A time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay for the measurement of testosterone in saliva: Monitoring of testosterone replacement therapy with testosterone buciclate

Monitoring of testosterone replacement therapy requires a reliable method for testosterone measurement. Determination of salivary testosterone, which reflects the hormone's biologically active plasma fraction, is a superior technique for this purpose. The aim of the present study was to establish a new sensitive time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay for the accurate measurement of testosterone levels in saliva and to validate it by monitoring testosterone replacement therapy in eight hypogonadal men. A clinical phase I- study with the new ester testosterone buciclate was performed to search for new testosterone preparations to produce constant serum levels in the therapy of male hypogonadism. After two control examinations eight male patients with primary hypogonadism were randomly assigned to two treatment groups (n = 2x4) and given single doses of either 200 mg (group I) or 600 mg (group II) testosterone buciclate intramuscularly. Saliva and blood samples were obtained 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 days post injection and then weekly for three months. The time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay for salivary testosterone shows a detection limit of 16 pmol/l, an intra-assay CV of 8.9% (at a testosterone concentration of 302 pmol/l), an inter-assay CV of 8.7% (at a testosterone concentration of 305 pmol/l) and a good correlation with an established radioimmunsassay of r = 0.89. The sample volume required by this method is only 180 mu l for extraction and duplicate determination. The assay procedure requires no more than three hours. In group I (200 mg) testosterone did not increase to normal levels either in saliva or in serum. However, in group II, androgen levels increased significantly and were maintained in the normal range for up to 12 weeks with maximal salivary testosterone levels of 303 +/- 18 pmol/l (mean+/-SE) and maximal testosterone levels of 13.1 +/- 0.9 nmol/l (mean+/-SE) in serum in study week 6 and 7. The time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay for salivary testosterone provides a useful tool for monitoring androgen status in men and women and is well suited for the follow-up of testosterone replacement therapy on an outpatient basis. The long-acting ester testosterone buciclate is a promising agent for substitution therapy of male hypogonadism and in combination with testosterone monitoring in saliva offers an interesting new perspective for male contraception

The Cross-Section of Stock Returns in Frontier Emerging Markets

We are the first to investigate the cross-section of stock returns in the new emerging equity markets, the so-called frontier emerging markets. Our unique survivorship-bias free data set consists of more than 1,400 stocks over the period 1997 to 2008 and covers 24 of the most liquid frontier emerging markets. The major benefit of using individual stock characteristics is that it allows us to investigate whether return factors that have been documented in developed countries also exist in these markets. We document the presence of economically and statistically significant value and momentum effects, and a local size effect. Our results indicate that the value and momentum effects still exist when incorporating conservative assumptions of transaction costs. Additionally, we show that value, momentum, and local size returns in frontier markets cannot be explained by global risk factors

Vaccination induced antibodies to recombinant avian influenza a virus M2 protein or synthetic M2e peptide do not bind to the M2 protein on the virus or virus infected cells.

BACKGROUND: Influenza viruses are characterized by their highly variable surface proteins HA and NA. The third surface protein M2 is a nearly invariant protein in all Influenza A strains. Despite extensive studies in other animal models, this study is the first to describe the use of recombinant M2 protein and a peptide coding for the extracellular part of the M2 protein (M2e) to vaccinate poultry. METHODS: Four groups of layer chickens received a prime-boost vaccination with recombinant M2 protein, M2e, a tetrameric construct from M2e peptide bound to streptavidin and a control tetrameric construct formulated with Stimune adjuvant. RESULTS: We determined the M2-specific antibody (Ab) responses in the serum before vaccination, three weeks after vaccination and two weeks after booster, at days 21, 42 and 56 of age. The group vaccinated with the M2 protein in combination with Stimune adjuvant showed a significant Ab response to the complete M2 protein as compared to the other groups. In addition an increased Ab response to M2e peptide was found in the group vaccinated with the M2e tetrameric construct. None of the vaccinated animals showed seroconversion to AI in a commercial ELISA. Finally no Ab’s were found that bound to M2 expressed on in vitro AI infected MDCK cells. CONCLUSION: Although Ab’s are formed against the M2 protein and to Streptavidin bound M2e peptide in a tetrameric conformation these Ab’s do not recognize of M2 on the virus or on infected cells

Сучасні концепції і стратегії підвищення популярності українських періодичних видань: боротьба за ринок

У статті розглядаються особливості розвитку сучасного українського ринку друкованих засобів масової інформації. Увага акцентована на специфіці просування українського інформаційного “продукту", успішному веденню газетної справи як бізнесової сфери діяльності.В статье рассматриваются особенности развития рынка печатных средств массовой информации Украины. Внимание акцентировано на специфике продвижения украинского информационного "продукта", особенностях организации печатного издания как бизнес-проекта.This article searches features of market development of printing mass medias of Ukraine are examined in the article. Attention is accented on the specific of advancement of the Ukrainian informative "product", to the features of organization of printing edition as business of project

Part 1. Inflammatory and metabolic markers, uterine health, and indicators of pain

The objectives of this study were to assess the effects of a single transdermal administration of flunixin meglumine (FM) in early postpartum Holstein Friesian dairy cows on serum concentrations of inflammatory and metabolic markers, uterine health, and indicators of pain. The hypothesis was that the anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and analgetic effects of the pharmaceutic agent would reduce systemic inflammation, resulting in improved metabolic and inflammatory profile, diminished incidence of metritis, and reduced expression of pain. A total of 500 cows (153 primiparous, 347 multiparous) from 3 different commercial dairy farms in the northeast of Germany were included in a randomized controlled clinical trial. Farms were preselected based on high haptoglobin concentrations in their fresh lactating cows. Cows were excluded if they had experienced dystocia, stillbirth, or twin birth, or if they showed any signs of milk fever, retained fetal membranes, or fever (>40°C). The cows were treated once with either FM (3.33 mg/kg) or a placebo as control (CON) through transdermal administration between 24 to 36 h postpartum (d 2). General health examinations were performed (daily from d 2–8 and additionally on d 15 postpartum), vaginal discharge was assessed using the Metricheck device (d 8 and 15 postpartum) and serum samples were analyzed for inflammatory and metabolic markers (d 2, 4, and 6 postpartum). Effects of treatment, parity, sampling day, and their interactions were evaluated using mixed effects models. Primiparous cows treated with FM showed lower serum haptoglobin concentrations (0.90 ± 0.08 vs. 1.17 ± 0.07 g/L; ± standard error of the mean) and higher serum albumin concentrations (35.5 ± 0.31 vs. 34.8 ± 0.31 g/L) on d 6 postpartum. They also had a lower risk for purulent vaginal discharge with or without a fever compared with CON cows on d 15 postpartum (odds ratio for CON vs. FM: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.26–2.00), and body temperature was lower throughout the first 15 d in milk (39.1 ± 0.11 vs. 39.2 ± 0.11°C). Multiparous cows treated with FM had lower serum β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations on d 4 postpartum (0.71 ± 0.05 vs. 0.78 ± 0.05 mmol/L) and d 6 postpartum (0.74 ± 0.05 vs. 0.80 ± 0.05 mmol/L). Regardless of parity, FM-treated cows were significantly less likely to abduct their tail from their body (14.3 vs. 23.6%) and show an arched back (27.9 vs. 39.7%) on the day after treatment compared with CON cows. It can be concluded that FM treatment slightly reduced inflammation and diminished the risk for metritis in primiparous cows, improved metabolic profile in multiparous cows, and reduced expressions of pain in all cows

Kostprijs, stro en kwaliteitsborging zetten toon in werkplan 2000

Bedrijfssystemen met een lage kostprijs staan hoog op de onderzoeksagenda van het PW, terwijl LNV de ontwikkeling van (biologische) bedrijfssystemen met stro en strooisel initieert. Vanuit andere opdrachtgevers is veel vraag naar instrumenten voor hetcertificeren van de productie van varkensvlees