The Effect of Levothyroxine Treatment on Resting Energy Expenditure of Hypothyroid Dogs

Thirty adult, client-owned dogs were diagnosed with hypothyroidism based on history, physical examination findings, hematologic and biochemical abnormalities, thyrotropin (TSH) response testing, endogenous canine thyrotropin (cTSH) concentration, or both, and total serum thryoxine concentration. All dogs received levothyroxine (L-thyroxine) at an initial dose of 22 μg/kg PO sid in either a tablet (13 dogs) or chewable form (17 dogs). Energy expenditure of each dog during apparent rest was estimated with an open-flow indirect calorimetry system by determining the rates of carbon dioxide production and oxygen consumption. Energy expenditure of apparent rest (EE) was lower in untreated hypothyroid dogs compared with reference values for EE. After treatment with L-thyroxine, EE of the hypothyroid dogs was significantly ( P < .05) higher than pretreatment values.     

Model studies on acrylamide generation from glucose/asparagine in aqueous glycerol

Acrylamide formation from asparagine and glucose in different ratios in neutral glycerol/water mixtures was found to increase with decreasing water activity (0.33 < or = aw < or = 0.71 investigated) and increasing temperature (120 degrees C < or = T < or = 160 degrees C investigated). The initial rate of acrylamide formation was found to be approximately proportional to the asparagine concentration for an excess of asparagine, but less dependent on an excess of glucose. A steady-state concentration of acrylamide was established at 160 degrees C after 1 h for aw = 0.33 (30 microg x L-1 for GLU:ASN = 10:1, 11 microg x L-1 for GLU:ASN = 1:1, and 130 microg x L-1 for GLU:ASN = 1:10) and for aw = 0.47 (15 microg x L-1 for GLU:ASN = 10:1 and 80 microg x L-1 for GLU:ASN = 1:10), suggesting a protection by glucose against acrylamide degradation. The energy of activation, as estimated from the temperature dependence of the initial rate, increased with decreasing aw despite a higher rate of formation of acrylamide at low aw. For high aw, water elimination from a reaction intermediate is suggested to be rate determining. For low aw, the increase in energy of activation (and enthalpy of activation) is accordingly counteracted by a more positive entropy of activation, in agreement with decarboxylation as rate determining at low aw.     

Evaluation of Air Pollution Burden from Contribution of Motorcycle Emission in Bangkok

This study investigated the relationship between exhaust emission from motorcycles and ambient air quality in Bangkok Metropolitan Region (BMR). The test result revealed that averagepollutant concentrations of the test motorcycles in terms of hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide were 8.38, 16.69 and 0.04 g km^-1, respectively. The finding also indicated that two-stroke motorcycles emitted 1.5 and 5 times more carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emission, respectively perkilometer driven than do four-stroke motorcycles. Four air sampling stations were strategically established to evaluate the air pollution problems in Bangkok arising from vehicle exhaust emission. Investigation was carried out to determine the correlation between average air pollutant concentration with different traffic configuration in each traffic zone of Bangkok Metropolitan Region (BMA) during peak/non peak hours, day/night times and weekday/weekend. The average concentrationsof PM₁₀ particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide in Bangkok street air were found tobe 84.33 μg m^-3 (24 hr ave.), 7.05 mg m^-3 (8 hr ave.), 56.74 μg m^-3 (1 hr ave.) and 9.60 μg m^-3 (24 hr ave.), respectively.     

Heparin affinity: purification of a tumor-derived capillary endothelial cell growth factor

A tumor-derived growth factor that stimulates the proliferation of capillary endothelial cells has a very strong affinity for heparin. This heparin affinity makes it possible to purify the growth factor to a single-band preparation in a rapid two-step procedure. The purified growth factor is a cationic polypeptide, has a molecular weight of about 18,000, and stimulates capillary endothelial cell proliferation at a concentration of about 1 nanogram per milliliter.     

Muscular thin films for building actuators and powering devices

We demonstrate the assembly of biohybrid materials from engineered tissues and synthetic polymer thin films. The constructs were built by culturing neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes on polydimethylsiloxane thin films micropatterned with extracellular matrix proteins to promote spatially ordered, two-dimensional myogenesis. The constructs, termed muscular thin films, adopted functional, three-dimensional conformations when released from a thermally sensitive polymer substrate and were designed to perform biomimetic tasks by varying tissue architecture, thin-film shape, and electrical-pacing protocol. These centimeter-scale constructs perform functions as diverse as gripping, pumping, walking, and swimming with fine spatial and temporal control and generating specific forces as high as 4 millinewtons per square millimeter.     

Sensitive glycoprotein gIII blocking ELISA to distinguish between pseudorabies (Aujeszky's disease)-infected and vaccinated pigs.

A blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test has been developed to distinguish pseudorabies virus (PRV) (Aujeszky's disease virus) -infected pigs from those immunized with a glycoprotein g92 (gIII) deletion mutant, PRV (dlg92dltk) [OMNIMARK-PRV]. This blocking ELISA test utilizes an anti-PRV gIII monoclonal antibody (mAbgIII)-horseradish peroxidase (HRPO) conjugate, TMB for color development and a cloned PRVg92 (gIII) antigen to coat wells of microtiter test plates. Undiluted sera are used to block the binding of the mAbgIII-HRPO conjugate to the antigen. The gIII blocking ELISA is specific and has a sensitivity comparable to screening ELISA and latex agglutination tests. PRV-negative sera and sera from pigs vaccinated once, twice, or four times with the gIII-negative vaccine all showed negative S/N values of greater than 0.70 (S/N defined as the optical density at 630 nm of test sera/optical density at 630 nm of negative control sera). Sera from PRV-infected herds, sera from pigs experimentally infected with virulent PRV, and sera from pigs vaccinated with modified-live or inactivated gIII+ vaccines were positive for gIII antibodies (S/N less than 0.7). Sera from pigs experimentally infected with 200 PFU virulent PRV seroconverted to gIII+ antibodies 7-10 days postinfection. Sera from pigs vaccinated with gpX- and gI- vaccines seroconverted to gIII+ antibodies 7-8 days after vaccination. The gIII antibodies persisted after gIII+ vaccinated for at least 376 days postvaccination. Sera from pigs protected by vaccination with PRV (dlg92dltk) and then challenge exposed to virulent PRV at 21 days postvaccination showed gIII+ antibodies by 14 days postchallenge. The specificity and sensitivity of the gIII blocking ELISA assay was further demonstrated on the United States Department of Agriculture-National Veterinary Services Laboratory (USDA-NVSL) sera from the 1988 PRV check set and the 1989 gIII PRV check set by comparing the gIII blocking ELISA assay with virus neutralization, screening/verification ELISA and latex agglutination assays.     

Second-generation pseudorabies virus vaccine with deletions in thymidine kinase and glycoprotein genes

A modified-live pseudorabies virus (PRV) vaccine, designated PRV(dlg92/d1tk), with deletions in the thymidine kinase (tk) and glycoprotein-gIII (g92) genes, was derived from the PRV (Bucharest [BUK]-d13) vaccine strain. The vaccine virus also contained a deletion in glycoprotein gI. Despite 3 deletions, PRV(dlg92/d1tk) replicated to high titers in cell culture from 30 C to 39.1 C. Enzyme assays and autoradiography revealed that PRV(dlg92/d1tk) did not induce a functional tk activity in infected tk- RAB(BU) cells (rabbit skin). Rabbit skin cells were infected with PRV(dlg92/d1tk), with vaccine strains derived from BUK or Bartha K strains of PRV or with the virulent Illinois (ILL), Indiana-Funkhauser (IND-F), and Aujeszky (Auj) strains of PRV and were labeled with [3H]mannose from 4 or 5 to 24 hours after infection to investigate whether these viruses induced the synthesis of glycoprotein gIII. Nonionic detergent extracts were prepared and immunoprecipitated with antisera from pigs vaccinated with tk(-)-PRV(BUK-d13) or tk+-Bartha K, pigs vaccinated with tk+-PRV(BUK) strains and then challenge exposed to tk+-PRV(IND-F), naturally infected domestic or feral pigs, and pigs vaccinated with tk-)-PRV(dlg92/d1tk). Mouse monoclonal antibodies against PRV glycoproteins gIII, gp50, and gII were also studied. After immunoprecipitation, labeled PRV-specific proteins were analyzed by sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. The PRV glycoprotein-gII complex, but not glycoprotein gIII, was synthesized in PRV(dlg92/d1tk)-infected cells. Glycoprotein gII and gIII were made in cells infected with PRV vaccine strains BUK, Bartha K, and BUK-d13 and with virulent PRV strains ILL, IND-F, and Auj. Cells infected with PRV(dlg92/d1tk) and with PRV strains ILL, IND-F, Auj, Bartha K, BUK, and BUK-d13, excreted into the cell culture medium a highly sulfated glycoprotein gX of about 90 kilodaltons. Antibodies to glycoprotein gIII were not detected in the sera of pigs inoculated with PRV(dlg92/d1tk), but were found in all other swine sera.     

Ontogenetic resource use and trophic dynamics of endangered juvenile Tachypleus tridentatus among diversified nursery habitats in the northern Beibu Gulf,China

Horseshoe crabs, the most well-known example of “living fossils”, are iconic and ecologically important macroinvertebrates in coastal and estuarine ecosystems. Their blood is a crucial resource for manufacturing Limulus or Tachypleus amebocyte lysate to detect bacterial endotoxins or fungal contamination in drug and medical devices. An enhanced understanding of their ecological roles and trophic interactions in the food webs is fundamental to facilitate resource management for the declining populations in Asia. Foraging information of the Asian species, however, is mainly derived from preliminary, scattered reports from a limited number of study locations. In this study, resource utilization, trophic niche dynamics, and trophic interaction of the juvenile tri-spine horseshoe crab, Tachypleus tridentatus (instars 1–12, approximately 0.5–8 years old) across ontogeny was assessed in diversified nursery habitats along the northern Beibu Gulf, China, using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. Our results suggest that: (i) T. tridentatus are ecological generalists given the vast range of carbon isotopic values and trophic niche width estimates exhibited between multiple instar groups; (ii) juvenile T. tridentatus across most habitat types predominantly assimilated energy from a variety of basal production sources in the food web, but primarily depended on sedimentary organic matter and seagrass resource pools; (iii) ontogenetic shifts in juvenile dietary proportions were evident, with decreased reliance on sedimentary organic matter, coupled with increased reliance on benthic macroinvertebrate grazers, detritivores, and omnivores with age; and (iv) nearly all juvenile instars occupied similar trophic positions in the food web with slight shifts in trophic position present with increasing size. Our findings indicate that resource availability and ontogenetic diet shifts strongly influence horseshoe crab trophic dynamics, and age should be accounted when formulating habitat conservation measures based on resource use for Asian horseshoe crabs.