Allatostatin-like peptide in the brain-retrocerebral complex of the earwig Labidura riparia: cyclic variations related to the reproductive cycle

Summary

A polyclonal antibody raised against allatostatin-3 of Blattella germanica (BLAST-3) has been used to immunolocalize allatostatin-like peptides in the brain-retrocerebral complex of Labidura riparia adult females. Strongly stained immunoreactive cells are observed in the pars intercerebralis (14 cells) and mainly in the pars lateralis (32 cells). Fibres leading to the corpus allatum are also stained. In the deutocerebrum, one cell is immunostained at the root of each antennal nerve. In the tritocerebmm two cells in each brain hemisphere are weakly immunostained. During the reproductive cycle, these cells and their axons show immunoreactivity at previtellogenic, ovulation and ovarian arrest periods. During vitellogenesis, immunoreactivity is restricted to only four perikarya in the pars intercerebralis.

When young vitellogenic females are injected with 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), which inhibits vitellogenesis, full immunoreactivity reappears, suggesting sensibility of these cells to 20E as is expected for a negative feed-back loop (Sayah et al., 1995).

These results show that BLAST-3-like material is produced periodically in Labidura in correlation with low levels of juvenile hormone and the absence of vitellogenesis. This study contributes to provide information on the degree of homology of allatostatins across various insects.     

G-specific RNA-cleaving Conjugates of Short Peptides and Oligodeoxyribonucleotides

Abstract

Artificial ribonucleases, conjugates of short oligodeoxyribonucleotides and peptides built of arginine, leucine, proline, and serine, were synthesized and assessed in terms of ribonuclease activity and specificity of RNA cleavage. A specific group of the conjugates was identified that display T1-ribonuclease-like activity and cleave RNA predominantly at G-X sequences. Circular dichroism study of the structures of the most active conjugates, free peptide (LR)4G, and oligonucleotides revealed that conjugation of oligonucleotide to the peptide results in a specific peptide folding that possibly provides ribonuclease activity to the conjugate.     

Barriers and facilitators to implement shared decision making in multidisciplinary sciatica care: a qualitative study

Background

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common preventable cause of mortality in hospitalized medical patients. Despite rigorous randomized trials generating strong recommendations for anticoagulant use to prevent VTE, nearly 40% of medical patients receive inappropriate thromboprophylaxis. Knowledge-translation strategies are needed to bridge this gap.

Methods

We conducted a 16-week pilot cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) to determine the proportion of medical patients that were appropriately managed for thromboprophylaxis (according to the American College of Chest Physician guidelines) within 24 hours of admission, through the use of a multicomponent knowledge-translation intervention. Our primary goal was to determine the feasibility of conducting this study on a larger scale. The intervention comprised clinician education, a paper-based VTE risk assessment algorithm, printed physicians’ orders, and audit and feedback sessions. Medical wards at six hospitals (representing clusters) in Ontario, Canada were included; three were randomized to the multicomponent intervention and three to usual care (i.e., no active strategies for thromboprophylaxis in place). Blinding was not used.

Results

A total of 2,611 patients (1,154 in the intervention and 1,457 in the control group) were eligible and included in the analysis. This multicomponent intervention did not lead to a significant difference in appropriate VTE prophylaxis rates between intervention and control hospitals (appropriate management rate odds ratio = 0.80; 95% confidence interval: 0.50, 1.28; p = 0.36; intra-class correlation coefficient: 0.022), and thus was not considered feasible. Major barriers to effective knowledge translation were poor attendance by clinical staff at education and feedback sessions, difficulty locating preprinted orders, and lack of involvement by clinical and administrative leaders. We identified several factors that may increase uptake of a VTE prophylaxis strategy, including local champions, support from clinical and administrative leaders, mandatory use, and a simple, clinically relevant risk assessment tool.

Conclusions

Hospitals allocated to our multicomponent intervention did not have a higher rate of medical inpatients appropriately managed for thromboprophylaxis than did hospitals that were not allocated to this strategy.     

PCR-detection of markers for epidemiologically-significant strains of Vibrio cholerae 0139, isolated in Siberia]

Fourteen V. cholerae 0139 strains were isolated in 1996-1999 in Siberia from the Ob river (Novosibirsk) and bogs and lakes (Irkutsk). The strains were tested in PCR for the key virulence determinants (ctx AB, tcp, acf). The genomes lacked these elements, and therefore the strains were acknowledged avirulent. The results correlate completely with the data of phenotypical analysis, characterizing the pathogenic characteristics of isolated strains.     

Ca<Superscript>2+</Superscript>-Induced Phase Separation in the Membrane of Palmitate-Containing Liposomes and Its Possible Relation to Membrane Permeabilization

A Ca(2+)-induced phase separation of palmitic acid (PA) in the membrane of azolectin unilamellar liposomes has been demonstrated with the fluorescent membrane probe nonyl acridine orange (NAO). It has been shown that NAO, whose fluorescence in liposomal membranes is quenched in a concentration-dependent way, can be used to monitor changes in the volume of lipid phase. The incorporation of PA into NAO-labeled liposomes increased fluorescence corresponding to the expansion of membrane. After subsequent addition of Ca(2+), fluorescence decreased, which indicated separation of PA/Ca(2+) complexes into distinct membrane domains. The Ca(2+)-induced phase separation of PA was further studied in relation to membrane permeabilization caused by Ca(2+) in the PA-containing liposomes. A supposition was made that the mechanism of PA/Ca(2+)-induced membrane permeabilization relates to the initial stage of Ca(2+)-induced phase separation of PA and can be considered as formation of fast-tightening lipid pores due to chemotropic phase transition in the lipid bilayer.     

A Comparison of Methods for Estimating the Activity of the ATP-Sensitive Potassium Channel in Mitochondria Based on the Effect of ATP

Biophysics - Abstract—Two methods for studying the functioning of the mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel, which plays an important role in cell physiology and especially in cardio-...     

Expression and regulation of neurotrophic and angiogenic factors during human intervertebral disc degeneration

Introduction

The degenerate intervertebral disc (IVD) becomes innervated by sensory nerve fibres, and vascularised by blood vessels. This study aimed to identify neurotrophins, neuropeptides and angiogenic factors within native IVD tissue and to further investigate whether pro-inflammatory cytokines are involved in the regulation of expression levels within nucleus pulposus (NP) cells, nerve and endothelial cells.

Methods

Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed on 53 human IVDs from 52 individuals to investigate native gene expression of neurotrophic factors and their receptors, neuropeptides and angiogenic factors. The regulation of these factors by cytokines was investigated in NP cells in alginate culture, and nerve and endothelial cells in monolayer using RT-PCR and substance P (SP) protein expression in interleukin-1 (IL-1β) stimulated NP cells.

Results

Initial investigation on uncultured NP cells identified expression of all neurotrophins by native NP cells, whilst the nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor was only identified in severely degenerate and infiltrated discs, and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) receptor expressed by more degenerate discs. BDNF expression was significantly increased in infiltrated and degenerate samples. SP and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were higher in infiltrated samples. In vitro stimulation by IL-1β induced NGF in NP cells. Neurotropin-3 was induced by tumour necrosis factor alpha in human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs). SP gene and protein expression was increased in NP cells by IL-1β. Calcitonin gene related peptide was increased in SH-SY5Y cells upon cytokine stimulation. VEGF was induced by IL-1β and interleukin-6 in NP cells, whilst pleiotrophin was decreased by IL-1β. VEGF and pleiotrophin were expressed by SH-SY5Y cells, and VEGF by HDMECs, but were not modulated by cytokines.

Conclusions

The release of cytokines, in particular IL-1β during IVD degeneration, induced significant increases in NGF and VEGF which could promote neuronal and vascular ingrowth. SP which is released into the matrix could potentially up regulate the production of matrix degrading enzymes and also sensitise nerves, resulting in nociceptive transmission and chronic low back pain. This suggests that IL-1β is a key regulatory cytokine, involved in the up regulation of factors involved in innervation and vascularisation of tissues.     

燕麦EST-SSR标记的开发和利用

为拓展分子标记在燕麦种质资源分析与鉴定中的应用,利用公共数据库中的25376条EST(expressed sequence tags)序列,开展了燕麦EST-SSR功能性标记的开发和利用研究。25376条EST序列经拼接去冗余后获得了11618条序列,从中筛选出含有不同重复基元的SSR且重复次数较多、长度较长的556条EST序列进行引物设计,开发了50对燕麦EST-SSR引物,通过筛选得到40对有效的EST-SSR引物。选取其中4对引物对5个燕麦种质资源进行了PCR扩增及产物测序,结果表明扩增条带多态性是由SSR差异造成的。利用40对ESTSSR引物对15个六倍体燕麦种质资源进行遗传多样性分析,共扩增出89个等位基因,平均每对引物产生2.23个等位基因;UPGMA聚类分析表明,15个六倍体燕麦种质资源在Dice系数为0.93处聚为3支,基本上是按照不同种进行聚类的,在相同种中又根据地理来源分别聚集成支。利用40对EST-SSR引物对31个遗传背景不清的燕麦种质资源进行基因组倍性鉴定,发现这些种质中可能存在有四倍体和二倍体的燕麦新资源。本研究开发的燕麦EST-SSR功能性标记将在燕麦遗传多样性分析、遗传图谱构建及燕麦属内种间基因组鉴定等方面发挥重要作用。