Investigation of microorganisms in cannabis after heating in a commercial vaporizer.

Introduction: There are concerns about microorganisms present on cannabis materials used in clinical settings by individuals whose health status is already compromised and are likely more susceptible to opportunistic infections from microbial populations present on the materials. Most concerning is administration by inhalation where cannabis plant material is heated in a vaporizer, aerosolized, and inhaled to receive the bioactive ingredients. Heating to high temperatures is known to kill microorganisms including bacteria and fungi; however, microbial death is dependent upon exposure time and temperature.

Wild bears, real bears and zoo bears: Authenticity and nature in Anthropocene tourism.

Within nature-based tourism research, authenticity has received a great deal of attention in relation to existential authenticity and in examining the authenticity of experiences. Yet very little research exists that explores the ways in which tourists perceive wildlife as more or less authentic, as objects in nature-based tourism discourses. This qualitative case study research explores visitors' perspectives in relation to polar bear tourism in Churchill, Manitoba (in situ) and at the Assiniboine Park Zoo's 'Journey to Churchill' exhibit (ex situ) in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Assessment of gut microbiota populations in lean and obese Zucker rats.

Obesity has been on the rise in the US and worldwide for the last several decades. Obesity has been associated with chronic disease development, such as certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and liver diseases. Previously, we reported that obesity promotes DMBA-induced mammary tumor development using the obese Zucker rat model.

A metallo-β-lactamase is responsible for the degradation of ceftiofur by the bovine intestinal bacterium Bacillus cereus P41.

Ceftiofur is a highly effective veterinary cephalosporin, yet it is rapidly degraded by bacteria in the gut. The goal of this work was to directly determine the mechanism of ceftiofur degradation by the bovine intestinal isolate Bacillus cereus P41. B.

Distance dependence of intrahelix Ru(II)* to Os(II) polypyridyl excited-state energy transfer in oligoproline assemblies.

Energy transfer between the metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) excited states of [Pra [M(II)(bpy)2(4-Me-4'(-N(H)CO)bpy)](PF6)2 units ([Pra(M(II)bpy2(mbpy)](2+): M(II) = Ru(II) or Os(II), bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, mbpy = 4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridine-4-carboxamido, Pra = 4-M(II)-L-proline) linked covalently to oligoproline assemblies in room temperature acetonitrile occurs on the picosecond-nanosecond time scale and has been time-resolved by transient emission measurements. Three derivatized oligoprolines, [CH3-CO-Pro6-Pra[Os(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-Pro2-Pra[Ru(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-Pro2-Pra[Ru(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-Pro6-Glu-NH2](6+) (ORR-2, Pro = L-proline and Glu = glutamic acid); [CH3-CO-Pro6-Pra[Os(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-Pro3-Pra[Ru(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-Pro3-Pra[Ru(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-Pro6-Glu-NH2](6+) (ORR-3); and CH3-CO-Pro6-Pra[Os(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-Pro5-Pra[Ru(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)-Pro5-Pra[Ru(II)(bpy)2(mbpy)](2+)Pro6-Glu2-NH2](6+) (ORR-5), were prepared by using solid-phase peptide synthesis. Given the helical nature of the resulting assemblies and the nature of the synthesis, composition, length, and loading pattern are precisely controlled in the assemblies.

Endoplasmic reticulum-localized hepatic lipase decreases triacylglycerol storage and VLDL secretion.

Hepatic triacylglycerol levels are governed through synthesis, degradation and export of this lipid. Here we demonstrate that enforced expression of hepatic lipase in the endoplasmic reticulum in McArdle RH7777 hepatocytes resulted in a significant decrease in the incorporation of fatty acids into cellular triacylglycerol and cholesteryl ester accompanied by attenuation of secretion of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins. Hepatic lipase-mediated depletion of intracellular lipid storage increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α and its target genes and augmented oxidation of fatty acids.

Bovine intestinal bacteria inactivate and degrade ceftiofur and ceftriaxone with multiple beta-lactamases.

The veterinary cephalosporin drug ceftiofur is rapidly degraded in the bovine intestinal tract. A cylinder-plate assay was used to detect microbiologically active ceftiofur, and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was used to quantify the amount of ceftiofur remaining after incubation with bovine intestinal anaerobic bacteria, which were isolated from colon contents or feces from 8 cattle. Ninety-six percent of the isolates were able to inactivate ceftiofur to some degree, and 54% actually degraded the drug.

Arylacetamide deacetylase attenuates fatty-acid-induced triacylglycerol accumulation in rat hepatoma cells.

Mobilization of hepatic triacylglycerol stores provides substrates for mitochondrial beta-oxidation and assembly of VLDLs; however, the identity of lipolytic enzymes involved in the regulation of this process remains largely unknown. Arylacetamide deacetylase (AADA) shares homology with hormone-sensitive lipase and therefore could potentially participate in hepatic lipid metabolism, including the regulation of hepatic triacylglycerol levels. We have established McArdle-RH7777 (rat hepatoma) cell lines stably expressing mouse AADA cDNA and performed metabolic labeling as well as lipid mass analyses.

Es-x/Ces1 prevents triacylglycerol accumulation in McArdle-RH7777 hepatocytes.

Mouse esterase-x/carboxylesterase 1 (Es-x/Ces1) is a close homolog of triacylglycerol hydrolase/carboxylesterase 3 (TGH/Ces3). Es-x possesses a conserved esterase/lipase active site motif, suggesting that like TGH it could play a role in hepatic triacylglycerol (TG) metabolism. McArdle-RH7777 cells stably transfected with Es-x cDNA accumulated significantly less TG and had increased production of acid-soluble metabolites (an indicator of beta-oxidation) during incubations with 0.

Characterization of deltoid, a chimeric protein containing the oligomerization site of hepatitis delta antigen.

Both forms of the hepatitis delta antigen (HDAg) encoded by hepatitis delta virus are active only as oligomers. Previous studies showed that quadrin, a synthetic 50-residue peptide containing residues 12-60 from the N-terminus of HDAg, interferes with HDAg oligomerization, forms an alpha-helical coiled coil in solution, and forms a novel square octamer in the crystal consisting of four antiparallel coiled-coil dimers joined at the corners by hydrophobic binding of oligomerization sites located at each end of the dimers. We designed and synthesized deltoid (CH3CO-[Cys23]HDAg-(12-27)-seryl-tRNA synthetae-(59-65)-[Cys42]HDAg-(34-60)-Tyr-NH2), a chimeric protein that structurally resembles one end of the quadrin dimer and contains a single oligomerization site.

Novel long-circulating liposomes containing peptide library-lipid conjugates: synthesis and in vivo behavior.

Rapid uptake of intravenously injected liposomes by the mononuclear phagocyte system has limited their use as drug delivery vehicles. Recently, various long-circulating liposomes have been prepared by incorporating glycolipids or other amphiphilic molecules into the lipid bilayer of conventional liposomes. The purpose of the present study was to design a new class of biodegradable membrane modifiers that would increase the half-life of liposomes in vivo.

DNA microarray analysis of predominant human intestinal bacteria in fecal samples.

A microarray method was developed for the detection of 40 bacterial species reported in the literature to be predominant in the human gastrointestinal tract. The 40 species include seven species each of Bacteroides and Clostridium, six species of Ruminococcus, five species of Bifidobacterium, four species of Eubacterium, two species each of Fusobacterium, Lactobacillus and Enterococcus, and single species each of Collinsella, Eggerthella, Escherichia, Faecalibacterium and Finegoldia. Three 40-mer oligos specific for each bacterial species were designed based on comparison of the 16S rDNA sequences available in the GenBank database, and were used to make the DNA-array on epoxy slides.

Solvent dependence of intramolecular electron transfer in a helical oligoproline assembly.

The helical oligoproline assembly CH3-CO-Pro-Pro-Pro-Pra(Ptzpn)-Pro-Pro-Pra(RuIIb2m2+ -Pro-Pro-Pra(Anq)-Pro-Pro-Pro-NH2, having a spatially ordered array of functional sites protruding from the proline backbone, has been prepared. The 13-residue assembly formed a linear array containing a phenothiazine electron donor, a tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) chromophore, and an anthraquinone electron acceptor with the proline II secondary structure as shown by circular dichroism measurements. Following RuII --> b2m metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) excitation at 457 nm, electron-transfer quenching occurs, ultimately to give a redox-separated (RS) state containing a phenothiazine (PTZ) radical cation at the Pra(Ptzpn) site and an anthraquinone (ANQ) radical anion at the Pra(Anq) site.

Sensitization of TiO(2) by Phosphonate-Derivatized Proline Assemblies.

Surface electrochemical and photoelectrochemical measurements on ITO (In(2)O(3):Sn) or TiO(2) of two proline assemblies are reported. Surface coverage on ITO of Pbp-pra(Ru(II)b(2)m)-OH(PF(6))(2) and Bpb-pra(Ru(II)b(2)m)-OCH(3)(CF(3)CO(2))(2) are (1.5-2.