75 research outputs found
Lysozyme activity in the plasma of rodents infected with their homologous trypanosomes
BACKGROUND
In this study the concentration of lysozyme in blood plasma of Microtus agrestis, Clethrinomys glareolus, Apodemus sylvaticus, BK rats and outbred white mice before and after infection with culture forms of Trypanosoma microti, T, evotomys, T. grosi, T. lewisi and T. musculi respectively was measured.
METHODS
Blood samples of rodents, Microtus agrestis, Clethrionomys glareolus, Apodemus sylvaticus, BK rats and outbred mice infected with T. microti, T. evotomys, T. grosi, T. lewisi and T. musculi respectively were collected in heparinized micro- tubes immediately before inoculation and 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 96 and more than 400 days after intra- perituneal inoculation with 5Ă—10(5)of their homologous trypanosome parasites of which more than half were metacyclic trypomastigote in 0.2 ml of culture medium. Micro- tubes were centrifuged and plasma samples were separated and the lysozyme activity was measured by the agar method.
RESULTS
Levels of lysozyme rose rapidly three to six days after the inoculation to ten to twenty than their pre- infection levels. They then gradually decreased, although after more than one year they were still two to ten folds higher than controls. The highest level measured occurred in rats infected with T. lewisi and the lowest in A. sylvaticus infected with T. grosi. After one year the highest concentration of lysozyme was in mice infected with T. musculi and lowest in A. sylvaticus.
CONCLUSION
Persistent enhanced lysozyme levels may prevent re- infection with trypanosomes
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On the design workflow of auxetic metamaterials for structural applications
Auxetic metamaterials exhibit an unexpected behaviour of a negative Poisson's ratio, meaning they expand transversely when stretched longitudinally. This behaviour is generated predominantly due to the way individual elements of an auxetic lattice are structured. These structures are gaining interest in a wide variety of applications such as energy absorption, sensors, smart filters, vibration isolation and medical etc. Their potential could be further exploited by the use of additive manufacturing. Currently there is a lack of guidance on how to design these structures. This paper highlights state-of-the-art in auxetic metamaterials and its commonly used unit-cell types. It further explores the design approaches used in the literature on creating auxetic lattices for different applications and proposes, for the first time, a workflow comprising design, simulation and testing of auxetic structures. This workflow provides guidance on the design process for using auxetic metamaterials in structural applications
Aerobic bacterial flora of biotic and abiotic compartments of a hyperendemic Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ZCL) focus
Lutzomyia longipalpis Antimicrobial Peptides: Differential Expression during Development and Potential Involvement in Vector Interaction with Microbiota and Leishmania
Malaria in pregnancy; proceedings of a workshop held in Liverpool in September 1998, at the Second European Congress on Tropical Medicine
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