Proof of concept and feasibility studies examining the influence of combination ribose, adenine and allopurinol treatment on stroke outcome in the rat

Background: Cerebral ischaemia results in a rapid and profound depletion of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of the cell. This depletion leads to disruption of cellular homeostasis and cell death. Early replenishment of ATP levels might therefore have a neuroprotective effect in the injured brain. We have previously shown that the ATP precursors, D-ribose and adenine (RibAde), restored the reduced ATP levels in rat brain slices to values similar to those measured in the intact rodent brain. The aim of this study was to assess whether RibAde, either alone or in combination with the xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol (RibAdeAll; to further increase the availability of ATP precursors), could improve outcome in an in vivo rodent model of transient cerebral ischaemia. Methods: After 60 min occlusion of the middle cerebral artery, and upon reperfusion, rats were administered saline, RibAde, or RibAdeAll for 6 h. Baseline lesion volume was determined by diffusion-weighted MRI prior to reperfusion and final infarct volume determined by T2-weighted MRI at Day 7. Neurological function was assessed at Days 1, 3 and 7. Results: Ischaemic lesion volume decreased between Days 1 and 7: a 50% reduction was observed for the RibAdeAll group, 38% for the RibAde group and 18% in the animals that received saline. Reductions in lesion size in treatment groups were accompanied by a trend for faster functional recovery. Conclusion: These data support the potential use of ribose, adenine and allopurinol in the treatment of cerebral ischaemic injury, especially since all compounds have been used in man

miR-132/212 knockout mice reveal roles for these miRNAs in regulating cortical synaptic transmission and plasticity

miR-132 and miR-212 are two closely related miRNAs encoded in the same intron of a small non-coding gene, which have been suggested to play roles in both immune and neuronal function. We describe here the generation and initial characterisation of a miR-132/212 double knockout mouse. These mice were viable and fertile with no overt adverse phenotype. Analysis of innate immune responses, including TLR-induced cytokine production and IFNβ induction in response to viral infection of primary fibroblasts did not reveal any phenotype in the knockouts. In contrast, the loss of miR-132 and miR-212, while not overtly affecting neuronal morphology, did affect synaptic function. In both hippocampal and neocortical slices miR-132/212 knockout reduced basal synaptic transmission, without affecting paired-pulse facilitation. Hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) induced by tetanic stimulation was not affected by miR-132/212 deletion, whilst theta burst LTP was enhanced. In contrast, neocortical theta burst-induced LTP was inhibited by loss of miR-132/212. Together these results indicate that miR-132 and/or miR-212 play a significant role in synaptic function, possibly by regulating the number of postsynaptic AMPA receptors under basal conditions and during activity-dependent synaptic plasticity

Olive phenology as a sensitive indicator of future climatic warming in the Mediterranean

Experimental and modelling work suggests a strong dependence of olive flowering date on spring temperatures. Since airborne pollen concentrations reflect the flowering phenology of olive populations within a radius of 50 km, they may be a sensitive regional indicator of climatic warming. We assessed this potential sensitivity with phenology models fitted to flowering dates inferred from maximum airborne pollen data. Of four models tested, a thermal time model gave the best fit for Montpellier, France, and was the most effective at the regional scale, providing reasonable predictions for 10 sites in the western Mediterranean. This model was forced with replicated future temperature simulations for the western Mediterranean from a coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model (GCM). The GCM temperatures rose by 4·5 °C between 1990 and 2099 with a 1% per year increase in greenhouse gases, and modelled flowering date advanced at a rate of 6·2 d per °C. The results indicated that this long-term regional trend in phenology might be statistically significant as early as 2030, but with marked spatial variation in magnitude, with the calculated flowering date between the 1990s and 2030s advancing by 3–23 d. Future monitoring of airborne olive pollen may therefore provide an early biological indicator of climatic warming in the Mediterranean

New remains of Nothrotheriinae (Mammalia, Xenarthra) from Late Pleistocene fluvial deposits of Northern Pampa (Santa Fe Province, Argentina)

In this contribution the record of a Nothrotheriinae (Xenarthra, Tardigrada) ground sloth is reported from the Late Pleistocene of the Northern Pampa of Santa Fe Province, Argentina. The stratigraphic unit where the fossil was collected corresponds to fluvial-palustrine sediments of the Timbúes Formation, outcropping along the Carcarañá River valley. The relative stratigraphic position of this lithostratigraphic unit, observed in several sections mainly on the Paraná River cliffs near Carcarañá River distal area, suggests that it was deposited during the Last Interglacial Stage. The specimen (MPAHND-135), assigned to Nothrotherium cf. torresi, is represented by the proximal two-thirds of a left femur that shows a prominent lesser trochanter and no connection between the third trochanter and the ectepicondyle. The presence of Nothrotherium cf. torresi in sediments related to humid conditions supports the idea that Nothrotheriinae had great ecological tolerance and was capable of inhabiting climates ranging from cold and arid, as was previously proposed, to warm and humid.Fil: Vezzosi, Raúl Ignacio. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Brandoni, Diego. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Brunetto, Ernesto. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Zalazar, Maria Cecilia. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; Argentin

Meloneis Gen. Nov., a New Epipsammic Genus of Rhaphoneidaceae (Bacillariophyceae)

The diatom family Rhaphoneidaceae is characterized by high generic diversity and low species diversity with most genera known to have long stratigraphic ranges. The genera within this family are neritic marine, and mostly epipsammic. A new modern and epipsammic genus, Meloneis gen. nov., is described herein and is compared to all genera within Rhaphoneidaceae and especially to Rhaphoneis Ehrenberg s.l. Within Meloneis three new species and one variety are distinguished and described herein: M. mimallis sp. nov., M. mimallis var. zephyria var. nov., M. akytos sp. nov., and M. gorgis sp. nov

Recommended Terminology for Aerobiological Studies

Aerobiology is an interdisciplinary science where researchers with different backgrounds are involved in different topics related to microorganism, airborne biological particles, e.g. pollen and spores, and phenology. Some concepts, words or expressions used in aerobiology have a clear definition, but are however frequently misused. Therefore, the working group “Quality Control” of the European Aerobiology Society (EAS) and the International Association of Aerobiology (IAA) would like to clarify some of them, their use and presentation

Sleep-wake sensitive mechanisms of adenosine release in the basal forebrain of rodents : an in vitro study

Adenosine acting in the basal forebrain is a key mediator of sleep homeostasis. Extracellular adenosine concentrations increase during wakefulness, especially during prolonged wakefulness and lead to increased sleep pressure and subsequent rebound sleep. The release of endogenous adenosine during the sleep-wake cycle has mainly been studied in vivo with microdialysis techniques. The biochemical changes that accompany sleep-wake status may be preserved in vitro. We have therefore used adenosine-sensitive biosensors in slices of the basal forebrain (BFB) to study both depolarization-evoked adenosine release and the steady state adenosine tone in rats, mice and hamsters. Adenosine release was evoked by high K+, AMPA, NMDA and mGlu receptor agonists, but not by other transmitters associated with wakefulness such as orexin, histamine or neurotensin. Evoked and basal adenosine release in the BFB in vitro exhibited three key features: the magnitude of each varied systematically with the diurnal time at which the animal was sacrificed; sleep deprivation prior to sacrifice greatly increased both evoked adenosine release and the basal tone; and the enhancement of evoked adenosine release and basal tone resulting from sleep deprivation was reversed by the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitor, 1400 W. These data indicate that characteristics of adenosine release recorded in the BFB in vitro reflect those that have been linked in vivo to the homeostatic control of sleep. Our results provide methodologically independent support for a key role for induction of iNOS as a trigger for enhanced adenosine release following sleep deprivation and suggest that this induction may constitute a biochemical memory of this state