Hypothalamic neurons secreting vasopressin and neurophysin

Vasopressin is synthesized in the magnocellular system of the hypothalamus in clusters of cells which form the supraoptic nucleus and the paraventricular nucleus. The hormone is synthesized and packaged in neurosecretory granules with an intragpanular protein, neurophysin. The demonstration of axon flow of neurosecretory granules from the perikarya in the hypothalamus to the posterior lobe of the pituitary and subsequent release into the blood has been an important historical chapter in our understanding of neurosecretion. Isolation of neurophysins from several species and development of antisera to these peptides as well as antibodies to vasopressin have provided new tools to re-examine this system. In several species, the data indicate a specific neurophysin for vasopressin and a different neurophysin for oxytocin. It is now well established that neurophysins are secreted with hormones and this has provided a cogent argument that exocytosis is a major form of neurosecretion of vasopressin. Assay of neurophysin in plasma can be used to study vasopressin release. Immunohistochemical studies using antibodies to vasopressin and neurophysin demonstrated that the magnocellular system is more diffusely distributed throughout the hypothalamus than was previously appreciated. In addition, vasopressin and neurophysin are formed in both the supraoptic and paraventricular neurons and there are three pathways of secretion. The major pathway is the supraoptico-hypophyseal tract to the posterior lobe. The second pathway is to the external zone of the median eminence for secretion into the hypophyseal portal blood. The third pathway is to the third ventricle for secretion into cerebral spinal fluid. Vasopressin in the external zone is greatly increased by the absence of adrenal cortical steroids which suggests that vasopressin may play a role in the hypothalamic anterior pituitary adrenal axis. The cerebral spinal fluid pathway may be important in man if vasopressin is found to have the memory consolidating effects which have been investigated in other animals

Distribution of Baird\u27s Pocket Gopher (Geomys breviceps) In Arkansas; with Additional County Records

Recently, a population of pocket gophers in the north-central portion of Arkansas was determined to be the plains pocket gopher (Geomys Imrsarius), rather than Baird\u27s pocket gopher (Geomys breviceps). This changed the known range of both species extensively. A detailed examination of the known range of Baird\u27s pocket gophers (G. breviceps) in Arkansas resulted in 12 new county records. Biogeographically, G. breviceps appears to be found in all physiographic regions within the state with the possible exception ofCrowley\u27s ridge. It is most common in the Gulf Coastal Plain and rarest in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. The distribution ofG. breviceps is consistent with the hypothesis that glaciation events, together withnorthward invasions from Louisiana and eastern Texas and eastward invasions from Oklahoma (around the Ouachita Mountains) were major creational forces in the establishment of the present G. breviceps distribution in Arkansas

Butter Composition and Texture from Cows with Different Milk Fatty Acid Compositions Fed Fish Oil or Roasted Soybeans

Nutritional and physical properties of dairy products can be improved by changing milk fatty acid composition toward more unsaturation. Diet of cows, e.g., feeding supplemental fish oil (FO) or roasted soybeans (RSB), and cow selection can improve the nutritional and physical properties of dairy products and their acceptability to consumers. We examined whether feeding supplemental FO or RSB to cows that had a more unsaturated milk fatty acid composition acted additively to produce butter with improved fatty acid composition and texture. Multiparous Holstein cows chosen for producing either more or less unsaturated milk fatty acid composition (n = 6 in each group) were fed for three 3-week periods a control diet and two experimental diets that included additionally 0.9% of FO or 5% of RSB. The milk, collected in the third week of feeding, was used to make butter, which was analyzed for its fatty acid composition and physical properties. Dry matter intake, milk yield, and milk composition were not significantly affected by cow diet or by cow selection. Cows that produced, prior to the feeding study, a more unsaturated and healthful milk fat using a “health-promoting index” (HPI = [sum of % of unsaturated fatty acids] / [%C12:0 + 4 x %C14:0 + %C16:0]) maintained during the feeding study a higher HPI in their butter than did cows with a low HPI. Milk from cows fed supplemental FO or RSB yielded more unsaturated butters with higher HPI. This butter also was softer when the cows were fed RSB. Feeding RSB to cows chosen for their high milk HPI yielded the most unsaturated butter with the highest HPI and softest texture. Thus, selecting cows with a more healthful milk fatty acid composition and feeding cows supplemental RSB additively improved butter fatty acid composition and texture

Protocols for Monitoring Habitat Restoration Projects in the Lower Columbia River and Estuary

Protocols for monitoring salmon habitat restoration projects are essential for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' environmental efforts in the Columbia River estuary. This manual provides state-of-the science data collection and analysis methods for landscape features, water quality, and fish species composition, among others

HIV-1 Entry, Inhibitors, and Resistance

Entry inhibitors represent a new class of antiretroviral agents for the treatment of infection with HIV-1. While resistance to other HIV drug classes has been well described, resistance to this new class is still ill defined despite considerable clinical use. Several potential mechanisms have been proposed: tropism switching (utilization of CXCR4 instead of CCR5 for entry), increased affinity for the coreceptor, increased rate of virus entry into host cells, and utilization of inhibitor-bound receptor for entry. In this review we will address the development of attachment, fusion, and coreceptor entry inhibitors and explore recent studies describing potential mechanisms of resistance

Evaluating Cumulative Ecosystem Response to Restoration Projects in the Lower Columbia River and Estuary, 2009

This is the sixth annual report of a seven-year project (2004 through 2010) to evaluate the cumulative effects of habitat restoration actions in the lower Columbia River and estuary (LCRE). The project, called the Cumulative Effects Study, is being conducted for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District (USACE) by the Marine Sciences Laboratory of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the Pt. Adams Biological Field Station of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce (CREST), and the University of Washington. The goal of the Cumulative Effects Study is to develop a methodology to evaluate the cumulative effects of multiple habitat restoration projects intended to benefit ecosystems supporting juvenile salmonids in the 235-km-long LCRE. Literature review in 2004 revealed no existing methods for such an evaluation and suggested that cumulative effects could be additive or synergistic. From 2005 through 2009, annual field research involved intensive, comparative studies paired by habitat type (tidal swamp versus marsh), trajectory (restoration versus reference site), and restoration action (tidegate replacement vs. culvert replacement vs. dike breach)

Effect of nanoscale patterned interfacial roughness on interfacial toughness.

The performance and the reliability of many devices are controlled by interfaces between thin films. In this study we investigated the use of patterned, nanoscale interfacial roughness as a way to increase the apparent interfacial toughness of brittle, thin-film material systems. The experimental portion of the study measured the interfacial toughness of a number of interfaces with nanoscale roughness. This included a silicon interface with a rectangular-toothed pattern of 60-nm wide by 90-nm deep channels fabricated using nanoimprint lithography techniques. Detailed finite element simulations were used to investigate the nature of interfacial crack growth when the interface is patterned. These simulations examined how geometric and material parameter choices affect the apparent toughness. Atomistic simulations were also performed with the aim of identifying possible modifications to the interfacial separation models currently used in nanoscale, finite element fracture analyses. The fundamental nature of atomistic traction separation for mixed mode loadings was investigated

Ecology of Juvenile Salmon in Shallow Tidal Freshwater Habitats of the Lower Columbia River, 2007?2010

The TFM study was designed to investigate the ecology and early life history of juvenile salmonids within shallow (<5 m) tidal freshwater habitats of the LCRE. We started collecting field data in June 2007. Since then, monthly sampling has occurred in the vicinity of the Sandy River delta (rkm 192–208) and at other sites and times in lower river reaches of tidal freshwater (rkm 110 to 141). This report provides a comprehensive synthesis of data covering the field period from June 2007 through April 2010

Potential health risks of complementary alternative medicines in cancer patients

Many cancer patients use complementary alternative medicines (CAMs) but may not be aware of the potential risks. There are no studies quantifying such risks, but there is some evidence of patient risk from case reports in the literature. A cross-sectional survey of patients attending the outpatient department at a specialist cancer centre was carried out to establish a pattern of herbal remedy or supplement use and to identify potential adverse side effects or drug interactions with conventional medicines. If potential risks were identified, a health warning was issued by a pharmacist. A total of 318 patients participated in the study. Of these, 164 (51.6%) took CAMs, and 133 different combinations were recorded. Of these, 10.4% only took herbal remedies, 42.1% only supplements and 47.6% a combination of both. In all, 18 (11.0%) reported supplements in higher than recommended doses. Health warnings were issued to 20 (12.2%) patients. Most warnings concerned echinacea in patients with lymphoma. Further warnings were issued for cod liver/fish oil, evening primrose oil, gingko, garlic, ginseng, kava kava and beta-carotene. In conclusion, medical practitioners need to be able to identify the potential risks of CAMs. Equally, patients should be encouraged to disclose their use. Also, more research is needed to quantify the actual health risks