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A field-based system used to quantify the response of acid grassland to reduced atmospheric nitrogen and sulphur deposition, and to investigate the effects of elevated soil temperature on acid grassland development is described. The system is based on 12 retractable roofs, covering undisturbed experimental plots of acid grassland and three controls. Nine roofs are used to exclude natural precipitation and three roofs used to retain emitted IR radiation at night. An irrigation system has been developed to simulate natural precipitation, allowing for the application of specific treatment regimes of ambient, reduced nitrogen and reduced nitrogen/sulphur deposition beneath the nine rain exclusion plots. Plant, soil parameters, leachate chemistry and gaseous fluxes are being monitored and initial results on soil water chemistry are described. Warming appeared to enhance nitrate concentrations in soil water but this was not sustained beyond the first year of treatment. In contrast, the deposition reduction treatments decreased soil water nitrate concentrations within a few weeks of reducing deposition. This was not observed for other solutes such as sulphate or ammonium suggesting a more direct link between deposition of nitrate and leaching losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lysimeters located outdoors have been used to evaluate the decomposition of buried oily beach sand waste (OBS) prepared using Forties light crude oil and sand from different locations around the British coast. The OBS (5% oil by weight) was buried as a 12-cm layer over dune pasture sub-sand and overlain by 20 cm of dune pasture topsoil. Decomposition rates of oil residues averaged 2300 kg ha-1 in the first year and the pattern of oil decomposition may be represented by a power curve. Oil decomposition was strongly related to the temperature in the OBS layer, but was also significantly affected by rainfall in the previous 12 h. The CO2 flux at the surface of the treatment lysimeters followed the relationship [log10 CO2 (mg C m-2 h-1)=0.93+0.058x OBS temp. (deg. C)-0.042x 12 h rain (mm)]. There was considerable variationin the rate of oil decomposition in sands collected from different sites. Sand from Askernish supported most microbial activity whilst sand from Tain was relatively inactive. The decomposition process appeared to cease when the sand became saturated with water, i.e. temporarily anaerobic. However, decomposition recommenced when the soil driedout. The fastest rate of decomposition occurred in sand from one of the two sites predicted to have high populations of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria. Larger particle size and higher Ca content may also besignificant factors governing the rate of decomposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resveratrol exhibits a wide range of biological properties, including anti-glycation, antioxidant, anti-inflammation, neuroprotective (including against advanced dementia and Alzheimer's disease), anti-cancer, and anti-aging activity in experimental models (Galiniak et al., Acta Biochim Pol 66:13-21, 2019). Unfortunately, this compound exhibits low bioavailability and solubility (Galiniak et al., Acta Biochim Pol 66:13-21, 2019), requiring large doses that can cause nausea and GI distress. JOTROL TM is a micellar 10% resveratrol solubilization formulation that is thought to increase bioavailability of resveratrol via lymphatic system absorption. Jupiter Neurosciences (formerly Jupiter Orphan Therapeutics; "Jupiter") is pursuing the use of resveratrol in mucopolysaccharidosis type 1 (MPS 1), Friedreich's ataxia, and Alzheimer's disease/mild cognitive impairment. This paper describes a first in human study (FIH) to evaluate the bioavailability of resveratrol after ascending, single oral doses up to 700 mg resveratrol as JOTROL TM . After a single 500 mg dose of JOTROL TM , a Cmax of 455 ng/mL was observed, vs. 85 ng/mL Cmax after a 1 g encapsulated dose (Turner et al., Neurology 85:1383-91, 2015) and 1942 ng/mL after a 2.5 g micronized dose (Howells et al., Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 4:1419-1425, 2011). In this study, resveratrol exposures (AUCs and Cmax) increased with increasing doses. This increase appears to be higher than dose-proportional for AUC 0-t and Cmax. Resveratrol and its three major conjugates accounted for 40 to 55% of the dose in urine, consistent with a high extent of absorption, but < 1% of drug-related material was intact relative to key metabolites in plasma and urine. Studies in Alzheimer's patients and in MPS 1 are currently in development to test the effect this improved bioavailability has on those patient populations (Clintrials.gov, NCT04668274, 12/16/2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04668274)., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41120-022-00058-1., Competing Interests: Competing interestsCK is a paid consultant of Jupiter Neurosciences (Jupiter). DBenham is a principle of the company which has licensed technology to Jupiter but has no direct remunerative relationship with Jupiter. Aquanova owns no equity but does have unexecuted stock options. SB and CW are Jupiter founders and have an equity position in the company. They are also paid consultants of Jupiter. Both hold unexecuted stock options. CV is a paid consultant of Jupiter and has unexecuted stock options. DBennett has no direct financial relationship with Jupiter other than as a paid employee of Syneos Health, the CRO for the PK study. MH is a founder, employee, and member of the board of directors of Jupiter, has an equity position in Jupiter, is remunerated per an employment contract, and holds unexecuted stock options., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

Increasing numbers of people are vegan, vegetarian, or reducing meat consumption. There has also been growth in campaigns such as Meat Free Monday (MFM) that encourage and support reduced meat consumption. We conducted a mixed-method exploration of the behaviour and beliefs associated with reducing or eliminating meat consumption. An online questionnaire was completed by an opportunistic sample of 655 people aged 18-82 who were registered on the MFM website, and were meat eaters at the time of registering. The key focus of quantitative analyses was comparisons between three groups: those who described themselves as "omnivores" who ate all meat at the time of completing the survey, those who ate only some meat, and those who had stopped eating meat since registering for MFM. The qualitative component entailed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of in-depth interviews with 18 people who had completed the questionnaire. The quantitative data revealed that people who had stopped eating meat since engaging with the MFM campaign had more positive attitudes toward being vegetarian or vegan, had been engaged with MFM for a longer time, and had used more elements of the MFM website. The qualitative data illustrated that individuals understood and appreciated MFM's aim of supporting people to make an initial change and then considering expanding on this. Interviewees highlighted the value and importance of campaign materials that helped them to turn their beliefs and motivation into enduring behaviour change. The observed associations between longer engagement with the campaign and greater behaviour change suggest that MFM and similar campaigns will maximise their impact if they can maintain people's active engagement: that this will necessitate deeper understanding of the forms of support and advice are most wanted and most effective., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

We describe the development of a novel mobile field laboratory, purposely designed for the automated capture and subsequent stable isotopic analyses of multiple gas samples. The multiple capture system is integrated into a mobile laboratory that is fully capable of measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide trace gases in a flow-through system connected to a gas chromatograph fitted with both electron capture and flame ionisation detectors. The capture of gases is achieved by routing samples through a series of 135 mL gas flasks that are sealed by micro-solenoid valves triggered by a timing system. Trace gas light stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry can then be carried out on gas samples collected by the system (NERC (15)N Stable Isotope Facility). The excitingly unique potential of the system to the ecological research field is that it will allow the collection of cyclical data for three different trace gases both in real-time and in situ. We present data arising from the validation of this mobile system as well as a preliminary experimental assessment of this technique. This technique was used to measure delta(13)C in CO(2) and CH(4) in soil gases released from waterlogged cores and delta(13)C-CH(4) values were significantly depleted in wet cores compared with dry ones (p < 0.001)., (Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

A mobile laboratory was developed to administer a controlled flow of (13)C labelled CO(2) at ambient concentrations ( approximately 350 ppm) in the field. The stable isotope delivery (SID) system consists of an isotope-mixing unit with flow control to a series of 12 independent labelling chambers. In-line CPU controlled infrared gas analysers allow automated measurement of chamber CO(2) concentrations and gas flow management. A preliminary experiment was established on an upland pasture located at the NERC Soil Biodiversity experimental site, Sourhope, UK, in August 1999. The objective of this investigation was to determine the magnitude of pulse-derived C incorporation into a typical upland plant community. To achieve this, the SID system was deployed to pulse-label vegetation with CO(2) enriched with (13)C (50 atom %) at ambient concentrations ( approximately 350 ppm) on two consecutive days in August 1999. Samples of headspace CO(2), shoot and root were taken on four occasions over a period of 28 days after (13)C labelling. These materials were then prepared for (13)C/(12)C ratio determination by continuous-flow/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (CF-C-IRMS). Results showed that pulse derived CO(2)-C was assimilated at a rate of 128 +/- 32 microg g shoot-C hour(-1). Dynamic samplings showed that pulse-derived (13)C concentrations in the labelled plant tissues declined by 77.4 +/- 6% after 48 hours. The rapid decline in (13)C concentrations in plant matter was the result of C loss from the plant in the form of respired CO(2) and root exudates, and dilution by subsequent unlabelled C assimilates. This novel system offers considerable potential for in situ tracer investigations., (Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

N-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) selectively destroys neuronal cell bodies in the neuromelanin-containing substantia nigra of humans and primates. We show that N-methyl-4-phenylpyridine (MPP+), the active metabolite of MPTP, binds to neuromelanin with high affinity. This binding increases at higher pH and is displaced most potently by divalent cations and antimalarial drugs. MPP+ bound intracellularly to neuromelanin may be stored and released gradually, resulting in subsequent damage to neurons of the substantia nigra.

Narrow proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) linewidths from plasma have been associated with the presence of malignancy (Fossel et al., New Engl. J. Med. (1986) 315, 1369-1376). In that study, subjects and controls were not fasted. In the present study, 1H-NMR methyl and methylene linewidths were measured in plasma from normolipemic individuals without cancer both during fasting and every 90 min after eating a fat meal. Plasma lipoprotein levels were measured in order to relate results to postprandial lipemia. Methyl, methylene, and average 1H-NMR linewidths were strongly positively correlated with high-density lipoprotein levels and inversely correlated with triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein levels in both the fasting and postprandial states. Linewidths decreased postprandially, reaching a nadir at the peak of plasma triacylglycerol levels. This study demonstrated that postprandial lipemia can lead to narrowing of plasma methyl and methylene resonances comparable to that reported for subjects with cancer.