A note on the use of a plasmid as a DNA probe in the detection of a Lactobacillus fermentum strain in porcine stomach contents

A plasmid (about 50 kb) was used as a DNA probe to enumerate, by colony hybridization, a strain of Lactobacillus fermentum in the stomach contents of eight piglets. The population sizes obtained by colony hybridization were in agreement with estimated levels calculated on the basis of plasmid profiling of colonies isolated at random from the total lactobacillus population.     

The d-spacing of collagen from mitral heart valves changes with ageing, but not with collagen type III content

A low angle X-ray diffraction study of normal and myxomatous human heart valves has been carried out using a Synchrotron radiation source. This study has shown a slight progressive decrease in the d-spacing of the collagen with age. Despite suggestions reported in the literature, no significant relative change was observed in the d-spacing with the increase in the percentage of collagen type III from 24% in normal to 31% in myxomatous heart valves.