Interactions of Elevated CO2 Concentration and Drought Stress on Photosynthesis in Eucalyptus Cladocalyx F. Muell

Response of net photosynthetic rate (P _N), stomatal conductance (g _s), intercellular CO₂ concentration (c _i), and photosynthetic efficiency (F_v/F_m) of photosystem 2 (PS2) was assessed in Eucalyptus cladocalyx grown for long duration at 800 (C₈₀₀) or 380 (C₃₈₀) μmol mol^-1 CO₂ concentration under sufficient water supply or under water stress. The well-watered plants at C₈₀₀ showed a 2.2 fold enhancement of P _N without any change in g _s. Under both C₈₀₀ and C₃₈₀, water stress decreased P _N and g _s significantly without any substantial reduction of c _i, suggesting that both stomatal and non-stomatal factors regulated P _N. However, the photosynthetic efficiency of PS2 was not altered. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Characterizing the Human Cone Photoreceptor Mosaic via Dynamic Photopigment Densitometry

Densitometry is a powerful tool for the biophysical assessment of the retina. Until recently, this was restricted to bulk spatial scales in living humans. The application of adaptive optics (AO) to the conventional fundus camera and scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) has begun to translate these studies to cellular scales. Here, we employ an AOSLO to perform dynamic photopigment densitometry in order to characterize the optical properties and spectral types of the human cone photoreceptor mosaic. Cone-resolved estimates of optical density and photosensitivity agree well with bulk estimates, although show smaller variability than previously reported. Photopigment kinetics of individual cones derived from their selective bleaching allowed efficient mapping of cone sub-types in human retina. Estimated uncertainty in identifying a cone as long vs middle wavelength was less than 5%, and the total time taken per subject ranged from 3–9 hours. Short wavelength cones were delineated in every subject with high fidelity. The lack of a third cone-type was confirmed in a protanopic subject. In one color normal subject, cone assignments showed 91% correspondence against a previously reported cone-typing method from more than a decade ago. Combined with cone-targeted stimulation, this brings us closer in studying the visual percept arising from a specific cone type and its implication for color vision circuitry.     

Association between Cardiac Autonomic Function, Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Response in Impaired Fasting Glucose Subjects: Cross-Sectional Study

Background

The worldwide burden of diabetes in 2030 is projected around 552 million. Diabetes leads to higher risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Altered cardiac autonomic function (CAF) measured by heart rate variability (HRV) is observed in early stages of diabetes but the relationship between impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and HRV is still debatable. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between CAF, oxidative stress, insulin resistance (IR), and inflammatory response in IFG subjects.

Subjects and Methods

Cross-sectional blinded study. Volunteers recruited from health awareness camps underwent CAF and biochemical tests. Based on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) participants (n = 123) were divided into two groups, normal fasting glucose (n = 76) and IFG (n = 47). The comparison of parameters between the groups was carried out using student t test and Mann-Whitney U test for parametric and non-parametric data respectively. The correlation between the parameters was analyzed by Spearman’s rank correlation using SPSS 13.0.

Results

The resting cardiovagal modulation parameters, heart rate response to forced timed breathing, and orthostatic stress were reduced in IFG subjects. Fasting plasma lipid profile, coronary atherogenic lipid risk factors, IR, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), high sensitive C-reactive protein, and tumor necrosis factor alpha were increased and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was decreased significantly in IFG group but no significant alteration was observed in high-density lipoprotein (HDL-c). Cardiovagal modulation parameters were negatively correlated with triglycerides, FPG, insulin, IR, TBARS, and inflammatory markers and positively with TAC.

Conclusion

There is a continuous interplay between the altered CAF, hyperinsulinemia, IR, oxidative stress parameters, inflammatory response, and IFG in which one factor perpetuates another leading to the progression of disease.