Fingerprint profile of Ginkgo biloba nutritional supplements by LC/ESI-MS/MS

Ginkgo biloba is one of the most popular herb nutrition supplements, with terpene lactones and flavonoids being the two major active components. A fingerprint profile method was developed using a capillary HPLC/MS method which can identify more than 70 components from the G. biloba product. The method allows the flavonoids and terpene lactones to be detected simultaneously and information of both the parent ion and its fragmentation can be obtained in just one HPLC/MS run. Targeted post-acquisition analysis allows mass spectrometric information regarding the identification of flavonoid components to be easily distinguished from other data, however the same approach for terpene lactones was less successful due to dimer formation and requires further development. The fingerprint profiles of five commercial G. biloba nutritional supplements were obtained and compared; variation of some components among the samples was observed and fortification could be detected. In the quality control analysis of the G. biloba product this method could be viewed as complementary to specific quantitative analysis of some bioactive components of the herb.

Enhancement characteristics of benign and malignant focal peripheral nodules in the peripheral zone of the prostate gland studied using contrast-enhanced transrectal ultrasound

AIM

To assess the value of contrast-enhanced grey-scale transrectal ultrasound (CETRUS) in predicting the nature of peripheral zone hypoechoic lesions of the prostate.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Ninety-one patients with peripheral zone hypoechoic lesions on ultrasound were evaluated with CETRUS followed by lesion-specific and sextant transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsies. The enhancement patterns of the lesions were observed and graded subjectively using adjacent peripheral zone tissue as the reference. Time to enhancement (AT), time to peak intensity (TTP) and peak intensity (PI) were quantified within each nodule. Ultrasound findings were correlated with biopsy findings.

RESULTS

Transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy of the hypoechoic lesions revealed prostate cancer in 44 patients and benign prostatic diseases in 47. The intensity of enhancement within the lesions were graded as no enhancement, increased, equal, or decreased compared with adjacent peripheral zone tissue in two, 30, five and seven in the prostate cancer group and 14, 15, four and 14 in the benign group, respectively. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). The peak enhancement intensity was found to be the most optimal discriminatory parameter (area under curve AUC 0.70; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.82).

CONCLUSION

Malignant hypoechoic nodules in the peripheral zone of the prostate are more likely to enhance early and more intensely on CETRUS. A non-enhanced hypoechoic peripheral zone lesion was more likely to be benign.

Phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase p85alpha and p110beta are essential for androgen receptor transactivation and tumor progression in prostate cancers

Phosphoinositide 3-OH kinases (PI3Ks) are a group of major intracellular signaling molecules. In our previous study, we found that inhibition of PI3K activity suppressed the androgen receptor (AR)-mediated gene expression in prostate cancer cells. The AR has been considered as a critical determinant for the development and progression of human prostate cancers. In this study, we sought to identify the PI3K isoforms involved in AR transactivation. Using a gene-specific small interference RNA (siRNA) approach, we determined that the regulatory isoform p85alpha and the catalytic isoform p110beta, but not p110alpha, were required for androgen-stimulated AR transactivation and cell proliferation in prostate cancer cells. Consistently, overexpression of wild-type p110beta but not p110alpha gene led to androgen-independent AR transactivation. Silencing p110beta gene in prostate cancer cells abolished tumor growth in nude mice. Of the dual (lipid and protein) kinase activities, p110beta's lipid kinase activity was required for AR transactivation. Further analysis by a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay showed that p110beta is indispensable for androgen-induced AR-DNA interaction. Finally, gene expression analysis of clinical specimens showed that both p85alpha and p110beta were highly expressed in malignant prostate tissues compared to the nonmalignant compartments, and their expression levels correlated significantly with disease progression. Taken together, our data demonstrated that p85alpha and p110beta are essential for androgen-stimulated AR transactivation, and their aberrant expression or activation might play an important role in prostate cancer progression.

First Report of Passiflora latent virus in Banana Passionfruit (Passiflora tarminiana) in New Zealand

Passiflora latent virus (PLV) naturally infects cultivated and wild Passiflora species in Australia, Germany, Israel and the United States (1-3). In March 2004, chlorotic lesions were observed on leaves of three vines of Passiflora tarminiana on one site in Auckland, New Zealand. Chenopodium amaranticolor and C. quinoa inoculated with sap from symptomatic leaves developed chlorotic local spots, followed by systemic leaf chlorosis and necrosis. Local symptoms appeared more quickly on C. quinoa (12 days) than on C. amaranticolor (20 days). No symptoms were observed on inoculated plants of Nicotiana benthamiana, N. clevelandii, N. occidentalis, N. tabacum, or Phaseolus vulgaris. Electron microscopy of crude sap preparations from infected C. quinoa, C. amaranticolor, N. occidentalis, and P. tarminiana showed flexuous, filamentous virus particles approximately 650 nm long. Plants of P. tarminiana and the three inoculated indicator species containing virus particles tested positive by PLV polyclonal antiserum in double-antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA (DSMZ, Braunschweig, Germany) and immunosorbent electron microscopy (Stephan Winter, DSMZ, personal communication). Nucleic acid was extracted from leaves of plants of each of the four viruliferous species with an RNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen, Doncaster, Australia) and then used in reverse transcription (RT)-PCR tests with novel forward (5'-CGAGACACACGCAAACGAA-3') and reverse (5'-CAGCAAAGCAAAGACACGA-3') primers specific to a 523-bp fragment of the PLV polyprotein. PCR products of the expected size were obtained, and an amplicon from P. tarminiana was directly sequenced (GenBank Accession No. EU257510). A BLAST search in GenBank showed 94% nucleotide sequence identity with a PLV isolate from Israel (GenBank Accession No. DQ455582). To our knowledge, this is the first finding of PLV in P. tarminiana and the first report of the virus in New Zealand. Chenopodium spp. have been reported previously as experimental hosts (2,3), and this study revealed that N. occidentalis also can be infected latently with PLV. P. tarminiana is a weed in New Zealand and subject to active control measures to manage the species. Economically important species such as P. edulis and P. ligularis are potentially susceptible to the virus. These species are not grown commercially in the surrounding area but are common in domestic Auckland gardens. Infected vines were removed from the site and destroyed, and symptomatic vines have not been observed at other sites. References: (1) R. D. Pares et al. Plant Dis. 81:348, 1997. (2) S. Spiegel et al. Arch. Virol. 152:181, 2007. (3) A. A. Stihll et al. Plant Dis. 76:843, 1992.

A rat model of pontine hemorrhage

Approximately 15% of all strokes are due to intracerebral hemorrhage, and of these, 5 to 9% will occur in the pons, with mortality approximately 60% of the time. However, there is not an adequate animal model to fully address this important clinical problem. To this end, pontine hemorrhage was induced in rats using stereotaxic injection of 0.15 units of collagenase. At 24, 48, and 72h (n = 4 per group), the hemorrhagic volume, brain water content, body temperature, and neurological function (corner turn, inclined plane, and neurological deficit score) were assessed. All tested parameters were significantly increased, compared to sham, without any differences between time points. Furthermore, the extent of brainstem edema was highly correlated with neurological score, inclined plane, and body temperature. This new pontine hemorrhage rat model demonstrated brain edema and neurological deficits, and can be used to test treatment strategies for pontine hemorrhage.

Effects of superoxide dismutase and catalase derivates on intracerebral hemorrhage-induced brain injury in rats

The use of exogenous superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) has been previously evaluated against various reactive oxygen species-mediated brain injuries, especially those associated with ischemia/ reperfusion. In this study, we investigated effects of these enzymatic antioxidants on intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)-induced brain injury. A total of 65 male Sprague-Dawley rats (300-380 g) were divided into a sham group, an untreated ICH group, 3 groups of ICH rats treated with lecithinized SOD (PC-SOD) at doses of 0.1, 0.3, and 1 mg/kg, and a group treated with polyethylene glycol conjugated CAT (PEG-CAT) at a dose of 10,000 U/kg. An additional group of ICH rats received a combination of PC-SOD (1 mg/kg) and PEG-CAT (10,000 U/kg). ICH was induced by collagenase injection. All drugs were administered intravenously immediately after ICH induction. Brain injury was evaluated by scoring neurological function and measuring brain edema at 24 h after ICH induction. Our results demonstrated that ICH caused significant neurological deficit associated with remarkable brain edema. Treatment with PC-SOD, PEG-CAT, or PC-SOD in combination with PEG-CAT did not reduce brain edema or neurological deficit after ICH. We conclude that intravenously administered PC-SOD and/or PEG-CAT do not reduce brain injury in the collagenase-induced ICH rat model.

First Report of Apium virus Y in Celery in New Zealand

Apium virus Y (ApVY) has been detected for the first time in New Zealand. In January 2006, leaf mosaic and vein-banding symptoms were observed on cultivated celery (Apium graveolens cv. Tongo) in Wanganui, New Zealand. Symptoms were widespread and seen in several paddocks. Similar symptoms were also observed in poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), a weed commonly found growing along the edges of the crop. Chenopodium amaranticolor and C. quinoa plants inoculated with leaf sap from a single, symptomatic celery or hemlock plant developed necrotic local spots after 9 and 12 days, respectively. Six Nicotiana spp. did not develop symptoms and were not tested further. Electron microscopy of sap from the celery, hemlock, and C. quinoa plants revealed the presence of elongated flexuous virus particles, 650 to 850 nm long. Symptomatic plants of these three species were tested for ApVY by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR using novel forward (5'-ATGATGCGTGGTTTGAAGG-3') and reverse (5'-CTTGGTGCGTGAGTTCTTG-3') primers specific to the coat protein gene (GenBank Accession No. AF203529). Amplicons of the expected size (approximately 425 bp) were obtained from all samples, and an amplicon from celery was sequenced (GenBank Accession No. EU127499). Comparison with ApVY sequences in GenBank confirmed the identity of the product, which had 97 to 99% nucleotide identity with GenBank Accession Nos. AF 203529, AF207594, and AY049716. The effect of ApVY on celery is unknown. ApVY has recently been described and infects three species of Apiaceae in Australia (2). In this study, diseased celery, but not the hemlock plants, were found to be coinfected with Celery mosaic virus (CeMV) by enzyme-linked immunsorbent assays with CeMV-specific antibodies (Loewe Biochemica GmbH, Sauerlach, Germany). Therefore, the symptoms observed in celery may be induced by ApVY or CeMV. CeMV is a serious disease of celery in New Zealand (1) and CeMV symptoms may mask the presence of ApVY. References: (1) P. R. Fry and C. H. Procter. N. Z. Commer. Grower 24:23, 1968. (2) J. Moran et al. Arch. Virol. 147:1855, 2002.

Meta-analysis of APOE genotype and subarachnoid hemorrhage: Clinical outcome and delayed ischemia

BACKGROUND

Emerging evidence suggests that the APOE4 allele may increase the risk of a negative outcome in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), but the results are conflicting. A genetic variable predicting the individual clinical course is currently lacking.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between the APOE4 allele and a negative outcome. A secondary objective was to investigate the association between the APOE4 allele and delayed ischemia, a major complication of SAH.

METHODS

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, CINHAL, LILACS, and www.google.it through March 2006. We hand-searched journals, international conference proceedings, and reference lists of retrieved articles. Individual patient data were requested from the corresponding authors of the original articles. Information on study design, participant characteristics, clinical outcome, delayed ischemia, and confounder distribution were independently abstracted by two investigators.

RESULTS

We included eight observational studies (696 patients for the clinical outcome and 600 for the delayed ischemia analyses). The corresponding authors of all the retrieved publications but one gave their original data. Summary odds ratios (ORs) were calculated by means of the random-effect model. The risk of a negative outcome (OR = 2.558; 95% CI 1.610 to 4.065) and delayed ischemia (OR = 2.044; 95% CI 1.269 to 3.291) were increased in the E4 carriers.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage, the expression of the E4 allele is associated with a higher risk of a negative outcome and delayed ischemia.

Simulating leukocyte-venule interactions--a novel agent-oriented approach

Leukocyte recruitment into sites of inflammation involves a complex cascade of molecular interactions between the leukocyte and the endothelial cells of the inflamed venule. This report proposes a novel agent-oriented approach for simulating leukocyte-venule interactions during inflammation. We focus on modeling and simulating the initial steps of rolling, activation, and firm adhesion of neutrophils on TNF-alpha-treated mouse cremaster muscle venules.

Multiscale carbon nanotube-carbon fiber reinforcement for advanced epoxy composites

We report an approach to the development of advanced structural composites based on engineered multiscale carbon nanotube-carbon fiber reinforcement. Electrophoresis was utilized for the selective deposition of multi- and single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on woven carbon fabric. The CNT-coated carbon fabric panels were subsequently infiltrated with epoxy resin using vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) to fabricate multiscale hybrid composites in which the nanotubes were completely integrated into the fiber bundles and reinforced the matrix-rich regions. The carbon nanotube/carbon fabric/epoxy composites showed approximately 30% enhancement of the interlaminar shear strength as compared to that of carbon fiber/epoxy composites without carbon nanotubes and demonstrate significantly improved out-of-plane electrical conductivity.

CCL3L1 and CCL4L1: variable gene copy number in adolescents with and without human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection

As members of the chemokine family, macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha (MIP-1alpha) and MIP-1beta are unique in that they both consist of non-allelic isoforms encoded by different genes, namely chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 (CCL3), CCL4, CCL3-like 1 (CCL3L1) and CCL4L1. The products of these genes and of CCL5 (encoding RANTES, i.e., regulated on activation, normal T expressed and secreted) can block or interfere with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection through competitive binding to chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 5 (CCR5). Our analyses of 411 adolescents confirmed that CCL3 and CCL4 genes occurred invariably as single copies (two per diploid genome), whereas the copy numbers of CCL3L1 and CCL4L1 varied extensively (0-11 and 1-6 copies, respectively). Neither CCL3L1 nor CCL4L1 gene copy number variation showed appreciable impact on susceptibility to or control of HIV-1 infection. Within individuals, linear correlation between CCL3L1 and CCL4L1 copy numbers was moderate regardless of ethnicity (Pearson correlation coefficients=0.63-0.65, P<0.0001), suggesting that the two loci are not always within the same segmental duplication unit. Persistently low serum MIP-1alpha and MIP-1beta (in the pg/ml range) compared with high CCL5 concentration (ng/ml range) implied that multi-copy genes CCL3L1 and CCL4L1 conferred little advantage in the intensity of expression among uninfected or infected adolescents.

Imaging informational conflict: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study of numerical stroop

We employed a parametric version of the comparison Stroop paradigm to investigate the processing of numerical magnitude and physical size under task-relevant and -irrelevant conditions to investigate two theoretical issues: (1) What is the neural fate of task-irrelevant information? (2) What is the neural basis of the resolution of the conflict between task-relevant and -irrelevant information? We show in 18 healthy adults that numerical magnitudes of numbers call for higher processing requirements than physical sizes. The enhanced activation elicited by numerical magnitudes is not modulated by task relevance, indicating autonomous processing. Moreover, the normal behavioral distance effect when the numerical dimension is task relevant and reversed distance effect when it is not show that autonomous processing fully encodes numerical magnitudes. Conflict trials elicited greater activation in bilateral inferior frontal gyri, right middle frontal gyri, and right superior frontal gyri. We postulate two sources to the conflict, namely, at cognitive and response levels.