Geographical trends in the yolk carotenoid composition of the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)

Carotenoids in the egg yolks of birds are considered to be important antioxidants and immune stimulants during the rapid growth of embryos. Yolk carotenoid composition is strongly affected by the carotenoid composition of the female??s diet at the time of egg formation. Spatial and temporal differences in carotenoid availability may thus be reflected in yolk concentrations. To assess whether yolk carotenoid concentrations or carotenoid profiles show any large-scale geographical trends or differences among habitats, we collected yolk samples from 16 European populations of the pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca. We found that the concentrations and proportions of lutein and some other xanthophylls in the egg yolks decreased from Central Europe northwards. The most southern population (which is also the one found at the highest altitude) also showed relatively low carotenoid levels. Concentrations of ??-carotene and zeaxanthin did not show any obvious geographical gradients. Egg yolks also contained proportionally more lutein and other xanthophylls in deciduous than in mixed or coniferous habitats. We suggest that latitudinal gradients in lutein and xanthophylls reflect the lower availability of lutein-rich food items in the northern F. hypoleuca populations and in montane southern populations, which start egg-laying earlier relative to tree phenology than the Central European populations. Similarly, among-habitat variation is likely to reflect the better availability of lutein-rich food in deciduous forests. Our study is the first to indicate that the concentration and profile of yolk carotenoids may show large-scale spatial variation among populations in different parts of the species?? geographical range. Further studies are needed to test the fitness effects of this geographical variation.     

Comparison of Different Standard Methods to Evaluate the Total Concentrations of Heavy Metals in Waste Rock

The mining industry is a very rapidly increasing production sector in Finland. Many new mines have been opened recently and others are in the planning phase. Mining legislation has been recently revised and compilation of an ID-directive (Industrial Emission Directive, 2010) required to implement environmental law revision is in progress. The aim of this study was to compare different digestion methods recommended by the Finnish Environmental Administration for threshold and guideline value determinations in the Finnish PIMA Decree (214/2007) and Government Decree (591/2006) concerning recovery of certain wastes in earth construction. Altogether six methods were tested, of which five were microwave-assisted acid digestion methods: ISO 11466, EPA Method 3051A (aqua region), EPA Method 3051A (HNO₃), EPA Method 3051A (HNO₃/HCl), and SFS-EN 13656, while one was a fusion method with lithium tetraborate (ASTM C 1391 - 95). The results showed that concentrations of heavy metals (As, Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb, V, and Zn) can be determined reproducibly with standard methods, but the chemical method used can have a significant impact on the results. This conclusion is very important, because the measured heavy metal values can affect the classification and processing of waste materials, and thereby can significantly impact the cost of treatment.     

Genetic Loci Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease and Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers in a Finnish Case-Control Cohort

Objectives

To understand the relation between risk genes for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and their influence on biomarkers for AD, we examined the association of AD in the Finnish cohort with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from top AlzGene loci, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and candidate gene studies; and tested the correlation between these SNPs and AD markers Aβ_1–42, total tau (t-tau), and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Methods

We tested 25 SNPs for genetic association with clinical AD in our cohort comprised of 890 AD patients and 701-age matched healthy controls using logistic regression. For the correlational study with biomarkers, we tested 36 SNPs in a subset of 222 AD patients with available CSF using mixed models. Statistical analyses were adjusted for age, gender and APOE status. False discovery rate for multiple testing was applied. All participants were from academic hospital and research institutions in Finland.

Results

APOE-ε4, CLU rs11136000, and MS4A4A rs2304933 correlated with significantly decreased Aβ_1–42 (corrected p<0.05). At an uncorrected p<0.05, PPP3R1 rs1868402 and MAPT rs2435211 were related with increased t-tau; while SORL1 rs73595277 and MAPT rs16940758, with increased p-tau. Only TOMM40 rs2075650 showed association with clinical AD after adjusting for APOE-ε4 (p = 0.007), but not after multiple test correction (p>0.05).

Conclusions

We provide evidence that APOE-ε4, CLU and MS4A4A, which have been identified in GWAS to be associated with AD, also significantly reduced CSF Aβ_1–42 in AD. None of the other AlzGene and GWAS loci showed significant effects on CSF tau. The effects of other SNPs on CSF biomarkers and clinical AD diagnosis did not reach statistical significance. Our findings suggest that APOE-ε4, CLU and MS4A4A influence both AD risk and CSF Aβ_1–42.     

Acidity and lipolysis by group V secreted phospholipase A(2) strongly increase the binding of apoB-100-containing lipoproteins to human aortic proteoglycans

Local acidic areas characterize diffuse intimal thickening (DIT) and advanced atherosclerotic lesions. The role of acidity in the modification and extra- and intracellular accumulation of triglyceride-rich VLDL and IDL particles has not been studied before. Here, we examined the effects of acidic pH on the activity of recombinant human group V secreted phospholipase A(2) (sPLA(2)-V) toward small VLDL (sVLDL), IDL, and LDL, on the binding of these apoB-100-containing lipoproteins to human aortic proteoglycans, and on their uptake by human monocyte-derived macrophages. At acidic pH, the ability of sPLA(2)-V to lipolyze the apoB-100-containing lipoproteins was moderately, but significantly, increased while binding of the lipoproteins to proteoglycans increased >60-fold and sPLA(2)-V-modification further doubled the binding. Moreover, acidic pH more than doubled macrophage uptake of soluble complexes of sPLA(2)-V-LDL with aortic proteoglycans. Proteoglycan-affinity chromatography at pH 7.5 and 5.5 revealed that sVLDL, IDL, and LDL consisted of populations with different proteoglycan-binding affinities, and, surprisingly, the sVLDL fractions with the highest proteoglycan-affinity contained only low amounts of apolipoproteins E and C-III. Our results suggest that in atherosclerotic lesions with acidic extracellular pH, sPLA(2)-V is able to lipolyze sVLDL, IDL, and LDL, and increase their binding to proteoglycans. This is likely to provoke extracellular accumulation of lipids derived from these atherogenic lipoprotein particles and to increase the progression of the atherosclerotic lesions.     

Circulating oxidized low-density lipoprotein and common carotid artery intima-media thickness in a random sample of middle-aged men

Circulating oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) has been suggested to play an important role in atherosclerosis development. According to previous observations, oxLDL correlates with clinically manifest coronary and carotid artery disease. We investigated the association between the oxLDL concentration measured directly in plasma and common carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) in a population-based, case-control study in middle-aged men from Southern Finland. oxLDL was determined in 214 men by a commercially available sandwich ELISA test (Mercodia). Carotid artery IMT was measured at 12 standardized segments by B-mode ultrasonography (at the near and far wall of the left and right common carotid arteries, bifurcations and internal carotid arteries), and the overall mean maximum IMT (MMaxIMT) was calculated. The MMaxIMT of the carotid arteries was significantly associated with circulating oxLDL (r_s=0.16, p=0.018). In a stepwise multiple regression model with MMaxIMT as dependent variable and systolic blood pressure, smoking, oxLDL, HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B as covariates, systolic blood pressure (=0.22, p<0.001), oxLDL (=0.15, p=0.022) and smoking (=0.17, p=0.014) showed an independent association with IMT (R²=0.10, p<0.001). Our results show that oxLDL measured directly from plasma is independently associated with subclinical carotid artery atherosclerosis in middle-aged men.     

Mass Spectrometric Analyses of Brain Synaptic Peptides Containing Taurine

The structure of a number of low-molecular-weight acidic peptides containing taurine prepared from calf brain synaptosomes and their subcellular vesicles was studied using electron impact mass spectrometry. At least seven sequences could be identified: N-acetylaspartyl-glutamyl-taurine, N-acetylaspartyl-taurine, N-acetylglutamyl-taurine, glutamyl-taurine, aspartyl-taurine, seryl-glutamyl-seryl-taurine, and seryl-taurine.     

Response by macrozoobenthos biomass to water level regulation in some Finnish lake littoral zones

The relationship of the macrozoobenthos biomass in the littoral area to the yearly fluctuation in water level and the characteristics of the area or lake are studied using data collected from sheltered bays in regulated and natural waters. Most of the lakes were clear and oligotrophic. The benthos biomass at all depths in the littoral decreased with increased water level fluctuation, provided that the transparency of the water was uniform.The macrozoobenthos biomass in the 0–3 m depth zone could be predicted fromlog macrozoobenthos biomass (mg ODW) m^-2=4.25-1.33 (log Biomass Index) in which the Biomass Index is calculated as% MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaaeOqaiaabM% gacaqGVbGaaeyBaiaabggacaqGZbGaae4CaiaabccacaqGjbGaaeOB% aiaabsgacaqGLbGaaeiEaiaab2dacaqGGaGaaeiiaiaabccacaqGGa% GaaeiiaiaabccacaqGGaGaaeiiaiaabccacaqGGaGaaeiiaiaabcca% caqGGaGaaeiiaiaabccacaqGGaGaaeiiaiaabccacaqGGaGaaeiiai% aabccadaWcaaabaeqabaGaae4DaiaabggacaqG0bGaaeyzaiaabkha% caqGGaGaaeiBaiaabwgacaqG2bGaaeyzaiaabYgacaqGGaGaaeOzai% aabYgacaqG1bGaae4yaiaabshacaqG1bGaaeyyaiaabshacaqGPbGa% ae4Baiaab6gacaqGGaGaaeyAaiaab6gacaqGGaGaaeiDaiaabIgaca% qGLbGaaeiiaiaabchacaqGYbGaaeyzaiaabAhacaqGPbGaae4Baiaa% bwhacaqGZbGaaeiiaiaabMhacaqGLbGaaeyyaiaabkhaaeaacaqGOa% GaaeyBaiaabUdacaqGGaGaae4yaiaabggacaqGSbGaae4yaiaabwha% caqGSbGaaeyyaiaabshacaqGLbGaaeizaiaabccacaqGMbGaaeOCai% aab+gacaqGTbGaaeiiaiaab2gacaqGVbGaaeOBaiaabshacaqGObGa% aeiBaiaabMhacaqGGaGaaeyBaiaabwgacaqGHbGaaeOBaiaabccaca% qG2bGaaeyyaiaabYgacaqG1bGaaeyzaiaabohacaqGPaaaaeaacaqG% tbGaaeyzaiaabogacaqGJbGaaeiAaiaabMgacaqGGaGaaeizaiaabM% gacaqGZbGaae4AaiaabccacaqG2bGaaeyyaiaabYgacaqG1bGaaeyz% aiaabccacaqGPbGaaeOBaiaabccacaqG0bGaaeiAaiaabwgacaqGGa% Gaae4CaiaabggacaqGTbGaaeyzaiaabccacaqGVbGaaeiCaiaabwga% caqGUbGaaeiiaiaabEhacaqGHbGaaeiDaiaabwgacaqGYbGaaeiiai% aabohacaqGLbGaaeyyaiaabohacaqGVbGaaeOBaiaabccacaqGOaGa% aeyBaiaabMcaaaaccaGae8hiaaIaaKiEaiab-bcaGiaaigdacaaIWa% GaaGimaiaac6caaaa!CBD8!\[{\text{Biomass Index = }}\frac{\begin{gathered} {\text{water level fluctuation in the previous year}} \hfill \\ {\text{(m; calculated from monthly mean values)}} \hfill \\ \end{gathered} }{{{\text{Secchi disk value in the same open water season (m)}}}} \user1{x} 100.\]The whole illuminated littoral shifts due to water level fluctuation, which disturbs the zonation of the benthos. Such an increase or decrease in benthic biomass has been observed after one year of disturbance due to water level fluctuation. It need, however, a study based on the carefully planned and collected data, in which it can be taken account by a multivariate statistical analysis also the interactions between the important factors affected the littoral benthos.     

Genes involved in systemic and arterial bed dependent atherosclerosis--Tampere Vascular study

Background

Atherosclerosis is a complex disease with hundreds of genes influencing its progression. In addition, the phenotype of the disease varies significantly depending on the arterial bed.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We characterized the genes generally involved in human advanced atherosclerotic (AHA type V–VI) plaques in carotid and femoral arteries as well as aortas from 24 subjects of Tampere Vascular study and compared the results to non-atherosclerotic internal thoracic arteries (n=6) using genome-wide expression array and QRT-PCR. In addition we determined genes that were typical for each arterial plaque studied. To gain a comprehensive insight into the pathologic processes in the plaques we also analyzed pathways and gene sets dysregulated in this disease using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). According to the selection criteria used (>3.0 fold change and p-value <0.05), 235 genes were up-regulated and 68 genes down-regulated in the carotid plaques, 242 genes up-regulated and 116 down-regulated in the femoral plaques and 256 genes up-regulated and 49 genes down-regulated in the aortic plaques. Nine genes were found to be specifically induced predominantly in aortic plaques, e.g., lactoferrin, and three genes in femoral plaques, e.g., chondroadherin, whereas no gene was found to be specific for carotid plaques. In pathway analysis, a total of 28 pathways or gene sets were found to be significantly dysregulated in atherosclerotic plaques (false discovery rate [FDR] <0.25).

Conclusions

This study describes comprehensively the gene expression changes that generally prevail in human atherosclerotic plaques. In addition, site specific genes induced only in femoral or aortic plaques were found, reflecting that atherosclerotic process has unique features in different vascular beds.