can exclude tetrameric or hexameric alphabeta GABA(A) receptors. We can also exclude proteolysis of the tandem constructs. In addition, the tandem constructs were combined with single alpha, beta, or gamma subunits to allow formation of pentameric arrangements. In contrast to the combination with alpha subunits, the combination with either beta or gamma subunits led to expression of functional channels. Therefore, a pentameric arrangement containing two alpha1 and three beta2 subunits is proposed for the receptor composed of alpha and beta subunits. Our findings also favor an arrangement betaalphagammabetaalpha for the receptor composed of alpha, beta, and gamma subunits.     

Identification of glucosinolates on the leaf surface of plants from the Cruciferae and other closely related species

Leaf-surface extracts prepared from 18 non-cultivated (wild) plant species, derived from the Capparidaceae, Cruciferae, Resedaceae and Tropaeolaceae were ranked for their ability to stimulate oviposition by the cabbage root fly, and analysed for glucosinolates. A total of 28 different glucosinolates were identified. A clear relationship was detected between the indolyl-, benzyl- and the total glucosinolate composition on the leaf surface and oviposition preference by cabbage root fly females. However, as the results are not fully explained by differences in leaf surface glucosinolates, other important oviposition deterrents and stimuli on the leaf surface of these wild crucifers must also be present.     

Liquid chromatography “on-flow” 1H nuclear magnetic resonance on native glycosphingolipid mixtures together with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry on the released oligosaccharides for screening and characterisation of carbohydrate-based antigens from pig lungs

Glycosphingolipids were prepared from pig lung and pooled into two fractions with (i) 3 sugar residues, and (ii) 3 sugar residues. Oligosaccharides were prepared and used for gas chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. The glycolipid fractions i and ii were further characterised and purified using a novel method based on high performance liquid chromatography on-flow proton nuclear magnetic resonance. The LC on-flow NMR technique showed good chromatographic separation and gave NMR spectral information which could be used as guidance for pooling of the separated mixture glycolipids. Conventional ¹H NMR, thin layer immunostaining, gas chromatography, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry were used to characterise the glycolipids and to validate LC-NMR spectral data.     

Effects of gender, body composition and birth size on IGF-I in 7- and 8-year-old children

We investigated the relationship between IGF-I, gender, height, weight, body composition and birth size in 260 healthy 7- and 8-year-old children (139 females). All children were born term at Nepean Hospital, Western Sydney. Body composition was measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. IGF-I levels were determined by radioimmunoassay. Girls had higher IGF-I levels than boys (20.2 +/- 6.5 nmol/l compared to 15.9 +/- 6.1 nmol/l, p < 0.001) but there was no correlation between age and IGF-I. IGF-I was positively correlated with height SDS (R(2) = 0.12), weight SDS (R(2) = 0.19), BMI SDS (R(2) = 0.18), total body fat (%) (R(2) = 0.14), and fat-free tissue/cm (R(2) = 0.03). After adjusting for gender and current weight, IGF-I-levels were inversely related to birth size - children with the lowest birth size and heaviest current weight had the highest IGF-I levels. This correlation between birth weight and IGF-I supports the hypothesis that the IGF-I axis is altered in babies who are small for gestational age.     

Bile acid conjugates of a nonsteroidal glucocorticoid receptor modulator

Bile acid conjugates of a selective nonsteroidal glucocorticoid receptor modulator were prepared and evaluated. Potent GR binding conjugates that showed improved metabolic stability were discovered. However, cellular potency and pharmacokinetics were not substantially improved.     

Efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine treatment in patients with acute uncomplicated Falciparum malaria in Mayotte, a French collectivity of the Comoros Archipelago

Mayotte is a French island located in the Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Due to the high level of resistance to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in this area, new therapeutic strategies are required. The aim was to assess and to document the efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine (AL) combination in four oral dosages. The follow-up was carried out during 21 days to monitor the antimalarial drug efficacy in an open trial in April-May, 2002. Results were obtained from 51 patients, aged from three to 46 years (12% less than five years). No case of therapeutic failure was observed. At day 2 after treatment, all the patients were apyretic and none of them had parasitaemia until day 21. This first therapeutic trial of the AL combination in the Indian Ocean sub-region shows that this association is safe, effective and rapid. AL should be an alternative treatment of uncomplicated malaria attacks in Comoros Archipelago, and will be of help to manage imported chloroquine-resistant falciparum malaria strains in Madagascar.     

Biodegradable films of partly branched poly(l-lactide)-co-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) copolymer: modulation of phase morphology, plasticization properties and thermal depolymerization

We report on the modulation of phase morphology, plasticization properties, and thermal stability of films of partly branched poly(l-lactide)-co-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) copolymer (PLLA-co-PCL) with additions of low molecular weight compounds, namely, triethyl citrate ester, diethyl phthalate, diepoxy polyether (poly(propylene glycol) diglycidyl ether), and with epoxidized soybean oil (ESO). The PLLA-co-PCL/polyether films showed significant stability against thermal depolymerization, high film flexibility, and good plasticizing properties, probably due to cross-linking and chain branching formation between diepoxy groups with both the end carboxyl and hydroxyl groups of the PLLA copolymer (initially present or generated during the degradation process) to produce primary ester and ether bonds, respectively. Diethyl phthalate and triethyl citrate ester were found to be efficient plasticizers for PLLA copolymer in terms of glass transition and mechanical properties, but the more water-soluble plasticizer triethyl citrate induced a dramatic loss in the molecular weight of the copolymer. Although ESO cannot play the role of a plasticizer, it substantially stabilizes and retards thermal depolymerization of the PLLA copolymer matrix, possibly because of a reaction between epoxy groups with the end carboxyl and hydroxyl groups of the PLLA copolymer. The presence of ESO in PLLA-co-PCL/ESO/triethyl citrate blends enhanced the compatibility and miscibility of the plasticizer with the PLLA copolymer matrix, considerably improved the mechanical properties (elongation at break), and substantially stabilized the copolymer against thermal depolymerization. It seems likely that the epoxy groups interact not only with the end hydroxyl and carboxyl group of the copolymer but as well with the hydroxyl group of triethyl citrate plasticizer to produce a new ether bond (C-O-C) as the cross-linking unit. On the other hand, for PLLA-co-PCL/ESO/polyether blends, (80/10/10) epoxidized oil distorts the compactness of the blend by diminishing the proposed entanglements between carboxyl, hydroxyl, and diepoxy groups of polyether and reduces the high elongation properties otherwise observed in the PLLA-co-PCL/polyether films. The multicomponent approach toward modulating poly(l-lactide)-co-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) copolymer films using epoxy compounds and plasticizers and the insight into the nature of various PLLA matrixes presented here offer advantages to a broad engineering of PLLA copolymer films having desirable physical properties and multiphase behavior for efficient uses in future technical applications.     

Transgenic expression of Cre recombinase from the tyrosine hydroxylase locus

Catecholaminergic neurons are affected in several neurological and psychiatric diseases. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the first, rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine synthesis. We report a knockin mouse expressing Cre-recombinase from the 3'-untranslated region of the endogenous Th gene by means of an internal ribosomal entry sequence (IRES). The resulting Cre expression matches the normal pattern of TH expression, while the pattern and level of TH are not altered in the knockin mouse. Crossings with two different LacZ reporter mice demonstrated Cre-mediated genomic recombination in TH expressing tissues. In addition, LacZ was found in some unexpected cell populations (including oocytes), indicating recombination due to transient developmental TH expression. Our novel knockin mouse can be used for generation of tissue-specific or general knockouts (depending on scheme of crossing) in mice carrying genes flanked by loxP sites. This knockin mouse can also be used for tracing cell lineages expressing TH during development.     

Chemopreventive effects of hydroxymatairesinol on uterine carcinogenesis in Donryu rats

Hydroxymatairesinol (HMR), obtained from the heartwood of spruce (Picea abies), has been demonstrated to exert chemo-preventive effects on the development of mammary tumors in rats. To examine the influence of HMR on uterine carcinogenesis, adult Donryu rats were initiated with a single intrauterine treatment of N-ethyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (ENNG) at 11 weeks of age and fed thereafter 0, 200, or 600 ppm HMR mixed in the soy-containing diet until 15 months of age. Incidences of uterine adenocarcinoma in both 200 and 600 ppm HMR-dosed groups were significantly reduced to 11% and 15%, respectively, less than 50% of 0 ppm, at the end of the experiment (P < 0.05). A delay in the start of persistent estrus by HMR was observed at 8 months of age compared with controls given carcinogen alone. From urinalysis, HMR was metabolized mainly to enterolactone and hydroxyenterolactone. These findings suggest that HMR or its metabolites exert chemo-preventive effects in the rat ENNG-uterine carcinogenesis model.