Deletion of the Gene for the Type I Interferon Inhibitor I329L from the Attenuated African Swine Fever Virus OURT88/3 Strain Reduces Protection Induced in Pigs

Live attenuated vaccines are considered to be the fastest route to the development of a safe and efficacious African swine fever (ASF) vaccine. Infection with the naturally attenuated OURT88/3 strain induces protection against challenge with virulent isolates from the same or closely related genotypes. However, adverse clinical signs following immunisation have been observed. Here, we attempted to increase the OURT88/3 safety profile by deleting I329L, a gene previously shown to inhibit the host innate immune response. The resulting virus, OURT88/3ΔI329L, was tested in vitro to evaluate the replication and expression of type I interferon (IFN) and in vivo by immunisation and lethal challenge experiments in pigs. No differences were observed regarding replication; however, increased amounts of both IFN-β and IFN-α were observed in macrophages infected with the deletion mutant virus. Unexpectedly, the deletion of I329L markedly reduced protection against challenge with the virulent OURT88/1 isolate. This was associated with a decrease in both antibody levels against VP72 and the number of IFN-γ-producing cells in the blood of non-protected animals. Furthermore, a significant increase in IL-10 levels in serum was observed in pigs immunised with OURT88/3ΔI329L following challenge. Interestingly, the deletion of the I329L gene failed to attenuate the virulent Georgia/2007 isolate.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Penyalahgunaan dadah dalam kalangan kanak-kanak jalanan di Sabah

No Abstrac

Optimization of production, biochemical characterization and In Vitro evaluation of the therapeutic potential of fibrinolytic enzymes from a new Bacillus Amyloliquefaciens

The capacity of fibrinolytic enzymes to degrade blood clots makes them of high relevance in medicine and in the pharmaceutical industry. In this work, forty-three microorganisms of the genus Bacillus were evaluated for their potential to produce fibrinolytic proteases. Thirty bacteria were confirmed as producers of fibrinolytic enzymes, the best results obtained for the strain Bacillus amyloliquefaciens UFPEDA 485. The optimization of the enzyme production conditions was done by a central composite design (CCD) star 23 that allowed to define the optimal conditions for soybean flour and glucose concentrations and agitation rate. The highest fibrinolytic activity (FA) of 813 U mL-1 and a degradation of blood clot in vitro of 62% were obtained in a medium with 2% (w/v) of soybean flour and 1% (w/v) glucose at 200 rpm after 48 h of cultivation, at pH 7.2 and 37 °C. The obtained fibrinolytic enzyme was characterized biochemically. Fibrinolytic activity was inhibited by PMSF (fluoride methylphenylsulfonyl - C7H7FO2S) 91.52% and EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid - C10H16N2O8) 89.4%, confirming to be a serine- metallo protease. The optimum pH and temperature were 7.0 and 37 oC, respectively, and the enzyme was stable for 12 h. The fibrinolytic activity at physiological conditions of this enzyme produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens UFPEDA 485, as well as its long term stability, demonstrate that it has suitable characteristics for human and veterinary applications, and promises to be a powerful drug for the treatment of vascular diseases.We express our thanks to Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level Education Personnel (CAPES) - Doctoral Sandwich Program (PDSE) Nº 0259/ 12-8 and National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) - Nº 202026/2011-6 for the financial support

NOTES ON RARE PLANTS FROM MADHYA PRADESH INDIA

Volume: 80Start Page: 665End Page: 66

New Orchid Records from Kerala State India

Volume: 75Start Page: 524End Page: 52

Pengaruh lokus kawalan dan kebimbangan terhadap kesunyian: penghargaan kendiri sebagai perantara

Tujuan utama kajian ini adalah untuk mengkaji pengaruh lokus kawalan dan kebimbangan terhadap kesunyian pelajar dan juga menggunakan penghargaan kendiri sebagai perantara. Jumlah responden yang terlibat ialah seramai 599 orang pelajar tahun pertama yang berada di kampus Universiti Malaysia Sabah dan mengikuti pembelajaran secara sepenuh masa dengan min umur 19.99 tahun. Kajian adalah berbentuk tinjauan dengan menggunakan soal selidik The Anxiety Questionnaire, Locus of Control of Behaviour Scale, The Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale dan The University California (UCLA) Los Angeles Scale. Analisis data dibuat menggunakan perisian Statistical Package For Social Sciences (SPSS) versi ke 21. Keputusan kajian menunjukkan hanya lokus kawalan yang mempengaruhi kesunyian dan hanya lokus kawalan luaran yang mempengaruhi penghargaan kendiri. Kebimbangan turut mempengaruhi kesunyian dan penghargaan kendiri dalam varian yang kecil. Manakala penghargaan kendiri hanya berperanan sebagai perantara dalam hubungan antara lokus kawalan luaran dengan kesunyian sahaja dan tidak kepada kebimbangan

POEMS syndrome - A case for more aggressive treatment

Annals of the Academy of Medicine Singapore366435-437AAMS

Optimistik, kecekapan kendiri umum dan afek positif sebagai peramal kebahagiaan remaja miskin

Kebahagiaan merupakan salah satu fokus yang ditekankan dalam bidang psikologi positif dan menjadi nilai utama setiap individu. Optimistik, kecekapan kendiri umum dan afek positif adalah konstruk kekuatan dalaman positif yang boleh meningkatkan kebahagiaan. Hidup dalam kemiskinan pula menjadi faktor yang boleh menjejaskan kebahagiaan. Kajian ini dijalankan ke atas remaja miskin bertujuan untuk meneroka kebahagiaan melalui konstruk kekuatan dalaman, iaitu optimistik, kecekapan kendiri umum (inisiasi, usaha dan kegigihan) dan afek positif. Kajian berbentuk kuantitatif dijalankan ke atas 436 remaja miskin di Sabah di bawah pendapatan keluarga RM1,170 sebulan mengikut Paras Garis Kemiskinan Negeri Sabah. Alat kajian digunakan adalah Extended Life Orientation Test (ELOT) untuk mengukur optimistik, General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) mengukur kecekapan kendiri umum, Positive Affective and Negative Scale (PANAS) mengukur afek positif dan Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ) mengukur kebahagiaan. Analisis yang digunakan adalah teknik regresi mudah bagi mengkaji pengaruh menggunakan IBM SPSS Statistics 21.0. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahawa optimistik dan afek positif berkorelasi secara signifikan dan meramal kebahagiaan. Kecekapan kendiri umum didapati meramal kebahagiaan melalui dimensi inisiasi dan usaha, manakala dimensi kegigihan tidak berkorelasi secara signifikan. Hasil mendapati afek positif lebih meramal kebahagiaan remaja miskin dan diikuti dengan optimistik. Kecekapan kendiri umum (inisiasi dan usaha) meramal secara lemah kebahagiaan remaja miskin. Implikasi kajian ini adalah ke atas remaja miskin untuk mengetahui kekuatan dalaman diri positif boleh meningkatkan kebahagiaan walaupun hidup dalam kemiskinan

Emerging fields in the diagnostic and treatment modalities of epilepsy

Epilepsy is common worldwide and approximately 3% of the general population will experience a seizure at some point in their lives. Recent advances have led to better understanding of the pathophysiology of this condition at the micro- and macroscopic level. Developments have occurred in facets of the management of epilepsy ranging from the diagnosis to its treatment. Non-pharmacological treatments are being extensively studied and the opportunity to offer new and effective diagnostic and therapeutic options for patients with epilepsy is an exciting prospect.In this review, we discuss the emerging application of diagnostic methods including high frequency oscillations (HFO) and multi-modality techniques such as EEG-fMRI and magnetoencephalography co-registered to MRI. These allow us to simultaneously map the function and structure of the epileptic brain. We examine the utility of such tools to accurately identify the epileptogenic zone, particularly in non-lesional cases where standard imaging and diagnostic methods are not helpful. Results from some of these techniques have shed new light on the mechanisms of epileptogenesis.We also discuss novel therapeutic modalities including non-pharmacological methods such as deep brain stimulation and local ablative therapy in the management of medically refractory cases. © 2012 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved