Identification of insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins in the circulation of four teleost fish species.

Insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins (IGF-BPs) were demonstrated in the circulation of four teleost fish species. In the coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), serum binding of 125I-labelled human IGF-I (125I-hIGF-I) was competitively inhibited by addition of excess recombinant bovine IGF-I (rbIGF-I) in a manner similar to that when rat serum was used. Western-ligand blot procedure using the same labelled hormone identified at least three major forms of IGF-BPs in the plasma of all four teleost species investigated: coho salmon, striped bass (Morone saxatilis), tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), and longjawed mudsucker (Gillichthys mirabilis). The first form is around 40-50 kDa, may be regulated by growth hormone (GH), and seems to be a good candidate for the fish version of mammalian IGF-BP3 (which is in the same size range and is GH-regulated). The second and third forms are 29 kDa and 31 kDa and are good candidates for the fish versions of mammalian IGF-BP1 and IGF-BP2, respectively, as they appear to be regulated by insulin and are in the same size range as their mammalian counterparts. Functionally different classes of circulating IGF-BPs may be conserved between fish and mammal.     

Sensitivity of the vagina and uterus of mice neonatally exposed to estrogen or androgen to postnatal treatment with estrogen or androgen.

Newborn female BALB/cCrgl mice receiving 5 micrograms of testosterone or 0.01 micrograms of diethylstilbestrol daily for the first 5 days of life were examined at various times after secondary exposure to testosterone and 17 beta-estradiol, respectively. Neonatal administration of testosterone induced squamous stratification associated with constant cornification of the vaginal epithelium in intact mice. Later exposure to testosterone suppressed cornification, resulting in superficial epithelial mucification in almost all mice by 4 months of age. However, at 6 months of age, the incidence of mucification dropped to 58%. Cervicovaginal lesions developed in the groups of mice given neonatal testosterone in combination with later testosterone and sacrificed at 4 and 6 months of age. Continuous vaginal stratification was found in 14% of ovariectomized, neonatally diethylstilbestrol-treated mice at 13 months of age. The incidence of this ovary-independent change increased to 40% at 24 months of age. Postnatal estrogen replacement significantly increased the incidence of squamous stratification in these mice. Neonatal diethylstilbestrol treatment alone induced cervicovaginal lesions in 4.5% of ovariectomized mice at 13 months of age; secondary 17 beta-estradiol exposure significantly enhanced the development of lesions to 44%. However, at 24 months of age, there was no difference in the incidence of lesions in ovariectomized, neonatally treated mice with or without the secondary 17 beta-estradiol treatment. These results suggest that the effects of neonatal exposure to a relatively low dose of estrogen, androgen, or related substance may become obvious later in life as a result of later exposure to hormones.     

Altered Antibody Profiles against Common Infectious Agents in Chronic Disease

Despite the important diagnostic value of evaluating antibody responses to individual human pathogens, antibody profiles against multiple infectious agents have not been used to explore health and disease mainly for technical reasons.  We hypothesized that the interplay between infection and chronic disease might be revealed by profiling antibodies against multiple agents. Here, the levels of antibodies against a panel of 13 common infectious agents were evaluated with the quantitative Luciferase Immunoprecipitation Systems (LIPS) in patients from three disease cohorts including those with pathogenic anti-interferon-γ autoantibodies (IFN-γ AAB), HIV and Sjögren’s syndrome (SjS) to determine if their antibody profiles differed from control subjects.  The IFN-γ AAB patients compared to controls demonstrated statistically higher levels of antibodies against VZV (p=0.0003), EBV (p=0.002), CMV (p=0.003), and C. albicans (p=0.03), but lower antibody levels against poliovirus (p=0.04). Comparison of HIV patients with blood donor controls revealed that the patients had higher levels of antibodies against CMV (p=0.0008), HSV-2 (p=0.0008), EBV (p=0.001), and C. albicans (p=0.01), but showed decreased levels of antibodies against coxsackievirus B4 (p=0.0008), poliovirus (p=0.0005),   and HHV-6B (p=0.002). Lastly, SjS patients had higher levels of anti-EBV antibodies (p=0.03), but lower antibody levels against several enteroviruses including a newly identified picornavirus, HCoSV-A (p=0.004), coxsackievirus B4 (p=0.04), and poliovirus (p=0.02). For the IFN-γ AAB and HIV cohorts, principal component analysis revealed unique antibody clusters that showed the potential to discriminate patients from controls.  The results suggest that antibody profiles against these and likely other common infectious agents may yield insight into the interplay between exposure to infectious agents, dysbiosis, adaptive immunity and disease activity.     

Efficacy of a Food Safety Comic Book on Knowledge and Self-Reported Behavior for Persons Living with AIDS

Introduction

Persons living with AIDS are highly vulnerable to foodborne enteric infections with the potential for substantial morbidity and mortality. Educational materials about foodborne enteric infections intended for this immunocompromised population have not been assessed for their efficacy in improving knowledge or encouraging behavior change.

Methods/Results

AIDS patients in four healthcare facilities in Chicago, New Orleans, and Puerto Rico were recruited using fliers and word of mouth to healthcare providers. Those who contacted research staff were interviewed to determine food safety knowledge gaps and risky behaviors. A food safety educational comic book that targeted knowledge gaps was created, piloted, and provided to these patients who were instructed to read it and return at least 2 weeks later for a follow-up interview. The overall food safety score was determined by the number of the 26 knowledge/belief/behavior questions from the survey answered correctly. Among 150 patients who participated in both the baseline and follow-up questionnaire, the intervention resulted in a substantial increase in the food safety score (baseline 59%, post-intervention 81%, p<0.001). The intervention produced a significant increase in all the food safety knowledge, belief, and behavior items that comprised the food safety score. Many of these increases were from baseline knowledge below 80 percent to well above 90%. Most (85%) of the patients stated they made a change to their behavior since receiving the educational booklet.

Conclusion

This comic book format intervention to educate persons living with AIDS was highly effective. Future studies should examine to what extent long-term behavioral changes result.     

Co-administration of Selenium with Inorganic Mercury Alters the Disposition of Mercuric Ions in Rats

Biological Trace Element Research - Mercury (Hg) is a common environmental toxicant to which humans are exposed regularly through occupational and dietary means. Although selenium supplementation...     

Electron transfer from Cyt b 559 and tyrosine-D to the S2 and S3 states of the water oxidizing complex in photosystem II at cryogenic temperatures

The Mn₄CaO₅ cluster of photosystem II (PSII) catalyzes the oxidation of water to molecular oxygen through the light-driven redox S-cycle. The water oxidizing complex (WOC) forms a triad with Tyrosine_Z and P₆₈₀, which mediates electrons from water towards the acceptor side of PSII. Under certain conditions two other redox-active components, Tyrosine_D (Y_D) and Cytochrome b ₅₅₉ (Cyt b ₅₅₉) can also interact with the S-states. In the present work we investigate the electron transfer from Cyt b ₅₅₉ and Y_D to the S₂ and S₃ states at 195 K. First, Y_D ^? and Cyt b ₅₅₉ were chemically reduced. The S₂ and S₃ states were then achieved by application of one or two laser flashes, respectively, on samples stabilized in the S₁ state. EPR signals of the WOC (the S₂-state multiline signal, ML-S₂), Y_D ^? and oxidized Cyt b ₅₅₉ were simultaneously detected during a prolonged dark incubation at 195 K. During 163 days of incubation a large fraction of the S₂ population decayed to S₁ in the S₂ samples by following a single exponential decay. Differently, S₃ samples showed an initial increase in the ML-S₂ intensity (due to S₃ to S₂ conversion) and a subsequent slow decay due to S₂ to S₁ conversion. In both cases, only a minor oxidation of Y_D was observed. In contrast, the signal intensity of the oxidized Cyt b ₅₅₉ showed a two-fold increase in both the S₂ and S₃ samples. The electron donation from Cyt b ₅₅₉ was much more efficient to the S₂ state than to the S₃ state.     

A deleterious effect associated with UNH159 is attenuated in twin embryos of an inbred line of blue tilapia Oreochromis aureus

Offspring of a highly inbred gynogenetic line of Oreochromis aureus displayed 12‐fold increase in twinning rate compared to the outbred population. Asymmetric conjoined twins, which consist of a normal embryo attached to a malformed‐atrophic twin, were frequently encountered in both gynogenetic (90·7%) and outbred (38·2%) embryos. The monozygotic origin of these twins was determined using five microsatellite markers. Progeny of heterozygous parents for the microsatellite UNH159 were separated into sub‐sets of twins and normal full‐sibs. Consistent with previous reports, the normal embryo sub‐set exhibited elimination of both types of homozygotes for the UNH159 genetic marker at 2–8 days after fertilization. Unexpectedly, this elimination was less frequent in twins. The UNH159 marker as well as RNA‐binding motif protein, X‐linked (rbmx), SRY‐box containing gene 3 (sox3) and alpha‐thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X‐linked (atrx) genes were mapped to linkage group 2. These gene orthologues are all located on the mammalian X chromosome and atrx is necessary for the X‐chromosome inactivation.     

Species’ traits and environmental gradients interact to govern primary production in freshwater mussel communities

We examined the effect of species identity on ecosystem function across an environmental gradient by manipulating the relative dominance of three freshwater mussel species with divergent thermal preferences in mesocosms across a temperature gradient (15, 25, 35°C). We measured a suite of individual performance (oxygen consumption, nutrient excretion) and ecosystem response metrics (community, water column, benthic gross primary production and nutrient concentrations) to determine if species performance across temperatures was governed by 1) physiological responses to temperature, 2) species interactions associated with dominant species, or 3) context‐dependent species interactions related to temperature (interaction of 1 and 2). Our results demonstrate that environmental context (temperature) combined with the functional traits of dominant species interactively influence the performance and services provided by other species, and that these shifts can have heightened effects on multiple compartments within an ecosystem. Therefore, in addition to declines in species richness, shifts in community dominance also should be considered when interpreting the effects of anthropogenic disturbances on the structure and functioning of ecosystems.