The GTPase RAB20 is a HIF target with mitochondrial localization mediating apoptosis in hypoxia.

Hypoxia is a common pathogenic stress, which requires adaptive activation of the Hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF). In concert transcriptional HIF targets enhance oxygen availability and simultaneously reduce oxygen demand, enabling survival in a hypoxic microenvironment. Here, we describe the characterization of a new HIF-1 target gene, Rab20, which is a member of the Rab family of small GTP-binding proteins, regulating intracellular trafficking and vesicle formation. Rab20 is directly regulated by HIF-1, resulting in rapid upregulation of Rab20 mRNA as well as protein under hypoxia. Furthermore, exogenous as well as endogenous Rab20 protein colocalizes with mitochondria. Knockdown studies reveal that Rab20 is involved in hypoxia induced apoptosis. Since mitochondria play a key role in the control of cell death, we suggest that regulating mitochondrial homeostasis in hypoxia is a key function of Rab20. Furthermore, our study implicates that cellular transport pathways play a role in oxygen homeostasis. Hypoxia-induced Rab20 may influence tissue homeostasis and repair during and after hypoxic stress.

A High Plane of Nutrition Is Associated with a Lower Risk for Neonatal Calf Diarrhea on Bavarian Dairy Farms.

In all bovine production systems, neonatal calf diarrhea remains worldwide an important issue of economic losses and animal welfare. The aim of the present study was to identify risk factors for neonatal calf diarrhea as a herd health problem on Bavarian dairy farms. For the purpose of this study, management factors related to calf health were retrospectively compared between 59 dairy farms with calf diarrhea as a herd problem with those of 18 control farms, where no veterinary treatment of calves for neonatal calf diarrhea took place for at least one year prior to the farm visit. A multivariable binary logistic regression analysis of management factors indicated that administration of 3 L or more of colostrum at the second feeding after birth (Odds ration [OR] = 0.21, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.05-0.89), ad libitum feeding of milk during the first week of life (OR = 0.06, 95% CI = 0.006-0.60), and administration of an iron containing preparation after birth (OR = 10.9, 95% CI = 1.25-95.6) were independently associated with the presence of a herd problem with neonatal diarrhea. Results of this study therefore suggest that a higher plane of nutrition is a protective factor with regard to the occurrence of neonatal diarrhea on Bavarian dairy farms. These findings support the establishment of ad libitum feeding programs in dairy calf rearing.

Functional characterization of a partial loss-of-function mutation of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) associated with atypical cystic fibrosis.

Loss-of-function mutations of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) may contribute to pulmonary symptoms resembling those of patients with atypical cystic fibrosis (CF). Recently, we identified a loss-of-function mutation in the alpha-subunit of ENaC (alphaF61L) in an atypical CF patient without mutations in CFTR. To investigate the functional effect of this mutation, we expressed human wild-type alpha beta gamma-ENaC or mutant alpha(F61L) beta gamma-ENaC in Xenopus laevis oocytes. The alphaF61L mutation reduced the ENaC mediated whole-cell currents by approximately 90%. In contrast, the mutation decreased channel surface expression only by approximately 40% and did not alter the single-channel conductance. These findings indicate that the major effect of the mutation is a reduction of the average channel open probability (P(o)). This was confirmed by experiments using the betaS520C mutant ENaC which can be converted to a channel with a P(o) of nearly one, and by experiments using chymotrypsin to proteolytically activate the channel. These experiments revealed that the mutation reduced the average P(o) of ENaC by approximately 75%. Na(+) self inhibition of the mutant channel was significantly enhanced, but the observed effect was too small to account for the large reduction in average channel P(o). The ENaC-activator S3969 partially rescued the loss-of-function phenotype of the alphaF61L mutation. We conclude that the alphaF61L mutation may contribute to respiratory symptoms in atypical CF patients.

Facial emotion recognition and its relationship to symptomatic, subjective, and functional outcomes in outpatients with chronic schizophrenia.

Outcome in schizophrenia is multidimensional and consists of clinical and psychosocial domains. Difficulties in affect recognition are a hallmark of schizophrenia, but there is little research investigating the consequences of this deficit on patients' psychosocial status. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship of facial affect recognition and treatment outcomes in terms of psychopathology, quality of life (QOL), and psychosocial functioning. We investigated 40 regular attendees of a specialized schizophrenia outpatient clinic who had been stable both from a symptomatic and a medication perspective for a minimum of 6 months and 40 healthy volunteers who were chosen to match patients in age, sex, and education. Affect recognition was positively associated with patients' level of education and negatively with increasing age. Deficits in this area corresponded to the severity of negative and affective symptoms as well as to poor work and global functioning. These findings suggest that affect recognition is an important aspect of psychosocial functioning in stable outpatients with schizophrenia.

Waffle production: influence of batter ingredients on sticking of fresh egg waffles at baking plates-Part I: effect of starch and sugar components.

Fresh egg waffles are a sweet convenience product typically baked from eggs, water, sugar, flour, fat, leavening agents, emulsifiers, preservatives, and flavors. In industrial production, waffles are baked continuously in high amounts of up to 200 kg raw material per hour. Therefore, it is important that the waffles do not stick onto the baking plates, which can cause significant product loss and increased costs due to interruption of the baking process, required cleaning procedures, and restarting of the energy-consuming start-up phase. Sticking of waffles is greatly influenced not only by baking plate material, release agent, baking temperature, and time, but also by the batter ingredients. In this study, effects of different starches and sugar components were investigated. Within the selected starches, potato starch demonstrated the highest effects on increasing waffle stability and releasing properties compared to wheat and lupine flour (less than 7% sticking waffles). Rice flour performed worst, with almost 50% of sticking waffles. Most of these waffles were broken during take-off, due to their crumbly texture. Within the sugar components, glycerine was better suitable than sorbitol and crystal sugar was superior compared to powdered sugar. They required less take-off force. It could be demonstrated that waffles with increased stability and texture were those that showed the least number of sticking waffles, thus the main aim of batter ingredients was to improve waffle quality. Waffle quality was influenced by batter parameters, significant correlations could be found, for example, a positive correlation between pH- and L-value, negative correlations between pH- and a-value, or density and aw-value. This resulted in significant correlations with take-off-force, which was correlated with L*- and b*-value (negative) and positive to a*-value. Sticking behavior was strongly associated with b*-value (positive) and to a*-value (negative).

Waffle production: influence of batter ingredients on sticking of waffles at baking plates-Part II: effect of fat, leavening agent, and water.

Fresh egg waffles are continuously baked in tunnel baking ovens in industrial scale. Waffles that partly or fully stick to the baking plates cause significant product loss and increased costs. The aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate the effect of different recipe ingredients on the sticking behavior of waffles. In this second part, ingredients investigated were different leavening agents (sodium acid pyrophosphate, ammonium bicarbonate, magnesium hydroxide carbonate, or monocalcium phosphate), different fat sources (rapeseed oil, cocos fat, butter, or margarine), and different water sources (tap water 12°dH and distilled water). Within the different types of fats, solid fats with high amount of short-chain fatty acids (cocos fat or butter) decreased the number of sticking waffles compared to liquid oils (rapeseed oil). Regarding leavening agents, magnesium hydroxide carbonate and ammonium bicarbonate were superior to sodium acid pyrophosphate or monocalcium phosphate. Between the two water sources, effects were small.

Waffle Production: Influence of Baking Plate Material on Sticking of Waffles.

Background of this study was to understand the factors that contribute to sticking of fresh egg waffles on baking plates. The aim of this study was to investigate the sticking (adhesion) behavior of waffles on 4 different baking plate materials (ductile iron, grey iron, low alloyed steel, and steel with titanium nitrite coating) at different baking parameters (temperature and time) and application of 3 different release agents (different fat compositions). Baking plates from ductile and grey iron showed lower release properties of waffles than the 2 steel baking plates. Baking parameters had to be high enough to allow rapid product crust formation but prevent burning, which again increases sticking behavior. Release agents based on short-chain fatty acids with higher degree of saturation provided better release behavior of waffles than those based on long-chain fatty acids or on emulsifier-acid combinations. Baking plates with increased hardness, good heat storage capacity, and smooth surface seemed to be best suitable. Further research on appropriate coating material might be promising for future.

Measurement of tryptophan, kynurenine and neopterin in women with and without postpartum blues.

BACKGROUND: Activation of the tryptophan-degrading enzyme indoleamine (2,3)-dioxygenase was demonstrated to be critically involved in tolerance induction to prevent fetal rejection. Our study was designed to examine alterations of tryptophan and its catabolic product kynurenine in the postpartum period and to compare them to neopterin as an immunological marker. METHODS: 95 healthy women delivering without complications provided blood during labour, and 2 and 4 days after birth. The blood samples were analysed for concentrations of tryptophan, kynurenine and neopterin. Women were asked to perform the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) on days 2 and 4. RESULTS: In women without blues symptoms (n=86) tryptophan concentrations increased within 2 days after birth, whereas they did not change in women with postpartum blues (n=9; 9.5%). The group difference reached statistical significance (p<0.05). The change of the kynurenine to tryptophan ratio (kyn/trp), which estimates the degree of tryptophan degradation, was also different between the two groups at days 0 and 2 (p<0.05). Neopterin concentrations decreased between days 2 and 4 (p<0.05), but there were no differences between the two groups. LIMITATIONS: Our study population had a low prevalence of postpartum blues symptoms. CONCLUSION: Low postpartal mood is associated with continuously low serum tryptophan after delivery due to an increased degradation to kynurenine, but is independent of the postpartal course of neopterin.

Association between antipsychotic-induced elevation of liver enzymes and weight gain: a prospective study.

We conducted a prospective, open study in schizophrenia patients treated with second-generation antipsychotics in order to investigate the risk for elevation of liver enzymes and its correlation to antipsychotic-induced weight gain. Body mass index, serum transaminases, plasma serum levels of the antipsychotic used, and blood cell counts were measured weekly during the first 6 weeks of treatment and monthly thereafter. A considerable proportion of subjects showed an increase beyond normal levels of at least one of the measured transaminases. In all but one case, the elevation of liver enzymes was transient. We found a statistically significant correlation between weight gain and liver enzyme elevation. The group of patients that had gained at least 7% of the baseline body weight showed significantly higher increases of transaminases as compared with those who had gained less than 7% weight. We conclude that antipsychotic-induced elevation of liver enzymes is mostly transient and could be associated with weight gain.