In Vivo and In Vitro Effects of Some Plant Hormones on Rat Erythrocyte Carbonic Anhydrase and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Activities

The present study was undertaken to determine in vivo and in vitro effects of some plant growth regulators on rat erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase (CA) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activities. Both in vivo and in vitro, spermidine and kinetin did not affect enzymatic activities of CA and G6PD, whereas putrescine decreased these activities, and abscisic acid increased them. Since plants use such growth regulators, their effects should be considered on mammals consuming them since they may possess important biological effects.     

Curcumin prevents liver fat accumulation and serum fetuin-A increase in rats fed a high-fat diet

Fetuin-A is synthesized in the liver and is secreted into the bloodstream. Clinical studies suggest involvement of fetuin-A in metabolic disorders such as visceral obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, and fatty liver. Curcumin is extracted from the rhizome Curcuma longa and has been shown to possess potent antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and hypoglycemic properties. In this study, we investigated the effect of curcumin treatment on serum fetuin-A levels as well as hepatic lipids and prooxidant–antioxidant status in rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into six groups. Group 1 was fed control diet (10 % of total calories from fat). Groups 2 and 3 were given curcumin (100 and 400 mg/kg bw/day, respectively ) by gavage for 8 weeks and were fed control diet. Group 4 was fed with HFD (60 % of total calories from fat). Groups 5 and 6 received HFD together with the two doses of curcumin, respectively. Curcumin treatment appeared to be effective in reducing liver triglycerides and serum fetuin-A levels. These findings suggest that the reduction of fetuin-A may contribute to the beneficial effects of curcumin in the pathogenesis of obesity.     

Chlamydia pneumoniae infection acts as an endothelial stressor with the potential to initiate the earliest heat shock protein 60-dependent inflammatory stage of atherosclerosis

We identified increased expression and redistribution of the intracellular protein 60-kDa human heat shock protein (hHSP60) (HSPD1) to the cell surface in human endothelial cells subjected to classical atherosclerosis risk factors and subsequent immunologic cross-reactivity against this highly conserved molecule, as key events occurring early in the process of atherosclerosis. The present study aimed at investigating the role of infectious pathogens as stress factors for vascular endothelial cells and, as such, contributors to early atherosclerotic lesion formation. Using primary donor-matched arterial and venous human endothelial cells, we show that infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae leads to marked upregulation and surface expression of hHSP60 and adhesion molecules. Moreover, we provide evidence for an increased susceptibility of arterial endothelial cells for redistribution of hHSP60 to the cellular membrane in response to C. pneumoniae infection as compared to autologous venous endothelial cells. We also show that oxidative stress has a central role to play in endothelial cell activation in response to chlamydial infection. These data provide evidence for a role of C. pneumoniae as a potent primary endothelial stressor for arterial endothelial cells leading to enrichment of hHSP60 on the cellular membrane and, as such, a potential initiator of atherosclerosis.     

Biodiversity of benthic invertebrates and bioprospecting in Icelandic waters

Iceland is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, with an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles that is largely unexplored with respect to chemical constituents of the marine biota. Iceland is a geothermally active area and hosts both hot and cold adapted organisms on land and in the ocean around it. In particular, the confluence of cold and warm water masses and geothermal activity creates a unique marine environment that has not been evaluated for the potential of marine natural product diversity. Marine organisms need to protect themselves from other organisms trying to overgrow, and some need to secure their place on the bottom of the ocean. Unexplored and unique areas such as the hydrothermal vent site at the sea floor in Eyjafjordur are of particular interest. In 1992 a collaborative research programme on collecting and identifying benthic invertebrates around Iceland (BIOICE) was established, with participation of Icelandic and foreign institutes, universities and taxonomists on benthic invertebrates from all over the world. Since the programme started almost 2,000 species have been identified and of those 41 species are new to science. Our recent bioprospecting project is directed towards the first systematic investigation of the marine natural product diversity of benthic invertebrates occurring in Icelandic waters, and their potential for drug-lead discovery in several key therapeutic areas.     

Decrease of theta response in euthymic bipolar patients during an oddball paradigm

Theta oscillations are related to cognitive functions and reflect functional integration of frontal and medial temporal structures into coherent neurocognitive networks. This study assessed event-related theta oscillations in medication-free, euthymic patients with bipolar disorder upon auditory oddball paradigm. Twenty-two DSM-IV euthymic bipolar I (n = 19) and II (n = 3) patients and twenty-two healthy subjects were included. Patients were euthymic for at least 6 months, and psychotropic-free for at least 2 weeks. EEG was recorded at 30 electrode sites. Auditory oddball paradigm and sensory stimuli were used. Event-related Oscillations were analyzed using adaptive filtering in two different theta frequency bands (4–6 Hz, 6–8 Hz). In healthy subjects, slow theta (4–6 Hz) responses were significantly higher than those of euthymic patients upon target, non-target and sensory stimuli (p < 0.05). Fast theta (6–8 Hz) responses of healthy subjects were significantly higher than those of euthymic patients upon target-only stimuli (p < 0.05). Reduced theta oscillations during auditory processing provide strong quantitative evidence of activation deficits in related networks in bipolar disorder. Fast theta responses are related to cognitive functions, whereas slow theta responses are related to sensory processes more than cognitive processes.     

Induction of diapause and seasonal morphs in butterflies and other insects: knowns,unknowns and the challenge of integration

The ‘choice’ of whether to enter diapause or to develop directly has profound effects on the life histories of insects, and may thus have cascading consequences such as seasonal morphs and other less obvious forms of seasonal plasticity. Present knowledge of the control of diapause and seasonal morphs at the physiological and molecular levels is briefly reviewed. Examples, mainly derived from personal research (primarily on butterflies), are given as a starting point with the aim of outlining areas of research that are still poorly understood. These include: the role of the direction of change in photoperiod; the role of factors such as temperature and diet in modifying the photoperiodic responses; and the role of sex, parental effects and sex linkage on photoperiodic control. More generally, there is still a limited understanding of how external cues and physiological pathways regulating various traits are interconnected via gene action to form a co‐adapted complete phenotype that is adaptive in the wild despite environmental fluctuation and change.     

Temperature and host plant effects on development and fecundity of Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) (Homoptera: Aphididae)

The development, survival and reproduction of the cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) were evaluated at three constant temperatures (20, 25 and 30°C) on cabbage, cauliflower, red cabbage, turnip and radish. The development periods of immature stages ranged from 10.7 d at 20°C to 7.60 d at 30°C for red cabbage. Total percentages of survivorship of immature stages varied from 39.40 and 82.50 within the temperature range of 25–30°C on radish. The average progeny per female was 31.15, 28.95 and 23.77 at 20, 25 and 30°C on cabbage.     

Non-viral gene therapy for bone tissue engineering

The possibilities of using gene therapy for bone regeneration have been extensively investigated. Improvements in the design of new transfection agents, combining vectors and delivery/release systems to diminish cytotoxicity and increase transfection efficiencies have led to several successful in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo strategies. These include growth factor or short interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) delivery, or even enzyme replacement therapies, and have led to increased osteogenic differentiation and bone formation in vivo. These results provide optimism to consider use in humans with some of these gene-delivery strategies in the near future.