Selenium status in Turkey

This study was initiated to evaluate the status of selenium in Turkish residents. Serum selenium level of 76 healthy children, living in Ankara, aged 2 mo-13 y was determined by a spectrofluorometric method. Average selenium level was found to be 88.1 +/- 12.4 micrograms/L (mean +/- SD). Selenium levels showed a tendency to increase with age and mean selenium level in early infancy was lower than that of school children; no relation to the sex and hematological parameters such as hemoglobin concentration and white blood cell counts were observed.     

Pseudomonas sivasensis sp. nov. isolated from farm fisheries in Turkey

A study of 91 isolates from fish farms in Turkey showed that isolates P7^T, P11, P24b, P29, P72, P73 and P158 belonged to the genus Pseudomonas according to 16S rRNA nucleotide sequence analysis. The analysis of the sequences of the RNA polymerase sigma factor gene (rpoD) located these strains in the Pseudomonas fluorescens lineage of species within the P. fluorescens subgroup, close to the cluster composed of the species Pseudomonas grimontii, Pseudomonas marginalis and Pseudomonas panacis. Based on similarities in the 16S rRNA and rpoD gene sequences of three previously isolated strains from other origins (CCUG 57209, CCUG 62357 and W5.2-93) linked them to the same cluster. A polyphasic taxonomic approach including phenotypic characterization, fatty acid composition, and multilocus sequence analysis, together with whole-cell MALDI-TOF data, corroborated this assumption. The genome G+C mol% contents were 59.48 and 59.71, respectively. The average nucleotide indices based on BLAST analysis and the genome-to-genome distance calculation for the P7^T and CCUG 57209 strains with their closest relative, P. grimontii, were 88.16–88.29% and 38.10–38.20%, respectively. These data confirm that isolates P7^T, P11, P24b, P29, P72, P73, P158, CCUG 57209, CCUG 62357 and W5.2-93 represent a new species for which the name Pseudomonas sivasensis is proposed, with P7^T as a type strain (=CCUG 74260^T= and CECT30107^T).     

Elasmobranchs in southern Indonesian fisheries: the fisheries, the status of the stocks and management options

The biology of elasmobranchs makes them very vulnerable to fishing pressure and there is increasing international concern over their exploitation. In northern Australia the stocks of some species may be shared with those in southern Indonesia. Indonesia has the highest landings of elasmobranchs worldwide (>100,000 t p.a.) and millions of Indonesian artisanal fishers rely heavily on elasmobranchs taken in target fisheries. They are also taken by industrial trawlers and as bycatch in pelagic tuna fisheries. This paper, resulting from a collaborative project between Australia and Indonesia, summarises the elasmobranch fisheries; the characteristics of the fisheries are outlined, the status of the stocks are assessed, and management options described and discussed. The project focussed on representative markets and fish landing sites in southern Indonesia from 2001 to 2005. Data were from market surveys, the records of the Indonesian Directorate General of Capture Fisheries, and from research cruises. Data from the ongoing tuna monitoring programme showed that shark bycatch from the tuna fleets forms about 11% of shark landings in Indonesia. Yield per recruit and related analyses were used to integrate biological information to indicate the productivity of each species to allow for management policy options and constraints. Research cruise data show that catch rates of elasmobranchs in the Java Sea declined by at least one order of magnitude between 1976 and 1997. The results indicate strongly that many of the shark and ray species in Indonesia are overfished and that the most effective management strategy may need to involve capacity control, such as licencing, gear restrictions and catch limits, together with controls on the fin trade.     

Present status of bat-rabies in Europe

Since 1985 there has been an increase of bat rabies in Europe, especially in Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Netherlands. The present knowledge on the epidemiology, diagnosis and prophylaxis of the disease is summarized.     

Present status ofArisaema systematics

For an understanding of the systematics ofArisaema (Araceae), the history of infrageneric classification systems and recent studies of taxonomic characters ofArisaema are reviewed. Based on morphological information, a cladistic analysis is attempted. The most parsimonious cladgrams, with 32 steps and a consitency index of 0.69, involve assumed parallelisms and reversals in several characters. Ongoing molecular systematic studies are testing the proposed systematics.     

Current status and potential contributions of fisheries statistics from artisanal fisheries for managing juvenile istiophorid billfishes in Southern Brazil

Environmental Biology of Fishes - Billfishes are considered important fishery resources and the identification of aggregation sites is imperative for proper management. Here we present evidence of...     

Present status of Accelerator-Based BNCT

Aim

This work aims at giving an updated report of the worldwide status of Accelerator-Based BNCT (AB-BNCT).

Background

There is a generalized perception that the availability of accelerators installed in hospitals, as neutron sources, may be crucial for the advancement of BNCT. Accordingly, in recent years a significant effort has started to develop such machines.

Materials and methods

A variety of possible charged-particle induced nuclear reactions and the characteristics of the resulting neutron spectra are discussed along with the worldwide activity in suitable accelerator development.

Results

Endothermic ⁷Li(p,n)⁷Be and ⁹Be(p,n)⁹B and exothermic ⁹Be(d,n)¹⁰B are compared. In addition to having much better thermo-mechanical properties than Li, Be as a target leads to stable products. This is a significant advantage for a hospital-based facility. ⁹Be(p,n)⁹B needs at least 4–5 MeV bombarding energy to have a sufficient yield, while ⁹Be(d,n)¹⁰B can be utilized at about 1.4 MeV, implying the smallest possible accelerator. This reaction operating with a thin target can produce a sufficiently soft spectrum to be viable for AB-BNCT. The machines considered are electrostatic single ended or tandem accelerators or radiofrequency quadrupoles plus drift tube Linacs.

Conclusions

⁷Li(p,n)⁷Be provides one of the best solutions for the production of epithermal neutron beams for deep-seated tumors. However, a Li-based target poses significant technological challenges. Hence, Be has been considered as an alternative target, both in combination with (p,n) and (d,n) reactions. ⁹Be(d,n)¹⁰B at 1.4 MeV, with a thin target has been shown to be a realistic option for the treatment of deep-seated lesions.     

Present status of antileishmanial vaccines

The term leishmaniasis refers collectively to various clinical syndromes that are caused by obligate intracellular protozoa of the genus Leishmania. Approximately 350 million people in 8 countries are estimated to be threatened by the disease [1]. The World Health Organization estimated that there are 12 million cases of all forms of leishmaniasis worldwide, with over 500,000 new cases of visceral disease occurring each year [1]. Most of the drugs commonly used to treat different forms of leishmaniasis are toxic and have unacceptable side effects. Moreover, cases of drug resistant leishmaniasis are on the rise. Due to non-existence of effective vaccine to date, improved immunoprophylactic approaches still remain desirable to combat leishmaniasis. Antileishmanial vaccines developed around the globe are discussed.     

Present status of tick-borne diseases in Sudan

Ticks and tick-borne diseases are widespread in the Sudan, cause substantial economic losses and constitute major obstacles to the development of animal wealth. Most important among these diseases are tropical theileriosis, malignant ovine theileriosis, cowdriosis, babesiosis, anaplasmosis and avian spirochaetosis. However, knowledge about ticks and tick-borne diseases is still fragmentary and far from complete. The large number of tick species, the multplicity of transmitted agents and the diverse ecoclimatic zones of the Sudan provide a unique opportunity to host diverse research activities that could benefit other regions in Africa.     

Present status of larval-rearing technology in Korea

The overall status of seedling production in Korea isdiscussed. In shellfish culture, suchas oyster and ark shell, seedlings are obtained bynatural seedling collection. Shellfish seedlingproduction has been decreasing rapidly due to coastalpollution and continuous dense culture over the years. This has lead to the development of artificialproduction of shellfish seedlings. However, the massproduction of seedlings in the hatchery is not yetfully developed in Korea. Isochrysis, Pavlova, Chaetoceros and Thalassiosiraare the main live food organisms for the artificialseedling production. Thesespecies can be cultured indoors, but the technology for theiroutdoor culture is not established.Marine fish culture production is growing fast. With regard to seedling production of marine fish,flounder and rockfish are the most importantcommercial species. For seedling production of thesespecies, rotifers and Artemia are the main livefood organisms. Marine Chlorella for rotiferculture is unstable at temperatures over 30 °C. Nannochloris oculata, which grows faster than marine Chlorella at temperatures over 30 °C iswidely used in the summer season as an alternative. A natural Artemia strain exists in smallquantities in areas of restricted salt fields. However, the mass production of Korean Artemiacyst is not economically feasible. Korean Artemia strain seems to have originated from theSandong Pennisula in China, because of similaritiessuch as the hatching ecology, chromosome number andnutrient composition. Currently, research is carried out toidentify a new live food organism that can substitute rotifersand Artemia. The cost of feedincluding live food organisms is 30–60% of the totalproduction cost for seedling production of marine fishin Korea. Therefore, new and inexpensive artificialformulated feeds should be developed.