Fishborne Trematode Metacercariae in Freshwater Fish from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China

A survey was performed to investigate the infection status of fishborne trematode (FBT) metacercariae in freshwater fish from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. A total of 307 freshwater fish of 31 species were collected from 5 administrative regions of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. They were examined by artificial digestion method from July 2003 to August 2004. No metacercariae were detected in fish from Fusui-xian. In fish from Mashan-xian and a market in Nanning, 3 species of metacercariae, Haplorchis taichui, Haplorchis pumilio, and Centrocestus formosanus, were mainly detected. Metacercariae (8 in number) of Clonorchis sinensis were found in 1 Chanodichthys dabryi purchased from a market in Nanning. In fish from Yangshuo, Metagonimus yokogawai metacercariae were detected from all 18 fish species examined. Total 13 C. sinensis metacercariae were found in 3 out of 10 Hemibarbus maculatus from Yangshuo. All 7 Zacco platypus from Yangshuo were infected with 8-112 Echinochasmus perfoliatus metacercariae. In fish from Binyang-xian, H. pumilo metacercariae were mainly detected in all 5 fish species examined, and only 1 metacercaria of C. sinensis was found in a Hemiculter leucisculus. From the above results, it was confirmed that some species of freshwater fish play a role of second intermediate hosts for FBT in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. In particular, 4 species of intestinal flukes, M. yokogawai, H. taichui, H. pumilio, and C. formosanus, were prevalent in fish hosts, whereas C. sinensis metacercariae were detected only in 3 fish species.     

A successful experience of soil-transmitted helminth control in the Republic of Korea

Soil-transmitted helminths (STH), namely Ascaris, Trichuris and hookworms (Ancylostoma and Necator), present a global health problem to about a half of the earthos population. In the Republic of Korea, STH were highly prevalent and were considered a high priority target for national control. To promote the control, a non-governmental organization named Korea Association for Parasite Eradication (currently Korea Association of Health Promotion) was founded in 1964, and mass fecal examination followed by selective mass chemotherapy with anthelmintics was performed twice a year from 1969 to 1995 targeting whole nationwide schoolchildren. Meanwhile, decreasing patterns of national STH infections have been monitored by 7 timeso quinquennial national surveys targeting general population. In 1971, the overall intestinal helminth egg positive rate was 84.3% (Ascaris 58.2%, Trichuris 65.4%, and hookworms 10.7%), which became 63.2% in 1976, 41.1% in 1981, 12.9% in 1986, 3.8% in 1992, 2.4% in 1997, and 4.3% (Ascaris 0.03%, Trichuris 0.02%, and hookworms 0%) in 2004. During the control period, national economy rapidly developed, and living standards including environment, sanitation, and agricultural technology greatly improved, which undoubtedly boosted the STH control effects. Our experience indicates that social driving force to establish an eligible national control system to conduct repeated mass chemotherapy, together with improvement of environment and sanitation, is important for initiating and achieving STH control in a developing community.     

Polysaccharides isolated from liquid culture broth of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Inonotus obliquus</Emphasis> inhibit the invasion of human non-small cell lung carcinoma cells

Polysaccharides isolated from Inonotus obliquus (PLIO) have been known to have various pharmacological activities including antioxidant, immunostimulating and anti-tumor activity. However, the anti-metastatic effect of PLIO in human non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) has not been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the effects of PLIO on the metastatic potential of human NSCLC A549 cells and its underlying mechanisms. PLIO suppressed the invasive potential of A549 cells throughout reducing matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression. PLIO treatment inhibited NF-κB nuclear translocation in A549 cells. In addition, PLIO treatment inhibited the phosphorylation of JNK/AKT in A549 cells. These results suggest that PLIO could inhibit human NSCLC invasion via suppression of AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway.     

Experience of plant infestation by the omnivorous arthropod <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nesidiocoris tenuis</Emphasis> affects its subsequent responses to prey-infested plant volatiles

Nesidiocoris tenuis, an omnivorous arthropod, infests plants in either the absence or presence of prey arthropods. We studied whether plant-infestation experience of N. tenuis affected its subsequent prey-finding behavior. We used sesame plants and eggplants as food plants for N. tenuis, and common cutworm (CCW) (Spodoptera litura larvae) as prey. We focused on their olfactory response to CCW-infested sesame plants versus CCW-infested eggplants in a Y-tube olfactometer. When N. tenuis adults experienced the infestation of sesame plants for one day, they preferred volatiles from CCW-infested sesame plants to those from CCW-infested eggplants. By contrast, when N. tenuis experienced the infestation of eggplants for one day, they showed no difference in their preference between the two odor sources. When the duration of the infestation of plants was increased to four days, N. tenuis that had experienced sesame plants showed a reversed response: they preferred CCW-infested eggplant volatiles, while those that had infested eggplants again showed no difference in their preference. Next, we studied the olfactory preference of N. tenuis that had previously infested plants with moth (Ephestia kuehniella) eggs. We found that irrespective of plant species and of duration of experience (either one or four days), N. tenuis adults that had previously experienced one plant species showed a significant preference for volatiles from CCW-infested plants of the same species. The blends of the volatiles emitted from CCW-infested sesame plants and those from CCW-infested eggplants were qualitatively different. Possibility to control the olfactory response of N. tenuis to certain prey-infested plant volatiles by adjusting their feeding history is discussed.     

Heat-induced chaperone activity of serine/threonine protein phosphatase 5 enhances thermotolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

? This study reports that Arabidopsis thaliana protein serine/threonine phosphatase 5 (AtPP5) plays a pivotal role in heat stress resistance. A high-molecular-weight (HMW) form of AtPP5 was isolated from heat-treated A. thaliana suspension cells. AtPP5 performs multiple functions, acting as a protein phosphatase, foldase chaperone, and holdase chaperone. The enzymatic activities of this versatile protein are closely associated with its oligomeric status, ranging from low oligomeric protein species to HMW complexes. ? The phosphatase and foldase chaperone functions of AtPP5 are associated primarily with the low-molecular-weight (LMW) form, whereas the HMW form exhibits holdase chaperone activity. Transgenic over-expression of AtPP5 conferred enhanced heat shock resistance to wild-type A. thaliana and a T-DNA insertion knock-out mutant was defective in acquired thermotolerance. A recombinant phosphatase mutant (H290N) showed markedly increased holdase chaperone activity. ? In addition, enhanced thermotolerance was observed in transgenic plants over-expressing H290N, which suggests that the holdase chaperone activity of AtPP5 is primarily responsible for AtPP5-mediated thermotolerance. ? Collectively, the results from this study provide the first evidence that AtPP5 performs multiple enzymatic activities that are mediated by conformational changes induced by heat-shock stress.     

Bacteriocinogenic properties and in vitro probiotic potential of enterococci from Tunisian dairy products

The aim of this study was to isolate new bacteriocinogenic strains with putative probiotic potential from various Tunisian fermented milks. A total of 44 Gram-positive catalase-negative isolates were colony-purified and screened for antimicrobial activity. Of inhibitory isolates, four were identified as Enterococcus durans and one as Enterococcus faecalis using 16S rRNA gene sequence. The five strains were sensitive to penicillin G, all aminoglycosides tested, to the vancomycin, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol, and E. durans 42G and E. faecalis 61B were resistant to erythromycin. The antimicrobial substances were sensitive to proteolytic enzymes and had good biochemical stability. E. durans 61A showed a good resistance to gastric and small intestinal secretions, but were more sensitive to the duodenal conditions. Considering the safety and the stability under simulated gastrointestinal tract, it appears that the bacteriocinogenic strain E. durans 61A is a good candidate for its application as novel probiotic strain in the food industry.     

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Diagnosis of Metastatic Lymph Nodes in a Rabbit Model: Efficacy of PJY10, a New Ultrasmall Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Agent,with Monodisperse Iron Oxide Core and Multiple-Interaction Ligands

Background

Accurate diagnosis of lymph node metastasis is crucial in treatment planning for cancer patients. Despite the use of various parameters, making correct diagnosis of a small metastatic or a hyperplastic benign node is still a challenge. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of detecting lymph node metastasis using a new ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide particle, PJY10, in a rabbit model.

Methods

To make metastatic and benign lymph nodes, either VX2 carcinoma or fecal material suspension was inoculated into thighs of 56 rabbits three weeks or three days before magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, respectively. T2*-weighted 3T MR imaging was performed before and 24 hours after PJY10 injection (5.2 [n = 15], 7.8 [n = 17], and 10.4 [n = 24] mg Fe/kg). MR images were correlated with pathologic results to calculate sensitivity and specificity. Quantitative analysis of the signal intensity (SI) – number of voxels_[low] (the fraction of the number of voxels with the normalized SI on the postcontrast image lower than that on the precontrast image) and mean SI ratio – was also performed for each lymph node.

Results

Sensitivities were 100% at all three dosages, whereas specificity increased with increasing dosage (89% at 10.4 mg Fe/kg). The benign nodes had a significantly higher number of voxels_[low] and a lower mean SI ratio than the metastatic nodes at the dosage of 10.4 mg Fe/kg (P<.001). Az values were 0.905 for the number of voxels_[low] and 0.952 for the mean SI ratio. The number of voxels_[low] (P = .019) and the mean SI ratio (P = .034) had significant correlations with the histopathologic area ratio of metastatic foci in the metastatic nodes at 10.4 mg Fe/kg.

Conclusions

PJY10 enabled clear demonstration of lymph node metastasis with high sensitivity and specificity at its optimal dosage of 10.4 mg Fe/kg.     

Generation of GGTA1 biallelic knockout pigs via zinc-finger nucleases and somatic cell nuclear transfer

Genetically modified pigs are valuable models of human disease and donors of xenotransplanted organs.Conventional gene targeting in pig somatic cells is extremely inefficient.Zinc-finger nuclease(ZFN)technology has been shown to be a powerful tool for efficiently inducing mutations in the genome.However,ZFN-mediated targeting in pigs has rarely been achieved.Here,we used ZFNs to knock out the porcineα-1,3-galactosyl-transferase(GGTA1)gene,which generates Gal epitopes that trigger hyperacute immune rejection in pig-to-human transplantation.Primary pig fibroblasts were transfected with ZFNs targeting the coding region of GGTA1.Eighteen mono-allelic and four biallelic knockout cell clones were obtained after drug selection with efficiencies of 23.4%and 5.2%,respectively.The biallelic cells were used to produce cloned pigs via somatic cell nuclear transfer(SCNT).Three GGTA1 null piglets were born,and one knockout primary fibroblast cell line was established from a cloned fetus.Gal epitopes on GGTA1 null pig cells were completely eliminated from the cell membrane.Functionally,GGTA1 knockout cells were protected from complement-mediated immune attacks when incubated with human serum.This study demonstrated that ZFN is an efficient tool in creating gene-modified pigs.GGTA1 null pigs and GGTA1 null fetal fibroblasts would benefit research and pig-to-human transplantation.     

Induction of Autophagy in the Striatum and Hypothalamus of Mice after 835 MHz Radiofrequency Exposure

The extensive use of wireless mobile phones and associated communication devices has led to increasing public concern about potential biological health-related effects of the exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs). EMFs emitted by a mobile phone have been suggested to influence neuronal functions in the brain and affect behavior. However, the affects and phenotype of EMFs exposure are unclear. We applied radiofrequency (RF) of 835 MHz at a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 4.0 W/kg for 5 hours/day for 4 and 12 weeks to clarify the biological effects on mouse brain. Interestingly, microarray data indicated that a variety of autophagic related genes showed fold-change within small range after 835 MHz RF exposure. qRT-PCR revealed significant up-regulation of the autophagic genes Atg5, LC3A and LC3B in the striatum and hypothalamus after a 12-week RF. In parallel, protein expression of LC3B-II was also increased in both brain regions. Autophagosomes were observed in the striatum and hypothalamus of RF-exposed mice, based on neuronal transmission electron microscopy. Taken together, the results indicate that RF exposure of the brain can induce autophagy in neuronal tissues, providing insight into the protective mechanism or adaptation to RF stress.