Associations of cigarette smoking with viral immune and cognitive function in human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive women.

Cigarette smoking alters the immune system and may improve cognitive deficits in neuropsychiatric disorders. Smoking prevalence is high in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients; however, its effect on HIV-associated cognitive impairment remains unknown in the era of antiretroviral treatment. The authors examined associations of smoking with viral immune profile and cognitive function in a cohort of HIV-seropositive women.

Biochemical changes after a qigong program: lipids, serum enzymes, urea, and creatinine in healthy subjects.

Background: The aim of the present study was to analyze the effects of a qigong training program on blood biochemical parameters.

Material/methods: Twenty-nine healthy subjects participated in the study of whom 16 were randomly assigned to the experimental group and 13 to the control. The experimental subjects underwent daily qigong training for one month.

Freeze-crack technique to study epidermal development in zebrafish using differential interference contrast microscopy and fluorescent markers.

The zebrafish is a model organism used to study organogenesis during vertebrate development; however epidermis development has been the focus of only a few studies. Thus, new methodologies to highlight and study epidermal cells could be valuable to deepen our understanding of skin development. Large-scale mutagenic screenings have already identified many zebrafish mutants, which are models for human developmental diseases, however only four epidermis mutants have been isolated.

FA2H is responsible for the formation of 2-hydroxy galactolipids in peripheral nervous system myelin.

Myelin in the mammalian nervous system has a high concentration of galactolipids [galactosylceramide (GalCer) and sulfatide] with 2-hydroxy fatty acids. We recently reported that fatty acid 2-hydroxylase (FA2H), encoded by the FA2H gene, is the major fatty acid 2-hydroxylase in the mouse brain. In this report, we show that FA2H also plays a major role in the formation of 2-hydroxy galactolipids in the peripheral nervous system.

The DEAD box RNA helicase VBH-1 is required for germ cell function in C. elegans.

Vasa and Belle are conserved DEAD box RNA helicases required for germ cell function. Homologs of this group of proteins in several species, including mammals, are able to complement a mutation in yeast (DED1) suggesting that their function is highly conserved. It has been proposed that these proteins are required for mRNA translation regulation, but their specific mechanism of action is still unknown.

Doxorubicin affects testicular lipids with long-chain (C18-C22) and very long-chain (C24-C32) polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Doxorubicin disrupts spermatogenesis by causing apoptosis of spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of this agent on adult rat testicular lipids and their fatty acids. A single dose (7.

Shear-stress dependence of dinoflagellate bioluminescence.

Fluid flow stimulates bioluminescence in dinoflagellates. However, many aspects of the cellular mechanotransduction are incompletely known. The objective of our study was to formally test the hypothesis that flow-stimulated dinoflagellate bioluminescence is dependent on shear stress, signifying that organisms are responding to the applied fluid force.

Isolation of a novel complex of the SWI/SNF family from Schizosaccharomyces pombe and its effects on in vitro transcription in nucleosome arrays.

The family of ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling factors plays a central role in eukaryotic transcriptional regulation. These complexes can alter the structure of chromatin by mechanisms that involve nucleosome sliding, dissociation, or replacement over a specific promoter. The SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex is required for transcriptional activation or repression in a subset of genes.

Effects of a single near-infrared laser treatment on cutaneous wound healing: biometrical and histological study in rats.

Background: Low intensity laser therapy has been recommended to support the cutaneous repair; however, so far studies do not have evaluated the tissue response following a single laser treatment. This study investigated the effect of a single laser irradiation on the healing of full-thickness skin lesions in rats.

Methods: Forty-eight male rats were randomly divided into three groups.

Changes in lipids containing long- and very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in cryptorchid rat testes.

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of experimental cryptorchidism on rat testicular phospholipids and neutral lipids that contain long-chain (C(18)-C(22)) and very long-chain (VLC) (C(24)-C(32)) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The weight of the cryptorchid testis was nearly half that of the contralateral control at postsurgical Days 7-10 owing to the depletion of germ cells. Concomitantly, the amounts of major glycerophospholipids (GPL) and sphingomyelin (SM) per testis decreased.

Ceramides and sphingomyelins with high proportions of very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in mammalian germ cells.

Very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLCPUFA) have previously been shown to be components of sphingomyelin (SM) of mammalian testis and spermatozoa. Here we examined the fatty acids of testicular ceramide (Cer) in comparison with those of SM in some mammals with a special focus on the rat testis. In bull, cat, dog, rabbit, mouse, and rat, VLCPUFA were found in both testicular lipids, Cer having a higher percentage of VLCPUFA than SM.

Very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are the major acyl groups of sphingomyelins and ceramides in the head of mammalian spermatozoa.

Very long-chain (C24 to C34) polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLCPUFA) are important constituents of sphingomyelin (SM) and ceramide (Cer) in testicular germ cells. In the present paper we focused on the SM and Cer and their fatty acids in spermatozoa and their main regions, heads and tails. In bull and ram spermatozoa, SM was the third most abundant phospholipid and VLCPUFA were the major acyl groups ( approximately 70%) of SM and Cer.

Anti-inflammatory activity of phenyl propanoids from Coreopsis mutica var. mutica.

The structures of three phenyl propanoids isolated from the aerial parts of Coreopsis mutica var. mutica were established by spectroscopic analysis as (-)-bornyl p-coumarate, (-)-bornyl ferulate, and (-)-bornyl caffeate. These compounds have been previously isolated from diverse sources.

Differential distribution of antibodies to different viruses in young animals in the free-ranging rhesus macaques of Cayo Santiago.

Background: The breeding colony of free-ranging rhesus macaques was established in 1938 in Cayo Santiago (CS) with animals collected in northern India. The seroprevalence to cercopithecine herpesvirus type 1 (B virus) and simian retroviruses has been studied previously.

Results: This is the first report on the seropositivity to different viruses using samples collected shortly after removing animals (n = 245) from CS.

The psychosocial stress-induced increase in salivary alpha-amylase is independent of saliva flow rate.

The stress response of salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) has been suggested as an index for sympathetic nervous system activation. However, concurrent inhibition of the parasympathetic nervous system is discussed as a confounder due to suppression of saliva flow rate. Here we set out to test the influence of stress-induced changes in flow rate on sAA secretion.

Sucrose esters from the fruits of Physalis nicandroides var. attenuata.

Three 2,3,1',3'-tetraacyl- and two 2,3,3'-triacylsucroses, nicandroses A-E (1-5), were isolated from the fruits of Physalis nicandroides var. attenuata. The acyl groups in these new compounds were identified as decanoyl, isobutyryl, 2-methylbutanoyl, and acetyl.

Prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus-associated cognitive impairment in a group of Hispanic women at risk for neurological impairment.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated cognitive impairment, a significant cause of morbidity, affects up to 30% of HIV-infected people. Its prevalence doubled as patients began to live longer after the introduction of highly active retroviral therapy. Women are now one of the fastest growing groups with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the United States and Puerto Rico, but relatively little is known about the prevalence and characteristics of cognitive dysfunction in HIV-infected women.

FA2H-dependent fatty acid 2-hydroxylation in postnatal mouse brain.

2-Hydroxy fatty acids are relatively minor species of membrane lipids found almost exclusively as N-acyl chains of sphingolipids. In mammals, 2-hydroxy sphingolipids are uniquely abundant in myelin galactosylceramide and sulfatide. Despite the well-documented abundance of 2-hydroxy galactolipids in the nervous system, the enzymatic process of the 2-hydroxylation is not fully understood.

Polystachyne F, a 5,10-seco-neoclerodane from Salvia polystachya.

A new 5,10-seco-neoclerodane diterpene, polystachyne F (1), was isolated from the aerial parts of Salvia polystachya. Its structure was established on the basis of its spectroscopic properties and X-ray crystallographic analysis. Some correlations in the NOESY spectrum of 1 suggested the existence of a conformational equilibrium.

Labdanes and withanolides from Physalis coztomatl.

Aerial parts of Physalis coztomatl afforded a new labdane diterpene, physacoztomatin (1), and five new withanolides, physacoztolides A-E (5-9). Six known compounds were also isolated. The structures of the new compounds were established after analyses of their spectroscopic data and by means of chemical transformations.

The zebrafish mutant vps18 as a model for vesicle-traffic related hypopigmentation diseases.

Hypopigmentation is a characteristic of several diseases associated with vesicle traffic defects, like the Hermansky-Pudlak, Chediak-Higashi, and Griscelli syndromes. Hypopigmentation is also a characteristic of the zebrafish mutant vps18(hi2499A), which is affected in the gene vps18, a component of the homotypic fusion and protein sorting complex that is involved in tethering during vesicular traffic. Vps18, as part of this complex, participates in the formation of early endosomes, late endosomes, and lysosomes.

Stress-induced germ cell apoptosis by a p53 independent pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans.

In Caenorhabditis elegans, several distinct apoptosis pathways have been characterized in the germline. The physiological pathway is though to eliminate excess germ cells during oogenesis to maintain gonad homeostasis and it is activated by unknown mechanisms. The DNA damage-induced germ cell apoptosis occurs in response to genotoxic agents and involves the proteins EGL-1 and CED-13, and the DNA damage response protein p53.

Membrane electrical activity elicits inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-dependent slow Ca2+ signals through a Gbetagamma/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase gamma pathway in skeletal myotubes.

Tetanic electrical stimulation of myotubes evokes a ryanodine receptor-related fast calcium signal, during the stimulation, followed by a phospholipase C/inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-dependent slow calcium signal few seconds after stimulus end. L-type calcium channels (Cav 1.1, dihydropyridine receptors) acting as voltage sensors activate an unknown signaling pathway involved in phospholipase C activation.

A prospective analysis of the incidence and risk factors associated with junctional ectopic tachycardia following surgery for congenital heart disease.

This study was designed to evaluate the incidence and risk factors associated with the occurrence of junctional ectopic tachycardia (JET) in patients after congenital heart surgery. We prospectively analyzed cardiac rhythm status in 336 consecutive patients undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease at our institution during a 1-year period. The incidence of JET was 8% (27/336).

Androstane and withanolides from Physalis cinerascens.

Two new withanolides, cinerolide and 24,25-dihydrowithanolide S, together with the new androstane, cinedione, and the known withanolides, visconolide, physalactone, withanolide S and 4beta-hydroxywithanolide E were isolated from the EtOAc extract of leaves, flowers and stems of Physalis cinerascens. The structures of these compounds were established by spectroscopic methods and that of cinerolide was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis.