Non-tariff and overall protection: evidence across countries and over time

This paper analyzes the evolution of the incidence and intensity of non-tariff measures (NTMs). It extends earlier work by measuring protection from NTMs over time from a newly available database and provides evidence on the evolution of NTMs. In particular, building on Kee, Nicita and Olarreaga (2009), this paper estimates the ad valorem equivalents (AVEs) of NTMs for 97 countries at the product level over the period 1997 to 2015. We show that the incidence and the intensity of NTMs were both increasing over this period, with NTMs becoming an even more dominant source of trade protection. We are also able to investigate the evolution of overall protection derived jointly fromtariffs and NTMs. The results show that the overall protection level, for most countries and products, has not decreased despite the fall in tariffs associated with multilateral, regional and bilateral trade agreements in recent decades. We also document an increase in overall trade protection during the recent 2008 financial crisis. Overall, this study sheds light on an under-researched aspect of trade liberalization: the proliferation and increase of NTMs

Effects of leucine supplemented diet on intestinal absorption in tumor bearing pregnant rats

BACKGROUND: It is known that amino acid oxidation is increased in tumor-bearing rat muscles and that leucine is an important ketogenic amino acid that provides energy to the skeletal muscle. METHODS: To evaluate the effects of a leucine supplemented diet on the intestinal absorption alterations produced by Walker 256, growing pregnant rats were distributed into six groups. Three pregnant groups received a normal protein diet (18% protein): pregnant (N), tumor-bearing (WN), pair-fed rats (Np). Three other pregnant groups were fed a diet supplemented with 3% leucine (15% protein plus 3% leucine): leucine (L), tumor-bearing (WL) and pair-fed with leucine (Lp). Non pregnant rats (C), which received a normal protein diet, were used as a control group. After 20 days, the animals were submitted to intestinal perfusion to measure leucine, methionine and glucose absorption. RESULTS: Tumor-bearing pregnant rats showed impairment in food intake, body weight gain and muscle protein content, which were less accentuated in WL than in WN rats. These metabolic changes led to reduction in both fetal and tumor development. Leucine absorption slightly increased in WN group. In spite of having a significant decrease in leucine and methionine absorption compared to L, the WL group has shown a higher absorption rate of methionine than WN group, probably due to the ingestion of the leucine supplemented diet inducing this amino acid uptake. Glucose absorption was reduced in both tumor-bearing groups. CONCLUSIONS: Leucine supplementation during pregnancy in tumor-bearing rats promoted high leucine absorption, increasing the availability of the amino acid for neoplasic cells and, mainly, for fetus and host utilization. This may have contributed to the better preservation of body weight gain, food intake and muscle protein observed in the supplemented rats in relation to the non-supplemented ones

Zymographic assay of plant diamine oxidase on entrapped peroxidase polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A study of stability to proteolysis

A zymographic assay of diamine oxidase (DAO, histaminase, EC 1.4.3.6), based on a coupled peroxidase reaction, and its behavior at proteolysis in simulated gastric and intestinal conditions, are described. The DAO activity from a vegetal extract of Lathyrus sativus seedlings was directly determined on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide electrophoretic gels containing entrapped horseradish peroxidase, with putrescine as substrate of histaminase and ortho-phenylenediamine as co-substrate of peroxidase. The accumulation of azo-aniline, as peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation product, led to well-defined yellow-brown bands on gels, with intensities corresponding to the enzymatic activity of DAO. After image analysis of gels, a linear dependency of DAO content (Coomassie-stained protein bands) and of its enzymatic activity (zymographic bands) with the concentration of the vegetal extract was obtained. In simulated gastric conditions (pH 1.2, 37 °C), the DAO from the vegetal extract lost its enzymatic activity before 15 min of incubation, either in the presence or absence of pepsin. The protein pattern (Coomassie-stained) revealed that the DAO content from the vegetal extract was kept almost constant in the simulated intestinal fluid (containing pancreatin or not), with a slight diminution in the presence of pancreatic proteases. After 10 h of incubation at 37 °C, the DAO enzymatic activity from the vegetal extract was 44.7% in media without pancreatin and 13.6% in the presence of pancreatin, whereas the purified DAO retained only 4.65% of its initial enzymatic activity in the presence of pancreatin

Myofibrillogenesis regulator 1 induces hypertrophy by promoting sarcomere organization in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes

Human myofibrillogenesis regulator 1, a novel 17-kDa protein, is closely involved in cardiac hypertrophy. We studied the molecular mechanism that links MR-1 to hypertrophic response. Hypertrophic hallmarks such as cell size and [3H]-leucine incorporation were significantly increased when MR-1 was transfected into cardiomyocytes for 48 h. However, sarcomere organization was promoted when MR-1 was transfected for 8 h. The finding that cardiac hypertrophy was induced long after increase of sarcomere organization indicates that the promoted sarcomere organization may be one of the crucial factors causing hypertrophy. Furthermore, when MR-1 was transfected into cardiomyocytes, the nuclear localization of myomesin-1 was shifted to the cytoplasm. Transfection with small ubiquitin-like modifier-1 (SUMO-1) mimicked the effect of MR-1 inducing translocation of myomesin-1. However, transfection with SUMO-1 in MR-1-silenced cardiomyocytes failed to induce translocation and sarcomere organization, even though SUMO-1 expression was at the same level. Overexpression of MR-1 may induce cardiomyocyte hypertrophy via myomesin-1-mediated sarcomere organization

Sacral dome resection and single-stage posterior reduction in the treatment of high-grade high dysplastic spondylolisthesis in adolescents and young adults

OBJECTIVE: The description of the operation technique and retrospective review of 15 consecutive patients who were treated by posterior sacral dome resection and single-stage reduction with pedicle screw fixation for high-grade, high-dysplastic spondylolisthesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All the patients had high-grade, high-dysplastic spondylolisthesis L5 and were treated by posterior sacral dome resection and posterior single-stage reduction from L4-S1. The average age at the time of surgery was 17.3 (11-28) years. The average follow-up time is 5.5 (2-11.6) years. Clinical and radiological data were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Spondylolisthesis was reduced from average 99% preoperative to 29% at the last follow-up. L5 incidence improved from 74° to 56°, the lumbosacral angle improved from 15° kyphosis to 6° lordosis, lumbar lordosis decreased from 69° to 53° from preoperative to the last follow-up. While pelvic incidence of 77° remained unchanged, sacral slope decreased from 51° to 46° and pelvic tilt increased from 25° to 30°. Clinical outcome was subjectively rated to be much better than before surgery by 14 out of 15 patients. Four out of 15 patients had temporary sensory impairment of the L5 nerve root which resolved completely within 12 weeks. There were no permanent neurological complications or no pseudarthrosis. CONCLUSION: The sacral dome resection is a shortening osteotomy of the lumbosacral spine which allows a single-stage reduction of L5 without lengthening of lumbosacral region in high-grade spondylolisthesis, which helps to avoid neurological complications. This is a safe surgical technique resulting in a good multidimensional deformity correction and restoration of spino-pelvic alignment towards normal values with a satisfactory clinical outcome

Brainstem and Spinal Cord Circuitry Regulating REM Sleep and Muscle Atonia

Previous work has suggested, but not demonstrated directly, a critical role for both glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons of the pontine tegmentum in the regulation of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.To determine the in vivo roles of these fast-acting neurotransmitters in putative REM pontine circuits, we injected an adeno-associated viral vector expressing Cre recombinase (AAV-Cre) into mice harboring lox-P modified alleles of either the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2) or vesicular GABA-glycine transporter (VGAT) genes. Our results show that glutamatergic neurons of the sublaterodorsal nucleus (SLD) and glycinergic/GABAergic interneurons of the spinal ventral horn contribute to REM atonia, whereas a separate population of glutamatergic neurons in the caudal laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (cLDT) and SLD are important for REM sleep generation. Our results further suggest that presynaptic GABA release in the cLDT-SLD, ventrolateral periaqueductal gray matter (vlPAG) and lateral pontine tegmentum (LPT) are not critically involved in REM sleep control.These findings reveal the critical and divergent in vivo role of pontine glutamate and spinal cord GABA/glycine in the regulation of REM sleep and atonia and suggest a possible etiological basis for REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD)

A genetic locus and gene expression patterns associated with the priming effect on lettuce seed germination at elevated temperatures

Seeds of most cultivated varieties of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) fail to germinate at warm temperatures (i.e., above 25–30°C). Seed priming (controlled hydration followed by drying) alleviates this thermoinhibition by increasing the maximum germination temperature. We conducted a quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of seed germination responses to priming using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between L. sativa cv. Salinas and L. serriola accession UC96US23. Priming significantly increased the maximum germination temperature of the RIL population, and a single major QTL was responsible for 47% of the phenotypic variation due to priming. This QTL collocated with Htg6.1, a major QTL from UC96US23 associated with high temperature germination capacity. Seeds of three near-isogenic lines (NILs) carrying an Htg6.1 introgression from UC96US23 in a Salinas genetic background exhibited synergistic increases in maximum germination temperature in response to priming. LsNCED4, a gene encoding a key enzyme (9-cis-epoxycarotinoid dioxygenase) in the abscisic acid biosynthetic pathway, maps precisely with Htg6.1. Expression of LsNCED4 after imbibition for 24 h at high temperature was greater in non-primed seeds of Salinas, of a second cultivar (Titan) and of NILs containing Htg6.1 compared to primed seeds of the same genotypes. In contrast, expression of genes encoding regulated enzymes in the gibberellin and ethylene biosynthetic pathways (LsGA3ox1 and LsACS1, respectively) was enhanced by priming and suppressed by imbibition at elevated temperatures. Developmental and temperature regulation of hormonal biosynthetic pathways is associated with seed priming effects on germination temperature sensitivity

(Per)chlorate reduction by an acetogenic bacterium, Sporomusa sp., isolated from an underground gas storage

A mesophilic bacterium, strain An4, was isolated from an underground gas storage reservoir with methanol as substrate and perchlorate as electron acceptor. Cells were Gram-negative, spore-forming, straight to curved rods, 0.5–0.8 μm in diameter, and 2–8 μm in length, growing as single cells or in pairs. The cells grew optimally at 37°C, and the pH optimum was around 7. Strain An4 converted various alcohols, organic acids, fructose, acetoin, and H2/CO2 to acetate, usually as the only product. Succinate was decarboxylated to propionate. The isolate was able to respire with (per)chlorate, nitrate, and CO2. The G+C content of the DNA was 42.6 mol%. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain An4 was most closely related to Sporomusa ovata (98% similarity). The bacterium reduced perchlorate and chlorate completely to chloride. Key enzymes, perchlorate reductase and chlorite dismutase, were detected in cell-free extracts

Influence of head size on the development of metallic wear and on the characteristics of carbon layers in metal-on-metal hip joints

Background and purpose Particles originating from the articulating surfaces of hip endoprostheses often induce an inflammatory response, which can be related to implant failure. We therefore analyzed the metal content in capsular tissue from 44 McKee-Farrar metal-on-metal hip prostheses (with 3 different head sizes) and we also analyzed the morphological structure of layers located on articulating surfaces