A Creatine Transporter Is Operative at the Brush Border Level of the Rat Jejunal Enterocyte

Abstract Although ergogenic effects and health benefits have been reported for creatine used as nutritional supplement, to date little is known about the mechanism of creatine absorption in the small intestine. Thus the current study was undertaken to elucidate the mechanism of creatine intake in rat jejunum with the use of well-purified brush border membrane vesicles, isolated from jejunal enterocyte. Creatine uptake was found markedly stimulated by inwardly directed Na(+) and Cl(- )gradients, potential-sensitive, strongly reduced by the substitution of Na(+) and Cl(-) with various cations and anions and positively affected by intravesicular K(+). Moreover, creatine uptake is: 1) significantly inhibited by creatine structural analogs, 2) abolished by low concentrations of 2-aminoethyl methanethiosulfonate hydrobromide (MTSEA), 3) saturable as a function of creatine concentration with an apparent Michaelis-Menten constant of 24.08 +/- 0.80 muM and a maximal velocity of 391.30 +/- 6.19 pmoles mg protein(-1) 30 s(-1). The transport is electrogenic since at least two Na(+) and one Cl(-) are required to transport one creatine molecule. Western blot analysis showed the same amount of creatine transport protein in the jejunal apical membrane when compared to ileum. Thus, these data demonstrate the existence of a Na(+)- and Cl(-)-dependent, membrane potential-sensitive, electrogenic carrier-mediated mechanism for creatine absorption in rat jejunal apical membrane vesicles, which is biochemically and pharmacologically similar to those observed in other tissues. However, in other cell types the stimulatory effect of intravesicular K(+) was never detected

Planning for assisted colonization of plants in a warming world

Assisted colonization is one way of facilitating range shifts for species that are restricted in their ability to move in response to climate change. Here we conceptualize and apply a new decision framework for modelling assisted colonization of plant species prior to in situ realization. Three questions were examined: a) Is species translocation useful in a certain area? b) where, and c) how long will it be successful in the future? Applying our framework to Carex foetida in Italy at the core of its distribution and its southern edge revealed that assisted colonization could be successful in short-term (2010–2039) climate conditions, partially in medium (2040–2069) but not in long-term (2070–2099) scenarios. We show that, for some species, it is likely that assisted colonization would be successful in some portions of the recipient site under current and short-term climate conditions, but over the mid- and long-term, climate changes will make species translocation unsuccessful. The proposed decision framework can help identify species that will need different conservation actions (seed banks and/or botanical gardens) when assisted colonization is unlikely to be successful. Furthermore it has broad applicability, as it can support planning of assisted migration in mountainous areas in the face of climate change.University of Pavia

Drought avoidance adaptive traits in seed germination and seedling growth of Citrullus amarus landraces

Abstract Citrullus lanatus cultivation is affected by drought stress. Citrullus species that grow wild and domesticated in arid areas, are considered potential useful donors of drought tolerance traits. Here, we evaluated the response of seed germination, seedling establishment and growth to different water availabilities in eleven landraces of C. amarus, from most of their cultivation range and in one C. lanatus commercial cultivar ('Sugar Baby'). 'Sugar Baby' germinated to lower water potential better than all C. amarus landraces, while seedling establishment was much higher in C. amarus than in C. lanatus. Finally, seedling growth of C. amarus landraces and the C. lanatus cultivar followed different patterns depending on water availability, showing enhanced biomass growth under wet conditions and no changes between dry and wet growing treatments, respectively. The different water use strategies in seed germination and seedling growth found in the two crops highlight drought avoidance strategies linked to the species growing environment in C. amarus, not present in the C. lanatus cultivar. The high seedling establishment, the plastic responses to water availabilities and the strong root system, indicate that genetic resources of C. amarus may have important applications in breeding programmes and in the selection of water-use efficient rootstock lines

Global and Regional IUCN Red List Assessments: 11

In this contribution, the conservation status assessment of three vascular plants according to IUCN categories and criteria is presented. It includes the global assessment of Limonium parvifolium Tineo and Viscaria alpina (L.) G.Don, and the regional assessment of Rhazya stricta Decne. (Iraq)

Global and Regional IUCN Red List Assessments: 10

In this contribution, the conservation status assessment of two vascular plants according to IUCN categories and criteria is presented. It includes the regional assessment of Jasione orbiculata Griseb. ex Velen. for Italy and of Vachellia gerrardii (Benth.) P.J.H.Hurter subsp. negevensis (Zohary) Ragup., Seigler, Ebinger & Maslin for Iraq

Age at Onset and Social Cognitive Impairment in Clinically Stabilized Patients with Schizophrenia : An Ecological Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: Purposes of the present study were to assess the social cognitive impairment in schizophrenia and to detect if some clinical variables (particularly age at onset) are predictive of general/social cognitive deficit in schizophrenia patients. Method: Thirty-five clinically stabilized schizophrenia outpatients were assessed by the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) and by Torralva\u2019s social cognition battery. Binary logistic models were performed to find an eventual association between continuous clinical variables and cognitive test failures. The total sample was divided in groups according to dichotomous variables (gender, diagnostic subtypes and type of abuse) and the presence of cognitive deficits was compared between groups by \u3c72 tests. Results: An earlier age at onset was found to be predictive of frontal cognitive impairment (Tower of London p=0.038, OR=0.702). Female gender was more probably associated with mistakes at MET-HV (\u3c72= 4.80, p=0.05, phi=0.40) and HOTEL tests (\u3c72= 5.25, p=0.04, phi=0.4) than male one. Cannabis abusers showed more frequently deficits on verbal fluency (\u3c72= 9.35, p=0.04, phi=0.52) and executive functioning (Tower of London) (\u3c72= 11.67, p=0.02, phi=0.58) than alcohol/cocaine ones. Conclusion: Female patients with an early age at onset and cannabis abuse seem to have the worst general and social cognitive profile among patients suffering from schizophrenia

Prolonged remission of disseminated atypical adenomatous hyperplasia under gefitinib.

Abstract:Atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) is a putative precursor of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) and adenocarcinoma of the lung, developing from terminal respiratory unit cells. AAH and BAC lesions typically present as ground-glass opacities at spiral chest computed tomography. Epidermal growth factor receptor polysomy/mutations, conferring higher sensitivity to Gefitinib, are frequent in BAC but less common in AAH. We describe an interesting case of disseminated AAH showing a sustained remission under Gefitinib therapy