Occurrence of the ear-mite Raillietia auris in cattle in Austria

We describe here the first documented case in Austria of the cattle ear mite Raillietia auris in a four-year-old dairy cow. The cow was mildly depressed, and keratoconjunctivitis was diagnosed in both eyes with Horner's syndrome in the left eye. The animal showed a mild head tilt to the left and a generalized ataxia with a tendency to move to the right side, which became exacerbated if the animal was blind-folded. Head pressing to the right side, dysphagia and a dropped jaw were also observed. Numerous rather mobile ear mites were observed at necropsy in the basal part of the left ear canal. The clinical significance of the cattle ear mite is uncertain and the clinical signs could have been caused by listerial encephalitis, which was also confirmed histologically in this case.     

The impact of zearalenone on the level of the selected estrogens in blood serum of sexually immature gilts

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of low dose (LOEL - lowest observed effect level) of zearalenone (200 microg/kg b.w.), applied per os for 7 days (short-term intoxication), on sexual behavior, concentration of the examined xenobiotic and its metabolite and selected estrogens in sexually immature gilts: ovariohysterectomised (group D1) and intact (group D2) animals. Clinical signs of oestrus (reddening, oedema and hyperaemia of the vulva and serorhoea from the reproductive tract--lack of standing reflex) were obserwed in group D1 on day 6 and in group D2 on day 4 of the experiment. Laboratory analyses of blood plasma were carried out determine the presence of zearalenone and alpha-zearalenole. They revealed an increase in the level of alpha-zearalenol before the oestrus, decrease in total amount of both examined substances on day when the oestrus appeared and increase in the level of both examined xenobiotics in the post oestrus period together with the higher share of zearalenone. Medium concentrations of estrone and estradiol within the borders of method determination in the majority of periods examined. Higher levels of estrone (32.0 pg/ml) were found on day 4, in the group D2 and estradiol (6.5 pg/ml) on day 6 in the D2 group. The presents study revealed that zearalenone applied per os at LOEL dose causes the incidence of apparent sexual readiness (without standing reflex) in sexually immature gilts with the somatically immature reproductive system.     

Biocatalytic production of dihydrocoumarin from coumarin by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Natural dihydrocoumarin, which is of great interest in the flavor industry, was biotechnologically produced from pure coumarin or tonka bean meal with Pseudomonas orientalis, Bacillus cereus, and various Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. Coumarin was shown to be converted to melilotic acid, which yielded dihydrocoumarin upon distillation during purification. About 1.0 g/L product was obtained from 25 g/L tonka beans with S. cerevisiae within 147 h. This dihydrocoumarin thus fulfills all of the criteria of a natural raw material and can be used as a natural flavoring in accordance with U.S. and European Union regulations.     

An assessment of inter-rater agreement of the literature filtering process in the development of evidence-based dietary guidelines

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the literature filtering process, a vital initial component of a systematic literature review, could be successfully completed by nutrition professionals or non-professionals. DESIGN: Using a diet-disease relationship as the guideline topic, inter-rater agreement for the title and abstract filtering processes between and among professionals and non-professionals was assessed and compared with an expert reference standard. Predetermined eligibility criteria were applied by all raters to 185 titles and 90 abstracts. Filtering decisions were initially made independently and then revised after a within-pair consensus meeting. SUBJECTS: The raters were six dietitians (RD) and six nutrition graduate students (Grad). To assess inter-rater agreement (reliability), each group was divided into three pairs. RESULTS: Weighted and unweighted kappa statistics and percentage agreement were calculated to determine the inter-rater agreement within pairs. Sensitivity and specificity estimates were determined by comparing responses with those of an expert reference standard. Overall, Grad pairs demonstrated greater inter-rater agreement than RD pairs for title filtering (P<0.05); no differences were observed for abstract filtering. Compared with the expert reference standard, every rater and pair had false-negative responses for both title and abstract filtering. CONCLUSIONS: After consensus meetings, both RDs and Grads were comparable in their agreement on title and abstract filtering, although important differences remained compared with the expert reference standard. This study provides preliminary findings on the value of utilising a non-expert pair in developing guidelines, and suggests that the literature filtering process is complex and quite subjective.     

Fast variability of tera-electron volt gamma rays from the radio galaxy M87

The detection of fast variations of the tera-electron volt (TeV) (10(12) eV) gamma-ray flux, on time scales of days, from the nearby radio galaxy M87 is reported. These variations are about 10 times as fast as those observed in any other wave band and imply a very compact emission region with a dimension similar to the Schwarzschild radius of the central black hole. We thus can exclude several other sites and processes of the gamma-ray production. The observations confirm that TeV gamma rays are emitted by extragalactic sources other than blazars, where jets are not relativistically beamed toward the observer.     

Dendritic cell stimulation by mycobacterial Hsp70 is mediated through CCR5

An effective host immune response to mycobacterial infection must control pathogen dissemination without inducing immunopathology. Constitutive overexpression of mycobacterial heat shock protein (myHsp70) is associated with impaired bacterial persistence, but the immune-mediated mechanisms are unknown. We found that myHsp70, in addition to enhancing antigen delivery to human dendritic cells, signaled through the CCR5 chemokine receptor, promoting dendritic cell aggregation, immune synapse formation between dendritic cells and T cells, and the generation of effector immune responses. Thus, CCR5 acts as a pattern-recognition receptor for myHsp70, which may have implications for both the pathophysiology of tuberculosis and the use of myHsps in tumor-directed immunotherapy.     

BKCa-Cav channel complexes mediate rapid and localized Ca2+-activated K+ signaling

Large-conductance calcium- and voltage-activated potassium channels (BKCa) are dually activated by membrane depolarization and elevation of cytosolic calcium ions (Ca2+). Under normal cellular conditions, BKCa channel activation requires Ca2+ concentrations that typically occur in close proximity to Ca2+ sources. We show that BKCa channels affinity-purified from rat brain are assembled into macromolecular complexes with the voltage-gated calcium channels Cav1.2 (L-type), Cav2.1 (P/Q-type), and Cav2.2 (N-type). Heterologously expressed BKCa-Cav complexes reconstitute a functional "Ca2+ nanodomain" where Ca2+ influx through the Cav channel activates BKCa in the physiological voltage range with submillisecond kinetics. Complex formation with distinct Cav channels enables BKCa-mediated membrane hyperpolarization that controls neuronal firing pattern and release of hormones and transmitters in the central nervous system.