INDIGENOUS POULTRY FEED MICROFLORA RESPONSE TO ETHYL ALCOHOL AND BUFFERED PROPIONIC ACID ADDITION

The present study was designed to compare ethyl alcohol with buffered propionic acid feed treatment on the survival of indigenous poultry feed bacteria and fungi. The aerobic bacterial poultry feed populations were not substantially reduced by either ethyl alcohol or buffered propionic acid treatments. Likewise, indigenous poultry feed fungal populations also were not markedly reduced by buffered propionic acid treatment of the feed but fungal poultry feed populations exposed to ethyl alcohol treatments were significantly lower (P<0.05) than fungal populations recovered from either control and buffered propionic acid treated feeds. Ethyl alcohol treatment may have potential for reducing fungal contamination in poultry feed.     

Production and characterization of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against Aflatoxin B1 oxime-BSA in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

From a single aflatoxin B₁ oxime — bovine serum albumin conjugate, polyclonal and monoclonal antibody preparations were produced. The four rabbit polyclonal antisera were specific for aflatoxin Bi in a microtitration plate enzyme — linked immunosorbent assay. The monoclonal antibodies showed a wide range of differing specificities, recognizing, for example, aflatoxins B₁, B₂, G₁ and G₂; B₁ and B₂; B₁ and G₁; and G₁ alone. No antibody preparations reacted with aflatoxin M₁. The significance of these results to the strategy of anti-aflatoxin antibody production for use in quantitative enzyme immunoassays is discussed.     

Components of the major urinary protein complex of inbred mice: Determination of NH2-terminal sequences and comparison with homologous components from wild mice

The major urinary protein (MUP) complex of normal inbred laboratory mice (Mus musculus musculus) is a family of three electrophoretically distinguishable components, designated 1, 2, and 3 in order of increasing anodal mobility at pH 5.5. Components 1 and 2 are under the control of a single genetic locus; the MUP complex of a given inbred strain consists of component 1 or 2 plus component 3. In this study, the urinary protein of two subspecies of Asian wild mice, Mus musculus molossinus (originally trapped in Japan) and Mus musculus castaneus (originally trapped in Thailand), was examined electrophoretically and ultracentrifugally. The MUP complex of male M. m. molossinus and M. m. castaneus sedimented at approximately the same rate as that of M. m. musculus (s ₂₀ =2.0?2.2S). It consisted of a “fast” (i.e., more anodal than component 3) and an “intermediate” component plus one or more “origin” (i.e., less anodal than component 1) components. The “fast” and “origin” components were isolated chromatographically, and NH₂-terminal sequences spanning the first 36 residues were determined. Comparison with the NH₂-terminal sequences determined for components 1, 2, and 3 isolated from the urine of BALB/c or C57BL/6 mice revealed, except for a single replacement at position 6 in the “origin” component of M. m. molossinus, no differences among the 1, 2, “origin”, and “fast” components. Component 3 was highly homologous but differed from component 1 at nine positions; its residue at position 6 was the same as that of the M. m. molossinus “origin” component.     

Symptoms and signs: physical disease or illness behaviour?

The amount of treatment received by 380 patients with backache was found to have been influenced more by their distress and illness behaviour than by the actual physical disease. Patients showing a large amount of inappropriate illness behaviour had received significantly more treatment (p less than 0.001). The symptoms and signs of illness behaviour need to be clearly distinguished from those of physical disease, and better assessment of illness behaviour is essential if everyday clinical practice is to fulfil the ideal of treating patients as well as diseases.     

Mesothelioma in Scotland

In a retrospective study of the incidence of mesothelioma in Scotland for 1950-67 80 cases were traced from pathological reports and biopsy material of malignant tumours invading the pleura and peritoneum. These cases were matched with two sets of controls. Detailed histories of residence, occupation, and degree of exposure to asbestos confirmed that the incidence of mesothelioma in Scotland is similar to that in other parts of Britain.     

Recombinant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> produces tailor-made biopolyester granules for applications in fluorescence activated cell sorting: functional display of the mouse interleukin-2 and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein

Background  

Fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) is a powerful technique for the qualitative and quantitative detection of biomolecules used widely in both basic research and clinical diagnostic applications. Beads displaying a specific antigen are used to bind antibodies which are then fluorescently labelled using secondary antibodies. As the individual suspension bead passes through the sensing region of the FACS machine, fluorescent signals are acquired and analysed. Currently, antigens are tediously purified and chemically cross-linked to preformed beads. Purification and coupling of proteins often renders them inactive and they will not be displayed in its native configuration. As an alternative, we genetically engineered Escherichia coli to produce biopolyester (polyhdroxyalkanoate=PHA) granules displaying diagnostically relevant antigens in their native conformation and suitable for FACS analysis.     

MicroRNAs show a wide diversity of expression profiles in the developing and mature central nervous system

Background  

MicroRNA (miRNA) encoding genes are abundant in vertebrate genomes but very few have been studied in any detail. Bioinformatic tools allow prediction of miRNA targets and this information coupled with knowledge of miRNA expression profiles facilitates formulation of hypotheses of miRNA function. Although the central nervous system (CNS) is a prominent site of miRNA expression, virtually nothing is known about the spatial and temporal expression profiles of miRNAs in the brain. To provide an overview of the breadth of miRNA expression in the CNS, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the neuroanatomical expression profiles of 38 abundant conserved miRNAs in developing and adult zebrafish brain.