Where and How Wolves (Canis lupus) Kill Beavers (Castor canadensis)

Beavers (Castor canadensis) can be a significant prey item for wolves (Canis lupus) in boreal ecosystems due to their abundance and vulnerability on land. How wolves hunt beavers in these systems is largely unknown, however, because observing predation is challenging. We inferred how wolves hunt beavers by identifying kill sites using clusters of locations from GPS-collared wolves in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota. We identified 22 sites where wolves from 4 different packs killed beavers. We classified these kill sites into 8 categories based on the beaver-habitat type near which each kill occurred. Seasonal variation existed in types of kill sites as 7 of 12 (58%) kills in the spring occurred at sites below dams and on shorelines, and 8 of 10 (80%) kills in the fall occurred near feeding trails and canals. From these kill sites we deduced that the typical hunting strategy has 3 components: 1) waiting near areas of high beaver use (e.g., feeding trails) until a beaver comes near shore or ashore, 2) using vegetation, the dam, or other habitat features for concealment, and 3) immediately attacking the beaver, or ambushing the beaver by cutting off access to water. By identifying kill sites and inferring hunting behavior we have provided the most complete description available of how and where wolves hunt and kill beavers

Hepatocyte membrane potential regulates serum insulin and insulin sensitivity by altering hepatic GABA release

Hepatic lipid accumulation in obesity correlates with the severity of hyperinsulinemia and systemic insulin resistance. Obesity-induced hepatocellular lipid accumulation results in hepatocyte depolarization. We have established that hepatocyte depolarization depresses hepatic afferent vagal nerve firing, increases GABA release from liver slices, and causes hyperinsulinemia. Preventing hepatic GABA release or eliminating the ability of the liver to communicate to the hepatic vagal nerve ameliorates the hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance associated with diet-induced obesity. In people with obesity, hepatic expression of GABA transporters is associated with glucose infusion and disposal rates during a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in hepatic GABA re-uptake transporters are associated with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Herein, we identify GABA as a neuro-hepatokine that is dysregulated in obesity and whose release can be manipulated to mute or exacerbate the glucoregulatory dysfunction common to obesity

Topical vitamin A treatment of recalcitrant common warts

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Common warts (<it>verruca vulgaris</it>) are benign epithelial proliferations associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Salicylic acid and cryotherapy are the most frequent treatments for common warts, but can be painful and cause scarring, and have high failure and recrudescence rates. Topical vitamin A has been shown to be a successful treatment of common warts in prior informal studies.</p> <p>Case</p> <p>The subject is a healthy, physically-active 30 old female with a 9 year history of common warts on the back of the right hand. The warts resisted treatment with salicylic acid, apple cider vinegar and an over-the-counter blend of essential oils marketed for the treatment of warts. Daily topical application of natural vitamin A derived from fish liver oil (25,000 IU) led to replacement of all the warts with normal skin. Most of the smaller warts had been replaced by 70 days. A large wart on the middle knuckle required 6 months of vitamin A treatment to resolve completely.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Retinoids should be further investigated in controlled studies to determine their effectiveness in treating common warts and the broad range of other benign and cancerous lesions induced by HPVs.</p

Capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry analysis of trehalose-6-phosphate in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings

Trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) is an intermediate in the plant metabolic pathway that results in trehalose production. T6P has been shown to inhibit the sucrose nonfermenting-1-related protein kinase 1, which is a major regulator of metabolism. The quantitation of T6P has proven difficult due to the complexity of the plant matrix and the low abundance of T6P in plant tissues. The aim of this work was to develop a quantitation method for T6P present in Arabidopsis tissues, with capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled to electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (MS) with a sheath liquid (SL) interface. The CE-MS method was first optimized with respect to T6P signal intensity and separation of isomers by studying the composition of the background electrolyte (BGE) and SL. The use of triethylamine (TEA) in the BGE was favorable, providing separation of T6P from sucrose-6-phosphate and minimizing ionization suppression. Replacing ammonium acetate with TEA enhanced T6P signal intensities more than four times. The optimized method allowed quantification of T6P in plant extracts with good linearity (r2 > 0.99) within a biologically relevant concentration range. The limit of quantification was 80 nM in Arabidopsis extracts, corresponding to 33 pmol/g plant fresh weight. The CE-MS method was applied to the determination of T6P in seedlings from wild type (WT) Arabidopsis and mutants lacking the trehalase AtTRE1, tre1-1, challenged with trehalose or sorbitol. T6P accumulation in tre1-1 plants grown on sorbitol was about twice the level of T6P found in WT. CE-MS is shown to be a fast and reliable technique to analyze phosphodisaccharides for seedling extracts. The low sample volume requirement of CE and its direct MS coupling makes it an attractive alternative for anion-exchange liquid chromatography–MS

Analysis of urinary oligosaccharides in lysosomal storage disorders by capillary high-performance anion-exchange chromatography–mass spectrometry

Many lysosomal storage diseases are characterized by an increased urinary excretion of glycoconjugates and oligosaccharides that are characteristic for the underlying enzymatic defect. Here, we have used capillary high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC) hyphenated to mass spectrometry to analyze free oligosaccharides from urine samples of patients suffering from the lysosomal storage disorders fucosidosis, α-mannosidosis, GM1-gangliosidosis, GM2-gangliosidosis, and sialidosis. Glycan fingerprints were registered, and the patterns of accumulated oligosaccharides were found to reflect the specific blockages of the catabolic pathway. Our analytical approach allowed structural analysis of the excreted oligosaccharides and revealed several previously unpublished oligosaccharides. In conclusion, using online coupling of HPAEC with mass spectrometric detection, our study provides characteristic urinary oligosaccharide fingerprints with diagnostic potential for lysosomal storage disorders

Prognostic value of galectin-3, a novel marker of fibrosis, in patients with chronic heart failure: data from the DEAL-HF study

Biomarkers are increasingly being used in the management of patients with chronic heart failure (HF). Galectin-3 is a recently developed biomarker associated with fibrosis and inflammation, and it may play a role in cardiac remodeling in HF. We determined its prognostic value in patients with chronic HF. Patients with chronic HF (New York Heart Association functional class III or IV) who participated in the Deventer-Alkmaar heart failure study were studied. Galectin-3 levels were determined at baseline using a novel optimized enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine the prognostic value of this biomarker. We studied 232 patients; their mean age was 71 +/- A 10 years, 72% were male, and 96% were in NYHA class III. During a follow-up period of 6.5 years, 98 patients died. Galectin-3 was a significant predictor of mortality risk after adjustment for age and sex, and severity of HF and renal dysfunction, as assessed by NT-proBNP and estimated glomerular filtration rate, respectively (hazard ratio per standard deviation 1.24, 95% CI 1.03-1.50, P = 0.026). Plasma galectin-3 is a novel prognostic marker in patients with chronic HF. Its prognostic value is independent of severity of HF, as assessed by NT-proBNP levels, and it may potentially be used in the management of such patients

What Are Effective Program Characteristics of Self-Management Interventions in Patients With Heart Failure? An Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis

To identify those characteristics of self-management interventions in patients with heart failure (HF) that are effective in influencing health-related quality of life, mortality, and hospitalizations