A metabolic system-wide characterisation of the pig: a model for human physiology

The pig is a single-stomached omnivorous mammal and is an important model of human disease and nutrition. As such, it is necessary to establish a metabolic framework from which pathology-based variation can be compared. Here, a combination of one and two-dimensional 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and high-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR was used to provide a systems overview of porcine metabolism via characterisation of the urine, serum, liver and kidney metabolomes. The metabolites observed in each of these biological compartments were found to be qualitatively comparable to the metabolic signature of the same biological matrices in humans and rodents. The data were modelled using a combination of principal components analysis and Venn diagram mapping. Urine represented the most metabolically distinct biological compartment studied, with a relatively greater number of NMR detectable metabolites present, many of which are implicated in gut-microbial co-metabolic processes. The major interspecies differences observed were in the phase II conjugation of extra-genomic metabolites; the pig was observed to conjugate p-cresol, a gut microbial metabolite of tyrosine, with glucuronide rather than sulfate as seen in man. These observations are important to note when considering the translatability of experimental data derived from porcine models.

The influence of shade and organic fertilizer treatments on the physiology and establishment of Theobroma cacao clones

Aims: This experiment aimed to determine whether the soil application of organic fertilizers can help the establishment of cacao and whether shade alters its response to fertilizers. Study Design: The 1.6 ha experiment was conducted over a period of one crop year (between April 2007 and March 2008) at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana. It involved four cacao genotypes (T 79/501, PA 150, P 30 [POS] and SCA 6), three shade levels (‘light’, ‘medium’ and ‘heavy’) and two fertilizer treatments (‘no fertilizer’, and ‘140 kg/ha of cacao pod husk ash (CPHA) plus poultry manure at 1,800 kg/ha). The experiment was designed as a split-plot with the cacao genotypes as the main plot factor and shade x fertilizer combinations as the sub-plots. Methodology: Gliricidia sepium and plantains (Musa sapientum) were planted in different arrangements to create the three temporary shade regimes for the cacao. Data were collected on temperature and relative humidity of the shade environments, initial soil nutrients, soil moisture, leaf N, P and K+ contents, survival, photo synthesis and growth of test plants. Results: The genotypes P 30 [POS] and SCA 6 showed lower stomatal conductance under non-limiting conditions. In the rainy seasons, plants under light shade had the highest CO2 assimilation rates. However, in the dry season, plants under increased shade recorded greater photosynthetic rates (P = .03). A significant shade x fertilizer interaction (P = .001) on photosynthesis in the dry season showed that heavier shade increases the benefits that young cacao gets from fertilizer application in that season. Conversely, shade should be reduced during the wet seasons to minimize light limitation to assimilation. Conclusion: Under ideal weather conditions young cacao exhibits genetic variability on stomatal conductance. Also, to optimize plant response to fertilizer application shade must be adjusted taking the prevailing weather condition into account.

Il/legitimate risks? Occupational health and safety and the public in Britain, c. 1960-2015

The last 20 years have seen the emergence of a popular climate of antipathy towards occupational health and safety regulation within the UK, particularly within the mainstream British media. The governance of health and safety has thus in recent years become an increasingly visible and contested public and political issue. The extent of this contestation, and its impact on the State’s governance of health and safety in the workplace and beyond, is explained and historicized within this chapter. Why has public rhetoric about health and safety apparently become so important in framing the ways in which the State could legitimately act in recent years? The chapter demonstrates how since 1960 the State remained a significant player – one among many, admittedly – and that while its roles in managing health and safety had long been bounded by a number of factors, a variable that emerged with particular saliency over the last 20 years has been a mediated notion of ‘public opinion’. This focus serves to remind us of the ways in which State action has at certain moments been pushed in particular directions by factors beyond formal mechanisms of rule.

Impacts of climate changes on crop physiology and food quality

Carbon emissions related to human activities have been significantly contributing to the elevation of atmospheric [CO(2)] and temperature. More recently, carbon emissions have greatly accelerated, thus much stronger effects on crops are expected. Here, we revise literature data concerning the physiological effects of CO(2) enrichment and temperature rise on crop species. We discuss the main advantages and limitations of the most used CO(2)-enrichment technologies, the Open-Top Chambers (OTCs) and the Free-Air Carbon Enrichment (FACE). Within the conditions expected for the next few years, the physiological responses of crops suggest that they will grow faster, with slight changes in development, such as flowering and fruiting, depending on the species. There is growing evidence suggesting that C(3) crops are likely to produce more harvestable products and that both C(3) and C(4) crops are likely to use less water with rising atmospheric [CO(2)] in the absence of stressful conditions. However, the beneficial direct impact of elevated [CO(2)] on crop yield can be offset by other effects of climate change, such as elevated temperatures and altered patterns of precipitation. Changes in food quality in a warmer, high-CO(2) world are to be expected, e.g., decreased protein and mineral nutrient concentrations, as well as altered lipid composition. We point out that studies related to changes in crop yield and food quality as a consequence of global climatic changes should be priority areas for further studies, particularly because they will be increasingly associated with food security. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acute actions of thyroid hormone on blood vessel biochemistry and physiology

Purpose of review Description of the progress about the vascular effects promoted by thyroid hormones. Recent findings Over the past few years, a number of studies have shown that in addition to genomic effects on blood vessels, thyroid hormones exert extranuclear nongenomic effects on vascular smooth muscle cells and endothelium. These nongenomic effects occur rapidly and do not involve thyroid hormone response elements-mediated transcriptional events. In this context, the genomic and nongenomic events promoted by thyroid hormones act in concert to control the vascular hemodynamic and regulate the cardiovascular function. Summary Considering the antiatherogenic property of thyroid hormones and the rapid effects produced by this molecule as a vasodilator, including that in the coronary bed, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in its action may contribute to the development of drugs that can be clinically used to increase the known benefits promoted by thyroid hormones in cardiovascular physiology.

Effects of Plasmodium gallinaceum on hemolymph physiology of Aedes aegypti during parasite development

Insect disease vectors show diminished fecundity when infected with Plasmodium. This phenomenon has already been demonstrated in laboratory models such as Aedes aegypti, Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles stephensi. This study demonstrates several changes in physiological processes of A. aegypti occurring upon infection with Plasmodium gallinaceum, such as reduced ecdysteroid levels in hemolymph as well as altered expression patterns for genes involved in vitellogenesis, lipid transport and immune response. Furthermore, we could show that P. gallinaceum infected A. aegypti presented a reduction in reproductive fitness, accompanied by an activated innate immune response and increase in lipophorin expression, with the latter possibly representing a nutritional resource for Plasmodium sporozoites. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Occupational exposure to radon and natural gamma radiation in the La Carolina, a former gold mine in San Luis Province, Argentina

Radon and gamma radiation level measurements were carried out inside the La Carolina mine, one of the oldest gold mining camps of southern South America, which is open for touristic visits nowadays. CR-39 track-etch detectors and thermoluminescent dosimeters of natural CaF(2) and LiF TLD-100 were exposed at 14 points along the mine tunnels in order to estimate the mean (222)Rn concentration and the ambient dose equivalent during the summer season (November 2008 to February 2009). The values for the (222)Rn concentration at each monitoring site ranged from 1.8 +/- 0.1 kBq m(-3) to 6.0 +/- 0.5 kBq m(-3), with a mean value of 4.8 kBq m(-3), indicating that these measurements exceed in about three times the upper action level recommended by ICRP for workplaces. The correlations between radon and gamma radiation levels inside the mine were also investigated. Effective doses due to (222)Rn and gamma rays inside the mine were determined, resulting in negligible values to tourists. Considering the effective dose to the mine tourist guides, values exceeding 20 mSv of internal contribution to the effective doses can be reached, depending on the number of working hours inside the mine. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Occupational airborne contamination in South Brazil: 2. Oxidative stress detected in the blood of workers of incineration of hospital residues

One of the most useful methods for elimination of solid residues of health services (SRHS) is incineration. However, it also provokes the emission of several hazardous air pollutants such as heavy metals, furans and dioxins, which produce reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress. The present study, which is parallel to an accompanied paper (Avila Jr. et al., this issue), investigated several enzymatic and non-enzymatic biomarkers of oxidative stress in the blood (contents of vitamin E, lipoperoxidation = TBARS, reduced glutathione = GSH, oxidized glutathione = GSSG, and activities of glutathione S-transferase = GST, glutathione reductase = GR, glutathione peroxidase = GPx, catalase = CAT and superoxide dismutase = SOD), in three different groups (n = 20 each) exposed to airborne contamination associated with incineration of SRHS: workers directly (ca. 100 m from the incinerator) and indirectly exposed (residents living ca. 5 km the incineration site), and controls (non-exposed subjects). TBARS and GSSG levels were increased whilst GSH, TG and alpha-tocopherol contents were decreased in workers and residents compared to controls. Increased GST and CAT activities and decreased GPx activities were detected in exposed subjects compared to controls, while GR did not show any difference among the groups. In conclusion, subjects directly or indirectly exposed to SRHS are facing an oxidative insult and health risk regarding fly ashes contamination from SRHS incineration.

Digestive physiology and characterization of digestive cathepsin L-like proteinase from the sugarcane weevil Sphenophorus levis

Sugarcane is an important crop that has recently become subject to attacks from the weevil Sphenophorus levis, which is not efficiently controlled with chemical insecticides. This demands the development of new control devices for which digestive physiology data are needed. In the present study, ion-exchange chromatography of S. levis whole midgut homogenates, together with enzyme assays with natural and synthetic substrates and specific inhibitors, demonstrated that a cysteine proteinase is a major proteinase, trypsin is a minor one and chymotrypsin is probably negligible. Amylase, maltase and the cysteine proteinase occur in the gut contents and decrease throughout the midgut; trypsin is constant in the entire midgut, whereas a membrane-bound aminopeptidase predominates in the posterior midgut. The cysteine proteinase was purified to homogeneity through ion-exchange chromatography. The purified enzyme had a mass of 37 kDa and was able to hydrolyze Z-Phe-Arg-MCA and Z-Leu-Arg-MCA with k(cat)/K(m) values of 20.0 +/- 1.1 mu M(-1) s(-1) and 30.0 +/- 0.5 mu M(-1) s(-1), respectively, but not Z-Arg-Arg-MCA. The combined results suggest that protein digestion starts in the anterior midgut under the action of a cathepsin L-like proteinase and ends on the surface of posterior midgut cells. All starch digestion takes place in anterior midgut. These data will be instrumental to developing S. levis-resistant sugarcane. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antioxidant therapy attenuates oxidative stress in the blood of subjects exposed to occupational airborne contamination from coal mining extraction and incineration of hospital residues

Coal mining and incineration of solid residues of health services (SRHS) generate several contaminants that are delivered into the environment, such as heavy metals and dioxins. These xenobiotics can lead to oxidative stress overgeneration in organisms and cause different kinds of pathologies, including cancer. In the present study the concentrations of heavy metals such as lead, copper, iron, manganese and zinc in the urine, as well as several enzymatic and non-enzymatic biomarkers of oxidative stress in the blood (contents of lipoperoxidation = TBARS, protein carbonyls = PC, protein thiols = PT, alpha-tocopherol = AT, reduced glutathione = GSH, and the activities of glutathione S-transferase = GST, glutathione reductase = GR, glutathione peroxidase = GPx, catalase = CAT and superoxide dismutase = SOD), in the blood of six different groups (n = 20 each) of subjects exposed to airborne contamination related to coal mining as well as incineration of solid residues of health services (SRHS) after vitamin E (800 mg/day) and vitamin C (500 mg/day) supplementation during 6 months, which were compared to the situation before the antioxidant intervention (Avila et al., Ecotoxicology 18:1150-1157, 2009; Possamai et al., Ecotoxicology 18:1158-1164, 2009). Except for the decreased manganese contents, heavy metal concentrations were elevated in all groups exposed to both sources of airborne contamination when compared to controls. TBARS and PC concentrations, which were elevated before the antioxidant intervention decreased after the antioxidant supplementation. Similarly, the contents of PC, AT and GSH, which were decreased before the antioxidant intervention, reached values near those found in controls, GPx activity was reestablished in underground miners, and SOD, CAT and GST activities were reestablished in all groups. The results showed that the oxidative stress condition detected previously to the antioxidant supplementation in both directly and indirectly subjects exposed to the airborne contamination from coal dusts and SRHS incineration, was attenuated after the antioxidant intervention.

Occupational airborne contamination in south Brazil: 1. Oxidative stress detected in the blood of coal miners

Reactive oxygen species and nitrogen species have been implicated in the pathogenesis of coal dust-induced toxicity. The present study investigated several oxidative stress biomarkers (Contents of lipoperoxidation = TBARS, reduced = GSH, oxidized = GSSG and total glutathione = TG, alpha-tocopherol, and the activities of glutathione S-transferase = GST, glutathione reductase = GR, glutathione peroxidase = GPx, catalase = CAT and superoxide dismutase = SOD), in the blood of three different groups (n = 20 each) exposed to airborne contamination associated with coal mining activities: underground workers directly exposed, surface workers indirectly exposed, residents indirectly exposed (subjects living near the mines), and controls (non-exposed subjects). Plasma TBARS were increased and whole blood TG and GSH levels were decreased in all groups compared to controls. Plasma alpha-tocopherol contents showed approximately half the values in underground workers compared to controls. GST activity was induced in workers and also in residents at the vicinity of the mining plant, whilst CAT activity was induced only in mine workers. SOD activity was decreased in all groups examined, while GPx activity showed decreased values only in underground miners, and GR did not show any differences among the groups. The results showed that subjects directly and indirectly exposed to coal dusts face an oxidative stress condition. They also indicate that people living in the vicinity of the mine plant are in health risk regarding coal mining-related diseases.