Rosuvastatin protects isolated hearts against ischemia-reperfusion injury: role of Akt-GSK-3β, metabolic environment,and mitochondrial permeability transition pore

Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry - The cardioprotective activity of rosuvastatin (R) is yet to be known. The objective of this study was to research whether R perfusion before global ischemia...     

Postnatal exposure to finasteride causes different effects on the prostate of male and female gerbils

The development and maintenance of prostate function depend on a fine balance between oestrogen and androgen levels. Finasteride inhibits 5α‐reductase, which is responsible for the conversion of testosterone into its most active form, dihydrotestosterone. Enzymes that metabolize these hormones have a highly relevant role in both the normal prostate metabolism and in the occurrence of pathological conditions. There are few studies on the impact of finasteride on male prostate development and fewer studies on the female prostate and possible intersexual differences. Therefore, we treated male and female gerbils from 7 to 14 days in postnatal life with a high dose of finasteride (500 μg/kg/day); the prostate complexes were then removed and submitted to immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and three‐dimensional reconstruction. In addition, hormonal serum dosages were administered. Treatment with finasteride resulted in an increased thickness of the periductal smooth musculature in the prostate of both male and female gerbils, such as well as a reduction in the thickness of developing prostate alveoli in both sexes. In addition, intersexual differences were observed as increased epithelial proliferation and decreases in the number of developing alveoli in females. Together, the data indicate that postnatal exposure to finasteride causes greater changes in the female gerbil prostate than in the male.     

Characterization,Toxicity, and Optimization for the Growth and Production of Bacteriocin-like Substances by Lactobacillus curvatus

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - This study aimed to characterize, evaluate toxicity and optimize the conditions for the growth and production of bacteriocin-like substances by Lactobacillus...     

Incorporating physiology into species distribution models moderates the projected impact of warming on selected Mediterranean marine species

Species distribution models (SDMs) correlate species occurrences with environmental predictors, and can be used to forecast distributions under future climates. SDMs have been criticized for not explicitly including the physiological processes underlying the species response to the environment. Recently, new methods have been suggested to combine SDMs with physiological estimates of performance (physiology-SDMs). In this study, we compare SDM and physiology-SDM predictions for select marine species in the Mediterranean Sea, a region subjected to exceptionally rapid climate change. We focused on six species and created physiology-SDMs that incorporate physiological thermal performance curves from experimental data with species occurrence records. We then contrasted projections of SDMs and physiology-SDMs under future climate (year 2100) for the entire Mediterranean Sea, and particularly the ‘warm’ trailing edge in the Levant region. Across the Mediterranean, we found cross-validation model performance to be similar for regular SDMs and physiology-SDMs. However, we also show that for around half the species the physiology-SDMs substantially outperform regular SDM in the warm Levant. Moreover, for all species the uncertainty associated with the coefficients estimated from the physiology-SDMs were much lower than in the regular SDMs. Under future climate, we find that both SDMs and physiology-SDMs showed similar patterns, with species predicted to shift their distribution north-west in accordance with warming sea temperatures. However, for the physiology-SDMs predicted distributional changes are more moderate than those predicted by regular SDMs. We conclude, that while physiology-SDM predictions generally agree with the regular SDMs, incorporation of the physiological data led to less extreme range shift forecasts. The results suggest that climate-induced range shifts may be less drastic than previously predicted, and thus most species are unlikely to completely disappear with warming climate. Taken together, the findings emphasize that physiological experimental data can provide valuable supplemental information to predict range shifts of marine species.     

Exploring the carbohydrate‐binding ability of Canavalia bonariensis lectin in inflammation models

Lectins are a group of proteins of non‐immune origin recognized for their ability to bind reversibly to carbohydrates. Researchers have been intrigued by oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates for their involvement as mediators of complex cellular events and then many biotechnological applications of lectins are based on glycocode decoding and their activities. Here, we report a structural and biological study of a ConA‐like mannose/glucose‐specific lectin from Canavalia bonariensis seeds, CaBo. More specifically, we evaluate the binding of CaBo with α‐methyl‐D‐mannoside (MMA) and mannose‐1,3‐α‐D‐mannose (M13) and the resultant in vivo effects on a rat model of acute inflammation. A virtual screening was also carried out to cover a larger number of possible bindings of CaBo. In silico analysis demonstrated the stability of CaBo interaction with mannose‐type ligands, and the lectin was able to induce acute inflammation in rats with the participation of the carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) and histamine release. These results confirm the ability of CaBo to interact with hybrid and high‐mannose N‐glycans, supporting the hypothesis that CaBo's biological activity occurs primarily through its interaction with cell surface glycosylated receptors.     

Legacy forest structure increases bird diversity and abundance in aging young forests

Many studies have demonstrated the importance of early‐successional forest habitat for breeding bird abundance, composition, and diversity. However, very few studies directly link measures of bird diversity, composition and abundance to measures of forest composition, and structure and their dynamic change over early succession. This study examines the relationships between breeding bird community composition and forest structure in regenerating broadleaf forests of southern New England, USA, separating the influences of ecological succession from retained stand structure. We conducted bird point counts and vegetation surveys across a chronosequence of forest stands that originated between 2 and 24 years previously in shelterwood timber harvests, a silvicultural method of regenerating oak‐mixed broadleaf forests. We distinguish between vegetation variables that relate to condition of forest regeneration and those that reflect legacy stand structure. Using principal components analyses, we confirmed the distinction between regeneration and legacy vegetation variables. We ran regression analysis to test for relationships between bird community variables, including nesting and foraging functional guild abundances, and vegetation variables. We confirmed these relationships with hierarchical partitioning. Our results demonstrate that regenerating and legacy vegetation correlate with bird community variables across stand phases and that the strength with which they drive bird community composition changes with forest succession. While measures of regeneration condition explain bird abundance and diversity variables during late initiation, legacy stand structure explains them during stem exclusion. Canopy cover, ground‐story diversity, and canopy structure diversity are the most powerful and consistent explanatory variables. Our results suggest that leaving varied legacy stand structure to promote habitat heterogeneity in shelterwood harvests contributes to greater bird community diversity. Interestingly, this is particularly important during the structurally depauperate phase of stem exclusion of young regenerating forests.     

Metapopulation dynamics and foraging plasticity in a highly vagile seabird,the southern rockhopper penguin

Population connectivity is driven by individual dispersal potential and modulated by natal philopatry. In seabirds, high vagility facilitates dispersal yet philopatry is also common, with foraging area overlap often correlated with population connectivity. We assess the interplay between these processes by studying past and current connectivity and foraging niche overlap among southern rockhopper penguin colonies of the coast of southern South America using genomic and stable isotope analyses. We found two distinct genetic clusters and detected low admixture between northern and southern colonies. Stable isotope analysis indicated niche variability between colonies, with Malvinas/Falklands colonies encompassing the species entire isotopic foraging niche, while the remaining colonies had smaller, nonoverlapping niches. A recently founded colony in continental Patagonia differed in isotopic niche width and position with Malvinas/Falklands colonies, its genetically identified founder population, suggesting the exploitation of novel foraging areas and/or prey items. Additionally, dispersing individuals found dead across the Patagonian shore in an unusual mortality event were also assigned to the northern cluster, suggesting northern individuals reach southern localities, but do not breed in these colonies. Facilitated by variability in foraging strategies, and especially during unfavorable conditions, the number of dispersing individuals may increase and enhance the probability of founding new colonies. Metapopulation demographic dynamics in seabirds should account for interannual variability in dispersal behavior and pay special attention to extreme climatic events, classically related to negative effects on population trends.     

Preclinical Assessment of the Analgesic Pharmacology of NKTR-181 in Rodents

Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology - Pharmacological evaluation of the mu-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist properties of NKTR-181 in rodent models. Graded noxious stimulus intensities were used in...     

Landscape structure shapes activity levels and composition of aerial insectivorous bats at different spatial scales

Biodiversity and Conservation - Tropical forests are being lost and modified at an unprecedented rate, with extant biodiversity increasingly restricted to human-modified landscapes. Resulting...