Immunologic and clinical improvement of progressive coccidioidomycosis following administration of transfer factor

Three patients with progressive coccidioidomycosis were given preparations of transfer factor (TF). Adverse reactions to TF were minimal. Following TF administration two of these patients had prolonged clinical remissions in their coccidioidal disease. Cellular immune responses were sequentially evaluated by coccidioidininduced delayed-type skin tests, lymphocyte blast transformation and macrophage inhibition factor production (MIF). These three patients each exhibited different cellular immune patterns before and after TF administration. Two patients converted their coccidioidin skin tests, and one converted lymphocyte transformation response to coccidioidin. Also, TF apparently favorably affected the MIF response in all three patients.     

Explaining geographical variation in the isotope composition of mouse lemurs (Microcebus)

Aim We sought to quantify geographical variation in the stable isotope values of mouse lemurs (Microcebus) and to determine whether this variation reflects trophic differences among populations or baseline isotopic differences among habitats. If the latter pattern is demonstrated, then Microcebus can become a proxy for tracking baseline habitat isotopic variability. Establishing such a baseline is crucial for identifying niche partitioning in modern and ancient communities. Location We studied five species of Microcebus from eight distinct habitats across Madagascar. Methods We compared isotopic variation in C₃ plants and Microcebus fur within and among localities. We predicted that carbon and nitrogen isotope values of Microcebus should: (1) vary as a function of abiotic variables such as rainfall and temperature, and (2) covary with isotopic values in plants. We checked for trophic differences among Microcebus populations by comparing the average difference between mouse lemur and plant isotope values for each locality. We then used multiple regression models to explain spatial isotope variation in mouse lemurs, testing a suite of explanatory abiotic variables. Results We found substantial isotopic variation geographically. Ranges for mean isotope values were similar for both Microcebus and plants across localities (carbon 3.5–4.0‰; nitrogen 10.5–11.0‰). Mean mouse lemur and plant isotope values were lowest in cool, moist localities and highest in hot, dry localities. Rainfall explained 58% of the variation in Microcebus carbon isotope values, and mean plant nitrogen isotope values explained 99.7% of the variation in Microcebus nitrogen isotope values. Average differences between mouse lemur and plant isotope values (carbon 5.0‰; nitrogen 5.9‰) were similar across localities. Main conclusions Isotopic data suggest that trophic differences among Microcebus populations were small. Carbon isotope values in mouse lemurs were negatively correlated with rainfall. Nitrogen isotope values in Microcebus and plants covaried. Such findings suggest that nitrogen isotope values for Microcebus are a particularly good proxy for tracking baseline isotopic differences among habitats. Our results will facilitate future comparative research on modern mouse lemur communities, and ecological interpretations of extinct Holocene communities.     

Hydrophilic carotenoids: surface properties and aggregation of an astaxanthin-lysine conjugate, a rigid, long-chain, highly unsaturated and highly water-soluble tetracationic bolaamphiphile

The surface and aggregation properties of a synthetic, highly water-soluble carotenoid, the tetracationic astaxanthin-lysine conjugate (Asly), have been examined through measurements of surface tension, optical absorption and dynamic light scattering. The following parameters were determined: critical aggregation concentration c(M), surface concentration Gamma, molecular area a(m), free energy of adsorption and aggregation (DeltaG(ad) degrees and DeltaG(M) degrees , respectively), and the aggregate size r(H). The compound forms true monomolecular solutions in water below c(M); aggregates emerge only at rather high concentrations (> or =2.18 mM).     

Introduction to "In Focus: Global Change and Adaptation in Local Places"

ABSTRACT   In recognition of unavoidable changes that human actions are producing in our environment, the term adaptation has become ubiquitous in the environmental and climate-change literature. Human adaptation is a field with a significant history in anthropology, yet anthropological contributions to the burgeoning field of climate change remain limited. This "In Focus" section presents studies of local adaptations to climate variation and change. Each is concerned with current environmental challenges and future environmental change, and each study is placed within a wider context that includes processes of globalization and integration into market economies, formal and informal institutions, and disasters. These studies highlight the challenges involved in understanding complex adaptations under conditions of stress. They also illustrate how anthropologists engage the larger climate-change and human-adaptation discussions and enhance our ability to respond to the challenges of a changing environment.     

Summer water relations of the desert phreatophyte Prosopis glandulosa in the Sonoran Desert of southern California

Summary Two shoot populations of the rhizomatous, patchforming herb Solidago canadensis were studied throughout a developmental cycle in two abandoned pasture sites in southern Ontario. The shoot cohorts that emerged in spring dominated the two populations; subsequent recruitment was very low. Shoot mortality was highest in June and was concentrated in the smallest size classes. Both populations showed a pronounced bimodal size structure for most of the growth cycle. Relative growth rate of shoots declined as the growing season progressed and tended to be lowest in the smallest size classes. Inflorescence production depended on shoot size. The calculated relationship between log mean weight and log density of shoots was not constant during the growth cycle and the calculated maximum biomass values do not transgress the ultimate thinning line suggested from previously published data.Address for proofs and present address: Department of Geography, University of Liverpool, P.O. Box 147, Liverpool, L69 3BX. England     

Effect of abscisic acid on CO2 exchange in Lemna gibba

The effects of abscisic acid (ABA) on photosynthesis, dark respiration, and photorespiration were studied in Lemna gibba L. plants. The initial concentration of ABA in the nutrient solution was 10⁻⁷M and in a few experiments, 10⁻⁶M. The cultures were grown in the same solution for time periods ranging from one hour to 12 days. Net photosynthesis, measured as CO₂ uptake by infrared gas analyser technique, was inhibited after four hours of ABA treatment and reached a minimum after four to seven days depending on the time of the year. After 12 days a substantial recovery of photosynthesis was observed. Dark respiration was significantly stimulated after two to seven days of ABA treatment but then returned to the control level. The transient effects of ABA on photosynthesis and dark respiration corresponded to the previously measured time course of [¹⁴C]-ABA uptake by Lemna . Photorespiration measured as oxygen inhibition of photosynthesis was not affected by ABA.     

Seasonal Acclimation of Stem Photosynthesis in Woody Legume Species from the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of California

Photosynthesis (Pn) was measured in stems of two desert legumes, Caesalpinia virgata at a low elevation site (118 m) in the Sonoran Desert and Senna armata at a higher elevation (950 m) in the Mojave Desert. The lower elevation site experienced higher spring and summer temperatures than the higher elevation site, but the air vapor pressure, irradiance, and rainfall patterns were similar. Mid-morning maximum stem Pn was highest in May for C. virgata (7.8 [mu]mol m-2 s-1) and in July for S. armata (5.8 [mu]mol m-2 s-1). The seasonal variation in maximum stem Pn was not associated with changes in bulk tissue water potential or chlorenchyma tissue nitrogen concentration. The main environmental regulators of seasonal stem Pn were temperature and leaf to air vapor pressure gradient. Light-response curves indicated no major differences in apparent quantum yield or light compensation point between the spring and summer, but light-saturated stem Pn at ambient temperature decreased for C. virgata between these seasons. The optimal temperature for stem Pn remained the same for both species between the spring and the summer. However, stem Pn of both species increased at all temperatures between the spring and summer. Potential stem Pn under optimal conditions and CO2-saturated stem Pn increased for both species between spring and summer. The increase in stem Pn potential allowed these species to maintain stem Pn during the summer even though stem Pn responses to temperature and vapor pressure did not acclimate to seasonal climatic conditions.     

Real-time knee adduction moment feedback for gait retraining through visual and tactile displays

The external knee adduction moment (KAM) measured during gait is an indicator of tibiofemoral joint osteoarthritis progression and various strategies have been proposed to lower it. Gait retraining has been shown to be an effective, noninvasive approach for lowering the KAM. We present a new gait retraining approach in which the KAM is fed back to subjects in real-time during ambulation. A study was conducted in which 16 healthy subjects learned to alter gait patterns to lower the KAM through visual or tactile (vibration) feedback. Participants converged on a comfortable gait in just a few minutes by using the feedback to iterate on various kinematic modifications. All subjects adopted altered gait patterns with lower KAM compared with normal ambulation (average reduction of 20.7%). Tactile and visual feedbacks were equally effective for real-time training, although subjects using tactile feedback took longer to converge on an acceptable gait. This study shows that real-time feedback of the KAM can greatly increase the effectiveness and efficiency of subject-specific gait retraining compared with conventional methods.     

Immuno-histochemical and -cytochemical Evidence Suggesting the Presence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in Cases of Porcine Intestinal Adenomatosis

Antisera against a number of Campylobacter species were used in immuno-histochemical and -cytochemical studies on cases of porcine intestinal adenomatosis. Avidin-biotin-complex (ABC) and streptavidin immunoperoxidase methods were used on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded and frozen sections. Protein A gold method was used on formaldehyde fixed and frozen sections for immuno-cytochemistry. The antisera used were raised in rabbits by subcutaneous or intravenous injection of living or formalin treated organisms. Antisera against different serotypes of the thermotolerant, catalase positive Campylobacters, Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli gave positive reactions in the immuno-histochemical studies. The staining was found in intestinal epithelial cells both in the ileum and in the colon and was restricted to the apical cytoplasm of adenomatous epithelial cells. The staining had a granular pattern, the positive structures sometimes having the shape of Campylobacter. Epithelial cells in areas with normal differentiation of goblet cells did not stain. In contrast, no staining resulted with antisera against Campylobacter sputorum subsp. mucosalis and Campylobacter hyointestinalis. Immuno-cytochemistry, using antisera against Campylobacter jejuni showed that the positive staining in altered epithelial cells were restricted to intracellular organisms having a structure resembling Campylobacter spp.