The curious case of the Dana platypus and what it can teach us about how lead shotgun pellets behave in fluid preserved museum specimens and may limit their scientific value.

Fluid preserved animal specimens in the collections of natural history museums constitute an invaluable archive of past and present animal diversity. Well-preserved specimens have a shelf-life spanning centuries and are widely used for e.g.

Computed Tomography as a Method for Age Determination of Carnivora and Odontocetes with Validation from Individuals with Known Age.

Traditional methods for age determination of wildlife include either slicing thin sections off or grinding a tooth, both of which are laborious and invasive. Especially when it comes to ancient and valuable museum samples of rare or extinct species, non-invasive methods are preferable. In this study, X-ray micro-computed tomography (µ-CT) was verified as an alternative non-invasive method for age determination of three species within the order of Carnivora and suborders Odontoceti.

Heterochronic maturation of anatomical plugs for protecting the airway in rorqual whales (Balaenopteridae).

Recently, a unique mechanism for protecting the airway during lunge feeding was discovered in rorqual whales (Balaenopteridae). This mechanism is based on an oral plug structure in the soft palate with similarities in musculo-fatty composition to the nasal plugs protecting the respiratory tract of rorquals from water entry and barotrauma during diving. As a follow-up, we present here a developmental series on fetal, prenatal, juvenile and adult specimens across five species of rorquals, showing differential maturation of the nasal and oral respiratory protection plugs.

Acute Loss of Apolipoprotein E Triggers an Autoimmune Response That Accelerates Atherosclerosis.

Objective- Dyslipidemia is a component of the metabolic syndrome, an established risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and is also observed in various autoimmune and chronic inflammatory conditions. However, there are limited opportunities to study the impact of acquired dyslipidemia on cardiovascular and immune pathology. Approach and Results- We designed a model system that allows for the conversion to a state of acute hyperlipidemia in adult life, so that the consequences of such a transition could be observed, through conditionally deleting APOE (apolipoprotein E) in the adult mouse.

Activation of the Regulatory T-Cell/Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase Axis Reduces Vascular Inflammation and Atherosclerosis in Hyperlipidemic Mice.

T-cell activation is characteristic during the development of atherosclerosis. While overall T-cell responses have been implicated in disease acceleration, regulatory T cells (Tregs) exhibit atheroprotective effects. The expression of the enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-1 (IDO1), which catalyzes the degradation of tryptophan (Trp) along the kynurenine pathway, has been implicated in the induction and expansion of Treg populations.

Atherosclerosis Susceptibility in Mice Is Independent of the V1 Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain Gene.

Objective: The V1 (VHS107.1.42) immunoglobulin heavy chain gene is thought to be critical in producing IgM natural antibodies of the T15-idiotype that protect against both atherosclerosis and infection from Streptococcus pneumoniae.

T cell-based therapies for atherosclerosis.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), largely due to atherosclerosis, are the major causes of death in today's world. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory condition initiated by retention and accumulation of cholesterol-containing lipoproteins, in particular low-density lipoprotein (LDL), in the artery wall. This initiates pathological responses of immune cells that lead to atherosclerotic plaque formation.

Immunotherapy with tolerogenic apolipoprotein B-100-loaded dendritic cells attenuates atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic mice.

Background: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by a massive intimal accumulation of low-density lipoprotein that triggers chronic vascular inflammation with an autoimmune response to low-density lipoprotein components.

Methods And Results: To dampen the inflammatory component of atherosclerosis, we injected hypercholesterolemic huB100(tg) × Ldlr(-/-) mice (mice transgenic for human apolipoprotein B100 [ApoB100] and deficient for the low-density lipoprotein receptor) intravenously with dendritic cells (DCs) that had been pulsed with the low-density lipoprotein protein ApoB100 in combination with the immunosuppressive cytokine interleukin-10. DCs treated with ApoB100 and interleukin-10 reduced proliferation of effector T cells, inhibited production of interferon-γ, and increased de novo generation of regulatory T cells in vitro.