Pathology of the male baboon (Papio spp.) urogenital system

Background Comprehensive reports on male baboon urogenital pathology are not available. Methods We performed a retrospective study of 2246 male baboon necropsy records over 19 years. Results A total of 289 urogenital lesions were diagnosed in 197 (8.8%) baboons. The most frequently affected organs in decreasing order were kidney, testicle, urinary bladder, penis and prepuce, seminal vesicle, ureter, and prostate. Lesions were rare in the urethra, scrotum, and epididymis. The most common diagnoses in decreasing order were nephritis, urinary bladder cystitis, nephrocalcinosis, pyelonephritis, renal cysts, renal amyloidosis, testicular atrophy, penile/preputial dermatitis, hydronephrosis, orchitis/testicular abscess, glomerulonephritis, renal hemorrhage, hypospadia, nephrosis, renal infarct, hypospermia/aspermia, seminal vesicle mineralization, and hydroureter. We also report six cases of hypospadia, the first report in the baboon. Conclusions The male baboon has a low incidence of urogenital disease and renal disease is the most common malady. The role of herpesvirus papio 2 needs further study.     

Penicillin V acylases from gram-negative bacteria degrade N-acylhomoserine lactones and attenuate virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - Virulence pathways in gram-negative pathogenic bacteria are regulated by quorum sensing mechanisms, through the production and sensing of N-acylhomoserine...     

Optimization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Enterobacter cloacae</Emphasis> (KU923381) for diesel oil degradation using response surface methodology (RSM)

Efficiency of Enterobacter cloacae KU923381 isolated from petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soil was evaluated in batch culture and bioreactor mode. The isolate were screened for biofilm formation using qualitative and quantitative assays. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to study the effect of pH, temperature, glucose concentration, and sodium chloride on diesel degradation. The predicted values for diesel oil degradation efficiency by the statistical designs are in a close agreement with experimental data (R ² = 99.66%). Degradation efficiency is increased by 36.78% at pH = 7, temperature = 35°C, glucose = 5%, and sodium chloride concentration = 5%. Under the optimized conditions, the experiments were performed for diesel oil degradation by gas chromatographic mass spectrometric analysis (GC-MS). GC-MS analysis confirmed that E. cloacae had highly degrade hexadecane, heptadecane, tridecane, and docosane by 99.71%, 99.23%, 99.66%, and 98.34% respectively. This study shows that rapid bioremoval of hydrocarbons in diesel oil is acheived by E. cloacae with abet of biofilm formation. The potential use of the biofilms for preparing trickling filters (gravel particles) for the degradation of hydrocarbons from petroleum wastes before their disposal in the open environment is highly suggested. This is the first successful attempt for artificially establishing petroleum hydrocarbon degrading bacterial biofilm on solid substrates in bioreactor.     

Glia Maturation Factor Expression in Entorhinal Cortex of Alzheimer’s Disease Brain

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by the presence of neuropathological lesions containing amyloid plaques (APs) and hyperphosphorylated Tau containing neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and is associated with neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Entorhinal cortex (Brodmann’s area 28) is involved in memory associated functions and is one of the first brain areas targeted to form the neuropathological lesions and also severely affected cortical region in AD. Glia maturation factor (GMF), a central nervous system protein and a proinflammatory molecule is known to be up-regulated in the specific areas of AD brain. Our previous immunohistochemical studies using temporal cortex showed that GMF is expressed in the vicinity of APs and NFTs in AD brains. In the present study, we have analyzed the expression of GMF and its association with APs and NFTs in the entorhinal cortex of AD brains by using immunohistochemistry combined with thioflavin-S fluorescence labeling methods. Results showed that GMF immunoreactive glial cells, glial fibrillary acidic protein labeled reactive astrocytes and ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule-1 labeled activated microglia were increased in the entorhinal cortical layers especially at the sites of 6E10 labeled APs and Tau containing NFTs. In conclusion, increased expression of GMF by the glial cells in the entorhinal cortex region, and the co-localization of GMF with APs and NFTs suggest that GMF may play important proinflammatory roles in the pathogenesis of AD.     

Eco-friendly approaches for the management of fenugreek root rot

To evolve eco-friendly management of fenugreek root rot caused by Rhizoctonia solani, a field trial was conducted during Kharif 2002 and Rabi seasons of 2002–2003 and 2003–2004. Experiments were conducted with eight treatments and three replications in RBD using the variety CO-2. The pooled analysis of the three season data showed that seed treatment with Trichoderma viride at 4g/kg of seed + soil application of Trichoderma viride at 5 kg/ha + soil application of neem cake at 150 kg/ha (T₃) recorded a percent disease index (PDI) of 23.1 versus 65.5 PDI in the control which accounted for a disease reduction of 64.7%. It was on par with seed treatment with Trichoderma viride at 4g/kg of seed + soil application of T. viride at 5 kg/ha (T₂) which reduced the disease incidence by 62.3% (24.7 PDI). The chemical treatment used for comparison, i.e. seed treatment with carbendazim + soil drenching at 0.1% + soil application of neem cake at 150 kg/ha recorded the lowest PDI of 16.8 with 74.4% disease reduction. Among the various treatments T₃ gave a seed yield of 572.7 kg/ha followed by T₂ (555.7 kg/ha). Treatment T₇ recorded the highest yield of 578.7 kg/ha. In the control plot the recorded yield was only 359.3 kg/ha. Though T₃ was more effective at reducing the disease incidence than T₂, the C:B ratio was higher (1:9.1) in respect of T₂ than T₃, which gave a C:B ratio of only 1:3.9. Hence, seed treatment with T. viride at 4g/kg + soil application of T. viride at 5kg/ha is a cost effective, eco-friendly management strategy for fenugreek root rot.     

Differential expression of defense‐related proteins of rice and sheath blight symptoms in response to active and inactive Rhizoctonia solani toxin

The effects of the phyotoxin from the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani, causing sheath blight on the expression of defense‐related proteins of rice were investigated. The toxin inactivated by chemical treatment and by the toxin‐inactivating enzyme α‐glucosidase produced by Trichoderma viride was used in the study along with the active toxin. Toxin inactivated by T. viride α‐glucosidase and sodium periodate caused significantly less damage and electrolyte leakage to test plants. The active toxin and the pathogen induced chitinase and ß‐1,3‐glucanase synthesis in rice plants, while the inactivated toxin did not have any effect on the expression of these pathogenesis‐related proteins. The toxin was found to suppress the peroxidase activity 72 h after inoculation and the inactivated toxin restored the activity as that of untreated plants. There was no remarkable change in phenylalanine ammonia lyase activity in rice sheath treated with both the forms of the toxin.     

7Li Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Study for the Determination of Li+ Properties in Neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y Cells

Abstract: Lithium has been used clinically in the treatment of manic depression. However, its pharmacologic mode of action remains unclear. Characteristics of Li⁺ interactions in red blood cells (RBCs) have been identified. We investigated Li⁺ interactions on human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells by developing a novel ⁷Li NMR method that provided a clear estimation of the intra- and extracellular amounts of Li⁺ in the presence of the shift reagent thulium-1,4,7,10-tetrazacyclododecane- N,N ', N ", N ‴-tetramethylene phosphonate (HTmDOTP⁴⁻). The first-order rate constants of Li⁺ influx and efflux for perfused, agarose-embedded SH-SY5Y cells in the presence of 3 m M HTmDOTP⁴⁻ were 0.055 ± 0.006 (n = 4) and −0.025 ± 0.006 min⁻¹ (n = 3), respectively. Significant increases in the rate constants of Li⁺ influx and efflux in the presence of 0.05 m M veratridine indicated the presence of Na⁺ channel-mediated Li⁺ transport in SH-SY5Y cells. ⁷Li NMR relaxation measurements showed that Li⁺ is immobilized more in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells than in human RBCs.     

Effect of lectins on the cobalamin-protein binding reactions: implications for the tissue uptake of cobalamin

Plant lectins have been thought to impair nutrient absorption, both by specific and nonspecific interference in the absorptive process. The main objective of this investigation was to study the effect of lectins on the various binding reactions involving cobalamin (cbl)-protein complexes and their receptors, and to identify the rate-limiting step important in maintaining tissue levels of cobalamin. Among the lectins tested in vivo, only concanavalin A (ConA) was able to inhibit the transport of cobalamin to the tissues and caused a 70% to 75% inhibition of [(57)Co] cobalamin transported to the liver and kidney. The inhibition of transport to the tissues was independent of route of administration of cobalamin, whether intragastric or systemic, and was not due to decreased gastrointestinal uptake. When tested in vitro, concanavalin A inhibited the binding of transcobalamin II-cbl to its receptor, but not the binding of cobalamin to intrinsic factor or intrinsic factor-cobalamin complex to the ileal receptor. These results suggest that late events during transcellular transport of cobalamin through the enterocytes is the rate-limiting step determining tissue levels of cobalamin and that ConA inhibits these latter events.