A new hammer to crack an old nut : interspecific competitive resource capture by plants is regulated by nutrient supply, not climate

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Reduced total energy expenditure and physical activity in cachectic patients with pancreatic cancer can be modulated by an energy and protein dense oral supplement enriched with n-3 fatty acids

The aim of the study was to assess the total energy expenditure (TEE), resting energy expenditure (REE) and physical activity level (PAL) in home-living cachectic patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. The influence of an energy and protein dense oral supplement either enriched with or without the n-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and administered over an 8-week period was also determined. In total, 24 patients were studied at baseline. The total energy expenditure was measured using doubly labelled water and REE determined by indirect calorimetry. Patients were studied at baseline and then randomised to either oral nutritional supplement. Measurements were repeated at 8 weeks. At baseline, REE was increased compared with predicted values for healthy individuals (1387(42) vs 1268(32) kcal day-1, P=0.001), but TEE (1732(82) vs 1903(48) kcal day-1, P=0.023) and PAL (1.24(0.04) vs 1.50) were reduced. After 8 weeks, the REE, TEE and PAL of patients who received the control supplement did not change significantly. In contrast, although REE did not change, TEE and PAL increased significantly in those who received the n-3 (EPA) enriched supplement. In summary, patients with advanced pancreatic cancer were hypermetabolic. However, TEE was reduced and this was secondary to a reduction in physical activity. The control energy and protein dense oral supplement did not influence the physical activity component of TEE. In contrast, administration of the supplement enriched with EPA was associated with an increase in physical activity, which may reflect improved quality of life

The boron-oxygen core of borinate esters is responsible for the store-operated calcium entry potentiation ability

International audienceBACKGROUND: Store-Operated Calcium Entry (SOCE) is the major Ca2+ ion entry pathway in lymphocytes and is responsible of a severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) when deficient. It has recently been observed or highlighted in other cell types such as myoblasts and neurons, suggesting a wider physiological role of this pathway. Whereas Orai1 protein is considered to be the channel allowing the SOCE in T cells, it is hypothesized that other proteins like TRPC could associate with Orai1 to form SOCE with different pharmacology and kinetics in other cell types. Unraveling SOCE cell functions requires specific effectors to be identified, just as dihydropyridines were crucial for the study of Ca2+ voltage-gated channels, or spider/snake toxins for other ion channel classes. To identify novel SOCE effectors, we analyzed the effects of 2-aminoethyl diphenylborinate (2-APB) and its analogues. 2-APB is a molecule known to both potentiate and inhibit T cell SOCE, but it is also an effector of TRP channels and endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase. RESULTS: A structure-function analysis allowed to discover that the boron-oxygen core present in 2-APB and in the borinate ester analogues is absolutely required for the dual effects on SOCE. Indeed, a 2-APB analogue where the boron-oxygen core is replaced by a carbon-phosphorus core is devoid of potentiating capacity (while retaining inhibition capacity), highlighting the key role of the boron-oxygen core present in borinate esters for the potentiation function. However, dimesityl borinate ester, a 2-APB analogue with a terminal B-OH group showed an efficient inhibitory ability, without any potentiating capacity. The removal or addition of phenyl groups respectively decrease or increase the efficiency of the borinate esters to potentiate and inhibit the SOCE. mRNA expression revealed that Jurkat T cells mainly expressed Orai1, and were the more sensitive to 2-APB modulation of SOCE. CONCLUSIONS: This study allows the discovery of new boron-oxygen core containing compounds with the same ability as 2-APB to both potentiate and inhibit the SOCE of different leukocyte cell lines. These compounds could represent new tools to characterize the different types of SOCE and the first step in the development of new immunomodulators

GC Separation of cis-Eicosenoic Acid Positional Isomers on an Ionic Liquid SLB-IL100 Stationary Phase

Gas chromatography (GC) of cis-eicosenoic acid (20:1) positional isomers has been investigated on a capillary column of ionic liquid 1,9-di(3-vinyl-imidazolium)nonane bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfonylimidate stationary phase (SLB-IL100). A test mixture of isomeric 20:1 methyl esters was prepared from flathead flounder flesh lipids. On a 60-m column operated at 150-180 °C, six peaks appeared in the elution order of 20:ln-15 → 20:ln-13 → 20:ln-11 → 20:ln-9 → 20:ln-7 → 20:ln-5. These peaks were baseline resolved within 20 min at 180 °C. The 20:ln-13 and 20:ln-11 isomers, poorly resolved on conventional polar polysiloxane stationary phases, were completely separated from each other with separation factor α = 1.02 and peak resolution (Rs) >- 1.57. When equivalent chain length (ECL) values were compared between the SLB-IL100 and CP-Sil 88 (biscyanopropyl polysiloxane), those of 20:ln-15 and 20:ln-13 exceptionally tended to be lower on the SLB-IL100. The excellent separation of 20:1 isomers seems due to less retention of 20:ln-15 and 20:ln-13 on SLB-IL100 rather than simply due to its high polarity. Analysis of herring oil 20:1 revealed the occurrence of 20:ln-13 in the Pacific herring but not in the Atlantic herring. The ionic liquid stationary phase, SLB-IL100, is effective for analyzing 20:1 isomers occurring in fish and other natural oils