Molecular determinants of visual pigment function.

Mutagenesis studies and comparisons of natural variants of rhodopsin and related visual pigments have led to new insights concerning photoreceptor function. The studies identify domains important for receptor folding, the residues that set the wavelength of absorption for the ligand 11-cis retinal, and residues, that when mutated, trigger the cell death of photoreceptors.     

Has the adipokine profile an influence on the catch-up growth type in small for gestational age infants?

Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry - Infants born small for gestational age (SGA) are at increased risk of perinatal morbidity, persistent short stature, and metabolic alterations in later...     

The effects of Heterosigma akashiwo on juvenile Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and its implications for fish culture

The effects of natural blooms of Heterosigma akashiwo on freshwater-and saltwater-acclimated juvenile chinook salmon were assessed. Rates of fish mortality in the blooms were independent of acclimation of fish to seawater and the ambient oxygen levels, but were dependent on concentration of algae and ambient water temperatures. No pathological abnormality to gills or other internal organs in the fish were evident. Aeration or oxygenation of fish cages did not enhance or inhibit fish survival in a H. akashiwo bloom. Cause of death was considered to be due to a labile ichthyotoxic agent.     

Molecular Identification of Aeromonas and Coliform Bacteria Isolated on m Endo Media from Lake Erie Waters

Summary Bacteria from recreational waters collected from two Lake Erie beaches in Dunkirk, New York were plated onto m Endo LES media. The 16S rRNA gene was then amplified from coliform and non-coliform bacteria using the polymerase chain reaction. The PCR products were characterized by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. A total of 8 RFLP groups were identified from the analysis of 920 samples and selected PCR products from each group were sequenced. The DNA sequence analysis indicated that more than half of the bacteria identified as coliforms on the m Endo plates belonged to the genus Aeromonas from the family Aeromonadaceae. Most of the remaining coliforms were from the Enterobacteriaceae. The data indicate that m Endo agar plates allow the growth of non-coliform bacteria, especially Aeromonas species.     

Assessment and comparison of neural morphology through metrical feature extraction and analysis in neuron and neuron–glia cultures

The morphology of dissociated single cerebellar Purkinje cells obtained from wild-type P1 CD1 mice was assessed in the absence and in the presence of glia. A dedicated noninvasive technique based on optical microscopy was developed. Image processing algorithms were implemented to extract metrical features characterizing cell structure and dendritic arborization. The morphological features were analyzed in order to identify quantitative differences in Purkinje cell morphology due to interactions with astrocytes.