Stable calcium isotope speciation and calcium oxalate production within beech tree (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Fagus sylvatica</Emphasis> L.) organs

In this study, we linked Ca speciation with isotope composition in plants. To do this, we performed leachate experiments to access the soluble Ca, structurally bound Ca and insoluble Ca (i.e., water and weak acid resistant) within beech tree organs (Fagus sylvatica L.). Ca isotopic measurements were combined with infrared spectroscopy and calcium oxalate biomineralization identification. The results from our study indicate that bark and leaves are the most enriched in monohydrated calcium oxalate crystals (whewellite), which are observable in parenchyma and sclerenchyma tissues, whereas roots and wood are enriched in structurally bound Ca. Our leaching experiments also show decreasing δ^44/40Ca isotopic signatures in the order of soluble Ca > structurally bound Ca > insoluble Ca. This finding implies that because leaves degrade faster than wooden organs and because Ca linked to pectate decomposes faster than Ca linked to oxalate crystals, differential Ca isotopic signatures are expected to be observed during litter degradation.     

Membrane ATPase of Escherichia coli K 12 Selective solubilization of the enzyme and its stimulation by trypsin in the soluble and membrane-bound states

ATPase (EC 3.6.1.3) of Escherichia coli has been solubilized from two morphologically distinct membranes (vesicles and “ghosts”). Maximum ATPase release is attained with 3 mM EDTA in NH₄HCO₃, pH 9.0, and depends on protein concentration. After solubilization, the total enzyme activity is increased by 300% with respect to the membrane-bound enzyme. The released soluble ATPase accounts for more than 90% of this activity. Its specific activity is at least 10 times higher than the original value. Membrane treatment with buffers of various ionic strengths without EDTA and detergents is less selective. The molecular sieving properties (gel electrophoresis and Sephadex G-200 filtration) confirm the soluble nature of the preparation. A molecular weight close to 300 000 has been estimated for it.The membrane-bound ATPase is stimulated by trypsin by 70–100%. Most of the soluble ATPase maintains a trypsin activation of the same order. Exceptions are the preparations obtained at high protein dilution and extracted with sodium dodecyl sulphate and deoxycholate. The soluble ATPase is more labile than the membrane-bound enzyme. Its sensitivity to different temperatures depends upon protein concentration and pH during storage. Inactivation seems to result from dissociation and/or proteolysis.We suggest an ATPase link to the membrane through ionic divalent cation bridges. We also suggest that the enzyme possesses self-regulatory properties which would account for trypsin stimulation.     

How did pygmy shrews colonize Ireland? Clues from a phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences.

There is a long-standing debate as to how Ireland attained its present fauna; we help to inform this debate with a molecular study of one species. A 1110 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene was sequenced in 74 specimens of the pygmy shrew, Sorex minutus, collected from throughout its western Palaearctic range. Phylogenetic analysis of these sequences revealed several well-supported lineages. Most of the 65 haplotypes belonged to a northern lineage, which ranged from Britain in the west to Lake Baikal in the east. The other lineages were largely limited to Iberia, Italy and the Balkans. One exception, however, was a lineage found in both Ireland and Andorra. This affinity, and the large difference between the mitochondrial sequences of Irish and British individuals, suggest that pygmy shrews did not colonize Ireland via a land connection from Britain, as has been previously supposed, but instead were introduced by boat from southwest continental Europe. All the Irish pygmy shrews analysed were identical or very similar in cytochrome b sequence, suggesting an extreme founding event.     

Dyhidro-β-agarofurans natural and synthetic as acetylcholinesterase and COX inhibitors: interaction with the peripheral anionic site (AChE-PAS), and anti-inflammatory potentials

In order to find molecules of natural origin with potential biological activities, we isolate and synthesise compounds with agarofuran skeletons (epoxyeudesmanes). From the seeds of Maytenus disticha and Maytenus magellanica we obtained six dihydro-β-agarofurans, and by means of the Robinson annulation reaction we synthesised five compounds with the same skeleton. The structures were established on the basis of NMR, IR, and MS. The evaluated compounds showed inhibitory activity on the acetylcholinesterase enzyme and on the COX enzymes. Compound 4 emerged as the most potent in the acetylcholinesterase inhibition assay with IC₅₀ 17.0 ± 0.016 µM on acetylcholinesterase (AChE). The compounds evaluated were shown to be selective for AChE. The molecular docking, and the propidium displacement assay suggested that the compounds do not bind to the active site of the enzyme AChE, but rather bind to the peripheral anionic site (PAS) of the enzyme, on the other hand, the natural compound 8, showed the best inhibitory activity on the COX-2 enzyme with an IC₅₀ value of 0.04 ± 0.007 µM. The pharmacokinetic profile calculated in silico using the SWISSADME platform shows that these molecules could be considered as potential drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as AD.     

Worldwide evidence about infant stunting from a public health perspective: A systematic review

Introduction: According to the World Health Organization (WHO) global estimates for 2017, 9.6% of children under 5 years old are stunted. Worldwide evidence shows that actions for preventing stunting and catching-up growth are relevant if addressed by all the sectors involved. Therefore, there is a need to identify ''intersectoral actions'' to address the risk of stunting during pregnancy and the first 2 years of life.Objective: To identify and describe worldwide evidence for prevention, nutritional interventions, and ''intersectoral collaboration'' efforts against stunting in infants. Materials and methods: We conducted a systematic review in 2019 (PROSPERO CRD42019134431). The search included PubMed, OVID, and Web of Science, as well as WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) official documents and expert recommendations.Results: We selected 231 studies: 86.1% described prevention-related factors, 30.7%, nutritional interventions, and 52.8% intersectoral collaboration efforts; 36.4% of the studies were conducted in multiple regions; 61% of the studies described the importance of interventions during pregnancy, 71.9% from birth up to 6 months old, and 84.8% from 6 months up to 2 years old. The most frequent variables described were antenatal care, nutritional counseling for the mother and the newborn, and counseling on micronutrient supplementation.Conclusions: Evidence-based understanding of actions geared towards monitoring the risk of stunting-associated factors from pregnancy up to 2 years old is critical.     

Triatoma mexicana (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in Guanajuato, Mexico: house infestation and seasonal variation

Triatoma mexicana was described by Herrich-Schaeffer in 1848. In 1940, a male specimen was found in Hidalgo. In 1970, this species was recorded in the state of Queretaro. Later, it was registered in Guanajuato and San Luis Potosi. In the present paper we performed an investigation in 545 dwellings from three counties in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, from March 2003 to May 2004. The search and capture of triatomines were seasonally performed indoors and outdoors. Entomological indexes were calculated. The risk and no risk relations between triatomine presence and housing construction materials were analyzed. Fourteen triatomines were collected indoors and 151 outdoors. The vectors were collected in houses built with either risky and non-risky materials. Adults go indoors but do not settle there, hence, no relationship was found between the building materials and infestation of houses. Conventional interventions like house improvement or insecticide spraying are not efficient for the control of T. mexicana, because its developmental cycle is accomplished outdoors in the area surrounding the houses.     

Polymorphisms of HLA-DRB1, -DQA1 and -DQB1 in Inhabitants of Astana,the Capital City of Kazakhstan

Background

Kazakhstan has been inhabited by different populations, such as the Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek and others. Here we investigate allelic and haplotypic polymorphisms of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes at DRB1, DQA1 and DQB1 loci in the Kazakh ethnic group, and their genetic relationship between world populations.

Methodology/Principal Findings

A total of 157 unrelated Kazakh ethnic individuals from Astana were genotyped using sequence based typing (SBT-Method) for HLA-DRB1, -DQA1 and -DQB1 loci. Allele frequencies, neighbor-joining method, and multidimensional scaling analysis have been obtained for comparison with other world populations. Statistical analyses were performed using Arlequin v3.11. Applying the software PAST v. 2.17 the resulting genetic distance matrix was used for a multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS). Respectively 37, 17 and 19 alleles were observed at HLA-DRB1, -DQA1 and -DQB1 loci. The most frequent alleles were HLA-DRB1*07:01 (13.1%), HLA-DQA1*03:01 (13.1%) and HLA-DQB1*03:01 (17.6%). In the observed group of Kazakhs DRB1*07:01-DQA1*02:01-DQB1*02:01 (8.0%) was the most common three loci haplotype. DRB1*10:01-DQB1*05:01 showed the strongest linkage disequilibrium. The Kazakh population shows genetic kinship with the Kazakhs from China, Uyghurs, Mongolians, Todzhinians, Tuvinians and as well as with other Siberians and Asians.

Conclusions/Significance

The HLA-DRB1, -DQA1and -DQB1 loci are highly polymorphic in the Kazakh population, and this population has the closest relationship with other Asian and Siberian populations.     

Genetic variants in BRIP1 (BACH1) contribute to risk of nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate

BACKGROUND: The etiology of nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) is very complex and still not well elucidated. Given the critical role of DNA damage repair in the embryonic development, we decided to test the hypothesis that polymorphisms of selected DNA repair genes might contribute to the risk of NSCL/P in the Polish population. METHODS: Analysis of 36 polymorphisms in 12 DNA damage repair genes (ATM, BLM, BRCA1, BRIP1, E2F1, MLH1, MRE11A, MSH2, MSH6, NBN, RAD50, and RAD51) was conducted using TaqMan assays in a group of 263 NSCL/P patients and matched control group (n = 526). RESULTS: Statistical analysis of genotyping results revealed that nucleotide variants in the BRIP1 (BACH1) gene were associated with the risk of NSCL/P. Under assumption of a dominant model, the calculated odds ratios (ORs) for BRIP1 rs8075370 and rs9897121 were 1.689 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.249–2.282; p = 0.0006) and 1.621 (95% CI, 1.200–2.191; p = 0.0016), respectively. These results were statistically significant even after applying multiple testing correction. Additional evidence for a causative role of BRIP1 in NSCL/P etiology was provided by haplotype analysis. Borderline association with a decreased risk of this anomaly was also observed for BLM rs401549 (OR_recessive = 0.406; 95% CI, 0.223–1.739; p = 0.002) and E2F1 rs2071054 (OR_dominant = 0.632; 95% CI, 0.469–0.852; p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that polymorphic variants of DNA damage repair genes play a role in the susceptibility to NSCL/P. BRIP1 might be novel candidate gene for this common developmental anomaly. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 100:670–678, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Low IL-23 levels in peripheral blood and bone marrow at diagnosis of acute leukemia in children increased with the elimination of leukemic burden

IL-23 is an IL-12 cytokine family member with pleiotropic functions that regulates tumour growth in various cancer types, exhibiting both anti-tumorigenic and pro-tumorigenic properties. Preclinical studies have shown a potential anti-leukemic action on childhood B-ALL cells. The study involved 65 children with acute leukemia [59 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 6 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML)] and 27 healthy controls. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we aimed to determine the IL-23 levels in the peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) of patients at diagnosis and at the end of the induction therapy (EIT). PB IL-23 levels were lower in leukemia patients compared to the healthy controls. In all acute leukemia patients, IL-23 levels were significantly lower at diagnosis both in PB (P = .015) and in BM (P = .037) compared to the PB and BM concentrations at the EIT. The same pattern was present in both subgroups of ALL and AML patients. The high leukemic burden at diagnosis was related with lower IL-23 levels, which were increased with the disease remission. Considering the anti-leukemic potential of this cytokine, the elevation of the IL-23 concentration at the disease remission indicates a beneficial role of IL-23 in paediatric acute leukemia.