Serum levels of selenium, manganese, copper, and iron in colorectal cancer patients

This article describes a study in which four trace elements (Se, Mn, Cu, and Fe) were analyzed in the blood serum of the patients with colorectal cancer from the Moravian region of the Czech Republic. Atomic absorption spectrometry with graphite furnace atomization was used for analysis of selenium and manganese and with flame atomization for analysis of copper and iron. The observed serum concentrations in adenocarcinoma colorectal patients of selenium were significantly lower (41.8 ± 11.6 μg/L) and those of manganese (16.3 ± 4.5 μg/L) and iron (2.89 ± 1.23 mg/L) were significantly higher as compared to the age-matched control group. Copper serum content (0.95 ± 0.28 mg/L) did not significantly differ as compared to healthy population.     

The Rhodobacter capsulatus genome

The genome of Rhodobacter capsulatus has been completely sequenced. It consists of a single chromosome containing 3.5 Mb and a circular plasmid of 134 kb. This effort, started in 1992, began with a fine-structure restriction map of an overlapping set of cosmids that covered the genome. Cosmid sequencing led to a gapped genome that was filled by primer walking on the chromosome and by using lambda clones. Methods had to be developed to handle strong stops in the high GC (68%) inserts. Annotation was done with the ERGO system at Integrated Genomics, as was the reconstruction of the cell's metabolism. It was possible to recognize 3709 orfs of which functional assignments could be made with high confidence to 2392 (65%). Unusual features include the presence of numerous cryptic phage genomes embedded in the chromosome. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Gender differences in the long-term effects of perinatal hypoxia on pulmonary circulation in rats

Some effects of perinatal hypoxia on pulmonary circulation are permanent. Since pulmonary vascular sensitivity to hypoxia in adults differs between sexes, we hypothesized that gender-based variability also exists in the long-term effects of perinatal hypoxia. Rats spent 1 wk before and 1 wk after birth in hypoxia (12% O2) and then lived in normoxia. When adult, females, but not males, with the perinatal experience of hypoxia had right ventricle hypertrophy. To assess the role of sex hormones, some rats were gonadectomized in ether anesthesia as newborns. Compared with intact, perinatally normoxic controls, muscularization of peripheral pulmonary vessels in adulthood was augmented in perinatally hypoxic, neonatally gonadectomized males (by 85%) and much more so in females (by 533%). Pulmonary artery pressure was elevated in perinatally hypoxic, neonatally gonadectomized females (24.4 +/- 1.7 mmHg) but not males (17.2 +/- 0.6 mmHg). Gonadectomy in adulthood had no effect. We conclude that female pulmonary circulation is more sensitive to late effects of perinatal hypoxia, and these effects are blunted by the presence of ovaries during maturation.     

Fully detachable molecular umbrellas as peptide delivery agents

A persulfated molecular umbrella, derived from cholic acid and spermidine, has been covalently attached to H-Tyr-D-Ala-Gly-Phe-D-Leu-OH (DADLE) by use of an o-dithiobenzyl carbamate linkage. Treatment of the resulting conjugate (1) with glutathione in solution resulted in the liberation of the free form of the peptide. Addition of 1 to glutathione-entrapped liposomes, prepared from 1-palmitoyl-2-oleyol-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC), 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylglycerol (POPG), and cholesterol [POPC/POPG/cholesterol, 72/4/24 (mol/mol/mol)], resulted in the delivery of DADLE into their aqueous interior.     

Texture of the zona pellucida of the mature pig oocyte. The mammalian egg envelope revisited

The zona pellucida (ZP) of mature pig oocytes is believed to consist of a dense filamentous meshwork, less compact on the inner and outer faces. The uneven surface of the ZP is made of unordered and stretched fibrils surrounding deep funnels which are the openings of the radial canaliculi. The topography of the ZP surface may contribute to the initial interplay between male and female gametes. Using cytochemical techniques for transmission electron microscopy (TEM), such as tannic acid and ruthenium red treatments, we found that the ZP of pig oocytes was essentially made of bundles of fibrils distributed in concentric layers (except in the innermost and outer parts). A correlation appears between the dense structure of the core layer of the ZP and its texture: it is constituted of superposed layers of fibril bundles, whereas only a random meshwork is found in a very thin innermost and in the outer layer. The fascicular configuration may control the permeability of the ZP, giving its semi-rigidity and elasticity, and may facilitate sperm penetration. The liquid crystal-like design of the core layer of the ZP is similar to textures found in the the vitelline envelope (zona radiata) of other vertebrates and possibly of all the deuterostomes. Such texture is probably related to the unique ZP protein composition and to a coordinated synthesis.     

Detection of ICAM-1 in experimentally induced colitis of ICAM-1-deficient and wild-type mice: an immunohistochemical study

Adhesion molecules (e.g. ICAM-1, CD 54) are known to be upregulated on activated vascular endothelial cells during inflammatory reactions. To study the role of ICAM-1 in intestinal inflammation in vivo, we induced acute experimental colitis in wild-type (C57BL/6) mice and ICAM-1-deficient mice, by feeding the animals with 3% dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) in drinking water for 7 days. In the control strain the immunohistochemical staining showed a very pronounced endothelial upregulation of ICAM-1 after the DSS treatment observed in areas of inflammatory infiltrate, especially in venules or arterioles of the propria and submucosa, and partly in the mesocolon. DSS-fed ICAM-1-deficient mice showed no endothelial enhancement and only faint staining of venules or capillaries approaching that encountered in the control ICAM-1-deficient animals. Our data indicate that ICAM-1 may play a crucial role in the development of acute intestinal inflammation, consistent with our finding that ICAM-1 deficiency can obviate severe forms of experimentally induced colitis in mice.     

Orally administered marine (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan Phycarine stimulates both humoral and cellular immunity

(1-->3)-beta-D-Glucans represent highly conserved structural components of cell walls in yeast, fungi, or seaweed. However, it is still unknown how they mediate their effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate both intraperitoneal and oral application of seaweed-derived (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan Phycarine. Phycarine showed significant stimulation of phagocytosis by peripheral blood cells. In addition, the efficiency of chemotherapy of Lewis lung carcinoma with cyclophosphamide was potentiated by Phycarine administration. Phycarine also strongly shortened the recovery of leucopenia caused either by chemotherapy or irradiation. Besides the role in stimulation of cellular immunity, we also found a significant increase of antibody formation. Using a suckling rat model for evaluation of the absorption and tissues distribution of enterally administered (125)I-Phycarine, we found that the majority of Phycarine was detected in the stomach and duodenum 5 min after the administration. This amount sharply decreased during first 30 min. A significant amount of Phycarine entered proximal intestine in a shortly after the gavage. Its transit through proximal intestine was decreasing with time and simultaneously increasing in the ileum. Systemic blood levels were very low (less than 0.5%). Taken together, these observations suggest that Phycarine is similarly effective both after i.p. and oral application, has very strong stimulating effects on three types of experimentally induced leucopenia and stimulates both humoral and cellular branch of immune reactions. The majority of Phycarine can be detected throughout the gastrointestinal tract, supporting the feasibility of enteral administration of Phycarine in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases.     

Combination of two pseudoaneurysms in a patient 6 years after ascending aorta and aortic valve replacement

BACKGROUND: We report successful treatment of a patient 6 years after ascending aorta and aortic valve replacement suffering from a combination of two pseudoaneurysms. The first of them originated from the coronary ostial suture line and the second pseudoaneurysm originated from the distal suture line. METHODS: We performed re-replantation of the left main trunk to the prosthesis and then we resected the pseudoaneurysm originating from the distal suture line and we replaced the entire aorta by a vascular graft. RESULTS: The postoperative convalescence was uneventful, the patient was discharged two weeks after the surgery. The patient is currently in a very good condition one year after the surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Coronary ostial pseudoaneurysm in patients after ascending aorta and aortic valve replacement with the use of "button technique" is a quite rare situation. The combination of two pseudoaneurysms originating from different suture lines in one patient seems to be unique in literature reviews.     

Noninsect-Based Diet Leads to Structural and Functional Changes of Acidic Chitinase in Carnivora

Acidic chitinase (Chia) digests the chitin of insects in the omnivorous stomach and the chitinase activity in carnivorous Chia is significantly lower than that of the omnivorous enzyme. However, mechanistic and evolutionary insights into the functional changes in Chia remain unclear. Here we show that a noninsect-based diet has caused structural and functional changes in Chia during the course of evolution in Carnivora. By creating mouse-dog chimeric Chia proteins and modifying the amino acid sequences, we revealed that F214L and A216G substitutions led to the dog enzyme activation. In 31 Carnivora, Chia was present as a pseudogene with stop codons in the open reading frame (ORF) region. Importantly, the Chia proteins of skunk, meerkat, mongoose, and hyena, which are insect-eating species, showed high chitinolytic activity. The cat Chia pseudogene product was still inactive even after ORF restoration. However, the enzyme was activated by matching the number and position of Cys residues to an active form and by introducing five meerkat Chia residues. Mutations affecting the Chia conformation and activity after pseudogenization have accumulated in the common ancestor of Felidae due to functional constraints. Evolutionary analysis indicates that Chia genes are under relaxed selective constraint in species with noninsect-based diets except for Canidae. These results suggest that there are two types of inactivating processes in Carnivora and that dietary changes affect the structure and activity of Chia.     

When the Body Hides the Ancestry: Phylogeny of Morphologically Modified Epizoic Earwigs Based on Molecular Evidence

Here, we present a study regarding the phylogenetic positions of two enigmatic earwig lineages whose unique phenotypic traits evolved in connection with ectoparasitic relationships with mammals. Extant earwigs (Dermaptera) have traditionally been divided into three suborders: the Hemimerina, Arixeniina, and Forficulina. While the Forficulina are typical, well-known, free-living earwigs, the Hemimerina and Arixeniina are unusual epizoic groups living on molossid bats (Arixeniina) or murid rodents (Hemimerina). The monophyly of both epizoic lineages is well established, but their relationship to the remainder of the Dermaptera is controversial because of their extremely modified morphology with paedomorphic features. We present phylogenetic analyses that include molecular data (18S and 28S ribosomal DNA and histone-3) for both Arixeniina and Hemimerina for the first time. This data set enabled us to apply a rigorous cladistics approach and to test competing hypotheses that were previously scattered in the literature. Our results demonstrate that Arixeniidae and Hemimeridae belong in the dermapteran suborder Neodermaptera, infraorder Epidermaptera, and superfamily Forficuloidea. The results support the sister group relationships of Arixeniidae+Chelisochidae and Hemimeridae+Forficulidae. This study demonstrates the potential for rapid and substantial macroevolutionary changes at the morphological level as related to adaptive evolution, in this case linked to the utilization of a novel trophic niche based on an epizoic life strategy. Our results also indicate that the evolutionary consequences of the transition to an ectoparazitic mode of living, which is extremely rare in earwigs, have biased previous morphology-based hypotheses regarding the phylogeny of this insect group.