Spearmint Extract Improves Working Memory in Men and Women with Age-Associated Memory Impairment

This is the final version of the article. Available from Mary Ann Liebert via the DOI in this record.OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of supplementation with a spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) extract, high in polyphenols including rosmarinic acid, on cognitive performance, sleep, and mood in individuals with age-associated memory impairment (AAMI). DESIGN: Subjects with AAMI (N = 90; 67% female; age = 59.4 ± 0.6 years) were randomly assigned (n = 30/group) to consume 900, 600, or 0 mg/day (two capsules, once daily) spearmint extract for 90 days, in this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Assessments were completed for cognition (days 0, 45, and 90), sleep (days 0 and 90), and mood (days 0 and 90) by using the Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) System™, Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire (LSEQ), and Profile of Mood States (POMS™), respectively. RESULTS: Quality of working memory and spatial working memory accuracy improved after supplementation with 900 mg/day spearmint extract by 15% (p = 0.0469) and 9% (p = 0.0456), respectively, versus placebo. Subjects consuming 900 mg/day spearmint extract reported improvement in their ability to fall asleep, relative to subjects consuming placebo (p = 0.0046). Overall treatment effects were evident for vigor-activity (p = 0.0399), total mood disturbance (p = 0.0374), and alertness and behavior following wakefulness (p = 0.0415), with trends observed for improvements after spearmint supplementation relative to placebo. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the distinct spearmint extract may be a beneficial nutritional intervention for cognitive health in older subjects with AAMI.Kemin Foods, L.C., funded this study

Discovery of the Acoustic Faraday Effect in Superfluid 3He-B

We report the discovery of the acoustic Faraday effect in superfluid 3He-B. The observation of this effect provides the first direct evidence for propagating transverse acoustic waves in liquid 3He, a mode first predicted by Landau in 1957. The Faraday rotation is large and observable because of spontaneously broken spin-orbit symmetry in 3He-B. We compare the experimental observations with a simulation of the transverse acoustic impedance that includes the field-induced circular birefringence of transverse waves.Comment: 4 pages in RevTex plus 3 postscript figures; new version includes: minor corrections to the text and an updated of list of reference

Molecular phylogeny and evolution of alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) genes in legumes

BACKGROUND: Nuclear genes determine the vast range of phenotypes that are responsible for the adaptive abilities of organisms in nature. Nevertheless, the evolutionary processes that generate the structures and functions of nuclear genes are only now be coming understood. The aim of our study is to isolate the alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) genes in two distantly related legumes, and use these sequences to examine the molecular evolutionary history of this nuclear gene. RESULTS: We isolated the expressed Adh genes from two species of legumes, Sophora flavescens Ait. and Wisteria floribunda DC., by a RT-PCR based approach and found a new Adh locus in addition to homologues of the Adh genes found previously in legumes. To examine the evolution of these genes, we compared the species and gene trees and found gene duplication of the Adh loci in the legumes occurred as an ancient event. CONCLUSION: This is the first report revealing that some legume species have at least two Adh gene loci belonging to separate clades. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that these genes resulted from relatively ancient duplication events

A perturbation-based balance training program for older adults: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous research investigating exercise as a means of falls prevention in older adults has shown mixed results. Lack of specificity of the intervention may be an important factor contributing to negative results. Change-in-support (CIS) balance reactions, which involve very rapid stepping or grasping movements of the limbs, play a critical role in preventing falls; hence, a training program that improves ability to execute effective CIS reactions could potentially have a profound effect in reducing risk of falling. This paper describes: 1) the development of a perturbation-based balance training program that targets specific previously-reported age-related impairments in CIS reactions, and 2) a study protocol to evaluate the efficacy of this new training program.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>The training program involves use of unpredictable, multi-directional moving-platform perturbations to evoke stepping and grasping reactions. Perturbation magnitude is gradually increased over the course of the 6-week program, and concurrent cognitive and movement tasks are included during later sessions. The program was developed in accordance with well-established principles of motor learning, such as individualisation, specificity, overload, adaptation-progression and variability. Specific goals are to reduce the frequency of multiple-step responses, reduce the frequency of collisions between the stepping foot and stance leg, and increase the speed of grasping reactions. A randomised control trial will be performed to evaluate the efficacy of the training program. A total of 30 community-dwelling older adults (age 64–80) with a recent history of instability or falling will be assigned to either the perturbation-based training or a control group (flexibility/relaxation training), using a stratified randomisation that controls for gender, age and baseline stepping/grasping performance. CIS reactions will be tested immediately before and after the six weeks of training, using platform perturbations as well as a distinctly different method of perturbation (waist pulls) in order to evaluate the generalisability of the training effects.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This study will determine whether perturbation-based balance training can help to reverse specific age-related impairments in balance-recovery reactions. These results will help to guide the development of more effective falls prevention programs, which may ultimately lead to reduced health-care costs and enhanced mobility, independence and quality of life.</p

Evidence of Andreev bound states as a hallmark of the FFLO phase in κ\kappa-(BEDT-TTF)2_2Cu(NCS)2_2

Superconductivity is a quantum phenomena arising, in its simplest form, from pairing of fermions with opposite spin into a state with zero net momentum. Whether superconductivity can occur in fermionic systems with unequal number of two species distinguished by spin, atomic hyperfine states, flavor, presents an important open question in condensed matter, cold atoms, and quantum chromodynamics, physics. In the former case the imbalance between spin-up and spin-down electrons forming the Cooper pairs is indyced by the magnetic field. Nearly fifty years ago Fulde, Ferrell, Larkin and Ovchinnikov (FFLO) proposed that such imbalanced system can lead to exotic superconductivity in which pairs acquire finite momentum. The finite pair momentum leads to spatially inhomogeneous state consisting of of a periodic alternation of "normal" and "superconducting" regions. Here, we report nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements providing microscopic evidence for the existence of this new superconducting state through the observation of spin-polarized quasiparticles forming so-called Andreev bound states.Comment: 6 pages, 5 fig

Flavor conversion of cosmic neutrinos from hidden jets

High energy cosmic neutrino fluxes can be produced inside relativistic jets under the envelopes of collapsing stars. In the energy range E ~ (0.3 - 1e5) GeV, flavor conversion of these neutrinos is modified by various matter effects inside the star and the Earth. We present a comprehensive (both analytic and numerical) description of the flavor conversion of these neutrinos which includes: (i) oscillations inside jets, (ii) flavor-to-mass state transitions in an envelope, (iii) loss of coherence on the way to observer, and (iv) oscillations of the mass states inside the Earth. We show that conversion has several new features which are not realized in other objects, in particular interference effects ("L- and H- wiggles") induced by the adiabaticity violation. The neutrino-neutrino scattering inside jet and inelastic neutrino interactions in the envelope may produce some additional features at E > 1e4 GeV. We study dependence of the probabilities and flavor ratios in the matter-affected region on angles theta13 and theta23, on the CP-phase delta, as well as on the initial flavor content and density profile of the star. We show that measurements of the energy dependence of the flavor ratios will, in principle, allow to determine independently the neutrino and astrophysical parameters.Comment: 56 pages, 19 figures. Minor changes. Accepted by JHEP

Loss of Function in Escherichia coli exposed to Environmentally Relevant Concentrations of Benzalkonium Chloride

Assessing the risk of resistance associated with biocide exposure commonly involves exposing microorganisms to biocides at concentrations close to the MIC. With the aim of representing exposure to environmental biocide residues, MG1655 was grown for 20 passages in the presence or absence of benzalkonium chloride (BAC) at 100 ng/L and 1000 ng/L (0.0002% and 0.002% of the MIC respectively). BAC susceptibility, planktonic growth rates, motility and biofilm-formation were assessed, and differentially expressed genes determined via RNA-sequencing. Planktonic growth rate and biofilm-formation were significantly reduced (p<0.001) following BAC adaptation, whilst BAC minimum bactericidal concentration increased two-fold. Transcriptomic analysis identified 289 upregulated and 391 downregulated genes after long-term BAC adaptation when compared to the respective control organism passaged in BAC-free-media. When the BAC-adapted bacterium was grown in biocide-free medium, 1052 genes were upregulated and 753 were down regulated. Repeated passage solely in biocide-free medium resulted in 460 upregulated and 476 downregulated genes compared to unexposed bacteria. Long-term exposure to environmentally relevant BAC concentrations increased the expression of genes associated with efflux and reduced gene expression associated with outer-membrane porins, motility and chemotaxis. This was manifested phenotypically through loss-of-function (motility). Repeated passage in a BAC-free-environment resulted in the up-regulation of multiple respiration-associated genes, which was reflected by increased growth rate. In summary, repeated exposure of to BAC residues resulted in significant alterations in global gene expression that were associated with minor decreases in biocide susceptibility, reductions in growth-rate and biofilm-formation, and loss of motility. Exposure to very low concentrations of biocide in the environment is a poorly understood risk factor for antimicrobial resistance. Repeated exposure to trace levels of the biocide BAC resulted in loss of function (motility) and a general reduction in bacterial fitness, but relatively minor decreases in susceptibility. These changes were accompanied by widespread changes in the transcriptome. This demonstrates the importance of including phenotypic characterisation in studies designed to assess the risks of biocide exposure. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

Adaptive remodeling of the bacterial proteome by specific ribosomal modification regulates Pseudomonas infection and niche colonisation

Post-transcriptional control of protein abundance is a highly important, underexplored regulatory process by which organisms respond to their environments. Here we describe an important and previously unidentified regulatory pathway involving the ribosomal modification protein RimK, its regulator proteins RimA and RimB, and the widespread bacterial second messenger cyclic-di-GMP (cdG). Disruption of rimK affects motility and surface attachment in pathogenic and commensal Pseudomonas species, with rimK deletion significantly compromising rhizosphere colonisation by the commensal soil bacterium P. fluorescens, and plant infection by the pathogens P. syringae and P. aeruginosa. RimK functions as an ATP-dependent glutamyl ligase, adding glutamate residues to the C-terminus of ribosomal protein RpsF and inducing specific effects on both ribosome protein complement and function. Deletion of rimK in P. fluorescens leads to markedly reduced levels of multiple ribosomal proteins, and also of the key translational regulator Hfq. In turn, reduced Hfq levels induce specific downstream proteomic changes, with significant increases in multiple ABC transporters, stress response proteins and non-ribosomal peptide synthetases seen for both ΔrimK and Δhfq mutants. The activity of RimK is itself controlled by interactions with RimA, RimB and cdG. We propose that control of RimK activity represents a novel regulatory mechanism that dynamically influences interactions between bacteria and their hosts; translating environmental pressures into dynamic ribosomal changes, and consequently to an adaptive remodeling of the bacterial proteome