Prevention of the retained fetal membrane syndrome (retained placenta) during induced calving in dairy cattle

Sixty-six dairy cattle were induced to calve with dexamethasone treatment at 5 d prior to expected time of calving. Each animal was assigned randomly to one of two treatments, saline (2 ml) or PGF(2)alpha (10 mg), which were administered within 1 h postpartum. With the saline treatment, 90.5 % of the animals had placental retention, whereas only 8.8 % of the PGF(2)alpha-treated animals had placental retention. The PGF(2)alpha-treated cows released the fetal membranes in 7.4 +/- 1.35 h postpartum, whereas the saline-treated cows released the membranes in 98.3 +/- 10.93 h postpartum. These data demonstrate that treatment with PGF(2)alpha within the immediate postpartum period is effective (P < 0.001) in the prevention of placental retention in the dairy cow induced to calve with dexamethasone.     

RNA primary sequence or secondary structure in the translational initiation region controls expression of two variant interferon-beta genes in Escherichia coli

Efficient expression in Escherichia coli (E. coli) of the human interferon-beta gene (IFN-beta) gene and of a chemically synthesized IFN-beta gene variant (506 base pairs; synIFN-beta) adapted to the E. coli codon usage, both fused to the E. coli atpE ribosome-binding site, is controlled either by primary sequence or by mRNA secondary-structure in the translational initiation region. High level expression of the natural human atpE/IFN-beta gene fusion is governed by the nucleotide composition preceding the initiator codon AUG. A single U----C exchange in the -2 or -1 position preceding the initiator codon AUG reduces the translational efficiency from 18% of total cellular protein to only 8% or 4%, respectively, while both U----C substitutions reduce IFN-beta expression below 1%. These sequence alterations interfere with efficient ribosome binding as revealed by toeprinting. They provide further evidence for the influence of the anticodon-flanking regions of tRNA(fMet) upon the initiation rate of translation. In contrast, translation of the synthetic variant atpE/synIFN-beta gene fusion is controlled by a moderately stable stem-loop structure (delta G = -4 kcal/mol; 37 degrees C) located within the coding region and overlapping the 30 S ribosomal subunit attachment site. That the stability of the hairpin interferes with the initiation of translation is inferred from site-directed mutagenesis and toeprint analyses. mRNA half-life in these variants is positively correlated with the rate of translation and involves two major endonucleolytic cleavage site 5'-upstream of the Shine-Dalgarno region.     

Epidemiological Characteristics of Strongyloidiasis in Inhabitants of Indigenous Communities in Borneo Island,Malaysia

Epidemiological study on strongyloidiasis in humans is currently lacking in Malaysia. Thus, a cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Strongyloides stercoralis infection among the inhabitants of longhouse indigenous communities in Sarawak. A single stool and blood sample were collected from each participant and subjected to microscopy, serological and molecular techniques. Five species of intestinal parasites were identified by stool microscopy. None of the stool samples were positive for S. stercoralis. However, 11% of 236 serum samples were seropositive for strongyloidiasis. Further confirmation using molecular technique on stool samples of the seropositive individuals successfully amplified 5 samples, suggesting current active infections. The prevalence was significantly higher in adult males and tended to increase with age. S. stercoralis should no longer be neglected in any intestinal parasitic survey. Combination of more than 1 diagnostic technique is necessary to increase the likelihood of estimating the ‘true’ prevalence of S. stercoralis.     

Correction to: Experimental evidence of minimal effects on octocoral hosts caused by the introduced ophiuroid Ophiothela mirabilis

Coral Reefs - A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-021-02110-0     

Characterization and Purification of an Aldose Reductase from the Acidophilic and Thermophilic Red Alga Galdieria sulphuraria

The acidophilic and thermophilic red alga Galdieria sulphuraria is able to grow heterotrophically on at least six different pentoses. These pentoses are reduced in the cell to pentiols by an NADP-dependent aldose reductase. The pentiols are then introduced into the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway via NAD-dependent polyol dehydrogenases and pentulokinases. The aldose reductase was purified 130-fold to apparent homogeneity by column chromatography. The enzyme is a homodimer of about 80 kD, as estimated by size-exclusion chromatography and from the sedimentation behavior. The Michaelis constant values for D-xylose (27 mM), D-ribose (29 mM), D-lyxose (30 mM), and D-arabinose (38 mM) were about three to five times lower than for the L-forms of the sugars. The activity of the enzyme with hexoses, deoxysugars, and sugar phosphates was only about 5 to 10% of the rate with pentoses. In the reverse reaction the activity was low and only detectable with pentiols. No activity was measured with NAD(H) as the cosubstrate in either direction.     

Quinoline-carboxylic acids are potent inhibitors that inhibit the binding of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) to IGF-binding proteins

4-benzylquinolines 5, based on a series of isoquinolines 1, were prepared and tested as inhibitors of the IGF/IGFBP-3 complex based on their ability to displace IGF-I from its binding to IGF-binding protein-3. SAR studies on the 6,7-dihydroxy moiety of the quinoline 5a showed that the catecol moiety could be replaced with other functional groups. Computational modeling of the 5a/mini-IGFBP-5 complex revealed the possible binding site of 5a on IGFBP-5.