In vivo priming heterophil innate immune functions and increasing resistance to Salmonella enteritidis infection in neonatal chickens by immune stimulatory CpG oligodeoxynucleotides

Oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) containing CpG dinucleotides (CpG-ODN) mimic bacterial DNA and stimulate the innate immune system of vertebrates. Here, we investigated the effects of intraperitoneal (ip) administered CpG-ODN on the innate immune functions of chicken heterophils. Our results demonstrated CpG-ODN-dependent priming of chicken heterophil degranulation and oxidative burst. Heterophils from chickens treated with CpG-ODN exhibited significantly higher (p<0.05) degranulation activity compared to PBS and control ODN (ODN containing no CpG motif) treated groups when stimulated with opsonized Salmonella enterica serovar enteritidis. Similarly, oxidative burst activity, which generates bactericidal reactive oxygen species, was significantly higher (p<0.05) in heterophils from the CpG-ODN treated group than from PBS and control ODN groups when stimulated with formalin-killed S. enteritidis. The priming effects of CpG-ODN on heterophil immune functions continued at least 4 days post-treatment. In the infection study, newly hatched chickens were treated with CpG-ODN, control ODN or PBS for 24h then challenged with oral inoculation of S. enteritidis. A significant reduction (p<0.05) in colonization by S. enteritidis was observed in chickens treated with CpG-ODN. Our study provides evidence that immunostimulatory CpG-ODN potentiates the innate immune responses of heterophils and enhances resistance to infectious pathogens in neonatal chickens.     

Fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins in salted herring (Clupea harengus) products

The fatty acid composition and contents of fat and fat-soluble vitamins of three salted products prepared from Icelandic herring were analyzed. The effects of storage on the products over their shelf life, 6 or 12 months, were investigated. The average oil content of salted, gutted herring and salted fillets in vacuum remained constant, 17 and 12% of wet weight, respectively. In the pickled product the oil content decreased during the 12 months of storage from 13 to 12%. The composition of the products was typical for herring, the most abundant fatty acids being oleic (18:1n-9), palmitic (16:0), cetoleic (22:1n-11), and gadoleic (20:1n-9) acids. Monounsaturated acids constituted clearly the main group with a proportion of >50% of all fatty acids. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) comprised together >12% of all fatty acids. During storage, some hydrolysis of triacylglycerol (TAG) occurred, causing a slight reduction in practically all esterified fatty acids. In none of the three products was the loss of polyunsaturated fatty acids from TAG greater than the loss of saturated ones, indicating that the loss of EPA and DHA was not due to oxidation. After packing, the average content of vitamins A, D, and E in the products varied between 27 and 87 microg/100 g (wet weight), between 17-28 microg/100 g (wet weight), and between 77-120 microg/100 g (wet weight), respectively. During storage, the level of vitamin A decreased significantly, whereas no loss of vitamin D was observed. The content of vitamin E was low in all products and showed wide variation. When compared to the recommended daily intake, it could be concluded that the products investigated were good and stable sources of long-chain n-3 fatty acids (EPA, DHA) and vitamin D.     

High-performance electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction derived from polyaniline, iron, and cobalt

The prohibitive cost of platinum for catalyzing the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has hampered the widespread use of polymer electrolyte fuel cells. We describe a family of non-precious metal catalysts that approach the performance of platinum-based systems at a cost sustainable for high-power fuel cell applications, possibly including automotive power. The approach uses polyaniline as a precursor to a carbon-nitrogen template for high-temperature synthesis of catalysts incorporating iron and cobalt. The most active materials in the group catalyze the ORR at potentials within ~60 millivolts of that delivered by state-of-the-art carbon-supported platinum, combining their high activity with remarkable performance stability for non-precious metal catalysts (700 hours at a fuel cell voltage of 0.4 volts) as well as excellent four-electron selectivity (hydrogen peroxide yield <1.0%).     

Cassini measurements of cold plasma in the ionosphere of Titan

The Cassini Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) Langmuir probe (LP) sensor observed the cold plasma environment around Titan during the first two flybys. The data show that conditions in Saturn's magnetosphere affect the structure and dynamics deep in the ionosphere of Titan. The maximum measured ionospheric electron number density reached 3800 per cubic centimeter near closest approach, and a complex chemistry was indicated. The electron temperature profiles are consistent with electron heat conduction from the hotter Titan wake. The ionospheric escape flux was estimated to be 10(25) ions per second.     

Systemic RNAi in C. elegans requires the putative transmembrane protein SID-1

Double-stranded RNA-mediated gene interference (RNAi) in Caenorhabditis elegans systemically inhibits gene expression throughout the organism. To investigate how gene-specific silencing information is transmitted between cells, we constructed a strain that permits visualization of systemic RNAi. We used this strain to identify systemic RNA interference-deficient (sid) loci required to spread gene-silencing information between tissues but not to initiate or maintain an RNAi response. One of these loci, sid-1, encodes a conserved protein with predicted transmembrane domains. SID-1 is expressed in cells sensitive to RNAi, is localized to the cell periphery, and is required cell-autonomously for systemic RNAi.     

Evidence of early pyrometallurgy in the kerman range in iran

Physical and chemical anal ysis of pottery fragments, including a crucible shard and ore samples from Tal-i-Iblis, Iran, suggests that copper smelting may have been well advantced late in the fifth millennium B.C.     

Evaluation and treatment of a posttraumatic intrahepatic biloma in a dog

A 9 mo old male mixed-breed dog was presented with a history of chronic vomiting and fever after undergoing a cholecystectomy for the management of traumatic cystic duct rupture associated with biliary effusion 10 days before referral. A 6 cm × 6 cm intrahepatic bile collection, a biloma, was diagnosed on abdominal ultrasound and fine-needle aspiration. The biloma was treated with percutaneous catheter drainage under ultrasonographic guidance. Two years after aspiration, the dog continued to do well.     

Electron microscope observations on the structure of membranes from nuclear polyhedral viruses

Electron micrographs show the presence of the polyhedral, the outer, and the inner membranes occurring in nuclear polyhedral bodies fromMalacosoma neustria, Barathra brassicae andAdoxophyes reticulana. The outer membranes appear to be composed of a central, bimolecular leaflet of lipids bounded on either side by carbohydrates and proteins. The polyhedral and inner membranes, however, seem to consist of protein only. The inner membranes are closely attached to the virus rods, and so are the polyhedral membranes to the polyhedral protein.Samenvatting De polyëdermembranen vanMalacosoma neustria, Barathra brassicae enAdoxophyes reticulana, alsmede de buitenste en binnenste membranen om de deeltjes van deze kernpolyëdervirussen, werden met de elektronenmicroscoop bestudeerd (fig. 1A-I, 2A-C). Om de polyëders te fixeren en ter verkrijging van bepaalde contrasten in ultra-dunne coupes werd van verschillende agentia gebruik gemaakt. Vergelijking van de verkregen foto's (fig. 2D-I, 3A-B) wijst uit, dat het buitenste membraan uit een bimoleculaire laag van lipiden bestaat, die aan beide zijden door koolhydraten en eiwitten zijn begrensd (fig. 4); de polyëdermembranen (fig. 3B) bestaan evenals de binnenste membranen echter uitsluitend uit eiwitten. De virusstaafjes en de polyëders zijn respectievelijk door het binnenste membraan en door het polyëdermembraan nauw omsloten.