The effect of time between doses on serological response to a recombinant multivalent pilus vaccine against footrot in sheep

SUMMARY The response of sheep to a recombinant multivalent footrot vaccine containing pilus antigens was examined after the administration of two doses of vaccine at Intervals ranging from 2 to 52 weeks. Agglutinating antibody titres were measured 3 weeks after the second vaccination and showed that lengthening of the interdose interval results in higher agglutinin titres. The capability of sheep to mount an increasingly strong immune response as the interval between doses is increased provides an opportunity to maximise the usefulness of vaccination by administering the first dose well before an expected footrot transmission period. This advantage of increasing the interdose interval has not been reported for traditional, whole-cell footrot vaccines, and use of the new pilus vaccine in this manner may improve prospects for disease control. Furthermore, sheep given a third dose either 6 or 12 months after their initial two-dose vaccination program achieved significantly higher titres than those elicited after the second dose, suggesting the likelihood of further improvement in disease control in successive seasons.     

Investigation of outbreaks of a novel disease, 'Sleepy Grouper Disease', affecting the brown-spotted grouper, Epinephelus tauvina Forskal

Abstract. A novel disease affecting the brown-spotted grouper, Epinephelus tauvina Forskal, described here as Sleepy Grouper Disease¹ (SGD), resulted in significant economic losses in some Singaporean marine net-cage farms from April to August 1992. Investigations suggested that the aetiological agent was a virus, probably introduced with imported groupers. The virus was provisionally identified as an iridovirus on morphological evidence. The disease caused extreme lethargy in affected fish with few visible external signs. Mortalities either occurred gradually over the week from onset of clinical signs, or over a shorter period and in large numbers if fish were stressed. Consistent tissue changes were seen by light microscopy in the spleen, heart and kidney of affected fish. Electron microscopy showed viral particles associated with damage to cell organelles. In an experimental infection, apparently healthy fish cohabiting with an infected fish developed similar lesions and died. The significance of SGD in grouper culture is discussed.     

The effect of inflammation on the disposition of phenylbutazone in Thoroughbred horses

The effect of inflammation on the disposition of phenylbutazone (PBZ) was investigated in Thoroughbred horses. An initial study ( n = 5) in which PBZ (8.8 mg/kg) was injected intravenously twice, 5 weeks apart, suggested that the administration of PBZ would not affect the plasma kinetics of a subsequent dose. Two other groups of horses were given PBZ at either 8.8 mg/kg ( n = 5) or 4.4 mg/kg ( n = 4). Soft tissue inflammation was then induced by the injection of Freud's adjuvant and the administration of PBZ was repeated at a dose level equivalent to, but five weeks later than, the initial dose. Inflammation did not appear to affect the plasma kinetics or the urinary excretion of PBZ and its metabolites, oxyphenbutazone (OPBZ) or hydroxyphenylbutazone (OHPBZ) when PBZ was administered at 8.8 mg/kg. However, small but significant increases ( P <0.05) in total body clearance ( CL _B; 29.2 ± 3.9 vs. 43.8 ± 8.1 mL/ h-kg) and the volume of distribution, calculated by area ( V _d(area); 0.18 ± 0.05 vs. 0.25 ± 0.03 L/kg) or at steady-state ( V _d(SS); 0.17±0.04 vs. 0.25 ± 0.03 L/ kg), were obtained in horses after adjuvant injection, compared to controls, when PBZ was administered at 4.4 mg/kg which corresponded to relatively higher tissues concentrations and lower plasma concentrations (calculated) at the time of maximum peripheral PBZ concentration. Soft tissue inflammation also induced a significantly ( P <0.05) higher amount of OPBZ in the urine 18 h after PBZ administration but the total urinary excretion of analytes over 48 h was unchanged. These results have possible implications regarding the administration of PBZ to the horse close to race-day.     

Assessment of histamine, bradykinin, prostaglandins E1 and E2 and carrageenin as vascular permeability agents in the horse

The vascular leakage induced by histamine, bradykinin, serotonin and prostaglandin E1 and E2 was assessed. The test agents were injected intradermally into the shaved thoracic skin of horses and the vascular leakage estimated either semi-quantitatively by recording the diameter of the lesions or by measuring the actual volume of extravasated plasma in microliters using iodine-125-labelled human serum albumin (125I-HSA) as a marker in the blood plasma. Using the latter method, the vascular leakage induced by carrageenin and the effect of coadministered prostaglandins E1 and E2 upon the vascular leakage of both histamine and bradykinin were also investigated. No obvious lesions resulted when serotonin (10(-2) mol/l) was injected but histamine and bradykinin produced circular lesions which increased in diameter for approximately 30 min. The size of the lesions and volume of extravasated plasma was dose dependent. On a molar basis, bradykinin (10(-6) mol/l, 10(-5) mol/l) was more potent than histamine but they were equipotent at 10(-4) mol/l. The size of the lesions induced by carrageenin were independent of their anatomical location on the thorax. Except for the second hour, the hourly volume of vascular leakage increased until the fifth hour when the experiment was concluded. The maximum vascular leakage resulting from the injection of prostaglandin E1 or E2 (1, 10, 100 or 1000 ng) was 7 microliters but when co-administered with bradykinin (10(-6) mol/l), the volume of leaked plasma increased from 29 to 78 microliters. No synergy was observed when either prostaglandin was co-administered with histamine (10(-5) mol/l).     

麦田天敌监测资料统计标准的研究

通过对麦田天敌消长规律的调查分析,从害虫防治和天敌利用的角度出发,提出天敌的最低利用指标,并作为划分天敌发生盛期的依据。同时提出用天敌高峰日发生量和发生盛期天数、后期网捕天敌量作为划分天敌发生程度的指标,并在麦田天敌监测资料统计中进行了具体应用。     

Effects of rapamycin-treated HSP60-pulsed dendritic cells on th e progression of the atherosclerotic plaque in mice

AIM:To evaluate whether tolerogenic dendri tic cells (DC) loaded with heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) inhibit the progression of aortic atherosclerotic plaque in hypercholesterolemic apolipoprotein E (Apo- E) -null mice.METHODS:Bone marrow derived DC of the mice were loaded with HSP 60 and co-cultured with rapamycin to generate tolerogenic DC.The tolerogenic DC ,DC loaded only HSP60 and PBS were injected into the ApoE-null mice at 8 weeks of age for three times at a one-week interval.8 weeks after the last injection,aorta were harvested for HE staining and anti-CD4+T cell immunostaining.Resp onses of pleenic cells to HSP60 were also evaluated.RESULTS:Compared with DC,DCHSP60 expressed higher levels of CD86,and stimulated T lymphocytes to proliferation significantly,while the tolerogenic DC expressed lower levels of CD86,and inhibited T lymphocytes to p roliferation.After immunization with different injection,the numbers of CD4+ T cells in plaque were increased significantly in DCHSP60 group vs in PBS g roup (P<0.01).On the other hand,they were reduced significantly in rap-DC HSP60 group vs in PBS group (P<0.01).Plaque areas in the tolerog enic DC group were smaller than that in the PBS group (P<0.01).Stimulated by HSP60,pleenic cells in tolerogenic DC group secreted more IL-10,while in DC HSP60 group more IFN-γ secretion was observed.CONCLUSION:HSP60 specific tolerogenic DC immunization attenuate d the progression of plaque,indicating a new immune therapy for atherosclerosis.     

Développement des souches de Botrytis cinerea résistantes aux dicarboximides dans les vignes de la Suisse alémanique1

Pour tester la résistance aux dicarboximides (imides cycliques) des souches prélevées en plein champ, les spores sont appliquees sur des disques d'agar placés à l'envers sur des milieux nutritifs contenant les différentes concentrations du fongicide. L'évaluation est faite 4 à 5 jours après le début de l'essai afin d'exclure les souches susceptibles de s'adapter après quelques jours de contact à la matiere active en laboratoire. En 1979, on a isolé pour la première fois, à partir de prélèvements de plein champ, des souches tolérantes à l ou 3 ppm de matière active. Une augmentation du nombre de souches résistantes a été constatèe en 1980. La croissance du mycélium et la germination des spores sont inhibées à peu prés de la meme manière. Les souches résistantes ne montrent pas de diminution de vigueur de Finfection sur pommes. L'efficacité de la lutte anti-botrytis n'est pas encore diminuee dans les parcelles qui ont un grand pourcentage de souches résistantes.     

微观蜡晶特征在流变曲线上的宏观体现

为了研究证明含蜡原油流变曲线和微观蜡晶两者之间存在一定的关联,测试了广范围剪切速率下的含蜡原油流变曲线,确立了微观蜡晶和流变曲线之间的定性关系,并且取得以下认识：广范围剪切速率下的含蜡原油流变曲线能够一定程度地体现微观蜡晶特征,其中低剪切速率下的流变曲线能够体现蜡晶形态,高剪切速率下的流变曲线能够体现蜡晶结构;并非温度越低,剪切速率对粘度的影响程度越大,在高剪切速率下,有可能存在相反的情况;在低温条件下,剪切速率存在一个临界值,只有当剪切速率大于该值时,粘度才会出现较为明显的下降;温度越低,形成的蜡晶网格结构越稳定,需要较大的剪切应力,蜡晶网格结构才能破坏。该研究成果深化了对含蜡原油流变性的认识,具有一定的理论意义。（图6,表1,参15）     

Modulation of rat hepatic and pulmonary cytochromes P450 and phase II enzyme systems by erucin, an isothiocyanate structurally related to sulforaphane

Administration of dietary doses of the isothiocyanate erucin had no effect on rat hepatic cytochrome P450 activity or protein levels, but at higher doses a rise in CYP1A/B1 protein levels was evident. In lung, treatment with erucin, as well as sulforaphane, failed to modulate cytochrome P450 activities but elevated CYP1A/B1 protein levels. In liver, erucin stimulated quinone reductase activity accompanied by a rise in protein. Glutathione S-transferase activity was unaffected, but GSTalpha and GSTmu protein levels increased. In lung, both isothiocyanates increased quinone reductase paralleled by a rise in protein levels; at the higher dose both isothiocyanates elevated moderately GSTalpha levels. Hepatic microsomes converted both isothiocyanates to metabolites that impaired cytochrome P450 activity, which was antagonized by reduced glutathione. It may be concluded that erucin may protect against carcinogens by stimulating the detoxication of quinones but is unlikely to significantly influence reactive intermediate generation through modulation of cytochrome P450 activity.