Lymphadenopathy in dogs associated with aluminosilicate

Granulomatous lymphadenopathy, associated with the presence of needle-like refractile particles, was recognised in two dogs. The material was detected in macrophages, either free within the cytoplasm or in membrane-bound lysosomes. By mineral analysis under direct vision in an electron microscope microanalyser (EMMA 4) the particles were found to contain aluminosilicate.     

Treadmill exercise prevents diabetes-induced increases in lipid peroxidation and decreases in Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase levels in the hippocampus of Zucker diabetic fatty rats

In the present study, we investigated the effects of treadmill exercise on lipid peroxidation and Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) levels in the hippocampus of Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats and lean control rats (ZLC) during the onset of diabetes. At 7 weeks of age, ZLC and ZDF rats were either placed on a stationary treadmill or made to run for 1 h/day for 5 consecutive days at 16~22 m/min for 5 weeks. At 12 weeks of age, the ZDF rats had significantly higher blood glucose levels and body weight than the ZLC rats. In addition, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the hippocampus of the ZDF rats were significantly higher than those of the ZLC rats whereas SOD1 levels in the hippocampus of the ZDF rats were moderately decreased. Notably, treadmill exercise prevented the increase of blood glucose levels in ZDF rats. In addition, treadmill exercise significantly ameliorated changes in MDA and SOD1 levels in the hippocampus although SOD activity was not altered. These findings suggest that diabetes increases lipid peroxidation and decreases SOD1 levels, and treadmill exercise can mitigate diabetes-induced oxidative damage in the hippocampus.     

Inoculation of seven pine species or hybrid seedlings with Korean isolates of pinewood nematode under greenhouse conditions

? Seedlings of seven pine species or hybrids, Pinus densiflora, Pinus thunbergii, Pinus virginiana, Pinus echinata, Pinus koraiensis, Pinus thunbergii × Pinus massoniana and Pinus × rigitaeda, were inoculated in a greenhouse with 100, 1 000 and 10 000 pathogenic nematodes, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, to compare initial symptom development and to evaluate susceptibility to pinewood nematodes.

? Genetic types were significantly different in the starting day of needle discoloration (χ² = 43.48; P < 0.001) and the period from nematode inoculation to seedling death (χ² = 32.85; P > 0.001), but treatment groups were not statistically different in the days from inoculation to seedling death in any of the pine species.

? There was no relationship between seedling mortality and the number of nematodes recovered from infected seedlings. Only eight of the nematode-inoculated seedlings remained alive by day 83 after inoculation, including four seedlings each of P. echinata and P. × rigitaeda grown from bulked seed collections.

? Seedlings from the bulk lots were likely more genetically diverse than those from the single-source lots. A broader genetic representation of pine species or hybrids is suggested for screening for planting stocks resistant to B. xylophilus.

     

Large-scale screening of rice accessions to evaluate resistance to bakanae disease

Bakanae disease is an important fungal disease in the world. No rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties have been found to be completely resistant to this disease. To facilitate accurate, uniform and simultaneous screening of many rice accessions, we developed an inoculation method for microconidia of Fusarium fujikuroi using a tissue embedding cassette and seedling tray. Standards for evaluating the inoculated rice seedlings as healthy or unhealthy were also established. The method was fast and reproducible for accurately evaluating resistance to bakanae disease in rice.     

Physical Stress Induced Reduction of Proliferating Cells and Differentiated Neuroblasts Is Ameliorated by Fermented Laminaria japonica Extract Treatment

Laminaria japonica is widely cultivated in East Asia, including South Korea. Fucoidan, a main component of L. japonica, protects neurons from neurological disorders such as ischemia and traumatic brain injury. In the present study, we examined the effects of extract from fermented L. japonica on the reduction of proliferating cells and neuroblasts in mice that were physically (with electric food shock) or psychologically (with visual, auditory and olfactory sensation) stressed with the help of a communication box. Vehicle (distilled water) or fermented L. japonica extract (50 mg/kg) were orally administered to the mice once a day for 21 days. On the 19th day of the treatment, physical and psychological stress was induced by foot shock using a communication box and thereafter for three days. Plasma corticosterone levels were significantly increased after exposure to physical stress and decreased Ki67 positive proliferating cells and doublecortin immunoreactive neuroblasts. In addition, western blot analysis demonstrated that physical stress as well as psychological stress decreased the expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the number of phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (pCREB) positive nuclei in the dentate gyrus. Fermentation of L. japonica extract significantly increased the contents of reduced sugar and phenolic compounds. Supplementation with fermented L. japonica extract significantly ameliorated the increases of plasma corticosterone revels and decline in the proliferating cells, neuroblasts, and expression of BDNF and pCREB in the physically stressed mice. These results indicate that fermented L. japonica extract has positive effects in ameliorating the physical stress induced reduction in neurogenesis by modulating BDNF and pCREB expression in the dentate gyrus.     

Nitrogen-Containing Secondary Metabolites from a Deep-Sea Fungus Aspergillus unguis and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activity

Aspergillus is well-known as the second-largest contributor of fungal natural products. Based on NMR guided isolation, three nitrogen-containing secondary metabolites, including two new compounds, variotin B (1) and coniosulfide E (2), together with a known compound, unguisin A (3), were isolated from the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract of the deep-sea fungus Aspergillus unguis IV17-109. The planar structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by an extensive analysis of their spectroscopic data (HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR). The absolute configuration of 2 was determined by comparison of its optical rotation value with those of the synthesized analogs. Compound 2 is a rare, naturally occurring substance with an unusual cysteinol moiety. Furthermore, 1 showed moderate anti-inflammatory activity with an IC₅₀ value of 20.0 µM. These results revealed that Aspergillus unguis could produce structurally diverse nitrogenous secondary metabolites, which can be used for further studies to find anti-inflammatory leads.     

Sargachromenol Isolated from Sargassum horneri Inhibits Particulate Matter-Induced Inflammation in Macrophages through Toll-like Receptor-Mediated Cell Signaling Pathways

Sargassum horneri is an invasive brown seaweed that grows along the shallow coastal areas of the Korean peninsula, which are potentially harmful to fisheries and natural habitats in the areas where it is accumulated. Therefore, the author attempted to evaluate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of Sargachromenol isolated from S. horneri against particulate matter (PM)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. PM is a potent inducer of respiratory diseases such as lung dysfunctions and cancers. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory properties of Sargachromenol were validated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blots, and RT-qPCR experiments. According to the results, Sargachromenol significantly downregulated the PM-induced proinflammatory cytokines, Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and Nitric Oxide (NO) secretion via blocking downstream activation of Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and MAPKs phosphorylation. Thus, Sargachromenol is a potential candidate for innovation in various fields including pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals, and functional food.     

Modeling cold curing of Pierce's disease in Vitis vinifera 'Pinot Noir' and 'Cabernet Sauvignon' grapevines in California

Pierce's disease (PD) of Vitis vinifera grapevines is caused by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, a pathogen with a wide plant host range. Exposure of X. fastidiosa-infected plant tissue to cold temperatures has been shown to be effective at eliminating the pathogen from some plant hosts such as grapevines. This "cold curing" phenomenon suggests itself as a potential method for disease management and perhaps control. We investigated cold therapy of PD-affected 'Pinot Noir' and 'Cabernet Sauvignon' grapevine. In the fall, inoculated plants and controls of each cultivar were transported to each of four field sites in California (Foresthill, McLaughlin, Hopland, and Davis) that differed in the magnitude of cold winter temperatures. A model for progression of the elimination of plant disease in relation to temperature was conceptualized to be a temperature-duration effect, where temperatures below a particular threshold kill X. fastidiosa with increasing efficacy as the temperature decreases to some value <6?C. The temperature effect was modeled as a likelihood of a particular temperature killing the pathogen and is termed the ?killing index?. We developed a mathematical model for cold curing of grapevines inoculated with X. fastidiosa and calibrated the model with cold-curing data collected in a field study. Parameter estimation resulted in lowest sum of squared differences across all 10 trials to be low temperature below which the organism is killed (T(0)) = 6°C, number of hours to achieve 100% cure (N(100)) = 195 h, number of hours to achieve 10% cure (N(10)) = 20 h, and killing index (K(x)) = 0.45 for Pinot Noir and T(0) = 6°C, N(100) = 302 h, N(10) = 170 h, and K(x) = 0.41 for Cabernet Sauvignon. With the parameter estimates optimized by model calibration, the simulation model was effective at predicting cold curing in four locations during the experiment, although there were some differences between Hopland for Pinot Noir and Davis for Cabernet Sauvignon. Using historical temperature data, the model accurately predicted the known severity of PD in other grape-growing regions of California, suggesting that it may have utility in assessing the relative risk of developing PD in proposed new vineyard sites.     

Taeanamides A and B,Nonribosomal Lipo-Decapeptides Isolated from an Intertidal-Mudflat-Derived Streptomyces sp.

Two new lipo-decapeptides, namely taeanamides A and B (1 and 2), were discovered from the Gram-positive bacterium Streptomyces sp. AMD43, which was isolated from a mudflat sample from Anmyeondo, Korea. The exact molecular masses of 1 and 2 were revealed by high-resolution mass spectrometry, and the planar structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated using NMR spectroscopy. The absolute configurations of 1 and 2 were determined using a combined analysis of ¹H-¹H coupling constants and ROESY correlations, the advanced Marfey’s method, and bioinformatics. The putative nonribosomal peptide synthetase pathway for the taeanamides was identified by analyzing the full genome sequence data of Streptomyces sp. AMD43. We also found that taeanamide A exhibited mild anti-tuberculosis bioactivity, whereas taeanamide B showed significant bioactivity against several cancer cell lines.