Overconsumption of dietary fat is increasingly linked with motivational and emotional impairments. Human and animal studies demonstrate associations between obesity and blunted reward function at the behavioral and neural level, but it is unclear to what degree such changes are a consequence of an obese state and whether they are contingent on dietary lipid class. We sought to determine the impact of prolonged ad libitum intake of diets rich in saturated or monounsaturated fat, separate from metabolic signals associated with increased adiposity, on dopamine (DA)-dependent behaviors and to identify pertinent signaling changes in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Male rats fed a saturated (palm oil), but not an isocaloric monounsaturated (olive oil), high-fat diet exhibited decreased sensitivity to the rewarding (place preference) and locomotor-sensitizing effects of amphetamine as compared with low-fat diet controls. Blunted amphetamine action by saturated high-fat feeding was entirely independent of caloric intake, weight gain, and plasma levels of leptin, insulin, and glucose and was accompanied by biochemical and behavioral evidence of reduced D1R signaling in the NAc. Saturated high-fat feeding was also tied to protein markers of increased AMPA receptor-mediated plasticity and decreased DA transporter expression in the NAc but not to alterations in DA turnover and biosynthesis. Collectively, the results suggest that intake of saturated lipids can suppress DA signaling apart from increases in body weight and adiposity-related signals known to affect mesolimbic DA function, in part by diminishing D1 receptor signaling, and that equivalent intake of monounsaturated dietary fat protects against such changes.

In a survey of soil and wheat or maize rhizoplane bacteria isolated using a medium containing azelaic acid and tryptamine as sole carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively, a large proportion of Burkholderia-l i ke bacteria were found. Among them, a homogeneous group of strains was identifiable based on phenotypic properties, fatty acid composition, DNA-DNA hybridizations and 16s rDNA sequences. According to molecular data, this group belongs to the genus Burkholderia but its weak similarity to previously described species suggests that it belongs to a novel species. Closest 16s rDNA phylogenetic neighbours of this species are Burkholderia caryophylli and two previously named Pseudomonas species which clearly appear to be part of the Burkholderia genus and were thus named Burkholderia glathei comb. nov. ), where wheat is grown either continuously or in rotation with a lupin-based pasture; the soil is an alphisol. Walpeup is an experimental wheat-growing station, situated in Victoria (Australia), on a very poor sandy soil, in a fixed sand dune system. Soil samples of the two Australian stations have been collected and used for growing wheat (cv. Spear) in pots under glasshouse conditions (three plants per pot containing 1.5 kg soil). After 3-4 weeks, wheat plants were harvested and used to isolate bacteria from their rhizoplane, as above. A few strains were isolated directly on PCAT medium from salt-affected and hydrophobic soils near Adelaide. Also included in Table 1 are 18 reference strains of Burkholderia, Pseudomonas, Ralstonia and Alcaligenes. Among the eleven type strains of Burkholderia species, only type strains of B. mallei and B. pseudomallei were not grown in this laboratory.Biochemical characterization. All tests were performed at 28 "C. The Biolog GN system was used as recommended by the manufacturer to test the oxidation of 95 carbon substrates. Results were read automatically with a spectrophotometer after 24 or 48 h incubation at 28 "C. To test the reproducibility of the method, eight isolates were run in duplicate. Numerical analysis of the results was made using the G N Microlog 2N software which calculates Microlog distances derived from the number of differences between strains. This software also permits clustering analysis using the UPGMA (unweighted mean pair group method) algorithm of Sneath & Sokal(44).Carbon substrate assimilation tests were performed using auxanographic API 50CH strips (bioMCrieux) as recommended by the manufacturer. Nine isolates were tested in duplicate. Numerical analysis was performed on data obtained after 7 d incubation. Interstrain distances were calculated using the coefficient of Dice and a phenogram was built using UPGMA.The API 20NE microtube system (bioMCrieux) was used as a standardized method to test oxidase activity, nitrate reduction, gelatin and aesculin hydrolysis, glucose fermentation, arginine dihydrolase activity and production of indole, P-galactosidase and urease.MIDI-FAME. The MIDI-FAME technique is based on the conversion of fatty acids to met...

Postoperative plasma BNP and cardiac troponin I levels are independent predictors of postoperative cardiac dysfunction after cardiac surgery. Simultaneous measurement of BNP and cardiac troponin I improve the risk assessment of postoperative cardiac dysfunction. However, the association between BNP levels and 1-yr outcome was no longer significant after adjustment on left ventricular ejection fraction.