Detoxification of ochratoxin A,a food contaminant: Prevention of growth of Aspergillus ochraceus and its production of ochratoxin A

The toxicity of ochratoxin A (OTA), a mycotoxin produced by fungi ofAspergillus orPenicillium genera is now well documented. Its nephrotoxicity, immunosuppression, teratogenicity, and carcinogenicity have been widely studied. Physical and biochemical methods have been studied to prevent these toxinogenicAspergillus andPenicillium from producing OTA, and/or to destroy the mycotoxin when already produced in a liquid or a solid medium. Repeated freezing at ? 20?C and thawing at + 26?C aleatory reduce OTA production in a liquid medium. Exposure to UV B for different periods of time is efficient in preventing OTA production in a liquid medium. Gamma-irradiation from 2 to 5 kGy gives good results in preventing the production of OTA or destroying it when already produced. Carboxypeptidase is very efficient at 5 units/50 ml in a liquid medium for cleaving the OTA already produced.     

Epidemiology of congenital heart disease in Louisiana: an association between race and sex and the prevalence of specific cardiac malformations.

We hypothesized that susceptibility to the genetic and environmental factors that disrupt cardiac development is associated with race and sex. To evaluate this hypothesis, we asked whether the prevalence of specific cardiac malformations differs by race and sex. We attempted to include all infants born alive in the State of Louisiana from January 1, 1988, through December 31, 1989, and diagnosed by echocardiography, catheterization and/or autopsy within a year of birth as having one of ten specific cardiac malformations. The prevalence of atrioventricular canal defects (AVCD) per 1,000 live births was significantly higher for black females (.744) compared to black males (.198) and for white females (.414) compared to white males (.116). Complete transposition of the great arteries (TGA) was significantly higher for white males (.559) compared to white females (.122); in contrast, TGA was not significantly different for black males (.198) and black females (.169). Obstructive left heart syndrome (OLHS)--aortic stenosis and/or coarctation of the aorta--was significantly higher for white males (.652) compared to white females (.317); in contrast, OLHS was not significantly different for black males (.264) and black females (.169). Single ventricle (SV) was significantly higher for whites (.202) compared to blacks (.067). We did not find that race and sex were associated with differences in the prevalence of tetralogy of Fallot and hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The numbers of infants with anomalous pulmonary venous return, tricuspid atresia, double outlet right ventricle, or truncus arteriosus were too small to measure an association with race and sex. These results demonstrate that the prevalence of a subset of cardiac malformations differs by race and sex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The role of fish-poultry integration on fish growth performance,yields and economic benefits among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa,Tanzania

Aquaculture practices from sub-Saharan Africa are characterised by low production, owing to improper technology. Production can be increased through integrating fish farming with other existing on-farm activities, particularly livestock husbandry. We assessed the role of fish-poultry integration on all male Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus growth performance, yields and economic benefits among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, Tanzania. The study also compared phytoplankton species composition, abundance and biomass between the fish-poultry integration and non-integrated system. After 180 days of the experiment, all male O. niloticus cultured under fish-poultry integration exhibited significantly higher growth rates than those in the non-integrated system (p < 0.05). Gross fish yield (GFY), net fish yield (NFY) and net annual yields (NAY) obtained from fish-poultry integration were significantly higher than those from non-integrated system (p < 0.05). Partial enterprise budget analysis revealed that fish-poultry integration was more profitable than the non-integrated system. Moreover, fish-poultry integrated system produced significantly higher phytoplankton abundance and biomass than those from the non-integrated system. Results demonstrate that rural smallholder farmers can achieve higher growth rate, farm net yields and income by integrating all male O. niloticus with other on-farm activities than practising a stand-alone fish culture system.     

S-Nitrosothiol measurements in biological systems

S-Nitrosothiol (SNO) cysteine modifications are regulated signaling reactions that dramatically affect, and are affected by, protein conformation. The lability of the SNO bond can make SNO-modified proteins cumbersome to measure accurately. Here, we review methodologies for detecting SNO modifications in biology. There are three caveats. (1) Many assays for biological SNOs are used near the limit of detection: standard curves must be in the biologically relevant concentration range. (2) The assays that are most reliable are those that modify SNO protein or peptide chemistry the least. (3) Each result should be quantitatively validated using more than one assay. Improved assays are needed and are in development.     

NO means no and yes: regulation of cell signaling by protein nitrosylation

Protein nitrosylation is emerging as a key mechanism by which nitric oxide regulates cell signaling. Nitrosylation is the binding of a NO group to a metal or thiol (-SH) on a peptide or protein. Like phosphorylation, nitrosylation is a precisely targeted and rapidly reversible posttranslational modification that allows cells to flexibly and specifically respond to changes in their environment. An increasing number of proteins have been identified whose activity is regulated by intracellular nitrosylation. This review focuses on proteins regulated by endogenous nitrosylation, the chemistry underlying nitrosylation, the specificity and reversibility of nitrosylation reactions, methods to detect protein nitrosylation, and the role of coordinated protein nitrosylation/denitrosylation in cell signaling.     

Nuclear gene trees and the phylogenetic relationships of the mangabeys (Primates: Papionini)

Phylogenetic relationships of mangabeys within the Old World monkey tribe Papionini are inferred from analyses of nuclear DNA sequences from five unlinked loci. The following conclusions are strongly supported, based on congruence among trees derived for the five separate gene regions: (1) mangabeys are polyphyletic within the Papionini; (2) Cercocebus is the sister taxon to the genus Mandrillus; and (3) Lophocebus belongs to a clade with Papio and Theropithecus, with Papio as its most likely sister taxon. Morphologically based phylogenies positing mangabey monophyly were evaluated by mapping the sequences for each locus on these trees. The data seem to fit these trees poorly in both maximum-parsimony and likelihood analyses. Incongruence among nuclear gene trees occurred in the interrelationships among Lophocebus, Papio, and Theropithecus. Several factors that may account for this incongruence are discussed, including sampling error, random lineage sorting, and introgression.      

The Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen leader protein associates with hsp72/hsc73.

Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen leader protein (EBNA-LP) is important for primary B-lymphocyte growth transformation. We now demonstrate that the W repeat-encoded domain of EBNA-LP significantly associates with proteins of the heat shock protein 70 family (hsp72/hsc73). hsp72/hsc73 may mediate the previously observed interaction between EBNA-LP and the retinoblastoma protein or p53.