delta C-13 and delta N-15 reveal significant differences in the coastal foodwebs of the seas surrounding Trinidad and Tobago

This study assessed nearshore, marine ecosystem function around Trinidad and Tobago (TT). The coastline of TT is highly complex, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Paria and the Columbus Channel, and subject to local terrestrial runoff and regional riverine inputs (e.g. the Orinoco and Amazon rivers). Coastal organisms can assimilate energy from allochthonous and autochthonous Sources, We assessed whether stable isotopes delta C-13 and delta N-15 Could be used to provide a rapid assessment of trophic interactions in primary consumers around the islands. Filter-feeding (bivalves and barnacles) and grazing organisms (gastropods and chitons) were collected from 40 marine sites during the wet season. The flesh of organisms was analysed for delta C-13 and delta N-15. Results indicate significant variation in primary consumers (by feeding guild and sampling zone). This variation was linked to different energy Sources being assimilated by consumers. Results suggest that offshore production is fuelling intertidal foodwebs; for example, a depleted delta C-13 signature in grazers from the Gulf of Paria, Columbus Channel and the Caribbean and Atlantic coastline of 9 Tobago indicates that carbon with an offshore origin (e.g. phytoplankton and dissolved organic matter) is more important than benthic or littoral algae (luring the wet season. Results also confirm findings from other studies indicating that much of the coastline is subject to Cultural eutrophication. This Study revealed that ecosystem function is spatially variable around the coastline of TT, This has clear implications for marine resource management, as a single management approach is unlikely to be successful at a national level.

Hapten synthesis and antibody production for the development of a melamine immunoassay

The incorporation of melamine into food products is banned but its misuse has been widely reported in both animal feeds and food. The development of a rapid screening immunoassay for monitoring of the substance is an urgent requirement. Two haptens of melamine were synthesized by introducing spacer arms of different lengths and structures on the triazine ring of the analyte molecular structure. 6-Aminocaproic acid and 3-mercaptopropionic acid were reacted with 2-chloro-4,6-diamino-1,3,5-triazine (CAAT) to produce hapten 1[3-(4,6-diamino-1,6-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-ylamino) hexanoic acid] and hapten 2[3-(4,6-diamino-1,6-dihydro-1,3,5-triazin-2-ylthio) propanoic acid]. respectively. The molecular structures of the two haptens were identified by I H nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry, mass spectrometry and infrared spectrometry. An immunogen was prepared by coupling hapten 1 to bovine serum albumin (BSA). Two plate coating antigens were prepared by coupling both haptens to egg ovalbumin (OVA). A competitive indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ciELISA) was developed to evaluate homogeneous and heterogeneous assay formats. The results showed that polyclonal antibodies with high titers were obtained, and the heterogeneous immunoassay format demonstrated a better performance with an IC50 of 70.6 ng mL(-1), a LOD of 2.6 ng mL(-1) and a LOQ of 7.6 ng mL(-1). Except for cyromazine, no obvious cross-reactivity to common compounds was found. The data showed that the hapten synthesis was successful and the resultant antisera could be used in an immunoassay for the rapid and sensitive detection of this banned chemical. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Production and characterization of specific antibodies for evaluation of glycated insulin in plasma and biological tissues

Previous studies have shown that glycation of insulin occurs in pancreatic beta -cells under conditions of hyperglycaemia and that the site of glycation is the N-terminal Phe(1) of the insulin B-chain. To enable evaluation of glycated insulin in diabetes, specific antibodies were raised in rabbits and guinea-pigs by using two synthetic peptides (A: Phe-Val-Asn-Gln-His-Leu-Cys-Tyr, and B: Phe-Val-Asn-Gln-His-Leu-Tyr-Lys) modified by N-terminal glycation and corresponding closely to the N-terminal sequence of the glycated human insulin B-chain. For immunization, the glycated peptides were conjugated either to keyhole limper haemocyanin or ovalbumin using glutaraldehyde, m-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester or 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylamino propyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride. Antibody titration curves, obtained using I-125-tyrosylated tracer prepared from glycated peptide A, revealed high-titre antisera in five groups of animals immunized for 8-28 weeks. The highest titres were observed in rabbits and guinea-pigs immunized with peptide B coupled to ovalbumin using glutaraldehyde. Under radioimmunoassay conditions, these antisera exhibited effective dose (median) (ED50) values for glycated insulin of 0.3-15 ng/ml and 0.9-2.5 ng/ml respectively, with negligible cross-reactivity against insulin or other islet peptides. The degree of cross-reaction with glycated proinsulin was approximately 50%. Glycated insulin in plasma of control and hydrocortisone-treated diabetic rats measured using rabbit 3 antiserum (1:10 000 dilution; sensitivity

Thermal conditions in nests of loggerhead turtles: further evidence suggesting female skewed sex ratios of hatchling production in the Mediterranean

Temperature was recorded in 23 nests of the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and control sites of nest depth at Alagadi (35 degrees 33'N, 33 degrees 47'E), Northern Cyprus, eastern Mediterranean. Control site sand temperature was found to be highly correlated with mean daily air temperature and mean nest temperature. Mean temperature in nests ranged from 29.5 degreesC to 33.2 degreesC, with mean temperature in the middle third of incubation ranging from 29.3 degreesC to 33.7 degreesC. Hatching success was significantly correlated with incubation temperature, with nests experiencing very high temperatures exhibiting low hatching success. All nests demonstrated regular diel variation in temperature with mean daily fluctuations ranging from 0.3 degreesC to 1.4 degreesC. Increase in temperature above that of the prevailing sand temperature attributed to metabolic heating was clearly demonstrated in 14 of 15 clutches, with the mean level of metabolic heating of all nests being 0.4 degreesC. However, the level of metabolic heating varied markedly throughout the incubation period with levels being significantly higher in the final third of incubation. Incubation duration was found to be significantly correlated to both the mean temperature of nests throughout the incubation period and during the middle third of incubation. The relationship between incubation duration and mean incubation temperature was used to estimate mean incubation temperatures at most major nesting sites throughout the Mediterranean from available data on incubation durations, showing that mean incubation temperature is likely to be above 29.0 degreesC at most sites in most seasons. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Comprehensive genomic screens identify a role for PLZF-RAR alpha as a positive regulator of cell proliferation via direct regulation of c-MYC

The t(11; 17)(q23;q21) translocation is associated with a retinoic acid (RA)-insensitive form of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), involving the production of reciprocal fusion proteins, promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger-retinoic acid receptor alpha (PLZF-RAR alpha) and RAR alpha-PLZF. Using a combination of chromatin immuno-precipitation promotor arrays (ChIP-chip) and gene expression profiling, we identify novel, direct target genes of PLZF-RAR alpha that tend to be repressed in APL compared with other myeloid leukemias, supporting the role of PLZF-RAR alpha as an aberrant repressor in APL. In primary murine hematopoietic progenitors, PLZF-RAR alpha promotes cell growth, and represses Dusp6 and Cdkn2d, while inducing c-Myc expression, consistent with its role in leukemogenesis. PLZF-RAR alpha binds to a region of the c-MYC promoter overlapping a functional PLZF site and antagonizes PLZF-mediated repression, suggesting that PLZF-RAR alpha may act as a dominant-negative version of PLZF by affecting the regulation of shared targets. RA induced the differentiation of PLZF-RAR alpha-transformed murine hematopoietic cells and reduced the frequency of clonogenic progenitors, concomitant with c-Myc down-regulation. Surviving RA-treated cells retained the ability to be replated and this was associated with sustained c-Myc expression and repression of Dusp6, suggesting a role for these genes in maintaining a self-renewal pathway triggered by PLZF-RAR alpha. (Blood. 2009; 114: 5499-5511)

Entanglement production by quantum error correction in the presence of correlated environment

We analyze the effect of a quantum error correcting code on the entanglement of encoded logical qubits in the presence of a dephasing interaction with a correlated environment. Such correlated reservoir introduces entanglement between physical qubits. We show that for short times the quantum error correction interprets such entanglement as errors and suppresses it. However, for longer time, although quantum error correction is no longer able to correct errors, it enhances the rate of entanglement production due to the interaction with the environment.

Altered Toll-like Receptor 2-mediated Endotoxin Tolerance Is Related to Diminished Interferon β Production

Induction of endotoxin tolerance leads to a reduced inflammatory response after repeated challenge by LPS and is important for resolution of inflammation and prevention of tissue damage. Enterobacterial LPS is recognized by the TLR4 signaling complex, whereas LPS of some non-enterobacterial organisms is capable of signaling independently of TLR4 utilizing TLR2-mediated signal transduction instead. In this study we report that Porphyromonas gingivalis LPS, a TLR2 agonist, fails to induce a fully endotoxin tolerant state in a human monocytic cell line (THP-1) and mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages. In contrast to significantly decreased production of human IL-8 and TNF-alpha and, in mice, keratinocyte-derived cytokine (KC), macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2), and TNF-alpha after repeated challenge with Escherichia coli LPS, cells repeatedly exposed to P. gingivalis LPS responded by producing less TNF-alpha but sustained elevated secretion of IL-8, KC, and MIP-2. Furthermore, in endotoxin-tolerant cells, production of IL-8 is controlled at the signaling level and correlates well with NF-kappa B activation, whereas TNF-alpha expression is blocked at the gene transcription level. Interferon beta plays an important role in attenuation of chemokine expression in endotoxin-tolerized cells as shown in interferon regulatory factor-3 knock-out mice. In addition, human gingival fibroblasts, commonly known not to display LPS tolerance, were found to be tolerant to repeated challenge by LPS if pretreated with interferon beta. The data suggest that the inability of the LPS-TLR2 complex to induce full endotoxin tolerance in monocytes/macrophages is related to diminished production of interferon beta and may partly explain the involvement of these LPS isoforms in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases.

Cultured responses: the production of social capital in faith based organisations

The theoretical concept of ‘social capital’ has been increasingly invoked in connection to religion by academics, policy makers, charities and Faith Based Organisations (FBOs). Drawing on the popularisation of the term by Robert Putnam, many in these groups have hailed the religious as one of the most productive generators of social capital in today’s societies. In this article, we examine this claim through ethnographic material relating to Faithworks, a national ‘movement’ of Christians who provide welfare services within their communities. We claim that to apply the term ‘social capital’ in a meaningful sociological manner to FBOs requires a return to Pierre Bourdieu’s use of the term in order to refuse to extricate it from the practices in which it is enmeshed.

Functional effect of the C242T polymorphism in the NAD(P)H oxidase p22phox gene on vascular superoxide production in atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND:

Increased superoxide anion production increases oxidative stress and reduces nitric oxide bioactivity in vascular disease states. NAD(P)H oxidase is an important source of superoxide in human blood vessels, and some studies suggest a possible association between polymorphisms in the NAD(P)H oxidase CYBA gene and atherosclerosis; however, no functional data address this hypothesis. We examined the relationships between the CYBA C242T polymorphism and direct measurements of superoxide production in human blood vessels.

METHODS AND RESULTS:

Vascular NAD(P)H oxidase activity was determined in human saphenous veins obtained from 110 patients with coronary artery disease and identified risk factors. Immunoblotting, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, and DNA sequencing showed that p22phox protein, mRNA, and 242C/T allelic variants are expressed in human blood vessels. Vascular superoxide production, both basal and NADH-stimulated, was highly variable between patients, but the presence of the CYBA 242T allele was associated with significantly reduced vascular NAD(P)H oxidase activity, independent of other clinical risk factors for atherosclerosis.

CONCLUSIONS:

Association of the CYBA 242T allele with reduced NAD(P)H oxidase activity in human blood vessels suggests that genetic variation in NAD(P)H oxidase components may play a significant role in modulating superoxide production in human atherosclerosis.

Production and Evaluation of Antibodies and Phage Display-Derived Peptide Ligands for Immunomagnetic Separation of Mycobacterium bovis

This study describes the development and optimization of an immunomagnetic separation (IMS) method to isolate Mycobacterium bovis cells from lymph node tissues. Gamma-irradiated whole M. bovis AF2122/97 cells and ethanol-extracted surface antigens of such cells were used to produce M. bovis-speci?c polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies in rabbits and mice. They were also used to generate M. bovis-speci?c peptide ligands by phage display biopanning. The various antibodies and peptide ligands obtained were used to coat MyOne tosyl-activated Dynabeads (Life Technologies), singly or in combination, and evaluated for IMS. Initially, M. bovis capture from Middlebrook 7H9 broth suspensions (concentration range, 10 to 10⁵ CFU/ml) was evaluated by IMS combined with an M. bovis-speci?c touchdown PCR. IMS-PCR results and, subsequently, IMS-culture results indicated that the beads with greatest immunocapture capability for M. bovis in broth were those coated simultaneously with a monoclonal antibody and a biotinylated 12-mer peptide. These dually coated beads exhibited minimal capture (mean of 0.36% recovery) of 12 other Mycobacterium spp. occasionally encountered in veterinary tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic laboratories. When the optimized IMS method was applied to various M. bovis-spiked lymph node matrices, it demonstrated excellent detection sensitivities (50% limits of detection of 3.16 and 57.7 CFU/ml of lymph node tissue homogenate for IMS-PCR and IMS-culture, respectively). The optimized IMS method therefore has the potential to improve isolation of M. bovis from lymph nodes and hence the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis.