Cyclic adenosine monophosphate induces plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 expression in human mast cells

Plaminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), the key physiological inhibitor of the plasmin fibrinolytic system, plays important roles in the pathogenesis of asthma. Mast cells (MCs) are crucial effector cells and a major source of PAI-1 for asthma. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is the important regulator of MCs; however, its effects on PAI-1 expression in MCs remain unknown. We reported cAMP/protein kinase A pathway positively regulates PAI-1 expression through cAMP-response element binding protein binding to hypoxia response element-1 at −158 to −153 bp of human PAI-1 promoter in human MCs. Moreover, cAMP synergistically augments PAI-1 expression with ionomycin- or IgE receptor cross-linking-mediated stimulation.     

Alarm substance from adult zebrafish alters early embryonic development in offspring

Alarm substances elicit behavioural responses in a wide range of animals but effects on early embryonic development are virtually unknown. Here we investigated whether skin injury-induced alarm substances caused physiological responses in embryos produced by two Danio species (Danio rerio and Danio albolineatus). Both species showed more rapid physiological development in the presence of alarm substance, although there were subtle differences between them: D. rerio had advanced muscle contraction and heart function, whereas D. albolineatus had advanced heart function only. Hence, alarm cues from injured or dying fish may be of benefit to their offspring, inducing physiological responses and potentially increasing their inclusive fitness.     

Future Redistribution of Cadmium to Arable Swedish Soils: A Substance Stock Analysis

This article describes a stock-based methodology designed to analyze the redistribution of substance stocks to environmental compartments. The methodology is then applied to investigate the requirements and possibilities for avoiding undesired future accumulation of cadmium in Swedish arable soils. A prospective decomposition analysis of human cadmium mobilization is thus performed to estimate the potential amounts that can end up in arable soils through different flows from the cadmium stocks identified. The requirements for cadmium abatement to achieve prescribed goals for accumulation limits are determined and compared with past and current achievements and with the varying qualities of possible abatement methods.
A stock-based methodology adds some important information to traditional scenario techniques based on substance flow analysis. The most obvious is that the fact that stocks are limited actually matters for long-term accumulation of cadmium in arable land. The methodology may also contribute certain indicators, for instance, on abatement requirements, which could serve as a complement to regulation and local quality measures on specific flows at an aggregated policy level. The stock perspective also sheds new light on actions such as increased recycling.
Concerning the specific example used in the study, it is possible to achieve a future addition of cadmium in Swedish agricultural soils that is significantly lower than in the past, although the amount depends to a large degree on activities and policies outside Sweden. Considerable uncertainty exists regarding future depositions from air, especially that from distributed small-scale emissions from fuel burning and reemission of already deposited cadmium from natural media. Measures must also be taken to guarantee a continued low addition in the form of mineral phosphorus fertilizers.     

海洋侧孢短芽孢杆菌Lh-1抗菌活性物质的分离及特性研究

采用超滤、DEAE-Sephadex A25和CM-Sepharose FF离子交换层析及HPLC反相层析等步骤得到了海洋侧孢短芽孢杆菌(Brevibacillus laterosporus)Lh-1的抗菌活性物质,命名为R-1。HPLC纯化出的抗菌物质经质谱测定其分子量为1608.023Da,BIO-RAD等电聚焦测得其pI为8.55,氨基酸分析表明该物质由Leu、Tyr、Val、Ile、Lys、Gly、Met、Ser、Ala9种氨基酸组成。该抗菌物质具有极强的耐热、耐酸碱特性,在pH11.0~12.0条件下,121℃处理1h,其活力保持在75%以上。经3种蛋白酶(碱性蛋白酶、胰酶、胃蛋白酶)处理后,活性保持在80%以上。茚三酮反应阳性。推测R-1可能是低分子量的脂肽。抑菌试验表明对食品腐败菌、致病性革兰氏阴性、阳性菌及少数真菌均有抑菌活性。     

The metabolic role of isoleucine in detoxification of ammonia in cultured mouse neurons and astrocytes

Cerebral hyperammonemia is a hallmark of hepatic encephalopathy, a debilitating condition arising secondary to liver disease. Pyruvate oxidation including tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolism has been suggested to be inhibited by hyperammonemia at the pyruvate and -ketoglutarate dehydrogenase steps. Catabolism of the branched-chain amino acid isoleucine provides both acetyl-CoA and succinyl-CoA, thus by-passing both the pyruvate dehydrogenase and the -ketoglutarate dehydrogenase steps. Potentially, this will enable the TCA cycle to work in the face of ammonium-induced inhibition. In addition, this will provide the -ketoglutarate carbon skeleton for glutamate and glutamine synthesis by glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamine synthetase (astrocytes only), respectively, both reactions fixing ammonium. Cultured cerebellar neurons (primarily glutamatergic) or astrocytes were incubated in the presence of either [U-¹³C]glucose (2.5 mM) and isoleucine (1 mM) or [U-¹³C]isoleucine and glucose. Cell cultures were treated with an acute ammonium chloride load of 2 (astrocytes) or 5 mM (neurons and astrocytes) and incorporation of ¹³C-label into glutamate, aspartate, glutamine and alanine was determined employing mass spectrometry. Labeling from [U-¹³C]glucose in glutamate and aspartate increased as a result of ammonium-treatment in both neurons and astrocytes, suggesting that the TCA cycle was not inhibited. Labeling in alanine increased in neurons but not in astrocytes, indicating elevated glycolysis in neurons. For both neurons and astrocytes, labeling from [U-¹³C]isoleucine entered glutamate and aspartate albeit to a lower extent than from [U-¹³C]glucose. Labeling in glutamate and aspartate from [U-¹³C]isoleucine was decreased by ammonium treatment in neurons but not in astrocytes, the former probably reflecting increased metabolism of unlabeled glucose. In astrocytes, ammonia treatment resulted in glutamine production and release to the medium, partially supported by catabolism of [U-¹³C]isoleucine. In conclusion, i) neuronal and astrocytic TCA cycle metabolism was not inhibited by ammonium and ii) isoleucine may provide the carbon skeleton for synthesis of glutamate/glutamine in the detoxification of ammonium.     

The pro-life argument from substantial identity and the pro-choice argument from asymmetric value: a reply to Patrick Lee

Lee claims that foetuses and adult humans are phases of the same identical substance, and thus have the same moral status because: first, foetuses and adults are the same physical organism, and second, the development from foetus to adult is quantitative and thus not a change of substance. Versus the first argument, I contend that the fact that foetuses and adults are the same physical organism implies only that they are the same thing but not the same substance, much as living adults and their corpses are the same thing (same body) but not the same substance. Against Lee's second argument, I contend that Lee confuses the nature of a process with the nature of its result. A process of quantitative change can produce a change in substance. Lee also fails to show that foetuses are rational and thus have all the essential properties of adults, as required for them to be the same substance. Against the pro-choice argument from asymmetric value (that only the fact that a human has become conscious of its life and begun to count on its continuing can explain human life's asymmetric moral value, i.e. that it is vastly worse to kill a human than not to produce one), Lee claims that foetus's lives are asymmetrically valuable to them before consciousness. This leads to counterintuitive outcomes, and it confuses the goodness of life (a symmetric value that cannot account for why it is worse to kill a human than not produce one) with asymmetric value.     

The influence of social status on the rate of growth, eye color pattern and insulin-like growth factor-I gene expression in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus

Many aspects of teleost physiology are subject to regulation by social interactions. To evaluate the relationship of social status with growth, eye color pattern and hepatic Insulin-like Growth Factor-I (IGF-I) mRNA expression, 30 Oreochromis niloticus were isolated for 10 days and were used in a social pair study. Results revealed that growth of both dominant (except 1 day after social interaction) and subordinate individuals was suppressed, but growth suppression was greater in the subordinates. The dominant fish completely inhibited the feeding of the subordinate individuals during and 1 day after they were introduced into the aquaria together. After that, a pattern of highly aggressive attacks by dominant fish only partially inhibited feeding by the subordinates. Differential alterations in growth rate between dominants and subordinates were attributed more to behavioral changes (i.e., feeding) as transduced by physiological regulators (i.e., IGF-I level and possibly serotonin and/or neuropeptide Y) but may also be due to changes in metabolism. The fish's relative position in the social hierarchy consistently influenced the levels of IGF-I mRNA in the liver and the eye color pattern. Lower social status depressed hepatic IGF-I levels while dominant status stimulated hepatic IGF-I production, possibly in response to inhibition of somatostatin release in the hypothalamus, leading to greater secretion of pituitary growth hormone (GH). A significant positive association was detected between the IGF-I mRNA expression of the dominant fish and the level of aggression (number of attacks) during the encounter. Social status also influenced the eye color pattern of the fish. During aggressive interactions, most of the fish (22 out of 24) displayed decreased eye darkening. At the later part of the encounter, all subsequent subordinates displayed eye-darkening patterns which acted as a social signal announcing social submission. After the encounter dominant fish had paler eye color pattern than subordinates.     

废橡胶颗粒浸提液物质释放及其浸种对草坪植物生长的影响

纯胶粒浸提液、胶粒与壤土混合的浸提液中重金属含量分析表明,纯胶粒浸提液中Zn含量最高,其次为Pb,而Cd与Cu最少;与纯胶粒浸提液相比,胶粒与壤土混合的浸提液中Zn含量显著降低.紫外吸收光谱图显示,胶粒粒径越小,浸提液中有机物越复杂.用4种不同粒径胶粒的浸提液对2种草坪植物种子浸种处理后进行培养,研究了草坪植物的生长效应.结果表明,胶粒浸提液浸种对2种草坪植物的种子萌发率影响不大,但对株高产生不同的影响.对黑麦草而言,以2～4 mm胶粒浸提液浸种的株高为最高,1～2和4～6 mm胶粒浸提液浸种株高与之差异较大,分别降低1.52和1.32 cm,但均与对照无显著差异.对于高羊茅,以粒径1～2 mm胶粒浸提液浸种的株高为最低,比对照降低了18.76%,其它处理间无明显差异.浸提液浸种对黑麦草地下生物量有明显的抑制作用,但对根长生长有促进作用.胶粒浸提液浸种对2种草坪植物的地上生物量无明显影响.从胶粒浸提液的物质释放及其浸种对草坪植物生长的影响来看,废胶粒可用于运动场草坪的基质组配.     

兴安鹿蹄草(Pyrola dahurica (H.Andr.) Kom.)雪盖前后丙二醛及渗透调节物质含量的变化

研究了自然生境下生长的兴安鹿蹄草(Pyrola dahurica(H.Andr.)Kom.)根状茎及叶片中渗透调节物质、膜脂过氧化产物在雪盖前后的变化。结果表明,在雪盖前期(10月1日～12月15日)兴安鹿蹄草根状茎及叶片中丙二醛(MDA)含量先增高,尔后下降,翌年春季雪盖后期(3月1日～4月15日)MDA含量明显低于雪盖前期,雪盖前期根状茎的丙二醛(MDA)含量低于叶片,雪盖后期高于叶片。可溶性糖、可溶性蛋白质含量在雪盖前期随着温度的下降而升高,11月中旬达到最大,尔后下降,脯氨酸含量先下降尔后升高。雪盖后期渗透调节物质含量高于雪盖前期,可溶性糖含量随气温的升高而下降,可溶性蛋白质与脯氨酸含量随气温升高而大幅度升高,而且成明显正相关。根状茎的可溶性糖含量在雪盖前期、雪盖后期低于叶片,可溶性蛋白质与脯氨酸含量在雪盖前期、雪盖后期高于叶片。兴安鹿蹄草主要通过渗透调节物质含量的变化来适应雪盖前期及雪盖后期低温环境而安全越冬。