Human myocardial protein pattern reveals cardiac diseases

Proteomic profiles of myocardial tissue in two different etiologies of heart failure were investigated using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). Right atrial appendages from 10 patients with hemodynamically significant isolated aortic valve disease and from 10 patients with isolated symptomatic coronary heart disease were collected during elective cardiac surgery. As presented in an earlier study by our group (Baykut et al., 2006), both disease forms showed clearly different pattern distribution characteristics. Interesting enough, the classification patterns could be used for correctly sorting unknown test samples in their correct categories. However, in order to fully exploit and also validate these findings there is a definite need for unambiguous identification of the differences between different etiologies at molecular level. In this study, samples representative for the aortic valve disease and coronary heart disease were prepared, tryptically digested, and analyzed using an FT-ICR MS that allowed collision-induced dissociation (CID) of selected classifier masses. By using the fragment spectra, proteins were identified by database searches. For comparison and further validation, classifier masses were also fragmented and analyzed using HPLC-/Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight/time-of-flight (TOF/TOF) mass spectrometry. Desmin and lumican precursor were examples of proteins found in aortic samples at higher abundances than in coronary samples. Similarly, adenylate kinase isoenzyme was found in coronary samples at a higher abundance. The described methodology could also be feasible in search for specific biomarkers in plasma or serum for diagnostic purposes

A metabolomics perspective on 2 years of high-intensity training in horses

The plasma metabolomic profile of elite harness horses subjected to different training programmes was explored. All horses had the same training programme from 1.5 until 2 years of age and then high-intensity training was introduced, with horses divided into high and low training groups. Morning blood samples were collected at 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3.5 years of age. The plasma was analysed using targeted absolute quantitative analysis and a combination of tandem mass spectrometry, flow-injection analysis and liquid chromatography. Differences between the two training groups were observed at 2 years of age, when 161 metabolites and sums and ratios were lower (e.g. ceramide and several triglycerides) and 51 were higher (e.g. aconitic acid, anserine, sum of PUFA cholesteryl esters and solely ketogenic AAs) in High compared with low horses. The metabolites aconitic acid, anserine, leucine, HArg synthesis and sum of solely ketogenic AAs increased over time, while beta alanine synthesis, ceramides and indole decreased. Therefore high-intensity training promoted adaptations linked to aerobic energy production and amino acid metabolism, and potentially also affected pH-buffering and vascular and insulin responses

Kunskap om Vilt och Skog 2

• Referenshägn innebär att man jämför vegetationsutvecklingen i en hägnad yta med en oskyddad yta. • Referenshägn byggs med fördel i ungskogsytor där effekterna av betning är särskilt tydliga. • Hjortviltet kan genom bete påverka olika trädslags konkurrensförmåga genom att höjdtillväxten minskar. • Det är framför allt tall och flera arter av lövträd som påverkas negativt av bete medan gran ofta gynnas, vilket på sikt kan få negativa konsekvenser för den biologiska mångfalden. • Genom att använda flera referenshägn kan man mäta vilken påverkan hjortviltet har på vegetation och trädslagssammansättning inom ett viltförvaltningsområde

Fälttest av skyddsmedel mot viltbetning på skogsplantor 1998

Viltskador utgör i dagsläget ett av de svåraste hindren vid anläggandet av ny skog. Rådjurens betning av nyplanterade plantor i södra Sverige orsakar så svåra skador att någon typ av skydd ofta anses nödvändigt. Olika typer av viltavskräckande medel som appliceras på plantorna är för närvarande den mest använda aktiva formen av skadereduktion. Under 1990-talet har ett flertal nya preparat kommit ut på marknaden och på Asa Försökspark har dessa fortlöpande testats vad gäller viltrepellerade förmåga och tendenser att orsaka skador på plantorna. I denna rapport redovisas resultatet av ett fälttest som genomfördes på Asa försökspark under vintersäsongen 1997-98. Fälttestet var utlagt på 6 olika lokaler i Kronobergs län och omfattade ett test av 5 olika repellenter (Mota A, Mota B, Terminal-PW, Cervaroll och Falu-Röd plantskydd). Plantorna som användes var av täckrotstyp. Både tall och granplantor användes i försöket. I genomsnitt låg det samlade betestrycket för både tall och granplantor på ca 30 % (tallplantor ca 35 % och granplantor ca 25 %). Resultatet visar att alla deltagande repellenter reducerade betesskadorna. Mota A, Mota B, Terminal-PW, Cervaroll och Falu-Röd plantskydd visade tendenser till att skada plantorna. Mota B testades även i olika doser och resultatet visade att preparatskadorna ökade tydligt när dosen ökade medan viltbetningsskadorna var relativt oberoende av dosen. Vi rekommenderar tillverkarna av Mota A, Mota B, Terminal-PW och Falu-Röd plantskydd att överväga en lägre dosering eller annan sammansättning av preparaten för att minska risken för preparatskador. Alla fyra preparaten bedöms som intressanta och utvecklingsbara. Cervaroll har i detta och tidigare test visat god viltavvärjande förmåga i kombination med liten risk för preparatskador varvid preparatet bedöms vara fullt användbart i sin nuvarande form. Alla fem preparaten har endast testats i liten skala (t.ex. försöksytor) och tillverkarna rekommenderas även att studera preparatens viltavskräckande funktion i stor skala (t.ex. hela hyggen)

Altered adrenal and gonadal steroids biosynthesis in patients with burn injury

Peer reviewe

Proteomic and Lipidomic Profiling of Calves Experimentally Co-Infected with Influenza D Virus and Mycoplasma bovis: Insights into the Host-Pathogen Interactions

The role of Influenza D virus (IDV) in bovine respiratory disease remains unclear. An in vivo experiment resulted in increased clinical signs, lesions, and pathogen replication in calves co-infected with IDV and Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis), compared to single-infected calves. The present study aimed to elucidate the host-pathogen interactions and profile the kinetics of lipid mediators in the airways of these calves. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples collected at 2 days post-infection (dpi) were used for proteomic analyses by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Additionally, lipidomic analyses were performed by LC-MS/MS on BAL samples collected at 2, 7 and 14 dpi. Whereas M. bovis induced the expression of proteins involved in fibrin formation, IDV co-infection counteracted this coagulation mechanism and downregulated other acute-phase response proteins, such as complement component 4 (C4) and plasminogen (PLG). The reduced inflammatory response against M. bovis likely resulted in increased M. bovis replication and delayed M. bovis clearance, which led to a significantly increased abundance of oxylipids in co-infected calves. The identified induced oxylipids mainly derived from arachidonic acid; were likely oxidized by COX-1, COX-2, and LOX-5; and peaked at 7 dpi. This paper presents the first characterization of BAL proteome and lipid mediator kinetics in response to IDV and M. bovis infection in cattle and raises hypotheses regarding how IDV acts as a co-pathogen in bovine respiratory disease

Browsing Damage on Scots Pine: Direct and Indirect Effects of Landscape Characteristics, Moose and Deer Populations

Reducing browsing damages from cervids (Cervidae) on economically valuable tree species is a challenging task in many countries. Apart from cervid abundance, landscape characteristics, such as forest composition, land use, forage availability and climatic conditions, may affect the degree of browsing through both direct and indirect effects. A better understanding of basic mechanisms in this complex system is needed to design efficient and convincing management strategies. Focusing on Sweden as a case, which has been widely studied using regression analyses only, we applied path analysis to test the validity of a model on the indirect and direct links between landscape characteristics, cervid populations, and browsing damages on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). Our results validated the tested model in which moose (Alces alces) density and pine availability directly influence browsing damages. Increasing amounts of pine forests, preferred deciduous trees, and young forest had positive direct effects on moose densities and thereby indirectly contributed to increased browsing damages. The density of smaller deer species showed no direct effect on browsing damages on pine. Path analysis corroborated our attempt to disentangle direct and indirect potential causal drivers of browsing damages and shows that the choice of statistical method may alter the understanding of mechanistic driving forces

Synthesis and properties of bis-porphyrin molecular tweezers: effects of spacer flexibility on binding and supramolecular chirogenesis

Ditopic binding of various dinitrogen compounds to three bisporphyrin molecular tweezers with spacers of varying conformational rigidity, incorporating the planar enediyne (1), the helical stiff stilbene (2), or the semi-rigid glycoluril motif fused to the porphyrins (3), are compared. Binding constants Ka = 104–106 M?1 reveal subtle differences between these tweezers, that are discussed in terms of porphyrin dislocation modes. Exciton coupled circular dichroism (ECCD) of complexes with chiral dinitrogen guests provides experimental evidence for the conformational properties of the tweezers. The results are further supported and rationalized by conformational analysis