A heat-stable toxin isolated from the turkey coryza agent, Bordetella avium

A toxin was isolated from Bordetella avium grown in a defined medium. The toxin was active for mice but not for turkey poults or Japanese quail. The extraction procedure is described. The toxin was trypsin-sensitive and heat-stable (85 C for 30 min), and its activity was blocked by B. avium hyperimmune serum.     

An analysis of crack pattern in clay soil: its density and orientation

The structure of much clay soil is angular blocky, and the pore space consists of a three-dimensional network of narrow, approximately planar cracks. This paper presents a means of describing such a network in terms of its density and orientation. Undisturbed samples are impregnated with resin containing a fluorescent dye. Plane sections of known azimuth and elevation are cut through them and photographed under ultra-violet light. The photographs are projected onto a screen and the spacings between successive cracks along linear probes are measured in several directions. The sets of distances obtained are then analysed. The method was applied to subsoil of the Windsor series. The distribution of inter-crack distances appeared to be exponential but with a dearth of distances less than about 1 mm. The crack pattern was judged to be the outcome of a Poisson process, but one in which some of the very narrow wedges of soil had collapsed. The crack network was perceptibly anisotropic, and was modelled as two superimposed patterns, one isotropic and the other a set of approximately parallel cracks. The orientation of the parallel component was estimated from the sections. The cracks were found to be aligned parallel to the contour of the land and to dip into the hill slope at angles ranging from about 25° to 75° to the horizontal. The intensities in the soil of the two components were estimated as 0.18 mm^?1 for the isotropic component and 0.2 mm^?1 normal to the parallel component, equivalent to 0.1 mm^?1 for a random direction.     

Serum and intratumoural GH and IGF-I concentrations: Prognostic factors in the outcome of canine mammary cancer

The biological implication of the growth hormone/insulin like growth factor-I (GH/IGF-I) axis in canine mammary tumours (CMT) has been recently demonstrated, however its clinical and prognostic implications are unknown. Our aim was to investigate its prognostic significance.Hormonal determinations were done by enzyme immunoassays techniques validated for canine species in serum and tumour tissue from 32 bitches with CMT and in serum and normal mammary tissue from 10 controls. Serum and tissular GH and IGF-I concentrations were significantly higher in the case of malignant tumour compared with benign and controls. GH and IGF-I elevated concentrations were significantly associated with tumour relapse and/or metastases during follow-up and in dogs with reduced survival times; however these parameters were not independent prognostic factors in multivariate analysis. This association demonstrates a link between high serum and intratumoural GH and IGF-I concentrations and a worse prognosis and opens the possibility to new anticancer endocrine therapies in dogs.     

Comparative study of dietary soy phytoestrogens genistein and equol effects on growth parameters and ovarian development in farmed female beluga sturgeon,Huso huso

Oocyte maturation in fish is a hormonally regulated process. In the light of long-term oocyte maturation in beluga, the aim of this research was to study the estrogenic effects of different concentrations of soy dietary genistein (GE) and equol (EQ) on the growth performance and ovary development in farmed female Huso huso. Fish were fed with concentrations 0 (control), 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6 g of EQ and GE per kg of isoproteic (CP 45 %) and isoenergetic (19.5 MJ/kg) diets during a year. Blood samples and ovary biopsies were collected from each fish seasonally. The main results of the present experimentation are that growth performance was not affected significantly both in GE and EQ (P > 0.05). EQ at concentration 0.4 g/kg had more estrogenic effects than other concentrations of EQ and GE in beluga so that 64 % of fish were matured sexually. Some reproductive indices such as oocyte diameter, testosterone (T) and 17β-estradiol (E₂) increased significantly at EQ 0.4 g/kg at the end of experiment (P < 0.05), while 17α-hydroxy progesterone level (17α-OHP) showed no significant changes at all concentrations. Biochemical indices such as calcium, phosphorous and cholesterol increased at GE concentrations, but decreased at EQ concentrations similarly at the end of experiment. There was a negative relationship between plasma phosphorous and alkaline phosphatase enzyme levels. Based on results, EQ at concentration 0.4 g/kg improved oocyte development more than the other concentrations of GE and EQ, and therefore, it can be used as an additive to diets for inducing ovary development in this species.