Transformations in occluded light fraction organic matter in a clayey oxisol: evidence from 13C-CPMAS-NMR and delta13C Signature

We hypothesised that, during occlusion inside granular aggregates of oxide-rich soils, the light fraction organic matter would undergo a strong process of decomposition, either due to the slow process of aggregate formation and stabilisation or due to digestion in the macro- and meso-fauna guts. This process would favour the accumulation of recalcitrant materials inside aggregates. The aim of this study was to compare the dynamics and the chemical composition of free and occluded light fraction organic matter in a natural cerrado vegetation (woodland savannah) and a nearby pasture (Brachiaria spp.) to elucidate the transformations during occlusion of light fraction in aggregates of a clayey Oxisol. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of the 13C, with Cross Polarisation and Magic Angle Spinning (13C-CPMAS-NMR), and 13C/12C isotopic ratio were combined to study organic matter composition and changes in carbon dynamics, respectively. The occluded light fraction had a slower turnover than the free light fraction and the heavy fraction. Organic matter in the occluded fraction also showed a higher degree of decomposition. The results confirm that processes of soil organic matter occlusion in the typical "very fine strong granular" structure of the studied oxide-rich soil led to an intense transformation, selectively preserving stable organic matter. The small amount of organic material stored as occluded light faction, as well as its stability, suggests that this is not an important or manageable sink for sequestration of atmospheric CO2.

Hydrogen sulfide measurement by headspace-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS): application to gaseous samples and gas dissolved in muscle.

The aim of our study was to present a new headspace-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) method applicable to the routine determination of hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) concentrations in biological and gaseous samples. The primary analytical drawback of the GC/MS methods for H(2)S measurement discussed in the literature was the absence of a specific H(2)S internal standard required to perform quantification. Although a deuterated hydrogen sulfide (D(2)S) standard is currently available, this standard is not often used because this standard is expensive and is only available in the gas phase. As an alternative approach, D(2)S can be generated in situ by reacting deuterated chloride with sodium sulfide; however, this technique can lead to low recovery yield and potential isotopic fractionation. Therefore, N(2)O was chosen for use as an internal standard. This method allows precise measurements of H(2)S concentrations in biological and gaseous samples. Therefore, a full validation using accuracy profile based on the β-expectation tolerance interval is presented. Finally, this method was applied to quantify H(2)S in an actual case of H(2)S fatal intoxication.

Dynamic and Regulated Association of Caveolin with Lipid Bodies: Modulation of Lipid Body Motility and Function by a Dominant Negative Mutant

Caveolins are a crucial component of caveolae but have also been localized to the Golgi complex, and, under some experimental conditions, to lipid bodies (LBs). The physiological relevance and dynamics of LB association remain unclear. We now show that endogenous caveolin-1 and caveolin-2 redistribute to LBs in lipid loaded A431 and FRT cells. Association with LBs is regulated and reversible; removal of fatty acids causes caveolin to rapidly leave the lipid body. We also show by subcellular fractionation, light and electron microscopy that during the first hours of liver regeneration, caveolins show a dramatic redistribution from the cell surface to the newly formed LBs. At later stages of the regeneration process (when LBs are still abundant), the levels of caveolins in LBs decrease dramatically. As a model system to study association of caveolins with LBs we have used brefeldin A (BFA). BFA causes rapid redistribution of endogenous caveolins to LBs and this association was reversed upon BFA washout. Finally, we have used a dominant negative LB-associated caveolin mutant (cavDGV) to study LB formation and to examine its effect on LB function. We now show that the cavDGV mutant inhibits microtubule-dependent LB motility and blocks the reversal of lipid accumulation in LBs.

Cataractogenesis after total body irradiation.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prognostic factors and the ophthalmologic follow-up on cataract formation following total body irradiation (TBI) prior to bone marrow transplantation (BMT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between 1980 and 1992, 494 patients were referred to our department for TBI prior to BMT. The mean age was 32 +/- 11 (median: 32, range: 2-63) years and the male to female ratio was 1.6 (304:190). The majority of patients were treated for acute leukemia (lymphoblastic, n = 177, 36%; or nonlymphoblastic , n = 139, 28%); 80 (16%) for chronic myeloid leukemia, 60 (12%) for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, 23 (5%) for multiple myeloma, and 15 (3%) for other malignancies. Two hundred and fifty-four (51%) patients were grafted in the first complete remission (CR), 118 (24%) in second CR. Allogenic BMT was performed in 210 (43%) patients, and autologous BMT in 284 (57%). Methotrexate combined to steroids (n = 47, 22%) or to cyclosporine (n = 163, 78%) was administered for graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis. In 188 patients (38%), heparin was used in the prevention of veno-occlusive disease (VOD) of the liver. Furthermore, steroid administration was registered in 223 (45%). The conditioning chemotherapy consisted of cyclophosphamide (Cy) alone in 332 (67%) patients. Total-body irradiation was administered either in single dose (STBI; 10 Gy in 1 day, n = 291) or in six fractions (FTBI; 12 Gy over 3 consecutive days, n = 203) before BMT. The mean instantaneous dose rate was 0.0574 +/- 0.0289 Gy/min (0.024-0.1783). It was < 0.048 Gy/min in 157 patients (LOW group), > or = 0.048 Gy/min and <0.09 Gy/min in 301 patients (MEDIUM group), and > or = 0.09 Gy/min in 36 patients (HIGH group). RESULTS: When considering all patients, 42 (8.5%) patients developed cataracts after 13 to 72 months (median: 42 months) with a 5-year estimated cataract incidence (ECI) of 23%. Thirty-three (11.3%) out of 291 patients in the STBI group, and 9 (4.4%) out of 203 patients in the FTBI group developed cataracts with 5-year estimated incidences of 34 and 11%, respectively (p = 0.0004). Seven (19.4%) out of 36 patients in the HIGH group, 33 (10.9%) out of 301 in the MEDIUM group, and 2 (1.2%) out of 157 in the LOW group developed cataracts with respective 5-year cataract incidences of 54%, 30%, and 3.5% (HIGH vs. MEDIUM, p = 0.07; MEDIUM vs. LOW, p = 0.0001; HIGH vs. LOW, p < 0.0001). On the other hand, patients who received heparin as prophylactic treatment against VOD of the liver had less cataracts than those who did not receive (5-year ECI of 16% vs. 28%, respectively; p = 0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in terms of 5-year ECI according to age, sex, administration of steroids, GvHD prophylaxis, type of BMT, or previous cranial radiotherapy in children. Multivariate analysis revealed that the instantaneous dose rate (p = 0.001), and the administration of heparin against VOD (p = 0.05) were the two independent factors influencing the cataract incidence, while age, fractionation, and use of steroids were not. Among the 42 patients who developed cataracts, 38 had bilateral extracapsular cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation, and only 4 (10%) developed secondary cataracts in a median follow-up period of 39 months. CONCLUSION: Among the abovementioned TBI parameters, high instantaneous dose rate seems to be the main risk factor of cataract formation, and the administration of heparin appears to have a protective role in cataractogenesis. On the other hand, ionizing radiation seems to have a protective effect on posterior capsule opacification following extracapsular cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation.

Sequential or concomitant chemotherapy in limited stage small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: Chemotherapy (CT) combined with radiation therapy (RT) is the standard treatment for limited disease small-cell lung cancer (LDSCLC). Many questions including RT dose, fractionation, and sequence of RT/CT administration remain controversial. In this paper, we retrospectively assessed the outcome of patients with LDSCLC treated with radiation of at least 50 Gy.METHODS AND MATERIALS: From December 1997 to January 2006, 69 consecutive patients with LDSCLC were treated at our institutions. Treatment consisted of at least 4 cycles of CT, and 3D conformal thoracic RT. The median age was 61 years (range, 37-78 years). Sequential or concomitant CT/RT was given in 47 (68%) and 22 (32%) of the patients, respectively. The median RT dose was 60 Gy. Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) was administered in 47 (68%) patients.RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 36 months (range, 6-107), 16 patients were alive without disease. The median overall survival time was 24 months, with a 3-year survival rate of 29%. The 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) and loco-regional control (LRC) rates were 23% and 60%, respectively. A better DFS was significantly associated with performance status (PS) 0 (p = 0.004), complete response to treatment (p = 0.03), and PCI group (p = 0.03). A trend towards improved overall survival (OS) was observed for patients who underwent PCI (p = 0.07). Patients treated with sequential CT/RT had a better outcome than those treated with concomitant treatment (3-year DFS rate 27% vs. 13%; p = 0.04). However, PCI was delivered more frequently for the sequential group. No significant dose-response relationship was found in terms of LRC. The multivariate analysis showed that complete response to treatment was the only significant factor for OS.CONCLUSION: Complete response to treatment was the most important factor for OS. A better DFS was significantly associated with the PCI group. We did not find a significant difference in outcome between patients receiving doses of 60 Gy or more and patients receiving 60 Gy or less.

Two-stage prograde and retrograde Variscan metamorphism of glaucophane-eclogites, blueschists and greenschists from Ile de Groix (Brittany, France)

On Ile de Groix, Variscan metamorphic former tholeiitic and alkaline basalts occur as glaucophane-eclogites, blueschists and greenschists in isolated lenses and layers within metapelites. Whole-rock delta O-18(SMOW) values of the metabasites show limited variations (10.4-12.0 parts per thousand) and no systematic differences among rock types and metamorphic grades. This provides no argument for large-scale blueschist-to-greenschist transformation driven by infiltration of externally derived fluids. Metamorphic mineralogical changes should have been triggered by internal fluids. Element variations in interlayered blue- and greenschists can be attributed to magmatic fractionation. Assemblages with garnet, clinopyroxene and glaucophane of a high-pressure/low-temperature (HP-LT) metamorphism M1, and NaCa-amphiboles (barroisite, magnesiohornblende, actinolite) of a medium-pressure/medium-temperature metamorphism M2 crystallized during deformation Dl. Detailed core-rim zonation profiles display increasing and then decreasing Al-IV in glaucophane of M1. NaCa-amphiboles of M2, mantling glaucophane and crystallized in porphyroblasts, show first increasing, then decreasing, Al-IV and Al-IV. Empirically calibrated thermobarometers allowed P-T path reconstructions. In glaucophane-eclogites of a metamorphic zone I, a prograde evolution to M1 peak conditions at 400-500 degreesC/10-12 kbar was followed by a retrograde P-T path within the glaucophane stability field. The subsequent M2 evolution was again prograde up to > 600 degreesC at 8 kbar and then retrograde. Similarly, in metamorphic zones II and III, prograde and retrograde paths of MI and M2 at lower maximal temperatures and pressures exist. The almost complete metamorphic cycle during M2 signalizes that the HP-LT rocks escaped from an early erosion by a moderate second burial event and explains the longlasting slow uplift with low average cooling rates.

Phosphorous forms in cultivated indian black earth (anthrosols) of varying texture in the brazilian Amazon

Despite the agricultural importance of Indian Black Earth (IBE) in the Amazon region, there are few studies that report on the relation between soil texture and chemical fertility of IBE. These soils of pre-Colombian origin, with high contents of P, Ca and other nutrients are found across the Amazon valley. IBE profiles were studied to evaluate the total contents of P, its primary chemical forms and the P transformation phases in areas with IBE soils of variable texture and in adjacent reference soils. The soil texture strongly influenced soil fertility, changing in terms of transformation of the primary P forms and, consequently, predominant P forms in IBE. Soils with texture varying between clay and heavy clay had higher total P contents and primary Ca-P forms. Highest P-Al and lowest total P amounts were observed at the site Rio Preto da Eva, where texture varies from sandy loam to sandy clay loam. In the IBE with clay texture the amounts of soluble P, extracted with NH4Cl were highest, although different from Mehlich 1-extractable amounts.

External irradiation with or without long-term androgen suppression for prostate cancer with high metastatic risk: 10-year results of an EORTC randomised study.

BACKGROUND: We did a randomised phase 3 trial assessing the benefit of addition of long-term androgen suppression with a luteinising-hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist to external irradiation in patients with prostate cancer with high metastatic risk. In this report, we present the 10-year results. METHODS: For this open-label randomised trial, eligible patients were younger than 80 years and had newly diagnosed histologically proven T1-2 prostatic adenocarcinoma with WHO histological grade 3 or T3-4 prostatic adenocarcinoma of any histological grade, and a WHO performance status of 0-2. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive radiotherapy alone or radiotherapy plus immediate androgen suppression. Treatment allocation was open label and used a minimisation algorithm with institution, clinical stage of the disease, results of pelvic-lymph-node dissection, and irradiation fields extension as minimisation factors. Patients were irradiated externally, once a day, 5 days a week, for 7 weeks to a total dose of 50 Gy to the whole pelvis, with an additional 20 Gy to the prostate and seminal vesicles. The LHRH agonist, goserelin acetate (3·6 mg subcutaneously every 4 weeks), was started on the first day of irradiation and continued for 3 years; cyproterone acetate (50 mg orally three times a day) was given for 1 month starting a week before the first goserelin injection. The primary endpoint was clinical disease-free survival. Analysis was by intention to treat. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00849082. FINDINGS: Between May 22, 1987, and Oct 31, 1995, 415 patients were randomly assigned to treatment groups and were included in the analysis (208 radiotherapy alone, 207 combined treatment). Median follow-up was 9·1 years (IQR 5·1-12·6). 10-year clinical disease-free survival was 22·7% (95% CI 16·3-29·7) in the radiotherapy-alone group and 47·7% (39·0-56·0) in the combined treatment group (hazard ratio [HR] 0·42, 95% CI 0·33-0·55, p<0·0001). 10-year overall survival was 39·8% (95% CI 31·9-47·5) in patients receiving radiotherapy alone and 58·1% (49·2-66·0) in those allocated combined treatment (HR 0·60, 95% CI 0·45-0·80, p=0·0004), and 10-year prostate-cancer mortality was 30·4% (95% CI 23·2-37·5) and 10·3% (5·1-15·4), respectively (HR 0·38, 95% CI 0·24-0·60, p<0·0001). No significant difference in cardiovascular mortality was noted between treatment groups both in patients who had cardiovascular problems at study entry (eight of 53 patients in the combined treatment group had a cardiovascular-related cause of death vs 11 of 63 in the radiotherapy group; p=0·60) and in those who did not (14 of 154 vs six of 145; p=0·25). Two fractures were reported in patients allocated combined treatment. INTERPRETATION: In patients with prostate cancer with high metastatic risk, immediate androgen suppression with an LHRH agonist given during and for 3 years after external irradiation improves 10-year disease-free and overall survival without increasing late cardiovascular toxicity.

Alterations of soil chemical properties by eucalyptus cultivation in five regions in the Rio Doce Valley

Little is currently known about modifications in edaphic characteristics caused by short-rotation eucalyptus and the impacts of these alterations on the sustainability of eucalyptus wood production. This study was carried out to identify theses changes at five sites of eucalyptus plantation in the region of the Rio Doce Valley, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Areas with more than three previous eucalyptus cycles, adjacent to pasture land or native forest, were chosen. Soil samples were collected and soil fertility analyzed by routine methods and other fractionation methods in order to measure alterations in the K, Ca and Mg contents as a consequence of eucalyptus cultivation. In the eucalyptus areas, reductions in the exchangeable Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+ contents and pH were observed and increased Al3+ and H + Al contents. Of all nutrients, only P contents (Mehlich-1 P) increased in the eucalyptus areas. The reduction in exchangeable forms and in medium-term soil nutrient pools indicates the need for higher nutrient rates than the currently applied in order to prevent nutritional limitations and soil nutrient exhaustion. After several eucalyptus rotations there was a recovery in the SOM content in comparison to degraded pasture soils, although not to the level of the native forest soil. The positive correlation between effective CEC and medium-term non-exchangeable Ca, Mg and K with SOM emphasizes the need for adequate fertilizer and plant residue management to sustain or even increase forest productivity in future cycles.

Contribution of humic substances from different composts to the synthesis of humin in a tropical soil

The contribution of humic substances of different composts to the synthesis of humin in a tropical soil was evaluated. Increasing doses (0, 13, 26, 52, and 104 Mg ha-1) of five different composts consisting of agroinpowderrial residues were applied to a Red-Yellow Latosol. These composts were chemically characterized and 13C NMR determined and the quantity of the functional alkyl groups of humic acids applied to the soil as compost was estimated. Thirty days after application of the treatments, organic matter samples were collected for fractionation of humic acids (HA), fulvic acids (FA) and humin (HU), from which the ratios HA/FA and (HA + FA)/HU were calculated. The application of the composts based on castor cake resulted in the highest HU levels in the soil; alkyl groups of the HA fraction of the composts were predominant in the organic components added to the HU soil fraction.

Spatial, temporal and subcellular localization of islet-brain 1 (IB1), a homologue of JIP-1, in mouse brain.

Islet-brain 1 (IB1) was recently identified as a DNA-binding protein of the GLUT2 gene promoter. The mouse IB1 is the rat and human homologue of the Jun-interacting protein 1 (JIP-1) which has been recognized as a key player in the regulation of c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. JIP-1 is involved in the control of apoptosis and may play a role in brain development and aging. Here, IB1 was studied in adult and developing mouse brain tissue by in situ hybridization, Northern and Western blot analysis at cellular and subcellular levels, as well as by immunocytochemistry in brain sections and cell cultures. IB1 expression was localized in the synaptic regions of the olfactory bulb, retina, cerebral and cerebellar cortex and hippocampus in the adult mouse brain. IB1 was also detected in a restricted number of axons, as in the mossy fibres from dentate gyrus in the hippocampus, and was found in soma, dendrites and axons of cerebellar Purkinje cells. After birth, IB1 expression peaks at postnatal day 15. IB1 was located in axonal and dendritic growth cones in primary telencephalon cells. By biochemical and subcellular fractionation of neuronal cells, IB1 was detected both in the cytosolic and membrane fractions. Taken together with previous data, the restricted neuronal expression of IB1 in developing and adult brain and its prominent localization in synapses suggest that the protein may be critical for cell signalling in developing and mature nerve terminals.

Soil phosphorus dynamics and availability and irrigated coffee yield

Research data have demonstrated that the P demand of coffee (Coffea arabica L.) is similar to that of short-cycle crops. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of annual P fertilization on the soil P status by the quantification of labile, moderately labile, low-labile, and total P fractions, associating them to coffee yield. The experiment was installed in a typical dystrophic Red Latosol (Oxisol) cultivated with irrigated coffee annually fertilized with triple superphosphate at rates of 0, 50, 100, 200, and 400 kg ha-1 P2O5. Phosphorus fractions were determined in two soil layers: 0-10 and 10-20 cm. The P leaf contents and coffee yield in 2008 were also evaluated. The irrigated coffee responded to phosphate fertilization in the production phase with gains of up to 138 % in coffee yield by the application of 400 kg ha-1 P2O5. Coffee leaf P contents increased with P applications and stabilized around 1.98 g kg-1, at rates of 270 kg ha-1 P2O5 and higher. Soil P application caused, in general, an increase in bioavailable P fractions, which constitute the main soil P reservoir.

Carbon stock and its compartments in a subtropical oxisol under long-term tillage and crop rotation systems

Soil organic matter (SOM) plays a crucial role in soil quality and can act as an atmospheric C-CO2 sink under conservationist management systems. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effects (19 years) of tillage (CT-conventional tillage and NT-no tillage) and crop rotations (R0-monoculture system, R1-winter crop rotation, and R2- intensive crop rotation) on total, particulate and mineral-associated organic carbon (C) stocks of an originally degraded Red Oxisol in Cruz Alta, RS, Southern Brazil. The climate is humid subtropical Cfa 2a (Köppen classification), the mean annual precipitation 1,774 mm and mean annual temperature 19.2 ºC. The plots were divided into four segments, of which each was sampled in the layers 0-0.05, 0.05-0.10, 0.10-0.20, and 0.20-0.30 m. Sampling was performed manually by opening small trenches. The SOM pools were determined by physical fractionation. Soil C stocks had a linear relationship with annual crop C inputs, regardless of the tillage systems. Thus, soil disturbance had a minor effect on SOM turnover. In the 0-0.30 m layer, soil C sequestration ranged from 0 to 0.51 Mg ha-1 yr-1, using the CT R0 treatment as base-line; crop rotation systems had more influence on soil stock C than tillage systems. The mean C sequestration rate of the cropping systems was 0.13 Mg ha-1 yr-1 higher in NT than CT. This result was associated to the higher C input by crops due to the improvement in soil quality under long-term no-tillage. The particulate C fraction was a sensitive indicator of soil management quality, while mineral-associated organic C was the main pool of atmospheric C fixed in this clayey Oxisol. The C retention in this stable SOM fraction accounts for 81 and 89 % of total C sequestration in the treatments NT R1 and NT R2, respectively, in relation to the same cropping systems under CT. The highest C management index was observed in NT R2, confirming the capacity of this soil management practice to improve the soil C stock qualitatively in relation to CT R0. The results highlighted the diversification of crop rotation with cover crops as a crucial strategy for atmospheric C-CO2 sequestration and SOM quality improvement in highly weathered subtropical Oxisols.

Correlations in hot asymmetric nuclear matter

Bulk and single-particle properties of hot hyperonic matter are studied within the Brueckner-Hartree-Fock approximation extended to finite temperature. The bare interaction in the nucleon sector is the Argonne V18 potential supplemented with an effective three-body force to reproduce the saturating properties of nuclear matter. The modern Nijmegen NSC97e potential is employed for the hyperon-nucleon and hyperon-hyperon interactions. The effect of temperature on the in-medium effective interaction is found to be, in general, very small and the single-particle potentials differ by at most 25% for temperatures in the range from 0 to 60 MeV. The bulk properties of infinite matter of baryons, either nuclear isospin symmetric or a Beta-stable composition that includes a nonzero fraction of hyperons, are obtained. It is found that the presence of hyperons can modify the thermodynamical properties of the system in a non-negligible way.

Bulk and single-particle properties of hyperonic matter at finite temperature

Bulk and single-particle properties of hot hyperonic matter are studied within the Brueckner-Hartree-Fock approximation extended to finite temperature. The bare interaction in the nucleon sector is the Argonne V18 potential supplemented with an effective three-body force to reproduce the saturating properties of nuclear matter. The modern Nijmegen NSC97e potential is employed for the hyperon-nucleon and hyperon-hyperon interactions. The effect of temperature on the in-medium effective interaction is found to be, in general, very small and the single-particle potentials differ by at most 25% for temperatures in the range from 0 to 60 MeV. The bulk properties of infinite matter of baryons, either nuclear isospin symmetric or a Beta-stable composition that includes a nonzero fraction of hyperons, are obtained. It is found that the presence of hyperons can modify the thermodynamical properties of the system in a non-negligible way.