Circadian rhythm dysfunction in glaucoma: A hypothesis

The absence of circadian zeitgebers in the social environment causes circadian misalignment, which is often associated with sleep disturbances. Circadian misalignment, defined as a mismatch between the sleep-wake cycle and the timing of the circadian system, can occur either because of inadequate exposure to the light-dark cycle, the most important synchronizer of the circadian system, or reduction in light transmission resulting from ophthalmic diseases (e.g., senile miosis, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and glaucoma). We propose that glaucoma may be the primary ocular disease that directly compromises photic input to the circadian time-keeping system because of inherent ganglion cell death. Glaucomatous damage to the ganglion cell layer might be particularly harmful to melanopsin. According to histologic and circadian data, a subset of intrinsically photoresponsive retinal ganglion cells, expressing melanopsin and cryptochromes, entrain the endogenous circadian system via transduction of photic input to the thalamus, projecting either to the suprachiasmatic nucleus or the lateral geniculate nucleus. Glaucoma provides a unique opportunity to explore whether in fact light transmission to the circadian system is compromised as a result of ganglion cell loss.     

Daily rhythm of nociception in rats

Background  

Many behavioral and physiological variables exhibit daily rhythmicity. Few investigations of the daily rhythmicity in nociception have been conducted, and conflicting results have been obtained. The present study evaluated the daily rhythmicity in nociception in Wistar rats.     

Prolactin daily rhythm in suckling male rabbits

Background  

This study describes the 24-h changes in plasma prolactin levels, and dopamine (DA), serotonin (5HT), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and taurine concentration in median eminence and adenohypophysis of newborn male rabbits.     

Daily rhythm of salivary and serum urea concentration in sheep

Background  

In domestic animals many biochemical and physiological processes exhibit daily rhythmicity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the rhythmic pattern of salivary and serum urea concentrations in sheep.     

Circadian phase response curves to light in older and young women and men

Background  

The phase of a circadian rhythm reflects where the peak and the trough occur, for example, the peak and trough of performance within the 24 h. Light exposure can shift this phase. More extensive knowledge of the human circadian phase response to light is needed to guide light treatment for shiftworkers, air travelers, and people with circadian rhythm phase disorders. This study tested the hypotheses that older adults have absent or weaker phase-shift responses to light (3000 lux), and that women's responses might differ from those of men.     

Light-dark cycle synchronization of circadian rhythm in blind primates

Background  

Recently, several papers have shown that a small subset of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which project to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and contain a new photopigment called melanopsin, are the photoreceptors involved in light-dark entrainment in rodents. In our primate colony, we found a couple of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) that had developed progressive and spontaneous visual deficiency, most likely because of retinal degeneration of cones and/or rods. In this study, we evaluated the photoresponsiveness of the circadian system of these blind marmosets.     

拟南芥生物钟双突变体lhycca1营养生长时相转变

高等植物生长发育阶段可分为营养生长和生殖生长2个阶段,其中营养生长阶段中只有通过营养生长时相转变方可进入生殖生长阶段。营养生长时相转变(vegetative phase change,VPC)是植物从幼龄期(juvenile stage)到成熟期(adult phase)的转变,受到基因表达的调控。生物钟(circadian clock)相关基因LHY和CCA1单独作用延迟VPC的发生,这2个基因的共同作用下VPC是否受到影响尚未见报道。本研究以拟南芥(Arabidopsisthaliana)为研究对象,通过形态和茎尖分生组织(shoot apical meristem,SAM)解剖结构观察及调控因子miR156和靶基因SPL3的表达变化,分析LHY和CCA12个基因在VPC过程中的作用。结果表明:双突变体lhycca1生长周期为15d,莲座叶第5片时(第10天)出现远轴面表皮毛,此时叶基角和叶长宽比增大且茎尖分生组织凸起明显,miR156和SPL3的表达水平在植物生长发育阶段呈负相关变化。而野生型生长周期为20 d,莲座叶第6片(第15天)时才出现远轴面表皮毛、叶长宽、叶基角、SAM、miR156和SPL3的变化。这些结果说明在LHY和CCA1的共同作用下,VPC提前发生,LHY和CCA1 2个基因参与VPC的调控。     

Observations on the development rhythm of potato parents in early crop breeding

Summary Early potato varieties are very useful for Spain but early tuberization is even more important than early maturity. Hence in the breeding for early crops carried out by the “Estación de Mejora de la Patata” (Station for Potato Breeding), the choice of potato parents was based on the study of their development rhythms including the vegetative and tuberization rhythms. After an analysis of data on the various stages of potato plant growth and tuber development, varicties exhibiting early tuberization and maturity are indicated as being promising parents.

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Zusammenfassung Die Frühkartoffelzüchtung ist für Spanien sehr interessant. Einerseits ist es für die Zentrale Hochebene (mit ihrem typisch kontinentalen Klima) von Interesse, robuste Sorten mit kurzer Wachstumszeit zu besitzen, die sich zwischen den Sp?tfr?sten des Frühlings und der Dürre des Sommers entwickeln; andererseits sind die frühreifen Sorten auch für die künstlich bew?sserten Felder der Mittelmeerküste, und die “vegas” in Andalusien von groszer Bedeutung, da sie eine sehr frühe Belieferung des inl?ndischen, sowie des ausl?ndischen Marktes erlauben. Von noch gr?sserer Wichtigkeit als die Frühreife der Pflanze selbst, ist die frühe Knollenbildung. Wenn wir die Verh?ltnisse des Zentral-Plateaus beachten, hilft die frühe Knollenbildung bedeutend, die Dürre zu vermeiden und in den Zonen der künstlichen Bew?sserung des Mittelmeergebietes erlaubt sie die Ernte von noch grünen Pflanzen. Dies gibt wieder einen besseren Verdienst. Aus den genannten Gründen wurde in den Arbeiten zur Züchtung auf Frühreife in der “Estación de Mejora de la Patata” die Wahl der Eltern auf den Grundlagen ihres Entwicklungsrythmus getroffen. Das betrifft sowohl den vegetativen Rythmus als auch den der Knollenbildung. Diese Beobachtungen wurden im Tal von Vitoria durchgeführt (520 m über dem Meeresspiegel) wo die “Estación de Mejora de la Patata” eine 75 ha umfassenden Hof besitzt. Vitoria befindet sich in der n?rdlich-zentralen Zone Spaniens, ungef?hr auf dem 43. Grad n?rdlicher Breite, mit einem durchschnittlichen j?hrlichen Niederschlag von 750 bis 800 mm und normalerweise einer Trockenperiode w?hrend des Sommers. Da Sp?tfr?ste im Frühling an der Tagesordnung sind, erfolgt die Pflanzung im Monat Mai. Auf Grund der Daten der vegetativen Entwicklungsphase und der Frühreife der Knollenbildung, zeigen Erstling, Saskia, Bintje. Aller-früheste Gelbe. Oberarnbacher Frühe. Erntedank und Katahdin ihre besondere Verwendungsf?higkeit als Eltern sowohl im Hinblick auf die Frühreife ihrer Entwicklung als auch die der Knollenbildung. Oberarnbacher Frühe und Katahdin zeichnen sich auszerdem durch ihre gute Blüten-und Pollenbildung aus, was sie noch wertvoller macht, da diese Qualit?ten selten in frühen Sorten zu finden sind.

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Resumen Las variedades tempranas de patata son muy interesantes para Espa?a, siendo requerida no solamente maduración temprana, sino también tuberización precoz, que es importante. De aqui que en el trabajo efectuado sobre “breeding” para prococidad por la “Estación de Mejora de la Patata”, la elección de progenitores se ha basado en el estudio de sus ritmos de desarrollo, que comprenden los ritmos vegetativo y de tuberización. Después de analizar los datos sobre fases de desarrollo vegetativo y precocidad de tuberización, las variedades que muestran tuberización y maduración tempranas, se se?alan como progenitores valiosos.

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Résumé Les variétés précoces de la pomme de terre sont très intéressantes pour l'Espagne. D'une part, il est intéressant pour le plateau central (à climat extrême) de posséder des variétés rustiques à cycle de courte durée, pouvant se développer entre les gelées tardives du printemps et la sécheresse de l'été. D'autre part, les variétés précoces sont de haute importance pour les régions irriguées de la c?te méditerranéenne et les plaines fertiles de l'Andalousie, puisqu'elles permettent de mettre de bonne heure la production sur le marché, surtout à l'étranger. Cependant, une tubérisation précose est encore plus importante que la maturité précoce. Sur le plateau central, la précocité de la tubérisation permet d'éviter les effets nuisibles de la séchresse, tandis que dans les régions irriguées que nous venons de nommer, cette précocité de la formation des tubercules permet de récolter quand les plantes sont encore vertes; ce qui donne aussi de meilleurs revenus. Par conséquent, dans les travaux réalisés par la “Estación de Mejora de la Patata” pour augmenter la précocité, le choix des géniteurs a cu pour base l'étude du rythme de leur développement, c'est-à-dire le rythme végétatif et le rythme de tubérisation. Les observations ont été faites dans la plaine de Vitoria (à 520 m d'altitude), où la “Estación de Mejora de la Patata” utilise une ferme de 75 hectares. Vitoria est située dans le centre Nord de l'Espagne, vers 43 de latitude Nord. Les précipitations y atteignent une moyenne annuelle de 750 à 800 mm, mais il y a généralement une période de sécheresse en été. Comme il se produit ordinairement des gelées tardives au printemps, on plante au mois de mai. Selon les données obtenues sur les phases du développement végétatif et la précocité de tubérisation, les variétés Eersteling, Saskia, Bintje, Allerfrüheste Gelbe, Oberarnbacher, Frühe, Erntedank et Katahdin conviennent comme géniteurs, tant par leur précocité de maturité que par celle de leur tubérisation. Les variétés Oberarnbacher Frühe et Katahdin offrent de plus les avantages d'une bonne floraison avec production de pollen, caractères peu courants chez les variétés précoces.

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Paper read to the Section Varieties at the 1st Triennial Conference of the E.A.P.R., Braunschweig-V?lkenrode, Sept. 1960.     

Absence of a serum melatonin rhythm under acutely extended darkness in the horse

Background  

In contrast to studies showing gradual adaptation of melatonin (MT) rhythms to an advanced photoperiod in humans and rodents, we previously demonstrated that equine MT rhythms complete a 6-h light/dark (LD) phase advance on the first post-shift day. This suggested the possibility that melatonin secretion in the horse may be more strongly light-driven as opposed to endogenously rhythmic and light entrained. The present study investigates whether equine melatonin is endogenously rhythmic in extended darkness (DD).     

Circadian behavior of mice deficient in PER1/PML or PER2/PML

Although out-of-lab investigation of the human circadian clock at the clock gene expression level remains difficult, a recent method using hair follicle cells might be useful. While exercise may function as an entrainment cue for circadian rhythms, it remains unclear whether exercise affects human circadian clock gene expression. Efforts to observe apparent effects of exercise on clock gene expression require that several specific conditions be met: intense exercise should be habitually performed at a relatively uncommon time of day over an extended period; and any relative phase shift thereby observed should be validated by comparison of exercise and no-exercise periods. Wake-up and meal times should be kept almost constant over the experimental period. The present study was conducted using a professional fighter who met these strict criteria as subject. Facial hair samples were collected at 4-h intervals around the clock to ascertain rhythms of clock gene expression. During a period in which nighttime training (from 20:00 to 22:00) was habitually performed, circadian clock gene expression was phase-delayed by 2 to 4 h compared with that during a no-exercise period. Maximum level and circadian amplitude of clock gene expression were not affected by the nighttime training. Our trial observations illustrate the possibility that heavy physical exercise might strongly affect the circadian phase of clock gene expression. Exercise might be therefore effective for the clinical care of circadian disorders. The results also suggest that athletes may require careful scheduling of heavy physical exercise to maintain normal circadian phase and ensure optimal athletic performance.     

Circadian phase-shifting effects of a laboratory environment: a clinical trial with bright and dim light

Background  

Our aims were to examine the influence of different bright light schedules on mood, sleep, and circadian organization in older adults (n = 60, ages 60–79 years) with insomnia and/or depression, contrasting with responses of young, healthy controls (n = 30, ages 20–40 years).     

Relationship between psychosomatic complaints and circadian rhythm irregularity assessed by salivary levels of melatonin and growth hormone

Background

Adenosine 5-triphosphate (ATP) and its breakdown products ADP and adenosine can act as extracellular messengers in a range of biological processes. Extracellular adenine nucleotides are metabolized by a number of enzymes including NTPDases and 5'-nucleotidase, which are considered to be the major regulators of purinergic signaling in the blood. Previous work by our group demonstrated that ATPase and ADPase activities in rat serum exhibit a 24-h temporal pattern, with higher enzyme activity during the dark (activity) phase. It was found that stress can cause disruptions in biological circadian rhythms and in the cardiovascular system. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the influence of acute stress exposure upon temporal patterns of NTPDase and 5-nucleotidase enzyme activities in rat blood serum.

Methods

Adult male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups: ZT0, ZT6, ZT12 and ZT18. Each group was subdivided in 4 groups: control, immediately, 6 h and 24 h after one hour of restraint stress. ATP, ADP and AMP hydrolysis were assayed in the serum.

Results

All stressed groups showed significant decreases in all enzyme activities at ZT 12 and ZT 18 when compared with control.

Conclusion

Acute stress provokes a decrease in nucleotidase activities dependent on the time that this stress occurs and this effect appears to persist for at least 24 hours. Stress can change levels of nucleotides, related to increased frequency of cardiovascular events during the activity phase. Altered levels of nucleotides in serum may be involved in cardiovascular events more frequent during the activity phase in mammals, and with their etiology linked to stress.     

高产小麦灌浆籽粒含水量及茎节伤流强度的昼夜变化

为给小麦高产栽培提供依据,以两个半冬性高产小麦品种周麦22和豫农202为材料,研究了灌浆盛期小麦籽粒含水量、基部茎节和穗茎节伤流强度昼夜变化动态及其相关关系.结果表明,小麦籽粒有效含水量白昼低,夜间高,呈“U”型变化趋势,强势粒有效含水量高于弱势粒;两个小麦品种茎节伤流强度的昼夜变化趋势大体相同,表现为白昼高、夜间低;基部茎节与穗茎节伤流强度差异显著,前者约是后者的1.83～4.84倍,且存在品种间差异.高产小麦灌浆盛期籽粒含水量、茎节伤流强度均表现出昼夜变化趋势和较高活力.     

千年桐育苗技术与苗木生长规律初步研究

对福建省建阳市千年桐育苗技术与苗木生长规律进行了初步研究。结果表明,千年桐1年生苗高平均123.67 cm,最高的149 cm;平均地径1.87 cm,最粗的2.5 cm;＆gt;5 cm Ⅰ级侧根7-13条,根系较发达,利于裸根苗造林。播种后48 d左右苗木开始出土,1年生苗可出圃造林;6月中旬-9月中旬为苗木生长高峰期,期间要加强肥水管理,促进苗木生长;9月下旬基本停止生长,9月中旬开始不宜追施N肥,9月中旬-10月应适量施P、K肥,以促进苗木直径生长和苗木木质化。     

Effects of altitude on circadian rhythm of adult locomotor activity in Himalayan strains of Drosophila helvetica

Background  

We recently reported that the altitude of origin altered the photic and thermal sensitivity of the circadian pacemaker controlling eclosion and oviposition rhythms of high altitude Himalayan strains of Drosophila ananassae. The present study was aimed at investigating the effects of altitude of origin on the pacemaker controlling the adult locomotor activity rhythm of D. helvetica.     

Daily rhythm of circulating fat soluble vitamin concentration (A,D, E and K) in the horse

Background  

Many physiological processes of mammalian species exhibit daily rhythmicity. An intrinsic relationship exists between fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) and several body functions. Few investigations on the rhythmic pattern of vitamins in domestic animals have been carried out. The present study evaluated the circadian rhythmicity of fat soluble vitamins in the horse.     

Spontaneous internal desynchronization of locomotor activity and body temperature rhythms from plasma melatonin rhythm in rats exposed to constant dim light

Background  

Daylight saving time is widely adopted. Little is known about its influence on the daily rest-activity cycles. We decided to explore the effects of transition into daylight saving time on the circadian rhythm of activity.     

Spontaneous internal desynchronization of locomotor activity and body temperature rhythms from plasma melatonin rhythm in rats exposed to constant dim light

Background  

We have recently reported that spontaneous internal desynchronization between the locomotor activity rhythm and the melatonin rhythm may occur in rats (30% of tested animals) when they are maintained in constant dim red light (LL_dim) for 60 days. Previous work has also shown that melatonin plays an important role in the modulation of the circadian rhythms of running wheel activity (R_w) and body temperature (T_b). The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect that desynchronization of the melatonin rhythm may have on the coupling and expression of circadian rhythms in R_w and T_b.     

抗病棉在抗虫棉花育种中的地位与作用

我国棉花抗病育种工作起步较早。经过广大科技工作者的努力，先后育成了86-1、中棉所12号、盐棉48等多个抗枯(黄)萎病棉花新品种。随着生态条件的变化与棉花有关的病虫害也有了改变，特别是90年代部分年份大发生的棉铃虫，对棉花生产产生了较大的影响。针对棉铃虫的育种工作得到了重视，引进和育成了