Amino acid transport in plasma membrane vesicles from isolated rat liver parenchymal cells

Plasma membrane vesicles were prepared from isolated rat liver parenchymal cells. The transport of several amino acids was studied and found to be identical to that in membrane vesicles from whole liver tissue.     

Two decades of tropical cyclone impacts on North Carolina’s estuarine carbon,nutrient and phytoplankton dynamics: implications for biogeochemical cycling and water quality in a stormier world

Coastal North Carolina (USA) has experienced 35 tropical cyclones over the past 2 decades; the frequency of these events is expected to continue in the foreseeable future. Individual storms had unique and, at times, significant hydrologic, nutrient-, and carbon (C)-loading impacts on biogeochemical cycling and phytoplankton responses in a large estuarine complex, the Pamlico Sound (PS) and Neuse River Estuary (NRE). Major storms caused up to a doubling of annual nitrogen and tripling of phosphorus loading compared to non-storm years; magnitudes of loading depended on storm tracks, forward speed, and precipitation in NRE-PS watersheds. With regard to C cycling, NRE-PS was a sink for atmospheric CO₂ during dry, storm-free years and a significant source of CO₂ in years with at least one storm, although responses were storm-specific. Hurricane Irene (2011) mobilized large amounts of previously-accumulated terrigenous C in the watershed, mainly as dissolved organic carbon, and extreme winds rapidly released CO₂ to the atmosphere. Historic flooding after Hurricanes Joaquin (2015) and Matthew (2016) provided large inputs of C from the watershed, modifying the annual C balance of NRE-PS and leading to sustained CO₂ efflux for months. Storm type affected biogeochemical responses as C-enriched floodwaters enhanced air–water CO₂ exchange during ‘wet’ storms, while CO₂ fluxes during ‘windy’ storms were largely supported by previously-accumulated C. Nutrient loading and flushing jointly influenced spatio-temporal patterns of phytoplankton biomass and composition. These findings suggest the importance of incorporating freshwater discharge and C dynamics in nutrient management strategies for coastal ecosystems likely to experience a stormier future.     

Severe course of Lyme neuroborreliosis in an HIV-1 positive patient; case report and review of the literature

Background  

Lyme Neuroborreliosis (LNB) in a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive patient is a rare co-infection and has only been reported four times in literature. No case of an HIV patient with a meningoencephalitis due to LNB in combination with HIV has been described to date.