Activation of immune cells in bovine mammary gland secretions by zymosan-treated bovine serum.

Mastitis, caused by bacterial infection of the mammary gland, is a major disease of dairy cattle. The greatest risks of intramammary infection occur at the end of lactation and at the initiation of the next lactation when the cow calves. Treating serum with zymosan (yeast cell wall preparation) causes the complement to cleave, allowing this serum to serve as a source of complement fragment 5a (C5a), a potent chemoattractant and activator of the immune system.

Stability of polydimethylsiloxane-magnetite nanoparticle dispersions against flocculation: interparticle interactions of polydisperse materials.

The colloidal stability of dispersions comprised of magnetite nanoparticles coated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) oligomers was investigated theoretically and experimentally. Particle-particle interaction potentials in a theta solvent and in a good solvent for the PDMS were predicted by calculating van der Waals, electrostatic, steric, and magnetic forces as functions of interparticle separation distances. A variety of nanoparticle sizes and size distributions were considered.

The monitoring, prevention, and treatment of milk fever and subclinical hypocalcemia in dairy cows.

The periparturient cow undergoes a transition from non-lactating to lactating at calving. The animal is tremendously challenged to maintain calcium homeostasis. Those that fail can develop milk fever, a clinical disorder that is life threatening to the cow and predisposes the animal to a variety of other disorders.

Effect of herpes simplex suppression on incidence of HIV among women in Tanzania.

Background: Infection with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is associated with an increased risk of acquiring infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This study tested the hypothesis that HSV-2 suppressive therapy reduces the risk of HIV acquisition.

Methods: Female workers at recreational facilities in northwestern Tanzania who were 16 to 35 years of age were interviewed and underwent serologic testing for HIV and HSV-2.

Experimental realization of a multiproduct photorefractive correlation system for temporal signals.

The design and operation of a multidimensional photorefractive correlator is described. With a photorefractive medium as the integrator, this system effects the correlation of up to four time-evolving signals. The holographic correlation volume is viewed by projection onto a two-dimensional detector.

Age-related intrinsic changes in human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and their differentiation to osteoblasts.

In vivo and in vitro studies indicate that a subpopulation of human marrow-derived stromal cells (MSCs, also known as mesenchymal stem cells) has potential to differentiate into multiple cell types, including osteoblasts. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that there are intrinsic effects of age in human MSCs (17-90 years). We tested the effect of age on senescence-associated beta-galactosidase, proliferation, apoptosis, p53 pathway genes, and osteoblast differentiation in confluent monolayers by alkaline phosphatase activity and osteoblast gene expression analysis.

Effect of application of ammonium chloride and calcium chloride on alfalfa cation-anion content and yield.

A major factor predisposing the cow to periparturient hypocalcemia, or milk fever, is being fed a prepartum ration with a high dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD). The DCAD can be favorably altered to prevent milk fever by decreasing K and Na or increasing Cl and S in forages for cows in late gestation. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that application of Cl to alfalfa could increase Cl in forage, thereby lowering DCAD.

Treatment of actinide exposures: a review of Ca-DTPA injections inside CEA-COGEMA plants.

Calcium diethylenetriamine pentacetate (Ca-DTPA) has been used for medical treatment of plutonium and americium contaminations in the CEA and COGEMA plants from 1970 to 2003. This paper is a survey of the injections Ca-DTPA administered as a chelating molecule and it will be a part of the authorisation process for Ca-DTPA by intravenous administration. Out of 1158 injections administered to 469 persons, 548 events of possible or confirmed contamination were reported.

Artificial neural networks for assessing the risk factors for urinary calcium stones according to gender and family history of stone.

Objective: In a previous work, we evidenced that artificial neural networks (ANNs) were more informative than classical statistical analyses for assessing the risk of idiopathic calcium nephrolithiasis in male stone-formers.

Material And Methods: We compared risk factors for idiopathic calcium nephrolithiasis (age, body mass index, calcemia, calcium oxalate supersaturation, and 24-h calciuria, oxaluria, uricosuria, citraturia, urea, and sodium) in four populations: men and women with and without a family history of stone (FHS). A total of 119 males (58 with an FHS, 61 without) and 59 females (30 with an FHS, 29 without) were compared to healthy controls.

Perpendicular antiferromagnetic ordering of Mn and exchange anisotropy in Fe/Mn multilayers.

Fe/Mn is a model system in which to study exchange bias, since the antiferromagnetic (AF) Mn layers are believed to have uncompensated moments with all spins aligned in the plane and parallel to those of the Fe. We have determined the microscopic AF ordering at the interfaces using single-crystal neutron diffraction. An unexpected magnetic structure is obtained, with out-of-plane Mn moments perpendicular to those of Fe.

Patterning of sodium ions and the control of electrons in sodium cobaltate.

Sodium cobaltate (Na(x)CoO2) has emerged as a material of exceptional scientific interest due to the potential for thermoelectric applications, and because the strong interplay between the magnetic and superconducting properties has led to close comparisons with the physics of the superconducting copper oxides. The density x of the sodium in the intercalation layers can be altered electrochemically, directly changing the number of conduction electrons on the triangular Co layers. Recent electron diffraction measurements reveal a kaleidoscope of Na+ ion patterns as a function of concentration.

Pre-partum monensin supplementation improves body reserves at calving and milk yield in Holstein cows dried-off with low body condition score.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a monensin controlled-release capsule administered intraruminally at drying-off on body condition score (BCS) at calving, milk yield, fertility and concentration of energy-related blood metabolites in Holstein cows dried-off with low BCS (< or = 3.0, scale 1 to 5 with a 0.25 point of increment).

Reduced irradiation pulmonary fibrosis and stromal cell migration in Smad3-/- marrow chimeric mice.

Pulmonary irradiation fibrosis involves migration to the lungs of bone marrow origin myofibroblast progenitor cells (marrow stromal cells (MSCs)). Smad3-/- mice display decreased ionizing irradiation-induced skin fibrosis, defective osteochondrogenesis and other abnormalities thought to be associated with a defective stromal cell response(s) to transforming growth factor-beta (TGFFbeta). Clonal bone marrow stromal cell lines were derived from the adherent layer of continuous bone marrow cultures of homozygous deletion recombinant negative Smad3-/- mice and Smad3+/+ littermates.

Genotoxicant accumulation and cellular defence activation in bivalves chronically exposed to waterborne contaminants from the Seine River.

The aim of the present work was to investigate genotoxicant accumulation and biological responses of zebra mussels and blue mussels collected along a pollution gradient in the Seine estuary and in the Seine Bay. The sampling area included three contaminated and one reference sites for each species. The study focused on polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), lindane, polychlorobiphenyls (PCB) and metals known to be potential genotoxicants and/or reactive oxygen species (ROS) inducers.

Endoscopy in a deployed combat support hospital: maintaining military end-strength.

Objective: The objective was to examine the safety and efficacy of the 48th Combat Support Hospital's use of diagnostic endoscopy in Afghanistan.

Methods: A retrospective review was performed on the medical records of all endoscopy patients treated at the 48th Combat Support Hospital in Bagram, Afghanistan, from December 6, 2002 through June 7, 2003.

Results: Twenty-four patients (male, 21; female, 3; mean age, 35 years) underwent 28 endoscopic procedures as follows: colonoscopy, 14; esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), 13; and flexible sigmoidoscopy, 1.

Neutrophil extracellular trap formation by bovine neutrophils is not inhibited by milk.

Neutrophils are the first line of defense in a mammary gland infection. However, the process of neutrophil transmigration across a membrane and ingestion of fat and/or casein when incubated in milk have been shown to inhibit bacterial phagocytosis and oxidative burst functions. Recently, a killing mechanism has been described whereby stimulated neutrophils release nuclear and granule material in fibrous webs that physically trap and kill bacteria.

Increased radioresistance, g(2)/m checkpoint inhibition, and impaired migration of bone marrow stromal cell lines derived from Smad3(-/-) mice.

Smad3 protein is a prominent member of the Tgfb receptor signaling pathway. Smad3(-/-) mice display decreased radiation-induced skin fibrosis, suggesting a defect in both Tgfb-mediated fibroblast proliferation and migration. We established bone marrow stromal cell lines from Smad3(-/-) mice and homozygous littermate(+/+) mice.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator implant-explant-implant case study: addressing the psychological adjustment to multiple shocks.

This case study details the multidisciplinary approach to a patient who underwent implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) explantation for psychological reasons. The patient was unable to manage the stress associated with multiple shocks. He had a class I indication for an ICD but initially refused to undergo reimplantation.

DNA adduct measurements in zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha, Pallas. Potential use for genotoxicant biomonitoring of fresh water ecosystems.

The purpose of this study was to examine PAH accumulation and bulky DNA adduct formation in the digestive gland of zebra mussels exposed in their habitat or in controlled laboratory conditions to complex mixture of PAH. DNA adducts were measured using a 32P-postlabelling protocol with nuclease P1 enrichment adapted from Reddy and Randerath [Reddy, M.V.

Parturition and hypocalcemia blunts calcium signals in immune cells of dairy cattle.

The stress of parturition in the dairy cow is associated with increased susceptibility to infectious disease. During the periparturient period the demands for calcium are increased; these increased demands for calcium can result in subclinical or clinical hypocalcemia. Periparturient cows also experience significant immune suppression.

Allele frequencies and haplotypes of eight Y-short tandem repeats in Bantu population living in Central Africa.

Eight Y chromosome short tandem repeats (STR) loci (DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385I/II) were used to assess haplotype distribution in non-selected, unrelated Bantu males living in Central Africa [N. Mathias, M. Bayes, C.

Neutrophil function and energy status in Holstein cows with uterine health disorders.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the associations between peripheral blood neutrophil (PMN) function, energy status, and uterine health in periparturient dairy cows. Data were collected from 83 multiparous Holstein cows. Blood samples for PMN function determination were collected weekly from 1 week prior to calving (week -1) through 4 weeks after calving and again at 8 weeks after calving.

Operation Enduring Freedom: the 48th Combat Support Hospital in Afghanistan.

Objective: To examine the experience of the 48th Combat Support Hospital (CSH) while deployed to Afghanistan, with an emphasis on trauma care.

Materials And Methods: Before redeployment, a retrospective review was performed on the medical records of all patients treated at the 48th CSH from December 6, 2002 through June 7, 2003.

Results: During the 6-month period, 10,679 patients were evaluated and/or treated.