An adaptive teosinte introgression modulates phosphatidylcholine levels and is associated with maize flowering time.

Native Americans domesticated maize ( ssp. ) from lowland teosinte ( ssp. in the warm Mexican southwest and brought it to the highlands of Mexico and South America where it was exposed to lower temperatures that imposed strong selection on flowering time.

Vitamin D deficiency promotes accumulation of bioactive lipids and increased endocannabinoid tone in zebrafish.

Vitamin D is well known for its traditional role in bone mineral homeostasis; however, recent evidence suggests that vitamin D also plays a significant role in metabolic control. This study served to investigate putative linkages between vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and metabolic disruption of bioactive lipids by MS imaging. Our approach employed infrared-matrix-assisted laser desorption electrospray ionization MS imaging for lipid metabolite profiling in 6-month-old zebrafish fed either a VDD or a vitamin D-sufficient (VDS) diet.

Dihydrodinophysistoxin-1 Produced by in the Gulf of Maine, USA and Its Accumulation in Shellfish.

Dihydrodinophysistoxin-1 (dihydro-DTX1, (M-H) 819.5), described previously from a marine sponge but never identified as to its biological source or described in shellfish, was detected in multiple species of commercial shellfish collected from the central coast of the Gulf of Maine, USA in 2016 and in 2018 during blooms of the dinoflagellate . Toxin screening by protein phosphatase inhibition (PPIA) first detected the presence of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning-like bioactivity; however, confirmatory analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) failed to detect okadaic acid (OA, (M-H) 803.

Microcystin Toxins at Potentially Hazardous Levels in Algal Dietary Supplements Revealed by a Combination of Bioassay, Immunoassay, and Mass Spectrometric Methods.

Microcystins (MCs) are hepatotoxic heptapeptides produced by cyanobacteria and are potent inhibitors of protein phosphatases in eukaryotic cells. Algae for dietary supplements are harvested from outdoor environments and can be contaminated with MCs. Monitoring of MCs in these products is necessary but is complicated by their structural diversity (>250 congeners).

Methods for Cryosectioning and Mass Spectrometry Imaging of Whole-Body Zebrafish.

The zebrafish () is an ideal model for whole animal studies of lipid metabolism and lipid-related disease. In this work, infrared matrix-assisted laser desorption electrospray ionization (IR-MALDESI) mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) was applied for direct visualization of lipid and metabolite distributions across various organs in whole-body zebrafish tissue sections. Detailed methods for overcoming the challenges of cryosectioning adult male zebrafish for MSI and complementary histological imaging are described.

Characterization of Dinophysis spp. (Dinophyceae, Dinophysiales) from the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

Due to the increasing prevalence of Dinophysis spp. and their toxins on every US coast in recent years, the need to identify and monitor for problematic Dinophysis populations has become apparent. Here, we present morphological analyses, using light and scanning electron microscopy, and rDNA sequence analysis, using a ~2-kb sequence of ribosomal ITS1, 5.

Elucidation and partial NMR assignment of monosulfated maitotoxins from the Caribbean.

Compounds similar to maitotoxin (MTX) have been isolated from several laboratory strains of the dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus spp. from the Caribbean. Mass spectral results suggest that these compounds differ from MTX by the loss of one sulfate group and, in some cases, the loss of one methyl group with the addition of one degree of unsaturation.

Evaluation of microcystin contamination in blue-green algal dietary supplements using a protein phosphatase inhibition-based test kit.

The cyanobacterium (AFA), from Upper-Klamath Lake, Oregon, are used to produce blue-green algal (BGA) dietary supplements. The periodic co-occurrence of hepatotoxin-producing contaminant species prompted the Oregon Health Division to establish a limit of 1 μg/g microcystin (MC) for products sold in Oregon in 1997. At the federal level, the current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations for dietary supplements require manufacturers establish a specification, and test, for limits on contaminants that may adulterate finished products.

Identification of Azadinium species and a new azaspiracid from Azadinium poporum in Puget Sound, Washington State, USA.

The identification of a new suite of toxins, called azaspiracids (AZA), as the cause of human illnesses after the consumption of shellfish from the Irish west coast in 1995, resulted in interest in understanding the global distribution of these toxins and of species of the small dinoflagellate genus Azadinium, known to produce them. Clonal isolates of four species of Azadinium, A. poporum, A.

Effects of a Proline Endopeptidase on the Detection and Quantitation of Gluten by Antibody-Based Methods during the Fermentation of a Model Sorghum Beer.

The effectiveness of a proline endopeptidase (PEP) in hydrolyzing gluten and its putative immunopathogenic sequences was examined using antibody-based methods and mass spectrometry (MS). Based on the results of the antibody-based methods, fermentation of wheat gluten containing sorghum beer resulted in a reduction in the detectable gluten concentration. The addition of PEP further reduced the gluten concentration.

Development and Validation of a Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for the Quantitation of Microcystins in Blue-Green Algal Dietary Supplements.

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous detection and quantitation of seven microcystin congeners (1-7) and nodularin-R (8) in blue-green algal dietary supplements. Single-laboratory method validation data were collected in four supplement matrices (capsule, liquid, powder, and tablet) fortified at toxin concentrations from 0.25-2.

Characterization of phosphatidylcholine oxidation products by MALDI MS(n).

Phospholipid oxidation has been implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of numerous age-related and neurodegenerative diseases. Despite these implications, this broad class of biomolecules remains poorly characterized. In this work, the fragmentation patterns of [M + H](+) and [M + Na](+) ions of intact phosphatidylcholine oxidation products (OxPCs) were characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI MS(n), n = 2, 3, and 4).

MALDI mass spectrometric imaging of cardiac tissue following myocardial infarction in a rat coronary artery ligation model.

Although acute myocardial infarction (MI) is consistently among the top causes of death in the United States, the spatial distribution of lipids and metabolites following MI remains to be elucidated. This work presents the investigation of an in vivo rat model of MI using mass spectrometric imaging (MSI) and multivariate data analysis. MSI was conducted on cardiac tissue following a 24-h left anterior descending coronary artery ligation to analyze multiple compound classes.

Enhanced analysis of steroids by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry using microwave-accelerated derivatization.

Derivatization of steroids is typically required before analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS); nevertheless, the derivatization process can often be time-consuming and irreproducible. Although several strategies have been employed to enhance this process, few have the potential of microwave-accelerated derivatization (MAD) to be more efficient than traditional thermal derivatization methods. MAD using a synthesis microwave system was evaluated and compared to traditional thermal derivatization methods in terms of yield, reproducibility, and overall analysis time.

Physical activity determinants in adults. Perceived benefits, barriers, and self efficacy.

The determinants of physical activity in adults were explored in this study. Explanatory variables included perceived benefits of and perceived barriers to physical activity, and perceived self efficacy for physical activity. Inactive participants were asked to identify barriers to activity, and active participants cited cues prompting them to adopt a physically active lifestyle.

Age-related losses of cognitive function and motor skills in mice are associated with oxidative protein damage in the brain.

The hypothesis that age-associated impairment of cognitive and motor functions is due to oxidative molecular damage was tested in the mouse. In a blind study, senescent mice (aged 22 months) were subjected to a battery of behavioral tests for motor and cognitive functions and subsequently assayed for oxidative molecular damage as assessed by protein carbonyl concentration in different regions of the brain. The degree of age-related impairment in each mouse was determined by comparison to a reference group of young mice (aged 4 months) tested concurrently on the behavioral battery.

Cardiovascular risk factors in textile workers: prevalence and intervention.

This study included 1,390 textile workers from a southern state who received a screening for risk factors for heart disease. Occupational health nurses then provided an education/counseling intervention and one or more American Heart Association pamphlets using the results of the screening. Over half of the workers had at least one modifiable risk factor for heart disease.