<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-Carnitine Blood Levels and Oxidative Stress in Treated Phenylketonuric Patients

Aims l-Carnitine exerts an important role by facilitating the mitochondrial transport of fatty acids, but is also a scavenger of free radicals, protecting cells from oxidative damage. Phenylketonuria (PKU), an inborn error of phenylalanine (Phe) metabolism, is currently treated with a special diet consisting of severe restriction of protein-enriched foods, therefore potentially leading to l-carnitine depletion. The aim of this study was to determine l-carnitine levels and oxidative stress parameters in blood of two groups of PKU patients, with good and poor adherence to treatment. Methods Treatment of patients consisted of a low protein diet supplemented with a synthetic amino acids formula not containing Phe, l-carnitine, and selenium. l-Carnitine concentrations and the oxidative stress parameters thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) and total antioxidant reactivity (TAR) were measured in blood of the two groups of treated PKU patients and controls. Results We verified a significant decrease of serum l-carnitine levels in patients who strictly adhered to the diet, as compared to controls and patients who did not comply with the diet. Furthermore, TBARS measurement was significantly increased and TAR was significantly reduced in both groups of phenylketonuric patients relatively to controls. We also found a significant negative correlation between TBARS and l-carnitine levels and a significant positive correlation between TAR and l-carnitine levels in well-treated PKU patients. Conclusions Our results suggest that l-carnitine should be measured in plasma of treated PKU patients, and when a decrease of this endogenous component is detected in plasma, supplementation should be considered as an adjuvant therapy.     

Distinct cagA EPIYA Motifs are Associated with Ethnic Diversity in Malaysia and Singapore

Background:  In vitro studies have shown that the biologic activity of CagA is influenced by the number and class of EPIYA motifs present in its variable region as these motifs correspond to the CagA phosphorylation sites. It has been hypothesized that strains possessing specific combinations of these motifs may be responsible for gastric cancer development. This study investigated the prevalence of cagA and the EPIYA motifs with regard to number, class, and patterns in strains from the three major ethnic groups within the Malaysian and Singaporean populations in relation to disease development.
Materials and methods:  Helicobacter pylori isolates from 49 Chinese, 43 Indian, and 14 Malay patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) and 21 gastric cancer (GC) cases were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction for the presence of cagA and the number, type, and pattern of EPIYA motifs. Additionally, the EPIYA motifs of 47 isolates were sequenced.
Results:  All 126 isolates possessed cagA , with the majority encoding EPIYA-A (97.6%) and all encoding EPIYA-B. However, while the cagA of 93.0% of Indian FD isolates encoded EPIYA-C as the third motif, 91.8% of Chinese FD isolates and 81.7% of Chinese GC isolates encoded EPIYA-D ( p  < .001). Of Malay FD isolates, 61.5% and 38.5% possessed EPIYA-C and EPIYA-D, respectively. The majority of isolates possessed three EPIYA motifs; however, Indian isolates were significantly more likely to have four or more ( p  < .05).
Conclusion:  Although, H. pylori strains with distinct cagA -types are circulating within the primary ethnic groups resident in Malaysia and Singapore, these genotypes appear unassociated with the development of GC in the ethnic Chinese population. The phenomenon of distinct strains circulating within different ethnic groups, in combination with host and certain environmental factors, may help to explain the rates of GC development in Malaysia.     

Whey and casein labeled with L-[1-13C]leucine and muscle protein synthesis: effect of resistance exercise and protein ingestion

Muscle protein turnover following resistance exercise and amino acid availability are relatively well described. By contrast, the beneficial effects of different sources of intact proteins in relation to exercise need further investigation. Our objective was to compare muscle anabolic responses to a single bolus intake of whey or casein after performance of heavy resistance exercise. Young male individuals were randomly assigned to participate in two protein trials (n = 9) or one control trial (n = 8). Infusion of l-[1-(13)C]leucine was carried out, and either whey, casein (0.3 g/kg lean body mass), or a noncaloric control drink was ingested immediately after exercise. l-[1-(13)C]leucine-labeled whey and casein were used while muscle protein synthesis (MPS) was assessed. Blood and muscle tissue samples were collected to measure systemic hormone and amino acid concentrations, tracer enrichments, and myofibrillar protein synthesis. Western blots were used to investigate the Akt signaling pathway. Plasma insulin and branched-chain amino acid concentrations increased to a greater extent after ingestion of whey compared with casein. Myofibrillar protein synthesis was equally increased 1-6 h postexercise after whey and casein intake, both of which were higher compared with control (P < 0.05). Phosphorylation of Akt and p70(S6K) was increased after exercise and protein intake (P < 0.05), but no differences were observed between the types of protein except for total 4E-BP1, which was higher after whey intake than after casein intake (P < 0.05). In conclusion, whey and casein intake immediately after resistance exercise results in an overall equal MPS response despite temporal differences in insulin and amino acid concentrations and 4E-BP1.     

Significant difference between three observers in the assessment of intraepidermal nerve fiber density in skin biopsy

Background  

The determination of Intraepidermal Nerve Fiber Density (IENFD) in skin biopsy is a useful method for the evaluation of different types of peripheral neuropathies. To allow a reliable use of the method it is necessary to determine interobserver reliability. Previous studies dealing with this topic used limited suitable statistical methods.     

Effect of morphine analogues on the conformational state of polyriboadenylic acid in solution: An NMR study

The interaction of morphine analogues with polyadenylic acid in aqueous solution at pH 7 has been investigated. The NMR spectra measured at several temperatures were shown to give evidence of a lowering, of the transition temperature from the helix to the random-coil structure. The measured chemical shifts and relaxation times were interpreted in terms of an ionic interaction between the ⁺N-CH₃ group of the drug and the phosphate residue of the polynucleotide.     

Studies on Phyto-peroxidase

Japanese-radish peroxidase c, a paraperoxidase exhibiting the optical absorption spectrum of low-spin nature, was found to transform to a high-spin state by removing a dissociable ligand of low molecular weight by the addition of the stoichiometric amount of p-chloro mercuribenzoate, as in the case of horseradish peroxidase I or wheat germ peroxidase 566. The reaction could be reversed by the addition of cysteine to remove p-chloromercuribenzoate. As this ligand would be possibly cyanide, the affinity of the high-spin form of the enzyme to sodium cyanide was determined, which was found to be much higher than that of Japanese-radish peroxidase a. The high-spin form of peroxidase c formed the usual Compound I by the addition of hydrogen peroxide, so that the peroxidatic reaction catalyzed by this enzyme should follow the common mechanism of plant peroxidases. However, Compound II was scarecely observed during the course of the stepwise reduction of Compound I by ascorbate, probably because of its more rapid conversion to the free enzyme.     

How a heterostylous plant species responds to life on remote islands: a comparative study of the morphology and reproductive biology of Waltheria ovata on the coasts of Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands

Heterostylous reproductive systems are usually absent on oceanic island. Self-compatibility would, generally, be advantageous for long-distance dispersing species, as it provides reproductive assurance when density of mates is low. The heterostylous reproductive system, often associated with an incompatibility system, may be a constraint on the colonization of remote habitats. It is, therefore, surprising that the distylous shrub Waltheria ovata has colonized all of the Galápagos Islands, situated more than a thousand kilometres off the shore of Ecuador. The present study confirmed the reciprocal herkogamy of W. ovata. A comparison of mainland and the Galápagos Island populations showed a reduction in flower size, including distance between anthers and stigmas and size of anthers on the islands. Some reductions are quite large but not significantly different, mainly due to a high degree of variation among populations on the islands. The pin morph of W. ovata has undergone the most radical adaptive changes in morphology. Pollination experiments of W. ovata disclosed a leak in the incompatibility system on the Galápagos Islands, allowing higher selfing rates as well as intra-morph seed set compared to the mainland populations. This was most pronounced in the thrum morph. The deficient distylous reproductive system may be an adaptation to a pollinator and mate sparse environment on the Galápagos Islands. We conclude that the heterostylous mating system has changed in response to colonization of the Galápagos Islands, giving room for reproductive assurance by seed set after selfings and intra-morph pollinations.