ALBERT

Description: Micro-relief heterogeneity can lead to substantial variability in microclimate and hence niche opportunities on a small scale. We explored the relationship between plant species richness and small-scale heterogeneity of micro-relief on the subtropical island of La Palma, Canary Islands. Overall, we sampled 40 plots in laurel and pine forests at four altitudinal bands. Species richness was recorded separately for various growth forms (i.e., mosses, herbaceous and woody plants). Site conditions such as altitude, slope, aspect, and tree density were measured. Micro-relief heterogeneity was characterized by surface structure and a subsequently derived surface heterogeneity index. The effect of micro-relief heterogeneity on species richness was analysed by means of linear mixed effect models and variance partitioning. Effects of micro-relief heterogeneity on species richness varied considerably between growth forms. While moss richness was affected significantly by micro-relief heterogeneity, herbaceous and woody plants richness responded mainly to larger-scale site conditions such as aspect and tree density. Our results stress the importance of small-scale relief heterogeneity for the explanation of spatial patterns of species richness. This poses new challenges as small-scale heterogeneity is largely underrepresented, e.g. with regard to its application in species distribution models.

Description: Background: A novel herbal formulation LI10903F, alternatively known as LOWAT was developed based on its ability to inhibit adipogenesis and lipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes model. The clinical efficacy and tolerability of LI10903F were evaluated in an eight-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial in 50 human subjects with body mass index (BMI) between 30 and 40 kg/m2 (clinical trial registration number: ISRCTN37381706). Participants were randomly assigned to either a placebo or LI10903F group. Subjects in the LI10903F group received 300 mg of herbal formulation thrice daily, while subjects in the placebo group received 300 mg of placebo capsules thrice daily. All subjects were provided a standard diet (2,000 kcal daily) and participated in a moderate exercise of 30 min walk for five days a week. Additionally, the safety of this herbal formulation was evaluated by a series of acute, sub-acute toxicity and genotoxicity studies in animals and cellular models. Results: After eight weeks of supplementation, statistically significant net reductions in body weight (2.49 kg; p=0.00005) and BMI (0.96 kg/m2; p=0.00004) were observed in the LI10903F group versus placebo group. Additionally, significant increase in serum adiponectin concentration (p=0.0076) and significant decrease in serum ghrelin concentration (p=0.0066) were found in LI10903F group compared to placebo group. Adverse events were mild and were equally distributed between the two groups. Interestingly, LI10903F showed broad spectrum safety in a series of acute, sub-acute toxicity and genotoxicity studies. Conclusions: Results from the current research suggest that LI10903F or LOWAT is well-tolerated, safe and effective for weight management.

Description: Background: The -493G/T polymorphism in the microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) gene is associated with lower serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) levels and longevity in several populations, but the results are inconsistent in different racial/ethnic groups. The current study was to investigate the plausible association of MTP -493G/T polymorphism with serum lipid levels and longevity in Zhuang long-lived families residing in Bama area, a famous home of longevity in Guangxi, China. Methods: The MTP -493G/T was genotyped by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism in 391 Bama Zhuang long-lived families (BLF, n = 1467, age 56.60 +/- 29.43 years) and four control groups recruited from Bama and out-of-Bama area with or without a familial history of exceptional longevity: Bama non-long-lived families (BNLF, n = 586, age 44.81 +/- 26.83 years), Bama non-Zhuang long-lived families (BNZLF, n = 444, age 52.09 +/- 31.91 years), Pingguo long-lived families (PLF, n = 658, age 50.83 +/- 30.30 years), and Pingguo non-long-lived families (PNLF, n = 539, age 38.74 +/- 24.69 years). Correlation analyses between genotypes and serum lipid levels and longevity were then performed. Results: No particularly favorable lipoprotein and clinical phenotypes were seen in BLF as compared to general families in the same area. Instead, the levels of total cholesterol (TC), TG, LDL-C, and the prevalence of dyslipidemia were significantly higher in the three Bama families as compared to the two non-Bama families (P 〈 0.01 for all). There were no differences in the allelic and genotypic frequencies among the tested cohorts (P 〉 0.05 for all), but the TT genotype tended to enrich in the three long-lived cohorts from both areas. In addition, the individuals harboring TT genotype exhibited lower LDL-C and TC levels in the overall populations and Bama populations with a region- and sex-specific pattern. Multiple linear regression analyses unraveled that LDL-C levels were correlated with genotypes in Bama combined population, BNLF, and the total population (P 〈 0.05 for each) but not in Pingguo populations; TC and HDL-C levels were correlated with genotypes in Bama combined population and BLF, respectively (P 〈 0.05 for each). Conclusions: MTP -493G/T polymorphism may play an important role in fashioning the serum lipid profiles of Bama populations, despite no direct association between MTP -493G/T and longevity was detected.

Description: After publication of this manuscript [Lipids in Health and Disease 2012, 11:95], we noted that one of the monounsaturated fatty acid isomers had been mislabelled in the results, and in figure 2A and table 2.In the Results and discussion, the sentence, "Concerning plasma MUFA levels, long-chain MUFA C20:1 (n-9 and n-7) and C22:1 (n-11 and n-9) peaked at 2 hr post-ingestion (Figure 2a and b)" should read, "Concerning plasma MUFA levels, long-chain MUFA C20:1 (n-11, n-9 and n-7) and C22:1 (n-11 and n-9) peaked at 2 hr post-ingestion (Figure 2a and b)".The figure and table have also been corrected (figure 1, table 1).We apologize for this error, which was due to a misreading of the gas chromatography reading.

Description: Unicellular saprobic fungi (yeasts) inhabit soils worldwide. Although yeast species typically occupy defined areas on the biome scale, their distribution patterns within a single type of vegetation, such as forests, are more complex. In order to understand factors that shape soil yeast communities, soils collected underneath decaying wood logs and under forest litter were analyzed. We isolated and identified molecularly a total of 25 yeast species, including three new species. Occurrence and distribution of yeasts isolated from these soils provide new insights into ecology and niche specialization of several soil-borne species. Although abundance of typical soil yeast species varied among experimental plots, the analysis of species abundance and community composition revealed a strong influence of wood log deposition and leakage of organic carbon. Unlike soils underneath logs, yeast communities in adjacent areas harbored a considerable number of transient (phylloplane-related) yeasts reaching 30% of the total yeast quantity. We showed that distinguishing autochthonous community members and species transient in soils is essential to estimate appropriate effects of environmental factors on soil fungi. Furthermore, a better understanding of species niches is crucial for analyses of culture-independent data, and may hint to the discovery of unifying patterns of microbial species distribution.

Description: Background: Mitochondrial DNA damage, increased production of reactive oxygen species and progressive respiratory chain dysfunction, together with increased deposition of cholesterol and cholesteryl esters, are hallmarks of atherosclerosis. This study investigated the role of mitochondrial function in regulation of macrophage cholesterol efflux to apolipoprotein A-I, by the addition of established pharmacological modulators of mitochondrial function. Methods: Murine RAW 264.7 macrophages were treated with a range of concentrations of resveratrol, antimycin, dinitrophenol, nigericin and oligomycin, and changes in viability, cytotoxicity, membrane potential and ATP, compared with efflux of [3H]cholesterol to apolipoprotein (apo) A-I. The effect of oligomycin treatment on expression of genes implicated in macrophage cholesterol homeostasis were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and immunoblotting, relative to the housekeeping enzyme, Gapdh, and combined with studies of this molecule on cholesterol esterification, de novo lipid biosynthesis, and induction of apoptosis. Significant differences were determined using analysis of variance, and Dunnett's or Bonferroni post t-tests, as appropriate. Results: The positive control, resveratrol (24 h), significantly enhanced cholesterol efflux to apoA-I at concentrations 〉=30 muM. By contrast, cholesterol efflux to apoA-I was significantly inhibited by nigericin (45 %; p

Description: Background: In many types of cancer, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is associated with tumour related processes including proliferation, migration, angiogenesis and apoptosis. However in gliomas the role of this prostanoid is poorly understood. Here, we report on the proliferative, migratory, and apoptotic effects of PGE1, PGE2 and Ibuprofen (IBP) observed in the T98G human glioma cell line in vitro. Methods: T98G human glioma cells were treated with IBP, PGE1 or PGE2 at varying concentrations for 24--72 hours. Cell proliferation, mitotic index and apoptotic index were determined for each treatment. Caspase-9 and caspase-3 activity was measured using fluorescent probes in live cells (FITC-LEHD-FMK and FITC-DEVD-FMK respectively). The migratory capacity of the cells was quantified using a scratch migration assay and a transwell migration assay. Results: A significant decrease was seen in cell number (54%) in the presence of 50 muM IBP. Mitotic index and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation were also decreased 57% and 65%, respectively, by IBP. The apoptotic index was increased (167%) and the in situ activity of caspase-9 and caspase-3 was evident in IBP treated cells. The inhibition of COX activity by IBP also caused a significant inhibition of cell migration in the monolayer scratch assay (74%) and the transwell migration assay (36%).In contrast, the presence of exogenous PGE1 or PGE2 caused significant increases in cell number (37% PGE1 and 45% PGE2). When mitotic index was measured no change was found for either PG treatment. However, the BrdU incorporation rate was significantly increased by PGE1 (62%) and to a greater extent by PGE2 (100%). The apoptotic index was unchanged by exogenous PGs. The addition of exogenous PGs caused an increase in cell migration in the monolayer scratch assay (43% PGE1 and 44% PGE2) and the transwell migration assay (28% PGE1 and 68% PGE2). Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that treatments which alter PGE1 and PGE2 metabolism influence the proliferative and apoptotic indices of T98G glioma cells. The migratory capacity of the cells was also significantly affected by the change in prostaglandin metabolism. Modifying PG metabolism remains an interesting target for future studies in gliomas.

Description: Background: The objectives of the present study were to investigate the efficacy of the mixed culture of Lactobacillus acidophilus (DSM 20242), Bifidobacterium bifidum (DSM 20082) and Lactobacillus helveticus (CK60) in the fermentation of maize and the evaluation of the effect of the fermented meal on the lipid profile of rats. Methods: Rats were randomly assigned to 3 groups and each group placed on a Diet A (high fat diet into which a maize meal fermented with a mixed culture of Lb acidophilus (DSM 20242), B bifidum (DSM 20082) and Lb helveticus (CK 60) was incorporated), B (unfermented high fat diet) or C (commercial rat chow) respectively after the first group of 7 rats randomly selected were sacrificed to obtain the baseline data. Thereafter 7 rats each from the experimental and control groups were sacrificed weekly for 4 weeks and the plasma, erythrocytes, lipoproteins and organs of the rats were assessed for cholesterol, triglyceride and phospholipids. Results: Our results revealed that the mixed culture of Lb acidophilus (DSM 20242), B bifidum (DSM 20082) and Lb helveticus (CK 60) were able to grow and ferment maize meal into 'ogi' of acceptable flavour. In addition to plasma and hepatic hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, phospholipidosis in plasma, as well as cholesterogenesis, triglyceride constipation and phospholipidosis in extra-hepatic tissues characterized the consumption of unfermented hyperlipidemic diets. However, feeding the animals with the fermented maize diet reversed the dyslipidemia. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that consumption of mixed culture lactic acid bacteria (Lb acidophilus (DSM 20242), Bifidobacterium bifidum (DSM 20082) and Lb helveticus (CK 60) fermented food results in the inhibition of fat absorption. It also inhibits the activity of HMG CoA reductase. This inhibition may be by feedback inhibition or repression of the transcription of the gene encoding the enzyme via activation of the sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) transcription factor. It is also possible that consumption of fermented food enhances conversion of cholesterol to bile acids by activating cholesterol-7alpha-hydroxylase.

Description: Background: Administration of androgens decreases plasma concentrations of high-density lipid cholesterol (HDL-C). However, the mechanisms by which androgens mediate lipid metabolism remain unknown. This present study used HepG2 cell cultures and ovariectomized C57BL/6 J mice to determine whether apolipoprotein M (ApoM), a constituent of HDL, was affected by dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Methods: HepG2 cells were cultured in the presence of either DHT, agonist of protein kinase C (PKC), phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), blocker of androgen receptor flutamide together with different concentrations of DHT, or DHT together with staurosporine at different concentrations for 24 hrs. Ovariectomized C57BL/6 J mice were treated with DHT or vehicle for 7d or 14d and the levels of plasma ApoM and livers ApoM mRNA were measured. The mRNA levels of ApoM, ApoAI were determined by real-time RT-PCR. ApoM and ApoAI were determined by western blotting analysis. Results: Addition of DHT to cell culture medium selectively down-regulated ApoM mRNA expression and ApoM secretion in a dose-dependent manner. At 10 nM DHT, the ApoM mRNA levels were about 20% lower than in untreated cells and about 40% lower at 1000 nM DHT than in the control cells. The secretion of ApoM into the medium was reduced to a similar extent. The inhibitory effect of DHT on ApoM secretion was not blocked by the classical androgen receptor blocker flutamide but by an antagonist of PKC, Staurosporine. Agonist of PKC, PMA, also reduced ApoM. At 0.5 muM PMA, the ApoM mRNA levels and the secretion of ApoM into the medium were about 30% lower than in the control cells. The mRNA expression levels and secretion of another HDL-associated apolipoprotein AI (ApoAI) were not affected by DHT. The levels of plasma ApoM and liver ApoM mRNA of DHT-treated C57BL/6 J mice were lower than those of vehicle-treated mice. Conclusions: DHT directly and selectively down-regulated the level of ApoM mRNA and the secretion of ApoM by protein kinase C but independently of the classical androgen receptor.

Description: The practice of adding organic amendments to crop soils is undergoing resurgence as an efficient way to restore soil organic matter content and to improve soil quality. The quantity and quality of the organic matter inputs affect soil physicochemical properties and soil microbiota, influencing different parameters such as microbial biomass and diversity, community structure and microbial activities or functions. The influence of organic amendments on soil quality has also effects on crop production and plant health. The enhancement of soil suppressiveness using organic amendments has been widely described, especially for soil-borne diseases. However, there is great variability in the effectiveness of suppression depending on the nature of the amendment, the crop, the pathogen, and the environmental conditions. Although the effects of organic amendments on soil properties have been widely studied, relationships between these properties and soil suppressiveness are not still well understood. Changes in soil physicochemical parameters may modulate the efficacy of suppression. However, the parameters more frequently associated to disease suppression appear to be related to soil microbiota, such as microbial biomass and activity, the abundance of specific microbial groups and some hydrolytic activities. This review focuses on the effect of organic amendments on soil microbial populations, diversity and activities; their ability to enhance plant health through disease suppression; and which of the parameters affected by the organic amendments are potentially involved in soil suppressiveness.

Description: Background: Although statins (STs) are drugs of first choice in hypercholesterolemic patients, especially in those at high cardiovascular risk, some of them are intolerant to STs or refuse treatment with these drugs. In view of this, we have evaluated the lipid-lowering effect of a nutraceutical pill containing berberine (BBR) and of ezetimibe, as alternative treatments, in monotherapy or in combination, in 228 subjects with primary hypercholesterolemia (HCH), with history of STs intolerance or refusing STs treatment. In addition, since PCSK9 was found up-regulated by STs dampening their effect through an LDL receptors (LDLRs) degradation, and BBR suppressed PCSK9 expression in cellular studies, we supplemented the stable lipid-lowering therapy of 30 genotype-confirmed Familial Hypercholesterolemia heterozygotes (HeFH) with BBR, searching for a further plasma cholesterol reduction. Plasma lipid pattern was evaluated at baseline and during treatments. Results: In HCH subjects the nutraceutical pill resulted more effective than EZE in lowering LDL cholesterol (-31.7% vs -25.4%, P 〈 0.001) and better tolerated. On treatment, LDL-C level below 3.36 mmol/L (

Description: Background: Partly because of functional genomics, there has been a major paradigm shift from solely thinking of skeletal muscle as contractile machinery to an understanding that it can have roles in paracrine and endocrine functions. Physical inactivity is an established risk factor for some blood clotting disorders. The effects of inactivity during sitting are most alarming when a person develops the enigmatic condition in the legs called deep venous thrombosis (DVT) or "coach syndrome," caused in part by muscular inactivity. The goal of this study was to determine if skeletal muscle expresses genes with roles in hemostasis and if their expression level was responsive to muscular inactivity such as prolonged sitting. Methods: Microarray analyses were performed on skeletal muscle samples from rats and humans to identify genes associated with hemostatic function that were significantly expressed above background based on multiple probe sets with perfect and mismatch sequences. Furthermore, we determined if any of these genes were responsive to models of physical inactivity. Multiple criteria were used to determine differential expression including significant expression above background, fold change, and non-parametric statistical tests. Results: These studies demonstrate skeletal muscle tissue expresses at least 17 genes involved in hemostasis. These include the fibrinolytic factors tetranectin, annexin A2, and tPA; the anti-coagulant factors TFPI, protein C receptor, PAF acetylhydrolase; coagulation factors, and genes necessary for the posttranslational modification of these coagulation factors such as vitamin K epoxide reductase. Of special interest, lipid phosphate phosphatase-1 (LPP1/PAP2A), a key gene for degrading prothrombotic and proinflammatory lysophospholipids, was suppressed locally in muscle tissue within hours after sitting in humans; this was also observed after acute and chronic physical inactivity conditions in rats, and exercise was relatively ineffective at counteracting this effect. Conclusions: These findings suggest that skeletal muscle may play an important role in hemostasis and that muscular inactivity may contribute to hemostatic disorders not only because of the slowing of blood flow per se, but also potentially because of the contribution from genes expressed locally in muscles, such as LPP1.

Description: Background: Surgery is the mainstay therapy for HPV-induced laryngeal papillomatosis (LP) and adjuvant therapies are palliative at best. Research revealed that conjugated-linoleic acid (CLA) may improve the outcome of virally-induced diseases. The effects of ClarinolTM G-80 (CLA) and high oleic safflower oil (HOSF) on children with LP (concomitant with surgery) were evaluated.DesignA randomized, double-blinded, crossover and reference-oil controlled trial was conducted at a South African medical university. Study components included clinical, HPV type/load and lymphocyte/cytokine analyses, according to routine laboratory methods.ParticipantsOverall: ten children enrolled; eight completed the trial; five remained randomized; seven received CLA first; all treatments remained double-blinded.InterventionChildren (4 to 12 years) received 2.5 ml p/d CLA (8 weeks) and 2.5 ml p/d HOSF (8 weeks) with a washout period (6 weeks) in-between. The one-year trial included a post-treatment period (30 weeks) and afterwards was a one-year follow-up period.Main outcome measuresChanges in numbers of surgical procedures for improved disease outcome, total/anatomical scores (staging system) for papillomatosis prevention/viral inhibition, and lymphocyte/cytokine counts for immune responses between baselines and each treatment/end of trial were measured.FindingsAfter each treatment all the children were in remission (no surgical procedures); after the trial two had recurrence (surgical procedures in post-treatment period); after the follow-up period three had recurrence (several surgical procedures) and five recovered (four had no surgical procedures). Effects of CLA (and HOSF to a lesser extent) were restricted to mildly/moderately aggressive papillomatosis. Children with low total scores (seven/less) and reduced infections (three/less laryngeal sub-sites) recovered after the trial. No harmful effects were observed. The number of surgical procedures during the trial (n6/available records) was significantly lower [(p 0.03) (95 % CI 1.1; 0)]. Changes in scores between baselines and CLA treatments (n8) were significantly lower: total scores [(p 0.02) (95 % CI 30.00; 0.00)]; anatomical scores [(p 0.008) (95 % CI 33.00: -2.00)]. Immune enhancement could not be demonstrated. Conclusions: These preliminary case and group findings pave the way for further research on the therapeutic potential of adjuvant CLA in the treatment of HPV-induced LP.

Description: Background: Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) plays a major role in lipid metabolism, but studies on the association of CETP polymorphisms with risks of cardiovascular disease are inconsistent. This study investigated whether the CETP gene I405V and Taq1B polymorphisms modified subclinical atherosclerosis in an asymptomatic Brazilian population sample. Methods: The polymorphisms were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction in 207 adult volunteers. Serum lipid profiles, oxLDL Ab titers, C-reactive protein and tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations and CETP and phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) activities were determined, and common carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) was measured using ultrasonography. Results: No differences in cIMT were observed between the presence or absence of the minor B2 and V alleles in either polymorphism. However, inverse correlations between mean cIMT and CETP activity in the presence of these polymorphisms were observed, and positive correlations of these polymorphisms with PLTP activity and oxLDL Ab titers were identified. Moreover, logistic multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of the B2 allele was associated with a 5.1-fold (CI 95%, OR: 1.26 -- 21.06) increased risk for cIMT, which was equal and above the 66th percentile and positively interacted with age. However, no associations with the V allele or CETP and PLTP activities were observed. Conclusions: None of the studied parameters, including CETP activity, explained the different relationships between these polymorphisms and cIMT, suggesting that other non-determined factors were affected by the genotypes and related to carotid atherosclerotic disease.

Description: Background: Cardiomyocytes apoptosis is an important contributor to myocardial dysfunction and heart failure. Adiponectin has cardioprotective effects, potential mechanisms behind it are not clear in cardiomyocytes. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether adiponectin can block palmitate-induced apoptosis and the underlying biochemical mechanism in H9c2 cells. Methods: H9c2 cells were treated with palmitate presence or absence of 2.5 mug/mL globular adiponectin. The effect on the cell viability of H9c2 cells was evaluated using MTT assay, and cell apoptosis was determined by Hoechst 33342 staining. Protein expression was measured using the western blot method. Results: Our results showed that the palmitate treatment induced apoptosis in H9c2 cells, which was associated with increasing the level of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved PARP. Meanwhile, palmitate-induced apoptosis increased the protein level of p-ERK1/2, and decreased the protein level of p-Akt significantly. However, levels of both of these proteins were restored to the normal when pretreated with adiponectin, and followed with the decrease of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved PARP. In line with these results, the protective effect of adiponectin can be blocked by PI3K/Akt inhibitor LY294002, and palmitate-induced apoptosis can be attenuated by ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126. Conclusions: Taken together, the present study demonstrated that adiponectin protects H9c2 cells from palmitate-induced apoptosis via PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 signaling pathways. Our results reveal a link between adiponectin and cardiomyocytes apoptosis, suggesting that adioponectin may be a promising therapeutic for the treatment of lipotoxicity cardiomyopathy.

Description: The objective of the study is a comparative evaluation of flavone isolated from Mucuna pruriens and coumarin isolated from Ionidium suffruticosum was assessed for the hypolipidemic activity in rats fed with high fat diet. The acute toxicity study was found that flavone (M.pruriens) and coumarin (I.suffruticosum) are safe up to 100mg/kg, so one tenth of this dose (10mg/kg) was consider as a evaluation dose. High fat diet group of rats showed significant (p

Description: Background: A dietary supplement containing a blend of 170 mg of N-oleyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (NOPE) and 100 mg of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has been shown to improve compliance to low caloric diets. Considering the cost of dietary ingredients, many manufacturers attempt to determine the lowest efficacious dose. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of 8-weeks of supplementation with a daily intake of 120 mg of NOPE and 105 mg of EGCG in conjunction with a low caloric diet and regular, moderate exercise on dietary compliance in healthy, overweight adults. An additional purpose was to examine the effect of this supplement/diet/exercise paradigm on changes in body composition, sensation of appetite, mood and severity of binge eating. Methods: Fifty healthy, overweight (BMI 〉 25 m[bullet operator]kg2) men (15) and women (35) (SUP; n = 25; 32.7 +/- 13.75 y; BMI = 33.4 +/- 6.2; PLA; n = 25, 34.3 +/- 12.7 years; BMI = 33.2 +/- 6.8) were recruited for a double-blind, placebo controlled study. Each volunteer was randomly assigned to either the supplement (SUP; n = 25) or placebo group (PLA; n = 25). Based upon a self-reported 3-day dietary recall all volunteers were recommended a 500 kcal or 30% (maximum of 1000 kcal) reduction in caloric intake. Volunteers were also encouraged to exercise 30 minutes per day, three times per week. Results: Subjects in SUP were significantly more compliant (x2 = 3.86, p = 0.049) in maintaining a low caloric diet at week 4, but this was not able to be maintained through the 8-week study. In addition, a significant difference in mood, feelings of fatigue and confusion were noted between the groups at week 4, but again not maintained by week 8 where only feelings of tension were improved. No differences between groups (p 〉 0.05) were observed for body mass, body composition, feelings of hunger, and binge eating after eight weeks. Conclusion: Supplementing with a combination of 120 mg of NOPE and 105 mg of EGCG does appear to enhance compliance to a low caloric diet and improve mood for 4 --weeks, but loses its effectiveness by week 8.

Description: Background: Atherosclerosis is a chronic degenerative disease of the arteries and is thought to be one of the most common causes of death globally. In recent years, the functions of adventitial fibroblasts in the development of atherosclerosis and tissue repair have gained increased interests. LPS can increase the morbidity and mortality of atherosclerosis-associated cardiovascular disease. Although LPS increases neointimal via TLR4 activation has been reported, how LPS augments atherogenesis through acting on adventitial fibroblasts is still unknown. Here we explored lipid deposition within adventitial fibroblasts mediated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to imitate inflammatory conditions. Results: In our study, LPS enhanced lipid deposition by the up-regulated expression of adipose differentiation-related protein (ADRP) as the silencing of ADRP abrogated lipid deposition in LPS-activated adventitial fibroblasts. In addition, pre-treatment with anti-Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) antibody diminished the LPS-induced lipid deposition and ADRP expression. Moreover, LPS induced translocation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), which could markedly up-regulate lipid deposition as pre-treatment with the NF-kappaB inhibitor, PDTC, significantly reduced lipid droplets. In addition, the lowering lipid accumulation was accompanied with the decreased ADRP expression. Furthermore, LPS-induced adventitial fibroblasts secreted more monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1), compared with transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1). Conclusions: Taken together, these results suggest that LPS promotes lipid accumulation via the up-regulation of ADRP expression through TLR4 activated downstream of NF-kappaB in adventitial fibroblasts. Increased levels of MCP-1 released from LPS-activated adventitial fibroblasts and lipid accumulation may accelerate monocytes recruitment and lipid-laden macrophage foam cells formation. Here, our study provides a new explanation as to how bacterial infection contributes to the pathological process of atherosclerosis.

Description: Background: Given that acne is a rare condition in societies with higher consumption of omega-3 (n-3) relative to omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids, supplementation with n-3 may suppress inflammatory cytokine production and thereby reduce acne severity. Methods: 13 individuals with inflammatory acne were given three grams of fish oil containing 930 mg of EPA to their unchanged diet and existing acne remedies for 12 weeks. Acne was assessed using an overall severity grading scale, total inflammatory lesion counts, and colorimetry.FindingsThere was no significant change in acne grading and inflammatory counts at week 12 compared to baseline. However, there was a broad range of response to the intervention on an individual basis. The results showed that acne severity improved in 8 individuals, worsened in 4, and remained unchanged in 1. Interestingly, among the individuals who showed improvement, 7 were classified as having moderate to severe acne at baseline, while 3 of the 4 whose acne deteriorated were classified as having mild acne. Conclusion: There is some evidence that fish oil supplementation is associated with an improvement in overall acne severity, especially for individuals with moderate to severe acne. Divergent responses to fish oil in our pilot study indicates that dietary and supplemental lipids are worthy of further investigation in acne.

Description: Background: Epidemiological studies have suggested the benefits of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) on cardiovascular health, but only limited data are available describing n-3 PUFA regulated pathways in humans. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of n-3 PUFA administration on whole genome expression profiles in the blood of normo- and dyslipidemic subjects. Methods: Differentially expressed genes were detected after four hours, one week and twelve weeks of supplementation with either fish oil (FO) or corn oil in normo- and dyslipidemic men using whole genome microarrays. Results: Independent of the oil, a significantly higher number of genes was regulated in dyslipidemic subjects compared to normolipidemic subjects. Pathway analyses discovered metabolisms dominantly affected by FO after twelve weeks of supplementation, including the lipid metabolism, immune system and cardiovascular diseases. Several pro-inflammatory genes, in particular, were down-regulated in dyslipidemic subjects, indicating the immune-modulatory and anti-inflammatory capability of FO and its bioactive FAs, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Conclusions: This is the first study showing significant differences in gene expression profiles between normo- and dyslipidemic men after FO supplementation. Further studies need to clarify the exact role of n-3 PUFAs in pathways and metabolisms which were identified as being regulated after FO supplementation in this study.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT01089231)

Description: Background: Traditionally various human diseases of kidneys, hormonal imbalance and sexual diseases are treated with Launaea procumbens (L). In the present study protective effects of methanolic extract of Launaea procumbens (LPME) was evaluated against CCl4-induced oxidative damages in rat testis. Methods: To examine the protective effects of Launaea procumbens on testis against oxidative stress of carbon tetrachloride in male rat, 30 male albino rats were equally divided into 5 groups (6 rats). First group was given standard diet and drinking water. Second group received CCl4 3 ml/kg intraperitoneally (30 % in olive oil). Third and forth were given orally 100; 200 mg/kg b.w., in 99.8 % dimethyl sulphooxide (DMSO), Launaea procumbens methanolic extracts (LPME) after 48 h of CCl4 treatment twice a week and sixth group received only LPME in DMSO at a dose of 200 mg/kg b.w., for four weeks. Protective effects of Launaea procumbens were observed on sperm concentration, motility and morphology, serum reproductive hormonal level, activity of antioxidant enzymes, lipid peroxidation (TBARS) and DNA damages. Results: Results of the present study revealed that treatment of CCl4 significantly (p 〈 0.01) reduced sperm concentration and motility comparatively to controls. Level of testosterone, luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone, were depleted markedly (p

Description: Since the amounts of arachidonic acid (AA) and EPA in food may have implications for human health, we investigated whether a small change in chicken feed influenced the blood lipid concentration in humans ingesting the chicken. Forty-six young healthy volunteers (age 19--29) were randomly allocated into two groups in a double-blind dietary intervention trial, involving ingestion of about 160 g chicken meat per day for 4 weeks. The ingested meat was either from chickens given a feed concentrate resembling the commercial chicken feed, containing 4% soybean oil (SO), or the meat was from chickens given a feed where the soybean oil had been replaced by 2% rapeseed oil plus 2% linseed oil (RLO).Serum total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, triacylglycerols, serum phospholipid fatty acid concentration, blood pressure, body weight and C-reactive protein were determined at baseline and post-intervention. In subjects consuming chicken meat from the RLO group there was a significantly (p 〈 0.001) increased concentration of EPA in serum phospholipids, and a reduced ratio between AA and EPA. The participants that had a low% of EPA + DHA in serum phospholipids (less than 4.6%), all increased their% of EPA + DHA after the four week intervention period when consuming the RLO chicken. No significant response differences in cholesterol, triacylglycerol, C-reactive protein, body weight or blood pressure were observed between the groups. This trial demonstrates that a simple change in chicken feed can have beneficial effects on amount of EPA and the AA/EPA ratio in human serum phospholipids.

Description: Background: To compare the predictive ability of adolescent lipoprotein classification using the National Examination Survey (NHANES) cut points and those of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) for predicting abnormal levels in adulthood.MethodFrom 1032 adolescents, aged 14--19 years, participants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study, all lipid measures were determined at baseline and again after 6 years. Multivariable Odds Ratios (ORs) were calculated for borderline and high categories of lipids to predict dyslipidemia in adulthood, considering the normal level as a reference. Area under the receiving characteristics curve (AUC) was used to assess the predictive ability of each adolescent lipid classification.ResultApplying the NCEP classification, the prevalences of high total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides and low high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in males were 12.1%, 12.9%, 26.1% and 34.2% respectively; in females the corresponding prevalences were 15.4%, 17.9%, 21.4% and 25.0%, respectively. Using NHANES cut points, the prevalence of high TC, LDL-C and triglycerides were lower, than those defined by NCEP; the ORs of high categories of lipids (defined by NHANES) were higher than ORs based on the NECP classification, except for HDL-C. For all lipid measures, both classifications had similar predictive abilities, except for TC/HDL-C, which had higher predictive power applying the NHANES classification rather than the NCEP one (AUC 71% vs. 68%, respectively). Conclusion: No differences were found between NCEP and NHANES classifications for prediction of adult dyslipidemia, except for TC/HDL-C. Because of their simple application, NCEP cut points can be used in clinical settings.

Description: Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a potent neurotrophic factor that is implicated in the regulation of food intake and body weight. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) localised in cell membranes have been shown to alter the levels of BDNF in the brain, suggesting that PUFAs and BDNF could have physical interaction with each other. To decipher the molecular mechanism through which PUFAs modulates BDNF's activity, molecular docking was performed for BDNF with PUFAs and its metabolites, with 4-Methyl Catechol as a control. Results: Inferring from molecular docking studies, lipoxin A4 (LXA4), and a known anti-inflammatory bioactive metabolite derived from PUFAs, with a binding energy of -3.98 Kcal/mol and dissociation constant of 1.2mM showed highest binding affinity for BDNF in comparison to other PUFAs and metabolites considered in the study. Further, the residues Lys 18, Thr 20, Ala 21, Val 22, Phe 46, Glu 48, Lys 50, Lys 58, Thr 75, Gln 77, Arg 97 and Ile 98 form hot point motif, which on interaction enhances BDNF's function. Conclusion: These results suggest that PUFAs and their metabolites especially, LXA4, modulate insulin resistance by establishing a physical interaction with BDNF. Similar interaction(s) was noted between BDNF and resolvins and protectins but were of lesser intensity compared to LXA4.

Description: Background: Adiponectin is reported to relate with cardiovascular diseases, we sought to examine whether adiponectin is associated with disease progression of heart failure from hypertension in rats in comparison with other known biomarkers and echocardiographic parameters. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR, n = 35), aged 1 month, were used and followed up to 18 months. High frequency echocardiography was performed both at baseline and every 3 months thereafter. Moreover, serum levels of N-terminal pro-natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) as well as serum level and tissue expression of adiponectin were determined at the same time as echocardiography. Results: The results clearly demonstrated time-dependent progression of hypertension and heart dysfunction as evidenced by gradually increased left ventricular mass index, NT-proBNP, IL-6 as well as gradually decreased cardiac function as assessed by echocardiography. Meanwhile, tissue and serum adiponectin decreased from 3 months and reached plateau until 12 months in parallel with decreasing of cardiac diastolic function. Thereafter, adiponectin levels increased prior to occurrence of systolic dysfunction. Adiponectin concentration is inversely related with NT-proBNP, IL-6 and E/E[PRIME] (correlation coefficient (r) = [MINUS SIGN]0.756 for NT-proBNP, p 〈 0.001, -0.635 for IL-6, p = 0.002, and [MINUS SIGN]0.626 for E/E[PRIME], p = 0.002, respectively) while positively correlated with E/A and E[PRIME]/A[PRIME] (r = 0.683 for E/A, p = 0.001, 0.671 for E[PRIME]/A[PRIME], p = 0.001, respectively). No difference for adiponectin distribution among visceral adipose tissues was found. Conclusion: Adiponectin through its biphasic serum level is a useful biomarker during transition from diastolic dysfunction to systolic dysfunction.

Description: The distribution and species assembly of Japanese Protura collected from forest soils were examined using published databases and statistical analysis. We used records from 3110 sites where 71 taxa were found. The species richness of Protura ranged from one to 16 species, and TWINSPAN analysis of regional populations indicated that the northern and southern regions could be separated into distinct groups. Three major species assemblages were identified by cluster analysis from points containing more than six species. Three groups reflected historical migration from northern and western linkages to the Asian continent. The northern assemblage showed a negative correlation to winter minimum temperature and the other two assemblages exhibited relationships to precipitation and temperature. Vegetation was not responsible for proturan distribution. These results suggest that the history of Protura invasion explains the biogeography of these soil-based, small arthropods and also that climate change will induce a shift in the distribution of species irrespective of changes in vegetation type.

Description: Background: Ingestion of glucosylceramide improves transepidermal water loss (TEWL) from the skin, but the underlying mechanism by which a small amount of dietary glucosylceramide can vastly improve skin conditions remains unclear. In a previous report, glucosylceramides were shown to be digested to sphingoids, which were shown to be absorbed through the intestinal epithelium. Based on these observations, we hypothesized that sphingoids are the key molecules facilitating endogenous ceramide production. In this study, we assessed the effect of 4,8-sphingadienine (d18:2) and 4-hydroxy-8-sphingenine (t18:1), derived from konjac glucosylceramide, on stimulating ceramide production. Methods: Konjac glucosylceramide acidolysis was performed using hydrochloric acid; the resulting d18:2 and t18:1 were fractionated by column chromatography. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR was performed to assess the effect of d18:2 and t18:1 on gene expression in normal human epidermal keratinocytes, while their effect on the nuclear receptor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)gamma, was measured using a receptor-cofactor assay system. The effect of d18:2 and t18:1 on stimulating ceramide production was evaluated using HPTLC analysis in a 3-dimensional human skin model. Results: We noted the upregulation of genes related to de novo ceramide synthesis as well as of those encoding the elongases of very long-chain fatty acids by d18:2 and t18:1, but not by glucosylceramide and 4-sphingenine. Both these sphingoids also facilitated the expression of PPARbeta/delta and PPARgamma; moreover, they also demonstrated ligand activity for PPARgamma. These results indicated that d18:2 and t18:1 promote the differentiation of keratinocytes. Analysis of the lipids within the 3-dimensional human skin model indicated that treatment with d18:2 and t18:1 not only upregulated gene expression but also increased ceramide production. Conclusions: The sphingoids d18:2 and t18:1 activated genes related to de novo ceramide synthesis and increased ceramide production, whereas glucosylceramide and 4-sphingenine could not. These results suggest that the effect of dietary glucosylceramides on the skin is mediated by d18:2 and t18:1.

Description: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of chronic fructose consumption on markers of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), lipid peroxidation and liver damage in Wistar rats. We separated twenty-eight rats into two groups according to diet: a control group (C) (balanced diet) and a fructose group (F) (fed a diet containing fructose as 60% of the total caloric intake). The animals were fed these diets for 60 d (d 120 to 180). We performed insulin, glucose and fructose tolerance tests as well as a minimum lactate test, for aerobic capacity evaluation, at d 120 and 180. At the end of the experiment, sixteen animals were euthanized, and the following main variables were analysed: aerobic capacity, the serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio, serum and liver triglyceride concentrations, serum and liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) concentrations, serum and liver catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and haematoxylin-eosin histology (HE) in hepatocytes. The remaining twelve animals were submitted to an analysis of their hepatic lipogenic rate. The animals fed a fructose-rich diet exhibited a reduction in aerobic capacity, glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity and increased concentrations of triglycerides and TBARS in the liver. Catalase and SOD activities were reduced in the livers of the fructose-fed animals. In addition, the serum AST/ALT ratio was higher than that of the C group, which indicates hepatic damage, and the damage was confirmed by histology. In conclusion, the fructose-rich diet caused significant liver damage and a reduction in insulin sensitivity in the animals, which could lead to deleterious metabolic effects.

Description: The present work aims at preparing aqueous suspension of Solid lipid Nanoparticles containing Chitosan (CT) which is a biopolymer that exhibits a number of interesting properties which include controlled drug delivery. Carbamezapine (CBZ) is a lipophilic drug which shows it antiepileptic activity by inactivating sodium channels. The solid lipid Nanoparticles (SLN) of Chitosan-CBZ were prepared by using solvent injection method using ethanol as organic solvent. The prepared SLN formulations exhibited high encapsulation efficiency, high physical stability. The drug incorporated SLNs have demonstrated that the controlled release patterns of the drug for prolonged period. The prepared SLNs were characterized for surface morphology by SEM analysis, entrapment efficiency, zeta potential, FTIR, DSC and in-vitro diffusion studies. The hydrodynamic mean diameter and zeta potential were 168.7 +/-1.8 nm and 28.9 +/-2.0 mV for SLN-chitosan-CBZ respectively. Therefore chitosan-SLN can be good candidates to encapsulate CBZ and to increase its therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of Epilepsy.

Description: Background: The lipid fraction of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis (kunth. Muell)) seed was extracted and analyzed for toxicological effect. The toxicological compound such as linamarin in rubber seed oil (RSO) extracted using different solvents, such as hexane (RSOh), mixture of chloroform+methanol (RSOchl+mth) and ethanol (RSOeth) were also studied. Various methods analysis such as Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and colorimetric methods were carried out to determine the present of such compounds. Results: FTIR spectrum of RSO did not show any presence of cyanide peak. The determination of cyanide by using colorimetric method was demonstrated no response of the cyanide in RSO and didn't show any colored comparing with commercial cyanide which observed blue color. The results showed that no functional groups such as cyanide (CN) associated with linamarin were observed. Toxicological test using rats was also conducted to further confirm the absence of such compounds. RSO did not show any toxic potential to the rats. Bioassay experiments using shrimps had been used as test organisms to evaluate the toxicity of linamarin extract from RSOh, RSOchl+mth and RSOeth and LC50 were found to be (211.70%, 139.40%, and 117.41%, respectively). Conclusions: This can be attributed no hazardous linamarin were found in RSO.

Description: Background: Resynthesis of triglycerides in enterocytes of the small intestine plays a critical role in the absorption of dietary fat. Acyl-CoA:monoacylglycerol acyltransferase-2 (MGAT2) is highly expressed in the small intestine and catalyzes the synthesis of diacylglycerol from monoacylglycerol and acyl-CoA. To determine the physiological importance of MGAT2 in metabolic disorders and lipid metabolism in the small intestine, we constructed and analyzed Mgat2-deficient mice. Results: In oral fat tolerance test (OFTT), Mgat2-deficient mice absorbed less fat into the circulation. When maintained on a high-fat diet (HFD), Mgat2-deficient mice were protected from HFD-induced obesity and insulin resistance. Heterozygote (Mgat2+/-) mice had an intermediate phenotype between Mgat2+/+ and Mgat2-/- and were partially protected from metabolic disorders. Despite of a decrease in fat absorption in the Mgat2-deficient mice, lipid levels in the feces and small intestine were comparable among the genotypes. Oxygen consumption was increased in the Mgat2-deficient mice when maintained on an HFD. A prominent upregulation of the genes involved in fatty acid oxidation was observed in the duodenum but not in the liver of the Mgat2-deficient mice. Conclusion: These results suggest that MGAT2 has a pivotal role in lipid metabolism in the small intestine, and the inhibition of MGAT2 activity may be a promising strategy for the treatment of obesity-related metabolic disorders.

Description: Background: Bioactivities of Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) depend on their chemical forms. The present study was to investigate short term effects of triglyceride (TG), ethyl ester (EE), free fatty acid (FFA) and phospholipid (PL) forms of omega-3 fatty acid (FA) on lipid metabolism in mice, fed high fat or low fat diet.MethodMale Balb/c mice were fed with 0.7% different Omega-3 fatty acid formulation: DHA bound free fatty acid (DHA-FFA), DHA bound triglyceride (DHA-TG), DHA bound ethyl ester (DHA-EE) and DHA bound phospholipid (DHA-PL) for 1 week, with dietary fat levels at 5% and 22.5%. Serum and hepatic lipid concentrations were analyzed, as well as the fatty acid composition of liver and brain.ResultAt low fat level, serum total cholesterol (TC) level in mice fed diets with DHA-FFA, DHA-EE and DHA-PL were significantly lower than that in the control group (P 〈 0.05). Hepatic TG level decreased significantly in mice fed diets with DHA-TG (P 〈 0.05), DHA-EE (P 〈 0.05) and DHA-PL (P 〈 0.05), while TC level in liver was significantly lower in mice fed diets with TG and EE compared with the control group (P 〈 0.05). At high fat level, mice fed diets with DHA-EE and DHA-PL had significantly lower hepatic TC level compared with the control diet (P 〈 0.05). Hepatic PL concentration experienced a significant increase in mice fed the diet with PL at high fat level (P 〈 0.05). Furthermore, both at low and high fat levels, hepatic DHA level significantly increased and AA level significantly decreased in all forms of DHA groups (P 〈 0.05), compared to control groups at two different fat levels, respectively. Additionally, cerebral DHA level in mice fed diets with DHA-FFA, DHA-EE and DHA-PL significantly increased compared with the control at high fat level (P 〈 0.05), but no significant differences were observed among dietary treatments for mice fed diets with low fat level. Conclusion: The present study suggested that not only total dietary fat content but also the molecular forms of omega-3 fatty acids contributed to lipid metabolism in mice. DHA-PL showed effective bioactivity in decreasing hepatic and serum TC, TG levels and increasing omega-3 concentration in liver and brain.

Description: Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of mortality worldwide and a low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level is an important marker of CVD risk. Garlic (Allium sativum) has been widely used in the clinic for treatment of CVD and regulation of lipid metabolism. This study investigated the effects of a high hydrostatic pressure extract of garlic (HEG) on HDL-C level and regulation of hepatic apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) gene expression. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups and maintained on a high-fat control diet (CON) or high-fat control diet supplemented with high hydrostatic pressure extract of garlic (HEG) for 5 weeks. Changes in the expression of genes related to HDL-C metabolism were analyzed in liver, together with biometric and blood parameters. Results: In the HEG group, the plasma levels of triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly decreased by 19% and 24%, respectively, relative to the control group. The plasma HDL-C level was increased by 59% (P 〈 0.05). The HEG-supplemented diet lowered the atherogenic index (AI) by 45% as compared to the CON group. Hepatic TG and total cholesterol (TC) levels were reduced by 35% and 43%, respectively in comparison with the CON group. The HEG supplementation increased hepatic mRNA levels of apoA-I, which is one of primarily proteins of HDL-C particle (P 〈 0.05). The gene expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) and lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), importantly involved in the biogenesis in HDL, were also up-regulated by dietary HEG. Conclusions: These results suggest that HEG ameliorates plasma lipid profiles and attenuates hepatic lipid accumulation in the high-fat fed rats. Our findings provides that the effects of HEG on the increase of the plasma HDL-C level was at least partially mediated by up-regulation of hepatic genes expression such as apoA-I, ABCA1, and LCAT in rats fed a high-fat diet.

Description: Background: Altered immune function during ageing results in increased production of nitric oxide (NO) and other inflammatory mediators. Recently, we have reported that NO production was inhibited by naturally-occurring proteasome inhibitors (quercetin, delta-tocotrienol, and riboflavin) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, and thioglycolate-elicited peritoneal macrophages from C57BL/6 mice. In a continuous effort to find more potent, non-toxic, commercially available, naturally-occurring proteasome inhibitors that suppress inflammation, the present study was carried out to describe the inhibition of NF-kappa B activation and NO, TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-1beta, and iNOS expression by trans-resveratrol, trans-pterostilbene, morin hydrate, and nicotinic acid in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells and thioglycolate-elicited peritoneal macrophages derived from C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. Results: The present results indicate that resveratrol, pterostilbene, and morin hydrate caused significant inhibition (〉70% to 90%; P 〈 0.02) in the activities of chymotrypsin-like, trypsin-like, and post-acidic (post-glutamase) proteasome sites in RAW 264.7 cells at a dose of only 20 micromolar. These compounds also inhibited the production of NO by RAW-264.7 cells stimulated with LPS alone (〉40%; P 〈 0.05), or LPS + interferon-gamma(IFN-gamma; 〉60%; P 〈 0.02). Furthermore, resveratrol, pterostilbene, morin hydrate, and quercetin suppressed secretion of TNF-alpha (〉40%; P 〈 0.05) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, and suppressed NF-kappa B activation (22% to 45%; P 〈 0.05) in LPS-stimulated HEK293T cells. These compounds also significantly suppressed LPS-induced expression of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, and iNOS genes in RAW 264.7 cells, and also in thioglycolate-elicited peritoneal macrophages from C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. Conclusions: The present results clearly demonstrate that resveratrol and pterostilbene are particularly potent proteasome inhibitors that suppress expression of genes, and production of inflammatory products in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, and macrophages from C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. Resveratrol and pterostilbene which are present in grapes, blueberries, and red wine, have been implicated as contributing factors to the lower incidence of cardiovascular disease in the French population, despite their relatively high dietary fat intake. Consequently, it appears likely that the beneficial nutritional effects of resveratrol and pterostilbene are due at least in part, to their ability to inhibit NF-kappa B activation by the proteasome, thereby suppressing activation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and iNOS genes, resulting in decreased production of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, and NO levels, in response to inflammatory stimuli. This is the first report demonstrating that resveratrol and pterostilbene act as proteasome inhibitors, thus providing a mechanism for their anti-inflammatory effects.Key Words: Nitric oxide (NO), TNF-alpha, NF-kappa B, cytokines, resveratrol, proteasome inhibitors.

Description: Background: The effects of exposure to a 50 Hz electric field (EF) on plasma level of triacylglycerol, free fatty acids, total cholesterol and phospholipid and mRNA expression level of diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) 1 and 2 in liver and intestines from C57BL/6 J mice were studied. Methods: The test was based on comparison between mice post treated with 50 Hz EF of 45 kV/m intensity for 30 min per day for 11 days or without EF. DGATs mRNA expression was analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: There was no difference in the gene expression level of DGAT1 in liver and intestines. The DGAT2 gene expression level in liver derived from mice treated with EF was significantly lower than those in the control (P 〈 0.001). Both plasma total cholesterol (P 〈 0.01) and phospholipid (P 〈 0.05) in the group exposed to EF were lower than those in the control, but there was no difference in triacylglycerol or free fatty acid levels. Conclusion: Exposure to 50 Hz EF decrease the plasma levels of total cholesterol and phospholipids, and downregulated DGAT2 mRNA expression in liver. The mechanisms for the effects of EF on lipid metabolism are not well understand yet, but altered DGAT2 activity may be involved.

Description: We describe a system for the automated diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma using fundus and optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. Automatic screening will help the doctors to quickly identify the condition of the patient in a more accurate way. The macular abnormalities caused due to diabetic retinopathy can be detected by applying morphological operations, filters and thresholds on the fundus images of the patient. Early detection of glaucoma is done by estimating the Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer (RNFL) thickness from the OCT images of the patient. The RNFL thickness estimation involves the use of active contours based deformable snake algorithm for segmentation of the anterior and posterior boundaries of the retinal nerve fiber layer. The algorithm was tested on a set of 89 fundus images of which 85 were found to have at least mild retinopathy and OCT images of 31 patients out of which 13 were found to be glaucomatous. The accuracy for optical disk detection is found to be 97.75%. The proposed system therefore is accurate, reliable and robust and can be realized.

Description: Background: Retinoic acids regulate the reverse cholesterol transport by inducing the ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) dependent cholesterol efflux in macrophages, neuronal as well as intestine cells. In the present study, we aim to test the effect of all trans retinoic acid (ATRA) on ABCA1 expression in human CD4+ T cells and the involvement of cholesterol in ATRA mediated anti-HIV effect. Results: Treatment with ATRA dramatically up-regulated ABCA1 expression in CD4+ T cells in a time and dose dependent manner. The expression of ABCA1 paralleled with increased ABCA1-dependent cholesterol efflux. This induction was dependent on T cell receptor (TCR) signaling and ATRA failed to induce ABCA1 expression in resting T cells. Moreover, ATRA and liver X receptor (LXR) agonist-TO-901317 together had synergistic effect on ABCA1 expression as well as cholesterol efflux. Increased ABCA1 expression was associated with lower cellular cholesterol staining. Cells treated with either ATRA or TO-901317 were less vulnerable to HIV-1 infection. Combination of retinoic acid and TO-901317 further inhibited HIV-1 entry and their inhibitory effects could be reversed by cholesterol replenishment. Methods: ABCA1 RNA and protein were determined by real-time PCR and immuno blot methods in cells treated with ATRA. Cholesterol efflux rate was measured in cells treated with ATRA and TO-901317. Conclusions: ATRA up-regulates ABCA1 expression and cholesterol efflux in CD4+ T cells and combination of ATRA and liver X receptor (LXR) agonist further enhanced these effects. Increased cholesterol efflux contributed to reduced HIV-1 entry, suggesting that anti-HIV effect of ATRA is mediated through ABCA1.

Description: The paraoxonase (PON) gene family includes three members, PON1, PON2 and PON3, aligned in tandem on chromosome 7 in humans and on chromosome 6 in mice. All PON proteins share considerable structural homology and have the capacity to protect cells from oxidative stress; therefore, they have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory diseases, particularly atherosclerosis. The major goal of this review is to highlight the modulation of each of the PONs by infective (bacterial, viral and parasitic) agents, which may shed a light on the interaction between infectious diseases and PONs activities in order to effectively reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis.

Description: Background: This study aimed at investigating the oxidative stress ameliorating effect, lipids profile restoration, and the anti-inflammatory effect of Samsum Ant Venom (SAV) in induced endotoxemic male rats, injected with bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Results: Results revealed that LPS significantly increased the oxidative stress indications in LPS-injected rats. A significant increase of both malondialdehyde (MDA), and advanced oxidative protein products (AOPP), as well as a significant suppression of glutathione were all detected. Treatment with 100 mug/kg dose of SAV significantly restored the oxidative stress normal indications and increased the total glutathione levels. Treatment of the LPS-rats with 100 mug/kg dose of SAV showed a clear anti-inflammatory function; as the histological architecture of the hepatic tissue was partially recovered, along with a valuable decrease in the leukocytes infiltrated the hepatic tissues. Treatment of some rat groups with 600 mug/kg dose of SAV after LPS injection induced a severe endotoxemia that resulted in very high mortality rates. SAV versus the effects of LPS on AKT1, Fas, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma mRNA expression. SAV was found to significantly lower Fas gene expression comparing to the LPS group and restore the level of IFN-gamma mRNA expression to that of the control group. Conclusion: In conclusion, SAV, at the dose of 100 mug/kg body weight, maintained and restored the oxidative stability, the anti-inflammatory, and the hypolipidemic bioactivity in rats after induced disruption of these parameters by LPS injection. This improvement by SAV was mediated by upregulation of AKT1.

Description: ObjectiveCigarette smoking had been confirmed as an increased risk for dyslipidemia, but none of the evidence was from long-lived population. In present study, we detected relationship between cigarette smoking habits and serum lipid/lipoprotein (serum Triglyceride (TG), Total cholesterol (TC), Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)) among Chinese Nonagenarians/Centenarian. Methods: The present study analyzed data from the survey that was conducted on all residents aged 90 years or more in a district, there were 2,311,709 inhabitants in 2005. Unpaired Student's t test, chi2 test, and multiple logistic regression were used to analyze datas. Results: The individuals included in the statistical analysis were 216 men and 445 women. Current smokers had lower level of TC (4.05 +/- 0.81 vs. 4.21 +/- 0.87, t = 2.403, P = 0.017) and lower prevalence of hypercholesteremia (9.62% vs. 15.13%, chi2 = 3.018,P = 0.049) than nonsmokers. Unadjusted and adjusted multiple logistic regressions showed that cigarette smoking was not associated with risk for abnormal serum lipid/lipoprotein. Conclusions: In summary, we found that among Chinese nonagenarians/centenarians, cigarette smoking habits were not associated with increased risk for dyslipidemia, which was different from the association of smoking habits with dyslipidemia in general population.

Description: Background: The interactions of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and macrophages are hallmarks in the development of atherosclerosis. The biological activities of the modified particle in these cells are due to the content of lipid oxidation products and apolipoprotein modification by oxidized phospholipids. Results: It was the aim of this study to determine the role of short-chain oxidized phospholipids as compounds of modified LDL in cultured macrophages. For this purpose we investigated the effects of the following oxidized phospholipids on cell viability and apoptosis: 1-palmitoyl-2-glutaroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PGPC), 1-palmitoyl-2-(5-oxovaleroyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POVPC) and oxidized dialkyl phospholipids including 1-O-hexadecyl-2-glutaroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (E-PGPC) and 1-O-hexadecyl-2-(5-oxovaleroyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (E-POVPC). We found that these compounds induced apoptosis in RAW264.7 and bone marrow-derived macrophages. The sn-2 carboxyacyl lipid PGPC was more toxic than POVPC, which carries a reactive aldehyde function in position sn-2 of glycerol. The alkyl phospholipids (E-PGPC and E-POVPC) and the respective diacyl analogs show similar activities. Apoptosis induced by POVPC and its alkylether derivative could be causally linked to the fast activation of an acid sphingomyelinase, generating the apoptotic second messenger ceramide. In contrast, PGPC and its ether analog only neglegibly affected this enzyme pointing to an entirely different mechanism of lipid toxicity. The higher toxicity of PGPC is underscored by more efficient membrane blebbing from apoptotic cells. In addition, the protein pattern of PGPC-induced microparticles is different from the vesicles generated by POPVC. Conclusions: In summary our data reveal that oxidized phospholipids induce apoptosis in cultured macrophages. The mechanism of lipid toxicity, however, largely depends on the structural features of the oxidized sn-2 chain.

Description: Background: It is known that the increased level of IDL and oxidized LDL are associated with risk of cardiovascular disease, and the lipoprotein abnormalities accelerate atherosclerosis. Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of mortality in chronic kidney disease patients with hemodialysis treatment (HD-Ps). Therefore, the estimation of lipoprotein profiles is important for prevention of cardiovascular disease in HD-Ps. We previously established an anion-exchange chromatographic method for measurement of cholesterol level in subclasses of HDL and LDL, IDL, VLDL, and chylomicron. An electronegative-LDL-fraction contained minimally oxidized-LDL. Lipoprotein profile can be accurately and conveniently determined by the new method.FindingIn this study, lipoprotein profiles in HD-Ps and age-matched healthy subjects were estimated by using our established anion-exchange chromatographic method. The ratio of electronegative-LDL-cholesterol to total LDL-cholesterol and IDL-cholesterol in HD-Ps were significant higher than those in healthy subjects. Conclusions: The results suggest that the ratio of electronegative-LDL-cholesterol to total LDL-cholesterol and IDL-cholesterol obtained by the new method may serve as useful markers for risk of cardiovascular disease in HD-Ps.

Description: Background: Fucoxanthin is a xanthophyll present in brown seaweeds and has several beneficial effects, including anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects. However, we and another group previously observed that fucoxanthin increases serum cholesterol levels in rodents. Cholesterol is an important component of cell membranes and biosynthesis of bile acids. Serum cholesterol levels are also closely associated with atherosclerosis. Therefore, we sought to identify the mechanism underlying the increase in serum cholesterol levels by fucoxanthin. Methods: Diabetic/obese KK-Ay mice were fed a diet containing 0.2% fucoxanthin for 4 weeks. The mice were sacrificed, and total blood samples were collected for the measurement of serum total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and non-HDL-cholesterol levels. Cholesterol content in tissues was also analyzed. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were performed to determine hepatic mRNA and protein expression of genes involved in cholesterol metabolism, respectively. Results: Dietary fucoxanthin significantly increased serum HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels, and reduced hepatic cholesterol content. In liver, the expression of SREBP1, SREBP2 and their target genes involved in cholesterol biosynthesis significantly increased and tended to increase in the fucoxanthin-fed mice, respectively. In contrast, hepatic levels of LDLR and SR-B1 proteins which is important factors for LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol uptake in the liver from serum, decreased to 60% and 80% in the fucoxanthin-fed mice, respectively, compared with the control mice. Further, we found that dietary fucoxanthin significantly increased the mRNA expression of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), which enhances intracellular degradation of LDLR in lysosomes. Conclusions: Fucoxanthin increased HDL-cholesterol and non-HDL-cholesterol levels in KK-Ay mice by inducing SREBP expression and reduced cholesterol uptake in the liver via down-regulation of LDLR and SR-B1, resulted in increased serum cholesterol in the mice.

Description: Background and AimsMilk contains numerous nutrients. The content of n-3 fatty acids, the n-6/n-3 ratio, and short- and medium-chain fatty acids may promote positive health effects. In Western societies, cow's milk fat is perceived as a risk factor for health because it is a source of a high fraction of saturated fatty acids. Recently, there has been increasing interest in donkey's milk. In this work, the fat and energetic value and acidic composition of donkey's milk, with reference to human nutrition, and their variations during lactation, were investigated. We also discuss the implications of the acidic profile of donkey's milk on human nutrition. Methods: Individual milk samples from lactating jennies were collected 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180 and 210days after foaling, for the analysis of fat, proteins and lactose, which was achieved using an infrared milk analyser, and fatty acids composition by gas chromatography. Results: The donkey's milk was characterised by low fat and energetic (1719.2kJ.kg-1) values, a high polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content of mainly alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA), a low n-6 to n-3 FA ratio or LA/ALA ratio, and advantageous values of atherogenic and thrombogenic indices. Among the minor PUFA, docosahesaenoic (DHA), eicosapentanoic (EPA), and arachidonic (AA) acids were present in very small amounts (

Description: Background: Previous studies showed that intake of yacon or some lactic acid bacteria was able to inhibit the development of diabetes mellitus, by reducing glucose and associated symptoms, for example, the lipid profile.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to assess the consumption influence of a potential symbiotic product of soybean and yacon extract and fermented Enterococcus faecium CRL 183 and Lactobacillus helveticus ssp jugurti 416 in reducing blood glucose and lipid levels in an animal model. Methods: Diabetes mellitus was chemically induced by intraperitoneal administration of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg body weight). The rats were divided into four groups (n=10): GI -- non-diabetic animals that received only a standard chow diet (negative control), GII -- diabetic animals that received only chow diet (positive control), GIII -- diabetic animals that received the chow diet + 1 mL/kg body weight/day of soybean and yacon unfermented product, GIV -- diabetic rats that received the chow diet + 1 mL/kg body weight/day of soybean and yacon fermented product. There was a seven-week treatment period and the following parameters were evaluated: animal body weight, food and water intake, blood glucose, enzyme activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), triglycerides levels, total cholesterol, HDL-C, non-HDL-C. Cell viability of the fermented product was checked weekly for a seven-week period. Results: The product average viable population was 108-109 CFU/mL, by ensuring both the rods and cocci regular intake. No difference was observed between the water and feed intake and body weight of groups that received unfermented and fermented products and the untreated diabetic group. The same was observed for the blood glucose and AST and ALT activities, while some improvement was observed for a lipid profile, represented by reduction of triglycerides level by 15.07% and 33.50% in groups III and IV, respectively, and an increase of 23.70% in HDL-C level for group IV. Conclusion: The results showed that the ingestion of a potential symbiotic product was neither able to promote improvement in some of the disease symptoms, nor reduce blood glucose. However, a positive effect on triglycerides levels and HDL-cholesterol was observed in the groups that received the unfermented product containing yacon extract and the fermented product with Enterococcus faecium CRL 183, as well as Lactobacillus helveticus ssp jugurti 416 and yacon extract (symbiotic product).

Description: Background: Inflammation and increased ceramide concentrations characterise adipose tissue of obese women with high liver fat content compared to equally obese women with normal liver fat content. The present study characterises enzymes involved in ceramide metabolism in subcutaneous and intra-abdominal adipose tissue. Methods: Pathways leading to increased ceramide concentrations in inflamed versus non-inflamed adipose tissue were investigated by quantifying expression levels of key enzymes involved in ceramide metabolism. Sphingomyelinases (sphingomyelin phosphodiesterases SMPD1-3) were investigated further using immunohistochemistry to establish their location within adipose tissue, and their mRNA expression levels were determined in subcutaneous and intra-abdominal adipose tissue from both non-obese and obese subject. Results: Gene expression levels of sphingomyelinases, enzymes that hydrolyze sphingomyelin to ceramide, rather than enzymes involved in de novo ceramide synthesis, were higher in inflamed compared to non-inflamed adipose tissue of obese women (with high and normal liver fat contents respectively). Sphingomyelinases were localised to both macrophages and adipocytes, but also to blood vessels and to extracellular regions surrounding vessels within adipose tissue. Expression levels of SMPD3 mRNA correlated significantly with concentrations of different ceramides and sphingomyelins. In both non-obese and obese subjects SMPD3 mRNA levels were higher in the more inflamed intra-abdominal compared to the subcutaneous adipose tissue depot. Conclusions: Generation of ceramides within adipose tissue as a result of sphingomyelinase action may contribute to inflammation in human adipose tissue.

Description: Background: Omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFAs) have demonstrated to be beneficial in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, however, the mechanisms by which they perform their cardiovascular protection have not been clarified. Intriguingly, some of these protective effects have also been linked to HDL. The hypothesis of this study was that omega-3 PUFAs could modify the protein cargo of HDL particle in a triglyceride non-dependent mode. The objective of the study was to compare the proteome of HDL before and after omega-3 PUFAs supplemented diet. Methods: A comparative proteomic analysis in 6 smoker subjects HDL before and after a 5 weeks omega-3 PUFAs enriched diet has been performed. Results: Among the altered proteins, clusterin, paraoxonase, and apoAI were found to increase, while fibronectin, alpha-1-antitrypsin, complement C1r subcomponent and complement factor H decreased after diet supplementation with omega-3 PUFAs. Immunodetection assays confirmed these results. The up-regulated proteins are related to anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic properties of HDL, while the down-regulated proteins are related to regulation of complement activation and acute phase response. Conclusions: Despite the low number of subjects included in the study, our findings demonstrate that omega-3 PUFAs supplementation modifies lipoprotein containing apoAI (LpAI) proteome and suggest that these protein changes improve the functionality of the particle.

Description: Background: The study was undertaken to examine the effects of berberine (BBR) on serum homocysteine, lipids and the aortic lesion in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats fed with a long-term high-fat diet (HFD). Methods: Healthy male SD rats weighing 190-210 g received randomly standard diet or a high-fat diet for 24 weeks. After 8 weeks of feeding, rats fed with HFD were randomized to receive berberine (200 mg * kg-1 * day-1) or vehicle by gavage for 16 weeks. After overnight fasting, all rats were sacrificed and total blood samples were also collected for determinant of fasting serum homocysteine (Hcy), total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels. The aorta was stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Sudan Sha to evaluate aortic lesion. The livers were dissected out and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen for hepatic TC content and molecular analysis. 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR), Lipoprotein receptors and apolipoproteins gene expression in the liver were determined by real-time PCR. Results: Intragastrical administration with berberine for 16 weeks lowered serum Hcy in rats fed with a high-fat diet. In parallel, it also decreased body weight and improved serum TC and LDL-c. Berberine also tended to decrease hepatic cholesterol. Consistently, berberine also upregulated LDL receptor (LDLR) mRNA level and suppressed HMGR gene expression. Meanwhile, upon berberine-treated rats, there was a significant increase in apolipoprotein E (apoE) mRNA, but no change in apoAI and scavenger receptor (SR) mRNA in the liver. Further, no atherosclerotic lesions were developed in berberine-treated rats for 16 weeks. Conclusion: Berberine can counteract HFD-elicited hyperhomocysteinemia and hyperlipidemia partially via upregulating LDLR and apoE mRNA levels and suppressing HMGR gene expression.

Description: Background: The erythrocyte membrane lesion is a serious diabetic complication. A number of studies suggested that n-3 fatty acid could reduce lipid peroxidation and elevate alpha- or gamma-tocopherol contents in membrane of erythrocytes. However, evidence regarding the protective effects of flaxseed oil, a natural product rich in n-3 fatty acid, on lipid peroxidation, antioxidative capacity and membrane deformation of erythrocytes exposed to high glucose is limited. Methods: Human peripheral blood erythrocytes were isolated and treated with 50 mM glucose to mimic hyperglycemia in the absence or presence of three different doses of flaxseed oil (50, 100 or 200 muM) in the culture medium for 24 h. The malondialdehyde (MDA) and L-glutathione (GSH) were measured by HPLC and LC/MS respectively. The phospholipids symmetry and membrane fatty acid composition of human erythrocytes were detected by flow cytometry and gas chromatograph (GC). The morphology of human erythrocyte was illuminated by ultra scanning electron microscopy. Results: Flaxseed oil attenuated hyperglycemia-induced increase of MDA and decrease of GSH in human erythrocytes. Human erythrocytes treated with flaxseed oil contained higher C22:5 and C22:6 than those in the 50 mM glucose control group, indicating that flaxseed oil could reduce lipid asymmetric distribution and membrane perturbation. The ultra scanning electron microscopy and flow cytometer have also indicated that flaxseed oil could protect the membrane of human erythrocytes from deformation at high glucose level. Conclusion: The flaxseed oil supplementation may prevent lipid peroxidation and membrane dysfunction of human erythrocytes in hyperglycemia.

Description: Background: Diabetic retinopathy is a major complication of dysregulated hyperglycemia. Retinal vascular endothelial cell dysfunction is an early event in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. Studies showed that hyperglycemia-induced excess proliferation of retinal vascular endothelial cells can be abrogated by docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 omega-3) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 omega-3). The influence of dietary omega-3 PUFA on brain zinc metabolism has been previously implied. Zn2+ is essential for the activity of Delta6 desaturase as a co-factor that, in turn, converts essential fatty acids to their respective long chain metabolites. Whether essential fatty acids (EFAs) alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid have similar beneficial effect remains poorly understood. Methods: RF/6A cells were treated with different concentrations of high glucose, alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid and Zn2+. The alterations in mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase enzyme activity, cell membrane fluidity, reactive oxygen species generation, SOD enzyme and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion were evaluated. Results: Studies showed that hyperglycemia-induced excess proliferation of retinal vascular endothelial cells can be abrogated by both linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), while the saturated fatty acid, palmitic acid was ineffective. A dose-response study with ALA showed that the activity of the mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase enzyme was suppressed at all concentrations of glucose tested to a significant degree. High glucose enhanced fluorescence polarization and microviscocity reverted to normal by treatment with Zn2+ and ALA. ALA was more potent that Zn2+. Increased level of high glucose caused slightly increased ROS generation that correlated with corresponding decrease in SOD activity. ALA suppressed ROS generation to a significant degree in a dose dependent fashion and raised SOD activity significantly. ALA suppressed high-glucose-induced VEGF secretion by RF/6A cells. Conclusions: These results suggest that EFAs such as ALA and LA may have beneficial action in the prevention of high glucose-induced cellular damage.

Description: Background The relationships between fat mass and bone tissue are complex and not fully elucidated. A high-fat/high-sucrose diet has been shown to induce harmful effects on bone micro architecture and bone biomechanics of rat. When such diet leads to obesity, it may induce an improvement of biomechanical bone parameters in rodent.Here, we examined the impact of a high-fat/high-sucrose diet on the body composition and its resulting effects on bone density and structure in male rats. Forty three Wistar rats aged 7 months were split into 3 groups: 1 sacrificed before diet (BD, n=14); 1 subjected to 16 weeks of high-fat/high-sucrose diet (HF/HS, n=14); 1 subjected to standard diet (Control, n=15). Abdominal circumference and insulin sensitivity were measured and visceral fat mass was weighed. The bone mineral density (BMD) was analyzed at the whole body and tibia by densitometry. Microcomputed tomography and histomorphometric analysis were performed at L2 vertebrae and tibiae to study the trabecular and cortical bone structures and the bone cell activities. Osteocalcin and CTX levels were performed to assess the relative balance of the bone formation and resorption. Differences between groups have been tested with an ANOVA with subsequent Scheffe post-hoc test. An ANCOVA with global mass and global fat as covariates was used to determine the potential implication of the resulting mechanical loading on bone. Results: The HF/HS group had higher body mass, fat masses and abdominal circumference and developed an impaired glucose tolerance compared to Control group (p

Description: Background: Fluorescence-based cell-free assays offer an attractive alternative to current cell-based assays for measuring the redox activity of High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL). We have recently developed a biochemical assay that assesses the effect of HDL on the oxidation rate of dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR), reflected by increasing fluorescence over time. However, an immediate reduction in the fluorescence signal is observed after addition of HDL to DHR, due to fluorescence quenching from lipid-probe interactions. Understanding this process is important for interpretation of the results of all fluorescence-based cell-free assays that measure oxidative properties of lipids. Methods: We determined the effect of quenchers (proteins or lipids) on the fluorescence signal of two fluorescence-based cell-free assays: the rhodamine 123 (RHD)-based assay, and a previously described assay based on dichlorodihydrofluorescein (DCF) in patients with systemic inflammation or atherosclerosis versus healthy subjects. Results: We found lipid-probe interactions between the non-fluorescent substrate and the lipid, which affect the observed rate of change of fluorescence after addition of lipids to DHR and DCFH. These interactions depended on: sample collection and storage, types and concentrations of lipid and fluorescent probe, method of HDL isolation, diluents and matrices, and pH. The RHD-based assay yielded reproducible measurements despite fluorescence quenching, while the DCF-based assay displayed more experimental variability. Furthermore, the lipid-probe interactions varied according to the setting of systemic inflammation when using apolipoprotein (apo) B-depleted plasma. However, under fixed conditions the rhodamine assay could reliably detect similar mean relative differences in the redox activity of HDL samples between different groups of patients using either purified HDL or apo-B depleted plasma. Conclusions: Lipid-probe interactions should be considered when interpreting the results of fluorescence assays for measuring lipid oxidative state. Ideally, samples should be freshly obtained and purified HDL should be utilized rather than Apo B-depleted serum. Assay variability can be reduced by strict standardization of conditions (particularly sample collection, storage, lipid isolation method). Data comparisons between different studies similarly require strict standardization of conditions between studies and this caveat must be considered when using these assays to study the role of HDL function in the development of atherosclerosis in vivo.

Description: Background: Tangier disease (TD) is a phenotypic expression of rare familial syndrome with mutations in the ABCA1 transporter. The risk of coronary artery disease in patients with TD is variable. On the other hand the pivotal role of Platelet-Activating Factor (PAF) mediator in atheromatosis was found. Plasma lipoproteins are transporters of the PAF acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) in cells and known as lipoprotein-phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) in plasma and regulators of PAF levels in blood. In addition, PAF can be biosynthesized from the remodeling and the de novo pathways in which Lyso-platelet activating factor-acetyltransferase (Lyso-PAF-AT) and platelet activating factor-cholinephosphotransferase (PAF-CPT) are the regulatory enzymes. The aim of this study is to investigate in a TD patient with a unique mutation (C2033A), the concentration of PAF in blood, the Equivalent Concentration for 50% aggregation (EC50) values of platelet rich plasma (PRP) toward PAF, adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and thrombin, and the activities of PAF metabolic enzymes Lp-PLA2, PAF-AH, Lyso-PAF-AT and PAF-CPT. Methods: The EC50 value of PRP was measured by an aggregometer. The determination of the specific activity of PAF-CPT and Lyso-PAF-AT was made after in vitro enzymatic assay, chromatographic separation and measurement of the produced PAF in a biological assay with washed rabbit platelets. The determination of PAF-AH and Lp-PLA2 was made after an in vitro enzymatic assay from the decay of radioactive PAF. Results: The TD patient had lower bound-PAF values in blood, decreased specific activity of PAF-CPT and Lyso-PAF-AT, increased specific activity of PAF-AH in platelets and leukocytes and Lp-PLA2 in plasma compared to healthy women. The EC50 of PAF and Thrombin were higher compared to healthy women. Conclusion: The increased LpPLA2 activity, as well as, the decreased activities of PAF-CPT and Lyso-PAF-AT, explain the decreased bound-PAF level in TD patient and the EC50 of PAF. However, total PAF is in a normal range and this probably can explain one of the reasons this TD patient has no CAD.

Description: Background: A sedentary lifestyle predisposes to cardiometabolic diseases. Lifestyle changes such as increased physical activity improve a range of cardiometabolic risk factors. The objective of this study was to examine whether functional changes in adipose tissue were related to these improvements. Methods: Seventy-three sedentary, overweight (mean BMI 29.9 +/- 3.2 kg/m2) and abdominally obese, but otherwise healthy men and women (67.6 +/- 0.5 years) from a randomised controlled trial of physical activity on prescription over a 6-month period were included (control n = 43, intervention n = 30). Detailed examinations were carried out at baseline and at follow-up, including fasting blood samples, a comprehensive questionnaire and subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsies for fatty acid composition analysis (n = 73) and quantification of mRNA expression levels of 13 candidate genes (n = 51), including adiponectin, leptin and inflammatory cytokines. Results: At follow-up, the intervention group had a greater increase in exercise time (+137 min/week) and a greater decrease in body fat mass (1.5 kg) compared to the control subjects (changes of 0 min/week and 0.5 kg respectively). Circulating concentrations of adiponectin were unchanged, but those of leptin decreased significantly more in the intervention group (1.8 vs 1.1 ng/mL for intervention vs control, P 〈 0.05). The w6-polyunsaturated fatty acid content, in particular linoleic acid (18:2w6), of adipose tissue increased significantly more in the intervention group, but the magnitude of the change was small (+0.17 vs +0.02 percentage points for intervention vs control, P 〈 0.05). Surprisingly leptin mRNA levels in adipose tissue increased in the intervention group (+107% intervention vs 20% control, P 〈 0.05), but changes in expression of the remaining genes did not differ between the groups. Conclusions: After a 6-month period of increased physical activity in overweight elderly individuals, circulating leptin concentrations decreased despite increased levels of leptin mRNA in adipose tissue. Otherwise, only minor changes occurred in adipose tissue, although several improvements in metabolic parameters accompanied the modest increase in physical activity.

Description: Background: Rose-scented geranium (Pelargonium graveolens L'Her.), which is used in traditional Tunisian folk medicine for the treatment of hyperglycaemia, is widely known as one of the medicinal herbs with the highest antioxidant activity. The present paper is conducted to test the hypoglycemic and antioxidative activities of the leaf essential oil of P. graveolens. Methods: The essential oil P.graveolens was administered daily and orally to the rats at two dose of 75 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) for 30 days. The chemical composition of P. graveolens essential oil, body weight, serum glucose, hepatic glycogen, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), the components of hepatic, and renal and serum antioxidant systems were evaluated. The hypoglycemic effect of rose-scented geranium was compared to that of the known anti-diabetic drug glibenclamide (600 mug/kg b.w.). Results: After the administration of two doses of essential oil of Pelargonium graveolens L'Her, together with glibenclamide which is known by its antidiabetic activities and used as reference (600 mug/kg b.w.), for four weeks, the serum glucose significantly decreased and antioxidant perturbations were restored. The hypoglycemic effect of P.graveolens at the dose of 150 mg/kg b.w. was significantly (p 〈 0.05) more effective than that of glibenclamide. It is through the histological findings in hepatic and renal tissues of diabetic rats that these beneficial effects of geranium oils were confirmed. Conclusions: It suggests that administration of essential oil of P.graveolens may be helpful in the prevention of diabetic complications associated with oxidative stress. Our results, therefore, suggest that the rose-scented geranium could be used as a safe alternative antihyperglycemic drug for diabetic patients.

Description: Background: Excess peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) stimulation has been associated with detrimental health effects including impaired myocardial function. Recently, supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) has been associated with improved left ventricular function and functional capacity in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. We investigated the long-term effects of the pan-PPAR agonist tetradecylthioacetic acid (TTA) and/or high-dose fish oil (FO) on cardiac fatty acid (FA) composition and lipid metabolism. Male Wistar rats were given one out of four different 25% (w/v) fat diets: control diet; TTA diet; FO diet; or diet containing both TTA and FO. Results: After 50 weeks n-3 PUFA levels were increased by TTA and FO in the heart, whereas liver levels were reduced following TTA administration. TTA was associated with a decrease in arachidonic acid, increased activities of carnitine palmitoyltransferase II, fatty acyl-CoA oxidase, glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, and fatty acid synthase in the heart. Furthermore, cardiac Ucp3 and Cact mRNA was upregulated. Conclusions: Long-term treatment with the pan-PPAR agonist TTA or high-dose FO induced marked changes in PUFA composition and enzymatic activity involved in FA metabolism in the heart, different from liver. Changes included increased FA oxidation and a selective increase in cardiac n-3 PUFA.

Description: Background: A recent study investigated the MYLIP region in the Mexican population in order to fine-map the actual susceptibility variants of this locus. The p.N342S polymorphism was identified as the underlying functional variant accounting for one of the previous signals of genome-wide association studies and the N342 allele was associated with higher cholesterol concentrations in Mexican dyslipidemic individuals. To date, there is no further evaluation on this genotype-phenotype association in the literature. In this scenario, and because of a possible pharmacotherapeutic target of dyslipidemia, the main aim of this study was to assess the influence of the MYLIP p.N342S polymorphism on lipid profile in Brazilian individuals. Methods: 1295 subjects of the general population and 1425 consecutive patients submitted to coronary angiography were selected. General characteristics, biochemical tests, blood pressures, pulse wave velocity, and coronary artery disease scores were analyzed. Genotypes for the MYLIP rs9370867 (p.N342S, c.G1025A) polymorphism were detected by high resolution melting analysis. Results: No association of the MYLIP rs9370867 genotypes with lipid profile, hemodynamic data, and coronary angiographic data was found. Analysis stratified by hyperlipidemia, gender, and ethnicity was also performed and the sub-groups presented similar results. In both general population and patient samples, the MYLIP rs9370867 polymorphism was differently distributed according to ethnicity. In the general population, subjects carrying GG genotypes had higher systolic blood pressure (BP), diastolic BP, and mean BP values (129.0 +/- 23.3; 84.9 +/- 14.6; 99.5 +/- 16.8 mmHg) compared with subjects carrying AA genotypes (123.7 +/- 19.5; 81.6 +/- 11.8; 95.6 +/- 13.6 mmHg) (p= 0.01; p= 0.02; p= 0.01, respectively), even after adjustment for covariates. However, in analysis stratified by ethnicity, this finding was not found and there is no evidence that the polymorphism influences BP. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that association studies involving this MYLIP variant can present distinct results according to the studied population. In this moment, further studies are needed to reaffirm if the MYLIP p.N342S polymorphism is functional or not, and to identify other functional markers within this gene.

Description: Wild barley [Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum (C. Koch) Thell.] is a part of the primary gene pool with valuable sources of beneficial genes for barley improvement. This study attempted to develop a core subset of 269 accessions representing 16 countries from the Plant Gene Resources of Canada (PGRC) collection of 3,782 accessions, and to characterize them using barley simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Twenty-five informative primer pairs were applied to screen all samples and 359 alleles were detected over seven barley chromosomes. Analyses of the SSR data showed the effectiveness of the stratified sampling applied in capturing country-wise SSR variation. The frequencies of polymorphic alleles ranged from 0.004 to 0.708 and averaged 0.072. More than 24% or 7% SSR variation resided among accessions of 16 countries or two regions, respectively. Accessions from Israel and Jordan were genetically most diverse, while accessions from Lebanon and Greece were most differentiated. Four and five optimal clusters of accessions were obtained using STRUCTURE and BAPS programs and partitioned 16.3% and 20.3% SSR variations, respectively. The five optimal clusters varied in size from 15 to 104 and two clusters had only country-specific accessions. A genetic separation was detected between the accessions east and west of the Zagros Mountains only at the country, not the individual, level. These SSR patterns enhance our understanding of the wild barley gene pool, and are significant for conserving wild barley germplasm and exploring new sources of useful genes for barley improvement.

Description: Assessing biodiversity and the spatial structures of forest ecosystems are important for forestry and nature conservation. However, tropical forests of Bangladesh are only sparsely investigated. Here we determined biodiversity (alpha, beta and gamma), spatial species turnover and stand characteristics of one of the few remnant tropical forests in Bangladesh. Two differently protected areas of Satchari forest were compared. We recorded tree species composition, in a systematic plot design, measured diameter at breast height for each individual tree (to assess basal area), and calculated decay in similarity of tree species composition with geographical distance. The distance-decay was assessed separately for the whole study area and for two subsamples from Satchari National Park and Satchari Reserve Forest. Satchari National Park (strictly protected) had, despite its smaller area, a higher Alpha and Gamma diversity, but a lower Beta diversity than Satchari Reserve Forest. Variation in species composition was not significant between the two differently protected areas. Basal area increased significantly with protection status although tree individuals were of equal size in both areas. Plots in the Reserve Forest were associated with higher species turnover than in the National Park. We suggest anthropogenic disturbance, which occurs in the less strictly protected Reserve Forest, is the main driver for the detected spatial heterogeneity in species composition.

Description: Coral reef ecosystems are increasingly subject to severe, large-scale disturbances caused by climate change (e.g., coral bleaching) and other more direct anthropogenic impacts. Many of these disturbances cause coral loss and corresponding changes in habitat structure, which has further important effects on abundance and diversity of coral reef fishes. Declines in the abundance and diversity of coral reef fishes are of considerable concern, given the potential loss of ecosystem function. This study explored the effects of coral loss, recorded in studies conducted throughout the world, on the diversity of fishes and also on individual responses of fishes within different functional groups. Extensive (〉60%) coral loss almost invariably led to declines in fish diversity. Moreover, most fishes declined in abundance following acute disturbances that caused 〉10% declines in local coral cover. Response diversity, which is considered critical in maintaining ecosystem function and promoting resilience, was very low for corallivores, but was much higher for herbivores, omnivores and carnivores. Sustained and ongoing climate change thus poses a significant threat to coral reef ecosystems and diversity hotspots are no less susceptible to projected changes in diversity and function.

Description: Adaptation of reef corals to climate change is an issue of much debate, and often viewed as too slow a process to be of relevance over decadal time scales. This notion is based on the long sexual generation times typical for some coral species. However, the importance of somatic mutations during asexual reproduction and growth on evolution and adaptation (i.e., cell lineage selection) is rarely considered. Here we review the existing literature on cell lineage selection and show that the scope for somatic mutations to arise in the coral animal and associated Symbiodinium is large. For example, we estimate that ~100 million somatic mutations can arise within a branching Acropora coral colony of average size. Similarly, the large population sizes and rapid turn-over times of in hospite Symbiodinium likely result in considerable numbers of somatic mutations. While the fate of new mutations depends on many factors, including ploidy level and force and direction of selection, we argue that they likely play a key role in the evolution of reef corals.

Description: The co-occurrence of cryptic species of Hyalella amphipods is a challenge to our traditional views of how species assemble. Since these species have similar morphologies, it is not evident that they have developed phenotypic differences that would allow them to occupy different ecological niches. We examined the structure of a community of Hyalella amphipods in the littoral zone of a boreal lake to verify if temporal variation was present in relative abundances. Morphological and molecular analyses using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene enabled us to detect three cryptic species at the study site. No temporal variation was observed in the community, as one cryptic species was always more abundant than the two others. The relative abundances of each species in the community appeared constant at least for the open-water season, both for adult and juvenile amphipods. Niche differences are still to be found among these species, but it is suggested that migration from nearby sites may be an important factor explaining the species co-occurrence.

Description: Symbioses between microbes and higher organisms underpin high diversity in many ecosystems, including coral reefs, however mechanisms underlying the early establishment of symbioses remain unclear. Here we examine the roles of Symbiodinium type and cell surface recognition in the establishment of algal endosymbiosis in the reef-building coral, Acropora tenuis. We found 20–70% higher infection success (proportion of larvae infected) and five-fold higher Symbiodinium abundance in larvae exposed to ITS-1 type C1 compared to ITS-1 type D in the first 96 h following exposure. The highest abundance of Symbiodinium within larvae occurred when C1-type cells were treated with enzymes that modified the 40–100 kD glycome, including glycoproteins and long chain starch residues. Our finding of declining densities of Symbiodinium C1 through time in the presence of intact cell surface molecules supports a role for cell surface recognition molecules in controlling post-phagocytosis processes, leading to rejection of some Symbiodinium types in early ontogeny. Reductions in the densities of unmodified C1 symbionts after 96 h, in contrast to increases in D symbionts may suggest the early initiation of a winnowing process contributing to the establishment of Symbiodinium D as the dominant type in one-month old juveniles of A. tenuis.

Description: Hairy prairie-clover [Dalea villosa (Nutt.) Spreng. var. villosa] is a threatened Canadian wildflower. To facilitate the efforts of conserving this threatened plant, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique was applied to assess genetic diversity in a remnant hairy prairie-clover population in the Canadian Prairie. Three AFLP primer pairs were employed to genotype 610 individual plants from the population and 15 plants from a North Dakota composite population, and 100 polymorphic AFLP bands were analyzed. The assayed plants displayed 23% AFLP variation present between the remnant population and the North Dakota composite population, but maintained a high level (91%) of AFLP variation within patches of the remnant population. The individual genetic distinctiveness measured by average AFLP dissimilarity was positively associated with latitude and negatively with elevation. The among-patch AFLP variation was significantly related to inter-patch distance, indicating local genetic differentiation within the remnant population. However, the proportions of within-patch AFLP variation were not associated with any patch characteristics assessed (i.e., patch size, perimeter, nearest neighbor distance, mean inter-patch distance). No fine-scale genetic structure was found within three large patches, suggesting little genetic correlations present for plants five meters apart. Some genetically distinctive and diverse patches were also identified. These findings indicate that the genetic risk of the remnant hairy prairie-clover population in the Canadian Prairie is low.

Description: Landscape scale conservation planning efforts have been in place for the past several decades to maintain biodiversity. Objectives of past efforts have been to identify areas to create reserves based on species diversity, land ownership, and landscape context. Risk analysis has not often been included in these spatial analyses. Datasets such as the Southwest Regional Gap Analysis (SWReGAP) are now available as are processes that allow risk analysis to be viewed in a spatial context in relations to factors that affect habitats over broad scales. We describe a method to include four spatial datasets to provide coarse scale delineation on areas to focus conservation including species numbers, key habitats, land management and factors that influence habitats. We used the SWReGAP management status dataset to identify management categories for long-term intent of management for biodiversity. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish identified a set of 290 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). Species occurrences for these species were associated with hydrologic unit codes from the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). Key habitats were identified by using the SWReGAP land cover dataset and NHD derivatives. Factors that influence habitats were identified and scored for 89 land cover types and 23 aquatic habitats identified by the NMDGF. Our final model prioritizes landscapes that are within key habitats, have high numbers of terrestrial and aquatic Species of Greatest Conservation Need taxa, may be potentially altered by multiple effects that influence habitats, and lack long-term legally-binding management plans protecting them from anthropogenic degradation. Similar to other efforts, riparian and aquatic habitats were identified as the most important for conservation. This information may be displayed spatially, allowing land managers and decision makers to understand the ecological context where multiple effects of potential factors may influence some habitats greater than others, and repeat process with CWCS revisions.

Description: This article summarises the sometimes controversial contributions made by the different sciences to predict the path of ocean acidification impacts on the diversity of coral reefs during the present century. Although the seawater carbonate system has been known for a long time, the understanding of acidification impacts on marine biota is in its infancy. Most publications about ocean acidification are less than a decade old and over half are about coral reefs. Contributions from physiological studies, particularly of coral calcification, have covered such a wide spectrum of variables that no cohesive picture of the mechanisms involved has yet emerged. To date, these studies show that coral calcification varies with carbonate ion availability which, in turn controls aragonite saturation. They also reveal synergies between acidification and the better understood role of elevated temperature. Ecological studies are unlikely to reveal much detail except for the observations of the effects of carbon dioxide springs in reefs. Although ocean acidification events are not well constrained in the geological record, recent studies show that they are clearly linked to extinction events including four of the five greatest crises in the history of coral reefs. However, as ocean acidification is now occurring faster than at any know time in the past, future predictions based on past events are in unchartered waters. Pooled evidence to date indicates that ocean acidification will be severely affecting reefs by mid century and will have reduced them to ecologically collapsed carbonate platforms by the century’s end. This review concludes that most impacts will be synergistic and that the primary outcome will be a progressive reduction of species diversity correlated with habitat loss and widespread extinctions in most metazoan phyla.

Description: The paper describes rich, a new R package to perform species richness estimation and comparison. Species richness is the simplest surrogate for the more complex concept of species biodiversity. It is relatively easy to assess although estimations strongly depend on sampling intensity with the consequence that richness estimations should be standardized to perform valid comparisons. The R package rich allows such corrections as well as the computation of various statistics and implements different randomization tests to compare cumulative and average species richness of two communities. These tests are useful for ranking sites or communities which is a classical goal in restoration ecology and conservation biology.

Description: Written for anyone interested in green development—including policy makers, architects, developers, builders, and homeowners—this practical guide focuses on the central question of how to conserve biodiversity in neighborhoods and to minimize development impacts on surrounding habitats. The Green Leap specifically helps move green development beyond the design stage by thoroughly addressing construction and post-construction issues. [...]

Description: In forest ecosystems, fungal mats are functionally important in nutrient and water uptake in litter and wood decomposition processes, in carbon resource allocation, soil weathering and in cycling of soil resources. Fungal mats can occur abundantly in forests and are widely distributed globally. We sampled ponderosa pine/white fir and mountain hemlock/noble fir communities at Crater Lake National Park for mat-forming soil fungi. Fungus collections were identified by DNA sequencing. Thirty-eight mat-forming genotypes were identified; members of the five most common genera (Gautieria, Lepiota, Piloderma, Ramaria, and Rhizopogon) comprised 67% of all collections. The mycorrhizal genera Alpova and Lactarius are newly identified as ectomycorrhizal mat-forming taxa, as are the saprotrophic genera Flavoscypha, Gastropila, Lepiota and Xenasmatella. Twelve typical mat forms are illustrated, representing both ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi that were found. Abundance of fungal mats was correlated with higher soil carbon to nitrogen ratios, fine woody debris and needle litter mass in both forest ecotypes. Definitions of fungal mats are discussed, along with some of the challenges in defining what comprises a fungal “mat”.

Description: Analysis was made of 3,923 records of 162 wild Passiflora specimens to assess the distribution of their diversity in Colombia, identify collection gaps, and explore their potential as indicator species. Despite variable collecting density among and within biogeographic regions, the Andean region clearly presents a higher species richness, particularly in the central coffee growing zone and the departments of Antioquia, Cundinamarca and Valle del Cauca. The elevational distribution of diversity shows a small peak below 500 m, and two higher ones between 1,000–2,000 and 2,500–3,000 m. This pattern corresponds to divergent adaptive trends among infrageneric divisions. The analysis on 19 climatic variables showed that the two principal variance components, explaining 77 percent of the total, are respectively associated with temperature and precipitation, without influence of seasonality. Distribution parameters allow recognizing more than 36 narrow endemics. Prediction of species distribution showed nine areas with very high richness (predicted sympatry of 41 to 54 species) in the Andean region, three of which correspond to collection gaps. Endemics were not particularly frequent there, so a prioritization of protected areas based on species richness would not favor their conservation. The sites with high Passiflora diversity are poorly represented in the current system of protected areas. Instead, their striking correspondence with ecotopes of the coffee growing zone imposes a conservation strategy integrating agricultural and environmental management at the landscape level. Reciprocally, several traits of Passiflora species make them particularly suited as indicators for any effort of conservation or restoration in this region of importance for the country.

Description: Public participation is a key element in nature conservation in Europe and a necessity for collecting broad scale data on biodiversity and its dynamics. However, vast societal differences exist between eastern and western European countries, resulting in problems for public participation in post-communist states as compared to western countries. Here, we compare diversity in monitoring practices and public participation in countries with different political histories. Drawing on in-depth ethnographic studies conducted in Lithuania and Poland, as well as a rapid assessment in Denmark, we have focused on the historical, cultural and social determinants of the volunteers’ participation in biodiversity monitoring. Our results indicate the reasons why volunteer involvement—as an expression of a participatory approach—has a lower incidence in the post-communist countries, compared to voluntarism common in occidental democracies. We discuss our results in the context of the main social factors considered to be a legacy of the Soviet regime.

Description: Humans harbor distinct commensal microbiota at various anatomic sites. There has been renewed interest in the contributions of microbiota activities to human health and disease. The microbiota of the gut is the most complex of all anatomic sites in terms of total numbers of bacteria that interact closely with the mucosal immune system and contribute various functions to host physiology. Especially in the proximal large intestine a diverse microbiota ferments complex substrates such as dietary fiber and host mucins, but also metabolizes bile acids and phytoestrogens that reach the large intestine. It is now well established that microbiota composition differs between but over time also within individuals. However, a thorough understanding of the sources of variations in microbiota composition, which is an important requirement for large population based microbiota studies is lacking. Microbiota composition varies depending on what kind of sample is collected, most commonly stool samples, stool swabs or superficial rectal or intestinal biopsies, and the time of collection. Microbiota dynamics are affected by life style factors including diet and exercise that determine what nutrients reach the proximal colon and how fast these nutrients pass through (transit time). Here we review sample collection issues in gut microbiota studies and recent findings about dynamics in microbiota composition. We recommend standardizing human microbiota analysis methods to facilitate comparison and pooling between studies. Finally, we outline a need for prospective microbiota studies in large human cohorts.

Description: Intense conversion of bottomland hardwood forests to rice and soybeans in the Mississippi River Valley of Arkansas has restricted the remaining forest to isolated fragments. Habitat fragmentation has proven to be detrimental to population sustainability of several species, and is the subject of intense study with often species and latitude specific responses. We compared both coarse land area classes and landscape fragmentation metrics from six 30 km × 30 km subsets centered on publicly owned management areas to bat captures obtained from a 2005 population study. Patch density was the strongest predictor of total captures (R2 = 0.801, p = 0.016) and of Myotis austroriparius captures (R2 = 0.856, p = 0.008). Our findings indicate that patch density and area are important predictors of bottomland bat captures.

Description: The high level of conservation of 16S ribosomal RNA gene (16S rRNA) in all Prokaryotes makes this gene an ideal tool for the rapid identification and classification of these microorganisms. Databases such as the Ribosomal Database Project II (RDP-II) and the Greengenes Project offer access to sets of ribosomal RNA sequence databases useful in identification of microbes in a culture-independent analysis of microbial communities. However, these databases do not contain all of the taxonomic levels attached to the published names of the bacterial and archaeal sequences. TaxCollector is a set of scripts developed in Python language that attaches taxonomic information to all 16S rRNA sequences in the RDP-II and Greengenes databases. These modified databases are referred to as TaxCollector databases, which when used in conjunction with BLAST allow for rapid classification of sequences from any environmental or clinical source at six different taxonomic levels, from domain to species. The TaxCollector database prepared from the RDP-II database is an important component of a new 16S rRNA pipeline called PANGEA. The usefulness of TaxCollector databases is demonstrated with two very different datasets obtained using samples from a clinical setting and an agricultural soil. The six TaxCollector scripts are freely available on http://taxcollector.sourceforge.net and on http://www.microgator.org.

Description: In western countries, one of the challenges facing ageing populations is an absence of social roles. One response to this is to volunteer, with evidence suggesting that this assigns meaning to the lives of older people and enhances health and well-being. This holds potential significance for older people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and particularly those from Asian cultures, where there is evidence that cultural erosion is diminishing older people’s traditional roles. However, while volunteering can create role identities for older people, it may also further challenge existing cultural values. This paper debates these issues, drawing on a growing body of evidence relating to volunteering within Asian cultures.

Description: This report is a review of some of the results obtained over the course of 20 years spent investigating hemoglobin phenotypes and the related functional effects on hematological patterns in ruminant breeds. Tests included qualitative and quantitative analyses of hemoglobins and qualitative and quantitative analyses of α and β globins, as well as hemochromocytometric analysis. Understanding the adaptive significance of the hemoglobin variants was the goal of most of these investigations. The advances presented in this review and the previously unpublished findings included here provide evidence that Mediterranean breeds exhibit a fair number of positively charged variants, whose possible adaptive significance is discussed.

Description: Although the Neotropics are recognized as a region rich in biological diversity, the origin, evolution, and maintenance of this phenomenon continues to be debated. Historical ecologists and landscape archaeologists point out that the Neotropics have a long, complex human history that may have been a key factor in the creation, shaping, and management of present day biodiversity. The construction of monumental earthworks referred to as ring ditches of the Bolivian Amazon and surrounding regions in late prehistory had considerable impact on the fauna, flora, soils, and topography of forest islands. Patterned landscape features, historical documents, energetics, and historical ecology are used to understand the transformation of forest islands into anthropogenic built environments.

Description: Variation in individual density may explain the unimodal richness-biomass relationship in which species richness peaks at an intermediate level of total biomass. However, it is unclear how individual density is regulated by community thinning (i.e., mortality due to competition with neighbors) as total above-ground biomass increases. We developed a simulation model which demonstrates that the spatial structure of a population can influence the initiation and rate of community thinning and thus the shape of the richness-biomass relationship. Specifically, we found that more clustered populations resulted in a more abrupt initiation and rapid rate of thinning and thus a sharper unimodal richness-biomass relationship. Our simulation also demonstrated that a wide diversity of richness-biomass relationships can be produced by community-thinning.

Description: We used near-term climate scenarios for the continental United States, to model 12 invasive plants species. We created three potential habitat suitability models for each species using maximum entropy modeling: (1) current; (2) 2020; and (3) 2035. Area under the curve values for the models ranged from 0.92 to 0.70, with 10 of the 12 being above 0.83 suggesting strong and predictable species-environment matching. Change in area between the current potential habitat and 2035 ranged from a potential habitat loss of about 217,000 km2, to a potential habitat gain of about 133,000 km2.

Description: Molecular analysis of the bacterial community structure associated with sludge processed by autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion (ATAD), was performed using a number of extraction and amplification procedures which differed in yield, integrity, ability to amplify extracted templates and specificity in recovering species present. Interference to PCR and qPCR amplification was observed due to chelation, nuclease activity and the presence of thermolabile components derived from the ATAD sludge. Addition of selected adjuvant restored the ability to amplify community DNA, derived from the thermophilic sludge, via a number of primer sets of ecological importance and various DNA polymerases. Resolution of community profiles by molecular techniques was also influenced by the ATAD sludge extraction procedure as demonstrated by PCR-DGGE profiling and comparison of taxonomic affiliations of the most predominant members within 16S rRNA gene libraries constructed from ATAD DNA extracted by different methods. Several modifications have been shown to be necessary to optimize the molecular analysis of the ATAD thermal niche which may have general applicability to diversity recovery from similar environments.

Description: Complex systems science has contributed to our understanding of ecology in important areas such as food webs, patch dynamics and population fluctuations. This has been achieved through the use of simple measures that can capture the difference between order and disorder and simple models with local interactions that can generate surprising behaviour at larger scales. However, close examination reveals that commonly applied definitions of complexity fail to accommodate some key features of ecological systems, a fact that will limit the contribution of complex systems science to ecology. We highlight these features of ecological complexity—such as diversity, cross-scale interactions, memory and environmental variability—that continue to challenge classical complex systems science. Further advances in these areas will be necessary before complex systems science can be widely applied to understand the dynamics of ecological systems.

Description: The southwestern highlands forests of Ethiopia are the origin of the coffee plant Coffea arabica. The production of coffee in this area is affected by tracheomycosis caused by a soil-born fungus Gibberella xylarioides. The use of endemic antagonistic strains of mycoparasitic Trichoderma species would be a nature conserving means to combat this disease. We have used molecular methods to reveal that the community of Trichoderma in the rhizosphere of C. arabica in its native forests is highly diverse and includes many putatively endemic species. Among others, the putative new species were particularly efficient to inhibit growth of G. xylarioides.

Description: A better knowledge of factors organizing crop genetic diversity in situ increases the efficiency of diversity analyses and conservation strategies, and requires collaboration between social and biological disciplines. Four areas of anthropology may contribute to our understanding of the impact of social factors on crop diversity: ethnobotany, cultural, cognitive and social anthropology. So far, most collaborative studies have been based on ethnobotanical methods, focusing on farmers’ individual motivations and actions, and overlooking the effects of farmer’s social organization per se. After reviewing common shortcomings in studies on sorghum and maize, this article analyzes how social anthropology, through the analysis of intermarriage, residence and seed inheritance practices, can contribute to studies on crop genetic diversity in situ. Crop varieties are thus considered social objects and socially based sampling strategies can be developed. Such an approach is justified because seed exchange is built upon trust and as such seed systems are embedded in a pre-existing social structure and centripetally oriented as a function of farmers’ social identity. The strong analogy between farmers’ cultural differentiation and crop genetic differentiation, both submitted to the same vertical transmission processes, allows proposing a common methodological framework for social anthropology and crop population genetics, where the classical interaction between genetic and environmental factors, G × E, is replaced by a three-way interaction G × E × S, where “S” stands for the social differentiation factors.

Description: While aboveground biomass and forest productivity can vary over abiotic gradients (e.g., temperature and moisture gradients), biotic factors such as biodiversity and tree species stand dominance can also strongly influence biomass accumulation. In this study we use a permanent plot network to assess variability in aboveground carbon (C) flux in forest tree annual aboveground biomass increment (ABI), tree aboveground net primary productivity (ANPPtree), and net soil CO2 efflux in relation to diversity of coniferous, deciduous, and a nitrogen (N)-fixing tree species (Alnus rubra). Four major findings arose: (1) overstory species richness and indices of diversity explained between one third and half of all variation in measured aboveground C flux, and diversity indices were the most robust models predicting measured aboveground C flux; (2) trends suggested decreases in annual tree biomass increment C with increasing stand dominance for four of the five most abundant tree species; (3) the presence of an N-fixing tree species (A. rubra) was not related to changes in aboveground C flux, was negatively related to soil CO2 efflux, and showed only a weak negative relationship with aboveground C pools; and (4) stands with higher overstory richness and diversity typically had higher soil CO2 efflux. Interestingly, presence of the N-fixing species was not correlated with soil inorganic N pools, and inorganic N pools were not correlated with any C flux or pool measure. We also did not detect any strong patterns between forest tree diversity and C pools, suggesting potential balancing of increased C flux both into and out of diverse forest stands. These data highlight variability in second-growth forests that may have implications for overstory community drivers of C dynamics.

Description: Micro-relief heterogeneity can lead to substantial variability in microclimate and hence niche opportunities on a small scale. We explored the relationship between plant species richness and small-scale heterogeneity of micro-relief on the subtropical island of La Palma, Canary Islands. Overall, we sampled 40 plots in laurel and pine forests at four altitudinal bands. Species richness was recorded separately for various growth forms (i.e., mosses, herbaceous and woody plants). Site conditions such as altitude, slope, aspect, and tree density were measured. Micro-relief heterogeneity was characterized by surface structure and a subsequently derived surface heterogeneity index. The effect of micro-relief heterogeneity on species richness was analysed by means of linear mixed effect models and variance partitioning. Effects of micro-relief heterogeneity on species richness varied considerably between growth forms. While moss richness was affected significantly by micro-relief heterogeneity, herbaceous and woody plants richness responded mainly to larger-scale site conditions such as aspect and tree density. Our results stress the importance of small-scale relief heterogeneity for the explanation of spatial patterns of species richness. This poses new challenges as small-scale heterogeneity is largely underrepresented, e.g. with regard to its application in species distribution models.

Description: Modern molecular ecology techniques were used to demonstrate the effects of plant genotype and environmental conditions prior to harvest on the spinach epiphytic bacterial community. Three cultivars of spinach with different leaf topographies were collected at three different periods during the fall growing season. Leaf surface topography had an effect on diversity and number of culturable bacteria on the phylloepiphtyic community of spinach. Savoy cultivars, which had larger surface area and more stomata and glandular trichomes, where bacterial aggregates were observed, featured more diverse communities with increased richness and larger bacterial populations compared to flat-leaved cultivars. Bacterial community richness was compared using denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), while abundance was quantified using 16s rRNA primers for major phyla. The most diverse communities, both in richness and abundance, were observed during the first sampling period, immediately following a period of rapid spinach growth. Exposure to lower air and soil temperatures and decreased precipitation resulted in significantly reduced bacterial population size and bacterial community richness in November and December. This study describes the effect of the plant characteristics and environmental conditions that affect spinach microbiota population size and diversity, which might have implications in the survival of food and plant bacterial pathogens.

Description: The decline of coral reefs in the Caribbean over the last 40 years has been attributed to multiple chronic stressors and episodic large-scale disturbances. This study assessed the resilience of coral communities in two different regions of the Florida Keys reef system between 1998 and 2002 following hurricane impacts and coral bleaching in 1998. Resilience was assessed from changes in coral abundance, diversity, disease, and bleaching prevalence in reefs near the remote off-shore islands of the Dry Tortugas compared to reefs near Key West, a center of high population density and anthropogenic influences. During the first assessment in spring 1998, Key West and Dry Tortugas coral communities had similar abundance, species diversity, and disease prevalence. Bleaching and disease significantly increased in all reef areas during the summer 1998 El Niño event, with Key West reefs exhibiting higher bleaching and disease prevalence and severity compared to Dry Tortugas. Acroporids and total coral abundance significantly declined in both regions during 1998 following mass-coral bleaching and hurricane impact, but remained reduced only on Key West reefs during the 5-year assessment. These results provide additional evidence that coral reef systems distant from anthropogenic influences may have greater resilience to large-scale disturbances.

Description: Urban environments pose special challenges to flora, including altered disturbance regimes, habitat fragmentation, and increased opportunity for invasion by non-native species. In addition, urban natural area represents most people’s contact with nature, given the majority of the world’s population currently live in cities. We used coefficients of conservatism (C-values), a system that ranks species based on perceived fidelity to remnant native plant communities that retain ecological integrity, to quantify habitat quality of 14 sites covering 850 ha within the city of Indianapolis, Indiana, in the Midwestern United States. All sites contained significant natural area and were inventoried via intensive complete censuses throughout one or two growing seasons within the last 15 years. Mean C-values for five sites were high, especially when compared to values reported for the highest quality preserves in central Indiana. However, for most sites the difference in mean C-value with and without non-natives was rather high, meaning that natural quality is likely to have been compromised by the presence of non-natives. Sites receiving the highest levels of stewardship and those with the least public access via trails had the highest mean native C-values. A total of 34 invasive non-native species were found across all 14 sites. Most were woody species. Mean C-value over all sites was significantly negatively correlated with the number of non-natives present, especially those considered invasive. These results demonstrate for the Indianapolis area, and likely other urbanized Midwestern cities, remnant natural areas can retain high ecological value, especially if they receive regular environmental stewardship.

Description: Widespread coral reef decline has included the decline of reef fish populations, and the subsistence and artisanal fisheries that depend on them. Overfishing and destructive fishing have been identified as the greatest local threats to coral reefs, but the greatest future threats are acidification and increases in mass coral bleaching caused by global warming. Some reefs have shifted from dominance by corals to macroalgae, in what are called “phase shifts”. Depletion of herbivores including fishes has been identified as a contributor to such phase shifts, though nutrients are also involved in complex interactions with herbivory and competition. The depletion of herbivorous fishes implies a reduction of the resilience of coral reefs to the looming threat of mass coral mortality from bleaching, since mass coral deaths are likely to be followed by mass macroalgal blooms on the newly exposed dead substrates. Conventional stock assessment of each fish species would be the preferred option for understanding the status of the reef fishes, but this is far too expensive to be practical because of the high diversity of the fishery and poverty where most reefs are located. In addition, stock assessment models and fisheries in general assume density dependent populations, but a key prediction that stocks recover from fishing is not always confirmed. Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) has far too many weaknesses to be a useful method. The ratio of catch to stock and the proportion of catch that is mature depend on fish catch data, and are heavily biased toward stocks that are in good condition and incapable of finding species that are in the worst condition. Near-pristine reefs give us a reality check about just how much we have lost. Common fisheries management tools that control effort or catch are often prohibitively difficult to enforce for most coral reefs except in developed countries. Ecosystem-based management requires management of impacts of fishing on the ecosystem, but also vice versa. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been a favorite management tool, since they require little information. MPAs are excellent conservation and precautionary tools, but address only fishing threats, and may be modest fisheries management tools, which are often chosen because they appear to be the only feasible alternative. “Dataless management” is based on qualitative information from traditional ecological knowledge and/or science, is sufficient for successful reef fisheries management, and is very inexpensive and practical, but requires either customary marine tenure or strong governmental leadership. Customary marine tenure has high social acceptance and compliance and may work fairly well for fisheries management and conservation where it is still strong.

Description: Symbiotic nitrogen fixation is one of the major pathways of N input to forest ecosystems, enriching N availability, particularly in lowland tropics. Recently there is growing concern regarding the wide areas of fast-growing leguminous plantations that could alter global N2O emissions. Here, we highlight substantially different N and phosphorus utilization and cycling at a plantation of Acacia mangium, which is N2-fixing and one of the major plantation species in tropical/subtropical Asia. The litterfall, fresh leaf quality and fine-root ingrowth of A. mangium were compared to those of non-N2-fixing Swietenia macrophylla and coniferous Araucaria cunninghamii in wet tropical climates in Borneo, Malaysia. The N and P concentrations of the A. mangium fresh leaves were higher than those of the other two species, whereas the P concentration in the leaf-litterfall of A. mangium was less than half that of the others; in contrast the N concentration was higher. The N:P ratio in the A. mangium leaf was markedly increased from fresh-leaf (29) to leaf-litterfall (81). Although the N flux in the total litterfall at the A. mangium plantation was large, the fine-root ingrowth of A. mangium significantly increased by applying both N and P. In conclusion, large quantities of N were accumulated and returned to the forest floor in A. mangium plantation, while its P resorption capacity was efficient. Such large N cycling and restricted P cycling in wide areas of monoculture A. mangium plantations may alter N and P cycling and their balance in the organic layer and soil on a stand level.

Description: To analyze the impact of management choices on diversity in Pyrenean forests, we selected two ecological indicators: springtails; indicators of long-term responses to perturbation, and moths; which respond quickly to changes in their environment. Our data show that monoculture has a short-term impact on overall diversity and richness of species but with a relative resilience capacity of the forest ecosystem. More precisely, real impacts are visible on dynamics and abundances of certain species, depending on the vertical distribution of the biota and on the composition of soil and forest floor.

Description: The ongoing climate warming has been reported to affect a broad range of organisms, and mountain ecosystems are considered to be particularly sensitive because they are limited by low temperatures. Meteorological data show an increased temperature for the alpine areas at Dovrefjell, Norway, causing a prolonged growing season and increased temperature sum. As part of the worldwide project Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA), the short-term changes in vascular plant species richness, species composition of lichen and vascular plant communities, and abundance of single species were studied at four summits representing an altitudinal gradient from the low alpine to the high alpine zone. During the period from 2001 to 2008, an increase in species richness at the lowest summit, as well as a change in the composition of vascular plant communities, was found at the two lowest summits. The results also indicate an increase in abundance of some shrubs and graminoids and a decline in the cover of some species of lichens at the lowest summit. These changes are in accordance with climate induced changes reported in other studies, but other causes for the observed vegetation changes, in particular changes in grazing and trampling pressure, cannot be ruled out.

Description: Form and function of mycorrhizas as well as tracing the presence of the mycorrhizal fungi through the geological time scale are herein first addressed. Then mycorrhizas and plant fitness, succession, mycorrhizas and ecosystem function, and mycorrhizal resiliency are introduced. From this, four hypotheses are drawn: (1) mycorrhizal diversity evolved in response to changes in Global Climate Change (GCC) environmental drivers, (2) mycorrhizal diversity will be modified by present changes in GCC environmental drivers, (3) mycorrhizal changes in response to ecological drivers of GCC will in turn modify plant, community, and ecosystem responses to the same, and (4) Mycorrhizas will continue to evolve in response to present and future changes in GCC factors. The drivers of climate change examined here are: CO2 enrichment, temperature rise, altered precipitation, increased N-deposition, habitat fragmentation, and biotic invasion increase. These impact the soil-rhizosphere, plant and fungal physiology and/or ecosystem(s) directly and indirectly. Direct effects include changes in resource availability and change in distribution of mycorrhizas. Indirect effects include changes in below ground allocation of C to roots and changes in plant species distribution. GCC ecological drivers have been partitioned into four putative time frames: (1) Immediate (1–2 years) impacts, associated with ecosystem fragmentation and habitat loss realized through loss of plant-hosts and disturbance of the soil; (2) Short-term (3–10 year) impacts, resultant of biotic invasions of exotic mycorrhizal fungi, plants and pests, diseases and other abiotic perturbations; (3) Intermediate-term (11–20 year) impacts, of cumulative and additive effects of increased N (and S) deposition, soil acidification and other pollutants; and (4) Long-term (21–50+ year) impacts, where increased temperatures and CO2 will destabilize global rainfall patterns, soil properties and plant ecosystem resilience. Due to dependence on their host for C-supply, orchid mycorrhizas and all heterotrophic mycorrhizal groups will be immediately impacted through loss of habitat and plant-hosts. Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) associations will be the principal group subject to short-term impacts, along with Ericoid mycorrhizas occurring in high altitude or high latitude ecosystems. This is due to susceptibility (low buffer capacity of soils) of many of the ECM systems and that GCC is accentuated at high latitudes and altitudes. Vulnerable mycorrhizal types subject to intermediate-term GCC changes include highly specialized ECM species associated with forest ecosystems and finally arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) associated with grassland ecosystems. Although the soils of grasslands are generally well buffered, the soils of arid lands are highly buffered and will resist even fairly long term GCC impacts, and thus these arid, largely AM systems will be the least affect by GCC. Once there are major perturbations to the global hydrological cycle that change rainfall patterns and seasonal distributions, no aspect of the global mycorrhizal diversity will remain unaffected.

Description: Forty-five Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis (Xaj) strains originating from Juglans regia cultivation in different countries were molecularly typed by means of MultiLocus Sequence Typing (MLST), using acnB, gapA, gyrB and rpoD gene fragments. A total of 2.5 kilobases was used to infer the phylogenetic relationship among the strains and possible recombination events. Haplotype diversity, linkage disequilibrium analysis, selection tests, gene flow estimates and codon adaptation index were also assessed. The dendrograms built by maximum likelihood with concatenated nucleotide and amino acid sequences revealed two major and two minor phylotypes. The same haplotype was found in strains originating from different continents, and different haplotypes were found in strains isolated in the same year from the same location. A recombination breakpoint was detected within the rpoD gene fragment. At the pathovar level, the Xaj populations studied here are clonal and under neutral selection. However, four Xaj strains isolated from walnut fruits with apical necrosis are under diversifying selection, suggesting a possible new adaptation. Gene flow estimates do not support the hypothesis of geographic isolation of the strains, even though the genetic diversity between the strains increases as the geographic distance between them increases. A triplet deletion, causing the absence of valine, was found in the rpoD fragment of all 45 Xaj strains when compared with X. axonopodis pv. citri strain 306. The codon adaptation index was high in all four genes studied, indicating a relevant metabolic activity.

Description: This article re-examines recent studies that link different forms of social diversity—ethnic polarization and fractionalization—to underdevelopment and an increased risk of civil war. We review theoretical arguments in favor of a connection between diversity and these social outcomes and discuss the inter-linkage between economic growth and internal conflict in situations of extreme diversity. Our analysis confirms that the relationship between ethnic polarization and civil war is ambiguous and depends on the use of civil war incidence or civil war onset as an outcome variable. Furthermore, fractionalization rather than polarization seems to be negatively related to economic growth.

Description: Telomeres are specialized nucleoprotein structures that have two important functions: (i) protection of the chromosomal ends from deleterious events such as chromosome fusion and degradation; (ii) counteraction of the “end replication problem” by allowing telomerase-dependent or, more rarely, telomerase-independent telomere elongation. The DNA sequences underlying these activities are short simple tandem repeats, which in vertebrate consist of a variable number of TTAGGG. Telomeres dysfunction may be caused either by the absence of telomerase activity or by mutations in telomeric proteins involved in telomere length and structure regulation. Additionally, increasing experimental evidence suggests that telomeres take part in the complex network regulating cell proliferation. Accordingly, telomeres are involved in biological process such as aging and tumor progression. In this study we determined the telomere length in two bovine Italian cattle breeds, Chianina and Maremmana, which are characterized by high longevity and range breeding. In order to account for possible variation among different tissues, we have determined telomere length in different organs such as spleen, lung and liver. Overall, the median telomere length was significant lower in Chianina (11 ± 0.69 kb) than in Maremmana (12.05 ± 1.57 kb). Moreover, telomere length variation among individuals was very low in Chianina but rather high in Maremmana. These data suggest that telomere length is influenced by the breeds. This hypothesis is confirmed by the different history of these Italian breeds. Indeed, Chianina has a long history and its size was maintained by the Breeders Association without necessity to crossbreed with other breeds, whereas the population of Maremmana underwent a dramatic shrinkage in the recent past. Therefore, breeders have crossed Maremmana with other breeds, like Charolais, and have relaxed the rules for the inclusion in the herd book.

Description: Tropical wetlands are the major natural source of methane released into the atmosphere, producing about 60% of all natural emissions. The great wetland areas of the Amazon basin are the largest source of methane in this region, contributing an estimated 5% of the total emissions from the world’s flooded areas. However, despite the important role that methanogenic archaea play in these environments, there have been few studies on the composition of their archaeal communities. In this survey, four 16S rRNA archaeal clone libraries from different depths were constructed to examine the archaeal community in an Amazon wetland soil. A total of 599 clones were used to perform diversity and phylogenetic analyses. A broad, diverse archaeal community was found at the site, with the diversity decreasing as the depth increased (Shannon index range: 2.40–1.94). Phylogenetic analysis revealed sequences belonging to two archaeal phyla, with 65% classified as Crenarchaeota and 35% classified as Euryarchaeota. Within the Euryarchaeota group, most sequences were clustered into the Methanococci and Methanomicrobia classes, two groups of methanogens. Based on the abundance of methanogenic organisms, culture–dependent isolation was used to isolate these organisms. To enhance the growth of methanogenic archaea, a modified atmosphere (H2:CO2 = 80:20) was established combined with an anoxic environment for 18 months. Among the isolates, the genera Methanosarcina and Methanobacterium were detected throughout the anaerobic in vitro cultivation, indicating a possible role for these organisms in methane production. In conclusion, these exploratory molecular and culture–dependent approaches enhance our understanding of the archaeal community and methanogenic archaea living in wetland soils of the eastern Amazon and their role in methane production.

Description: We review the application of molecular methods to estimate biodiversity in the marine environment. All of the methods reviewed here, which are at the forefront of molecular research, can be applied to all organisms in all habitats, but the case studies used to illustrate the points are derived from marine photosynthetic eukaryotic protists. It has been accepted that we know less than 10% of the identified diversity in the marine microbial world and the marine micro- and pico-eukaryotes are no exception. Even the species that we think we can easily recognize are often poorly described, and even less is known of their life histories and spatial and temporal trends in their abundance and distribution. With new molecular and analytical techniques, we can advance our knowledge of marine biodiversity at the species level to understand how marine biodiversity supports ecosystem structure, dynamics and resilience. Biogeochemical reactions performed by marine photosynthetic microbial organisms constitute a major sustaining component of ecosystem functioning, and therefore, affect climate changes. New interpretations of how environmental, ecological and evolutionary processes control and structure marine ecosystem biodiversity can be made so that we can augment our understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics in especially the pico- and nano-fractions of the plankton as well as in the deep sea benthos, both of which are very difficult to study without good analytical methods.

Description: Molecular-assisted alpha taxonomy has recently become an effective practice in reassessing biodiversity and floristics for a variety of different organisms. This paper presents a series of examples that have been drawn from biodiversity work being carried out on the marine red algae of Bermuda. Molecular sequencing of DNA from Bermuda samples has already begun to greatly alter the makeup of the flora as it was known just decades ago, and will help set a new database for future comparison as climate change affects species composition in the islands.

Description: Jatropha curcas L. (2n = 2x = 22) is becoming a popular non-food oleaginous crop in several developed countries due to its proposed value in the biopharmaceutical industry. Despite the potentials of its oil-rich seeds as a renewable source of biodiesel and an interest in large-scale cultivation, relatively little is known with respect to plant reproduction strategies and population dynamics. Here, genomic DNA markers and FCSS analyses were performed to gain insights into ploidy variation and heterozygosity levels of multiple accessions, and genomic relationships among commercial varieties of Jatropha grown in different geographical areas. The determination of ploidy and the differentiation of either pseudogamous or autonomous apomixis from sexuality were based on the seed DNA contents of embryo and endosperm. The presence of only a high 2C embryo peak and a smaller 3C endosperm peak (ratio 2:3) is consistent with an obligate sexual reproductive system. Because of the lack of either 4C or 5C endosperm DNA estimates, the occurrence of gametophytic apomixis seems unlikely in this species but adventitious embryony cannot be ruled out. The investigation of genetic variation within and between cultivated populations was carried out using dominant RAPD and Inter-SSR markers, and codominant SSR markers. Nei’s genetic diversity, corresponding to the expected heterozygosity, was equal to He = 0.3491 and the fixation index as low as Fst = 0.2042. The main finding is that seeds commercialized worldwide include a few closely related genotypes, which are not representative of the original Mexican gene pool, revealing high degrees of homozygosity for single varieties and very low genetic diversity between varieties.