Detection of equine atypical myopathy-associated hypoglycin A in plant material: Optimisation and validation of a novel LC-MS based method without derivatisation

Hypoglycin A (HGA) toxicity, following ingestion of material from certain plants, is linked to an acquired multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency known as atypical myopathy, a commonly fatal form of equine rhabdomyolysis seen worldwide. Whilst some plants are known to contain this toxin, little is known about its function or the mechanisms that lead to varied HGA concentrations between plants. Consequently, reliable tools to detect this amino acid in plant samples are needed. Analytical methods for HGA detection have previously been validated for the food industry, however, these techniques rely on chemical derivatisation to obtain accurate results at low HGA concentrations. In this work, we describe and validate a novel method, without need for chemical derivatisation (accuracy = 84–94%; precision = 3–16%; reproducibility = 3–6%; mean linear range R2 = 0.999). The current limit of quantitation for HGA in plant material was halved (from 1μg/g in previous studies) to 0.5μg/g. The method was tested in Acer pseudoplatanus material and other tree and plant species. We confirm that A. pseudoplatanus is most likely the only source of HGA in trees found within European pastures

Carney triad. Report of one case

Indexación: Scopus.Carney described a disorder characterized by the presence of several uncommon tumors which were pulmonary chondromas, gastric sarcomas and extra-adrenal paragangliomas. We report a 14 year-old girl in whom multiple gastric tumors were discovered during a study of an iron deficiency anemia and was subjected to a partial gastrectomy. At 25 years of age, she developed several pulmonary chondromas and at 33 years, a mediastinal tumor with features of an extra-adrenal paraganglioma was found. At 35 years of age, a total gastrectomy was performed to remove a gastrointestinal stromal tumor with excision of peritoneal and lymph node metastasis. One year later, the patient died due to liver failure secondary to liver metastases.http://ref.scielo.org/4jhgg

Physiological effects of environmental acidification in the deep-sea urchin <i>Strongylocentrotus fragilis</i>

Anthropogenic CO₂ is now reaching depths over 1000 m in the Eastern Pacific, overlapping the Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ). Deep-sea animals are suspected to be especially sensitive to environmental acidification associated with global climate change. We have investigated the effects of elevated <i>p</i>CO₂ and variable O₂ on the deep-sea urchin <i>Strongylocentrotus fragilis</i>, a species whose range of 200–1200 m depth includes the OMZ and spans a <i>p</i>CO₂ range of approx. 600–1200 μatm (approx. pH 7.6 to 7.8). Individuals were evaluated during two exposure experiments (1-month and 4 month) at control and three levels of elevated <i>p</i>CO₂ at in situ O₂ levels of approx. 10% air saturation. A treatment of control <i>p</i>CO₂ at 100% air saturation was also included in experiment two. During the first experiment, perivisceral coelomic fluid (PCF) acid-base balance was investigated during a one-month exposure; results show <i>S. fragilis</i> has limited ability to compensate for the respiratory acidosis brought on by elevated <i>p</i>CO₂, due in part to low non-bicarbonate PCF buffering capacity. During the second experiment, individuals were separated into fed and fasted experimental groups, and longer-term effects of elevated <i>p</i>CO₂ and variable O₂ on righting time, feeding, growth, and gonadosomatic index (GSI) were investigated for both groups. Results suggest that the acidosis found during experiment one does not directly correlate with adverse effects during exposure to realistic future <i>p</i>CO₂ levels

Theoretical Criteria for Scattering Dark States in Nanostructured Particles

Nanostructures with multiple resonances can exhibit a suppressed or even completely eliminated scattering of light, called a scattering dark state. We describe this phenomenon with a general treatment of light scattering from a multiresonant nanostructure that is spherical or nonspherical but subwavelength in size. With multiple resonances in the same channel (i.e., same angular momentum and polarization), coherent interference always leads to scattering dark states in the low-absorption limit, regardless of the system details. The coupling between resonances is inevitable and can be interpreted as arising from far-field or near-field. This is a realization of coupled-resonator-induced transparency in the context of light scattering, which is related to but different from Fano resonances. Explicit examples are given to illustrate these concepts.Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (Contract W911NF-13-D-0001)National Science Foundation (U.S.). Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (Program) (Grant DMR-0819762

Neutron reflection study of the adsorption of the phosphate surfactant NaDEHP onto alumina from water.

The adsorption of a phosphorus analogue of the surfactant AOT, sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (NaDEHP), at the water/alumina interface is described. The material is found to adsorb as an essentially water-free bilayer from neutron reflection measurements. This is similar to the behavior of AOT under comparable conditions, although AOT forms a thicker, more hydrated layer. The NaDEHP shows rather little variation with added salt, but a small thickening of the layer on increasing the pH, in contrast to the behavior of AOT.We thank BP plc and EPSRC for financial support for this work as well as the ISIS and ILL staff and scientists for the allocation of beam time and technical assistance with NR measurements. We also appreciate Chris Sporikou at Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, for help with the surfactant synthesis.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared at http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/la504837

Sectores ecológicos en el Valle de los Pedroches y su relación con la mejora de pastos

Trabajos previos, realizados durante el período 1953-1963 por el Ministerio de Agricultura español, determinaron la posibilidad de la mejora de praderas en el Valle de los Pedroches {Córdoba), mediante la siembra de especies tales como Trifolium subterraneum, Trifolium hirtum, Phalaris tuberosa y Lolium rigidum.En el período de extensión y divulgación de la técnica (1964-1971), durante el cual se realizaron siembras sobre el 1,8 % de la superficie de la zona, aparecieron desajustes que aconsejaron revisar los planteamientos iniciales y suspender las siembras.Un trabajo de prospección del medio físico, en el que se tuvieron en cuenta variables ecológicas muy simples (pluviometría anual, litología profundidad de suelo) fue realizado entre 1970 y 1971 (8). El trabajo demostró la existencia de sectores ecológicos muy diversos dentro del Valle de los Pedroches.A la vista de los resultados de este trabajo, se estimó necesario el montaje de una segunda red de campos de ensayo, que permitiera testar a nivel de sector ecológico las posibilidades reales de cada especie. Resultados provisionales de esta red de ensayos son analizados. (Sección 1ª. Presidente Dr. J. Cizek

The physiological responses of cacao to the environment and the implications for climate change resilience. A review

Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is a tropical perennial crop which is of great economic importance to the confectionary industry and to the economies of many countries of the humid tropics where it is grown. Some recent studies have suggested climate change could severely impact cacao production in West Africa. It is essential to incorporate our understanding of the physiology and genetic variation within cacao germplasm when discussing the implications of climate change on cacao productivity and developing strategies for climate resilience in cacao production. Here we review the current research on the physiological responses of cacao to various climate factors. Our main findings are 1) water limitation causes significant yield reduction in cacao but genotypic variation in sensitivity is evident, 2) in the field cacao experiences higher temperatures than is often reported in the literature, 3) the complexity of the cacao/ shade tree interaction can lead to contradictory results, 4) elevated CO2 may alleviate some negative effects of climate change 5) implementation of mitigation strategies can help reduce environmental stress, 6) significant gaps in the research need addressing to accelerate the development of climate resilience. Harnessing the significant genetic variation apparent within cacao germplasm is essential to develop modern varieties capable of high yields in non-optimal conditions. Mitigation strategies will also be essential but to use shading to best effect shade tree selection is crucial to avoid resource competition. Cacao is often described as being sensitive to climate change but genetic variation, adaptive responses, appropriate mitigation strategies and interactive climate effects should all be considered when predicting the future of cacao production. Incorporating these physiological responses to various environmental conditions and developing a deeper understanding of the processes underlying these responses will help to accelerate the development of a more resource use efficient tree ensuring sustainable production into the future