Changes in lymphocyte subsets, interleukin 2, and soluble interleukin 2 receptor in old and very old age

In this study, the changes in some of the cellular components of the immune system and the activity of the cytokine interleukin 2, important for immune activation and lymphocyte proliferation, were measured in a large cross-sectional study of all age groups including octogenarian and nonagenarian subjects. In 206 apparently well community-living subjects, the absolute lymphocyte count and T and B cell numbers fell a little in old and very old subjects. Within the T cell compartment, helper/inducer CD4+ T cells, together with their subsets identified as 'naive' (CD4+/CD45RA+) and 'memory' (CD4+/CD45RO+) cells, also showed a decline with increased age. The suppressor/cytotoxic CD8+ subset showed no age-related change. The levels of the cytokine interleukin 2 were very low in octogenarian and nonagenarian subjects, while the soluble interleukin 2 receptor levels increased with increasing age. The interleukin 2 levels were associated with number and percentage of the 'memory' (CD4+/CD45RO+) subset of T cells which mediates the host response to previously met antigens. Since the interleukin 2 values were very low in the oldest groups and were associated with a reduced 'memory' (CD4+/CD45RO+) compartment, this suggests a possible mechanism of why the very elderly subject is more susceptible to morbidity and mortality from infectious or other agents.

Post-slaughter changes in ATP metabolites, Reducing and phosphorylated sugars in chicken meat

The formation of ATP breakdown products in chicken M. pectoralis major post-slaughter is reported. The concentrations of metabolites were followed in chicken breast throughout the carcass processing post-slaughter and during chilled storage. The concentration of glucose remains similar throughout the period whilst that of glucose-6-phosphate decreases linearly. Glucose and glucose-6-phosphate concentrations were inversely related to the pHu of the breast meat throughout chilled storage. Rapid post-mortem glycolysis and high pHu values suggest the occurrence of stress at and pre-slaughter. Whilst ATP, ADP and AMP were rapidly broken down, the concentration of IMP rose rapidly and remained high. Concentrations of inosine, ribose and hypoxanthine increased gradually post-slaughter but an initial increase in ribose phosphate was not sustained. Most of the potential ribose present in chicken meat, believed to be important for flavor formation, remains bound in the form of inosine and IMP. There is evidence that additional breakdown pathways for ribose and ribose-5-phosphate may deplete the concentrations of these precursors.

Protein kinase C{delta} deficiency accelerates neointimal lesions of mouse injured artery involving delayed reendothelialization and vasohibin-1 accumulation

To use protein kinase C (PKC) d-knockout mice to investigate the role of PKCd in lesion development and to understand the underlying mechanism of the vascular disease.

Integrated Earth Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and Multilevel Gas Sampling: A Tool to Map Geogenic and Anthropogenic Methane Accumulation on Brownfield Sites

Soil gas emissions of methane and carbon dioxide on brownfield sites are usually attributed to anthropogenic activities; however geogenic sources of soil gas are often not considered during site investigation and risk management strategies. This paper presents a field study at a redeveloped brownfield site on a flood plain to identify accumulations of methane biogas trapped in underlying sediments. The investigation is based on a multidisciplinary approach using direct multi-level sampling measurements and Earth resistivity tomography . Resistivity imaging was applied to evaluate the feasibility of identifying the size and spatial continuity of soil gas accumulations in anthropogenic and naturally occurring deposits. As a result, biogas accumulations are described within both anthropogenic deposits and pristine organic sediments. This result is important to identify the correct approaches to identify and manage risks associated with soil gas emissions on brownfield and pristine sites. The organic-rich sediments in Quaternary fluvial environments of São Paulo Basin in particular the Tietê River, biogas reservoirs can be generated and trapped beneath geogenic and anthropogenic layers, potentially requiring the management of brownfield developments across this region.

Nitrate and phosphate uptake characteristics of three species of brown algae cultured at low salinity.

Nitrate and phosphate uptake mechanisms have been characterised under conditions of 100 and 50% seawater in 3 common brown algae of NW Europe: Fucus vesiculosus, F. serratus and Laminaria digitata. Under low salinity, the growth rate and internal nitrate accumulation of F. serratus significantly increased (20 and 48%, respectively), but no significant changes were observed for F. vesiculosus and L. digitata. However, nitrate uptake rates were reduced in L. digitata, so that this species was less adaptable to low salinity than the Fucus species. Both F. vesiculosus and F. serratus reached a steady-state uptake rate after acclimation regardless of the salinity treatment. All 3 species had a high capacity for storing inorganic N and P intracellularly. The results for F. serratus pointed to a dual mechanism of adaptation to the special characteristics of the intertidal environment where it grows. Non-saturating (low affinity) nitrate uptake and biphasic (double Michaelis-Menten curve) phosphate uptake are adaptations to high nutrient concentrations. Temporal partition of cellular energy for carbon metabolism and nutrient uptake is also suggested as an adaptation to the transient nutrient inputs occurring in these environments.

Pathways Project Final Report Volume 1: Field Investigation and Catchment Conceptual Models

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Executive Summary
The Pathways Project field studies were targeted at improving the understanding of contaminant transport along different hydrological pathways in Irish catchments, including their associated impacts on water quality and river ecology. The contaminants of interest were phosphorus, nitrogen and sediment. The working Pathways conceptual model included overland flow, interflow, shallow groundwater flow, and deep groundwater flow. This research informed the development of a set of Catchment Management Support Tools (CMSTs) comprising an Exploratory Tool, Catchment Characterization Tool (CCT) and Catchment Modelling Tool (CMT) as outlined in Pathways Project Final Reports Volumes 3 and 4.
In order to inform the CMST, four suitable study catchments were selected following an extensive selection process, namely the Mattock catchment, Co. Louth/Meath; Gortinlieve catchment, Co. Donegal; Nuenna catchment, Co. Kilkenny and the Glen Burn catchment, Co. Down. The Nuenna catchment is well drained as it is underlain by a regionally important karstified limestone aquifer with permeable limestone tills and gravels, while the other three catchments are underlain by poorly productive aquifers and low permeability clayey tills, and are poorly drained.
All catchments were instrumented, and groundwater, surface and near-surface water and aquatic ecology were monitored for a period of two years. Intensive water quality sampling during rainfall events was used to investigate the pathways delivering nutrients. The proportion of flow along each pathway was determined using chemical and physical hydrograph separation techniques, supported by numerical modelling.
The outcome of the field studies broadly supported the use of the initial four-pathway conceptual model used in the Pathways CMT (time-variant model). The artificial drainage network was found to be a significant contributing pathway in the poorly drained catchments, at low flows and during peak flows in wet antecedent conditions. The transition zone (TZ), i.e. the broken up weathered zone at the top of the bedrock, was also found to be an important pathway. It was observed to operate in two contrasting hydrogeological scenarios: in groundwater discharge zones the TZ can be regarded as being part of the shallow groundwater pathway, whereas in groundwater recharge zones it behaves more like interflow.
In the catchments overlying poorly productive aquifers, only a few fractures or fracture zones were found to be hydraulically active and the TZ, where present, was the main groundwater pathway. In the karstified Nuenna catchment, the springs, which are linked to conduits as well as to a diffuse fracture network, delivered the majority of the flow. These findings confirm the two-component groundwater contribution from bedrock but suggest that the size and nature of the hydraulically active fractures and the nature of the TZ are the dominant factors at the scale of a stream flow event.
Diffuse sources of nitrate were found to be typically delivered via the subsurface pathways, especially in the TZ and land drains in the poorly productive aquifer catchments, and via the bedrock groundwater in the Nuenna. Phosphorus was primarily transported via overland flow in both particulate and soluble forms. Where preferential flow paths existed in the soil and subsoil, soluble P, and to a lesser extent particulate P, were also transported via the TZ and in drains and ditches. Arable land was found to be the most important land use for
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the delivery of sediment, although channel bank and in-stream sources were the most significant in the Glen Burn catchment. Overland flow was found to be the predominant transport sediment pathway in the poorly productive catchments. These findings informed the development of the transport and attenuation equations used in the CCT and CMT. From an assessment of the relationship between physico-chemical and biological conditions, it is suggested that in the Nuenna, Glen Burn and Gortinlieve catchments, a relationship may exist between biological water quality and nitrogen concentrations, as well as with P. In the Nuenna, there was also a relationship between macroinvertebrate status and alkalinity.
Further research is recommended on the transport and delivery of phosphorus in groundwater, the transport and attenuation dynamics in the TZ in different hydrogeological settings and the relationship between macroinvertebrates and co-limiting factors. High resolution temporal and spatial sampling was found to be important for constraining the conceptual understanding of nutrient and sediment dynamics which should also be considered in future studies.

Tracing nitrate and sulfate in river basins using isotope techniques

The objective of this paper is to outline how stable isotope techniques can contribute to the elucidation of the sources and the fate of riverine nitrate and sulphate in watershed studies. The example used is the Oldman River Basin (OMRB), located in southern Alberta (Canada). Increasing sulphate concentrations and decreasing d34S values along the flowpath of the Oldman River indicate that oxidation of pyrite in tills is a major source of riverine sulphate in the agriculturally used portion of the OMRB. Chemical and isotopic data showed that manure-derived nitrogen contributes significantly to the increase in nitrate concentrations in the Oldman River and its tributaries draining agricultural land. It is suggested that hydrological conditions control agricultural return flows to the surface water bodies in southern Alberta and impart significant seasonal variations on concentrations and isotopic compositions of riverine nitrate. Combining isotopic, chemical, and hydrometric data permitted us to estimate the relative contribution of major sources to the total solute fluxes. Hence, we submit that isotopic measurements can make an important contribution to the identification of nutrient and pollutant sources and to river basin management.

Accumulation of entanglement in a continuous variable memory

We study entanglement accumulation in a memory built out of two continuous variable systems interacting with a qubit that mediates their indirect coupling. We show that, in contrast with the case of bidimensional Hilbert spaces, entanglement superior to one ebit can be accumulated in the memory, even though no entangled resource is used. The protocol is immediately implementable and we assess the role of the main imperfections.

The effect of treatment of cystic fibrosis pulmonary exacerbations on airways and systemic inflammation

Background: Chronic infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) and airway inflammation leads to progressive lung injury Neutrophils are considered to be responsible for the onset and promotion of the inflammatory response within the CF lung. The relationship between infection and inflammation is complex but circulating inflammatory markers may not truly reflect the local inflammatory response in the lung. The aims of this study were to investigate the change of inflammatory biomarkers and cells within sputum and blood before and after intravenous antibiotics for a pulmonary exacerbation of CF Methods: Assays included neutrophil elastase (NE) and complex, interleukin-8 (IL-8) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), fas ligand (FAS-L), and TNFr-1. Analysis of sputum cell differential and absolute cell counts and immunocytochemistry (CD11b and CD95) on sputum and isolated blood neutrophils were carried out. Results: There were no significant differences in absolute or differential sputum cell counts or sputum sol measurements following antibiotics. There was a significant increase in the percentage of blood neutrophils with minimal CD11b staining, 28 (4.1) mean percentage (SEM) versus41 (2.9) and a decrease in the percentage showing maximal staining 30 (0.5) versus 15 (2.5). There was a significant increase in the percentage of blood neutrophils without CD95 staining, 43 (5.4) mean percentage versus 52 (5.1). Conclusion: These data suggest a modifiable systemic response to IV antibiotics but a local sustained inflammatory response in the lung.

Carbon accumulation in peatlands of West Siberia over the last 2000 years

We use a network of cores from 77 peatland sites to determine controls on peat C content and peat C accumulation over the last 2000 years (since 2 ka) across Russia's West Siberian Lowland (WSL), the world's largest wetland region. Our results show a significant influence of fossil plant composition on peat C content, with peats dominated by Sphagnum having a lower C content. Radiocarbon-derived C accumulation since 2 ka at 23 sites is highly variable from site to site, but displays a significant N–S trend of decreasing accumulation at higher latitudes. Northern WSL peatlands show relatively small C accumulation of 7 to 35 kg C m-2 since 2 ka. In contrast, peatlands south of 60°N show larger accumulation of 42 to 88 kg C m-2. Carbon accumulation since 2 ka varies significantly with modern mean annual air temperature, with maximum C accumulation found between -1 and 0°C. Rates of apparent C accumulation since 2 ka show no significant relationship to long-term Holocene averages based on total C accumulation. A GIS-based extrapolation of our site data suggests that a substantial amount (~40%) of total WSL peat C has accumulated since 2 ka, with much of this accumulation south of 60°N. The large peatlands in the southern WSL may be an important component of the Eurasian terrestrial C sink, and future warming could result in a shift northward in long-term WSL C sequestration.