The Age-Sensitive Efficacy of Calorie Restriction on Mitochondrial Biogenesis and mtDNA Damage in Rat Liver

Calorie restriction (CR) is the most efficacious treatment to delay the onset of age-related changes such as mitochondrial dysfunction. However, the sensitivity of mitochondrial markers to CR and the age-related boundaries of CR efficacy are not fully elucidated. We used liver samples from ad libitum-fed (AL) rats divided in: 18-month-old (AL-18), 28-month-old (AL-28), and 32-month-old (AL-32) groups, and from CR-treated (CR) 28-month-old (CR-28) and 32-month-old (CR-32) counterparts to assay the effect of CR on several mitochondrial markers. The age-related decreases in citrate synthase activity, in TFAM, MFN2, and DRP1 protein amounts and in the mtDNA content in the AL-28 group were prevented in CR-28 counterparts. Accordingly, CR reduced oxidative mtDNA damage assessed through the incidence of oxidized purines at specific mtDNA regions in CR-28 animals. These findings support the anti-aging effect of CR up to 28 months. Conversely, the protein amounts of LonP1, Cyt c, OGG1, and APE1 and the 4.8 Kb mtDNA deletion content were not affected in CR-28 rats. The absence of significant differences between the AL-32 values and the CR-32 counterparts suggests an age-related boundary of CR efficacy at this age. However, this only partially curtails the CR benefits in counteracting the generalized aging decline and the related mitochondrial involvement.     

Carbon Bonding State Has a Small Effect on Melting of Direct-Reduced Iron

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B - The concentration and chemical bonding state of carbon in direct-reduced iron (DRI) might affect DRI melting temperature and rate. The effects of carbon...     

Study on Reduction of MoO2 Powders with CO to Produce Mo2C

Molybdenum hemicarbide (Mo₂C), which is widely applied in steel and metal ceramics as well as catalysts, was successfully synthesized by using a simple method of reducing MoO₂ powders by CO. It was found that the final reduction product was all Mo₂C under both isothermal and nonisothermal conditions. However, the reduction mechanisms were significantly different at lower and higher temperatures: at lower temperatures (1070 to 1342 K), reduction of MoO₂ to Mo₂C followed a one‐step reaction (simultaneous reduction and carburization), while at higher temperatures (1423 to 1485 K), MoO₂ was first reduced to metallic Mo, and then Mo was carburized to Mo₂C. Mo₂C particles obtained at higher temperatures contained micrometer‐sized surface features which formed during the MoO₂ to Mo reduction step.     

Application of Mismatch Detection Methods in DNA Computing

In many implementations of DNA computing, reliable detection of hybridization is of prime importance. We have applied several well-established DNA mutation scanning methods to this problem. Since they have been developed for speed and accuracy, these technologies are very promising for DNA computing. We have benchmarked a heteroduplex migration assay and enzymatic detection of mismatches on a 4 variable instance of 3SAT, using a previously described blocking algorithm. The first method is promising, but yielded ambiguous results. On the other hand, we were able to distinguish all perfect from imperfect duplexes by means of a CEL I mismatch endonuclease assay.     

Glutathione depletion in rested and exercised mice: biochemical consequence and adaptation

The effect of chronic in vivo glutathione (GSH) depletion by L-buthionine-[S,R]-sulfoximine (BSO) on intracellular and interorgan GSH regulation was investigated in mice both at rest and after an acute bout of exhaustive swim exercise. BSO treatment for 12 days decreased concentrations of GSH in the liver, kidney, quadriceps muscle, and plasma to 28, 15, 7, and 35%, respectively, compared to GSH-adequate mice. In most tissues, with the exception of the kidney, this decrease was associated with a concomitant decrease of glutathione disulfide (GSSG) such that the GSH/GSSG ratio was maintained. GSH depletion caused adaptive changes in several enzymes related to GSH regulation, such as liver glutathione peroxidase (-25%), kidney gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (+20%), glutathione disulfide reductase (+131%) and glutathione sulfur-transferase (+53%). There was an apparent down-regulation of muscle gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (-56%) in the GSH-depleted mice, which contributed to a conservation of plasma GSH. Exhaustive exercise in the GSH-adequate state severely depleted GSH content in the liver (-55%) and kidney (-35%), whereas plasma and muscle GSH levels remained constant. However, exercise in the GSH-depleted state exacerbated GSH deficit in the liver (-57%), kidney (-33%), plasma (-65%), and muscle (-25%) in the absence of adequate reserves of liver GSH. Hepatic lipid peroxidation increased by 220 and 290%, respectively, after exhaustive exercise in the GSH-adequate and -depleted mice. We conclude that GSH homeostasis is essential for the prooxidant-antioxidant balance during prolonged physical exercise.     

Forecast comparison of principal component regression and principal covariate regression

Forecasting with many predictors is of interest, for instance, in macroeconomics and finance. The forecast accuracy of two methods for dealing with many predictors is compared, that is, principal component regression (PCR) and principal covariate regression (PCovR). Simulation experiments with data generated by factor models and regression models indicate that, in general, PCR performs better for the first type of data and PCovR performs better for the second type of data. An empirical application to four key US macroeconomic variables shows that PCovR achieves improved forecast accuracy in some situations.     

Carbon loss from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brachystegia spiciformis</Emphasis> leaf litter in the sandy soils of southern Mozambique

Leaves of Brachystegia spiciformis represent a substantial fraction of the total aboveground litter in bush fallow fields with sandy soils in southern Mozambique, where annual rainfall exceeds 600 mm. This species is one of the most important in the miombo woodland that is the natural vegetation of the region. Proper knowledge of the decomposition of its litter is therefore crucial for understanding processes responsible for natural build-up of fertility in agricultural soils abandoned to bush fallow during shifting cultivation. This study investigated the effects of soil water content and soil temperature on loss of organic carbon (C) from decomposing leaves in litterbags with 1 mm mesh size. The litterbags were buried 50 mm deep in recently abandoned agricultural fields cleared of any vegetation (Bare) and in more than 15-year-old bush fallow fields (Fallow) of sites covering a climatic transect with annual rainfall from <400 mm to >1,000 mm. Two patterns of C loss were observed, one in coastal and wetter agroecosystems (rainfall >600 mm) and the other in inland and drier agroecosystems (rainfall <600 mm). In the wetter agroecosystems C loss was faster, whereas in drier agroecosystems it was more sensitive to rainfall pulses. Similarly, C loss was faster in fallow fields than in bare fields. During summer, bare fields reached soil temperatures higher than the estimated upper boundary favourable for C loss from decomposing leaf litter at all sites. A simple dynamic decomposition model describing the C fraction remaining in the litterbags was developed. Coefficients of determination (R ²) for the individual experimental units varied between 0.79 and 0.97. The general model for all sites and fields improved explanation of total variation from 81% to 86% when measured soil temperature and soil water content were used as modifiers of decomposition rate, compared with the standard negative exponential model. Root-mean-square error and systematic bias were 9.7% and 0.5% of initial C, respectively. Decomposition was more strongly affected by soil water content than by soil temperature and explained 75% of total variation. Thus, rainfall is the main driver of C loss from leaf litter in these agroecosystems.     

Glutathone and glutathione ethyl ester supplementation of mice alter glutathione homeostasis during exercise

The present study examined the effect of glutathione (GSH) and glutathione ethyl ester (GSH-E) supplementation on GSH homeostasis and exercise-induced oxidative stress. Male Swiss-Webster mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: starved for 24 h and injected with GSH or GSH-E (6 mmol/kg body wt, i.p.) 1 h before exercise, starved for 24 h and injected with saline (S); and having free access to food and injected with saline (C). Half of each group of mice was killed either after an acute bout of exhaustive swimming (E) or after rest (R). Plasma GSH concentration was 100-160% (P < 0.05) higher in GSH mice vs. C or S mice at rest, whereas GSH-E injection had no effect. Plasma GSH was not affected by exercise in C or S mice, but was 44 and 34% lower (P < 0.05) in E vs. R mice with GSH or GSH-E injection, respectively. S, GSH- and GSH-E-treated mice had significantly lower liver GSH concentration and the GSH:glutathione disulfide (GSSG) ratio than C mice. Hepatic and renal GSH and the GSH:GSSG ratio were significantly lower in E vs. R mice in all groups. GSH-E-treated mice had a significantly smaller exercise-induced decrease in GSH vs. C, S, and GSH-treated mice and no difference in the GSH:GSSG ratio in the kidney. Activities of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase in the liver and kidney were not affected by either GSH treatment or exercise. GSH concentration and the GSH:GSSG ratio in quadriceps muscle were not different among C, S and GSH-treated mice, but significantly lower in GSH-E-treated mice (P < 0.05). Hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) content was greater in exercised mice in all but GSH-E-treated groups. GSH and GSH-E increased MDA levels in the kidney of E vs. R mice, but attenuated exercise-induced lipid peroxidation in muscle. Swim endurance time was approximately 2 h longer in GSH (351 +/- 22 min) and GSH-E (348 +/- 27) than S mice (237 +/- 17). We conclude that 1) acute GSH and GSH-E supplementation at the given doses does not increase tissue GSH content or redox status; 2) both GSH and GSH-E improve endurance performance and prevent muscle lipid peroxidation during prolonged exercise; and 3) while both compounds may impose a metabolic and oxidative stress to the kidney, this side effect is smaller with GSH-E supplementation.