Hematological and lipid changes in newborn piglets fed milk-replacer diets containing erucic acid

Canola oil is not presently permitted in infant formulations in the United States because of lack of information concenring the effects of feeding canola oil to the newborn. We have previously reported a transient decrease in platelet counts and an increase in platelet size in newborn piglets fed canola oil for 4 wk, and have confirmed this in the present study. In canola oil-fed piglets, changes in platelet size and number were overcome by adding either long-chain saturated fatty acids from cocoa butter (16:0 and 18:0), or shorter-chain saturates from coconut oil (12:0 and 14:0). Feeding a high erucic acid rapeseed (HEAR) oil, with 20% 22:1n−9, led to an even greater platelet reduction and increased platelet size throughout the 4-wk trial. Bleeding times were longer in piglets fed canola oil or HEAR oil compared to sow-reared and soybean oil-fed piglets. There were no other diet-related changes. Diet-induced platelet changes were not related to platelet lipid class composition, but there were fatty acid changes. The incorporation of 22:1n−9 into platelet phospholipids of piglets fed canola oil was low (0.2–1.2%), and even for the HEAR oil group ranged from only 0.2% in phosphatidylinositol to 2.4% in phosphatidylserine. A much greater change was observed in the concentration of 24:1n−9 and in the 24:1n−9/24:0 ratio in platelet sphingomyelin (SM). The 24:1n−9 increased to 49% in the HEAR oil group compared to about 12% in animals fed the control diets (sow-reared piglets and soybean oil-fed group), while the 24:1n−9/24:0 ratio increased from about 1 to 12. Even feeding canola oil, prepared to contain 2% 22:1n−9, led to a marked increase in 24:1n−9 to 29% and had a 24:1n−9/24:0 ratio of 5. The canola oil/cocoa butter group, which also contained 2% 22:1n−9, showed a lower level of 24:1n−9 (20%) and the 24:1n−9/24:0 ratio (3) compared to the canola oil group. The results suggest that the diet-related platelet changes in newborn piglets may be related to an increase in 24:1n−9 in platelet SM, resulting from chain elongation of 22:1n−9. The inclusion of canola oil as the sole source of fat in the milk-replacer diets of newborn piglets resulted in significant platelet and lipid changes.     

Color center lasers passively mode locked by quantum wells

Using multiple-quantum-well (MQW) saturable absorbers, a NaCl color center was passively mode locked to produce 275-fs transform-limited, pedestal-free pulses with a peak power as high as 3.7 kW. The pulses are tunable from λ=1.59 to 1.7 μm by choosing MQWs with different bandgaps. The output pulses from the laser were shortened to 25 fs using the technique of soliton compression in a fiber. The steady-state operation of the laser requires the combination of a fast saturable absorber and gain saturation     

Relationships between depressive rumination, anger rumination, and borderline personality features.

We examined relationships between depressive rumination, anger rumination, and features of borderline personality disorder in a sample of 93 students with a wide range of borderline symptoms. All completed self-report measures of borderline features; trait-level negative affect; depressive and anger rumination; and current symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Depressive and anger rumination were strongly associated with borderline features after controlling for comorbid symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Both types of rumination showed significant incremental validity over trait-level sadness, anger, and general negative affect in predicting borderline features. Relationships with borderline features were stronger for anger rumination than for depressive rumination. Relationships between trait-level negative affect and borderline features were substantially reduced when anger rumination was included in regression models, suggesting the need for longitudinal analyses of mediation. Findings suggest that severity of borderline symptoms is influenced by ruminative thinking in response to negative affect, especially anger. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conservation of the centromere/kinetochore protein ZW10

Mutations in the essential Drosophila melanogaster gene zw10 disrupt chromosome segregation, producing chromosomes that lag at the metaphase plate during anaphase of mitosis and both meiotic divisions. Recent evidence suggests that the product of this gene, DmZW10, acts at the kinetochore as part of a tension-sensing checkpoint at anaphase onset. DmZW10 displays an intriguing cell cycle-dependent intracellular distribution, apparently moving from the centromere/kinetochore at prometaphase to kinetochore microtubules at metaphase, and back to the centromere/kinetochore at anaphase (Williams, B.C., M. Gatti, and M.L. Goldberg. 1996. J. Cell Biol. 134:1127-1140). We have identified ZW10-related proteins from widely diverse species with divergent centromere structures, including several Drosophilids, Caenorhabditis elegans, Arabidopsis thaliana, Mus musculus, and humans. Antibodies against the human ZW10 protein display a cell cycle-dependent staining pattern in HeLa cells strikingly similar to that previously observed for DmZW10 in dividing Drosophila cells. Injections of C. elegans ZW10 antisense RNA phenocopies important aspects of the mutant phenotype in Drosophila: these include a strong decrease in brood size, suggesting defects in meiosis or germline mitosis, a high percentage of lethality among the embryos that are produced, and the appearance of chromatin bridges at anaphase. These results indicate that at least some aspects of the functional role of the ZW10 protein in ensuring proper chromosome segregation are conserved across large evolutionary distances.     

Nitric oxide in renal health and disease

Nitric oxide (NO) is a labile radical gas that is widely acclaimed as one of the most important molecules in biology. Through covalent modifications of target proteins and redox reactions with oxygen and superoxide radical and transition metal prosthetic groups, NO plays a critical role in many vital biological processes, including the control of vascular tone, neurotransmission, ventilation, hormone secretion, inflammation, and immunity. Moreover, NO has been shown to influence a host of fundamental cellular functions, such as RNA synthesis, mitochondrial respiration, glycolysis, and iron metabolism. NO is formed from L-arginine by NO synthases (NOSs), a family of related enzymes encoded by separate unlinked genes. The different NOS isozymes exhibit disparate tissue and intrarenal distributions and are governed by unique regulatory mechanisms. In the kidney, NO participates in several vital processes, including the regulation of glomerular and medullary hemodynamics, the tubuloglomerular feedback response, renin release, and the extracellular fluid volume. While NO serves beneficial roles as a messenger and host defense molecule, excessive NO production can be cytotoxic, the result of NO's reaction with reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, leading to peroxynitrite anion formation, protein tyrosine nitration, and hydroxyl radical production. Indeed, NO may contribute to the evolution of several commonly encountered renal diseases, including immune-mediated glomerulonephritis, postischemic renal failure, radiocontrast nephropathy, obstructive nephropathy, and acute and chronic renal allograft rejection. Moreover, impaired NO production has been implicated in the pathogenesis of volume-dependent hypertension. This duality of NO's beneficial and detrimental effects has created extraordinary interest in this molecule and the need for a detailed understanding of NO biosynthesis.     

40 Gbit/s RZ wavelength converter in a monolithically integrated chip with a tunable laser

An all-optical wavelength-switch module with 40 Gbit/s capacity is integrated monolithically in InP. The device combines an SOA-based wavelength converter and a fast-tunable 8-channel multi-frequency laser. Error-free operation is demonstrated.