Gastrointestinal pH measurement in rats: influence of the microbial flora, diet and fasting

The pH of the rat intestinal tract was decreased by the presence of a microbial flora, but its influence in the forestomach is less clear. Stomach pH values varied according to the amount of food present at the time of measurement. Fasting increased the pH of the gastrointestinal tract in conventional rats but had little effect in germfree rats. In the conventional rat, feeding a purified diet compared with a commercial diet resulted in a lower pH in the forestomach and a higher pH in the caecal contents. Magnesium trisilicate promoted gastric emptying in conventional rats and its antacid effect was observed only in the caecum and colon.     

Method of sampling chorionic villi in first trimester of pregnancy under guidance of real time ultrasound.

Samples of chorionic villi were obtained in the first trimester by aspiration using a cannula passed transcervically under the guidance of real time ultrasound. In initial studies in 47 anaesthetised patients immediately before therapeutic abortion a method was developed giving a success rate of 89%. In 10 patients successful sampling was performed as an outpatient procedure without anaesthesia. In all, seven diagnostic procedures were undertaken and four of the five unaffected pregnancies continued. The technique of chorionic villous sampling using real time ultrasound is simple to learn and yields material for biochemical analysis and chromosomal study without the need for tissue culture. The exact obstetric risk, however, remains to be defined.     

Untangling spider silk evolution with spidroin terminal domains

Background  

Spidroins are a unique family of large, structural proteins that make up the bulk of spider silk fibers. Due to the highly variable nature of their repetitive sequences, spidroin evolutionary relationships have principally been determined from their non-repetitive carboxy (C)-terminal domains, though they offer limited character data. The few known spidroin amino (N)-terminal domains have been difficult to obtain, but potentially contain critical phylogenetic information for reconstructing the diversification of spider silks. Here we used silk gland expression data (ESTs) from highly divergent species to evaluate the functional significance and phylogenetic utility of spidroin N-terminal domains.     

Direct Comparisons of 2D and 3D Dental Microwear Proxies in Extant Herbivorous and Carnivorous Mammals

The analysis of dental microwear is commonly used by paleontologists and anthropologists to clarify the diets of extinct species, including herbivorous and carnivorous mammals. Currently, there are numerous methods employed to quantify dental microwear, varying in the types of microscopes used, magnifications, and the characterization of wear in both two dimensions and three dimensions. Results from dental microwear studies utilizing different methods are not directly comparable and human quantification of wear features (e.g., pits and scratches) introduces interobserver error, with higher error being produced by less experienced individuals. Dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA), which analyzes microwear features in three dimensions, alleviates some of the problems surrounding two-dimensional microwear methods by reducing observer bias. Here, we assess the accuracy and comparability within and between 2D and 3D dental microwear analyses in herbivorous and carnivorous mammals at the same magnification. Specifically, we compare observer-generated 2D microwear data from photosimulations of the identical scanned areas of DMTA in extant African bovids and carnivorans using a scanning white light confocal microscope at 100x magnification. Using this magnification, dental microwear features quantified in 2D were able to separate grazing and frugivorous bovids using scratch frequency; however, DMTA variables were better able to discriminate between disparate dietary niches in both carnivorous and herbivorous mammals. Further, results demonstrate significant interobserver differences in 2D microwear data, with the microwear index remaining the least variable between experienced observers, consistent with prior research. Overall, our results highlight the importance of reducing observer error and analyzing dental microwear in three dimensions in order to consistently interpret diets accurately.     

The self determinants recognized by human virus-immune T cells can be distinguished from the serologically defined HLA antigens

The self specificity of human influenza virus-immune cytotoxic T cells has been analyzed in order to clarify the relationship between the self antigens that they recognize and the serologically defined HLA-A and -B antigens. Virus-immune effectors from HLA-A2-positive donors were tested on panels of virus-infected target cells from donors who were either HLA-mismatched or matched only for HLA-A2. Virus-immune T cells from 11 out of 11 A2-positive donors lysed all A2-matched virus-infected target cells (and no HLA-mismatched targets), except that each of these effector cells consistently failed to lyse virus-infected target cells from one A2-positive donor (designated M7). Although the A2 specificity of donor M7 could also be distinguished from the A2 antigen of other donors by alloimmune cytotoxic T cells, no differences in the A2 antigen of donor M7 could be defined by extensive serologic analyses. These results indicate that there is a strong but incomplete association between a self antigen recognized by virus-immune T cells and the serologically defined HLA-A2 specificity.     

‘Mild mitochondrial uncoupling’ induced protection against neuronal excitotoxicity requires AMPK activity

The preconditioning response conferred by a mild uncoupling of the mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψ_m) has been attributed to altered reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and mitochondrial Ca^2 + uptake within the cells. Here we have explored if altered cellular energetics in response to a mild mitochondrial uncoupling stimulus may also contribute to the protection. The addition of 100 nM FCCP for 30 min to cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) induced a transient depolarization of the Δψ_m, that was sufficient to significantly reduce CGN vulnerability to the excitotoxic stimulus, glutamate. On investigation, the mild mitochondrial ‘uncoupling’ stimulus resulted in a significant increase in the plasma membrane levels of the glucose transporter isoform 3, with a hyperpolarisation of Δψ_m and increased cellular ATP levels also evident following the washout of FCCP. Furthermore, the phosphorylation state of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) (Thr 172) was increased within 5 min of the uncoupling stimulus and elevated up to 1 h after washout. Significantly, the physiological changes and protection evident after the mild uncoupling stimulus were lost in CGNs when AMPK activity was inhibited. This study identifies an additional mechanism through which protection is mediated upon mild mitochondrial uncoupling: it implicates increased AMPK signalling and an adaptive shift in energy metabolism as mediators of the preconditioning response associated with FCCP-induced mild mitochondrial uncoupling.     

Glucoraphasatin: Chemistry, occurrence, and biological properties

Glucoraphasatin is an atypical glucosinolate mainly found in Raphanus sativus roots and sprouts. This review focuses on the chemistry, the occurrence, and the biological properties of glucoraphasatin.