Dispersal,establishment and survival of Ceriops tagal propagules in a north Australian mangrove forest

Studies of the ecology of mangroves show that a wide variety of factors, including salinity, desiccation, disturbance, competition and predation, may affect the distribution and abundance of species. Field studies were done to examine the relative importance of several of these factors in the establishment and early survival of Ceriops tagal, a species common in mid-to high-shore regions of mangrove forests in northern Australia. The fate of marked and tethered propagules was followed to estimate the range of dispersal and the intensity of predation. Propagules were artificially planted under different thicknesses of shade cloth (none, 30%, 80%) and in different habitats (clearing, forest, clearing-forest fringe) to examine the effects of light and soil conditions on survival and growth. Results suggested that dispersal was very limited: only 9% of marked propagules were ever found more than 3 m from the parent tree. Losses to predators were great, with 83% of tethered propagules being damaged or consumed within 3 months. On average, 56% of planted propagules survived for at least 6 weeks and 76% of these initiated growth. Survival in clearings was lower than in other habitats, with 29% fewer surviving six weeks and 48% fewer surviving 15 months. The growth of seedlings was correlated with soil temperature, but the effects of treatments were complex. Overall, results indicated that poor dispersal and establishment were the main factors likely to limit the colonisation and population growth of this species. Received: 12 September 1995/Accepted: 14 June 1996     

Dietary thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulates growth rate and increases the insulin: glucagon molar ratio of broiler chickens

The effects of thyroid manipulation on growth, feed efficiency, and plasma hormone levels were determined in rapidly growing chickens. Beginning at 3 weeks of age, eight broiler cockerels were provided with control feed (CF) or feed containing either 1 ppm of triiodothyronine (T3), 1 ppm of thyroxine (T4), 0.3% propylthiouracil (PTU), or 5 ppm of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) for 3 weeks. Blood samples were taken at 4, 5, and 6 weeks for determination of plasma levels of growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor, T3, T4, insulin, glucagon, glucose, and nonesterified fatty acids. Dietary TRH increased (P less than 0.05) the growth rate of chickens by 14% when compared with the CF group. Plasma growth hormone levels were reduced (P less than 0.05) 65% by dietary T3 and 33% by treatment with either T4 or TRH when compared with the CF group. Plasma insulin-like growth factor levels were 16% lower (P less than 0.05) in PTU-fed birds than the other treatment groups. Plasma T3 levels were elevated (P less than 0.05) 3-fold by dietary T3 and 38% by TRH whereas plasma T3 in the PTU group was 38% below the average of CF birds. Plasma T4 levels were increased (P less than 0.05) by 12-fold in T4-fed birds, decreased 48% in TRH-fed birds, and nondetectable in birds treated with either T3 or PTU. Compared with the other treatments, dietary PTU increased (P less than 0.01) plasma insulin levels 4.3-fold whereas TRH provided a 2.7-fold increase in plasma insulin. Plasma glucagon levels were 26% higher (P less than 0.05) in T3-fed birds than those fed either T4 or PTU. These observations indicate that thyroid activity plays an important role in regulating secretion of GH and the pancreatic hormones. Furthermore, our study demonstrates the potential use of TRH as an orally active growth promoter for poultry.     

Schistosoma mansoni: a complement-dependent receptor on adult male parasites

The dorsal surface of adult male Schistosoma mansoni exhibits an affinity for Salmonella typhi when these bacteria are preincubated in normal serum from mice, guinea pigs, or humans. The complement (C) system was shown to be responsible for the bacterial binding. Bacteria not preincubated with normal serum or preincubated in normal serum which had been treated with ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), or cobra venom factor (CoF), or heated at 56 C for 60 min did not bind to the parasite's surface. Further experiments utilizing ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA) plus Mg²⁺, heat inactivation at 50 C for 30 min, and zymosan treatment of the serum indicated the C fixation and deposition on the bacteria occurs via the alternative C pathway. These observations indicate the presence of a complement-dependent receptor on the dorsal tegumental surface of the adult male parasite.     

D-Mannitol dehydrogenase from Absidia glauca. Purification, metabolic role, and subunit interactions.

When Absidia glauca was grown in minimal media with D-mannitol as the only source of carbon, an NAD+ specific D-mannitol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.67) was induced. The crude extract also gave evidence of mannitol kinase, mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase, phosphofructokinase, and L-iditol dehydrogenase activity. The heat labile purified preparation was judged enzymically homogeneous based on evidence derived from substrate specificity studies and activity staining, following disc gel electrophoresis. The enzymic monomer, with a weight of about 67000 daltons, slowly polymerizes when stored at -20 degrees C, giving a multiplicity of protein bands on electrophoresis distributed predominantly across a spectrum from dimer to pentamer, with enzymic activity resident predominantly in even multiples of the monomer. Depolymerization occurred rapidly (hours) when a frozen preparation was brought to and held between 4 and 20 degrees C. Aggregate fragmentation with sodium dodecyl sulfate showed a time-temperature dependence, terminating in a subunit component of 13000 daltons. pH optimum for polyol oxidation occurs at 9.6 (NaOH-glycine buffer) while ketose reduction proceeded most rapidly at pH 7.0-7.2 (phosphate buffer). A regulatory role is suggested for this enzyme based on dead-end inhibition by mannitol 1-phosphate, multiple enzyme forms, and its locus at the initiation site for mannitol utilization. The physiological relevance of low-temperature aggregation to regulatory control remains to be established.     

First electrocardiogram in recent myocardial infarction.

The admission electrocardiogram (ECG) was studied in 898 patients admitted to a coronary care unit over two years. The diagnosis made from this tracing was compared with that made at the end of the patient''s stay. About half the cases of recent myocardial infarct were diagnosed from the admission ECG, but accuracy rose to 83% with serial ECG''s in the unit. The ECG is important but not entirely reliable in the early detection of acute myocardial infarction, which should be largely a clinical diagnosis.     

A delay recruitment model of the cardiovascular control system

We develop a nonlinear delay-differential equation for the human cardiovascular control system, and use it to explore blood pressure and heart rate variability under short-term baroreflex control. The model incorporates an intrinsically stable heart rate in the absence of nervous control, and allows us to compare the baroreflex influence on heart rate and peripheral resistance. Analytical simplifications of the model allow a general investigation of the rôles played by gain and delay, and the effects of ageing.     

13C-carrier DNA shortens the incubation time needed to detect benzoate-utilizing denitrifying bacteria by stable-isotope probing

The active bacterial community able to utilize benzoate under denitrifying conditions was elucidated in two coastal sediments using stable-isotope probing (SIP) and nosZ gene amplification. The SIP method employed samples from Norfolk Harbor, Virginia, and a Long-Term Ecosystem Observatory (no. 15) off the coast of Tuckerton, New Jersey. The SIP method was modified by use of archaeal carrier DNA in the density gradient separation. The carrier DNA significantly reduced the incubation time necessary to detect the (13)C-labeled bacterial DNA from weeks to hours in the coastal enrichments. No denitrifier DNA was found to contaminate the archaeal (13)C-carrier when [(12)C]benzoate was used as a substrate in the sediment enrichments. Shifts in the activity of the benzoate-utilizing denitrifying population could be detected throughout a 21-day incubation. These results suggest that temporal analysis using SIP can be used to illustrate the initial biodegrader(s) in a bacterial population and to document the cross-feeding microbial community.     

Impact of infection on glucose-dependent liver glucose uptake during TPN: interaction with insulin

Chronic total parenteral nutrition (TPN) markedly augments net hepatic glucose uptake (NHGU). This adaptive increase is impaired by an infection despite accompanying hyperinsulinemia. In the nonadapted state, NHGU is dependent on the prevailing glucose levels. Our aims were to determine whether the adaptation to TPN alters the glucose dependence of NHGU, whether infection impairs this dependence, and whether insulin modulates the glucose dependence of NHGU during infection. Chronically catheterized dogs received TPN for 5 days. On day 3 of TPN, dogs received either a bacterial fibrin clot to induce a nonlethal infection (INF, n = 9) or a sterile fibrin clot (Sham, n = 6). Forty-two hours after clot implantation, somatostatin was infused. In Sham, insulin and glucagon were infused to match the level seen in Sham (9 +/- 1 microU/ml and 23 +/- 4 pg/ml, respectively). In infected animals, either insulin and glucagon were infused to match the levels seen in infection (25 +/- 2 microU/ml and 101 +/- 15 pg/ml; INF-HI; n = 5) or insulin was replaced to match the lower levels seen in Sham (13 +/- 2 microU/ml), whereas glucagon was kept elevated (97 +/- 9 pg/ml; INF-LO; n = 4). Then a four-step (90 min each) hyperglycemic (120, 150, 200, or 250 mg/dl) clamp was performed. NHGU increased at each glucose step in Sham (from 3.6 +/- 0.6 to 5.4 +/- 0.7 to 8.9 +/- 0.9 to 12.1 +/- 1.1 mg.kg(-1).min(-1)); the slope of the relationship between glucose levels and NHGU (i.e., glucose dependence) was higher than that seen in nonadapted animals. Infection impaired glucose-dependent NHGU in both INF-HI (1.3 +/- 0.4 to 2.9 +/- 0.5 to 5.5 +/- 1.0 to 7.7 +/- 1.6 mg.kg(-1).min(-1)) and INF-LO (0.5 +/- 0.7 to 2.2 +/- 0.6 to 4.2 +/- 1.0 to 5.8 +/- 0.8 mg.kg(-1).min(-1)). In summary, TPN augments glucose-dependent NHGU, the presence of infection decreases glucose-dependent NHGU, and the accompanying hyperinsulinemia associated with infection does not sustain the glucose dependence of NHGU.