Protection of Trabecular Bone in Ovariectomized Rats by Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is Dependent on Extract Composition

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see http://doi.org/10.1021/jf101873fExtracts prepared from turmeric (Curcuma longa L., [Zingiberaceae]) containing bioactive phenolic curcuminoids were evaluated for bone-protective effects in a hypogonadal rat model of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Three-month female Sprague Dawley rats were ovariectomized (OVX) and treated with a chemically complex turmeric fraction (41% curcuminoids by weight) or a curcuminoid-enriched turmeric fraction (94% curcuminoids by weight), both dosed at 60mg/kg 3x per week, or vehicle alone. Effects of two months of treatment on OVX-induced bone loss were followed prospectively by serial assessment of bone mineral density (BMD) of the distal femur using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), while treatment effects on trabecular bone microarchitecture were assessed at two months by micro-computerized tomography (μCT). Chemically complex turmeric did not prevent bone loss, however, the curcuminoid-enriched turmeric prevented up to 50% of OVX-induced loss of trabecular bone and also preserved the number and connectedness of the strut-like trabeculae. These results suggest that turmeric may have bone-protective effects but that extract composition is a critical factor

LensPerfect: Gravitational Lens Massmap Reconstructions Yielding Exact Reproduction of All Multiple Images

We present a new approach to gravitational lens massmap reconstruction. Our massmap solutions perfectly reproduce the positions, fluxes, and shears of all multiple images. And each massmap accurately recovers the underlying mass distribution to a resolution limited by the number of multiple images detected. We demonstrate our technique given a mock galaxy cluster similar to Abell 1689 which gravitationally lenses 19 mock background galaxies to produce 93 multiple images. We also explore cases in which far fewer multiple images are observed, such as four multiple images of a single galaxy. Massmap solutions are never unique, and our method makes it possible to explore an extremely flexible range of physical (and unphysical) solutions, all of which perfectly reproduce the data given. Each reconfiguration of the source galaxies produces a new massmap solution. An optimization routine is provided to find those source positions (and redshifts, within uncertainties) which produce the "most physical" massmap solution, according to a new figure of merit developed here. Our method imposes no assumptions about the slope of the radial profile nor mass following light. But unlike "non-parametric" grid-based methods, the number of free parameters we solve for is only as many as the number of observable constraints (or slightly greater if fluxes are constrained). For each set of source positions and redshifts, massmap solutions are obtained "instantly" via direct matrix inversion by smoothly interpolating the deflection field using a recently developed mathematical technique. Our LensPerfect software is straightforward and easy to use and is made publicly available via our website.Comment: 17 pages, 18 figures, accepted by ApJ. Software and full-color version of paper available at http://www.its.caltech.edu/~coe/LensPerfect

Effects of prolactin and growth hormone on growth and metamorphosis of tadpoles of the frog, Rana pipiens

Mammalian prolactin at doses of 1-50 [mu]g/day promoted growth (increased wet weight, dry weight and body length) in Rana pipiens tadpoles. Mammalian growth hormone (GH) promoted growth only at the higher doses (50 [mu]g/day and above) and was not so effective as prolactin.Prolactin also inhibited metamorphosis (at doses of 5 [mu]g/day and above). Inhibition of metamorphosis did not appear to be due to reduction in tissue sensitivity to thyroxine since prolactin-treated tadpoles metamorphosed in response to exogenously administered thyroxine (4-100 [mu]g/liter) to the same extent as controls. Prolactin promoted further growth in tadpoles in which the thyroid level had been reduced with thiouracil or by thyroidectomy. This indicates that growth promotion caused by prolactin is not just the result of thyroid inhibition, although it is possible that a portion of the growth stimulation is due to the antithyroid action of prolactin.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/32919/1/0000301.pd

The effects of changes in thyroid function on testis 32P uptake and the response to gonadotropin in the chick

Propylthiouracil (PTU)-induced hypothroidism has been shown to produce a significant increase in the uptake of radiophosphorus (32P) by the testes of young chicks. Continued investigation of this effect demonstrated that thyroidectomy of young birds resulted in elevations in testis 32P uptake comparable to those observed following the administration of PTU. It would thus appear that the increased levels of 32P in the testes of PTU-treated chicks resulted from the hypothyroid condition itself rather than from some other pharmacological action of PTU. A time course study indicated that there were no differences in the turnover rates of labeled testicular phosphorus in hypo-, hyper-, and euthyroid birds which might account for the above observations.Sensitivity of the chick testis to pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin (PMSG) was unaffected by changes in thyroid activity, and the combined effects of PMSG and hypothyroidism on the testis were seemingly additive. Alternative possibilities to explain the apparent indirect effect of subnormal thyroid activity on the testis were therefore discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/21803/1/0000203.pd

Seasonal variation in the effects of adrenalin and glucagon in Rana pipiens

The effects of adrenalin and glucagon on blood glucose and lactate were compared in winter, summer, and fall Rana pipiens. Hyperglycemic responses to glucagon (1 mg/kg) were slightly lower in winter than in summer and fall frogs. Hyperglycemic and lactacidemic responses to adrenalin (1 mg/kg) were considerably greater in fall than in summer and winter frogs.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/22846/1/0000407.pd

Bioactivity of Turmeric-Derived Curcuminoids and Related Metabolites in Breast Cancer

While the chemotherapeutic effect of curcumin, one of three major curcuminoids derived from turmeric, has been reported, largely unexplored are the effects of complex turmeric extracts more analogous to traditional medicinal preparations, as well as the relative importance of the three curcuminoids and their metabolites as anti-cancer agents. These studies document the pharmacodynamic effects of chemically-complex turmeric extracts relative to curcuminoids on human breast cancer cell growth and tumor cell secretion of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP), an important driver of cancer bone metastasis. Finally, relative effects of structurally-related metabolites of curcuminoids were assessed on the same endpoints. We report that 3 curcuminoid-containing turmeric extracts differing with respect to the inclusion of additional naturally occurring chemicals (essential oils and/or polar compounds) were equipotent in inhibiting human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell growth (IC50=10–16μg/mL) and secretion of osteolytic PTHrP (IC50=2–3μg/mL) when concentrations were normalized to curcuminoid content. Moreover, these effects were curcuminoid-specific, as botanically-related gingerol containing extracts had no effect. While curcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin were equipotent to each other and to the naturally occurring curcuminoid mixture (IC50=58 μM), demethoxycurcumin was without effect on cell growth. However, each of the individual curcuminoids inhibited PTHrP secretion (IC50=22–31μM) to the same degree as the curcuminoid mixture (IC50=16 μM). Degradative curcuminoid metabolites (vanillin and ferulic acid) did not inhibit cell growth or PTHrP, while reduced metabolites (tetrahydrocurcuminoids) had inhibitory effects on cell growth and PTHrP secretion but only at concentrations ≥10-fold higher than the curcuminoids. These studies emphasize the structural and biological importance of curcuminoids in the anti-breast cancer effects of turmeric and contradict recent assertions that certain of the curcuminoid metabolites studied here mediate these anti-cancer effects

Effects of prolactin and somatotropin on growth and metamorphosis of amphibians

Mammalian prolactin stimulates growth and inhibits metamorphosis of larvae of several species of amphibians. Mammalian somatotropin has little or no effect upon larval growth or metamorphosis unless used in high concentrations. The evidence behind these statements and some of the implications are critically evaluated. Growth of postmetamorphic amphibians is stimulated by somatotropin but not by prolactin. The possible biological significance of this apparent transition from prolactin to somatotropin regulation of growth in the pre- and postmetamorphic stages of development is discussed in terms of possible mechanisms involved in the transition, and in terms of the adaptive significance of the change.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/34198/1/0000487.pd

Secondary gamma-ray production in a coded aperture mask

The application of the coded aperture mask to high energy gamma-ray astronomy will provide the capability of locating a cosmic gamma-ray point source with a precision of a few arc-minutes above 20 MeV. Recent tests using a mask in conjunction with drift chamber detectors have shown that the expected point spread function is achieved over an acceptance cone of 25 deg. A telescope employing this technique differs from a conventional telescope only in that the presence of the mask modifies the radiation field in the vicinity of the detection plane. In addition to reducing the primary photon flux incident on the detector by absorption in the mask elements, the mask will also be a secondary radiator of gamma-rays. The various background components in a CAMTRAC (Coded Aperture Mask Track Chamber) telescope are considered. Monte-Carlo calculations are compared with recent measurements obtained using a prototype instrument in a tagged photon beam line

Operating characteristics of a prototype high energy gamma-ray telescope

The field of gamma-ray astronomy in the energy range from ten to several hundred MeV is severely limited by the angular resolution that can be achieved by present instruments. The identification of some of the point sources found by the COS-B mission and the resolution of detailed structure existing in those sources may depend on the development of a new class of instrument. The coded aperture mask telescope, used successfully at X-ray energies hold the promise of being such an instrument. A prototype coded aperture telescope was operated in a tagged photon beam ranging in energy from 23 to 123 MeV. The purpose of the experiment was to demonstrate the feasibility of operating a coded aperture mask telescope in this energy region. Some preliminary results and conclusions drawn from some of the data resulting from this experiment are presented

Doing it differently: Engaging interview participants with imaginative variation

Imaginative variation was identified by Husserl (1936/1970) as a phenomenological technique for the purpose of elucidating the manner in which phenomena appear to consciousness. Briefly, by engaging in the phenomenological reduction and using imaginative variation, phenomenologists are able to describe the experience of consciousness, having stepped outside of the natural attitude through the epochē. Imaginative variation is a stage aimed at explicating the structures of experience, and is best described as a mental experiment. Features of the experience are imaginatively altered in order to view the phenomenon under investigation from varying perspectives. Husserl argued that this process will reveal the essences of an experience, as only those aspects that are invariant to the experience of the phenomenon will not be able to change through the variation. Often in qualitative research interviews, participants struggle to articulate or verbalise their experiences. The purpose of this article is to detail a radical and novel way of using imaginative variation with interview participants, by asking the participants to engage with imaginative variation, in order to produce a rich and insightful experiential account of a phenomenon. We will discuss how the first author successfully used imaginative variation in this way in her study of the erotic experience of bondage, discipline, dominance & submission, and sadism & masochism (BDSM), before considering the usefulness of this technique when applied to areas of study beyond sexuality