Chloroplast DNA phylogeny of Asian Bamboos (Bambusoideae,Poaceae) and its systematic implication

The bamboo is usually classified as a subfamily Bambusoideae of Poaceae, and includes approximately 20 genera and 300 species. To estimate phylogenetic relationships among these genera, we examined restriction site mutations of cpDNA for 16 Asian genera. In the cladogram obtained, the Bambosoideae was divided into two major lineages, one includingPleioblastus, Pseudosasa, Semiarundinaria, Shibataea, Phyllostachys, Sasa, Sinobambusa, Chimonobambusa, Arthrostylidium, andYushania, and the other consisting ofBambusa, Gigantochloa, Dendrocalamus, Thyrostachys, Melocanna, andSchizostachyum. Monophylly of each clade was supported by 83% and 98% bootstrap probability, respectively. The present result supports monophylly of Arundinarieae of Potztal's (1964) classical system, but does not support his treatment to recognize Dendrocalameae.     

Clinical relevance of glycerophospholipid,sphingomyelin and glutathione metabolism in the pathogenesis of pharyngolaryngeal cancer in smokers: the Korean Cancer Prevention Study-II

Introduction

Although smoking is a major risk factor for pharyngolaryngeal cancer, most smokers do not develop pharyngolaryngeal cancer.

Objectives

In the prospective Korean Cancer Prevention Study-II (KCPS-II), we investigated the application of metabolomics to differentiate smokers with incident pharyngolaryngeal cancer (pharyngolaryngeal cancer group) from smokers who remained free from cancer (controls) during a mean follow-up period of 7 years and aimed to discover valuable early biomarkers of pharyngolaryngeal cancer.

Methods

We used baseline serum samples from 30 smoking men with incident pharyngolaryngeal cancer and 59 age-matched cancer-free smoking men. Metabolic alterations associated with the incidence of pharyngolaryngeal cancer were investigated by performing metabolomics on baseline serum samples using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-linear-trap quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry.

Results

Compared to the control group, the pharyngolaryngeal cancer group showed significantly higher oxidized LDL levels. Seventeen metabolites were differentially abundant between the two groups. At baseline, compared to controls, smokers with incident pharyngolaryngeal cancer during follow-up showed significantly higher levels of pyroglutamic acid (glutathione metabolism) but lower levels of lysophosphatidylcholines (lysoPCs) C14:0, C15:0, C16:0, C17:0, C18:0, and C20:5; glycerophosphocholine; PC C36:5; lysoPEs C16:0, C20:1, and C22:0 (glycerophospholipid metabolism); SM (d18:0/16:1); and SM (d18:1/18:1) (sphingomyelin metabolism). Furthermore, smokers with incident pharyngolaryngeal cancer showed significantly higher levels of oleamide and lower levels of tryptophan and linoleyl carnitine at baseline than cancer-free smokers.

Conclusion

This prospective study showed the clinical relevance of dysregulated metabolism of glutathione, glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids to the pathogenesis of pharyngolaryngeal cancer among smokers. These data suggest that the dysregulation of these metabolic processes may be a key mechanism underlying pharyngolaryngeal cancer progression and development.

     

Fatty acids increase the circulating levels of oxidative stress factors in mice with diet-induced obesity via redox changes of albumin

Plasma concentrations of free fatty acids are increased in metabolic syndrome, and the increased fatty acids may cause cellular damage via the induction of oxidative stress. The present study was designed to determine whether the increase in fatty acids can modify the free sulfhydryl group in position 34 of albumin (Cys34) and enhance the redox-cycling activity of the copper-albumin complex in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. The mice were fed with commercial normal diet or high-fat diet and water ad libitum for 3 months. The high-fat diet-fed mice developed obesity, hyperlipemia, and hyperglycemia. The plasma fatty acid/albumin ratio also significantly increased in high-fat diet-fed mice. The increased fatty acid/albumin ratio was associated with conformational changes in albumin and the oxidation of sulfhydryl groups. Moreover, an ascorbic acid radical, an index of redox-cycling activity of the copper-albumin complex, was detected only in the plasma from obese mice, whereas the plasma concentrations of ascorbic acid were not altered. Plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were significantly increased in the high-fat diet group. These results indicate that the increased plasma fatty acids in the high-fat diet group resulted in the activated redox cycling of the copper-albumin complex and excessive lipid peroxidation.     

Crystallization of water in multilamellar vesicles

The two-step crystallization of water in multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) of phosphatidylcholines has been investigated. The main crystallization occurs near -15 degrees C and involves bulk water. Contrary to unilamellar vesicles, a sub-zero phase transition is observed for MLVs at -40 degrees C that corresponds to the crystallization of interstitial water, as proved by Fourier transform infrared absorption and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments. Furthermore, by means of the DSC method and, more specifically, using the enthalpy change values Delta H(sub) at the sub-zero transition, the number of water molecules per 1,2-dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) molecule giving rise to this transition has been estimated for different H(2)O/DPPC molar ratios. The curve of the molecular fraction of water molecules involved in the sub-zero transition versus the H(2)O/DPPC molar ratio exhibits a maximum for H(2)O/DPPC equal to 27 (40% in mass of water) and tends towards zero for H(2)O/DPPC ratio values approaching that of the swelling limit of the membrane. A smaller enthalpy value of the sub-zero transition is found for 1-oleoyl-2-palmitoyl-3-phosphatidylcholine (OPPC) than for DPPC. This may be explained by the decrease of interstitial water's quantity when the lipid contains an unsaturated chain. When troxerutin, a hydrophilic drug, is added to the DPPC multilayers, the decrease of Delta H(sub) and melting enthalpy of bulk water is attributed to a decrease of the entropy of the liquid phase owing to the network of water molecules surrounding troxerutin molecules. In all cases, the experiments revealed that the sub-zero transition occurs only in the presence of excess water with respect to the swelling limit of membranes. This evidence could be, at least qualitatively, related to an increase of membrane pressure on interstitial water subsequent to bulk water crystallization.     

The combined use of oral and topical lipophilic antioxidants increases their levels both in sebum and stratum corneum

The concentration of Vitamin E (vit E) and ubiquinone (CoQ10), which together with squalene (SQ), play a key role against external oxidative insult, has been shown to decrease significantly during ageing. The aim of the present study is to inquire the effect of the combined use of topical bio-cosmetics containing natural active principles (including sebum-like lipid fractions, sebum and epidermal lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidants), and oral antioxidant supplements on the antioxidant content of sebum and stratum corneum. We therefore treated the face and the back of 50 female volunteers aged 21-40, daily for two months, with a base cream containing 0.05% ubiquinone, 0.1% vit E, and 1% squalene. In addition 50 mg of CoQ10 + 50 mg of d-RRR-alpha-tocopheryl acetate + 50 microg of selenium were administered orally to half of the volunteers (Group A). Group B was represented by 25 volunteers who were treated only topically. Every 15 days during treatment the levels of CoQ10, vit E and SQ were verified in sebum, stratum corneum, and plasma. The daily topical application of the cream led to a significant increase, that peaked after 60 days, of the levels of CoQ10, d-RRR-alpha-tocopherol and SQ in the sebum (Group B), without significantly affecting the stratum corneum or plasma concentrations of the redox couple CoQ10H2/CoQ10 and vit E. The concomitant oral admistration of antioxidants produced in Group A a significant increase of the levels of CoQ10H2/CoQ10 and vit E both in plasma and stratum corneum after 15 and 30 days treatment respectively, compared to Group B. However the sebum levels of lipophilic antioxidants and SQ did not show a significant increase. After the treatments, the levels of CoQ10H2/CoQ10, vit E and SQ went back to basal levels within 6-8 days in sebum, 12-16 days in the stratum corneum, and 3-6 days in plasma. Therefore topical application of the antioxidants was able to increase their level in sebum, while the concomitant oral administration also affected the levels of vit E and CoQ10 in the stratum corneum.     

The Glocal Forest

Spatial ecological patterns reflect the underlying processes that shape the structure of species and communities. Mechanisms like intra- and inter-specific competition, dispersal and host-pathogen interactions can act over a wide range of scales. Yet, the inference of such processes from patterns is a challenging task. Here we call attention to a quite unexpected phenomenon in the extensively studied tropical forest at the Barro-Colorado Island (BCI): the spatial deployment of (almost) all tree species is statistically equivalent, once distances are normalized by ℓ₀, the typical distance between neighboring conspecific trees. Correlation function, cluster statistics and nearest-neighbor distance distribution become species-independent after this rescaling. Global observables (species frequencies) and local spatial structure appear to be interrelated. This "glocality" suggests a radical interpretation of recent experiments that show a correlation between species'' abundance and the negative feedback among conspecifics. For the forest to be glocal, the negative feedback must govern spatial patterns over all scales.