Ameliorative Effects of Curcumin on Fibrinogen‐Like Protein‐2 Gene Expression,Some Oxido‐Inflammatory and Apoptotic Markers in a Rat Model of l‐Arginine‐Induced Acute Pancreatitis

The aim of the study was to investigate the ameliorative effects of curcumin on fibrinogen like protein‐2 (fgl‐2), some oxido‐inflammatory and apoptotic markers in rat‐induced acute pancreatitis (AP). Seventy‐five albino rats were divided into control group, l ‐arginine (l ‐Arg)‐induced AP group, curcumin pre‐treated group before AP induction, curcumin post‐treated group after AP induction, and curcumin injected group only. AP group showed severe necrotizing pancreatitis confirmed by histopathological changes and elevations in serum amylase and lipase activities, levels of epithelial neutrophil‐activating peptide 78, tissue content of protein carbonyls, levels of tumor necrosis factor α, and caspase‐3 as well as myeloperoxidase activity. Significant elevation in pancreatic fgl‐2 mRNA expression was detected in AP group. Improvement of all parameters was detected with increase of caspase‐3 in both curcumin‐treated groups that confirmed curcumin ameliorative effects against AP through induction of apoptosis and inhibition of micro‐thrombosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress.     

Novel and Unexpected Prokaryotic Diversity in Water and Sediments of the Alkaline,Hypersaline Lakes of the Wadi An Natrun,Egypt

The phylogenetic diversity of the bacterial and archaeal community in the water and sediments of three large lakes of the Wadi An Natrun was investigated using 16S rRNA clone libraries. The bacterial community was diverse: 769 clones formed 345 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) defined at 99% 16S rRNA sequence identity. The bacterial community in both the water and sediments of the lakes was dominated by clones affiliated with the low G + C Gram-type-positive group, alpha-proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes, (11-39, 11-30, and 10-37% of OTUs observed, respectively), patterns that have been observed in previously described alkaline, athalassohaline systems. However, a relatively high proportion of Firmicutess-related clones in the water of the lakes and alpha-proteobacteria in the sediments was observed. The bacterial community composition of the water and sediment of the same lake and of different lakes was significantly different (p < 0.05). Operational taxonomic units related to the gamma-proteobacteria were more abundant in the sediment of Lake Fazda, whereas the sediment of Lake UmRisha was dominated by members of the delta-proteobacteria. The proportion of gamma-proteobacterial and Bacteroidetes-affiliated OTUs were predominant in the water of Lake UmRisha and differed significantly from other lake waters (chi-squared analysis, p < or = 0.01). The more oxygenated and dilute nature of Lake Hamra was reflected in its microbial community composition, with the abundance of Bacillales sequences in the water, the absence of Halanaerobiales, Clostridiales, and Archaea in the water, and the presence of representatives of more phyla such as the Actinobacteria, Spirochaetes, and Verrucomicrobia. The archaeal community composition appeared less diverse: 589 clones resulted in 198 OTUs defined at 99% 16S rRNA sequence identity, and all sequences fell into the phylum Euryarchaeota. Phylogenetic analysis showed that many of the sequences were distantly related (83-90% 16S rRNA sequence identity) to cultured and uncultured archaea, with many clones forming clusters that branched deeply within the Euryarchaeota. Forty-two and 53% of the bacterial and archaeal clones had less than 90% 16S rRNA sequence identity to previously described sequences. This indicates that the water and sediments of the Wadi An Natrun harbor a unique and novel prokaryotic diversity that is different from what has been described among other alkaline, athalassohaline lakes.     

Terpenoids in Buddleja: relevance to chemosystematics,chemical ecology and biological activity

The terpenoids reported from Buddleja species are described. The antifungal activity of chloroform extracts of B. cordata and B. davidii stembark against the soil fungi Fusarium culmorum and Sordari fimicola is reported, with buddledin A shown to be the major compound responsible. The terpenoids present support the view that the Buddlejaceae should be classified in a taxon with Scrophulariaceae rather than Loganiaceae. Ecological aspects of the terpenoids are considered in relation to insects and soil fungi and the role of terpenoids in the chemical basis of the use of Buddleja in traditional medicine is also discussed, especially with regard to their anti-inflammatory properties.     

A fallacy in phytochrome pelletability due to in vitro instability of the phytochrome-particle association

Two fractionation procedures were used to study the phenomenonof phytochrome pelletability or binding to a particulate fractionof maize coleoptiles. Using a revised procedure, we were unableto show an increase of phytochrome pelletability during darkincubation of red irradiated plant tissue, reported by Manabeand Furuya for pea seedlings (6), and the P_fr-enhanced affinityfor P_r in R/FR irradiated tissue as reported by Quail et al.(11). However, we were able to match these reported observationsusing a procedure which we have regarded as standard. In thestandard procedure, the irradiated tissue is homogenized andthe brei permitted to incubate in the dark at 0?C before fractionationby differential centrifugation prior to measurements of phytochromepelletability. In the revised procedure this incubation is eliminatedand fractionation and measurement follow directly on tissuehomogenization. A progressive decrease of particulate phytochromewas observed during dark incubation at 0?C of the brei fromred irradiated tissue, but no substantial decrease was observedduring dark incubation of the red irradiated tissue at 0?C.The decrease was not dependent on in vitro P_frP_r reversion.In the case of R/FR irradiated tissues, phytochrome pelletabilitywas found to decrease during dark incubation of both the irradiatedtissue and its brei at 0?C. With these results and a recognitionof the tendency of phytochrome to dissociate from the particulatefraction in vitro, we have thus rationalized the results ofQuail et al. (11) and Manabe and Furuya (6). (Received August 12, 1976; )     

Influence of a natural and a synthetic inhibitor of factor XIIIa on fibrin clot rheology

We investigated the origins of greater clot rigidity associated with FXIIIa-dependent cross-linking. Fibrin clots were examined in which cross-linking was controlled through the use of two inhibitors: a highly specific active-center-directed synthetic inhibitor of FXIIIa, 1,3-dimethyl-4,5-diphenyl-2[2(oxopropyl)thio]imidazolium trifluoromethylsulfonate, and a patient-derived immunoglobulin directed mainly against the thrombin-activated catalytic A subunits of thrombin-activated FXIII. Cross-linked fibrin chains were identified and quantified by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and immunostaining with antibodies specific for the alpha- and gamma-chains of fibrin. Gamma-dimers, gamma-multimers, alpha(n)-polymers, and alpha(p)gamma(q)-hybrids were detected. The synthetic inhibitor was highly effective in preventing the production of all cross-linked species. In contrast, the autoimmune antibody of the patient caused primarily an inhibition of alpha-chain cross-linking. Clot rigidities (storage moduli, G') were measured with a cone and plate rheometer and correlated with the distributions of the various cross-linked species found in the clots. Our findings indicate that the FXIIIa-induced dimeric cross-linking of gamma-chains by itself is not sufficient to stiffen the fibrin networks. Instead, the augmentation of clot rigidity was more strongly correlated with the formation of gamma-multimers, alpha(n)-polymers, and alpha(p)gamma(q)-hybrid cross-links. A mechanism is proposed to explain how these cross-linked species may enhance clot rigidity.     

Marsupials and monotremes sort genome treasures from junk

A recent landmark paper demonstrates the unique contribution of marsupials and monotremes to comparative genome analysis, filling an evolutionary gap between the eutherian mammals (including humans) and more distant vertebrate species.     

The forest or the trees: preference for global over local image processing is reversed by prior experience in honeybees

Traditional models of insect vision have assumed that insects are only capable of low-level analysis of local cues and are incapable of global, holistic perception. However, recent studies on honeybee (Apis mellifera) vision have refuted this view by showing that this insect also processes complex visual information by using spatial configurations or relational rules. In the light of these findings, we asked whether bees prioritize global configurations or local cues by setting these two levels of image analysis in competition. We trained individual free-flying honeybees to discriminate hierarchical visual stimuli within a Y-maze and tested bees with novel stimuli in which local and/or global cues were manipulated. We demonstrate that even when local information is accessible, bees prefer global information, thus relying mainly on the object''s spatial configuration rather than on elemental, local information. This preference can be reversed if bees are pre-trained to discriminate isolated local cues. In this case, bees prefer the hierarchical stimuli with the local elements previously primed even if they build an incorrect global configuration. Pre-training with local cues induces a generic attentional bias towards any local elements as local information is prioritized in the test, even if the local cues used in the test are different from the pre-trained ones. Our results thus underline the plasticity of visual processing in insects and provide new insights for the comparative analysis of visual recognition in humans and animals.