389 research outputs found
Use of an experimental high-magnesium tall fescue to reduce grass tetany in cattle
Grass tetany (hypomagnesemia) continues to be a problem
for the livestock industry. An experimental cultivar of tall fescue
(Festuca arundinacea Shreb.) selected for high Mg concentration,
HiMag, was compared against four other cultivars for
its ability to increase serum-Mg and reduce the risk of grass
tetany. Forage from HiMag contained 22% more Mg, 183%
more Ca, and 9% more P than other cultivars; K levels were
not different. Regardless of cultivar, concentrations of Ca and
Mg were lower while K and P were higher during the spring
than the autumn. The tetany ratio IK/(Ca + Mg) on basis]
was lower for HiMag than for other cultivars (1.34 vs. 1.65); all
cultivars had a higher ratio during spring than autumn (1.91
vs. 1.31). In cattle (Bos taurus) grazing trials, blood serum from
steers grazing HiMag contained 8% more Mg in autumn 1993
but was not different in spring 1994. Blood serum Mg was not
different for cows (either dry or nursing calves) during autumn
grazing, but approached significance (P = 0.09) during the
spring 1995 calving season (2.32 vs. 2.07 mg/dL for HiMag
vs. other cultivars). Except for differences between calves on
HiMag compared with Kentucky-31 in autumn 1995 (58 vs. 43
lb, respectively), animal weight change was not affected by cultivar.
Normal forage Mg concentrations (>0.20%) and tetany
ratios below 2.2 for all cultivars in every season except spring
1995 may explain the lack of consistent animal response. No
clinical symptoms of grass tetany were observed at any time
during these studies. However, the higher Mg concentration
and lower tetany ratio suggest that HiMag could provide a
means of reducing the incidence of grass tetany in livestock
during periods when risk of the disorder is high
Lentiviral shRNA knock-down of ADAMTS-5 and-9 restores matrix deposition in 3D chondrocyte culture
Aggrecan is one of the two major constituents of articular cartilage, and during diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA) it is subject to degradation by proteolytic enzymes. The primary proteases responsible for aggrecan cleavage are the aggrecanases, identified as members of the ADAMTS family of proteases, which are upregulated in response to inflammatory stimuli. It is uncertain which of the six aggrecanases (ADAMTS‐1, ‐4, ‐5, ‐8, ‐9 and ‐15) are primarily responsible for the degradation of aggrecan in human cartilage. Here we show that four of the six aggrecanases are expressed in immortalized chondrocyte cell‐lines and can be upregulated in response to inflammatory cytokines. Using RNA interference, we demonstrate robust knock‐down of ADAMTS‐5 and ‐9 expression in these cells and, by culturing them on three‐dimensional (3D) scaffolds, show that reduction in expression of ADAMTS‐5 enzyme results in an increase in matrix deposition. These data suggest that the quality of tissue‐engineered cartilage matrix might be improved by targeted depletion of aggrecanase expression. Moreover, this work also provides further evidence that ADAMTS‐5 may be a therapeutic target in the treatment of arthritic disease
Two evolved supernova remnants with newly identified Fe-rich cores in the Large Magellanic Cloud*
Aims. We present a multi-wavelength analysis of the evolved supernova remnants MCSNR J0506−7025 and MCSNR J0527−7104 in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Methods. We used observational data from XMM-Newton, the Australian Telescope Compact Array, and the Magellanic Cloud Emission Line Survey to study their broad-band emission and used Spitzer and H i data to gain a picture of the environment into which the remnants are expanding. We performed a multi-wavelength morphological study and detailed radio and X-ray spectral analyses to determine their physical characteristics.
Results. Both remnants were found to have bright X-ray cores, dominated by Fe L-shell emission, which is consistent with reverse shock-heated ejecta with determined Fe masses in agreement with Type Ia explosion yields. A soft X-ray shell, which is consistent with swept-up interstellar medium, was observed in MCSNR J0506−7025, suggestive of a remnant in the Sedov phase. Using the spectral fit results and the Sedov self-similar solution, we estimated the age of MCSNR J0506−7025 to be ~16−28 kyr, with an initial explosion energy of (0.07−0.84) × 1051 erg. A soft shell was absent in MCSNR J0527−7104, with only ejecta emission visible in an extremely elongated morphology that extends beyond the optical shell. We suggest that the blast wave has broken out into a low density cavity, allowing the shock heated ejecta to escape. We find that the radio spectral index of MCSNR J0506−7025 is consistent with the standard −0.5 for supernova remnants. Radio polarisation at 6 cm indicates a higher degree of polarisation along the western front and at the eastern knot with a mean fractional polarisation across the remnant of P ≅ (20 ± 6)%.
Conclusions. The detection of Fe-rich ejecta in the remnants suggests that both resulted from Type Ia explosions. The newly identified Fe-rich cores in MCSNR J0506−7025 and MCSNR J0527−7104 make them members of the expanding class of evolved Fe-rich remnants in the Magellanic Clouds
Childhood IQ and cardiovascular disease in adulthood: prospective observational study linking the Scottish Mental Survey 1932 and the Midspan studies
This study investigated the influence of childhood IQ on the relationships between risk factors and cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke in adulthood. Participants were from the Midspan prospective cohort studies which were conducted on adults in Scotland in the 1970s. Data on risk factors were collected from a questionnaire and at a screening examination, and participants were followed up for 25 years for hospital admissions and mortality. 938 Midspan participants were successfully matched with their age 11 IQ from the Scottish Mental Survey 1932, in which 1921-born children attending schools in Scotland took a cognitive ability test. Childhood IQ was negatively correlated with diastolic and systolic blood pressure, and positively correlated with height and respiratory function in adulthood. For each of CVD, CHD and stroke, defined as either a hospital admission or death, there was an increased relative rate per standard deviation decrease (15 points) in childhood IQ of 1.11 (95% confidence interval 1.01-1.23), 1.16 (1.03-1.32) and 1.10 (0.88-1.36) respectively. With events divided into those first occurring before and those first occurring after the age of 65, the relationships between childhood IQ and CVD, CHD and stroke were only seen before age 65 and not after age 65. Blood pressure, height, respiratory function and smoking were associated with CVD events. Relationships were stronger in the early compared to the later period for smoking and FEV1, and stronger in the later compared to the earlier period for blood pressure. Adjustment for childhood IQ had small attenuating effects on the risk factor-CVD relationship before age 65 and no effects after age 65. Adjustment for risk factors attenuated the childhood IQ-CVD relationship by a small amount before age 65. Childhood IQ was associated with CVD risk factors and events and can be considered an important new risk factor
Registration of HiMag Tall Fescue Germplasm
HiMag (Reg. no. GP-79, PI 615587) tall fescue (Festuca
arundinacea Schreb.) was developed and released by the Missouri
Agricultural Experiment Station and the USDA-ARS
in 1997. HiMag has relatively high Mg and Ca concentrations
and low tetany ratio [K/(Ca + Mg)] expressed as moles of
charge.
Parental germplasm for the Co cycle of selection for HiMag
included 950 plants from 'Kenhy' (Buckner et al., 1977), 831
plants from 'Kentucky-31', and 688 plants from `Missouri-96'
(Asay et al., 1979). All plants were endophyte free [ Neotyphodium
coenophialum (Morgan-Jones and Gams) Glenn, Bacon,
and Hanlin comb. nov.]. Parental plants were transplanted to
the field near Columbia, MO, in the fall of 1983. The soil was
a Mexico silt loam (a fine, montmorillonitic, mesic Udollic
Ochraqualf) with a pH of 6.4. Selection was applied against
crown rust (caused by Puccinia coronata Corda. var. coronata),
leaving 1011 plants which were harvested in the fall of
1984 and analyzed for elemental concentrations of Mg, Ca,
K, and the tetany ratio. Sixty-five plants (11 from Kentucky-
31, 54 from Missouri-96, and 0 from Kenhy) were chosen to
generate the C1 cycle of selection. These 65 plants contained
5.0 to 7.0 g kg-1 Mg, 5.0 to 10.2 g kg' Ca, 20 to 33 g K,
and had K/(Ca + Mg) values of 0.61 to 0.99. These were
allowed to open-pollinate in the greenhouse during the winter
of 1985/86. Harvested seeds were germinated in the greenhouse
and seedlings were transplanted to the field in the fall
of 1986. During the fall of 1987 approximately 1000 plants
were analyzed from the CI cycle to determine elemental concentrations
of Mg, Ca, K, and the tetany ratio. Forty-six plants
chosen for the C2 contained 4.4 to 6.1 g kg -' Mg, 5.5 to 8.1 g
kg-' Ca, 17.2 to 30.9 g kg' K, and had tetany ratios of 1.06
to 2.13. These were allowed to open-pollinate in the greenhouse
in the winter of 1988-1989. Approximately 1000 seedlings
were transplanted to the field having areas of Creldon
silt loam (Mollic Fragiudalf) and Hobert silt loam (Umbric
Fragiaqualf) at the Southwest Research Center, located near
Mt. Vernon, MO, in the fall of 1989. In the summer of 1990,
seed was harvested from these spaced plants and planted into
an irrigated Portneuf silt loam soil (Durinodic Xeric Haplocalcid)
to establish a seed increase block at Kimberly, ID, in
April 1991. In 1992, seed from HiMag was harvested with the
following characteristics: 1635 kg ha-1, 400 seeds g-1, 2.5 g
1000 seeds-1, and 302 kg m-3
Overlapping regions of Caf20 mediate its interactions with the mRNA-5′cap-binding protein eIF4E and with ribosomes
By interacting with the mRNA 5′ cap, the translation initiation factor eIF4E plays a critical role in selecting mRNAs for protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells. Caf20 is a member of the family of proteins found across eukaryotes termed 4E-BPs, which compete with eIF4G for interaction with eIF4E. Caf20 independently interacts with ribosomes. Thus, Caf20 modulates the mRNA selection process via poorly understood mechanisms. Here we performed unbiased mutagenesis across Caf20 to characterise which regions of Caf20 are important for interaction with eIF4E and with ribosomes. Caf20 binding to eIF4E is entirely dependent on a canonical motif shared with other 4E-BPs. However, binding to ribosomes is weakened by mutations throughout the protein, suggesting an extended binding interface that partially overlaps with the eIF4E-interaction region. By using chemical crosslinking, we identify a potential ribosome interaction region on the ribosome surface that spans both small and large subunits and is close to a known interaction site of eIF3. The function of ribosome binding by Caf20 remains unclear
The Magnetic Field of the Solar Corona from Pulsar Observations
We present a novel experiment with the capacity to independently measure both
the electron density and the magnetic field of the solar corona. We achieve
this through measurement of the excess Faraday rotation due to propagation of
the polarised emission from a number of pulsars through the magnetic field of
the solar corona. This method yields independent measures of the integrated
electron density, via dispersion of the pulsed signal and the magnetic field,
via the amount of Faraday rotation. In principle this allows the determination
of the integrated magnetic field through the solar corona along many lines of
sight without any assumptions regarding the electron density distribution. We
present a detection of an increase in the rotation measure of the pulsar
J18012304 of approximately 160 \rad at an elongation of 0.95 from
the centre of the solar disk. This corresponds to a lower limit of the magnetic
field strength along this line of sight of . The lack of
precision in the integrated electron density measurement restricts this result
to a limit, but application of coronal plasma models can further constrain this
to approximately 20mG, along a path passing 2.5 solar radii from the solar
limb. Which is consistent with predictions obtained using extensions to the
Source Surface models published by Wilcox Solar ObservatoryComment: 16 pages, 4 figures (1 colour): Submitted to Solar Physic
Ventral Hernia Repairs: 10 year Single Institution Review at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Abstract
Background Definitive repair of recurrent ventral hernias using abdominal wall reconstruction techniques is an essential tool in the armentarium for general and plastic surgeons. Ramirez 1 et al describes the “component separation” technique to mobilize the rectus-abdominus internal oblique and external oblique flap to correct the defect. The recurrence rate of incisional hernias increases to 20% after gastric bypass or extensive weight loss.2 The incidence of ventral hernias after failed recurrent hernia repair increases to 40%.3 It has been reported that utilizing the sliding myofascial flap repair technique, the recurrence rate was reduced to 8.5%.4
Materials and Methods This retrospective institutional study reviews 10 years of myofascial flap reconstruction 1996-2006 at TJUH. Several techniques and prosthetic materials (alloderm, permacol, vicryl, composix) were used in our institutional review by multiple surgeons in this time period. Our goal is to identify risk factors (i.e. smoking, diabetes, obesity, size of defect, peripheral vascular disease, enterocutaneous fistula, infection) that predict or categorize patients that are at increased risk for failure of primary repair, measure the complication rates (i.e. infection, recurrence, seroma, hematoma) and evaluate the techniques and long term effectiveness of several prosthetic materials.
Results Three thousand twenty ventral hernia repairs were performed at TJUH between 1996 and 2006. Two thousand three hundred eighty three approximated the rectus abdominus primarily and of these 645 utilized a component separation technique. The recurrence rate for component separations was 18.5% and 83% for primary repairs. The average follow up was 5.49 years. Statistically significant risk factors (p\u3c0.05) for recurrence were obesity (BMI\u3e30 kg/m2), age\u3e65 years, male gender, preoperative infection and postoperative seroma.
Conclusion Myofascial flaps are a safe, reliable therapy for recurrent ventral hernias that addresses the population of patients that have failed conventional primary closure and reduce the recurrence rates greater than 40 percent to 18.5 percent in the carefully selected patient population
Epidemiologic situation of bovine brucellosis in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil
Caracterizou-se a brucelose bovina em Mato Grosso por meio de um estudo transversal realizado em 2003 para auxiliar na implementação do Programa Nacional de Controle e Erradicação da Brucelose e Tuberculose. No Estado, estratificado em quatro circuitos pecuários, foram amostrados 13.684 animais, provenientes de 1.152 rebanhos. O protocolo de testes utilizado foi o da triagem com o teste do antígeno acidificado tamponado e os soros reagentes foram testados pelo 2-mercaptoetanol (ME) e concomitantemente retestados pelo teste de Rosa Bengala para resultado conclusivo. As prevalências de focos e de animais infectados foram: 41,2% [38,0-44,4%] e 10,2% [7,4-13,1%], respectivamente. Nos circuitos produtivos, as prevalências de focos foram 36,9% [29,2-45,2%], 27,2% [22,8-32,1%], 40,4% [38,8-46,2%] e 50,3% [44,5-56,1%]; e as prevalências de animais 7,9% [3,0-12,9%], 4,1% [2,8-5,4%], 8,1% [5,2-11,1%] e 15,3% [9,2-21,3%], respectivamente, para os circuitos 1, 2, 3 e 4. Os fatores de risco (odds ratio, OR) associados à condição de foco no Estado foram: exploração de gado de corte (OR= 1,8 [1,2-2,5]), exploração mista (OR=1,8 [1,2-2,7]), número de fêmeas no rebanho de 11 a 50 (OR=4,8 [1,1-20,8]), número de fêmeas no rebanho acima de 51 (OR=6,8 [1,6-29,0]), ocorrência de aborto (OR=1,7 [1,3-2,2]). A brucelose está homogeneamente distribuída no Estado, o que permite uniformidade de medidas sanitárias. Adicionalmente, sugere-se a intensificação da vacinação de fêmeas para todo o Estado. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTA study to characterize bovine brucellosis in the State of Mato Grosso was carried out in 2003 in order to support the implementation of the National Program for the Control and Eradication of Bovine Brucellosis. The State was divided into four productive regions, and 13,684 bovines from 1,152 herds were sampled. The serum samples were screened for antibodies to Brucella spp. by the Rose-Bengal test (RBT) and all RBT-positive sera were re-tested by the 2-mercaptoethanol test (2-ME), and again by RBT for confirmation. The prevalence of infected herds and animals in the State of Mato Grosso were 41.2% [38.0-44.4%] and 10.2% [7.4-13.1%], respectively. In the productive regions, the prevalence of infected herds were 36.9% [29.2-45.2%], 27.2% [22.8-32.1%], 40.4% [38.8-46.2%], and 50.3% [44.5-56.1%], respectively; and the prevalence of infected animals were 7.9% [3.0-12.9%], 4.1% [2.8-5.4%], 8.1% [5.2-11.1%], and 15.3% [9.2-21.3%], respectively, for regions 1, 2, 3, and 4. The risk factors (odds ratio, OR) associated with the presence of the infection in the State were: beef cattle farming (OR=1.8 [1.2-2.5]), mixed (beef and dairy) cattle farming (OR=1.8 [1.2-2.7]), farms with 11 to 50 females (OR=4.8 [1.1-20.8]), farms with more than 51 females (OR=6.8 [1.6-29.0]), and occurrence of abortion (OR=1.7 [1.3-2.2]). Given that brucellosis is homogeneously distributed in the State, uniform sanitary measures might be adopted. As a homogeneous additional measure for the State, the intensification of female vaccination is suggested
Epidemiological situation of bovine brucellosis in the State of São Paulo, Brazil
Realizou-se um estudo para caracterizar a situação epidemiológica da brucelose bovina no Estado de São Paulo. O Estado foi estratificado em sete circuitos produtores de bovinos, e 150 rebanhos com atividade reprodutiva foram aleatoriamente selecionados em cada um deles. No total, foram amostrados 1.073 rebanhos. Foram aletoriamente coletadas amostras de soro de 10 ou 15 fêmeas bovinas com idade ³24 meses, totalizando 8.761 animais. Os soros foram submetidos a um protocolo de testes em série, tendo o teste do antígeno acidificado tamponado como método de triagem e o da fixação de complemento como confirmatório. A prevalência estimada de rebanhos com pelo menos um animal soropositivo foi de 9,7% [7,8-11,6%], enquanto a prevalência estimada de animais soropositivos foi de 3,8% [0,7-6,9%], no Estado. Em cada rebanho foi aplicado um questionário epidemiológico para avaliar o grau de associação de possíveis fatores de risco (odds ratio, OR) com a doença. Propriedades com 87 ou mais bovinos (OR= 2,25) e compra de reprodutores (OR= 1,56) foram as variáveis mais associadas à condição de foco de brucelose. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ARQUIVOA study to characterize the epidemiological situation of bovine brucellosis in the State of São Paulo was carried out. The state was stratified in seven cattle production regions and 150 herds with reproductive activity were randomly selected within each one. A total of 1,073 herds were sampled. In a second stage, 10 or 15 cows older than 24 month age (in herds with <100 cows and herds ≥100 cows, respectively) were bled at random. A total of 8,761 animals were bled. Sera were tested using a serial testing procedure with the Rose Bengal test as the screening method and the Complement Fixation as the confirmatory method. The estimated prevalence of herds with at least one positive animal was 9.7% [7.8-11.6%], whereas the estimated prevalence of positive cattle was 3.8% [0.7-6.9%] in São Paulo State. An epidemiological questionnaire was applied in each farm, allowing the evaluation of the association of selected risk factors with the disease. The characteristics associated with the brucellosis infected herds were farms with more than 87 bovines (OR= 2.25) and introduction of breeding cattle (OR= 1.56)
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