Metabolomic analysis of Strychnos nux-vomica, Strychnos icaja and Strychnos ignatii extracts by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry and multivariate analysis techniques

1H Nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry and multivariate analysis techniques were applied for the metabolic profiling of three Strychnos species: Strychnos nux-vomica (seeds, stem bark, root bark), Strychnos ignatii (seeds), and Strychnos icaja (leaves, stem bark, root bark, collar bark). The principal component analysis (PCA) of the 1H NMR spectra showed a clear discrimination between all samples, using the three first components. The key compounds responsible for the discrimination were brucine, loganin, fatty acids, and Strychnos icaja alkaloids such as icajine and sungucine. The method was then applied to the classification of several "false angostura" samples. These samples were, as expected, identified as S. nux-vomica by PCA, but could not be clearly discriminated as root bark or stem bark samples after further statistical analysis.     

Effects of high altitude and water deprivation on arginine vasopressin release in men

High-altitude exposure changes the distribution of body water and electrolytes. Arginine vasopressin (AVP) may influence these alterations. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a 24-h water deprivation trial (WDT) on AVP release after differing altitude exposures. Seven healthy males (age 22 +/- 1 yr, height 176 +/- 2 cm, mass 75.3 +/- 1.8 kg) completed three WDTs: at sea level (SL), after acute altitude exposure (2 days) to 4,300 m (AA), and after prolonged altitude exposure (20 days) to 4,300 m (PA). Body mass, standing and supine blood pressures, plasma osmolality (Posm), and plasma AVP (PAVP) were measured at 0, 12, 16, and 24 h of each WDT. Urine volume was measured at each void throughout testing. Baseline Posm increased from SL to altitude (SL 291.7 +/- 0.8 mosmol/kgH2O, AA 299.6 +/- 2.2 mosmol/kgH2O, PA 302.3 +/- 1.5 mosmol/kgH2O, P < 0.05); however, baseline PAVP measurements were similar. Despite similar Posm values, the maximal PAVP response during the WDT (at 16 h) was greater at altitude than at SL (SL 1.7 +/- 0.5 pg/ml, AA 6.4 +/- 0.7 pg/ml, PA 8.7 +/- 0.9 pg/ml, P < 0.05). In conclusion, hypoxia appeared to alter AVP regulation by raising the osmotic threshold and increasing AVP responsiveness above that threshold.     

Remotely Sensed Interannual Variations and Trends in Terrestrial Net Primary Productivity 1981–2000

Spatial and temporal variations in net primary production (NPP) are of great importance to ecological studies, natural resource management, and terrestrial carbon sink estimates. However, most of the existing estimates of interannual variation in NPP at regional and global scales were made at coarse resolutions with climate-driven process models. In this study, we quantified global NPP variation at an 8 km and 10-day resolution from 1981 to 2000 based on satellite observations. The high resolution was achieved using the GLObal Production Efficiency Model (GLO-PEM), which was driven with variables derived almost entirely from satellite remote sensing. The results show that there was an increasing trend toward enhanced terrestrial NPP that was superimposed on high seasonal and interannual variations associated with climate variability and that the increase was occurring in both northern and tropical latitudes. NPP generally decreased in El Niño season and increased in La Niña seasons, but the magnitude and spatial pattern of the response varied widely between individual events. Our estimates also indicate that the increases in NPP during the period were caused mainly by increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide and precipitation. The enhancement of NPP by warming was limited to northern high latitudes (above 50°N); in other regions, the interannual variations in NPP were correlated negatively with temperature and positively with precipitation.     

Role of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase in pulmonary leukocyte recruitment

During systemic inflammation, recruitment and activation of leukocytes in the pulmonary microcirculation may result in a potentially life-threatening acute lung injury. We elucidated the role of the poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase (PARS), a nucleotide-polymerizing enzyme, in the regulation of leukocyte recruitment within the lung with regard to the localization in the pulmonary microcirculation and in correlation to hemodynamics in the respective vascular segments and expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 during endotoxemia. Inhibition of PARS by 3-aminobenzamide reduced the endotoxin-induced leukocyte recruitment within pulmonary arterioles, capillaries, and venules in rabbits as quantified by in vivo fluorescence microscopy. Microhemodynamics and thus shear rates in all pulmonary microvascular segments remained constant. Simultaneously, inhibition of PARS with 3-aminobenzamide suppressed the endotoxin-induced adhesion molecules expression as demonstrated for intercellular adhesion molecule 1 by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. We confirmed this result with the use of PARS knockout mice. The inhibitory effect of 3-aminobenzamide on leukocyte recruitment was associated with a reduction of pulmonary capillary leakage and edema formation. We first provide evidence that PARS activation mediates the leukocyte sequestration in pulmonary microvessels through upregulation of adhesion molecules. As reactive oxygen species released from leukocyte are supposed to cause an upregulation of adhesion molecules we conclude that PARS inhibition contributes to termination of this vicious cycle and inhibits the inflammatory process.     

Noma: experiences with a microvascular approach under West African conditions

Noma (cancrum oris) is a serious ulcerating disease that generally begins in the gingival sulcus of children. One of the main areas of prevalence today is West Africa. If noma is survived, it results in disfiguring midfacial defects and intense scarring. Oral incompetence is often combined with trismus resulting from scar formation or bony fusion between the maxilla and the mandible. Reconstructive approaches with pedicled flaps from the head or shoulder area for closure of the outer defects have been prone to donor-site complications or have not properly addressed the trismus, leading to high recurrence rates. During three West African Interplast missions, a single-stage procedure was developed for reconstruction of the inner and outer linings of the oral, nasal, and paranasal cavities, with restoration of jaw function. The procedure consists of radical scar excision, placement of an external distractor for mouth opening, and primary closure of the defect with a folded free parascapular flap for full-thickness coverage. Twenty-three patients with various noma-related defects were treated with this procedure; two cases are described in detail. This combined treatment can be a safe successful procedure for patients with noma, especially those with severe soft-tissue destruction and profound trismus, even under demanding surgical conditions.     

Tissue-specific induction of the mRNA for an extracellular invertase isoenzyme of tomato by brassinosteroids suggests a role for steroid hormones in assimilate partitioning

Brassinosteroids (BRs) induce various growth responses when applied exogenously to plant tissues, and the analysis of biosynthetic mutants reveals an essential role for plant growth and development. Only a few BR-regulated genes have been identified so far, and the corresponding gene products are assumed to be involved in cell elongation. The present study shows that BR growth responses are linked to the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism by induction of the mRNA for the key enzyme of an apoplastic phloem-unloading pathway. Addition of BRs to autotrophic tomato suspension culture cells specifically elevates the activity of cell-wall-bound invertase, whereas the intracellular invertase activities were not affected. This enhanced enzyme activity was shown to correlate with the induction of the mRNA of extracellular invertase Lin6, whereas the mRNA levels of the other three extracellular invertase isoenzymes were not affected. The induction level induced by different BRs correlates with their growth-promoting activity. The physiological significance of this regulation is further supported by the low concentrations and short incubation times required to induce Lin6 mRNA. This regulatory mechanism results in an elevated uptake of sucrose via the hexose monomers, and thus an increased supply of carbohydrates to the BR-treated cells. Experiments with tomato seedlings showed that the localized BR-dependent growth response of the hypocotyl elongation zone was accompanied by a specific induction of Lin6 mRNA that is restricted to the corresponding tissues. This study demonstrates a role of BRs in tissue-specific source/sink regulation.