Chronic disease in the Mojave desert tortoise: Host physiology and recrudescence obscure patterns of pathogen transmission.

A seminatural, factorial-design experiment was used to quantify dynamics of the pathogen and upper respiratory tract disease in the Mojave desert tortoise () over 2 years. Groups of initially healthy animals were separated into serologically positive (seropositive), seronegative, and artificially infected groups and paired into 23 pens. We found no evidence of long-term immune protection to or of immunological memory.

Mycoplasmal upper respiratory tract disease across the range of the threatened Mojave Desert tortoise: associations with thermal regime and natural antibodies.

Most research of upper respiratory tract disease (mycoplasmal URTD) in the threatened Mojave Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) has worked under the hypothesis that the pathogen, Mycoplasma agassizii, has a relatively consistent and predictable effect on tortoise populations across their natural range. In contrast, we hypothesized that multiple factors influence the prevalence of disease and analyzed biological and environmental variables that vary significantly across the Mojave Desert. We used multiple regression models to analyze associations between mycoplasmal URTD and the genetic structure of 24 tortoise populations, levels of natural antibody (NAb) to M.

Statins and biomarkers in claudicants with peripheral arterial disease: cross-sectional study.

This exploratory substudy of The Iron (Fe) and Atherosclerosis Study (FeAST) compared baseline inflammatory markers, including cytokines, C-reactive protein (CRP), and ferritin, in subjects with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) taking statins with subjects with PAD who were not taking statins. Inflammatory markers in the serum of 47 subjects with PAD not taking statins and a healthy cohort of 21 medication-free men were compared with 53 PAD subjects taking statins at entry to the FeAST. Healthy subjects demonstrated lower levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-R1, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and CRP.

Cytokine signatures in atherosclerotic claudicants.

Background: Iron accumulation and inflammation may affect atherosclerosis. This study intended to define a cytokine signature in atherosclerotic claudicants and to determine whether reduction in serum ferritin by phlebotomy influenced this pattern.

Methods: Ninety-one subjects with peripheral vascular disease (PVD; mean age, 67 years) were recruited from the VA Cooperative Iron and Atherosclerosis Study (FeAST) testing the hypothesis that ferritin reduction to 25 ng/ml may ameliorate atherosclerosis.

Influence of omega-3 fatty acids on the growth of human colon carcinoma in nude mice.

The present study investigated the influence of dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on the growth of human colon carcinoma xenograft in athymic nude mice. Four diets were fed to evaluate the effect of levels and types of fat on colon tumor growth. Animals were maintained on a standard diet modified by addition of fats containing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to represent high and low fat intakes for 53 days.