Metabolomics demonstrates divergent responses of two Eucalyptus species to water stress

Past studies of water stress in Eucalyptus spp. generally highlighted the role of fewer than five “important” metabolites, whereas recent metabolomic studies on other genera have shown tens of compounds are affected. There are currently no metabolite profiling data for responses of stress-tolerant species to water stress. We used GC–MS metabolite profiling to examine the response of leaf metabolites to a long (2 month) and severe (Ψpredawn < −2 MPa) water stress in two species of the perennial tree genus Eucalyptus (the mesic Eucalyptus pauciflora and the semi-arid Eucalyptus dumosa). Polar metabolites in leaves were analysed by GC–MS and inorganic ions by capillary electrophoresis. Pressure–volume curves and metabolite measurements showed that water stress led to more negative osmotic potential and increased total osmotically active solutes in leaves of both species. Water stress affected around 30–40% of measured metabolites in E. dumosa and 10–15% in E. pauciflora. There were many metabolites that were affected in E. dumosa but not E. pauciflora, and some that had opposite responses in the two species. For example, in E. dumosa there were increases in five acyclic sugar alcohols and four low-abundance carbohydrates that were unaffected by water stress in E. pauciflora. Re-watering increased osmotic potential and decreased total osmotically active solutes in E. pauciflora, whereas in E. dumosa re-watering led to further decreases in osmotic potential and increases in total osmotically active solutes. This experiment has added several extra dimensions to previous targeted analyses of water stress responses in Eucalyptus, and highlights that even species that are closely related (e.g. congeners) may respond differently to water stress and re-waterin

Voiding urgency and detrusor contractility in women with overactive bladders.

To check whether the contractility of overactive bladders would be affected by voiding urgency.We urodynamically studied 100 women: 20 normal controls (group 1), 60 patients with idiopathic detrusor overactivity (DO), and 20 with neurogenic DO from intracerebral lesions. The idiopathic DO groups 2A (n = 20), 2B (n = 20), and 3 (n = 20) had moderate, severe, and no voiding urgency, respectively. The neurogenic DO group 4 had severe urgency. The delay time of urgent void at cystometry (2 minutes or more or, respectively, less than 2 minutes) defined moderate or severe urgency. Detrusor contractility was defined by the maximum bladder external voiding power (WF(max)).WF(max) was higher in the idiopathic DO patients than in the controls, had the highest values in group 2B, and did not differ significantly between groups 1-4 and 2A-3.We inferred from our data that idiopathic DO suggests a facilitation of voiding contractions and that such facilitation might be centrally amplified by severe urgency. This amplifying effect would probably be impaired in cases of neurogenic DO from intracerebral lesions

Lexical and semantic factors influencing picture naming in aphasia

Picture naming requires early visual analysis, accessing stored structural knowledge, semantic activation, and lexical retrieval. We tested the effect of perceptual, lexical, and semantic variables on the performance of aphasics in picture naming and assessed prevalence of natural categories vs artifact dissociations. Forty-nine aphasics were asked to name 60 pictures, from three natural (animals, fruits, and vegetables) and three artificial categories (tools, furniture, and vehicles). For each item visual (drawing complexity, image agreement), semantic (prototypicality, concept familiarity) and lexical variables (word frequency, name agreement) were available. The effect of these variables showed individual differences; altogether, visual complexity had little influence, whereas lexical and semantic variables were more influential. Name agreement was most important, followed by word frequency. On a multiple single case analysis 10 patients (20%) showed a natural/artificial category dissociation. Five of the six subjects faring better with artifacts were males, and all of four patients faring better with natural categories were females, interpretations of this finding are discussed

Urgency of micturition and detrusor contractility in men with prostatic obstruction and overactive bladders

Abstract Aims. In men with prostatic obstruction and detrusor overactivity (DO), to ascertain whether urgency of micturition affects bladder contractility. Materials and Methods. We urodynamically assessed five groups of 20 men each who had bladder outflow obstruction (BOO) from benign prostatic enlargement—Groups 1 (with no DO and no urgency), 2 (with DO and no urgency), 3A (with DO and moderate urgency), 3B (with DO and severe urgency), and 4 (with DO, severe urgency and chronic ischemic cerebral lesions). Urgency was graded as moderate or severe by the ability to avert an urgent void at cystometry for ≥2 or <2 min, respectively. BOO was assessed by the “Abrams–Griffiths number” (AG) and bladder contractility by the parameters PIP and WFmax. Results. AG did not differ significantly in Groups 2, 3A, and 3B, proved higher in such groups than in Group 1, and was nearly the same in Groups 1 and 4. PIP and WFmax were significantly higher in Groups 2, 3A, and 3B than in Groups 1 and 4, had the highest levels in Group 3B, and did not differ significantly in Groups 1–4 and 2–3A. Conclusions. In DO patients with prostatic obstruction there seems to be a DO-related facilitation of bladder contractility. In the same patients, severe urgency of micturition might over-amplify (i.e., enhance a DO-related facilitation of) bladder contractility, provided there are no neurogenic (chronic ischemic cerebral) lesions