Bachman's Sparrows at the northern periphery of their range: home range size and microhabitat selection

Populations of Bachman's Sparrows (Peucaea aestivalis) have declined range‐wide since the late 1960s. Populations at the periphery of their range have exhibited some of the steepest declines, and these sparrows are now rare or extirpated over much of the northern extent of their historical range. To better understand the spatial ecology of Bachman's Sparrows in this region of decline, we examined microhabitat selection and determined the home range sizes of radio‐tagged male Bachman's Sparrows (N = 37) in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina in 2014 and 2015. From April to July, we located males 1–2 times daily for 5–6 d per week. We measured vegetation structure in home ranges using 5‐m‐radius plots centered on a subset of 10 randomly selected telemetry locations as well as in available unused locations 50 m and in a random direction from each telemetry location. Mean size of home ranges (7.9 ha) was larger than estimates reported in most previous studies, with differences among studies possibly due, at least in part, to differences in the characteristics of habitats where studies were conducted. The home ranges of Bachman's Sparrows in our study had greater densities of woody and dead vegetation than unused areas. Although generally considered detrimental to the presence of Bachman's Sparrows, the presence of some woody vegetation in frequently burned (i.e., ≤ 3‐yr return interval) longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) communities like those in our study may be important in providing song perches for males and cover from attacking predators. Bachman's Sparrows in our study showed clear selection for several vegetation characteristics linked to frequent fire. Management strategies that approximate historical fire regimes in longleaf pine ecosystems should continue to be promoted as essential tools for the conservation of Bachman's Sparrows.     

Anthraquinone profile,antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory effect of root extracts of eight Asphodeline taxa from Turkey: can Asphodeline roots be considered as a new source of natural compounds?

Plant-based foods have become attractive for scientists and food producers. Beneficial effects related to their consumption as dietary supplements are due to the presence of natural occurring secondary metabolites. In this context, studies on these products are important for natural and safely food ingredients evaluation. The aim of this study was to evaluate root extract of eight Asphodeline species as antioxidants, enzyme inhibitors and phytochemical content. Spectrophotometric antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory assays were performed. Total phenolic and flavonoids contents as well as the chemical free-anthraquinones profiles were determined using routinely procedure (HPLC-PDA). Data show that Asphodeline roots can be considered as a new source of natural compounds and can be used as a valuable dietary supplement. Some differences related to biological activities can be inferred to other phytochemicals that can be considered in the future for their synergic or competitive activities.     

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor regulates joint capsule fibrosis by promoting TGF-β1 production in fibroblasts

Joint capsule fibrosis caused by excessive inflammation results in post-traumatic joint contracture (PTJC). Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 plays a key role in PTJC by regulating fibroblast functions, however, cytokine-induced TGF-β1 expression in specific cell types remains poorly characterized. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a proinflammatory cytokine involved in inflammation- and fibrosis-associated pathophysiology. In this study, we investigated whether MIF can facilitate TGF-β1 production from fibroblasts and regulate joint capsule fibrosis following PTJC. Our data demonstrated that MIF and TGF-β1 significantly increased in fibroblasts of injured rat posterior joint capsules. Treatment the lesion sites with MIF inhibitor 4-Iodo-6-phenylpyrimidine (4-IPP) reduced TGF-β1 production and relieved joint capsule inflammation and fibrosis. In vitro, MIF facilitated TGF-β1 expression in primary joint capsule fibroblasts by activating mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) (P38, ERK) signaling through coupling with membrane surface receptor CD74, which in turn affected fibroblast functions and promoted MIF production. Our results reveal a novel function of trauma-induced MIF in the occurrence and development of joint capsule fibrosis. Further investigation of the underlying mechanism may provide potential therapeutic targets for PTJC.     

虎杖鞣质的糖苷酶抑制作用研究

本文研究了虎杖鞣质对-αD-葡萄糖苷酶、蔗糖酶、乳糖酶和α-淀粉酶的抑制活性,以探讨其降血糖机制。结果显示虎杖鞣质除对α-淀粉酶几乎没有抑制活性外,对其余糖苷酶均显示不同程度的抑制活性,其降血糖机理可能是通过调控糖苷酶活性实现的。     

北京城市与西北远郊地表臭氧浓度梯度移动监测研究

北京城市与区域臭氧浓度逐年升高,对自然生态系统已经构成影响。但地表臭氧在北京城市与远郊梯度空间上的连续递变特征机制尚不清楚。采用移动监测车,搭载臭氧分析仪,选择夏季典型臭氧污染天气,以北京教学植物园为对照点,从北京城市中心向西北远郊方向,多点位连续测定地表臭氧浓度。通过分析臭氧浓度和采样点周围归一化植被指数(NDVI)的关系以及典型臭氧污染情况下的天气形势和气团轨迹,探讨北京城市和区域臭氧浓度连续空间变化特征及机制。结果表明:(1)北京西北山区森林区域臭氧浓度显著高于"城市区域",约为城市区域的2.00倍。十三陵是地表臭氧浓度的分界点,从十三陵开始臭氧浓度陡然升高,在西北山区方向保持在高水平。空间上从高到低的顺序是西北山区(254.68μg/m~3)对照点教学植物园(220.89μg/m~3)城市支路(162.84μg/m~3)城市快速路和高速路(103.24μg/m~3);(2)植被分布影响臭氧空间格局。在相同时间范围内,臭氧浓度和NDVI正相关,随NDVI增加臭氧浓度呈Logistic增长;(3)西北山区地表臭氧空间变异系数为0.11,城市支路上平均为0.28,城市快速路上为0.26,高速公路上为0.36。山区地表臭氧浓度的空间变异系数最小,高速公路最大,城市快速路、城市支路空间变异较大;(4)大范围均压场、高压后部、低压前部等稳定型天气型易造成南向弱气流,能够把空气污染物输送到西北远郊,但本研究中监测到的西北山区高浓度臭氧并非当天从城区输送而来。北京城市与区域臭氧格局与植被的关系及成因需要深入研究。     

In-vitro evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of Bauhinia variegata,locally known as koiralo

Bauhinia variegata, commonly known as Koiralo is considered as medicinal plant in Nepal and India. The alcoholic extract of this plant was found to have antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6635) Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysenteriae, Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213) and Vibrio cholerae. The largest zone of inhibition (18 mm) was found to be exhibited against B. subtilis. For this organism the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the crude extract was 0.39 mg/ml. The extract was found to be more effective against gram-positive than gram-negative bacteria. The antimicrobial activity of the extract was found to be decreased during purification.     

Regulation of nitrate reductase in detached oat leaves by light and oxygen

Regulation of nitrate reductase (NR, EC 1.6.6.1) by oxygen concentration and light was studied in segments of oat ( Avena sativa L. cv. Suregrain) leaves, using the in vivo nitrate reductase assay. The activity of NR decreased after excision in either light or darkness; the addition of cycloheximide prevented this decrease. Treatments that increased tissue permeability (anoxia, Triton X-100) also increased NR activity. There was in general less NR activity in the light than in the dark and also less under aerobic (21–100% O₂) than under anaerobic (0.3% O₂) conditions. Treatments with antioxidants improved the activity in the light, but only at high O₂ levels (21–100% O₂).
The results suggest that NR may be regulated by inhibitory proteins synthesized in either light or darkness, by permeability changes and by light-induced oxidations that occur when O₂ is present. Oxygen may control the activity by stimulating the synthesis of inhibitory proteins in the light and in the dark and by promoting oxidation of SH-groups in the light.     

Synthesis,cytotoxicity and topoisomerase II inhibitory activity of lomefloxacin derivatives

A novel series of amide derivatives of lomefloxacin were synthesized and evaluated for their topoisomerase I and II inhibitory activity as well as cytotoxicity against a panel of five human cancer cell lines. Of the compounds prepared compounds 9d and 9g exhibited strong inhibition against topoisomerase II at 100 μM. In addition, docking studies were performed to predict the inhibition mode.     

Establishment of an epidermal growth factor-dependent, multipotent neural precursor cell line

Summary We have established a multipotent clonal cell line, named MEB5, from embryonic mouse forebrains after the infection of a retrovirus carrying E7 oncogene of human papillomavirus type 16. MEB5 cells proliferated in serum-free, epidermal growth factor (EGF)-supplemented medium. They expressed markers for neural precursor cells (nestin, A2B5, and RC1) and did not express markers for neurons (class III β-tubulin), astrocytes (glial fibrillary acidic protein), and oligodendrocytes (galactocerebroside). MEB5 cells were stably maintained in an undifferentiated state with a diploid karyotype in the presence of EGF. When they were deprived of EGF, about 50% of the cells died due apoptosis within 24 h. The remaining cells differentiated into neurons, astrocytes, or oligodendrocytes within 2 wk. The newly developed cells with neuronal morphology were immunoreactive for γ-aminobutyric acid and exhibited neuronal electrophysiological properties. When MEB5 cells were treated with leukemia inhibitory for 7 d, they were induced to differentiate exclusively into astrocytes. These results inducate that MEB5 is a cell line with characteristics of EGF-dependent, multipotent neural precursor cells. This cell line should provide a good model system to study the mechanisms of survival, proliferation, and differentiation of the multipotent precursor cells in the central nervous system.