The purpose of this paper was to assess and compare the impact of GTF, CrCl 3 and Cr(pic) 3 on glucose metabolism and explore the underlying mechanism of GTF in insulin-resistant 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The insulin-resistant 3T3-L1 adipocytes were induced by incubation with insulin for 48 h. Purified GTF from high chromium yeast was used in this study, with a m/z of 769 to 712, and glutamic acid, glycine, and cysteine in an approximate ratio of 1 : 1 : 1. In addition nicotinic acid and Cr(III). GTF, CrCl 3 , Cr(pic) 3 and rosiglitazone (positive control) were applied to the cells. The effective dose of GTF ranged from 0.5 mg mL À1 to 1.5 mg mL À1 . GTF decreased cell viability significantly (P < 0.01) at doses of 3 mg mL À1 or higher.Glucose consumption in insulin-resistant 3T3-L1 adipocytes induced by GTF increased significantly (P < 0.05) when incubated with GTF after 12 h. Among GTF, Cr(pic) 3 and CrCl 3 , GTF stimulated glucose consumption is the greatest. In the presence of insulin, the relative expression level of insulin receptor (IR), insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), insulin receptor substrate-2 (IRS-2) and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) mRNA were increased by GTF by 2.4, 4.1, 0.9 and 1.1-fold, respectively, however, only IRS-1 was increased by 2.3-fold in the absence of insulin. GTF affected mRNA levels of IR and IRS-1 significantly (P < 0.01) as compared to the other two. This study not only further demonstrates that chromium containing complexes show promise in reducing insulin resistance in instances of type 2 diabetes, but also that among the chromium complexes, GTF performs the best. Additionally, new mechanistic details of how GTF affects mRNA levels of insulin signalling proteins were revealed.

Fungicides and plant growth regulators can impact plant growth outside of their effects on fungal pathogens. Although many of these chemicals are inhibitors of mitochondrial oxygen uptake, information remains limited as to whether they are able to modify other mitochondrial constituents. Fourier transform mid-infrared spectroscopy (FT-mIR) offers a high sample throughput method to comparatively and qualitatively evaluate the effects of exogenously added compounds on mitochondrial components. Therefore the objective of this study was to determine the ability of FT-mIR to detect effects mitochondrial fractions isolated from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings in response to several agrochemical treatments, with an emphasis on fungicides. The accessed need was to develop FT-mIR analytical and statistical routines as an effective approach to differentiate spectra obtained from chemically-treated or untreated mitochondria. An NADH-dependent oxygen uptake approach was initially used as a comparative method to determine whether the fungicides (azoxystrobin, boscalid, cyazofamid, fluazinam, isopyrazam, and pyraclostrobin) and the plant growth regulator, (trinexapac-ethyl) reduced respiration inhibition on isolated mitochondria. Pyraclostrobin was the most effective inhibitor, whereas amisulbrom did not impact oxygen uptake. However, hierarchical clustering of FT-mIR spectra of isolated mitochondria treated with these different compounds separated into clades consistent with each of their expected mode of action. Analysis of the FT-mIR amide protein region indicated that amisulbrom and pyraclostrobin interacted with the isolated wheat mitochondria. Both chemicals were statistically different from the control signifying that respiration was indeed influenced by these treatments. Moreover, the entire FT-mIR region showed differences in various biological bands thereby providing additional information on mitochondria responses to agrochemicals, if so warranted.

Novel treatments are needed to prevent candidiasis/candidemia infection due to the emergence of Candida species resistant to current antifungals. Considering the yeastto-hyphae switch is a critical factor to Candida albicans virulence, phenols common in plant sources have been reported to demonstrating their ability to prevent dimorphism. Therefore, phenols present in many agricultural waste stress (ferulic (FA) and gallic (GA) acid) were initially screened in isolation for their yeast-to-hyphae inhibitory properties at times 3, 6, and 24 hr. Both FA and GA inhibited 50% of hyphae formation inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) but at a concentration of 8.0 ± 0.09 and 90.6 ± 1.05 mM, respectively, at 24 hr. However, the inhibitory effect of FA increased by 1.9-2.6 fold when combined with different GA concentrations. GA and FA values decreased even lower when sinapic acid (SA) was added as a third component. As evidenced by concave isobolograms and combination indexes less than 1, both GA:F A and GA:FA:SA combinations acted synergistically to inhibit 50% hyphae formation at 24 hr. Lastly, acetylation of histone H3 lysine 56 acetylation (H3K56) was higher in response to the triple phenolic cocktail (using the IC 50 24 hr inhibitory concentration level) comparable with the nontreated samples, indicating that the phenols inhibited hyphal growth in part by targeting H3K56 acetylation.

Clay lamellae have been observed in the sand putting green soils of a golf course in Mississippi, USA. These lamellae result in reduced water infiltration, saturated soils, and a decline in turfgrass density. The soils featured an A horizon of 4 to 5 cm, mixed A/C horizons of approximately 10 cm, and C horizons of about 30 cm over gravel. The soils were constructed in 2005 with 90% (quartz) sand and 10% (by volume) sand-sized calcined clay over 10 cm of gravel, which was constructed on a subgrade of compacted native soil. Clay lamellae were commonly observed at the interface of sand and gravel, with the exception of a soil profile directly above a drain pipe. Clay contents in the lamellae ranged from 0.10 to 3.8 percent. We proposed three hypotheses to explain the formation of these lamellae: 1) clay was present in the sand as a construction contaminant and subsequently moved downward, 2) clay originated from the breakdown and subsequent translocation of a calcined soil amendment that was used to construct the soils, or 3) clay from the underlying compacted subgrade moved upwards through the gravel and into the sand. In each hypothesis, clay accumulated at the boundary of sand and gravel due to preferential retention of water in the sand above the gravel. X-ray diffraction showed that the lamellae contained kaolinite and quartz, whereas the calcined soil amendment contained illite and no kaolinite. The underlying subgrade soil contained kaolinite, quartz, and hydroxy-interlayered vermiculite. Discriminant analysis of X-ray fluorescence spectra showed that the clay fractions of these three different samples had unique chemical fingerprints. These findings suggest that the lamellae did not likely originate from the calcined soil amendment or the subgrade soil. We propose that they originated from clay that was initially present in the sand, which was translocated downwards. This study provides evidence for formation of lamellae in less than 10 years, and provides an example of accelerated soil formation due to anthropogenic factors.

Poaceae encompasses many species with substantial regrowth potential, providing a sustainable source of bioactive agents. Research remains limited on the type of grass providing the highest bioactive yields, the optimal harvest time, and the agents present at these times. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate two amenity grasses, supina bluegrass (Poa supina Schrad.) and bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.], as novel sources of dietary bioagents. Considering that bioactives are typically extracted from seedlings, this investigation evaluated alterations in soluble phenolic content or composition and antioxidative capacity during seedling growth (0-21 d). Both supina bluegrass and bermudagrass seedlings contained total soluble free phenols (TSFP) levels comparable with those present in fruits and vegetables. In bermudagrass, the most apparent changes occurred after 21 d of growth, exhibiting a significant spike in TSFP (7.7 mg gallic acid equivalents g −1 ), total soluble free flavonoids (TSFF, 3.0 mg catechin equivalents g −1 ), and antioxidant capacity values (96.6 mg trolox equivalents g −1 ). Kaempferol was abundant throughout the stages and increased to 1.97 mg g −1 at 21 d. Only subtle differences in TSFP, TSFF, and antioxidant capacity were detected during supina bluegrass seedling growth. Analysis of the phenolic profile of supina bluegrass showed increasing ferulic acid (7.75 mg g −1 fresh wt. at 21 d) and caffeic acid (2.15 mg mL −1 fresh wt. at 21 d) over time. These results support that bermudagrass and supina bluegrass seedlings are viable sources for phenolic bioactives.

Introduction: Alterations in the oral microbiome are associated with the development of cardiovascular disease. Post-contrast plaque enhancement (PPE) on vessel wall MRI is associated with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis and increased risk of stroke recurrence, but the mechanism remains unknown. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that the oral microbiome in patients with PPE of the stroke parent artery would be distinct from those without PPE, offering insight into the pathophysiology of PPE. Methods: We conducted a prospective study of patients with ischemic stroke due to intracranial atherosclerosis, who underwent vessel wall MRI and oral swab within 14 days of stroke. MRI was interpreted by a blinded neuroradiologist and the oral microbiome was analyzed using validated genomic techniques. The diversity of bacterial species was tested with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Thirty-two patients were included in our analysis, of which 20/32 had PPE (62%). No significant difference was found in bacterial species abundance between patients with or without PPE (p=0.745) (Figures 1+2), but 2/20 (10%) patients with PPE had elevated Mycoplasma species, which were absent in all the patients without PPE. Conclusions: Although we did not find an association between PPE and alterations in the oral microbiome, the identification of Mycoplasma in patients with PPE is of interest. Mycoplasma has been identified in histologic samples of ruptured atherosclerotic plaques. A larger study will be required to investigate this association and determine the impact of the oral microbiome on PPE when controlling for cardiovascular risk factors.