We tested the hypothesis that dietary fibre (DF) has protective effects against manganese (Mn)-induced neurotoxicity. Forty-eight one-month old Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups: control, 16 % DF, Mn (50 mg kg-1 body weight), Mn+ 4 % DF, Mn+ 8 % DF, and Mn+ 16 % DF. After oral administration of Mn (as MnCl2) by intragastric tube during one month, we determined Mn concent...

Influence of disorder, antisite defects, martensite transition and compositional variation on the magnetic properties and electronic structure of Mn(2)NiGa and Mn(1+x)Ni(2-x)Ga magnetic shape memory alloys have been studied by using full potential spin-polarized scalar relativistic Korringa-Kohn-Rostocker (FP-SPRKKR) method. Mn(2)NiGa is ferrimagnetic and its total spin moment increases when di...

Manganese (Mn) is both an essential biological cofactor and neurotoxicant. Disruption of Mn biology in the basal ganglia has been implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, such as parkinsonism and Huntington's disease. Handling of other essential metals (e.g. iron and zinc) occurs via complex intracellular signaling networks that link metal detection and transport systems. ...

Silicon (Si) is known to alleviate manganese (Mn) toxicity in a number of plant species; however, the mechanisms responsible for this effect are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the interaction between Si and Mn in rice (Oryza sativa) by using a mutant defective in Si uptake. Silicon alleviated Mn toxicity in the wild-type (WT) rice, but not in the mutant exposed to high Mn. The Mn conc...

Overexposure to waterborne manganese (Mn) is linked with cognitive impairment in children and neurochemical abnormalities in other experimental models. In order to characterize the threshold between Mn-exposure and altered neurochemistry, it is important to identify biomarkers that positively correspond with brain Mn-accumulation. The objective of this study was to identify Mn-induced alteratio...

Manganese (Mn) toxicity is a major constraint limiting plant growth on acidic soils. Superior Mn tolerance in Stylosanthes spp. has been well documented, but its molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, superior Mn tolerance in Stylosanthes guianensis was confirmed, as reflected by a high Mn toxicity threshold. Furthermore, genetic variation of Mn tolerance was evaluated usin...

Multicopper oxidases (MCOs) are a family of enzymes that use copper ions as cofactors to oxidize various substrates. Previous research has demonstrated that several MCOs such as MnxG, MofA and MoxA can act as putative Mn(II) oxidases. Meanwhile, the endospore coat protein CotA from Bacillus species has been confirmed as a typical MCO. To study the relationship between CotA and the Mn(II) oxidat...

The effects of exogenously applied silicon (Si) on plant growth and the isoform patterns of NAD-dependent malate dehydrogenase (NAD-MDH, EC 1.1.1.37) and NADPdependent malic enzyme (NADP-ME, EC 1.1.1.40) were studied in two pea genotypes (cultivar Auralia and mutant line 1/220) subjected to differential Mn treatments (50, 200 and 500 μM Mn) under control conditions. The excess Mn inhibited plan...

Increased manganese (Mn) exposure is known to cause cognitive, psychiatric and motor deficits. Mn exposure occurs in different occupational settings, where the airborne Mn level and the size of respirable particulates may vary considerably. Recently the importance of the role of the cerebral cortex in Mn toxicity has been highlighted, especially in Mn-induced neuropsychological effects. In this...

Abstract. Let Mn;m be the set of n-by-m matrices with entries inthe field of real numbers. A matrix R in Mn = Mn;n is a generalizedrow substochastic matrix (g-row substochastic, for short) if Re e, where e = (1; 1; : : : ; 1)t. For X; Y 2 Mn;m, X is said to besgut-majorized by Y (denoted by X sgut Y ) if there exists ann-by-n upper triangular g-row substochastic matrix R such thatX = RY . This ...