Transmission of the simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmne in macaques and baboons

A primate lymphotropic lentivirus was isolated on Hut 78 cells after cocultivation of a lymph node from a macaque that died with malignant lymphoma. In earlier studies SIV/Mne was inoculated into 17 macaques and two baboons. All of the macaques became viremic and seropositive. Fifteen of the macaques succumbed to a classic AIDS-like disease, whereas the baboons did not become viremic. The SIV/Mne virus has now been molecularly cloned and inoculated into Macaca nemestrina and baboons. A new transmission study has been initiated to test the effects of route and dosage on disease.     

Comparison of the hatching process of the tadpole shrimps Triops cancriformis and Lepidurus apus lubbocki (Notostraca) and its relation to their distribution in rain-pools in Israel

Rain-pool habitats are gradually disappearing in Israel as a result of agricultural and urban development. Present and past records of notostracan distribution here reveal a difference in the occurrence of Triops cancriformis and Lepidurus apus lubbocki, the former rather rare, and support the suggestion that species of Triops are more thermophilic than Lepidurus, with optimal hatching temperature 8–12°C higher. The limited distribution of T. cancriformis in Israel may be partly attributed to sub-optimal temperatures (<20°C) in early winter.All populations of T. cancriformis in Israel were monosexual female. Resting Notostraca eggs float and become exposed to light, needed for hatching, and to warm day-time temperatures at the water surface which enhance embryonic development. Exposure to higher temperatures may be particularly important for the thermophilic T. cancriformis in Israel, where deep water temperatures in early winter are often below hatching values.     

Identification of Campylobacter jejuni in Macaca fascicularis imported from Indonesia

Campylobacter jejuni was selectively cultured in 33 (66%) of 50 Macaca fascicularis that had been imported from Indonesia. As there was no published information on the incidence of Campylobacter infection in nonhuman primates from Indonesia, a survey was conducted to determine the presence and incidence of Campylobacter jejuni in 50 macaques before they were exported from Indonesia. The organism was positively identified in 18 (36%) of the specimens examined. Repeat cultures after importation and during the quarantine period produced 37 of 48 (77%) positive results. Stool cultures from 57 other Macaca fascicularis and Macaca nemestrina in more preliminary stages of captivity in Indonesia produced only two positive identifications. These findings suggest that Campylobacter jejuni is not a natural pathogen of macaques in Indonesia, but it infects them after capture.     

Selectivity and Ion Transport in Excised Bean Hypocotyls

Ion transport and ion selectivity in bean hypocotyl slices were investigated. The transport mechanism is practically independent of temperature and in short term experiments appears to be non-metabolic. Selectivity may be attributed either to specific adsorption sites or to the properties of the diffusion barrier. The fact that with a physical transport mechanism selectivity is observed only under physiological temperature conditions hints that a flexible barrier (plasmalemma?) rather than fixed adsorption sites should be regarded as governing the process.     

A simplified method for screening the apolipoprotein E polymorphism

A simple method for screening populations for the apolipoprotein E polymorphism which involves isoelectric focusing of delipidated samples on polyacrylamide gels of pH 4.5-5.8 followed by immunoblotting using a double-antibody technique is presented. The method is a synthesis of two previously published procedures and works well on samples that have been stored for as long as 15 years.     

Intra-amniotic inoculation of pigtailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina) fetuses with SIV and HIV-1

Six pregnant pigtailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) were inoculated intra-amniotically (i.a.) with SIV_Mne. All became viremic and seroconverted; three viable offspring were SIV-positive and at autopsy showed disseminated viral infection; one of three abortuses had SIV-infected thymic macrophages. Three of five pregnant macaques inoculated i.v. and/or i.a. with HIV-1_LAI became virus-positive, and four seroconverted, suggesting fetal-maternal transmission. One abortus had HIV-1-antigen in lymph nodes and brain; one infant, culture-positive at birth, died at age 11 days of disseminated HIV-1 infection.     

Evaluation of protective efficacy of recombinant subunit vaccines against simian immunodeficiency virus infection of macaques.

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) was used as a model to study the protective efficacy of an immunization regimen currently being evaluated as candidate vaccines against HIV in human subjects. Four Macaca fascicularis were first immunized with recombinant vaccinia virus expressing the envelope glycoprotein gp160 of SIVmne and then boosted with subunit gp160. Both cell-mediated and humoral immune responses against SIV, including neutralizing antibodies, were elicited. The macaques were shown to be protected from a homologous virus infection as determined by serology, lymphocyte cocultivation, polymerase chain reactions and in vivo transmission analyses. Four unimmunized control animals were readily infected. However, viremia in infected control animals could decrease substantially following the initial phase of infection so that persistent infection might not be readily detectable.     

Plasma F2-isoprostane level and cognitive function over eight years in non-demented older adults: Findings from the Health ABC Study

F2-isoprostanes (F2-IsoP) are reportedly increased in dementia patients, and are considered a reliable biomarker of oxidation. However, few studies have examined the predictive value of peripheral F2-IsoP levels in non-demented older adults. This study assesses the association between plasma F2-IsoP and change in cognitive function in non-demented elderly over eight years. Plasma F2-IsoP was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in a biracial cohort of 726 elderly men and women. Digit Symbol Substitution test and the Modified Mini-Mental State Exam were administered over time. No association was found between F2-IsoP tertile and baseline or change (slope) in cognitive function over eight years. Plasma F2-IsoP is not a valuable biomarker in predicting cognitive change over years in non-demented older adults.