Morphological and Molecular Identification of Spirometra Tapeworms (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidae) from Carnivorous Mammals in the Serengeti and Selous Ecosystems of Tanzania

Spirometra tapeworms (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidae) collected from carnivorous mammals in Tanzania were identified by the DNA sequence analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), and by morphological characteristics. A total of 15 adult worms were collected from stool samples and carcasses of Panthera leo, Panthera pardus, and Crocuta crocuta in the Serengeti and Selous ecosystems of Tanzania. Three Spirometra species: S. theileri, S. ranarum and S. erinaceieuropaei were identified based on morphological features. Partial cox1 sequences (400 bp) of 10 specimens were revealed. Eight specimens showed 99.5% similarity with Spirometra theileri ({"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"MK955901","term_id":"1796114604","term_text":"MK955901"}}MK955901), 1 specimen showed 99.5% similarity with the Korean S. erinaceieuropaei and 1 specimen had 99.5% similarity with Myanmar S. ranarum. Sequence homology estimates for the ITS1 region of S. theileri were 89.8% with S. erinaceieuropaei, 82.5% with S. decipiens, and 78.3% with S. ranarum; and 94.4% homology was observed between S. decipiens and S. ranarum. Phylogenetic analyses were performed with 4 species of Spirometra and 2 species of Dibothriocephalus (=Diphyllobothrium). By both ML and BI methods, cox1 and ITS1 gave well supported, congruent trees topology of S. erinaceieuropaei and S. theileri with S. decipiens and S. ranarum forming a clade. The Dibothriocephalus species were sisters of each other and collectively forming successive outgroups. Our findings confirmed that 3 Spirometra species (S. theileri, S. ranarum, and S. erinaceieuropaei) are distributed in the Serengeti and Selous ecosystems of Tanzania.     

Effect of adenovirus and influenza virus infection on obesity

The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the effects of adenovirus and influenza virus infections on obesity in various experimental models. We reviewed studies that were conducted within the past 10 years and were related to virus infection and obesity prevalence. Here, we discuss a different causal relationship between adenovirus and influenza infections with obesity. Adenovirus infection can cause obesity, whereas obesity can be a risk factor for increasing influenza virus infection and increases the risk of morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of obesity due to adenovirus infections may be due to an increase in glucose uptake and reduction in lipolysis caused by an increase in corticosterone secretion. Adenovirus infections may lead to increases in appetite by decreasing norepinephrine and leptin levels and also cause immune dysfunction. The relationship between obesity and influenza virus infection could be summarized by the following features: decreases in memory T-cell functionality and interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-β, and IFN-γ mRNA expression, increases in viral titer and infiltration, and impaired dendritic cell function in obese individuals. Moreover, leptin resistance may play an important role in increasing influenza virus infections in obese individuals. In conclusion, prevention of adenovirus infections could be a good approach for reducing obesity prevalence, and prevention of obesity could reduce influenza virus infections from the point of view of viral infections and obesity.     

Glucose oxidation in a dual hollow fiber bioreactor with a silicone tube oxygenator

A dual hollow fiber bioreactor, consisting of an outer silicone membrane for oxygen supply and an inner polyamide membrane for substrate permeation, was used as an immobilized enzyme reactor to carry out enzymatic glucose oxidation. Attaching a silicone tube oxygenator to provide an additional oxygen supply improved the conversion in glucose oxidation when the oxygen supply was rate-limiting. The reactor was operated in both diffusion and ultrafiltration modes. In the latter case, the conversion was much higher, but the stability of the immobilized enzyme was better maintained in the diffusion mode. As the inlet glucose concentration increased from 10mM to 500mM, the conversion decreased from 70 to 20%.     

Supplement of nutrients for effective cultivation of hepatitis B surface antigen-producing recombinant yeast

Summary In the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-producing recombinant yeast culture medium, the supply of Bacto-yeast nitrogen base without amino acids was found to be inadequate due to the lack of the several kinds of vitamins and trace elements. When the culture medium for this recombinant yeast was supplemented with sufficient vitamins and trace elements, its growth, HBsAg production and the stability of plasmid were improved.     

Selective allele loss and interference between cauliflower mosaic virus DNAs

Summary Some cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) alleles are selectively lost during growth of the virus in mixedly infected turnip plants. Viral DNA from plants co-inoculated with DNA of the cabbage S isolate and infectious cabbage S DNA with an extra EcoRI restriciion site lacked the extra site. The EcoRI allele was also lost in most plants co-inoculated with a non-infectious mutant of cabbage S DNA while little selective allele loss was observed with two other non-infectious mutant DNAs. Plants co-inoculated with DNAs of closely-related isolates (CM4-184 and W) contained both parental viral DNAs and some DNAs with characteristics of both parents. Interference, scored as a reduced frequency of infection or a delay in symptom appearance relative to plants inoculated with wild-type DNA, occurred when plants were inoculated with wild-type and mutant DNAs covalently attached to one another in partial dimer plasmid DNAs. Similarities in the conditions leading to selective allele loss and those leading to interference suggest that both may have been due to active gene conversion between CaMV DNA molecules.     

Disruption of phospholipid asymmetry in erythrocyte vesicles deficient in spectrin

The transbilayer distribution of phospholipids in right-side-out and inside-out vesicles derived from human erythrocytes was studied by phospholipase A2 digestion assays and by staining with the fluorescent dye merocyanine 540. In both types of vesicles, the normal asymmetric distribution of phospholipids characteristic of intact cells was disrupted. Because both types of vesicles are deficient in spectrin, the major protein of the cytoskeletal network which normally underlies the membrane, these results support the contention that spectrin is involved in the maintenance of phospholipid asymmetry.     

Chromosome aberrations in workers of nuclear-power plants

The frequencies of chromosome aberrations in 135 workers from nuclear-power plants were compared with those in 135 age-matched controls. A total of 135,000 cells was scored. The frequencies of dicentric chromosome were 1.67 × 10⁻³ in the exposed group and 0.49 × 10⁻³ in the control group and those of chromosome-type deletion were 3.33 × 10⁻³ and 1.10 × 10⁻³, respectively. The frequencies of all types of chromosome aberrations in the exposed subjects were higher than those in the control group, but no significant trend of dose-dependent increase was observed when only the exposed group were considered. Poisson regression analysis, with both exposed and control included, showed that there was a significant association of chromosome aberration with radiation dose and the duration of work, but not with age, smoking habit and alcohol intake. It was also found that recent exposure to radiation, within the last 5 years, had contributed more to the observed chromosome aberration than earlier exposure.     

Sequence analysis of the 5′-flanking region of the gene encoding human N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase III

We have isolated and characterized the immediate (1651 bp) 5′-flanking region of the gene (GnT-III) encoding N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase III (GnT-III) from a human placental genomic library. Analysis of promoter elements shows a similarity to the 5′-flanking region of murine 1,4-galactosyltransferase. The sequence lacks obvious TATA elements and CCAAT boxes; however, putative regulatory sites, including 2 potential cAMP-response regulatory elements (CRE), 11 insulin-response element consensus sequences (IRE), 7 potential AP-2-binding sites, 2 SP1 consensus sequences (GC boxes) and 2 sequences similar to the half-palindromic glucocorticoid-responsive element (GRE), are present.