Pancreatic duct secretion: experimental methods, ion transport mechanisms and regulation

The pancreatic ductal tree conveys enzymatic acinar products to the duodenum and secretes the fluid and ionic components of pancreatic juice. The physiology of pancreatic duct cells has been widely studied, but many questions are still unanswered concerning their mechanisms of ionic transport. Differences in the transport mechanisms operating in the ductal epithelium has been described both among different species and in the different regions of the ductal tree. In this review we summarize the methods developed to study pancreatic duct secretion both in vivo and in vitro, the different mechanisms of ionic transport that have been reported to date in the basolateral and luminal membranes of pancreatic ductal cells and the regulation of pancreatic duct secretion by nervous endocrine and paracrine influences.     

<Emphasis Type=Italic>Staphylococcus epidermidis</Emphasis>: A differential trait of the fecal microbiota of breast-fed infants

Background  

Breast milk is an important source of staphylococci and other bacterial groups to the infant gut. The objective of this work was to analyse the bacterial diversity in feces of breast-fed infants and to compare it with that of formula-fed ones. A total of 23 women and their respective infants (16 breast-fed and 7 formula-fed) participated in the study. The 16 women and their infants provided a sample of breast milk and feces, respectively, at days 7, 14, and 35. The samples were plated onto different culture media. Staphylococcal and enterococcal isolates were submitted to genetic profiling and to a characterization scheme, including detection of potential virulence traits and sensitivity to antibiotics.     

Contemporary epidemiology of gout in the UK general population

Introduction  

The objective of this study was to investigate the contemporary incidence of gout, examine potential risk factors, and evaluate specific gout treatment patterns in the general population.     

Genetic diversity of the Plasmodium falciparum GTP-cyclohydrolase 1, dihydrofolate reductase and dihydropteroate synthetase genes reveals new insights into sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine antimalarial drug resistance

Plasmodium falciparum parasites resistant to antimalarial treatments have hindered malaria disease control. Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) was used globally as a first-line treatment for malaria after wide-spread resistance to chloroquine emerged and, although replaced by artemisinin combinations, is currently used as intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy and in young children as part of seasonal malaria chemoprophylaxis in sub-Saharan Africa. The emergence of SP-resistant parasites has been predominantly driven by cumulative build-up of mutations in the dihydrofolate reductase (pfdhfr) and dihydropteroate synthetase (pfdhps) genes, but additional amplifications in the folate pathway rate-limiting pfgch1 gene and promoter, have recently been described. However, the genetic make-up and prevalence of those amplifications is not fully understood. We analyse the whole genome sequence data of 4,134 P. falciparum isolates across 29 malaria endemic countries, and reveal that the pfgch1 gene and promoter amplifications have at least ten different forms, occurring collectively in 23% and 34% in Southeast Asian and African isolates, respectively. Amplifications are more likely to be present in isolates with a greater accumulation of pfdhfr and pfdhps substitutions (median of 1 additional mutations; P<0.00001), and there was evidence that the frequency of pfgch1 variants may be increasing in some African populations, presumably under the pressure of SP for chemoprophylaxis and anti-folate containing antibiotics used for the treatment of bacterial infections. The selection of P. falciparum with pfgch1 amplifications may enhance the fitness of parasites with pfdhfr and pfdhps substitutions, potentially threatening the efficacy of this regimen for prevention of malaria in vulnerable groups. Our work describes new pfgch1 amplifications that can be used to inform the surveillance of SP drug resistance, its prophylactic use, and future experimental work to understand functional mechanisms.     

The Dry Limit of Microbial Life in the Atacama Desert Revealed by Calorimetric Approaches

The Atacama desert in Chile is one of the driest and most lifeless environments on Earth. It rains possibly once a decade. NASA examined these soils as a model for the Martian environment by comparing their degradation activity with Martian soil and looking for “the dry limit of life”. The existence of heterotrophic bacteria in Atacama soil was demonstrated by DNA extraction and by the isolation of microorganisms. So far, however, no data have been available about the metabolic activities in these soils due to the limitations of the existing methodologies when applied to desert soils. Calorimetry was used to obtain information on the metabolic and thermal properties of eleven soil samples collected at different sites in the Atacama desert. Differential scanning calorimetry and isothermal calorimetry were employed to determine the pyrolysis properties of the carbon‐containing matter and to measure biomass and microbial metabolism. They were compared to other soil properties such as total carbon and nitrogen, carbon to nitrogen ratio and pH. There was measurable organic matter in nine of the eleven samples and the heat of pyrolysis of those soils was correlated to the carbon content. In five of the eleven samples no biomass could be detected and the existence of basal microbial metabolism could not be established because all samples showed endothermic activity, probably from inorganic reactions with water. Six samples showed microbial activation after the addition of glucose. Carbon content, nitrogen content and the microbial activity after glucose amendment were correlated to the altitude and to the average minimum temperature of the sampling sites calculated from meteorological data. The detectable microbial metabolism was more dissipative with increasing altitude and decreasing temperature.     

The effects of acclimation and rates of temperature change on critical thermal limits in Tenebrio molitor (Tenebrionidae) and Cyrtobagous salviniae (Curculionidae)

Critical thermal limits provide an indication of the range of temperatures across which organisms may survive, and the extent of the lability of these limits offers insights into the likely impacts of changing thermal environments on such survival. However, investigations of these limits may be affected by the circumstances under which trials are undertaken. Only a few studies have examined these effects, and typically not for beetles. This group has also not been considered in the context of the time courses of acclimation and its reversal, both of which are important for estimating the responses of species to transient temperature changes. Here we therefore examine the effects of rate of temperature change on critical thermal maxima (CT(max)) and minima (CT(min)), as well as the time course of the acclimation response and its reversal in two beetle species, Tenebrio molitor and Cyrtobagous salviniae. Increasing rates of temperature change had opposite effects on T. molitor and C. salviniae. In T. molitor, faster rates of change reduced both CT(max) (c. 2°C) and CT(min) (c. 3°C), while in C. salviniae faster rates of change increased both CT(max) (c. 6°C) and CT(min) (c. 4°C). CT(max) in T. molitor showed little response to acclimation, while the response to acclimation of CT(min) was most pronounced following exposure to 35°C (from 25°C) and was complete within 24 h. The time course of acclimation of CT(max) in C. salviniae was 2 days when exposed to 36°C (from c. 26°C), while that of CT(min) was less than 3 days when exposed to 18°C. In T. molitor, the time course of reacclimation to 25°C after treatments at 15°C and 35°C at 75% RH was longer than the time course of acclimation, and varied from 3-6 days for CT(max) and 6 days for CT(min). In C. salviniae, little change in CT(max) and CT(min) (<0.5°C) took place in all treatments suggesting that reacclimation may only occur after the 7 day period used in this study. These results indicate that both T. molitor and C. salviniae may be restricted in their ability to respond to transient temperature changes at short-time scales, and instead may have to rely on behavioral adjustments to avoid deleterious effects at high temperatures.     

Optimization of the chiral separation of some 2-arylpropionic acids on an avidin column by modeling a combined response

The enantiomeric separation of some nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs was investigated on an avidin column. An experimental design approach (central composite design) was used to evaluate the effects of three method parameters (pH, concentration of organic modifier, and buffer concentration) on the analysis time and the resolution, as well as to model these responses. This revealed that the organic modifier concentration and sometimes the pH are significant parameters to control because of their influence on both analysis time and resolution. Furthermore, the central composite design results were combined in a multicriteria decision-making approach in order to obtain a set of optimal experimental conditions leading to the most desirable compromise between resolution and analysis time.     

Nitric oxide and iron: effect of iron overload on nitric oxide production in endotoxemia

The amount of iron within the cell is carefully regulated in order to provide an adequate level of micronutrient while preventing its accumulation and toxicity. Iron excess is believed to generate oxidative stress, understood as an increase in the steady-state concentration of oxygen radical intermediates. Nitric oxide (NO) is an inorganic free-radical gaseous molecule which has been shown over the last decade to play an unprecedented variety of roles in biological systems. The effect of nitrogen reactive species may explain the iron sequestration pattern that characterizes macrophages under inflammatory conditions. From a patho-physiological viewpoint, further studies are required to assess the usefulness of this mechanism to minimize formation and release of free radicals in diseased tissues. However, contrary to the deleterious effects of the reactive nitrogen oxide species formed from either NO/O(2) and NO/O(2)(-), it has been pointed out that NO shows antioxidant properties. A number of studies have described the complex relationships between iron and NO, but controversy remains as to the influence and significance of iron on inflammatory NO production. To explore the initial steps of the effects triggered by LPS administration in the presence of excess iron, male Wistar rats were treated with: lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli (serotype 0127:B8) (LPS); iron-dextran; or iron-dextran plus LPS and liver samples were taken after 6 h. EPR spectra of NO-Hb in the venous blood were determined at 77 K. Iron-dextran administered to rats intraperitoneally resulted predominantly in iron uptake by the liver Kupffer cells and led to an increased NO level in blood in the presence of LPS. Further studies will be required to assess the complex role of the Kupffer cells on iNOS induction and NO production.