We report a novel material that appears to stimulate cytokine production in human osteoblasts and allow good adherence of the cells to the material. We have examined cultured osteoblasts (MG-63) in the presence of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) as set in moist conditions; secondly, we examined the behavior of these MG-63 cells with respect to cytokine and osteocalcin production and alkaline phosphatase activity. Standard ELISA assays were used for assessment of interleukin (IL)-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF), and osteocalcin. Furthermore the levels of alkaline phosphatase were measured to establish the level of differentiation of the cells. Cells without MTA served as controls. Cells also were grown in the presence of polymethylmethacrylate (PMA), the commonly used orthopedic cement. In all dishes cells were seen adhering to the base and MTA at 6 h and had increased to confluence at 144 h. IL-1 alpha (175.1 +/- 32.6 pg/mL), IL-1 beta (154.0 +/- 26.7 pg/mL), and IL-6 (214.7 +/- 21.8 pg/mL) were raised when the cells were grown in the presence of MTA at 144 h, with raised values at all time intervals. M-CSF appeared to be unaffected although the overall value was high (7,045.0 +/- 89.5 pg/mL). In contrast, cells grown in the absence of MTA produced negligible amounts of these cytokines (< pg/mL) as did those cells grown in the presence of PMA. Osteocalcin production increased when cells were grown on MTA from 3.8 +/- 0.87 ng/mL to 19.7 +/- 2.8 ng/mL. No osteocalcin could be detected with PMA. Cells in contact with MTA also appeared to have levels of alkaline phosphatase similar to those reported elsewhere (4.3 +/- 0.21 mumol/mg protein/min). No cells could be found attached to PMA and so no alkaline phosphatase activity could be measured.

The high-load and high-repetition resistance training protocols were both effective in improving muscular strength and size in postmenopausal women, indicating low-intensity resistance training can be beneficial for the muscular fitness in women for whom high-intensity exercise is contraindicated.

Effects of garlic on lipid metabolism were studied in three experiments using different aged male rats fed a diet containing 1% cholesterol or 15% lard. Lyophilized garlic was supplemented at 2% and 4% of the diet. Plasma glucose was not changed by dietary treatments. Rats fed cholesterol and lard diets increased plasma cholesterol and triglycerides compared to controls. Garlic decreased plasma cholesterol in cholesterol- and lard-fed rats, but decreased plasma triglycerides only in the lard-fed group. Garlic supplementation decreased very low density lipoprotein cholesterol and increased high density lipoprotein cholesterol. The liver weight, total liver lipid and cholesterol were increased in rats fed the cholesterol diet but a supplementation of garlic decreased those parameters by about 30%. Dietary cholesterol and lard decreased hepatic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme activities: the garlic supplementation further decreased these enzyme activities. Garlic feeding increased the excretion of the neutral steroids in both 16-week and 10-week-old rats and bile acids in only 16-week-old pair-fed rats. Garlic at the 2% level was similarly effective on lipid metabolism as at 4%. These results demonstrate that garlic increases the excretion of neutral and acidic steroids and exerts hypocholesterolemic effects in cholesterol-fed rats.

Tillering is an important trait of cereal crops that optimizes plant architecture for maximum yield. Teosinte Branched 1 (TB1) is a negative regulator of lateral branching and an inducer of female inflorescence formation in Zea mays (maize). Recent studies indicate that TB1 homologs in Oryza sativa (rice), Sorghum bicolor and Arabidopsis thaliana act downstream of the auxin and MORE AUXILIARY GROWTH (MAX) pathways. However, the molecular mechanism by which rice produces tillers remains unknown. In this study, transgenic rice plants were produced that overexpress the maize TB1 (mTB1) or rice TB1 (OsTB1) genes and silence the OsTB1 gene through RNAi-mediated knockdown. Because lateral branching in rice is affected by the environmental conditions, the phenotypes of transgenic plants were observed in both the greenhouse and the paddy field. Compared to wild-type plants, the number of tillers and panicles was reduced and increased in overexpressed and RNAi-mediated knockdown OsTB1 rice plants, respectively, under both environmental conditions. However, the effect was small for plants grown in paddy fields. These results demonstrate that both mTB1 and OsTB1 moderately regulate the tiller development in rice.

No abstract

The groundwater of Jeju Island (Republic of Korea) is vulnerable to contamination because its aquifers are mainly composed of highly permeable geological units and its agricultural fields are often exposed to excessive use of predominantly synthetic fertilizers. In the Gosan area of Jeju Island, we investigated nitrate contamination in both a perched aquifer above an impermeable clay bed and the regional groundwater beneath this aquitard. The δO and δD values indicate that the perched groundwater is recharged by local precipitation, whereas the regional groundwater is recharged mainly by regional flow from an adjacent mountainous region. The perched groundwater contained very high NO-N concentrations of up to 87 mg/L. The isotopic composition of nitrate in the perched groundwater showed that synthetic fertilizers applied in high excesses of crop N needs were the main cause of aquifer pollution. Elevated nitrate concentrations were also observed in the regional groundwater especially after precipitation events. Concentration and isotopic data revealed that the inflow of shallow perched groundwater along the poorly cemented or uncemented annulus of regional groundwater wells was one of the main reasons for the nitrate contamination observed in the regional groundwater. In both aquifers, δN and δO values showed that the sources of nitrate were derived from synthetic fertilizers that had been recycled in the soil zone by nitrification and in some portions of the perched aquifer (dissolved oxygen concentrations <2 mg/L) indicated that denitrification occurred locally.

The effects of race, age, and sex on selected blood components for 429 black and white adults over 34 year in southwest Mississippi were studied. Fasting blood was collected early in the morning. Whole blood was used for the determination of hematocrit and hemoglobin. The sera were used for the analysis of iron, glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, vitamin C, alkaline phosphatase, and protein and its fractions such as albumin, alpha-, beta-, and gamma-globulins. The data of whites versus blacks, males versus females, and those under versus over 60 years were compared. A significant racial difference was observed for all selected blood components except alpha-1-globulin, cholesterol, and alkaline phosphatase. Albumin, alpha-2-globulin, hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum iron, triglycerides, and vitamin C were significantly higher in whites than in blacks and total protein, beta-1- and gamma-globulins and glucose were significantly higher in blacks than in whites. Males had higher levels of alpha-1- and gamma-globulins, hemoglobin, and hematocrit, and females had higher levels of cholesterol and alkaline phosphatase. Those 60 years and over had higher gamma-globulin and alkaline phosphatase, while adults under 60 years had higher hematocrit. Although results of this study showed significant differences between the races for certain blood parameters and suggest that these differences should be considered in determining guidelines for nutritional evaluation and criteria of diagnosing diseases, further studies are needed to determine the contributions of environment, economic status, and nutritional status to these differences.

The effects of feeding diets containing fructose, glucose or starch with or without added magnesium (Mg) on tissue levels of calcium (Ca) in weanling rats were investigated. Rats were fed their respective diet for 4 wk and then fasted overnight. After decapitation, blood was immediately collected, and liver, kidney and heart were removed to determine their Mg and Ca content. Relative kidney and liver weights were greatest in the rats fed the fructose diet. Hypomagnesemia was observed in all animals fed a Mg-deficient diet regardless of carbohydrate source (1.71 vs. 2.27 mg Mg/dl plasma for Mg-deficient vs. Mg-adequate groups, respectively). Among Mg-deficient groups, starch-fed rats had the highest level of plasma Mg, while fructose-fed rats had the highest level of kidney Mg. Although plasma and liver Ca levels were not significantly different among the groups, Ca content of the kidney and heart was greatest in animals fed a Mg-deficient diet with fructose. This was especially evident in the Ca content of the kidney, which was 8- to 9-fold greater than that of all other experimental groups. The results of the present study demonstrate the presence of a synergistic interaction between fructose and Mg deficiency that increases Ca levels in certain soft tissues, especially the kidney.