Species loss of stoneflies (Plecoptera) in the Czech Republic during the 20th century

1. Rapid expansion and intensification of anthropogenic activities in the 20th century has caused profound changes in freshwater assemblages. Unfortunately, knowledge of the extent and causes of species loss (SL) is limited due to the lack of reliable historical data. An unusual data set allows us to compare changes in the most sensitive of aquatic insect orders, the Plecoptera, at some 170 locations in the Czech Republic between two time periods, 1955–1960 and 2006–2010. Historical data (1890–1911) on assemblages of six lowland rivers allow us to infer even earlier changes. 2. Regional stonefly diversity decreased in the first half of the 20th century. Streams at lower altitudes lost a substantial number of species, which were never recovered. In the second half of the century, large‐scale anthropogenic pressure caused SL in all habitats, leading to a dissimilarity of contemporary and previous assemblages. The greatest changes were found at sites affected by organic pollution and a mixture of organic pollution and channelisation or impoundment. Colonisation of new habitats was observed in only three of the 80 species evaluated. 3. Species of moderate habitat specialisation and tolerance to organic pollution were most likely to be lost. Those with narrow specialisations in protected habitats were present in both historical and contemporary collections. 4. Contemporary assemblages are the consequence of more than a 100 years of anthropogenic impacts. In particular, streams at lower altitude and draining intensively exploited landscapes host a mere fragment of the original species complement. Most stonefly species are less frequently present than before, although their assemblages remain almost intact in near‐natural mountain streams. Our analyses demonstrate dramatic restriction of species ranges and, in some cases, apparent changes in altitudinal preference throughout the area.     

Fabrication and Application of Rose Bengal-chitosan Films in Laser Tissue Repair

Photochemical tissue bonding (PTB) is a sutureless technique for tissue repair, which is achieved by applying a solution of rose bengal (RB) between two tissue edges^1,2. These are then irradiated by a laser that is selectively absorbed by the RB. The resulting photochemical reactions supposedly crosslink the collagen fibers in the tissue with minimal heat production³. In this report, RB has been incorporated in thin chitosan films to fabricate a novel tissue adhesive that is laser-activated. Adhesive films, based on chitosan and containing ~0.1 wt% RB, are fabricated and bonded to calf intestine and rat tibial nerves by a solid state laser (λ=532 nm, Fluence~110 J/cm², spot size~0.5 cm). A single-column tensiometer, interfaced with a personal computer, is used to test the bonding strength. The RB-chitosan adhesive bonds firmly to the intestine with a strength of 15 ± 6 kPa, (n=30). The adhesion strength drops to 2 ± 2 kPa (n=30) when the laser is not applied to the adhesive. The anastomosis of tibial nerves can be also completed without the use of sutures. A novel chitosan adhesive has been fabricated that bonds photochemically to tissue and does not require sutures.     

Metformin (dimethyl-biguanide) induced DNA damage in mammalian cells

Metformin (dimethyl-biguanide) is an insulin-sensitizing agent that lowers fasting plasma-insulin concentration, wherefore it's wide use for patients with a variety of insulin-resistant and prediabetic states, including impaired glucose tolerance. During pregnancy it is a further resource for reducing first-trimester pregnancy loss in women with the polycystic ovary syndrome. We tested metformin genotoxicity in cells of Chinese hamster ovary, CHO-K1 (chromosome aberrations; comet assays) and in mice (micronucleus assays). Concentrations of 114.4 μg/mL and 572 μg/mL were used in in vitro tests, and 95.4 mg/kg, 190.8 mg/kg and 333.9 mg/kg in assaying. Although the in vitro tests revealed no chromosome aberrations in metaphase cells, DNA damage was detected by comet assaying after 24 h of incubation at both concentrations. The frequency of DNA damage was higher at concentrations of 114.4 μg/mL. Furthermore, although mortality was not observed in in vitro tests, the highest dose of metformin suppressed bone marrow cells. However, no statistically significant differences were noted in micronuclei frequencies between treatments. In vitro results indicate that chronic metformin exposure may be potentially genotoxic. Thus, pregnant woman undergoing treatment with metformin should be properly evaluated beforehand, as regards vulnerability to DNA damage.     

Effects of self-selected music on strength, explosiveness, and mood

There has been much investigation into the use of music as an ergogenic aid to facilitate physical performance. However, previous studies have primarily focused on predetermined music and aerobic exercise. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of self-selected music (SSM) vs. those of no music (NM) on the mood and performance of the athletes performing bench press and squat jump. Twenty resistance trained collegiate men completed 2 experimental conditions, one while listening to SSM and the other with NM. The subjects reported their profile of mood states (POMS) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) before and after performing 3 sets to failure of the bench press at 75% 1 repetition maximum (1RM) and 3 reps of the squat jump at 30% 1RM. Statistical analyses revealed no differences in squat jump height or relative ground reaction force, but the takeoff velocity (SSM-2.06 ± 0.17 m·s(-1); NM-1.99 ± 0.18 m·s(-1)), rate of velocity development (SSM-5.92 ± 1.46 m·s(-2); NM-5.63 ± 1.70 m·s(-2)), and rate of force development (SSM-3175.61 ± 1792.37 N·s(-1); NM-2519.12 ± 1470.32 N·s(-1)) were greater with SSM, whereas RPE (SSM-5.71 ± 1.37; NM-6.36 ± 1.61) was greater with NM. Bench press reps to failure and RPE were not different between conditions. The POMS scores of vigor (SSM-20.15 ± 5.58; NM-17.45 ± 5.84), tension (SSM-8.40 ± 3.99; NM-6.07 ± 3.26), and fatigue (SSM-8.65 ± 4.49; NM-7.40 ± 4.38) were greater with SSM. This study demonstrated increased performance during an explosive exercise and an altered mood state when listening to SSM. Therefore, listening to SSM might be beneficial for acute power performance.     

Small Molecule,Non-Peptide p75NTR Ligands Inhibit Aβ-Induced Neurodegeneration and Synaptic Impairment

The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75^NTR) is expressed by neurons particularly vulnerable in Alzheimer''s disease (AD). We tested the hypothesis that non-peptide, small molecule p75^NTR ligands found to promote survival signaling might prevent Aβ-induced degeneration and synaptic dysfunction. These ligands inhibited Aβ-induced neuritic dystrophy, death of cultured neurons and Aβ-induced death of pyramidal neurons in hippocampal slice cultures. Moreover, ligands inhibited Aβ-induced activation of molecules involved in AD pathology including calpain/cdk5, GSK3β and c-Jun, and tau phosphorylation, and prevented Aβ-induced inactivation of AKT and CREB. Finally, a p75^NTR ligand blocked Aβ-induced hippocampal LTP impairment. These studies support an extensive intersection between p75^NTR signaling and Aβ pathogenic mechanisms, and introduce a class of specific small molecule ligands with the unique ability to block multiple fundamental AD-related signaling pathways, reverse synaptic impairment and inhibit Aβ-induced neuronal dystrophy and death.     

Chronological aging-induced apoptosis in yeast

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the simplest among the major eukaryotic model organisms for aging and diseases. Longevity in the chronological life span paradigm is measured as the mean and maximum survival period of populations of non-dividing yeast. This paradigm has been used successfully to identify several life-regulatory genes and three evolutionary conserved pro-aging pathways. More recently, Schizosaccharomyces pombe has been shown to age chronologically in a manner that resembles that of S. cerevisiae and that depends on the activity of the homologues of two pro-aging proteins previously identified in the budding yeast. Both yeast show features of apoptotic death during chronological aging. Here, we review some fundamental aspects of the genetics of chronological aging and the overlap between yeast aging and apoptotic processes with particular emphasis on the identification of an aging/death program that favors the dedifferentiation and regrowth of a few better adapted mutants generated within populations of aging S. cerevisiae. We also describe the use of a genome-wide screening technique to gain further insights into the mechanisms of programmed death in populations of chronologically aging S. cerevisiae.     

A Monte Carlo Study of Peptide Insertion into Lipid Bilayers: Equilibrium Conformations and Insertion Mechanisms

The membrane insertion behavior of two peptides, Magainin2 and M2δ, was investigated by applying the Monte Carlo simulation technique to a theoretical model. The model included many novel aspects, such as a new semi-empirical lipid bilayer model and a new set of semi-empirical transfer energies, which reproduced the experimental insertion behavior of Magainin2 and M2δ without parameter fitting. Additionally, we have taken into account diminished internal (intramolecular) hydrogen bonding at the N- and C-termini of helical peptides. All simulations were carried out at 305 K, above the membrane thermal phase transition temperature, and at pH 7.0. The peptide equilibrium conformations are discussed for a range of bilayers with tail polarities varying from octanol-like to alkane-like. Probability distributions of the individual amino-acid-residue positions show the dynamic nature of these equilibrium conformations. Two different insertion mechanisms for M2δ, and a translocation mechanism for Magainin2, are described. A study of the effect of bilayer thickness on M2δ insertion suggests a critical thickness above which insertion is unfavorable. Additionally, we did not need to use an orientational potential or array of hard cylinders to persuade M2δ to insert perpendicular to the membrane surface. Instead, we found that diminished internal hydrogen bonding in the helical conformation anchored the termini in the headgroups and resulted in a nearly perpendicular orientation.