Selenium Concentrations in Forages of a Northern Herbivore

The importance of adequate selenium in diets of native wild herbivores can only be inferred from data for beef cattle where minimum dietary concentrations range from 50 to 100 ppb. Concern about possible selenium deficiencies in wild herbivores is based on a few reports of symptoms in wildlife, a paucity of data on selenium in their forages, and the idea that excessive atmospheric sulfur may increase the incidence of selenium deficiencies in herbivores. Concentrations of selenium in sedges, Carex spp., and reedgrasses, Calamagrostis spp., the main food plants of bison, Bison bison, in northwestern Canada, varied from 9 to 800 ppb in samples collected at three lowlands locations. However, approximately three-quarters of all the samples of plant species consumed by bison were dietarily deficient by the beef cattle standard.Key words: Carex, Calamagrostis, bison, selenium concentrationMots clés: Carex, calamagrostis, bison, concentration de séléniu

Site-Specific Immunomodulator: A Novel Treatment for Crohn\u27s Disease

We investigated the mechanism of action, safety, and efficacy of the Site-Specific Immunomodulator (SSI) QBECO, a novel immunotherapy for Crohn’s disease (CD). Using human monocytic THP-1 cells, we demonstrate that SSI QBECO (derived from the common colon bacteria E. coli) activates macrophages to an M1 phenotype (associated with enhanced capacity to eliminate bacteria and activate innate immune responses). We assessed SSI QBECO in a compassionate use protocol of ten adult patients with active CD. Patients with moderate to severe clinical symptoms receiving conventional CD treatments and/or complementary therapies were included, except patients receiving anti-TNF medications. SSI QBECO was self-administered subcutaneously every second day, for a minimum of 2.5 months and a maximum of 11 months. All 10 patients reported improvement of symptoms while on the SSI QBECO treatment. Seven patients reported full resolution of clinical symptoms during a course of SSI QBECO of at least three months. Three patients have experienced ongoing sustained clinical remission after discontinuing all medications, including SSI treatment. The longest case of clinical remission is still ongoing (\u3e4 years). No serious severe adverse clinical events were reported. Collectively, we conclude that treatment with the immunoactive SSI QBECO was well tolerated and effective for treatment of Crohn’s disease in this case series

Nuclear Actin and Lamins in Viral Infections

Lamins are the best characterized cytoskeletal components of the cell nucleus that help to maintain the nuclear shape and participate in diverse nuclear processes including replication or transcription. Nuclear actin is now widely accepted to be another cytoskeletal protein present in the nucleus that fulfills important functions in the gene expression. Some viruses replicating in the nucleus evolved the ability to interact with and probably utilize nuclear actin for their replication, e.g., for the assembly and transport of capsids or mRNA export. On the other hand, lamins play a role in the propagation of other viruses since nuclear lamina may represent a barrier for virions entering or escaping the nucleus. This review will summarize the current knowledge about the roles of nuclear actin and lamins in viral infections