Experiences with the import of products of animal origin during the World Exhibition Expo 2000

The importation of products of animal origin from states that don't belong either to the European Union nor to the signatory states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area is subject to European and national law. The examination of these products on import has to be carried out at the approved and published border control points at the external borders of the European Union (including border control points at airports). Although there wasn't any exception of these regulations during the World Exhibition EXPO 2000 sometimes it occurred that foods of animal origin passed a border control point and reached the EXPO site without veterinary import controls. Numbers of cases are mentioned and exemplary cases are described. Further steps by the responsible supervisory authority (Department of Trade and Veterinary Matters of the Federal State Capital of Hannover) to secure the consideration with legislation on prevention of epizootic disease are also explained.     

Identification of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicholus L.) and gilt sardine (Sardinella aurita) by polymerase chain reaction, sequence of their mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, and restriction analysis of polymerase chain reaction products in semipreserves

A method of authenticating anchovy (Engraulis encrasicholus L.) and gilt sardine (Sardinella aurita) semipreserves (salt-cured and fillets in oil) has been developed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by sequence and restriction site analysis. The amplification of a fragment of the cytochrome b gene by universal primers produced a 376 base pairs (bp) fragment in all samples analyzed. Digestion of PCR products with XhoI, TaqI, AluI, and HinfI endonucleases yielded species-specific profiles distinguishing anchovy from gilt sardine. Therefore, the restriction length fragment polymorphism (RLFP) technique can be used to determine the species identity of anchovy and gilt sardine in semipreserves.     

Signal transduction. FasL binds preassembled Fas

The binding of a ligand to its receptor has always been viewed as the trigger for signal transduction to ensue. However, as Golstein explains in his Perspective, new findings (Chan et al. and Siegel et al.) suggest that the Fas receptor preassembles into trimers without the help of its ligand, and that this preassembly conditions ligand binding, and thus subsequent signal transduction of a death signal.