Ascorbate prevents microvascular dysfunction in the skeletal muscle of the septic rat.

Septic patients have low plasma ascorbate concentrations and compromised microvascular perfusion. The purpose of the present experiments was to determine whether ascorbate improves capillary function in volume-resuscitated sepsis. Cecal ligation and perforation (CLP) was performed on male Sprague-Dawley rats. The concentration of ascorbate in plasma and urine, mean arterial blood pressure, and density of continuously perfused capillaries in the extensor digitorum longus muscle were measured 24 h after surgery. CLP caused a 50% decrease (from 56 +/- 4 to 29 +/- 2 microM) in plasma ascorbate concentration, 1,000% increase (from 46 +/- 13 to 450 +/- 93 microM) in urine ascorbate concentration, 20% decrease (from 115 +/- 2 to 91 +/- 2 mmHg) in mean arterial pressure, and 30% decrease (from 24 +/- 1 to 17 +/- 1 capillaries/mm) in the density of perfused capillaries, compared with time-matched controls. A bolus of intravenous ascorbate (7.6 mg/100 g body wt) administered immediately after the CLP procedure increased plasma ascorbate concentration and restored both blood pressure and density of perfused capillaries to control levels. In vitro experiments showed that ascorbate (100 microM) inhibited replication of bacteria and prevented hydrogen peroxide injury to cultured microvascular endothelial cells. These results indicate that ascorbate is lost in the urine during sepsis and that a bolus of ascorbate can prevent microvascular dysfunction in the skeletal muscle of septic animals. Our study supports the view that ascorbate may be beneficial for patients with septic syndrome.     

Home‐range size and habitat use of European Nightjars Caprimulgus europaeus nesting in a complex plantation‐forest landscape

In Europe, the consequences of commercial plantation management for birds of conservation concern are poorly understood. The European Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus is a species of conservation concern across Europe due to population depletion through habitat loss. Pine plantation‐forest is now a key Nightjar nesting habitat, particularly in northwestern Europe, and increased understanding of foraging habitat selection is required. We radiotracked 31 Nightjars in an extensive (185‐km²) complex conifer plantation landscape in 2009 and 2010. Home‐range 95% kernels for females, paired males and unpaired males were an order of magnitude larger than song territories of paired males, emphasizing the importance of habitats beyond the song territory. Nightjars travelled a mean maximum distance of 747 m from the territory centre each night. Home‐range placement relative to landscape composition was examined by compositional analysis. Pre‐closure canopy forest (aged 5–10 years) was selected at all scales (MCP, 95% and 50% kernels), with newly planted forest (aged 0–4 years) also selected within 50% kernels. For telemetry fixes relative to habitat composition within 2 km of their territory centre, individuals again selected pre‐closure and newly planted forest, and also grazed grass heath. Open ungrazed habitat was not selected, with implications for open habitat planning for biodiversity conservation within public‐owned forests. Despite the Nightjars’ selection for younger growth, moth biomass was greater in older forest stands, suggesting that foraging site selection reflects ease of prey capture rather than prey abundance. Within large plantation‐forest landscapes, a variety of growth stages is important for this species and our results suggest that grazing of open habitats within and adjacent to forest will additionally benefit the European Nightjar.     

Granule-bound starch synthase: structure, function, and phylogenetic utility

Interest in the use of low-copy nuclear genes for phylogenetic analyses of plants has grown rapidly, because highly repetitive genes such as those commonly used are limited in number. Furthermore, because low- copy genes are subject to different evolutionary processes than are plastid genes or highly repetitive nuclear markers, they provide a valuable source of independent phylogenetic evidence. The gene for granule-bound starch synthase (GBSSI or waxy) exists in a single copy in nearly all plants examined so far. Our study of GBSSI had three parts: (1) Amino acid sequences were compared across a broad taxonomic range, including grasses, four dicotyledons, and the microbial homologs of GBSSI. Inferred structural information was used to aid in the alignment of these very divergent sequences. The informed alignments highlight amino acids that are conserved across all sequences, and demonstrate that structural motifs can be highly conserved in spite of marked divergence in amino acid sequence. (2) Maximum-likelihood (ML) analyses were used to examine exon sequence evolution throughout grasses. Differences in probabilities among substitution types and marked among-site rate variation contributed to the observed pattern of variation. Of the parameters examined in our set of likelihood models, the inclusion of among-site rate variation following a gamma distribution caused the greatest improvement in likelihood score. (3) We performed cladistic parsimony analyses of GBSSI sequences throughout grasses, within tribes, and within genera to examine the phylogenetic utility of the gene. Introns provide useful information among very closely related species, but quickly become difficult to align among more divergent taxa. Exons are variable enough to provide extensive resolution within the family, but with low bootstrap support. The combined results of amino acid sequence comparisons, maximum-likelihood analyses, and phylogenetic studies underscore factors that might affect phylogenetic reconstruction. In this case, accommodation of the variable rate of evolution among sites might be the first step in maximizing the phylogenetic utility of GBSSI.      

Preliminary observations on the effects of stimulation of cardiac nerves in man

The dorsal mediastinal cardiac nerves were stimulated in 20 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery. In no instance was an untoward effect produced in any of the patients. Stimulation of a cardiac nerve increased heart rate in eight patients and slowed heart rate in eight patients. In 12 patients stimulation of a cardiac nerve increased mean aortic pressure while in 8 patients it was decreased, even though the patients were supported by a total body perfusion pump. In 11 patients stimulation of a cardiac nerve resulted in a decrease in the coronary artery bypass graft flow, even though aortic pressure was unchanged or increased. These preliminary results suggest that individual cardiac nerves in the dorsal mediastinum of man may be capable of modifying heart rate, total peripheral vascular resistance, or coronary artery resistance. Furthermore, they demonstrate that stimulation of human dorsal mediastinal cardiac nerves can be done without untoward effects and that such stimulations may be a means to investigate the complexity of neural regulation of the human heart.     

Activity of in situ middle cervical ganglion neurons in dogs, using extracellular recording techniques

Neuronal activity in the in situ middle cervical ganglion of dogs was investigated using extracellular recording techniques. The recorded action potentials were frequently active during specific phases of the cardiac cycle, particularly during systole, and this activity persisted following acute decentralization of the ganglion. The activity of these action potentials was modified when systemic arterial pressure was altered by isoproterenol, noradrenaline, adrenaline, or partial occlusion of the aorta, whether in the intact or acutely decentralized preparation. These neurons were active between systolic pressures of 70 and 180 mmHg (1 mmHg = 133.322 Pa). Action potentials were frequently modified by mechanical distortion of the superior vena cava, ventricular epicardium, or adventitia of the aorta, whether the preparation was acutely decentralized or not. Seventy percent of these action potentials were unaffected by stimulation (1 ms, 4 V, 0.5 Hz) of a cardiopulmonary nerve and 27% were suppressed by such stimulation. Five of the neurons were activated by such stimulation. It is presumed that the latter neurons had axons in a cardiopulmonary nerve and most likely were efferent sympathetic postganglionic neurons. Sixty-three percent of these spontaneously active phase-locked units were modified by stimulation of a ramus or an ansa. It is postulated that some of the neurons in the middle cervical ganglia can be modified by afferent axons arising from receptors in thoracic organs, in particular from the great vessels and heart, whether in an intact or acutely decentralized preparation. The majority of these neurons are presumed not to be afferent neurons or efferent postganglionic neurons, as they are not activated directly by electrical stimulation of axons in cardiopulmonary nerves. Rather they are presumed to be interneurons. These results lend support to the thesis that considerable integration of neuronal activity related to thoracic cardiovascular dynamics occurs within the middle cervical ganglia of dogs.