bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intracoronary Genistein Acutely Increases Coronary Blood Flow in Anesthetized Pigs through β-Adrenergic Mediated Nitric Oxide Release and Estrogenic Receptors
Authors: Grossini Elena , Molinari Claudio , Mary David A. S. G. , Uberti Francesca , Caimmi Philippe Primo , Surico Nicola , Vacca Giovanni
Published: January 2008

Various studies have suggested that the phytoestrogen genistein has beneficial cardioprotective and vascular effects. However, there has been scarce information regarding the primary effect of genistein on coronary blood flow and its mechanisms including estrogen receptors, autonomic nervous system, and nitric oxide (NO). The present study was planned to determine the primary effect of genistein on coronary blood flow and the mechanisms involved. In anesthetized pigs, changes in left anterior descending coronary artery caused by intracoronary infusion of genistein at constant heart rate and arterial pressure were assessed using ultrasound flowmeters. In 25 pigs, genistein infused at 0.075 mg/min increased coronary blood flow by about 16.3%. This response was graded in a further five pigs by increasing the infused dose of the genistein between 0.007 and 0.147 mg/min. In the 25 pigs, blockade of cholinergic receptors (iv atropine; five pigs) and α-adrenergic receptors (iv phentolamine; five pigs) did not abolish the coronary response to genistein, whose effects were prevented by blockade of β2-adrenergic receptors (iv butoxamine; five pigs), nitric oxide synthase (intracoronary Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester; five pigs) and estrogenic receptors (ERs; ERα/ERβ; intracoronary fulvestrant; five pigs). In porcine aortic endothelial cells, genistein induced the phosphorylation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and NO production through ERK 1/2, Akt, and p38 MAPK pathways, which was prevented by the concomitant treatment by butoxamine and fulvestrant. In conclusion, genistein primarily caused coronary vasodilation the mechanism of which involved ERα/ERβ and the release of NO through vasodilatory β2-adrenoreceptor effects.
β1-Adrenoceptor Expression in Rat Anterior Pituitary Gonadotrophs and in Mouse αT3-1 and LβT2 Gonadotrophic Cell Lines
Authors: Janssens Kristel , Krylyshkina Olga , Hersmus Nicole , Vankelecom Hugo , Denef Carl
Published: January 2008

The rat anterior pituitary expresses β2-adrenoceptors (ARs) on somatotrophs, lactotrophs, and corticotrophs. The present study investigates whether β1-ARs exist in the anterior pituitary, in which cell type(s) they are found, and whether they are regulated by glucocorticoids. As determined by quantitative RT-PCR and Western immunoblotting, the rat anterior pituitary expressed β1-AR mRNA and protein. Unlike the β2-AR, expression decreased to very low levels after 5-d aggregate cell culture but was strongly up-regulated in a dose- and time-dependent manner by dexamethasone (DEX). Glucocorticoids attenuated isoproterenol-induced down-regulation of β1-AR mRNA levels. As examined by immunofluorescence confocal microscopy, β1-AR immunoreactivity was detected in a subpopulation of gonadotrophs, but not in somatotrophs, lactotrophs, corticotrophs, thyrotrophs, or folliculo-stellate cells. β1-AR-immunoreactivity cells were often surrounded by cup-shaped lactotrophs. Consistent with these findings, β1-AR mRNA was considerably more abundant in the gonadotrophic αT3-1 and LβT2 cell lines than in the GHFT, GH3, and TtT/GF cell lines. DEX did not affect expression level in the cell lines. DEX also failed to up-regulate β1-AR mRNA levels in aggregates from a subpopulation enriched in large gonadotrophs obtained by gradient sedimentation. In contrast, excessive DEX-dependent up-regulation of β1-AR mRNA was found in a subpopulation enriched in small nonhormonal cells. The present data indicate that β1-AR is expressed in a subpopulation of gonadotrophs with a topographical relationship to lactotrophs. However, the glucocorticoid-induced up-regulation does not seem to occur directly in the gonadotrophs but within (an)other unidentified cell type(s), or is transduced by that cell type on gonadotrophs.
Absence of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone 1 and Kiss1 Activation in α-Fetoprotein Knockout Mice: Prenatal Estrogens Defeminize the Potential to Show Preovulatory Luteinizing Hormone Surges
Authors: González-Martínez David , De Mees Christelle , Douhard Quentin , Szpirer Claude , Bakker Julie
Published: January 2008

Sex differences in gonadal function are driven by either cyclical (females) or tonic (males) hypothalamic GnRH1 release and, subsequently, gonadotrophin (LH and FSH) secretion from the pituitary. This sex difference seems to depend on the perinatal actions of gonadal hormones on the hypothalamus. We used α-fetoprotein (AFP) knockout mice (Afp−/−) to study the mechanisms by which estrogens affect the sexual differentiation of the GnRH1 system. Afp−/− mice lack the protective actions of AFP against estrogens circulating during embryonic development, leading to infertility probably due to a hypothalamic dysfunction. Therefore, we first determined whether Afp−/− females are capable of showing a steroid-induced preovulatory LH surge by FOS/GnRH1 immunohistochemistry and RIA of plasma LH levels. Because the KISS1/GPR54 system is a key upstream regulator of the GnRH1 system as well as being sexually dimorphic, we also analyzed whether Kisspeptin-10 neurons were activated in Afp−/− mice after treatment with estradiol and progesterone. We found that the GnRH1 and Kisspeptin-10 neuronal systems are defeminized in Afp−/− females because they did not show either steroid-induced LH surges or significant FOS/GnRH1 double labeling. Furthermore, Kisspeptin-10 immunoreactivity and neural activation, measured by the number of double-labeled FOS/Kisspeptin-10 cells, were lower in Afp−/− females, suggesting a down-regulation of GnRH1 function. Thus, the sex difference in the ability to show preovulatory LH surges depends on the prenatal actions of estrogens in the male hypothalamus and, thus, is lost in Afp−/− females because they lack AFP to protect them against the defeminizing effects of estrogens during prenatal development.
Identification of KiSS-1 Product Kisspeptin and Steroid-Sensitive Sexually Dimorphic Kisspeptin Neurons in Medaka (Oryzias latipes)
Authors: Kanda Shinji , Akazome Yasuhisa , Matsunaga Takuya , Yamamoto Naoyuki , Yamada Shunji , Tsukamura Hiroko , Maeda Kei-ichiro , Oka Yoshitaka
Published: January 2008

Recently, a novel physiologically active peptide, kisspeptin (metastin), has been reported to facilitate sexual maturation and ovulation by directly stimulating GnRH neurons in several mammalian species. Despite its importance in the neuroendocrine regulation of reproduction, kisspeptin neurons have only been studied in mammals, and there has been no report on the kisspeptin or kisspeptin neuronal systems in nonmammalian vertebrates. We used medaka for the initial identification of the KiSS-1 gene and the anatomical distribution of KiSS-1 mRNA expressing neurons (KiSS-1 neurons) in the brain of nonmammalian species. In situ hybridization for the medaka KiSS-1 gene cloned here proved that two kisspeptin neuronal populations are localized in the hypothalamic nuclei, the nucleus posterioris periventricularis and the nucleus ventral tuberis (NVT). Furthermore, NVT KiSS-1 neurons were sexually dimorphic in number (male neurons ≫ female neurons) under the breeding conditions. We also found that the number of KiSS-1 neurons in the NVT but not that in the nucleus posterioris periventricularis was positively regulated by ovarian estrogens. The fact that there were clear differences in the number of NVT KiSS-1 neurons between the fish under the breeding and nonbreeding conditions strongly suggests that the steroid-sensitive changes in the KiSS-1 mRNA expression in the NVT occur physiologically, according to the changes in the reproductive state. From the present results, we conclude that the medaka KiSS-1 neuronal system is involved in the central regulation of reproductive functions, and, given many experimental advantages, the medaka brain may serve as a good model system to study its physiology.
Insulin Stimulates Primary β-Cell Proliferation via Raf-1 Kinase
Authors: Beith Jennifer L. , Alejandro Emilyn U. , Johnson James D.
Published: January 2008

A relative decrease in β-cell mass is key in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and in the failure of transplanted islet grafts. It is now clear that β-cell duplication plays a dominant role in the regulation of adult β-cell mass. Therefore, knowledge of the endogenous regulators of β-cell replication is critical for understanding the physiological control of β-cell mass and for harnessing this process therapeutically. We have shown that concentrations of insulin known to exist in vivo act directly on β-cells to promote survival. Whether insulin stimulates adult β-cell proliferation remains unclear. We tested this hypothesis using dispersed primary mouse islet cells double labeled with 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine and insulin antisera. Treating cells with 200-pm insulin significantly increased proliferation from a baseline rate of 0.15% per day. Elevating glucose from 5–15 mm did not significantly increase β-cell replication. β-Cell proliferation was inhibited by somatostatin as well as inhibitors of insulin signaling. Interestingly, inhibiting Raf-1 kinase blocked proliferation stimulated by low, but not high (superphysiological), insulin doses. Insulin-stimulated mouse insulinoma cell proliferation was dependent on both phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt and Raf-1/MAPK kinase pathways. Overexpression of Raf-1 was sufficient to increase proliferation in the absence of insulin, whereas a dominant-negative Raf-1 reduced proliferation in the presence of 200-pm insulin. Together, these results demonstrate for the first time that insulin, at levels that have been measured in vivo, can directly stimulate β-cell proliferation and that Raf-1 kinase is involved in this process. These findings have significant implications for the understanding of the regulation of β-cell mass in both the hyperinsulinemic and insulin-deficient states that occur in the various forms of diabetes.
Plasma Adiponectin Complexes Have Distinct Biochemical Characteristics
Authors: Schraw Todd , Wang Zhao V. , Halberg Nils , Hawkins Meredith , Scherer Philipp E.
Published: January 2008

Adipocytes release the secretory protein adiponectin in a number of different higher-order complexes. Once synthesized and assembled in the secretory pathway of the adipocyte, these complexes circulate as biochemically distinct and stable entities with little evidence of interchange between the different forms that include a high-molecular-weight (HMW) species, a hexamer (low-molecular-weight form), and a trimeric form of the complexes. Here, we validate a high-resolution gel filtration method that reproducibly separates the three complexes in recombinant adiponectin and adiponectin from human and murine samples. We demonstrate that the HMW form is prominently reduced in male vs. female subjects and in obese, insulin-resistant vs. lean, insulin-sensitive individuals. A direct comparison of human and mouse adiponectin demonstrates that the trimer is generally more abundant in human serum. Furthermore, when the production of adiponectin is reduced, either by obesity or in mice carrying only a single functional allele of the adiponectin locus, then the amount of the HMW form is selectively reduced in circulation. The complex distribution of adiponectin can be regulated in several ways. Both mouse and human HMW adiponectin are very stable under basic conditions but are exquisitely labile under acidic conditions below pH 7. Murine and human adiponectin HMW forms also display differential susceptibility to the presence of calcium in the buffer. A mutant form of adiponectin unable to bind calcium is less susceptible to changes in calcium concentrations. However, the lack of calcium binding results in a destabilization of the structure. Disulfide bond formation (at position C39) is also important for complex formation. A mutant form of adiponectin lacking C39 prominently forms HMW and trimer but not the low-molecular-weight form. Injection of adiponectin with a fluorescent label reveals that over time, the various complexes do not interconvert in vivo. The stability of adiponectin complexes highlights that the production and secretion of these forms from fat cells has a major influence on the circulating levels of each complex.
Protein Kinase C-ζ Phosphorylates Insulin Receptor Substrate-1, -3, and -4 But Not -2: Isoform Specific Determinants of Specificity in Insulin Signaling
Authors: Lee Sihoon , Lynn Edward G. , Kim Jeong-a , Quon Michael J.
Published: January 2008

Protein kinase C-ζ, a downstream effector of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), phosphorylates insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 on serine residues impairing activation of PI3K in response to insulin. Because IRS-1 is upstream from PI3K, this represents a negative feedback mechanism that may contribute to signal specificity in insulin action. To determine whether similar feedback pathways exist for other IRS isoforms, we evaluated IRS-2, -3, and -4 as substrates for PKC-ζ. In an in vitro kinase assay, purified recombinant PKC-ζ phosphorylated IRS-1, -3 and -4 but not IRS-2. Similar results were obtained with an immune-complex kinase assay demonstrating that wild-type, but not kinase-deficient mutant PKC-ζ, phosphorylated IRS-1, -3, and -4 but not IRS-2. We evaluated functional consequences of serine phosphorylation of IRS isoforms by PKC-ζ in NIH-3T3IR cells cotransfected with epitope-tagged IRS proteins and either PKC-ζ or empty vector control. Insulin-stimulated IRS tyrosine phosphorylation was impaired by overepxression of PKC-ζ for IRS-1, -3, and -4 but not IRS-2. Significant insulin-stimulated increases in PI3K activity was coimmunoprecipitated with all IRS isoforms. In cells overexpressing PKC-ζ there was marked inhibition of insulin-stimulated PI3K activity associated with IRS-1, -3 and -4 but not IRS-2. That is, PI3K activity associated with IRS-2 in response to insulin was similar in control cells and cells overexpressing PKC-ζ. We conclude that IRS-3 and -4 are novel substrates for PKC-ζ that may participate in a negative feedback pathway for insulin signaling similar to IRS-1. The inability of PKC-ζ to phosphorylate IRS-2 may help determine specific functional roles for IRS-2.
Minireview: Lipid Droplets in Lipogenesis and Lipolysis
Authors: Ducharme Nicole A. , Bickel Perry E.
Published: January 2008

Organisms store energy for later use during times of nutrient scarcity. Excess energy is stored as triacylglycerol in lipid droplets during lipogenesis. When energy is required, the stored triacylglycerol is hydrolyzed via activation of lipolytic pathways. The coordination of lipid storage and utilization is regulated by the perilipin family of lipid droplet coat proteins [perilipin, adipophilin/adipocyte differentiation-related protein (ADRP), S3-12, tail-interacting protein of 47 kilodaltons (TIP47), and myocardial lipid droplet protein (MLDP)/oxidative tissues-enriched PAT protein (OXPAT)/lipid storage droplet protein 5 (LSDP5)]. Lipid droplets are dynamic and heterogeneous in size, location, and protein content. The proteins that coat lipid droplets change during lipid droplet biogenesis and are dependent upon multiple factors, including tissue-specific expression and metabolic state (basal vs. lipogenic vs. lipolytic). New data suggest that proteins previously implicated in vesicle trafficking, including Rabs, soluble N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs), and motor and cytoskeletal proteins, likely orchestrate the movement and fusion of lipid droplets. Thus, rather than inert cytoplasmic inclusions, lipid droplets are now appreciated as dynamic organelles that are critical for management of cellular lipid stores. That much remains to be discovered is suggested by the recent identification of a novel lipase [adipocyte triglyceride lipase (ATGL)] and lipase regulator [Comparative Gene Identification-58 (CGI-58)], which has led to reconsideration of the decades-old model of lipolysis. Future discovery likely will be driven by the exploitation of model organisms and by human genetic studies.
Common regulatory networks in leaf and fruit patterning revealed by mutations in theArabidopsis ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1gene
Authors: Alonso-Cantabrana Hugo , Ripoll Juan José , Ochando Isabel , Vera Antonio , Ferrándiz Cristina , Martínez-Laborda Antonio
Published: January 2008

Carpels and leaves are evolutionarily related organs, as the former are thought to be modified leaves. Therefore, developmental pathways that play crucial roles in patterning both organs are presumably conserved. In leaf primordia of Arabidopsis thaliana, the ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1(AS1) gene interacts with AS2 to repress the class I KNOTTED1-like homeobox (KNOX) genes BREVIPEDICELLUS(BP), KNAT2 and KNAT6, restricting the expression of these genes to the meristem. In this report, we describe how AS1,presumably in collaboration with AS2, patterns the Arabidopsis gynoecium by repressing BP, which is expressed in the replum and valve margin, interacts in the replum with REPLUMLESS (RPL), an essential gene for replum development,and positively regulates the expression of this gene. Misexpression of BP in the gynoecium causes an increase in replum size, while the valve width is slightly reduced, and enhances the effect of mutations in FRUITFULL (FUL), a gene with an important function in valve development. Altogether, these findings strongly suggest that BPplays a crucial role in replum development. We propose a model for pattern formation along the mediolateral axis of the ovary, whereby three domains(replum, valve margin and valve) are specified by the opposing gradients of two antagonistic factors, valve factors and replum factors, the class I KNOX genes working as the latter.
Examining the development of individual recognition in a burrow-nesting procellariiform, the Leach's storm-petrel
Authors: O'Dwyer Terence W. , Ackerman A. L. , Nevitt Gabrielle A.
Published: January 2008

Burrow-nesting petrels use their well-developed sense of smell for foraging, homing to their nest, and mate recognition. The chicks of burrow-nesting petrels can apparently learn odours associated with prey while still in the nest, but the development of individual-specific odour recognition is less well understood. We used a simple two-choice test to determine whether 4- to 6-week-old chicks of a small, burrow-nesting species,the Leach's storm-petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa), prefer the scent of their own nest material to (1) the scent of similar organic material collected from the colony or (2) the scent of a conspecific's nest material. Results suggest that chicks clearly preferred the scent of their own nest material to that of similar organic material collected from the colony (96%; N=24; binomial test, P<0.001). Results further suggested that birds preferred the scent of their own nest material to that of a conspecific, though the preference was statistically less robust (67%; N=39; binomial test, P=0.05). Because Leach's storm-petrel chicks do not normally leave their burrow prior to fledging, an ability to recognise individual or nest-specific odours is not likely to be used for homing but instead may be linked to the development of individual recognition in different contexts.
Dietary sugar as a direct fuel for flight in the nectarivorous bat Glossophaga soricina
Authors: Welch Kenneth C. , Herrera M. L. Gerardo , Suarez Raul K.
Published: January 2008

It is thought that the capacity of mammals to directly supply the energetic needs of exercising muscles using recently ingested fuels is limited. Humans,for example, can only fuel about 30%, at most, of exercise metabolism with dietary sugar. Using indirect calorimetry, i.e. measurement of rates of O2 consumption and CO2 production, in combination with carbon stable isotope techniques, we found that nectarivorous bats Glossophaga soricina use recently ingested sugars to provide ∼78%of the fuel required for oxidative metabolism during their energetically expensive hovering flight. Among vertebrate animals, only hummingbirds exceed the capacity of these nectarivorous bats to fuel exercise with dietary sucrose. Similar experiments performed on Anna's (Calypte anna) and rufous (Selasphorus rufus) hummingbirds show that they use recently ingested sugars to support ∼95% of hovering metabolism. These results support the suggestion that convergent evolution of physiological and biochemical traits has occurred among hovering nectarivorous animals,rendering them capable of a process analogous to aerial refueling in aircraft.
Long flights and age affect oxidative status of homing pigeons(Columba livia)
Authors: Costantini David , Dell'Ariccia Gaia , Lipp Hans-Peter
Published: January 2008

Flying is an energy demanding activity that imposes several physiological challenges on birds, such as increase in energy expenditure. Evidence from sports medicine shows that exhausting exercise may cause oxidative stress. Studies on avian flight have so far considered several blood parameters, such as uric acid, corticosteroids, or circulating free fatty acids, but only one study has analysed markers of oxidative stress in flying birds. In this study,we evaluated, for the first time, how different flight efforts affect the oxidative status using homing pigeons (Columba livia) as a model species. Two groups of pigeons flew for around 60 and 200 km, respectively. Pigeons that flew for 200 km had a 54% increase in oxidative damage as measured by serum reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs), a 19% drop in total serum antioxidant capacity (OXY) and an 86% increase of oxidative stress(ROMs/OXY×1000). Older pigeons depleted more serum antioxidants regardless of the release distance. Among pigeons that flew the longer distance, heavier ones depleted less serum antioxidants. The results of the study suggest that long flights may cause oxidative stress, and that older individuals may experience higher physiological demands.
Colour vision in coral reef fish
Authors: Siebeck U. E. , Wallis G. M. , Litherland L.
Published: January 2008

Over many millions of years, sea creatures have developed a range of light reflectance properties. One example is the large variation in the patterns and colours of fish inhabiting the world's coral reefs. Attempts to understand the significance of the colouration have been made, but all too often from the perspective of a human observer. A more ecological approach requires us to consider the visual system of those for whom the colours were intended, namely other sea life. A first step is to understand the sensitivity of reef fish themselves to colour. Physiological data has revealed wavelength-tuned photoreceptors in reef fish, and this study provides behavioural evidence for their application in colour discrimination. Using classical conditioning,freshly caught damselfish were trained to discriminate coloured patterns for a food reward. Within 3–4 days of capture the fish selected a target colour on over 75% of trials. Brightness of the distracter and target were systematically varied to confirm that the fish could discriminate stimuli on the basis of chromaticity alone. The study demonstrates that reef fish can learn to perform two-alternative discrimination tasks, and provides the first behavioural evidence that reef fish have colour vision.
Amino acid sequence and biological activity of a calcitonin-like diuretic hormone (DH31) from Rhodnius prolixus
Authors: Brugge Victoria A. Te , Schooley David A. , Orchard Ian
Published: January 2008

Diuresis in the blood-gorging hemipteran Rhodnius prolixus is under neurohormonal control and involves a variety of processes and tissues. These include ion and water movement across the epithelium of the crop and the Malpighian tubules, and muscle contractions of the crop, hindgut and dorsal vessel, which facilitate mixing of the blood-meal, mixing of the haemolymph,as well as the expulsion of waste. One of the neurohormones that might play a role in this rapid diuresis belongs to the calcitonin-like diuretic hormone(DH31) family of insect peptides. Previously we have demonstrated the presence of DH31-like peptides in the central nervous system(CNS) and gut of R. prolixus 5th instars. In the present work, a DH31 from the CNS of 5th instar R. prolixus was isolated using reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), monitored with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, and sequenced using tandem mass spectrometry and Edman degradation. This neuropeptide is the first to be sequenced in R. prolixus and has a sequence identical to that found previously for Dippu-DH31 from the cockroach Diploptera punctata. In previous studies testing Rhopr/Dippu-DH31 in Malpighian tubule secretion assays, we demonstrated increases in the rate of secretion that were small, relative to that induced by serotonin, but nevertheless 14-fold over baseline. In the present study, we investigated second messenger pathways in response to Rhopr/Dippu-DH31 and found no increase or decrease in cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP) content of the Malpighian tubules. DH31-like immunoreactivity is present over the dorsal hindgut,anterior dorsal vessel and dorsal diaphragm, and bioassays of the R. prolixus dorsal vessel and hindgut indicate that Rhopr/Dippu-DH31 increases the frequency of muscle contractions of both tissues. Second messenger pathways were also investigated for the dorsal vessel and hindgut.
Plasma Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and the Decline of Renal Function
Authors: Lauretani Fulvio , Semba Richard D , Bandinelli Stefania , Miller Edgar R , Ruggiero Carmelinda , Cherubini Antonio , Guralnik Jack M , Ferrucci Luigi
Published: January 2008

Background: Recent studies suggest an association between polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and the development of chronic kidney disease. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between PUFAs and renal function in older adults.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional and prospective analysis of 931 adults, ≥65 years old, enrolled in the InCHIANTI study, a population-based cohort in Tuscany, Italy. Plasma PUFAs were measured at enrollment, and creatinine clearance was estimated by the Cockcroft-Gault equation at baseline and after 3-year follow-up.

Results: At enrollment, participants with higher creatinine clearance had higher concentrations of HDL cholesterol, total plasma PUFAs, plasma n-3 fatty acid (FA), and plasma n-6 FA and lower triglycerides. From enrollment to the 3-year follow-up visit, creatinine clearance declined by 7.8 (12.2) mL/min (P <0.0001). Baseline total plasma PUFAs, n-3 FA, n-6 FA, and linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic acids were strong independent predictors of less steep decline in creatinine clearance from baseline to follow-up (P <0.0001, after adjusting for baseline creatinine clearance). After adjusting for baseline creatinine, baseline total plasma PUFAs, n-3 FA, and linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic acids were negatively associated with creatinine at 3-year follow-up. Participants with higher plasma PUFAs at enrollment had a lower risk of developing renal insufficiency, defined by a creatinine clearance <60 mL/min, during 3-year follow-up.

Conclusion: High PUFA concentrations, both n-3 FA and n-6 FA, may attenuate the age-associated decline in renal function among older community-dwelling women and men.
Blâme du philosophe. Éloge de la vraie philosophie et figures rhétoriques: Le récit d'Anne Comnène sur Jean Italos revisité
Authors: Arabatzis Georges
Published: January 2008

Une question souvent posée par les spécialistes de la culture byzantine est celle qui concerne les relations entre littérature et réalité à Byzance - relation réputée «obscure» (comme si la dite relation était «claire» ou «évidente» pour les autres littératures). Le mélange entre théologie et paganisme, intellectualisme et passion, haute culture et amoralisme, réalisme et abstraction, continue à poser des problèmes, jadis escamotés sous le nom de «byzantinisme». Dans ce cadre général, on doit inclure une question plus concrète sur la philosophie et son exercice à Byzance et, plus précisément, celle qui concerne la «persona» du philosophe, ses attributs et sa vocation. En tant que cas exemplaire, et en même temps extraordinaire, nous avons choisi le destin de Jean Italos.
Tracce per a una storia della lettura a Bisanzio
Authors: Cavallo Guglielmo
Published: January 2008

La lettura non è un'invariante antropologica. Essa è invece una pratica che muta secondo i tempi, i luoghi, i contesti, e si dimostra strettamente legata da una parte alle competenze culturali di chi legge, le quali determinano maniere di lettura differenziate, e da un'altra parte alle intenzioni, consuetudini, situazioni entro cui si iscrive l'atto di lettura e che vengono ad esprimersi e a definirsi come modalità, positure fisiche, gesti. Un ruolo fondamentale giocano le forme materiali che lo scritto assume e con le quali il lettore entra in contatto: un testo non esiste di per sé, svincolato da ogni materialità e dunque dal supporto che lo offre alla lettura (o all'ascolto) o dalle circostanze in cui esso viene letto (o ascoltato). Gli autori scrivono testi che diventano oggetti scritti con i quali i lettori instaurano rapporti d'indole varia. I testi possono essere letti diversamente da lettori che non condividono le medesime tecniche o abitudini intellettuali, che non intrattengono una medesima relazione con lo scritto, che non attribuiscono il medesimo significato o il medesimo valore alla lettura, che non iscrivono nelle medesime convenzioni l'atto di leggere. Quando la lettura è ad alta voce, è quest'ultima che fa emergere il senso del testo, e può trasformarsi, nel caso di lettura collettiva, in una performance, nella quale i lettori diventano ascoltatori. Ma la lettura ad alta voce e collettiva ha la funzione non solo di comunicare il contenuto di uno scritto, ma anche quello di cementare solidarietà di gruppo che nella comune cerimonia della performance si riconoscono. Un altro rapporto che può instaurarsi con il libro è quello di una lettura tutta individuale, intima, che può essere tacita o a fior di labbra: una lettura che, se eseguita con la penna in mano, si effettua all'incrocio di lettura e scrittura, giacché può dar luogo ad escerti, parafrasi, trascrizioni, marginalia. O ancora, il rapporto con il libro può risolversi, soprattutto nel caso di lettori “deboli” e privi di strumenti critici, in una maniera di lettura in superficie, che coglie soltanto i significati più semplici e immediati del testo. Tutto questo vale anche per le pratiche di lettura a Bisanzio: ritrovarne alcune tracce è l'intento di questo contributo.
War Anastasios II. Artemios im justinianischen Heroon bestattet?
Authors: Effenberger Arne
Published: January 2008

Im sogenannten Necrologium imperatorum des Chronikon Altinate findet sich folgende Notiz: Mense iunii, primo die, Arthemius, qui et Anastasius dictus est, ex imperio a Theodosio Adramitinum exilatus est in Saloniky, et ipse Theodosius a Leo sabro capite truncatus est, et post tempus modicum allatum est corpus eius ab Chirini Augusta et sepultum est imperaliter in templo Sanctorum Apostolorum, in sacrario Magni Iustiniani, in pila prassino. regnavit ann. .II. - Der Einschub, wonach jener Theodosios, der Anastasios II. Artemios 715 abgesetzt und zur Flucht nach Thessaloniki veranlaßt hatte, durch Leon III. Isauros geköpft worden sei, ist falsch: Hingerichtet wurde, wie wir von Nikephoros wissen, Anastasios zusammen mit dem Erzbischof von Thessaloniki, und zwar am 1. Juni 717 im Kynegion. Hingegen hatte Theodosios III. 717 die Kaiserwürde abgelegt und war Kleriker in Ephesos geworden (s.u.); das Necrologium imperatorum widmet ihm gleichwohl einen eigenen Abschnitt. P. Speck hat zu Recht vermutet, daß die oben zitierte Stelle korrupt ist und hier ein Abschreibfehler vorliegt.
Symphonia und politike Asymphonia. Randgruppen im Rahmen der Gesellschaft der Spätantike
Authors: Karamboula Dimitra
Published: January 2008

Antike Idealtypologien sprechen von Gemeinschaft der Bürger (ϰοινωνία πολιτιϰή) und sozialer Harmonie (σνμφωνία), wenn sie über den autarken Staat sprechen, einen Staat, der die Fähigkeit besitzt, seinen Zweck zu erfüllen, d. h. das εν ζην zu ermöglichen. Die Bürgerschaft wird mit einem disziplinierten, gut eingestimmten Chor verglichen. Dion von Prusa lobt die Bürger einer Stadt, da sie eine Kleidung trügen, eine Sprache sprächen und die gleichen Ziele hätten. Diese Vorstellungen von Gleichheit, ισóτης, ισονομια oder ομóνοια spiegeln stets nur eine Idee wider, keinesfalls aber die Lebenswirklichkeit. In der Spätantike sind Personengruppen nachweisbar, die aus bestimmten Gründen nicht so leben konnten, wie dies üblicherweise für erstrebenswert gehalten wurde. Allmähliche Entwurzelung, wirtschaftliche Benachteiligung, falscher Glaube oder Behinderung kennzeichneten Personengruppen, deren Lebensweise von den durchschnittlichen gesellschaftlichen Vorstellungen bzw. Werten und herrschenden Normen abwichen. Indem sie die Normen der Gesellschaft, in der sie lebten, nicht einhielten oder nicht einhalten konnten, waren auf Grund dieser Ablehnung bzw. Unfähigkeit von der Majorität nicht als gleichwertig akzeptiert. Diese diskriminierten, von der Gesellschaft ausgeschlossenen Personengruppen wurden von der Allgemeinheit als andersartig eingestuft. Die beispielsweise durch Krankheiten diskriminierten, diffamierten Personen wurden vom Betreten der Städte abgehalten und sollten sich einerseits Zufluchtsorte für Außenseiter suchen, andererseits wurden sie als benachteiligt, als Außenseiter registriert, und der Anblick ihres Zustandes erweckte Furcht, Hass und Mitleid. Manche wurden in diese randseitige Position hineingeboren (angeborene Defekte), andere erwarben diese Position im Verlauf ihres Lebens. Man denke an die Lepra und an andere Krankheiten oder Unfälle, auch Verstümmelungen, die bewirkten, dass jemand anders aussah oder sich verhielt.
Die Vita Johannes des Sinaiten von Daniel von Raithu. Ein Beitrag zur byzantinischen Hagiographie
Authors: Müller Andreas
Published: January 2008

Zusammenfassung: Zur Funktion der Vita

Zusammenfassend läßt sich also festhalten, daß Daniel mit seiner Vita weder eine historische Abhandlung im Sinne der biographischen bruta facta, noch eine ausschließlich hagiographisch orientierte Darstellung bieten will, die die Verehrung eines Heiligen begründen helfen soll. Natürlich bemüht sich Daniel um die Darstellung eines Weges zur Gottesschau des Johannes, der ihn dahin geführt hat, auch noch in der Gegenwart seines Biographen Heil zu wirken. Aber es geht noch um mehr.

Die Vita selbst übernimmt die Funktion eines Paradigmas. Hier wird ein Mönchsleben vorgestellt, wie es im Idealfall sein soll. Dabei werden auch die Früchte genannt, die ein solches Mönchsleben hervorbringt.

Geprägt ist ein solches Mönchsleben einerseits durch die (monastische) Tradition. Durch den indirekten Rückbezug des Lebens des Sinaiten auf diese Tradition wird dessen Bedeutung und Heiligkeit besonders hervorgehoben. Andererseits ist die Vita durch das monastische Ideal der Klimax bestimmt, die sie zu veranschaulichen bemüht ist. Die beiden Texte befinden sich also in enger Interdependenz.

Diese Interdependenz dürfte zweierlei Absicht dienen: Zum einen der Zusammenfassung und dem Überblick, wie Daniel im letzten Satz der Vita selber hervorhebt. Zum anderen aber auch als Erweis von der Umsetzbarkeit. Stark elementarisierend macht die Vita deutlich, daß alles folgende wirklich umsetzbar ist, daß der Autor der Klimax das, was er in seiner Programmschrift fordert, auch selbst gelebt hat.

Darüberhinaus hat die Vita noch eine letzte, zentrale Funktion: Sie autorisiert die Klimax gleichermaßen. Der Autor der folgenden Schrift ist eben nicht irgendein beliebiger Mönchsschriftsteller. Er wird vielmehr als zweiter, den ersten noch überbietender Moses dargestellt. Dieser Moses, der sich mühsam auf seine Gottesschau vorbereitet hat, der hat den folgenden Text gegeben. Durch die Schilderung des Lebens und der Taten seines Autors gewinnt der nun folgende Text der Klimax somit noch einmal eine besondere Bedeutung.
Manoscritti del monastero di Grottaferrata nel typikon dell'egumeno Biagio II
Authors: Parenti Stefano
Published: January 2008

Nell'agosto del 1462 papa Pio II investiva il cardinale Bessarione di Nicea della commenda del monastero di Grottaferrata, che succedeva al calabrese Pietro Vitali, ultimo degli egumeni de regimine, eletto a capo dell'Archimandritato di Messina. Uno dei primi atti di governo di Bessarione fu di incaricare l'arcivescovo di Siponto Niccolò Perotti, quale suo procuratore, di procedere ad una dettagliata ricognizione dei beni mobili e immobili del monastero criptense. I relativi inventari ci sono pervenuti nei mss. Grottaferrata Z. δ. XII (ff. 1-63) per i beni immobili, e Grottaferrata, Archivio del Monumento Nazionale, 523 (ff. 105-116) per i beni mobili. Nei ff. 108v-110 di quest'ultimo documento, la cui redazione era stata affidata dal Perotti al notaio Stefano Tegliati (o Tegliazio), si trova il primo sommario elenco conosciuto dei libri manoscritti della biblioteca, pubblicato da Pierre Batiffol e poi da Antonio Rocchi. Vi risultano 114 manoscritti greci, 2 latini e «circa viginti volumina librorum sine principio et mala ordinata».
A. AVRAMEA, Le Péloponnèse du IVe au VIIIe siècle. Changements et persistances
Authors: Weithmann Michael
Published: January 2008

Seit der 1951 publizierten Monographie Antoine Bons über den byzantinischen Peloponnes bis 1204 ist keine landesgeschichtliche byzantinistische Synthese zu dieser Region mehr erschienen. Nun liegt eine moderne Zusammenfassung, die sich auf die Periode zwischen dem 4. und dem 8. Jahrhundert konzentriert, vor.
M. GEORGOPOULOU, Venice's Mediterranean Colonies. Architecture and Urbanism
Authors: Jacoby David
Published: January 2008

The complex interaction between colonizer and colonized has attracted increasing attention among historians in the post-colonial period of the last fifty years. This perspective is also adopted by Maria Georgopoulou (hereafter: M. G.) in her treatment of the encounter between Venice and the Byzantine heritage of the territories the latter occupied shortly after the Fourth Crusade. M. G's. main thesis may be summarized as follows. Venice manipulated Crete's Byzantine heritage and assimilated it into her own rhetoric in order to undermine the Byzantine presence in the island and to support and legitimize her own colonial rule. This was achieved mainly by the appropriation of Byzantine traditions in civic and religious ceremonies and the symbolic colonization of urban space, expressed in architectural designs, the use of buildings and spatial patterns. All these served as bold statements of control over the local Greek population and the Jewish communities. The same strategy of urban planning was implemented in the other main cities of the colonial empire (26). In addition, M. G. argues that there was yet another channel of appropriation of Byzantine culture, art and imperial heritage by Venice, resulting from the Byzantine impact of the Venetian colonial territories on the political and cultural identity of the Adriatic city. Until now this issue has been examined in numerous studies primarily focused on the relationship between Constantinople and Venice.
R. KLEIN, Die Haltung der kappadokischen Bischöfe Basilius von Caesarea, Gregor von Nazianz und Gregor von Nyssa zur Sklaverei
Authors: Moschos Dimitrios
Published: January 2008

Diese Arbeit, die das Thema der Sklaverei im Werk der großen Kappadokier behandelt, leistet einen Beitrag zu der heute immer mehr an Bedeutung gewinnenden Sozialgeschichte der Spätantike. Die besondere Leistung dieser Arbeit liegt in der sorgfältigen minutiösen Sammlung aller Belege zum Thema Sklaverei, die der Vf. unter Zuhilfenahme elektronischer Mittel (nach Angaben des Vf.s u.a. des TLG) gesucht und in ihrem von ihm erfolgreich rekonstruierten geschichtlichen Hintergrund interpretiert hat. Lob verdient die Arbeit ferner wegen ihrer überschaubaren, klaren Gliederung, durch welche der Leser auf den ersten Blick die Ansichten der drei Kappadokier nachvollziehen und miteinander vergleichen kann.
S. KOTZABASSI, Byzantinische Kommentatoren der aristotelischen Topik. Johannes Italos und Leon Magentino
Authors: Grünbart Michael
Published: January 2008

Die Auslegungen zweier byzantinischer Gelehrter, Johannes Italos und Leon Magentinos, zur aristotelischen Philosophie sind in der vorliegenden Textausgabe von Sofia Kotzabassi vereint. Konkret geht es um die Topik, die als die allgemeinen Gesichtspunkte, die zur Erörterung eines Themas dienen, erklärt werden können. Die Wichtigkeit dieses Teiles der Philosophie des Stageiriten manifestiert sich in der großen Anzahl überlieferter Handschriften (den Text enthalten 90 Kodizes [S. 3]), während man Kommentare und Scholien in 124 Textzeugen findet.
I. NILSSON, Erotic Pathos, Rhetorical Pleasure. Narrative Technique and Mimesis in Eumathios Makrembolites' Hysmine & Hysminias
Authors: Conca Fabrizio
Published: January 2008

L'ampio e documentato studio di Ingela Nilsson conferma l'interesse sempre crescente per i romanzi bizantini, ribadito anche dalla ricca mise au point che Agapitos ha riservato di recente alle opere della Komnenenzeit, tra le quali Ismine e Isminia di Eumazio Macrembolita – la Nilsson accetta questa forma del nome (p. 18), condividendo l'ipotesi di Hunger, che identifica l'autore con il dignitario imperiale che fu per due volte eparchos di Costantinopoli e protoasekretis durante la sinodo del 1166 – costituisce l'unico testo in prosa, solo da poco, per una felice coincidenza, riedito criticamente da M. Marcovich (Teubner, Stutgardiae et Lipsiae 2001).
P. PILHOFER, Philippi, Band II: Katalog der Inschriften von Philippi
Authors: Bartels Jens
Published: January 2008

Seit Cyriacus von Ancona haben Reisende, die durch die Gegend von Philippi kamen, dort Inschriften abgeschrieben. Mitte des 19. Jh. begann die systematische Erforschung der Ruinen, die im 20. Jh. zu französischen und griechischen Grabungen führte. Seitdem sind knapp 700 Inschriften gefunden worden, eine Gesamtpublikation ist jedoch bisher unterblieben. Nun hat es der Neutestamentler P(ilhofer) im Rahmen einer Arbeit zur Sozialgeschichte der frühchristlichen Gemeinde (P. P., Philippi I: Die erste christliche Gemeinde Europas, Tübingen 1995) unternommen, die Inschriften der Region Philippi von der archaischen bis in die frühbyzantinische Zeit (zuzüglich der mittelbyzantinischen Inschriften Nr. 115a und Nr. 162) in einem Katalog vorzulegen. Dafür, daß er sich dieser Mühe unterzogen hat, gebührt ihm lebhafter Dank. Dies um so mehr, als er sich, soweit es ihm möglich war, darum bemüht hat, Lesungen am Stein zu überprüfen.
C. SODE, Jerusalem – Konstantinopel – Rom. Die Viten des Michael Synkellos und der Brüder Theodoros und Theophanes Graptoi
Authors: de Vries- van der Velden Eva
Published: January 2008

The modern critical approach to things hagiographical still wavers when it comes to taking leave of twelve lines of iambic invective, branded with wonderful delicacy of touch on the saintly foreheads of two Palestinian brothers, Theodore and Theophanes, the so-called “Graptoi”. Barry Baldwin, noting that C.A. Trypanis, unlike the great B. Bury and others, was inclined to disbelieve the story, could not help expressing the hope that it was true (An Anthology of Byzantine Poetry, Amsterdam 1985, pp. 142–3). It is of course only one of the many stories concocted by iconodule propaganda. The central question has to be formulated in more general terms: how is history made? History here primarily in the sense of the construction of the past by the Byzantines themselves, was embodied in historical narratives moving between hagiography and historiography. Trying to lay bare the basis and elements of such constructs will always remain a major task of critical historical scholarship.
1-Alkoxymethyl-X-dimethylaminopyridinium-base ionic liquids in wood preservation
Authors: Stasiewicz Monika , Fojutowski Andrzej , Kropacz Aleksandra , Pernak Juliusz
Published: January 2008

The following pyridinium-based ionic liquids (ILs) have been successfully tested as components of potential wood preservatives: 1-alkoxymethyl-3-dimethylaminopyridinium chlorides, 1-alkoxymethyl-4-dimethylaminopyridinium chlorides, 1-alkoxymethyl-3-dimethylaminopyridinium acesulfamates and 1-alkoxymethyl-4-dimethylaminopyridinium acesulfamates. These ILs are new biocides that penetrate well into wood. The tested pyridinium ILs with an alkoxymethyl substituent, consisting of 8, 9 or 10 carbon atoms, exhibited fungicidal activity against the basidiomycetes Coniophora puteana and Trametes versicolor and the blue-stain fungus Sclerophoma pityophila. The effective and lethal doses were measured by the agar-plate method and the toxic values, before and after leaching according to EN 84, were determined based on the EN 113 block method. The doses and toxic values of tested 1-decyloxymethyl-4-dimethylaminopyridinium chloride and acesulfamate were comparable with benzalkonium chloride and didecyldimethylammonium chloride. The ILs tested were largely unleachable from wood by water. The mechanical properties of wood treated with the former two ILs were lower than natural wood. Wood treated with the chloride and acesulfamate was, however, characterized by lower absorption of free water than the control wood. Only in the case of treatment with acesulfamate was the hygroscopicity of treated wood distinctly lower than that of control wood. The durability of wood was increased by 1-decyloxymethyl-4-dimethylaminopyridinium chloride and acesulfamate.
Fixation of copper(II)-protein formulation in wood: Part 1. Influence of tannic acid on fixation of copper in wood
Authors: Ratajczak Izabela , Hoffmann Stanisław K. , Goslar Janina , Mazela Bartłomiej
Published: January 2008

A new waterborne CuSO4·5 H2O-based formulation containing proteins from animal plasma SOLUTEIN (0.1%) as additive was investigated. Scots pine sapwood powder, cellulose and lignin were impregnated with solutions containing 0.1% and 2.5% copper (w/v). After impregnation, the samples were additionally treated by air-drying at 100°C or by tannic acid for denaturation of the proteins. Copper concentration was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Copper introduced into wood by impregnation and eliminated by leaching was controlled. The maximum retention of 5.83 g kg-1 in wood was obtained when wood was treated with tannic acid (2.5%) after impregnation. For a formulation containing more than 0.5% of CuSO·5 H2O, precipitation of the salt in wood appears. Five different EPR spectra appeared in wood, cellulose and lignin after treating with SOLUTEIN and with tannic acid.
Analysis of cell wall swelling on the basis of a cylindrical model
Authors: Nakano Takato
Published: January 2008

The relationship between inward and outward swelling of cell wall surfaces was examined. A formula was derived based on a cylindrical model of a wood cell. The equation clarifies that the slope of the swelling ratio of the whole wood versus moisture content is governed by a number of factors. This equation allows the examination of how the swelling direction of cell wall surfaces is determined during water adsorption. The swelling direction is given by the parameterΔh/Δr, whereΔhis the increase of cell wall thickness as a result of inward and outward swelling andΔris the outward increase.