Influence of thrombophlebitis on TGF-β1 and its signaling pathway in the vein wall

Extensive extracellular matrix remodeling of the vein wall is involved in varicose veins pathogenesis. This process is controlled by numerous factors, including peptide growth factors. The aim of the study was to evaluate influence of thrombophlebitis on TGF-β1 and its signaling pathway in the vein wall. TGF-β1 mRNAlevels, growth factor content and its expression were evaluated by RT-PCR, ELISA, and western blot methods, respectively, in the walls of normal veins, varicose veins and varicose veins complicated by thrombophlebitis. Western blot analysis was used to assess TGF-β receptor type II (TGF-β RII) and p-Smad2/3 protein expression in the investigated material. Unchanged mRNA levels of TGF-β1, decreased TGF-β1 content, as well as decreased expression of latent and active forms of TGF-β1 were found in varicose veins. Increased expression of TGF-β RII and p-Smad2/3 were found in varicose veins. Thrombophlebitis led to increased protein expression of the TGF-β1 active form and p-Smad2/3 in the vein wall compared to varicose veins. TGF-β1 may play a role in the disease pathogenesis because of increased expression and activation of its receptor in the wall of varicose veins. Thrombophlebitis accelerates activation of TGF-β1 and activity of its receptor in the varicose vein wall.     

Treatment with apolipoprotein A-1 mimetic peptide reduces lupus-like manifestations in a murine lupus model of accelerated atherosclerosis

Introduction

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of L-4F, an apolipoprotein A-1 mimetic peptide, alone or with pravastatin, in apoE^-/-Fas^-/-C57BL/6 mice that spontaneously develop immunoglobulin G (IgG) autoantibodies, glomerulonephritis, osteopenia, and atherosclerotic lesions on a normal chow diet.

Methods

Female mice, starting at eight to nine weeks of age, were treated for 27 weeks with 1) pravastatin, 2) L-4F, 3) L-4F plus pravastatin, or 4) vehicle control, followed by disease phenotype assessment.

Results

In preliminary studies, dysfunctional, proinflammatory high-density lipoproteins (piHDL) were decreased six hours after a single L-4F, but not scrambled L-4F, injection in eight- to nine-week old mice. After 35 weeks, L-4F-treated mice, in the absence/presence of pravastatin, had significantly smaller lymph nodes and glomerular tufts (P_{L, LP} < 0.05), lower serum levels of IgG antibodies to double stranded DNA (dsDNA) (P_L < 0.05) and oxidized phospholipids (oxPLs) (P_{L, LP} < 0.005), and elevated total and vertebral bone mineral density (P_{L, LP} < 0.01) compared to vehicle controls. Although all treatment groups presented larger aortic root lesions compared to vehicle controls, enlarged atheromas in combination treatment mice had significantly less infiltrated CD68⁺ macrophages (P_LP < 0.01), significantly increased mean α-actin stained area (P_LP < 0.05), and significantly lower levels of circulating markers for atherosclerosis progression, CCL19 (P_{L, LP} < 0.0005) and VCAM-1 (P_L < 0.0002).

Conclusions

L-4F treatment, alone or with pravastatin, significantly reduced IgG anti-dsDNA and IgG anti-oxPLs, proteinuria, glomerulonephritis, and osteopenia in a murine lupus model of accelerated atherosclerosis. Despite enlarged aortic lesions, increased smooth muscle content, decreased macrophage infiltration, and decreased pro-atherogenic chemokines in L-4F plus pravastatin treated mice suggest protective mechanisms not only on lupus-like disease, but also on potential plaque remodeling in a murine model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and accelerated atherosclerosis.     

Scale and structure of time-averaging (age mixing) in terrestrial gastropod assemblages from Quaternary eolian deposits of the eastern Canary Islands

Quantitative estimates of time-averaging (age mixing) in gastropod shell accumulations from Quaternary (the late Pleistocene and Holocene) eolian deposits of Canary Islands were obtained by direct dating of individual gastropods obtained from exceptionally well-preserved dune and paleosol shell assemblages. A total of 203 shells of the gastropods Theba geminata and T. arinagae, representing 44 samples (= stratigraphic horizons) from 14 sections, were dated using amino acid (isoleucine) epimerization ratios calibrated with 12 radiocarbon dates. Most samples reveal a substantial variation in shell age that exceeds the error that could be generated by dating imprecision, with the mean within-sample shell age range of 6670 years and the mean standard deviation of 2920 years. Even the most conservative approach (Monte Carlo simulations with a non-sequential Bonferroni correction) indicates that at least 25% of samples must have undergone substantial time-averaging (e.g., age variations within those samples cannot be explained by dating imprecision alone). Samples vary in shell age structure, including both left-skewed (17 out of 44) and right-skewed distributions (26 out of 44) as well as age distributions with a highly variable kurtosis. Dispersion and shape of age distributions of samples do not show any notable correlation with the stratigraphic age of samples, suggesting that the structure and scale of temporal mixing is time invariant. The statistically significant multi-millennial time-averaging observed here is consistent with previous studies of shell accumulations from various depositional settings and reinforces the importance of dating numerous specimens per horizon in geochronological studies. Unlike in the case of marine samples, typified by right-skewed age distributions (attributed to an exponential-like shell loss from older age classes), many of the samples analyzed here displayed left-skewed distributions, suggestive of different dynamics of age mixing in marine versus terrestrial shell accumulations.     

Estimation of Interaction Between Human Keratinocytes and Xenogenic Collagen in vitro

This paper describes the interaction observed between human keratinocytes and xenogenic collagen in vitro modified by HCl. Human keratinocytes were cultivated for 3–10 days, on modified and control support. Their growth, morphology and interaction with support were analyzed. It was found that on both control and experimental (modified) collagen cells proliferated in a similar way. Within 3–10 days, the culture became multilayered and mature and differentiation of cells was visible. Using electron microscope elements of basal membrane interacting with support were seen. On modified support processes of cells penetrating the support are occasionally seen. By use of the immunofluorescent, cytochemical techniques was found the presence of: BP-180 (antigen), β₄ integrin, laminin 5 and collagen IV, VII, VIIc. On the modified support the above listed elements appeared between 3 and 7 days of culture, whereas on the control between 7th and 10th days. On 10th day of culture, the presence of elements of basal membranes became less evident. Results give some hope for using xenogenic, modified collagen as support of keratinocytes culture in process of human skin engineering.     

Expression of cyclooxygenase 1 and 2 in the canine corpus luteum during diestrus

In the dog, unlike most other domestic animal species, corpus luteum (CL) life span is not affected by hysterectomy. Only in pregnant dogs, during the immediate prepartum decline of progesterone, does PGF2alpha clearly seem to act as an endogenous luteolytic agent. Whether endogenous PGF2alpha plays a role in the slow regression of the corpora lutea of the nonpregnant cycle is not known. To test for possible paracrine/autocrine effects of locally produced PGF2alpha, luteal expression of the key rate-limiting enzymes in prostaglandin biosynthesis, i.e. cyclooxygenase 1 and 2 (Cox1 and Cox2), was examined in dogs during diestrus, including the periods of CL formation, as well as early and late CL regression. Corpora lutea were collected by ovariohysterectomy from nonpregnant bitches 5, 15, 25, 35, 45 and 65 days after ovulation. On the mRNA-level, expression of Cox1 and Cox2 was tested by qualitative and quantitative, Real Time (Taq Man) RT-PCR; on the protein level, expression of Cox2 was studied by immunohistochemistry. The mRNA for Cox1 and Cox2 were detected at all stages of diestrus. Expression of Cox1 was lowest on Day 5 (ovulation = Day 0) and higher and nearly constant thereafter. Expression of Cox2-mRNA was distinctly cycle related and highest on Day 5; it decreased by Day 15 and remained constantly low until Day 65. Immunohistochemistry localized expression of Cox2 in the cytoplasm of luteal cells. Staining was restricted to Days 5 and 15, with stronger signals on Day 5. These data suggested that increased expression of Cox2 is associated with luteal growth and development and not luteal regression. Furthermore, the expression of Cox1 more likely reflected activity of a housekeeping gene.     

Infant Mortality in Black-and-Gold Howlers (Alouatta caraya) Living in a Flooded Forest in Northeastern Argentina

Ecological and social factors have a significant effect on infant survivorship in nonhuman primates. We present 6293 group-months of infant birth and mortality data for 29 groups of Alouatta caraya inhabiting a flooded forest in northeastern Argentina, collected over 1.5–8?yr depending on the group. We tested whether infant mortality was a response to the effects of flooding on food availability and whether male takeovers resulted in greater opportunities for infanticide. During our study, 43 of 113 infants died at a mean age of 5?mo. In 24 cases the cause of death was unknown. In the remaining 19 cases infant deaths were attributed to periods of intense flooding (N?=?8), replacement of the breeding male (N?=?8), problems associated with birth (N?=?2), and injuries during an intergroup encounter (N?=?1). Flooding reduced the availability of mature leaves, which appeared to play an important role in the ability of mothers to nurse their offspring. Male replacements occurred in four social groups that contained only one fully adult male. Infant mortality was significantly higher in groups that experienced male replacement compared to groups without male replacement. These results indicate that infant mortality in Alouatta caraya is affected by several factors—natural disasters, maternal condition and food availability, infanticide after male replacement, and possibly disease and predation—each of which needs to be evaluated to understand the history and demography of this primate population.     

Phenotyping for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Maize

The ability to quickly develop germplasm having tolerance to several complex polygenic inherited abiotic and biotic stresses combined is critical to the resilience of cropping systems in the face of climate change.Molecular breeding offers the tools to accelerate cereal breeding;however,suitable phenotyping proto-cols are essential to ensure that the much-anticipated benefits of molecular breeding can be realized.To facilitate the full potential of molecular tools,greater emphasis needs to be given to reducing the within-experimental site variability,application of stress and characterization of the environment and appropriate phenotyping tools.Yield is a function of many processes throughout the plantcycle,and thus integrative traits that encompass crop performance over time or organization level(i.e.canopy level) will provide a better alternative to instantaneous measurements which provide only a snapshot of a given plant process.Many new phenotyping tools based on remote sensing are now available including non-destructive measurements of growth-related parameters based on spectral reflectance and infrared thermometry to estimate plant water status.Here we describe key field phenotyping protocols for maize with emphasis on tolerance to drought and low nitrogen.     

Human attitudes towards herpetofauna: The influence of folklore and negative values on the conservation of amphibians and reptiles in Portugal

Background

Human values and folklore of wildlife strongly influence the effectiveness of conservation efforts. These values and folklore may also vary with certain demographic characteristics such as gender, age, or education. Reptiles and amphibians are among the least appreciated of vertebrates and are victims of many negative values and wrong ideas resulting from the direct interpretation of folklore. We try to demonstrate how these values and folklore can affect the way people relate to them and also the possible conservation impacts on these animals.

Methods

A questionnaire survey distributed to 514 people in the district of Évora, Portugal, was used to obtain data regarding the hypothesis that the existence of wrong ideas and negative values contributes to the phenomenon of human-associated persecution of these animals. A structural equation model was specified in order to confirm the hypothesis about the possible relationships between the presence of perceptions and negative values about amphibians and reptiles and persecution and anti-conservation attitudes. Sociodemographic variables were also added.

Results

The results of the model suggest that the presence of folklore and negative values clearly predicts persecution and anti-conservation attitudes towards amphibians and reptiles. Also, the existence of folklore varies sociodemographically, but negative values concerning these animals are widespread in the population.

Conclusions

With the use of structural equation models, this work is a contribution to the study of how certain ideas and values can directly influence human attitudes towards herpetofauna and how they can be a serious conservation issue.