A practical guide for the study of human and murine sebaceous glands in situ

The skin of most mammals is characterised by the presence of sebaceous glands (SGs), whose predominant constituent cell population is sebocytes, that is, lipid-producing epithelial cells, which develop from the hair follicle. Besides holocrine sebum production (which contributes 90% of skin surface lipids), multiple additional SG functions have emerged. These range from antimicrobial peptide production and immunomodulation, via lipid and hormone synthesis/metabolism, to the provision of an epithelial progenitor cell reservoir. Therefore, in addition to its involvement in common skin diseases (e.g. acne vulgaris), the unfolding diversity of SG functions, both in skin health and disease, has raised interest in this integral component of the pilosebaceous unit. This practical guide provides an introduction to SG biology and to relevant SG histochemical and immunohistochemical techniques, with emphasis placed on in situ evaluation methods that can be easily employed. We propose a range of simple, established markers, which are particularly instructive when addressing specific SG research questions in the two most commonly investigated species in SG research, humans and mice. To facilitate the development of reproducible analysis techniques for the in situ evaluation of SGs, this methods review concludes by suggesting quantitative (immuno-)histomorphometric methods for standardised SG evaluation

Fluorochrome Bone Labeling in Sheep

As an efficacy model. thirty-four female Merino sheep underwent transpedicular lumbar interbody fusion with three different materials for augmentation of the spine. Fluorochrome analysis was used to evaluate differences in bone deposition and fusion processes between the three study groups. During the post-operative follow-up period ofeight weeks, the fluorescent dyes xylenol orange. calcein green, and doxyeycline yellow were given at two, four. and six weeks, respectively. All dyes were administered intravenously after sedation with xylazine. The objective of this paper is to provide a methodical description of preparation quality control, administration, efficacy, and observed adverse events from the use of these bone labels in sheep.Both xylenol orange and calcein green dyes provided satisfying results but doxycyeline yellow led to only weak fluorescence in the first ten animals. Consequently, higher dosing was introduced to obtain bright bands in the histological sections. Also, during administration of doxycyeline yellow, mild to severe adverse events occasionally occured: Eight of the first ten sheep suffered from respiratory distress, and in severe cases several stopped breathing, thus requiring immediate intervention. Minimizing the sedative dose and elongating the sedation/doxycycline administration interval were effective changes to the original procedure. We conclude that these adverse events may have been caused by too high a close of sedative, as well as a drug interaction between xylazine and doxycycline yellow

The portrayal of animal interactions in nature documentaries by David Attenborough and Bernhard Grzimek

Millions of people across the world have been exposed to the wildlife documentaries of David Attenborough and Bernhard Grzimek, who have thus greatly influenced the public’s views on nature and biodiversity. We investigated the way organisms’ biology is portrayed in these documentaries, quantifying different types of animal interactions shown. We evaluated 1498 (Attenborough) and 391 (Grzimek) interactions within- and between-species from documentaries covering a wide range of environments and animal taxa, first aired between 1956 and 2019. We tested whether the relative frequencies of different interactions were influenced by temporal trends as well as by the presenters and their production teams who likely reflect the given Zeitgeist in the UK compared to the European mainland. For our categorisation of animal interactions, we contrasted interspecific versus intraspecific interactions and antagonistic versus cooperative behaviour. While Grzimek’s documentaries put a stronger emphasis on cooperation and Attenborough’s on antagonistic behaviour, the trends were not statistically significant. Furthermore, these patterns show no significant change over time, contrasting with the changing view among biologists that cooperation is more predominant than considered in the traditional understanding of nature as ‘red in tooth and claw’

Distinct spatial dependency of carbon distribution between soil pools in grassland SOIL

Grassland soils play a key role in climate change and food security, and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) mineralization is central to this. Although there are a number of mathematical models available to estimate C and N mineralization, they do not encompass the variability of the process and there is uncertainty in their predictions. The input parameters of the SOMA model (Soil Organic Matter “A”) have been conceptualized and validated to predict mineralization in arable soils. The objective of this research was to measure the spatial dependence of the input parameters in order to further ob - tain spatial predictions of mineralisation in a grassland system. A nested design was applied using sampling intervals of 30 m, 10 m, 1 m, and 0.12 m as sources of variation. From each sampling point a soil sample was taken (0-23 cm) and physical sequential fractionation was applied to obtain the free light fraction (FLF) and intra-aggregate light fraction (IALF). The C and N contents in the fractions were measured by mass spectrometry, and the results analysed by residual maximum likelihood (REML) to obtain components of variance at each stage, and then accumulated to plot the approach to a variogram. Both fractions showed spatial dependence at the finest scales measured, and the general pattern was different from that in an arable site. The recommended soil sampling interval where C and N mineralization predictions would be spatially distributed according to the correlation of input light fractions parameters of SOMA is 0.5m

Phosphate solubilization and multiple plant growth promoting properties of rhizobacteria isolated from chickpea (Cicer aeritinum L.) producing areas of Ethiopia

Chickpea is one of the major legume crops widely grown in Ethiopia. The low availability of phosphorus in soil is among the stresses that constrain the production of this crop in the country. However, there are rhizobacteria capable of solubilizing insoluble forms of phosphorus in soil and make it available to the plant. Thus, this study was aimed at isolation and characterization of phosphate solubilizing bacteria from chickpea rhizosphere. Fifty phosphate solubilizing bacterial strains were isolated from the soil samples, characterized biochemically and identified by 16S rDNA sequences analysis. The results indicate the presence of genera Acinetobacter, Bacillus, Brevibacillus, Burkholderia, Empedobacter, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Ralstonia, Sphingomonas and Stenotrophomonas. Phosphate solubilizing efficiencies of the strains were analyzed using different insoluble phosphorus sources and the results show that most isolates released a substantial amount of soluble phosphate from tricalcium phosphate, rock phosphate and bone meal. Screening for multiple plant growth promoting attributes showed that 44 and 18% of them were capable of producing indole acetic acid and inhibiting the growth of Fusarium oxysporum under in vitro conditions, respectively. A direct impact of several strains (Bacillus flexus (PSBC17), Pseudomonas fluorescence (PSBC33), Enterobacter sp. (PSBC35), Enterobacter sakazaki (PSBC79) and Enterobacter sp. (PSBC81)) on the growth of chickpea in pot culture has been demonstrated by the increase in the number of root nodules, shoot dry matter, nitrogen and phosphorus concentration of shoot. Based on the results, we conclude that chickpea rhizosphere harbor phosphate solubilizing bacteria which are diverse in taxonomy and phosphate solubilizing efficiencies. Thus, consecutive studies should focus on field studies on those strains due to their potentially high importance for the phosphorus nutrition of crops in this area and in this context for the improvement of the sustainability of crop production in the country.Keywords: Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), indole acetic acid (IAA), rhizosphere soil, rock phosphate, bone mea

Kinetics of N2O production and reduction in a nitrate-contaminated aquifer inferred from laboratory incubation experiments

Knowledge of the kinetics of N2O production and reduction in groundwater is essential for the assessment of potential indirect emissions of the greenhouse gas. In the present study, we investigated this kinetics using a laboratory approach. The results were compared to field measurements in order to examine their transferability to the in situ conditions. The study site was the unconfined, predominantly sandy Fuhrberger Feld aquifer in northern Germany. A special characteristic of the aquifer is the occurrence of the vertically separated process zones of heterotrophic denitrification in the near-surface groundwater and of autotrophic denitrification in depths beyond 2-3 m below the groundwater table, respectively. The kinetics of N2O production and reduction in both process zones was studied during long-term anaerobic laboratory incubations of aquifer slurries using the 15N tracer technique. We measured N2O, N2, NO3-, NO2-, and SO42- concentrations as well as parameters of the aquifer material that were related to the relevant electron donors, i.e. organic carbon and pyrite. The laboratory incubations showed a low denitrification activity of heterotrophic denitrification with initial rates between 0.2 and 13 μg N kg-1 d-1. The process was carbon limited due to the poor availability of its electron donor. In the autotrophic denitrification zone, initial denitrification rates were considerably higher, ranging between 30 and 148 μg N kg-1 d-1, and NO3- as well as N2O were completely removed within 60 to 198 days. N2O accumulated during heterotrophic and autotrophic denitrification, but maximum concentrations were substantially higher during the autotrophic process. The results revealed a satisfactory transferability of the laboratory incubations to the field scale for autotrophic denitrification, whereas the heterotrophic process less reflected the field conditions due to considerably lower N2O accumulation during laboratory incubation. Finally, we applied a conventional model using first-order-kinetics to determine the reaction rate constants k1 for N2O production and k2 for N2O reduction, respectively. The goodness of fit to the experimental data was partly limited, indicating that a more sophisticated approach is essential to describe the investigated reaction kinetics satisfactorily.DF

No nitrogen fixation in the Bay of Bengal?

The Bay of Bengal (BoB) has long stood as a biogeochemical enigma, with subsurface waters containing extremely low, but persistent, concentrations of oxygen in the nanomolar range which – for some, yet unconstrained, reason – are prevented from becoming anoxic. One reason for this may be the low productivity of the BoB waters due to nutrient limitation and the resulting lack of respiration of organic material at intermediate waters. Thus, the parameters determining primary production are key in understanding what prevents the BoB from developing anoxia. Primary productivity in the sunlit surface layers of tropical oceans is mostly limited by the supply of reactive nitrogen through upwelling, riverine flux, atmospheric deposition, and biological dinitrogen (N2) fixation. In the BoB, a stable stratification limits nutrient supply via upwelling in the open waters, and riverine or atmospheric fluxes have been shown to support only less than one-quarter of the nitrogen for primary production. This leaves a large uncertainty for most of the BoB's nitrogen input, suggesting a potential role of N2 fixation in those waters. Here, we present a survey of N2 fixation and carbon fixation in the BoB during the winter monsoon season. We detected a community of N2 fixers comparable to other oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) regions, with only a few cyanobacterial clades and a broad diversity of non-phototrophic N2 fixers present throughout the water column (samples collected between 10 and 560 m water depth). While similar communities of N2 fixers were shown to actively fix N2 in other OMZs, N2 fixation rates were below the detection limit in our samples covering the water column between the deep chlorophyll maximum and the OMZ. Consistent with this, no N2 fixation signal was visible in δ15N signatures. We suggest that the absence of N2 fixation may be a consequence of a micronutrient limitation or of an O2 sensitivity of the OMZ diazotrophs in the BoB. Exploring how the onset of N2 fixation by cyanobacteria compared to non-phototrophic N2 fixers would impact on OMZ O2 concentrations, a simple model exercise was carried out. We observed that both photic-zone-based and OMZ-based N2 fixation are very sensitive to even minimal changes in water column stratification, with stronger mixing increasing organic matter production and export, which can exhaust remaining O2 traces in the BoB

Effectiveness of Yoga on Depression and Quality of Life among Alcohol Dependents at Athma De-Addiction Centre, Trichy

Alcohol dependence is the most severe form of alcohol abuse. It is a chronic disease characterized by the consumption of alcohol at a level that interferes with physical and mental health as well as family and social responsibilities. An alcoholic would continue to drink despite serious health, family, or legal problems. It is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Yoga methods for stress reduction and self-soothing are generally cheaper than other professional interventions. Proper and regular practice of yogasana and pranayama can calm the mind and reduce stress. Psychology Today (2016). This study was aimed to assess the effectiveness of yoga on depression and quality of life among alcohol dependents in Athma de-addiction centre, Trichy. An evaluative approach was used to conduct the study. The design used for the present study was quasi experimental non-equivalent control group pretest and posttest design. The conceptual framework was based on Wiedenbach’s Helping Art of Clinical Nursing Theory (1969). A total of 60 participants were selected using convenience sampling technique. Out of which 30 were in experimental group and 30 were in control group. On the 1st week, 15 samples were selected under experimental group and pretest was conducted on the first day using Beck Depression Inventory scale to assess the level of depression and Quality of life- 26 BREF scale adopted from WHO, to assess the quality of life among alcohol dependents. The pretest was conducted for 30 minutes. Self-administered questionnaires were given individually. After which yoga was taught to the experimental group, fifteen in a group, using LCD projector which lasted for 45 minutes. From the 2nd day, the participants in experimental group were made to practice the yoga under the supervision of the investigator in the morning for 1 hour 10 minutes for 28 days. On the 2nd week, next 15 samples were selected under experimental group and the same procedure was continued. On 5th and 6th week, posttest was conducted for the experimental group. On 3rd week, 15 samples were selected in control group and pretest was conducted. On the 4th week, next 15 samples were selected under control group and the pretest was conducted. The control group participants received the routine hospital treatment. On 7th and 8th week, posttest was conducted for the control group. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. For depression, the pretest and posttest mean scores were 27.833(SD ± 6.558) and 8.166 (SD ± 4.646) respectively. The posttest mean score was lower than the pretest mean score with the mean difference value of 20.675. The paired ‘t’ value was 14.439, which was significant at p < 0.05 level, which revealed that yoga was effective in reducing depression among alcohol dependents in experimental group. The posttest mean score level of depression between experimental and control group were 8.166 (SD ± 4.646) and 12.833 (SD ± 4.816) respectively. The posttest mean score of experimental group was lower than the posttest mean score of control group with the mean difference value of 4.667. The independent ’t’ value was 4.413, which was significant at p < 0.05 level, which revealed that yoga was effective in reducing depression among alcohol dependents in experimental group. There was no significant association between posttest level of depression and their demographic variables in experimental group. For quality of life, the pretest and posttest mean scores in experimental group were 5.90 (SD ± 1.347) and 7.433 (SD ± 1.194) respectively. The posttest mean score was higher than the pretest mean score with the mean difference value of 1.533. The paired ’t’ value was 5.275, which was significant at p < 0.05 level, which revealed that yoga was effective in increasing the quality of life among alcohol dependents in experimental group. The posttest mean score level of quality of life between experimental and control group were 7.433 (SD ±1.194) and 6.566 (SD ± 1.304) respectively. The independent ‘t’ value was 2.592, which was significant at p < 0.05 level, which revealed that yoga was effective in improving the quality of life among alcohol dependents in experimental group. There was a significant association at p < 0.05 level between the posttest level of quality of life and their demographic variables in experimental group. With regard to physical domain, the χ2 value was 8.978 for occupation. With regard to psychological domain, the χ2 value was 9.1 for type of family. With regard to social domain, χ2 value was 6.05 for duration of alcohol consumption. With regard to environmental domain, the χ2 value was 10.1 for type of family. There was a negative correlation between posttest level of depression and quality of life among alcohol dependents in experimental group, which revealed that reduction in level of depression, improves the quality of life among alcohol dependents in experimental group. The above study findings revealed that yoga was effective in reducing the level of depression and improve the quality of life among alcohol dependents in experimental group

Normothermia is protective during infrarenal aortic surgery

AbstractPurpose: Mild hypothermia has been suggested to be protective against tissue ischemia during aortic operations. However, recent studies have documented detrimental cardiac effects of hypothermia during a variety of operative procedures. The influence of different warming methods and the impact of hypothermia during standard aortic procedures was assessed. Methods: One hundred patients who underwent repair of infrarenal aortic aneurysms or aortoiliac occlusive disease were prospectively randomized into 2 groups, receiving either a circulating water mattress or a forced air warming blanket. Adjuvant warming methods were standardized. The day before surgery, 48-hour Holter monitors were applied and interpreted by a cardiologist blinded to the treatment. Randomization resulted in equivalent groups with regard to patient history, indications for surgery, body mass index, length of surgery, and fluid requirements. Results: Core temperatures were significantly warmer during surgery (36.3°C ± 0.7°C vs 35.4 ± 0.8°C) and after surgery (36.4°C ± 0.7°C vs 35.6°C ± 0.9°C) in patients with forced air warming (P < .001). The circulating water mattress group had significantly more metabolic acidosis perioperatively (P = .03). Postoperative length of stay, cardiac complications, and death rates were not significantly different. Subgroup analysis of 83 aneurysm patients comparing normothermia with hypothermia (temperature less than 36°C) on arrival to the recovery room identified decreased cardiac output (P = .02), thrombocytopenia (P = .02), elevated prothrombin time (P = .04), and inferior Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores (P < .001) in the hypothermic group. Holter analysis revealed more sinus tachycardia (ST) segment changes and ventricular tachycardia in hypothermic aneurysm patients (P = .05). Conclusion: Patients treated with forced air blankets had significantly less metabolic acidosis and were kept significantly warmer than those treated with circulating water mattresses. Patients with aneurysms that were kept normothermic had a significantly improved clinical profile, with fewer cardiac events on the Holter recordings. We therefore conclude that (1) normothermia is protective for infrarenal aortic surgical patients; and (2) forced air warming blankets provide improved temperature maintenance compared with circulating water mattresses. (J Vasc Surg 1998;28:984-94.

Progress towards continuous aqueous two-phase extraction via TAPPIR

At ICB II, we presented Aqueous Two-Phase Extraction (ATPE) as a non-chromatographic alternative for protein purification. We had developed an aqueous two-phase system with inexpensive and biocompatible PEG 1500 or 4000 and ammonium citrate. We purified several enzymes, more specifically a series of dehydrogenases [1], to near homogeneity after forward extraction into a PEG-heavy top phase at pH \u3e 9 and back extraction into a bottom phase at pH 4-6; in selected cases, we were able to obtain pure protein in the bottom phase without forward extraction into the top phase. Scale-up of the PEG 1500/4000-ammonium citrate to 5-10 L scale still often gave phase separation times of less than five minutes.[2] However, ATPE technology is characterized by complex phase separation and very limited number of separation stages not offering enough separation efficiency. Furthermore, conventional ATPE does not lend itself to continuous operation. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract