In vivo efficacy of carvacrol on Campylobacter jejuni prevalence in broiler chickens during an entire fattening period

Carvacrol, a primary constituent of plant essential oils (EOs), and its antimicrobial activity have been the subject of many in vitro studies. Due to an increasing demand for alternative antimicrobials and an emerging number of antibiotic resistant bacteria, the use of essential oils has played a major role in many recent approaches to reduce Campylobacter colonization in poultry before slaughter age. For that purpose, the reducing effect of carvacrol on Campylobacter jejuni prevalence in broilers was determined in vivo in an experimental broiler chicken model during an entire fattening period. Carvacrol was added to the feed in a concentration of 120 mg/kg feed four days post hatch until the end of the trial. In this study, we demonstrated a statistically significant decrease of C. jejuni counts by 1.17 decadic logarithm (log10) most probable number (MPN)/g in cloacal swabs during starter and grower periods (corresponding to a broilers age between 1 and 28 days). Similar results were observed for colon enumeration at the end of the trial where C. jejuni counts were significantly reduced by 1.25 log10 MPN/g. However, carvacrol did not successfully reduce Campylobacter cecal colonization in 33-day-old broilers

The Cell Membrane of a Novel Rhizobium phaseoli Strain Is the Crucial Target for Aluminium Toxicity and Tolerance

Soils with low pH and high aluminium (Al) contamination restrict common bean production, mainly due to adverse effects on rhizobia. We isolated a novel rhizobium strain, B3, from Kenyan soil which is more tolerant to Al stress than the widely used commercial strain CIAT899. B3 was resistant to 50 µM Al and recovered from 100 µM Al stress, while CIAT899 did not. Calcein labeling showed that less Al binds to the B3 membranes and less ATP and mScarlet-1 protein, a cytoplasmic marker, leaked out of B3 than CIAT899 cells in Al-containing media. Expression profiles showed that the primary targets of Al are genes involved in membrane biogenesis, metal ions binding and transport, carbohydrate, and amino acid metabolism and transport. The identified differentially expressed genes suggested that the intracellular γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutathione (GSH), and amino acid levels, as well as the amount of the extracellular exopolysaccharide (EPS), might change during Al stress. Altered EPS levels could also influence biofilm formation. Therefore, these parameters were investigated in more detail. The GABA levels, extracellular EPS production, and biofilm formation increased, while GSH and amino acid level decreased. In conclusion, our comparative analysis identified genes that respond to Al stress in R. phaseoli . It appears that a large portion of the identified genes code for proteins stabilizing the plasma membrane. These genes might be helpful for future studies investigating the molecular basis of Al tolerance and the characterization of candidate rhizobial isolates that perform better in Al-contaminated soils than commercial strains

Optimized culture conditions for tissue explants of uterine leiomyoma

Background: Uterine leiomyomas are the most common benign tumours in women, which arise from smooth muscle cells of the uterine myometrium and usually are multicentric. In spite of their frequency pathogenesis is widely unknown, mainly due to the absence of a suitable model system. We describe the systematic optimization of culturing leiomyoma tissue explants in an economical and effective ex vivo system. Methods: Different concentrations of oxygen, different media, sera, hormones, and growth factor supplements were tested. Immunohistochemical stainings with antibodies against hormone receptors as well as specifying proliferation and apoptotic indices and real-time PCR were performed. Results: Main parameters for culturing myoma tissue explants were tested for finding an optimal protocol. Standard medium D-MEM-F12 in combination with the use of horse serum in a reduced concentration of 1% turned out to be optimal for these tissue cultures as well as the addition of estradiol and epidermal growth factor EGF to media. Reduced oxygen content in the incubator air showed no positive effect. Conclusions: For culturing tissue explants of uterine leiomyoma several conditions were optimized. The established tissue culture model allows examining the effects of known and potential therapeutic substances and the influence of immune competent cells in the process of tumour formation to find new targets for medical treatmen

Civil Aircraft for the regular investigation of the atmosphere based on an instrumented container: The new CARIBIC system

An airfreight container with automated instruments for measurement of atmospheric gases and trace compounds was operated on a monthly basis onboard a Boeing 767-300 ER of LTU International Airways during long-distance flights from 1997 to 2002 (CARIBIC, Civil Aircraft for Regular Investigation of the Atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container, http://www.caribic-atmospheric.com). Subsequently a more advanced system has been developed, using a larger capacity container with additional equipment and an improved inlet system. CARIBIC phase #2 was implemented on a new long-range aircraft type Airbus A340-600 of the Lufthansa German Airlines (Star Alliance) in December 2004, creating a powerful flying observatory. The instrument package comprises detectors for the measurement of O3, total and gaseous H2O, NO and NOy, CO, CO2, O2, Hg, and number concentrations of sub-micrometer particles (>4 nm, >12 nm, and >18 nm diameter). Furthermore, an optical particle counter (OPC) and a proton transfer mass spectrometer (PTR-MS) are incorporated. Aerosol samples are collected for analysis of elemental composition and particle morphology after flight. Air samples are taken in glass containers for laboratory analyses of hydrocarbons, halocarbons and greenhouse gases (including isotopic composition of CO2) in several laboratories. Absorption tubes collect oxygenated volatile organic compounds. Three differential optical absorption spectrometers (DOAS) with their telescopes mounted in the inlet system measure atmospheric trace gases such as BrO, HONO, and NO2. A video camera mounted in the inlet provides information about clouds along the flight track. The flying observatory, its equipment and examples of measurement results are reported

Trastuzumab Mediated T-Cell Response against HER-2/Neu Overexpressing Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Depends on Intact Antigen Processing Machinery

BACKGROUND: Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a highly aggressive disease with poor prognosis, which frequently exhibits HER-2 gene amplification. Trastuzumab, the humanized antibody against HER-2, has potent growth inhibitory effects on HER-2 overexpressing cancers. One effect of trastuzumab is that it causes HER-2 receptor internalization and degradation, enhancing presentation of HER-2 epitopes on MHC-Class I molecules. This enhances the ability of HER-2 specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) to recognize and kill cancer cells. Novel strategies targeting the HER-2 receptor either directly by trastuzumab and/or indirectly by inducing a CTL response against HER-2 epitopes with, for instance, DC immunotherapy and consequently combining these strategies might prove to be very effective. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study we report that trastuzumab has potent growth inhibitory effects on two HER-2 overexpressing EAC cell lines OE33 and OE19. However, we found that trastuzumab and HER-2 specific CTLs act synergistically in inducing tumor lysis in OE33 but not in OE19. We discovered that in OE19 this deficient response is due to a down-regulation of the Transporter Associated with Antigen Processing-2 (TAP-2). TAP-2 is an important member of the Antigen Processing Machinery (APM), and is one of the essential elements for loading antigens on MHC class I molecules. Importantly, we demonstrated that by inducing re-expression of TAP-2 in OE19 with INF-γ treatment or by incubating the cells with INF-γ producing CTLs, the specific anti HER-2 CTL tumor lysis response and synergistic effect with trastuzumab can be restored. CONCLUSION: An inefficient response of HER-2 overexpressing EAC to trastuzumab and/or DC immunotherapy can be due to a down-regulated TAP-2 expression and thus a deficient APM. Future studies combining trastuzumab with IFN-γ and/or immune-therapies inducing potent anti HER-2 CTL responses could lead to an effective combinatorial strategy for successful treatment of HER-2 overexpressing but APM defective cancer

The influence of metabolically engineered glucosinolates profiles in Arabidopsis thaliana on Plutella xylostella preference and performance

The oviposition preference and larval performance of the diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella, was studied using Arabidopsis thaliana plants with modified glucosinolate (GS) profiles containing novel GSs as a result of the introduction of individual CYP79 genes. The insect parameters were determined in a series of bioassays. The GS content of the plants as well as the number of trichomes were measured. Multivariate analysis was used to determine the possible relationships among insect and plant variables. The novel GSs in the tested lines did not appear to have any unequivocal effect on the DBM. Instead, the plant characteristics that affected larval performance and larval preference did not influence oviposition preference. Trichomes did not affect oviposition, but influenced larval parameters negatively. Although the tested A. thaliana lines had earlier been shown to influence disease resistance, in this study no clear results were found for P. xylostella

Challenges in QCD matter physics - The Compressed Baryonic Matter experiment at FAIR

Substantial experimental and theoretical efforts worldwide are devoted to explore the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter. At LHC and top RHIC energies, QCD matter is studied at very high temperatures and nearly vanishing net-baryon densities. There is evidence that a Quark-Gluon-Plasma (QGP) was created at experiments at RHIC and LHC. The transition from the QGP back to the hadron gas is found to be a smooth cross over. For larger net-baryon densities and lower temperatures, it is expected that the QCD phase diagram exhibits a rich structure, such as a first-order phase transition between hadronic and partonic matter which terminates in a critical point, or exotic phases like quarkyonic matter. The discovery of these landmarks would be a breakthrough in our understanding of the strong interaction and is therefore in the focus of various high-energy heavy-ion research programs. The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at FAIR will play a unique role in the exploration of the QCD phase diagram in the region of high net-baryon densities, because it is designed to run at unprecedented interaction rates. High-rate operation is the key prerequisite for high-precision measurements of multi-differential observables and of rare diagnostic probes which are sensitive to the dense phase of the nuclear fireball. The goal of the CBM experiment at SIS100 (sqrt(s_NN) = 2.7 - 4.9 GeV) is to discover fundamental properties of QCD matter: the phase structure at large baryon-chemical potentials (mu_B > 500 MeV), effects of chiral symmetry, and the equation-of-state at high density as it is expected to occur in the core of neutron stars. In this article, we review the motivation for and the physics programme of CBM, including activities before the start of data taking in 2022, in the context of the worldwide efforts to explore high-density QCD matter.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures. Published in European Physical Journal

Multiplicity dependence of jet-like two-particle correlations in p-Pb collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.02 TeV

Two-particle angular correlations between unidentified charged trigger and associated particles are measured by the ALICE detector in p-Pb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV. The transverse-momentum range 0.7 $< p_{\rm{T}, assoc} < p_{\rm{T}, trig} <$ 5.0 GeV/$c$ is examined, to include correlations induced by jets originating from low momen\-tum-transfer scatterings (minijets). The correlations expressed as associated yield per trigger particle are obtained in the pseudorapidity range $|\eta|<0.9$. The near-side long-range pseudorapidity correlations observed in high-multiplicity p-Pb collisions are subtracted from both near-side short-range and away-side correlations in order to remove the non-jet-like components. The yields in the jet-like peaks are found to be invariant with event multiplicity with the exception of events with low multiplicity. This invariance is consistent with the particles being produced via the incoherent fragmentation of multiple parton--parton scatterings, while the yield related to the previously observed ridge structures is not jet-related. The number of uncorrelated sources of particle production is found to increase linearly with multiplicity, suggesting no saturation of the number of multi-parton interactions even in the highest multiplicity p-Pb collisions. Further, the number scales in the intermediate multiplicity region with the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions estimated with a Glauber Monte-Carlo simulation.Comment: 23 pages, 6 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 17, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/161