Effect of neurotensin on pancreatic function in man

The effect of neurotensin on submaximally-stimulated hepatobiliary and pancreatic secretion was studied in 6 healthy subjects. An intravenous infusion of neurotensin 1.4 ± 0.3 pmol/kg/min, designed to reproduce plasma neurotensin immunoreactivity levels within the physiological range, produced a significant increase in pancreatic bicarbonate output. Plasma concentrations of pancreatic polypeptide rose by 83 ± 16 pmol/l and were associated with a small reduction in trypsin, but no significant change in bilirubin outputs.     

Matrix metalloproteinases as target genes for gene regulatory networks driving molecular and cellular pathways related to a multistep pathogenesis of cerebrovascular disease

The present study investigated a joint contribution of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) genes to ischemic stroke (IS) development and analyzed interactions between MMP genes and genome-wide associated loci for IS. A total of 1288 unrelated Russians (600 IS patients and 688 healthy individuals) from Central Russia were recruited for the study. Genotyping of seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of MMP genes (rs1799750, rs243865, rs3025058, rs11225395, rs17576, rs486055, and rs2276109) and eight genome-wide associated loci for IS were done using Taq-Man–based assays and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry iPLEX platform, respectively. Allele − 799T at rs11225395 of the MMP8 gene was significantly associated with a decreased risk of IS after adjustment for sex and age (OR = 0.82; 95%CI, 0.70-0.96; P = 0.016). The model-based multifactor dimensionality reduction method has revealed 21 two-order, 124 three-order, and 474 four-order gene-gene (G×G) interactions models meaningfully (P_perm < 0.05) associated with the IS risk. The bioinformatic analysis enabled establishing the studied MMP gene polymorphisms possess a clear regulatory potential and may be targeted by gene regulatory networks driving molecular and cellular pathways related to the pathogenesis of IS. In conclusion, the present study was the first to identify an association between polymorphism rs11225395 of the MMP8 gene and IS risk. The study findings also indicate that MMPs deserve special attention as a potential class of genes influencing the multistep mechanisms of cerebrovascular disease including atherosclerosis in cerebral arteries, acute cerebral artery occlusion as well as the ischemic injury of the brain and its recovery.     

Tomato root exudates and their effect on the growth and antifungal activity of Pseudomonas strains

The study of the effect of the root exometabolites of tomato plants on the growth and antifungal activity of the plant growth-promoting Pseudomonas strains showed that the antifungal activity of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in the plant rhizosphere may depend on the sugar and organic acid composition of root exudates.     

Effect of epidermal chalones on the growth of transplantable tumors]

The ethanolic extract of rat skin contains epidermal G1- and G2-chalones which having been added to cell suspension of transplantable squamous-cell cornified carcinoma of mice cervix, inhibits its growth in recipients by 72,6 per cent. The same extract failed to inhibit the growth of transplantable mouse tumours of other histogenesis (hepatoma 22a, leukemia L-1210 and sarcoma 180). When added to cell suspension of transplantable carcinoma of mouse skin which had been anaplized during a long period of transplantation (over 10 years) this extract inhibits its growth by 39,2 per cent only.     

Regeneration of Gastrocnemius Muscle and State of Immune System in γ-Irradiated Rats under the Influence of He-Ne Laser

We studied the influence of a low-energy He-Ne laser on the regeneration of the transected gastrocnemius muscle and state of the thymus and bone marrow in adult mongrel rats irradiated at 6 Gy using the histological, morphometric, and cytogenetic methods. The laser influence on both rat hind limbs (at total doses of 9.0–10.8 J/cm²) enhanced the regenerative capacity of the viradiated traumatized skeletal muscle, and reduced cytogenetic damage in the bone marrow and thymus cells. The changes in the thymus mass and histostructure suggest that the functional load on the thymus increased under studied the experimental conditions.     

Aluminum exclusion from root zone and maintenance of nutrient uptake are principal mechanisms of Al tolerance in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pisum sativum</Emphasis> L.

Our study aimed to evaluate intraspecific variability of pea (Pisum sativum L.) in Al tolerance and to reveal mechanisms underlying genotypic differences in this trait. At the first stage, 106 pea genotypes were screened for Al tolerance using root re-elongation assay based on staining with eriochrome cyanine R. The root re-elongation zone varied from 0.5 mm to 14 mm and relationships between Al tolerance and provenance or phenotypic traits of genotypes were found. Tolerance index (TI), calculated as a biomass ratio of Al-treated and non-treated contrasting genotypes grown in hydroponics for 10 days, varied from 30% to 92% for roots and from 38% to 90% for shoots. TI did not correlate with root or shoot Al content, but correlated positively with increasing pH and negatively with residual Al concentration in nutrient solution in the end of experiments. Root exudation of organic acid anions (mostly acetate, citrate, lactate, pyroglutamate, pyruvate and succinate) significantly increased in several Al-treated genotypes, but did not correlate with TI. Al-treatment decreased Ca, Co, Cu, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, S and Zn contents in roots and/or shoots, whereas contents of several elements (P, B, Fe and Mo in roots and B and Fe in shoots) increased, suggesting that Al toxicity induced substantial disturbances in uptake and translocation of nutrients. Nutritional disturbances were more pronounced in Al sensitive genotypes. In conclusion, pea has a high intraspecific variability in Al tolerance and this trait is associated with provenance and phenotypic properties of plants. Transformation of Al to unavailable (insoluble) forms in the root zone and the ability to maintain nutrient uptake are considered to be important mechanisms of Al tolerance in this plant species.     

Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Presenting With Ventricular Tachycardia: A Rare Presentation

A 25-year-old previously asymptomatic pregnant woman at 36 weeks'' gestation was noticed to have repetitive monomorphic ventricular tachycardia. A dilated left ventricle with moderately reduced systolic function was found on echocardiographic examination. This is a very rare presentation of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCMP) presenting with repetitive monomorphic ventricular tachycardia.     

Composition of root exometabolites of the symbiotically effective pea cultivar triumph and its parental forms

The qualitative and quantitative composition of low-molecular exometabolites in roots of pea (Pisum sativum L.) was studied with a cultivar Triumph and its parental forms (a symbiotically effective variety k-8274 and a modern highly productive cv. Classic). A relationship between root exudation and the ability of cultivars to establish symbiosis was analyzed. In the early stages of plant growth, the roots of cv. Triumph exhibited low exudation of organic acids, sugars, and amino acids. The quantitative composition of organic acids in the root exudates of cv. Triumph was close to that of cv. k-8274, whereas the composition of sugars and amino acids was similar to that of cv. Classic. In the field experiment, the effect of inoculation with a mixture of rhizobium strains and mycorrhizal fungus on plant growth was more evident in cv. Triumph than in cvs. Classic and k-8274. The results suggest that the high symbiotic potential of cv. Triumph is related to exudation of pyruvic and succinic acids that were the major components of root exometabolites both in Triumph and k-8274 cultivars.     

A recently silenced, duplicate PgiC locus in Clarkia

Previous electrophoretic analysis showed that 17 diploid species of the wildflower Clarkia (Onagraceae) have two cytosolic isozymes of phosphoglucose isomerase (PGIC; EC 5.3.1.9), whereas 15 other diploid species have a single PGIC. Molecular studies revealed that the two isozymes in the former species are encoded by duplicate genes, PgiC1 and PgiC2, whereas the single isozyme in the latter is always encoded by PgiC1. Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequences implied that PgiC2 was silenced four times independently in the genus. Here we describe a psi PgiC2 from C. mildrediae, a species in which only PgiC1 is expressed. The discovery of the psi PgiC2 is significant because it confirms a formal prediction of the phylogenetic analysis. The psi PgiC2 includes 5,039 nucleotides corresponding to 18 of the 23 exons of PgiC, as well as the intervening introns and 3' nontranslated region. The absence of an increase of nucleotide substitutions in its "exons" suggests that the gene was silenced recently. The present study appears to be the first to establish that a specific duplicate gene locus regularly expressed in a group of related plant species has been silenced in one of them. The multiple independent silencings of PgiC2 suggest that it remained functional but inessential in ancestral lineages. We discuss the possibility that PgiC2 may have been preserved in these lineages by selection against mutants causing defective PGIC1- PGIC2 heterodimers.