Cationic antioxidants as a powerful tool against mitochondrial oxidative stress

This review describes evidence that mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) are of great importance under many physiological and pathological conditions. The most demonstrative indications favoring this conclusion originate from recent discoveries of the in vivo effects of mitochondria-targeted antioxidants (MitoQ and SkQs). The latter compounds look promising in treating several incurable pathologies as well as aging.     

Synthesis and evaluation of N-alkyl-S-[3-(piperidin-1-yl)propyl]isothioureas: High affinity and human/rat species-selective histamine H3 receptor antagonists

S-Alkyl-N-alkylisothiourea compounds containing various cyclic amines were synthesized in the search for novel nonimidazole histamine H₃ receptor (H₃R) antagonists. Among them, four N-alkyl S-[3-(piperidin-1-yl)propyl]isothioureas 18, 19, 22, and 23 were found to exhibit potent and selective H₃R antagonistic activities against in vitro human H₃R, but were inactive against in vitro human H₄R. Furthermore, three alkyl homologs 18–20 showed inactivity for histamine release in in vivo rat brain microdialysis, suggesting differences in antagonist affinities between species. In addition, in silico docking studies of N-[4-(4-chlorophenyl)butyl]-S-[3-piperidin-1-yl)propyl]isothiourea 19 and a shorter homolog 17 with human/rat H₃Rs revealed that structural differences between the antagonist-docking cavities of rat and human H₃Rs were likely caused by the Ala122/Val122 mutation.     

Mapping the navigational knowledge of individually foraging ants,Myrmecia croslandi

Ants are efficient navigators, guided by path integration and visual landmarks. Path integration is the primary strategy in landmark-poor habitats, but landmarks are readily used when available. The landmark panorama provides reliable information about heading direction, routes and specific location. Visual memories for guidance are often acquired along routes or near to significant places. Over what area can such locally acquired memories provide information for reaching a place? This question is unusually approachable in the solitary foraging Australian jack jumper ant, since individual foragers typically travel to one or two nest-specific foraging trees. We find that within 10 m from the nest, ants both with and without home vector information available from path integration return directly to the nest from all compass directions, after briefly scanning the panorama. By reconstructing panoramic views within the successful homing range, we show that in the open woodland habitat of these ants, snapshot memories acquired close to the nest provide sufficient navigational information to determine nest-directed heading direction over a surprisingly large area, including areas that animals may have not visited previously.     

Dietary Modifications of Phospholipid Composition and Biophysical Properties of the Brush Border Membrane Along the Trout Intestine

Brush border membranes (BBM) are isolated from middle and posterior intestine of trout fed either an essential fatty acid-rich diet or a saturated one. The different phospholipid classes are separated, and their fatty acid composition is determined. Fluorescence anisotropy studies are performed using two lipid fluorophores, namely diphenylhexatriene (DPH) and trimethyl-aminodiphenylhexatriene (TMA-DPH). The results indicate that the usual parameters affecting the lipid fluidity such as the phospholipid:protein (PL:PROT), cholesterol:phospholipid (CHOL:PL), and sphingomyelin:phosphatidylcholine (SP:PC) ratios and the unsaturation of the acyl chains are sufficient to explain the fluidity values determined using DPH, but not those obtained with TMA-DPH as a probe. This fluorophore is assessed to be localized only in the external leaflet of the membrane. Hence, it will be affected by the composition of the major phospholipids of this leaflet, sphingomyelin and phosphatidylcholine.     

不同生态型摩西球囊霉菌株对蜈蚣草砷吸收的影响

砷超富集植物——蜈蚣草无论是在野外或是在室内均能被丛枝菌根真菌(AM真菌)侵染,但其对蜈蚣草砷吸收及转运的机理尚不清晰.本研究将分离于湖南省郴州市金川塘某铅锌尾矿蜈蚣草根际土壤(Glomus mosseae BGC GD01,简称污染菌株)和云南省未污染土壤(G.mosseae BGC YN05,简称非污染菌株)的2种摩西球囊霉菌株分别接种于非污染生态型和污染生态型蜈蚣草根际,8周后利用菌根化蜈蚣草幼苗在浓度为100 μmol·L-1砷(Na2HAsO4·7H2O)营养液中进行为期24 h的水培试验.结果表明,2种生态型摩西球囊霉菌株分别与蜈蚣草形成中等程度侵染,侵染率为25.2％ ～31.3％.无论是接种污染菌株或是非污染菌株,均明显促进了蜈蚣草根部对磷的吸收.在24 h水培试验期间,接种非污染菌株显著促进了蜈蚣草根部砷的吸收,但接种污染菌株对蜈蚣草根部砷吸收的促进作用有限,说明AM真菌对蜈蚣草砷吸收存在种内差异.     

广义神经传播方程非协调类Wilson元的超收敛分析及外推

在半离散格式下研究了广义神经传播方程的非协调类Wilson有限元方法．利用该单元相容误差比协调误差高一阶的特殊性质和双线性元的高精度分析技巧,得到了相应的超逼近性质和超收敛结果．进一步地,构造了一个新的外推格式,并借助于该单元相容误差比协调误差高两阶的特殊性质,由此导出了能量模意义下具有O（h3）阶的外推效果．     

Importance of Dietary Cholesterol for the Maturation of Mouse Brain Myelin

The effect of nil (control), 1% (CH-l) and 5% (CH-5) dietary cholesterol on the myelination of mouse brain, and its deposition in the heart and liver were investigated during infancy. Swiss Webstar female mice were given formulated diets from early gestation, and their pups were weaned on the same diet as that of the individual mothers up to 60 days after birth. The test diets increased the liver weight and cholesterol content compared to the control even in suckling pups (20 days), but did not significantly influence the heart weight until 60 days. The cholesterol content of the heart was not increased by the CH-l diet throughout the feeding period, but it did increase the mole ratio of major myelin lipids and hastened its maturation. Myelin cholesterol was 10% higher in 20-day-old suckling pups in the CH-5 group compared to the control. Data indicate that dietary cholesterol altered the brain myelination rate of weaning mice, and that the mother’s dietary cholesterol influenced myelination of the suckling pups.     

Photosynthetic responses and acclimation of two castor bean cultivars to repeated drying–wetting cycles

To investigate the responses of castor bean to repeated drying–wetting cycles (RDWC), morpho-physiological parameters of two cultivars (Jiaxiang 2 and Hangbi 8) were determined by a pot experiment under well-watered control and RDWC. RDWC inhibited plant growth and leaf development, decreased water loss rate (WLR), and enhanced leaf mass per area (LMA) and chlorophyll content as indicated by spectral reflectance indices for both cultivars. Photosynthesis was inhibited by progressive drought stress but quickly recovered after rewatering for each cycle. Both cultivars exhibit a similar pattern of acclimation to RDWC: (1) higher LMA and lower WLR, (2) increased photosynthetic capacity under drought stress with increasing cycle numbers, (3) quick recovery and over-compensation for photosynthesis after rewatering, and (4) increased chlorophyll content. Jiaxiang 2 shows a high capacity for water preservation under drought stress and an over-compensation for photosynthesis after rewatering compared with Hangbi 8.     

城-镇-乡人口教育差距的演变及影响机制

在城乡一体化的过程中,以平均受教育水平测量的城乡人口教育差距,并没有出现库兹涅茨倒U型发展,乡村、县镇与城市之间的差距都在不断扩大。对近20年间差距演变的过程进行分析表明,乡村和县镇人口平均受教育水平的增长速度始终低于城市,尤其是县镇区域几乎没有增长。通过对主要影响因素及作用机制的理论分析和实证检验,研究发现,经济发展水平的提高并没有促使已经存在的差距自然消弥,城乡两个被分割的群体通过显性渠道与隐性渠道不断地文化教育再生产是差距存在和扩大的社会基础;高中阶段教育投入的增加更多是促进了城镇人口受教育水平的提高,初中阶段教育投入城乡差距的扩大直接导致人口受教育程度差距的扩大,而小学阶段教育投入城乡差距没有显示出统计上显著的影响;非户籍人口流动造成城乡人口结构的异质化,并进而扩大城乡常住人口受教育程度的差距;户籍人口迁入对城市和县镇人口受教育程度都有提升作用,迁出在抵消迁入的提升作用后,仍然导致城市与县镇之间教育差距的扩大。