Adipose proinflammatory cytokine expression through sympathetic system is associated with hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in a rat ischemic stroke model

Wang YY, Lin SY, Chuang YH, Chen CJ, Tung KC, Sheu WH. Adipose proinflammatory cytokine expression through sympathetic system is associated with hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in a rat ischemic stroke model. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 300: E155-E163, 2011. First published October 26, 2010; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00301.2010.Patients who experience acute ischemic stroke may develop hyperglycemia, even in the absence of diabetes, but the exact mechanisms are still unclear. Adipose tissue secretes numerous proinflammatory cytokines and is involved in the regulation of glucose metabolism. This study aimed to determine the effects of acute stroke on adipose inflammatory cytokine expression. In addition, because sympathetic activity is activated after acute stroke and catecholamines can regulate the expression of several adipocytokines, this study also evaluated whether alterations in adipose proinflammatory cytokines following acute stroke, if any, were medicated by sympathetic system. Acute ischemic brain injury was induced by ligating the right middle cerebral artery and bilateral common carotid arteries in male adult Sprague-Dawley rats. Adipose tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) mRNA and protein levels were determined by RT-PCR and enzyme-linked immunoassay, respectively. The stroke rats developed glucose intolerance on days 1 and 2 after cerebral ischemic injury. The fasting blood insulin levels and insulin resistance index measured by homeostasis model assessment were higher in the stroke rats compared with the sham group. Epididymal adipose TNF-alpha and MCP-1 mRNA and protein levels were elevated one-to twofold, in association with increased macrophage infiltration into the adipose tissue. When the rats were treated with a nonselective beta-adrenergic receptor blocker, propranolol, before induction of cerebral ischemic injury, the acute stroke-induced increase in TNF-alpha and MCP-1 was blocked, and fasting blood insulin concentration and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance were decreased. These results suggest a potential role of adipose proinflammatory cytokines induced by the sympathetic nervous system in the pathogenesis of glucose metabolic disorder in rats with acute ischemic stroke

Aquabacterium limnoticum sp nov., isolated from a freshwater spring

A Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, short-rod-shaped, non-motile and non-spore-forming bacterial strain, designated ABP-4(T), was isolated from a freshwater spring in Taiwan and was characterized using the polyphasic taxonomy approach. Growth occurred at 20-40 degrees C (optimum, 30-37 degrees C), at pH 7.0-10.0 (optimum, pH 7.0-9.0) and with 0-3 % NaCl (optimum, 0 %). Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain ABP-4(T), together with Aquabacterium fontiphilum CS-6(T) (96.4 % sequence similarity), Aquabacterium commune B8(T) (96.1 %), Aquabacterium citratiphilum B4(T) (95.5 %) and Aquabacterium parvum B6(T) (94.7 %), formed a deep line within the order Burkholderiales. Strain ABP-4(T) contained summed feature 3 (comprising C-16:1 omega 7c and/or C-16:1 omega 6c), C-18:1 omega 7c and C-16:0 as predominant fatty acids. The major cellular hydroxy fatty acid was C-10:0 3-OH. The major isoprenoid quinone was Q-8 and the DNA G+C content was 68.6 mol%. The polar lipid profile consisted of a mixture of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylserine, diphosphatidylglycerol and several uncharacterized phospholipids. The DNA-DNA relatedness of strain ABP-4(T) with respect to recognized species of the genus Aquabacterium was less than 70 %. On the basis of the genotypic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic data, strain ABP-4(T) represents a novel species in the genus Aquabacterium, for which the name Aquabacterium limnoticum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ABP-4(T) (=BCRC 80167(T)=KCTC 23306(T))

Identifying the Independent Inertial Parameter Space of Robot Manipulators

This paper presents a new approach to the problem of finding the minimum number of inertial parameters of robot manipulator dynamic equations of motion. Based upon the energy difference equation, it is equally applica ble to serial link manipulators as well as graph structured manipulators. The method is conceptually simple, compu tationally efficient, and easy to implement. In particular, the manipulator kinematics and the joint positions and velocities are the only inputs to the algorithm. Applica tions to a serial link and a graph structured manipulator are illustrated.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67982/2/10.1177_027836499101000606.pd

Burkholderia nodosa sp nov., isolated from root nodules of the woody Brazilian legumes Mimosa bimucronata and Mimosa scabrella

Three strains, Br3437(T), Br3461 and Br3470, were isolated from nitrogen-fixing nodules on the roots of Mimosa scabrella (Br3437(T)) and Mimosa bimucronata (Br3461, Br3470), both of which are woody legumes native to Brazil. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, all the strains were shown previously to belong to the genus Burkholderia. A polyphasic approach, including DNA-DNA hybridizations, PFGE of whole-genome DNA profiles, whole-cell protein analyses, fatty acid methyl ester analysis and extensive biochemical characterization, was used to clarify the taxonomic position of these strains further; the strains are here classified within a novel species, for which the name Burkholderia nodosa sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain, Br3437(T) (=LMG 23741(T) =BCRC 17575(T)), was isolated from nodules of M. scabrella

Laboratory investigation of hydrogenated diamond surfaces: Implications for the formation and size of interstellar nanodiamonds

The formation & size of interstellar diamonds have been investigated by infrared spectroscopy in the laboratory. Employing hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to synthesize the interstellar analogs, we successfully reproduced the infrared emission bands of nanodiamonds around HD 97048 & Elias 1. Analysis of the infrared absorption spectra of synthetic diamond crystallites (25–700 nm) from a commercial source reveals a strong size-dependent effect. The 3.53 mm feature emerges only for particles larger than 25 nm. Our experiments suggest that the carriers of the anomalous infrared emission bands at 3.43 & 3.53 mm could be nanodiamonds that are larger than 25 nm & are formed by a CVD-like process

Depletion Study of Oxolinic Acid in Freshwater Softshell Turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) with Multiple-Dose Oral Administration

All drugs used in aquaculture must be approved by the government agency responsible for veterinary medicine; prudent use of antibiotics under veterinary supervision is critical in ensuring safety of aquaculture products. The international production of farmed turtle, considered a cultured aquatic species, has been growing continuously but control of bacteria proliferation in turtle farms requires frequent use of antimicrobials. In the present investigation, the residue depletion and withdrawal period of quinolone antibacterial oxolinic acid (OXO) was evaluated in Chinese softshell turtle Pelodiscus sinensis, after repeated (once daily for 5 days) oral doses of medicated feed containing OXO, at the dose of 30 and 60 mg/kg body weight (bw). Muscle and liver tissues were collected at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, and 48 days posttreatment, and OXO was quantified using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) method. According to the test preparation record, the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for OXO were estimated at 0.03 and 0.1 µg/g, respectively. Considering a maximum residue level (MRL) of 0.1 µg/g for OXO in muscle in European Union (EU) legislative framework, the longest withdrawal period of 72 days was calculated on the basis of a safety span (corresponding to 50% of the time point when at which residues fall below the MRL) added to the depletion time (48 days). These results may be helpful not only for the establishment of public policies regarding the use of OXO for turtle farming but also to producers for proper handling to ensure safe consumption

Rheinheimera aquatica sp nov., Antimicrobial Activity-Producing Bacterium Isolated from Freshwater Culture Pond

A bacterial strain designated GR5(T), previously isolated from a freshwater culture pond in Taiwan while screening for bacteria for antimicrobial compounds, was characterized using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Strain GR5(T) was found to be Gram-negative, aerobic, greenish-yellow colored, rod-shaped, and motile by means of a single polar flagellum. Growth occurred at 10-40 degrees C (optimum, 35 degrees C), pH 7.0-8.0 (optimum pH 8.0), and with 0-2.0% NaCl (optimum, 0.5-1.0%). The major fatty acids were C(16:1)omega 7c (36.3%), C(16:0) (16.6%), C(12:0) 3-OH (12.5%), and C(18:1)omega 7c (9.1%). The major respiratory quinone was Q-8, and the DNA G+C content of the genomic DNA was 51.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain GR5(T) belongs to the genus Rheinheimera, where its most closely related neighbors are Rheinheimera texasensis A62-14B(T) and Rheinheimera tangshanensis JA3-B52(T) with sequence similarities of 98.1% and 97.5%, respectively, and the sequence similarities to any other recognized species within Gammaproteobacteria are less than 96.5%. The mean level. of DNA DNA relatedness between strain GR5(T) and R. texasensis A62-14B(T), the strain most closely related to the isolate, was 26.5+/-7.6%. Therefore, based, on the phylogenetic and phenotypic data, strain GR5(T) should be classified as a novel species, for which the name Rheinheimera aquatica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is GR5(T) (=BCRC 80081(T)= LMG 25379(T))

Labrys neptuniae sp nov., isolated from root nodules of the aquatic legume Neptunia oleracea

A bacterium designated strain Liujia-146(T) was isolated in the Tainan area of southern Taiwan from root nodules of the aquatic legume Neptunia oferacea. 1 6S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strain Liujia-146(T) was highly similar to Labrys monachus VKM B-1479(T) (97.8%) and Labrys methylaminiphilus JLW10(T) (95.5%) and belonged to the order Rhizobiales in the Alphaproteobacteria. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA hybridization data, physiological and biochemical characteristics and fatty acid compositions, the organism was shown to belong to the genus Labrys whilst representing a novel species within this genus. We propose to classify strain Liujia-146(T) (=BCRC 17578(T) =LMG 23578(T)) as the type strain of Labrys neptuniae sp. nov

Paenibacillus fonticola sp nov., isolated from a warm spring

A novel bacterial strain, designated ZL(T), isolated from a warm spring in Jhonglun, Taiwan, was characterized by using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The novel strain had chemotaxonomic and morphological properties consistent with its classification in the genus Paenibacillus. Cells were Gram-variable, aerobic, sporulating, motile rods. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis demonstrated that this novel isolate was unique, showing 94.3 % sequence similarity to Paenibacillus assamensis GPTSA 11(T) and lower levels to Paenibacillus timonensis 2301032(T) (94.0 %), Paenibacillus macerans ATCC 8244(T) (93.3%) Paenibacillus barengoltzii SAFN-0 16(T) (93.3 %) and Paenibacillus sanguinis 2301083(T) (93.2%) The novel isolate could be distinguished from the type strains of all of these species based on a range of phenotypic data. The major cellular phospholipids were phosphaticlylglycerol, diphosphaticlylglycerol, phosphaticlylethanolamine and one unknown phosphoglycolipid. The predominant isoprenologue was an unsaturated menaquinone with seven isoprene units (MK-7). The major fatty acids of strain ZL(T) were C-16:0 (33.5 %), anteiso-C-15:0 (32.5 %) and iSO-C-16:0 (9.3 %). The G + C content of the genomic DNA was 49.2 mol%. It is evident from the genotypic and phenotypic data that strain ZL(T) should be classified as representing a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus fonticola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ZL(T) (=BCRC 17579(T) = LMG 23577(T))