A multivariate screening strategy for investigating metabolic effects of strenuous physical exercise in human serum

A novel hypothesis-free multivariate screening methodology for the study of human exercise metabolism in blood serum is presented. Serum gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC/TOFMS) data was processed using hierarchical multivariate curve resolution (H-MCR), and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was used to model the systematic variation related to the acute effect of strenuous exercise. Potential metabolic biomarkers were identified using data base comparisons. Extensive validation was carried out including predictive H-MCR, 7-fold full cross-validation, and predictions for the OPLS-DA model, variable permutation for highlighting interesting metabolites, and pairwise t tests for examining the significance of metabolites. The concentration changes of potential biomarkers were verified in the raw GC/TOFMS data. In total, 420 potential metabolites were resolved in the serum samples. On the basis of the relative concentrations of the 420 resolved metabolites, a valid multivariate model for the difference between pre- and post-exercise subjects was obtained. A total of 34 metabolites were highlighted as potential biomarkers, all statistically significant (p < 8.1E-05). As an example, two potential markers were identified as glycerol and asparagine. The concentration changes for these two metabolites were also verified in the raw GC/TOFMS data.The strategy was shown to facilitate interpretation and validation of metabolic interactions in human serum as well as revealing the identity of potential markers for known or novel mechanisms of human exercise physiology. The multivariate way of addressing metabolism studies can help to increase the understanding of the integrative biology behind, as well as unravel new mechanistic explanations in relation to, exercise physiology.     

FATTY ACID CONTENT AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF FRESHWATER MICROALGAE1

Fatty acid (FA), total lipid, protein, amino acid, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content was analyzed in 24 samples of freshwater microalgae. The samples originated from batch, continuous, or mass cultures in various growth phases and from net samples from lakewater. FA were analyzed quantitatively by using an internal standard in a GLC system and expressed as mg·g^?1 dry weight (DW). The FA of one group of blue-greens (e.g. Oscillatoria and Microcystis) were similar to those of the greens with higher amounts of 18C acids of the ω3 type compared to the ω6 type, whereas the other group (e.g. Anabaena and Spirulina) contained mostly ω6 acids. The flagellates, a taxonomically diverse group, were characterized by high amounts of long-chained (20–22 C) polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), particularly of the ω3 type. The ω3/ω6 ratio appears to be highest in algae in the exponential growth phase. The increased lipid content in stressed algae was mostly due to increased saturated fatty acids and ω6 acids, whereas the valuable ω3 acids were unchanged or even decreased. Amino acid composition (% of total amino acids) did not vary much betaken species, but when analyzed quantitatively (mg-g^?1 DW), varied considerably between species and within species in different growth phases. The nitrogen and phosphorus contents were variable in all three algal groups. The relationship between PUFA and phosphorus content differed among the algal groups. The data suggest that PUFA in the phospholipids consist mostly ω3 acids.     

Ontogeny of Double Cones in the Retina of Perch Fry (Perca fluviatilis,Teleostei)

The formation of double cones in the retina of fry of Perca fluviatilis has been investigated by light and electron microscopy. The retina of newly hatched fry is provided with single cones and rods, single cones being the predominant receptor type. Double cones are seen for the first time 22 days after hatching. Mitoses are observed in the periphery of the retina, but are also seen in more central parts of the retina containing differentiated receptors and a cone mosaic. The fate of the cells resulting from the centrally located mitoses is not known. No signs of longitudinal fission of differentiated single cones are seen. It is suggested that double cones in the retina of perch fry arise by fusion of single cones which associate closely and develop subsurface cisterns coextensive with the region of intimate contact in the ellipsoid. During the first few weeks after hatching, there is a gradual shift in arrangement of the cones. In the newly hatched fry, the single cones are arranged in rows. When double cones are first seen, square-pattern units appear, built up from four double cones and a single cone.     

Effects from hydrogen bonding and rigidity on selectivity in tartaric acid-based chiral selectors for enantioselective liquid chromatography

Tartaric acid-based selectors 1 ((R,R)-O,O'-Bis(dimethylbenzoyl)-N,N'-diallyl-N,N'-dimethyl tartaramide) and 2 ((R,R)-N-allyl-O,O'-bis(dimethylbenzoyl) tartarimide) were synthesized, immobilized on silica, and evaluated as chiral stationary phases in enantioselective chromatography. Comparison with the commercially available column Kromasil-CHI-1, based on selector 3 ((R,R)-O,O'-Bis(dimethylbenzoyl)-N,N'-diallyl tartaramide) resulted in the conclusion that amide NH functions are essential to chiral recognition on this sorbent. Furthermore, NH functions contribute significantly to retention of analytes except for alcohols. It was also found that flexibility of the benzoyl moieties is essential to selectivity.     

Organization of the Cone Cells in the Retinae of Salmon (Salmo salar) and Trout (Salmo trutta trutta) in Relation to Their Feeding Habits

Regional variations of cone density, cone types and cone mosaic were investigated by light microscopy in yolk sac fry, parr and adults of salmon (Salmo salar) and trout (Salmo trutta trutta) and related to the feeding habits of different stages. The retinal organization of the two species is similar, as are their feeding habits. In parr and adults of both species a region with high cone density was found in the ventro-temporal part of the retina. The lowest values of cone density were found centrally in the dorsal half of the retina. An increase in cone density towards the ora serrata was noted in all retinae investigated. There is a good agreement between the density distribution of the cones in parr of salmon and trout and their feeding habits. The parr feed to a great extent on the invertebrate drift. Facing the current, the parr search the water region in front and above themselves for food organisms, thereby probably making use of the ventro-temporal area of high cone density. The connection between the cone density distribution and the feeding habits is less clear in adult salmon and trout, but the high cone density region is probably used when they feed on surface organisms and schooling prey. The ecological significance of cone types and cone mosaics is discussed. During growth there was a change of the cone mosaic from a regular square pattern in the fry towards a less regular square or row pattern in the adults. The position of regions with high and low cone density did not change during development in each species and had a similar distribution in the two species. On the other hand, the range of cone density values becomes relatively greater as the animal grows older. The cone density distribution seems to be more homogeneous in parr than in adults. Differences in the relative density distribution of the cones are influenced by recruitment at the retinal periphery and by spreading out of existing cells. In addition to the ora serrata, mitoses were also observed in more central parts of the retina having well-differentiated receptors and a cone mosaic. Mitoses were noted in all three nuclear layers but were most frequent in the outer nuclear layer, in which the resulting cells probably differentiate into rods. Undifferentiated zones similar to the peripheral growth zone of the retina were found on both sides of the falciform process in fry. In parr and adults an undifferentiated zone persisted only on the temporal side. It probably contributes to the high cone density in the ventro-temporal part of the retina by a delivery of new cells.