Sympathovagal Balance,Nighttime Blood Pressure,and QT Intervals in Normotensive Obese Women

Objective : We describe associations among the heart‐rate‐corrected QT (QTc) interval, QTc dispersion (QTc‐d), circadian BP variation, and autonomic function in obese normotensive women and the effect of sustained weight loss. Research Methods and Procedures : In 71 obese (BMI = 37.14 ± 2.6 kg/m²) women, 25 to 44 years of age, circadian BP variations (24‐hour ambulatory BP monitoring), autonomic function (power spectral analysis of RR interval oscillations), and cardiac repolarization times (QTc‐d and QTc interval) were recorded at baseline and after 1 year of a multidisciplinary program of weight reduction. Results : Compared with nonobese age‐matched women (n = 28, BMI = 23 ± 2.0 kg/m²), obese women had higher values of QTc‐d (p < 0.05) and QTc (p < 0.05), an altered sympathovagal balance (ratio of low‐frequency/high‐frequency power, p < 0.01), and a blunted nocturnal drop in BP (p < 0.01). In obese women, QTc‐d and the QTc interval correlated with diastolic nighttime BP (p < 0.01) and sympathovagal balance (p < 0.01). Waist‐to‐hip ratio, free fatty acids, and plasma insulin levels correlated with QT intervals and reduced nocturnal drops in both systolic and diastolic BP and sympathovagal balance (p < 0.01). After 1 year, obese women lost at least 10% of their original weight, which was associated with decrements of QTc‐d (p < 0.02), the QTc interval (p < 0.05), nighttime BP (p < 0.01), and sympathovagal balance (p < 0.02). Discussion : Sustained weight loss is a safe method to ameliorate diastolic nighttime BP drop and sympathetic overactivity, which may reduce the cardiovascular risk in obese women.     

Pathogenicity, formulation and storage of insect pathogenic hyphomycetous fungi tested against Diabrotica speciosa

Studies were conducted tosearch for fungal strains with potentialpathogenicity against Diabrotica speciosa(Germar) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).Among sixteen fungal isolates screenedthe most virulent was a Beauveria bassiana(Balsamo) Vuillemin isolate (FHD13) thatcaused 70% mortality of D. speciosathird instar larvae. The LC₅₀ value ofB. bassiana isolate FHD13 was3.48 × 10¹⁰ conidia/ml.Different temperatures (4, 17 and 26 °C)and vegetable oils (corn, sunflower and canola)used for storage did not significantly affectviability of conidia. A pathogenicity trialagainst D. speciosa larvae performed withthe corn oil formulation (1 × 10⁸ conidia/mlof oil) caused 65% of mortality.     

Vγ9/Vδ2 T lymphocytes in Italian patients with Beh?et's disease: evidence for expansion, and tumour necrosis factor receptor II and interleukin-12 receptor β1 expression in active disease

Beh?et's disease is a multisystem disease in which there is evidence of immunological dysregulation. It has been proposed that γ/δ T cells are involved in its pathogenesis. The aim of the present study was to assess the capacity of γ/δ T cells with phenotype Vγ9/Vδ2, from a group of Italian patients with Beh?et's disease, to proliferate in the presence of various phosphoantigens and to express tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and IL-12 receptors. Twenty-five patients and 45 healthy individuals were studied. Vγ9/Vδ2 T cells were analyzed by fluorescence activated cell sorting, utilizing specific monoclonal antibodies. For the expansion of Vγ9/Vδ2 T cells, lymphocytes were cultured in the presence of various phosphoantigens. The expression of TNF receptor II and IL-12 receptor β₁ was evaluated with the simultaneous use of anti-TNF receptor II phycoerythrin-labelled (PE) or anti-IL-12 receptor β₁ PE and anti-Vδ2 T-cell receptor fluorescein isothiocyanate. There was a certain hierarchy in the response of Vγ9/Vδ2 T cells toward the different phosphoantigens, with the highest expansion factor obtained with dimethylallyl pyrophosphate and the lowest with xylose 1P. The expansion factor was fivefold greater in patients with active disease than in those with inactive disease or in control individuals. TNF receptor II and IL-12 receptor β₁ expressions were increased in both patients and control individuals. The proportion of Vγ9/Vδ2 T cells bearing these receptors was raised in active disease when Vγ9/Vδ2 T cells were cultured in the presence of dimethylallyl pyrophosphate. These results indicate that Vγ9/Vδ2 T cell activation is correlated with disease progression and probably involved in the pathogenesis.     

Ungulate damage and silviculture in the Cansiglio Forest (Veneto Prealps, NE Italy)

The Cansiglio Forest, situated in the Veneto Prealps, is of particular naturalistic and landscape interest, going back to the times of the Most Serene Republic of Venice. Its long silvicultural tradition, which is now even more “near to nature”, remains unaltered. Over the last century there has been a considerable increase in the number of ungulates. This is partly due to prohibition of hunting since the beginning of the 20th century throughout the territory. It has therefore become necessary to survey forest regeneration, to ascertain whether deer pressure hampers silvicultural goals and also to investigate which factors are most involved. A review of management plans over the last 30 years identified areas in which regeneration is present, where transects were subsequently sampled. Inside every transect, all saplings (over 50 cm) were measured for diameter and height and monitored for degree and type of damage (browsing, debarking, fraying). Using the CART statistical method, the following key factors were singled out: species, proving that fir is the most frequently selected sapling; silvicultural system, clarifying that the regeneration of uneven-aged stands is more subject to damage; aspect, locating more damage in the southern and eastern areas, probably because they are more often frequented by deer. High densities of deer endanger fir survival, reduce biodiversity, and affect forest economy, limiting silvicultural choices, so that culling ungulate populations seems to be necessary.     

Protective effect and relation structure-activity of nonivamide and iododerivatives in several models of lipid oxidation

The introduction of an iodine atom on the vanillyl moiety of nonivamide causes a switch in the vanilloid activity (TRPV1 antagonism versus TRPV1 desensitization) and nullifies the aversive properties of capsaicinoids. In the present study we investigated the effect of iodination in the vanillyl moiety on the antioxidant activity of capsaicinoids. To this aim, we have compared the protective effects of nonivamide and three iododerivatives, 2-iodononivamide (2IN), 5-iodononivamide (5IN), and 6-iodononivamide (6IN) in a series of in vitro models of lipid oxidation, namely the autoxidation and the FeCl₃-mediated oxidation of linoleic acid at 37 °C and the thermal (140 °C), solvent-free oxidation of cholesterol. All tested compounds could protect linoleic acid and cholesterol against oxidative degradation, the order of potency being: nonivamide > 5IN > 6IN ≈ 2IN. Our results show that, in general, the introduction of an iodine atom on the vanillyl moiety of nonivamide causes a decrease in the antioxidant activity, and this effect is sensitive to the position of iodine on the aromatic ring, with 5IN substantially retaining the efficacy of nonivamide to protect linoleic and cholesterol against free radical attack. Moreover, the pre-treatment with 5IN, at noncytotoxic concentrations, significantly preserved LDL from Cu²⁺-induced oxidative damage at 37 °C for 2 h, inhibiting the reduction of polyunsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol and the increase of their oxidative products. The results of the present work suggest that 5IN exerts useful antioxidant properties in different in vitro systems of lipid peroxidation. This, coupled to its lacks of pungency and TRPV1 inhibiting properties, qualifies this phenolic compound as an attractive candidate for further investigations in vivo.     

CONTRASTING THOUGHTS ABOUT DECEPTIVE ORCHIDS: A RESPONSE TO SOBEL AND RANDLE

Sobel and Randle (2009) challenge several methodological choices in the comparative study of the evolution of reproductive isolation in Mediterranean deceptive orchids of Scopece et al. (2007) including the species concept used and the selection of taxa, together with the perceived comparison of clades of different ages. They further criticize that pollinator information was taken from the literature and that two different methods were used to estimate pollinator specificity in food-deceptive and sexually deceptive orchids, respectively. Here we reply to these challenges.     

Localization patterns of fibroblast growth factor 1 and its receptors FGFR1 and FGFR2 in postnatal mouse retina

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) exert basic functions both during embryonic development and in the adult. The expression of FGFs and their receptors has been reported in mammalian retinas, although information on the organization of the FGF system is still incomplete. Here, we report a detailed double-label immunohistochemical investigation of the localization patterns of FGF1 and its receptors FGFR1 and FGFR2 in adult and early postnatal mouse retinas. In adult retinas, FGF1 is localized to ganglion cells, horizontal cells, and photoreceptor inner and outer segments. FGFR1 is found in ganglion cells and Müller cells, whereas FGFR2 is primarily located in ganglion cells, the nuclei of Müller cells, and glycine-containing amacrine cells. During postnatal development, the patterns of FGF1, FGFR1, and FGFR2 immunostaining are similar to those in the adult, although transient FGF1-expressing cells have been detected in the proximal inner nuclear layer before eye opening. These patterns are consistent with a major involvement of FGF1, FGFR1, and FGFR2 in ganglion cell maturation (during development) and survival (in the adult). Moreover, FGF1 may affect amacrine cell development, whereas Müller cells appear to be regulated via both FGFR1 and FGFR2 throughout postnatal life. In immature retinas, large numbers of amacrine cells, including those containing calbindin and glycine, display both FGF1 and FGFR2 immunoreactivities in their nuclei, suggesting an action of FGF1 on FGFR2 leading to the maturation of these amacrine cells during a restricted period of postnatal development. This work was supported by funding from the Italian Ministry of Education.