No straight path: roaming in both ground- and excited-state photolytic channels of NO3 → NO + O2

Roaming mechanisms have recently been observed in several chemical reactions alongside trajectories that pass through a traditional transition state. Here, we demonstrate that the visible light-induced reaction NO(3) → NO + O(2) proceeds exclusively by roaming. High-level ab initio calculations predict specific NO Λ doublet propensities (orientations of the unpaired electron with respect to the molecular rotation plane) for this mechanism, which we discern experimentally by ion imaging. The data provide direct evidence for roaming pathways in two different electronic states, corresponding to both previously documented photolysis channels that produce NO + O(2). More broadly, the results raise intriguing questions about the overall prevalence of this unusual reaction mechanism.     

The oral administration of thermophile-fermented compost extract and its influence on stillbirths and growth rate of pre-weaning piglets

Food produced via fermentation with mesophilic bacteria has been used to confer health benefits. In contrast, mammalian physiological responses to the intake of thermophile-fermented products have not been thoroughly investigated. We examined the effects of administering a compost extract consisting of fermented marine animals with thermophiles, including Bacillaceae, to pregnant sows and piglets. Retrospective studies were performed on two different swine farms (n=330-1050 sows). The rate of stillbirth was markedly lower in all parities of the compost extract-fed group compared to those of the control group (p≦0.001). Additionally, the birth to weaning period of newborns was significantly shorter (p<0.0001), while the ratio of weanlings per liveborn piglets was increased by more than 6.5% in the compost extract-fed group. Thus thermophiles and their products in the compost extract might promote growth and reduce stillbirths of piglets during the birth to weaning period.     

Age Difference in Morphology and Immunohistology inthe Thymus and Spleen in Crl:CD (SD) Rats

We investigated chronological changes in immunohistochemical phenotyping in the thymus and spleen in Crl:CD rats up to the age of about one year. In the thymus, T cells increased markedly from 3 to 4 weeks of age. Proliferating cells also increased markedly at these points. B cells tended towards an increase with age. In the spleen, white pulp increased until 9 weeks of age and remained fairly stable thereafter. In the periarteriolar lymphoid sheath and marginal zone, T cells gradually increased until 9 weeks of age and became almost flat thereafter. In the lymph follicle, T cells increased with age. B cells tended towards an increase with age in all areas of the spleen. It was concluded that development of the thymus was most marked from 3 to 4 weeks of age and that both the thymus and spleen had matured by 9 weeks of age.     

Mitigation of pyrexia by a Th-1-biased IgG subclass response after infection with equine herpesvirus type 1 in horses pre-immunized with inactivated vaccine

The immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclass response was investigated in horses with or without pyrexia after natural infection with equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) in the field. All horses were kept at the training centers of the Japan Racing Association and were immunized with an inactivated EHV-1 vaccine before EHV-1 infection. An IgG subclass response dominated by IgGa and IgGb was induced in horses without pyrexia after EHV-1 infection. In contrast, horses that developed pyrexia showed increased IgGc and IgG (T) subclass production in addition to IgGa and IgGb. Although inactivated EHV-1 vaccines are considered to induce a mainly Th-2-biased response, these results indicated that the responses in horses inoculated with inactivated EHV-1 vaccine were not uniform, and that horses with a Th-1-biased response were likely to be protected from pyrexia.     

Experimental hyperlipemia induces insulin resistance in cats

The effect of experimental hyperlipemia on insulin sensitivity was evaluated in seven healthy cats. Serum triglyceride and free fatty acid concentrations were significantly (P<0.05) higher when lipid-heparin was administered (2,894 ± 1,526 mg/dl and 4.54 ± 0.70 mEq/l, respectively) than when saline was administered (70 ± 42 mg/dl and 0.22 ± 0.08 mEq/l, respectively). A glucose clamp test revealed that the mean glucose infusion rate when lipid-heparin was administered (5.80 ± 0.67 mg/kg/min) was significantly (P<0.05) lower than when saline was administered (8.52 ± 1.83 mg/kg/min). These results suggest that experimental hyperlipemia induced insulin resistance in the healthy cats.     

Molecular characterization of an H1N2 swine influenza virus isolated in Miyazaki, Japan, in 2006

Swine influenza virus (SIV) was isolated from a farm in Miyazaki Prefecture in Japan in July 2006. An isolate was genetically subtyped as H1N2 and was designated A/swine/Miyazaki/1/2006 (H1N2). The nucleotide sequences of all eight viral RNA segments were determined, and then phylogenetic analysis was performed using the neighbor-joining method. All segments were shown to be closely related to those of Japanese SIV H1N2 isolates, which have been circulating since the 1980s. The results indicate the persistence of the SIV H1N2 subtype in the Japanese pig population for more than two decades and emphasize the importance of continuous surveillance for SIV.     

cFLIP regulates death receptor-mediated apoptosis in an ovarian granulosa cell line by inhibiting procaspase-8 cleavage

More than 99% of follicles in mammalian ovaries undergo atresia, but the mechanisms regulating the strict selection process are still unclear. Granulosa cell apoptosis is considered the trigger of follicular atresia, which occurs in advance of the death of an oocyte. Cellular FLICE-like inhibitory protein (cFLIP), a homologue of procaspase-8 (also called FLICE), is an intracellular anti-apoptotic protein. It is expressed in granulosa cells of porcine ovaries, where its levels decreases during follicular atresia. We hypothesized that cFLIP regulates granulosa cell apoptosis by acting as a pro-survival factor. In the present study, to further reveal the function of cFLIP in granulosa cells, we examined the anti-apoptotic mechanism of cFLIP using KGN, a human granulosa tumor cell line. Fas-mediated apoptosis was induced by co-treatment with anti-Fas antibody (CH-11), which acts as an agonist of Fas-ligand, and cycloheximide (CHX). When cFLIP was stably expressed in KGN cells following transfection of an expression vector, the Fas-mediated apoptosis was inhibited. Suppression of cFLIP by small interfering RNA (siRNA) spontaneously induced cell death. Silencing of cFLIP promoted cleavage of procaspase-8, and the cell death caused by cFLIP siRNA was completely blocked by a caspase-8 inhibitor (Z-IETD-FMK), indicating that cFLIP regulates apoptosis in KGN cells by inhibiting cleavage of procaspase-8. In conclusion, cFLIP is an essential pro-survival factor for granulosa cells, and it prevents granulosa cell apoptosis by inhibiting procaspase-8 activation.