Field and laboratory data on Apodemus semotus

This Excel file contains two worksheets, 'field data' and 'lab data'. The 'field data' worksheet has the data from the field experiment, including the body mass, parasite intensity (i.e. faecal egg count), seed consumption (i.e. stable carbon isotope value), sex, ivermectin treatment, offspring number and offspring quality (i.e. mean body mass of the offspring) of Apodemus semotus. The 'lab data' worksheet has the data from the laboratory experiment, including ivermectin treatment, sex, parasite intensity (i.e. faecal egg count), energy consumption and three immune metrics (i.e. white blood cell count, percent granulocyte count and percent lymphocyte count of Apodemus semotus

Alteration of gap junctions and connexins in the right atrial appendage during cardiopulmonary bypass

AbstractObjectives: We investigated the influence of cardiopulmonary bypass on cardiomyocyte gap junctions and connexins. Methods: Samples were collected at intervals during operation from the right atrial appendage in 21 patients (mean [± SD] age 55 ± 21 years). Immunodetection of connexins was conducted by Western blotting and confocal microscopy with parallel electron microscopic examination of gap junctions. Results: Downregulation of connexin 43 during the course of operation occurred in more than half of the patients. The mean densitometric value of connexin 43 decreased by 23%, with samples from patients with coronary artery disease showing a greater reduction than seen in those from patients with other diseases (31% ± 22% vs 10% ± 24%, P =.04). Such alterations were confirmed by confocal microscopy, which also demonstrated reduced connexin 45 immunolabeling in most patients. Electron microscopy revealed a reduction in the dimensions of cell membrane-located gap junctions and more frequent intracytoplasmic gap junctional membrane in samples from later time points (P =.04). Conclusions: Downregulation of connexins accompanied by a reduction in gap junctions is common in the cardiomyocytes of the right atrial appendage during cardiopulmonary bypass. The association of a marked reduction in connexin 43 with coronary artery disease may imply inadequate intraoperative cardiac protection in patients with this disease.J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2002;124:1106-1

Meta-Analysis for Correlating Structure of Bioactive Peptides in Foods of Animal Origin with Regard to Effect and Stability

Amino acid (AA) sequences of 807 bioactive peptides from foods of animal origin were examined in order to correlate peptide structure with activity (antihypertensive, antioxidative, immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, hypolipidemic, antithrombotic, and opioid) and stability in vivo. Food sources, such as milk, meat, eggs, and marine products, show different frequencies of bioactive peptides exhibiting specific effects. There is a correlation of peptide structure and effect, depending on type and position of AA. Opioid peptides contain a high percentage of aromatic AA residues, while antimicrobial peptides show an excess of positively charged AAs. AA residue position is significant, with those in the first and penultimate positions having the biggest effects on peptide activity. Peptides that have activity in vivo contain a high percentage (67%) of proline residues, but the positions of proline in the sequence depend on the length of the peptide. We also discuss the influence of processing on activity of these peptides, as well as methods for predicting release from the source protein and activity of peptides