Feedlot operators' and cow-calf producers' perspectives on the economic value of health-preconditioned weaner calves in South Africa.

Health preconditioning programmes have recently gained increased attention in South Africa. Uncertainty remains about whether South African feedlot operators and cow-calf producers perceive health preconditioning as an economic value-added management practice. Results indicated that most feedlot operators were willing to pay average price premiums of R0.

Expression profiling in exercised mdx suggests a role for extracellular proteins in the dystrophic muscle immune response.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal muscle wasting disorder caused by mutations in the DMD gene that leads to the absence or severe reduction of dystrophin protein in muscle. The mdx mouse, also dystrophin deficient, is the model most widely used to study the pathology and test potential therapies, but the phenotype is milder than human DMD. This limits the magnitude and range of histological damage parameters and molecular changes that can be measured in pre-clinical drug testing.

Application of Targeted Mass Spectrometry for the Quantification of Sirtuins in the Central Nervous System.

Sirtuin proteins have a variety of intracellular targets, thereby regulating multiple biological pathways including neurodegeneration. However, relatively little is currently known about the role or expression of the 7 mammalian sirtuins in the central nervous system. Western blotting, PCR and ELISA are the main techniques currently used to measure sirtuin levels.

Role of Growth Factors in Modulation of the Microvasculature in Adult Skeletal Muscle.

Post-natal skeletal muscle is a highly plastic tissue that has the capacity to regenerate rapidly following injury, and to undergo significant modification in tissue mass (i.e. atrophy/hypertrophy) in response to global metabolic changes.

The Relationship Between Plasma Aβ Levels, Cognitive Function and Brain Volumetrics: Sydney Memory and Ageing Study.

Objectives: Determine whether (1) a relationship exists between plasma amyloid-β (Aβ)1- 40 and 1-42 peptide levels, brain volumetrics and cognitive performance in elderly individuals with and without amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), (2) plasma Aβ peptide levels differ between apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 carriers and non-carriers and (3) longitudinal changes in cognition and brain volume relate to Aβ levels.

Methods: Subjects with aMCI (n = 89) and normal cognition (n = 126) were drawn from the Sydney Memory and Aging Study (Sydney MAS), a population based study of non-demented 70-90 year old individuals; 39 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients were recruited from a specialty clinic. Sydney MAS participants underwent brain MRI scans and were assessed on 19 cognitive measures and were APOE ε4 genotyped.