Ethanol and prostaglandin E1: Biochemical and behavioral interactions

Low concentrations of ethanol enhanced prostaglandin (PG) E₁-stimulated adenosine-3′, 5′-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation in human platelets and in rat brain slices. Ethanol also potentiated platelet synthesis of PGE₁ from dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid. These interactions may derive from the fluidizing effects of ethanol on lipid-containing cell membranes, and suggest a possible role for PGE₁ as a mediator of certain acute effects of ethanol. The derivative possibility that “down regulation” of PGE₁ systems is involved in the development of ethanol dependence is supported by data showing that PGE₁ administered to mice following chronic exposure to ethanol reduced withdrawal syndrome intensity.     

Eight-year study of social and ecological correlates of mortality among immature baboons of Mikumi National Park,Tanzania

The Cox Proportional Hazards Regression Model was used to examine ecological and sociodemographic correlates of mortality among 164 immature yellow baboons born over an 8-year period at Mikumi National Park, Tanzania. Ecological correlates were derived from seasonal rainfall. Mortality was lowest for immatures born during the late rainy season, when it was likely that nourishment for pregnant and lactating females was greatest. High mortality was associated with above-average rainfall early in the immature's first complete rainy season. This association may result from one or more of the following: exposure, increased ranging, or accelerated vegetation growth, each of which is thought to increase hazards for weanlings. When births for the 8 years of the study were pooled, a birth peak occurred during the early dry season. The larger number of births during a birth peak should intensify competition among mothers and among immatures. Mortality was greatest for immature females born during the season immediately following the birth peak, while lowest for immature females born during the season immediately preceding the peak. Immature female mortality was greatest when the troop size at birth was large, and was most severe for females born to low ranking mothers. The sociodemographic results are consistent with Wasser's hypothesis that cooperative attacks of female baboons upon other troop females suppress the others' reproduction and the vitality of their infants, thereby improving the relative competitive position of the attackers' own young.     

Proximate and ultimate causes of reproductive suppression among female yellow baboons at Mikumi National Park,Tanzania

Attack coalitions, whereby two or more individuals attack another animal simultaneously, were studied in 53 sexually mature female baboons from one small and two large troops at Mikumi National Park, Tanzania. For 14 months, three observers recorded coalition behavior throughout the day, using focal group sampling on a behavior-dependent basis. Coalition rates were considerably greater in the two large troops than in the small troop, and primarily involved natal females rather than males. Coalition frequencies corresponded closely to measures of reproductive synchrony, both within and between troops. Involvement in attack coalition behavior depended on the reproductive states and ranks of both attackers and recipients. The first few females to give birth in the cohort received particularly high amounts of coalition aggression just before and immediately after giving birth. Receipt of attack coalitions was significantly associated with an increased number of cycles to conception and longer interbirth intervals, as well spontaneous abortion, premature birth, and prolonged gestation. A parallel study on survivorship patterns of immature baboons at Mikumi provided evidence for ultimate cause of the observed coalition patterns. These combined results suggest that attack coalition behavior is a form of reproductive competition whereby females attempt to suppress the reproduction of others at predictably competitive times and thereby reduce the competition their own infants face from the time they are weaned.     

Radius construction and structure in the orb-web of Zilla diodia (Araneidae)

In orb-webs, the tension of the sticky spiral produces a centripetal force on the radii, resulting in an increase in tension along each radius from the centre of the web to the periphery. Zilla diodia (Walckenaer, 1802) atypical of araneids, was found to adapt the structure of its radii to this tension gradient by building radii that are double stranded at the periphery of the web and single stranded near the centre. Furthermore, the proportion of each radius that is doubled was found to be larger in the upper part of the web - where the overall tensions in the radii are known to be higher than in the lower part of the web. suggesting that the spider adjusts the proportion of each radius that is doubled to the overall tension in the radius.     

Alternative Mode of E-Site tRNA Binding in the Presence of a Downstream mRNA Stem Loop at the Entrance Channel

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Structure activity relationship studies on rhodanines and derived enethiol inhibitors of metallo-β-lactamases

Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) enable bacterial resistance to almost all classes of β-lactam antibiotics. We report studies on enethiol containing MBL inhibitors, which were prepared by rhodanine hydrolysis. The enethiols inhibit MBLs from different subclasses. Crystallographic analyses reveal that the enethiol sulphur displaces the di-Zn(II) ion bridging ‘hydrolytic’ water. In some, but not all, cases biophysical analyses provide evidence that rhodanine/enethiol inhibition involves formation of a ternary MBL enethiol rhodanine complex. The results demonstrate how low molecular weight active site Zn(II) chelating compounds can inhibit a range of clinically relevant MBLs and provide additional evidence for the potential of rhodanines to be hydrolysed to potent inhibitors of MBL protein fold and, maybe, other metallo-enzymes, perhaps contributing to the complex biological effects of rhodanines. The results imply that any medicinal chemistry studies employing rhodanines (and related scaffolds) as inhibitors should as a matter of course include testing of their hydrolysis products.     

Comparing patterns of taxonomic,functional and phylogenetic diversity in reef coral communities

Coral Reefs - Biodiversity defines the variety of living organisms on this planet and is often quantified by the total number of species. However, species richness is insufficient in accounting for...