Neither Hippurate-negative <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brachyspira pilosicoli</Emphasis> nor <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brachyspira pilosicoli</Emphasis> Type Strain Caused Diarrhoea in Early-weaned Pigs by Experimental Infection

A hippurate-negative biovariant of Brachyspira pilosicoli (B. pilosicoli ^hipp-) is occasionally isolated in diarrhoeic pigs in Finland, often concomitantly with hippurate-positive B. pilosicoli or Lawsonia intracellularis. We studied pathogenicity of B. pilosicoli ^hipp- with special attention paid to avoiding co-infection with other enteric pathogens. Pigs were weaned and moved to barrier facilities at the age of 11 days. At 46 days, 8 pigs were inoculated with B. pilosicoli ^hipp- strain Br1622, 8 pigs were inoculated with B. pilosicoli type strain P43/6/78 and 7 pigs were sham-inoculated. No signs of spirochaetal diarrhoea were detected; only one pig, inoculated with P43/6/78, had soft faeces from day 9 to 10 post inoculation. The pigs were necropsied between days 7 and 23 after inoculation. Live pigs were culture-negative for Brachyspira spp., but B. pilosicoli ^hipp- was reisolated from necropsy samples of two pigs. The lesions on large colons were minor and did not significantly differ between the three trial groups. In silver-stained sections, invasive spirochaetes were detected in colonic mucosae of several pigs in all groups. Fluorescent in situ hybridisation for genus Brachyspira, B. pilosicoli and strain Br1622 was negative. However, in situ detection for members of the genus Leptospira was positive for spirochaete-like bacteria in the colonic epithelium of several pigs in both infected groups as well as in the control group. L. intracellularis, Salmonella spp., Yersinia spp. and intestinal parasites were not detected. The failure of B. pilosicoli strains to cause diarrhoea is discussed with respect to infectivity of the challenge strains, absence of certain intestinal pathogens and feed and management factors.     

Chemical modification of rubber wood with styrene in combination with a crosslinker: effect on dimensional stability and strength property

Chemical modification of rubber wood (Hevea Brasiliensis) was carried out by impregnating the wood with styrene and in combination with a crosslinker Glycidyl Methacrylate (GMA). Polymerization was carried out by catalyst heat treatment. The dimensional stability in terms of % volumetric swelling and anti-shrink efficiency was determined and found to be improved on treatment. Water absorption was also found to be decreased considerably for treated wood samples. Mechanical strength of the treated samples in terms of modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity were also found to be improved. The wood polymer interaction was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy. Biodegradability of the wood/polymer composites was determined and found to be improved on treatment with styrene/styrene-GMA.     

Conserved and divergent patterns of expression of DAZL,VASA and OCT4 in the germ cells of the human fetal ovary and testis

Background  

Germ cells arise from a small group of cells that express markers of pluripotency including OCT4. In humans formation of gonadal compartments (cords in testis, nests in ovary) takes place during the 1st trimester (6–8 weeks gestation). In the 2nd trimester germ cells can enter meiotic prophase in females whereas in males this does not occur until puberty. We have used qRTPCR, Westerns and immunohistochemical profiling to determine which of the germ cell subtypes in the human fetal gonads express OCT4, DAZL and VASA, as these have been shown to play an essential role in germ cell maturation in mice.     

Can short-term fasting protect against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity?

Doxorubicin(Dox) is one of the most effective chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of several types of cancer. However the use is limited by cardiotoxicity. Despite extensive investigation into the mechanisms of toxicity and preventative strategies, Dox-induced cardiotoxicity still remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer survivors. Thus, continued research into preventative strategies is vital. Short-term fasting has proven to be cardioprotective against a variety of insults. Despite the potential, only a few studies have been conducted investigating its ability to prevent Dox-induced cardiotoxicity. However, all show proof-of-principle that short-term fasting is cardioprotective against Dox. Fasting affects a plethora of cellular processes making it difficult to discern the mechanism(s) translating fasting to cardioprotection, but may involve suppression of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling with stimulated autophagy. It is likely that additional mechanisms also contribute. Importantly, the literature suggests that fasting may enhance the antitumor activity of Dox. Thus, fasting is a regimen that warrants further investigation as a potential strategy to prevent Dox-induced cardiotoxicity. Future research should aim to determine the optimal regimen of fasting, confirmation that this regimen does not interfere with the antitumor properties of Dox, as well as the underlying mechanisms exerting the cardioprotective effects.     

Genetic kinship among an isolated Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh: isonymy in the Adi Panggi

Isolated tribes in remote areas are important for genetic studies, and one such little known subtribe of the Adi tribe, namely, the Adi Panggi (Pangi) of the Upper Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh, India, was studied for surname distribution to deduce the deviation from random mating and genetic kinship between villages. The estimates of homonymy (homozygosity) vary between villages; husbands show wider variation (0.009 to 0.23) than wives (0.005 to 0.054). The remote villages of Sumsing and Sibum and Geku Town show lower entropy among husbands' surnames than among Panggi wives. The highest equivalent surname number was found among Sibum husbands (9.9), Panggi wives (12.6), and Panggi and non-Panggi wives (13.5). The estimates of unbiased random isonymy among husbands and wives together show the smallest values in Sibum (0.05) and the highest values in Sumsing and Ramku (0.16). The random and nonrandom components of the inbreeding coefficient show avoidance of inbreeding among the Panggi villages (-0.012 to -0.27) except in Sibum (0.012). Genetic kinship between villages based on the Mij distance shows different clusters of villages among husbands and wives. Both the Panggi wives and the Panggi and non-Panggi wives show a similar pattern of clustering between villages. The wide homonymy variation between villages among the patrilocal Adi Panggi indicates differential genetic kinetics among husbands and wives, avoidance of inbreeding, and female-oriented differential gene flow with little effect on the overall intervillage genetic kinship.     

Prevention of UVB Radiation-induced Epidermal Damage by Expression of Heat Shock Protein 70

Irradiation with UV light, especially UVB, causes epidermal damage via the induction of apoptosis, inflammatory responses, and DNA damage. Various stressors, including UV light, induce heat shock proteins (HSPs) and the induction, particularly that of HSP70, provides cellular resistance to such stressors. The anti-inflammatory activity of HSP70, such as its inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), was recently revealed. These in vitro results suggest that HSP70 protects against UVB-induced epidermal damage. Here we tested this idea by using transgenic mice expressing HSP70 and cultured keratinocytes. Irradiation of wild-type mice with UVB caused epidermal damage such as induction of apoptosis, which was suppressed in transgenic mice expressing HSP70. UVB-induced apoptosis in cultured keratinocytes was suppressed by overexpression of HSP70. Irradiation of wild-type mice with UVB decreased the cutaneous level of IκB-α (an inhibitor of NF-κB) and increased the infiltration of leukocytes and levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the epidermis. These inflammatory responses were suppressed in transgenic mice expressing HSP70. In vitro, the overexpression of HSP70 suppressed the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines and increased the level of IκB-α in keratinocytes irradiated with UVB. UVB induced an increase in cutaneous levels of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine, both of which were suppressed in transgenic mice expressing HSP70. This study provides genetic evidence that HSP70 protects the epidermis from UVB-induced radiation damage. The findings here also suggest that the protective action of HSP70 is mediated by anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-DNA damage effects.     

Microbial Community Structure of Relict Niter-Beds Previously Used for Saltpeter Production

From the 16th to the 18th centuries in Japan, saltpeter was produced using a biological niter-bed process and was formed under the floor of gassho-style houses in the historic villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, which are classified as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites. The relict niter-beds are now conserved in the underfloor space of gassho-style houses, where they are isolated from destabilizing environmental factors and retain the ability to produce nitrate. However, little is known about the nitrifying microbes in such relict niter-bed ecosystems. In this study, the microbial community structures within nine relict niter-bed soils were investigated using 454 pyrotag analysis targeting the 16S rRNA gene and the bacterial and archaeal ammonia monooxygenase gene (amoA). The 16S rRNA gene pyrotag analysis showed that members of the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Gemmatimonadetes, and Planctomycetes were major microbial constituents, and principal coordinate analysis showed that the NO₃ ⁻, Cl⁻, K⁺, and Na⁺ contents were potential determinants of the structures of entire microbial communities in relict niter-bed soils. The bacterial and archaeal amoA libraries indicated that members of the Nitrosospira-type ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and “Ca. Nitrososphaera”-type ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), respectively, predominated in relict niter-bed soils. In addition, soil pH and organic carbon content were important factors for the ecological niche of AOB and AOA in relict niter-bed soil ecosystems.     

Forecasting model of bacterial leaf spot disease of mulberry caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. mori

In order to develop weather-based forecasting model of bacterial leaf spot (BLS) disease of mulberry caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. mori, weekly disease severity data were recorded for three years on the ruling cultivar S-1. Daily meteorological data viz. maximum temperature, minimum temperature, maximum relative humidity, minimum relative humidity, rainfall and number of rainy days were also recorded. It was observed that BLS appeared in April/May and continued up to November with maximum severity in July. The correlation coefficient between disease severity and meteorological parameters revealed that the BLS disease severity has significant positive correlation with minimum temperatures, maximum and minimum relative humidity, rainfall and number of rainy days and negative correlation with maximum temperature. Multiple regressions analysis revealed that average of maximum temperature, minimum temperature and rainfall of preceding seven days and maximum relative humidity, minimum relative humidity of previous 9–15 days was found to maximally influence BLS disease severity. The contribution of the meteorological factors was found to be highest of minimum temperature (40.65%) followed by maximum temperature (24.20%), maximum relative humidity (16.41%), minimum relative humidity (8.07%), rainfall (5.29%) and number of rainy days (5.38%).