Increased synthesis of phosphatidylcholine by rat lung following premature birth

Pregnant rats were delivered prematurely at 20 days and 21 days gestation (2 and 1 day premature). The survival was 52 +/- 3% at 20 days gestation and 100% at 21 days gestation. [Me-14C]Choline incorporation into phosphatidylcholine increased by 60% during the 3 h of survival after delivery at 20 days gestation. The increase in incorporation occurred during the first hour of survival. [Me-14C]Choline incorporation also increased to a lesser extent following survival at 21 days gestation. The incorporation after 3 h of survival at 20 days and 21 days gestation was similar to that obtained with adult lung slices. The incorporation of [U-14C]glycerol, -[U-14C]glucose, [1-14C]palmitate and [1,2-14C]-ethanolamine did not increase following delivery at either 20 days or 21 days gestation. The incorporation of 33PO4 into phosphatidylcholine increased to the same relative extent as [Me-14C]choline incorporation. -[U-14C]Glucose incorporation into the fatty acid portion of phosphatidylcholine and triacyl-glycerols and oxidation to 14CO2 decreased during the 3 h of survival. The pattern of -[U-14C]glucose incorporation following survival at 20 and 21 days gestation is similar to that obtained with adult lung slices. Dexamethasone treatment of mothers at 17 and 18 days gestation caused [Me-14C]choline incorporation to increase to adult values at 20 days gestation but not at 19 days or 21 days. We conclude that an adaptive mechanism exists which produces specific biochemical changes in lung metabolism following premature birth. This mechanism is functional in the rat as early as 2 days prior to normal term.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/23337/1/0000277.pd

Evidence for a regulatory role of CTP : Choline phosphate cytidylyltransferase in the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine in fetal lung following premature birth

The sequence of reactions which function to incorporate choline into phosphatidylcholine was investigated in lung from fetuses following premature delivery. The rate of [methyl-14C]choline incorporation by rat lung slices into phosphatidylcholine increases following premature delivery at both 20 and 21 days gestation. The increase in choline incorporation is primarily due to an increased specific activity of phosphorylcholine resulting from a decreased pool size of phosphorylcholine. The decrease in the concentration of phosphorylcholine following premature delivery is apparently caused by an increased activity of cytidylyltransferase which leads to an increase in the conversion of phosphorylcholine to phosphatidylcholine. The total activity of choline kinase, cytidylyltransferase, cholinephosphotransferase and phosphatidate phosphohydrolase did not change significantly. However, the cytidylyltransferase activity in the microsome fraction increased following premature delivery at 20 and 21 days gestation. The amount of cytidylyltransferase in the H form in the cytosol fraction increased following premature delivery at 21 days gestation but not at 20 days gestation. The results are interpreted to indicate that the active form of cytidylyltransferase in lung cells is the membrane-bound enzyme and this form increases following birth resulting in an increased synthesis of phosphatidylcholine.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24304/1/0000570.pd

A forager-herder trade-off, from broad-spectrum hunting to sheep management at Asikli Hoyuk, Turkey

Asikli Hoyuk is the earliest known preceramic Neolithic mound site in Central Anatolia. The oldest Levels, 4 and 5, spanning 8,200 to approximately 9,000 cal B. C., associate with round-house architecture and arguably represent the birth of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic in the region. Results from upper Level 4, reported here, indicate a broad meat diet that consisted of diverse wild ungulate and small animal species. The meat diet shifted gradually over just a few centuries to an exceptional emphasis on caprines (mainly sheep). Age-sex distributions of the caprines in upper Level 4 indicate selective manipulation by humans by or before 8,200 cal B. C. Primary dung accumulations between the structures demonstrate that ruminants were held captive inside the settlement at this time. Taken together, the zooarchaeological and geoarchaeological evidence demonstrate an emergent process of caprine management that was highly experimental in nature and oriented to quick returns. Stabling was one of the early mechanisms of caprine population isolation, a precondition to domestication

TAILORING PROPERTIES OF CROSS-LINKED POLYIMIDE AEROGELS FOR BETTER MOISTURE RESISTANCE, FLEXIBILITY AND STRENGTH

Combinations of rigid and flexible aromatic diamines were used to tailor the properties of octa(aminophenyl)-silsesquioxane (OAPS) cross-linked polyimide aerogels. 2,2\u27-Dimethylbenzidine (DMBZ) or p-phenylenediamine (PPDA) was used in combination with the more-flexible diamine, 4,4\u27-oxydianiline (ODA). The amount of rigid diamine was varied from 0% to 100% of the total diamines in the backbone. The resulting aerogels vary in density, shrinkage, porosity, surface area, mechanical and thermal properties (depending on the type of diamine and the proportions of rigid diamine to flexible diamine used). Replacing ODA with PPDA increases shrinkage that occurs during gelation and processing, while increasing the DMBZ fraction decreases shrinkage. Replacing ODA with 50 mol % of DMBZ maintains the flexibility of thin films, while the moisture resistance of the aerogels is greatly improved

Patient care standards for primary mitochondrial disease: a consensus statement from the Mitochondrial Medicine Society

The purpose of this statement is to provide consensus-based recommendations for optimal management and care for patients with primary mitochondrial disease. This statement is intended for physicians who are engaged in the diagnosis and management of these patients. Working group members were appointed by the Mitochondrial Medicine Society. The panel included members with several different areas of expertise. The panel members utilized surveys and the Delphi method to reach consensus. We anticipate that this statement will need to be updated as the field continues to evolve. Consensus-based recommendations are provided for the routine care and management of patients with primary genetic mitochondrial disease