Determination of superoxide dismutase mimetic activity in common culinary herbs

BACKGROUND: Under conditions of oxidative stress, the removal of superoxide, a free radical associated with chronic inflammation, is catalysed by superoxide dismutase (SOD). Thus in addition to acting as an antioxidant, SOD may also be utilized as an anti-inflammatory agent. Some plant derived foods have been shown to have SOD mimetic (SODm) activity however it is not known if this activity is possessed by culinary herbs which have previously been shown to possess both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of the study was to ascertain if the culinary herbs rosemary, sage and thyme possess SODm activity, and to investigate the influence of cooking and digestion on this activity. Transition metal ion content was also determined to establish if it could likely contribute to any SODm activity detected. FINDINGS: All extracts of uncooked (U), cooked (C) and cooked and digested (C&D) herbs were shown to possess SODm activity, which was significantly correlated with previously determined antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of these herbs. SODm activity was significantly increased following (C) and (C&D) for rosemary and sage only. The impact of (C) and (C&D) on the SODm for thyme may have been influenced by its transition metal ion content. CONCLUSIONS: SODm activity may contribute to the herbs' antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities however the source and significance of this activity need to be established

Recomposition et dynamique des espaces de vie dans les régions métropolitaines : définir les centralités urbaines de la grande région grenobloise

International audienceWe present the results of a research in geography funded by the Rhône-Alpes Region, within the ARC7 programme. The objective of this work is to offer an operational method to understand the organization of metropolitan areas. The study is based on an analysis of stocks and flows of people, incomes and travel structuring territories. The challenge is both to construct a renewed methodology and provide a representation of nodes and links that structure the spaces of large cities. It consists in studying the hierarchy, complementarity and dynamics of the various levels of urban centrality in urban areas. The cases studied and presented in this paper concerns Grenoble urban area. Several steps are proposed, including the identification of primary and secondary centers for work, shopping and leisure reasons, and the analysis of trends in the urban and peri-urban centralities, the links between the different areas of Grenoble region.Cette communication présente les résultats d’un programme de recherche qui se déroule sur l’année 2013 et 2014. Il s’agit d’un projet financé par la région Rhône-Alpes dans le cadre de l’ARC7. L’objectif de ce travail est de proposer une lecture opérationnelle de l’organisation des espaces métropolitains sur la base de l’analyse des stocks et des flux de personnes, de revenus, de déplacements qui constituent ces territoires. L’enjeu est à la fois de construire une méthodologie renouvelée et d’offrir une représentation des noeuds et des liens qui structurent les espaces des grandes agglomérations. Il s’agit d’étudier la hiérarchisation, la complémentarité et la dynamique des différents niveaux de centralité urbaine au sein des agglomérations. Le cas étudié et présenté dans ce papier est celui de la région urbaine grenobloise. Plusieurs étapes sont proposées, parmi lesquelles l’identification des pôles principaux et secondaires pour des motifs de travail, d’achats et de loisirs ; l’analyse des évolutions de ces centralités urbaines et périurbaines ; les liens entre ces différents pôles de la région grenobloise

Multi-strange baryon production in Au+Au collisions at top RHIC energy as a probe of bulk properties

We report STAR preliminary results on multi-strange baryon production in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV at RHIC. Its implication for the formation of a new state of matter is discussed. The system size dependence on the production of strange baryons is investigated to study the onset of strange quark equilibration in the medium. The nuclear modification factor of Lambda, Xi and Omega is also presented. Its suppression at p_T>3 GeV/c supports the formation of a dense interacting medium at RHIC. The spectra of multi-strange baryons reveal that within a hydro-inspired model, they may decouple prior than lighter particles and that their flow may be mostly developed at a partonic level. This idea is emphasized by the measurement of the v_2 of Xi+AntiXi and Omega+AntiOmega whose behaviour is close to the Lambda+AntiLambda baryon elliptic flow in the intermediate p_T region where a constituent quark scaling of v_2 is observed.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, Strange Quark Matter 2004 conference proceeding

Expression of HLA-G in inflammatory bowel disease provides a potential way to distinguish between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

In addition to being involved in nutrient uptake, the epithelial mucosa constitute the first line of defense against microbial pathogens. A direct consequence of this physiological function is a very complex network of immunological interactions that lead to a strong control of the mucosal immune balance. The dysfunction of immunological tolerance is likely to be a cause of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). HLA-G is a non-classical major histocompatibility complex (HLA) class I molecule, which is highly expressed by human cytotrophoblast cells. These cells play a role in immune tolerance by protecting trophoblasts from being killed by uterine NK cells. Because of the deregulation of immune system activity in IBD, as well as the immunoregulatory role of HLA-G, we have analyzed the expression of HLA-G in intestinal biopsies of patients with UC and CD. Our study shows that the differential expression of HLA-G provides a potential way to distinguish between UC and CD. Although the reason for this differential expression is unclear, it might involve a different mechanism of immune regulation. In addition, we demonstrate that in the lamina propria of the colon of patients with UC, IL-10 is strongly expressed. In conclusion, the presence of HLA-G on the surface of intestinal epithelial cell in patients with UC lends support to the notion that this molecule may serve as a regulator of mucosal immune responses to antigens of undefined origin. Thus, this different pattern of HLA-G expression may help to differentiate between the immunopathogenesis of CD and UC

Ocean redox structure across the Late Neoproterozoic Oxygenation Event: A nitrogen isotope perspective

International audienceThe end of the Neoproterozoic Era (1000 to 541 Ma) is widely believed to have seen the transition from a dominantly anoxic to an oxygenated deep ocean. This purported redox transition appears to be closely linked temporally with metazoan radiation and extraordinary perturbations to the global carbon cycle. However, the geochemical record of this transition is not straightforward, and individual data sets have been variably interpreted to indicate full oxygenation by the early Ediacaran Period (635 to 541 Ma) and deep ocean anoxia persevering as late as the early Cambrian. Because any change in marine redox structure would have profoundly impacted nitrogen nutrient cycling in the global ocean, the N isotope signature of sedimentary rocks (δ15Nsed) should reflect the Neoproterozoic deep-ocean redox transition. We present new N isotope data from Amazonia, northwest Canada, northeast Svalbard, and South China that span the Cryogenian glaciations (∼750 to 580 Ma). These and previously published data reveal a Nisotope distribution that closely resembles modern marine sediments, with a mode in δ15N close to +4 and range from −4 to +11. No apparent change is seen between the Cryogenian and Ediacarian. Data from earlier Proterozoic samples show a similar distribution, but shifted slightly towards more negative δ15N values and with a wider range. The most parsimonious explanation for the similarity of these Nisotopedistribution is that as in the modern ocean, nitrate (and hence O2) was stable in most of the middle–late Neoproterozoic ocean, and possibly much of Proterozoic Eon. However, nitrate would likely have been depleted in partially restricted basins and oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), which may have been more widespread than in the modern ocean

Rheologic controls on slab dynamics

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2007. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 8 (2007): Q08012, doi:10.1029/2007GC001597.Several models have been proposed to relate slab geometry to parameters such as plate velocity or plate age. However, studies on the observed relationships between slab geometry and a wide range of subduction parameters show that there is not a simple global relationship between slab geometry and any one of these other subduction parameters for all subduction zones. Numerical and laboratory models of subduction provide a method to explore the relative importance of different physical processes in determining subduction dynamics. Employing 2-D numerical models with a viscosity structure constrained by laboratory experiments for the deformation of olivine, we show that the observed range in slab dip and the observed trends between slab dip and convergence velocity, subducting plate age, and subduction duration can be reproduced without trench motion (i.e., slab roll-back) for locations away from slab edges. Successful models include a stiff slab that is 100–1000 times more viscous than previous estimates from models of plate bending, the geoid, and global plate motions. We find that slab dip in the upper mantle depends primarily on slab strength and plate boundary coupling, with a small dependence on subducting plate age. Once the slab sinks into the lower mantle the primary processes controlling slab evolution are (1) the ability of the stiff slab to transmit stresses up dip, (2) resistance to slab descent into the higher-viscosity lower mantle, and (3) subduction-induced flow in the mantle-wedge corner.This research was partially supported by NSF award EAR0125919

Male Imprisoned Firesetters Have Different Characteristics than Other Imprisoned Offenders and Require Specialist Treatment

Objective: This study investigated whether a group of firesetters (n = 68) could be distinguished, psychologically, from a matched group of non-firesetting offenders (n = 68). Method: Participants completed measures examining psychological variables relating to fire, emotional/ self-regulation, social competency, self-concept, boredom proneness, and impression management. Official prison records were also examined to record offending history and other offense-related variables. A series of MANOVAs were conducted with conceptually related measures identified as the dependent variables. Follow up discriminant function and clinical cut-off score analyses were also conducted to examine the best discriminating variables for firesetters. Results: Firesetters were clearly distinguishable, statistically, from non-firesetters on three groups of conceptually related measures relating to: fire, emotional/self-regulation, and self-concept. The most successful variables for the discrimination of firesetters determined via statistical and clinical significance testing were higher levels of anger-related cognition, interest in serious fires, and identification with fire and lower levels of perceived fire safety awareness, general self-esteem, and external locus of control. Conclusions: Firesetters appear to be a specialist group of offenders who hold unique psychological characteristics. Firesetters are likely to require specialist treatment to target these psychological needs as opposed to generic offending behavior programs

Pion-Xi correlations in Au-Au collisions at STAR

We present pion-Xi correlation analysis in Au-Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)= 200 GeV and sqrt(s_NN) = 62.4 GeV, performed using the STAR detector at RHIC. A Xi*(1530) resonance signal is observed for the first time in Au-Au collisions. Experimental data are compared with theoretical predictions. The strength of the Xi* peak is reproduced in the correlation function assuming that pions and Xis emerge from a system in collective expansion.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of 18th Nuclear Physics Division Conference of the EPS (NPDC18),Prague, 23.8.-29.8. 200