Nippostrongylus brasiliensis: infection decreases plasma butyrylcholinesterase activity in rats.

Plasma butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) hydrolyzes ester-containing compounds such as succinylcholine, as well as acting as a scavenger against neurotoxic organophosphates (OPs). We previously found that Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infection makes rats more susceptible to OP toxicity by decreasing serum paraoxonase-1 (PON1) activity. In the present study, we examined the effects of N.

Chlorinated and parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental samples from an electronic waste recycling facility and a chemical industrial complex in China.

Chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (CIPAHs) are a class of halogenated contaminants found in the urban atmosphere; they have toxic potential similar to that of dioxins. Information on the sources of CIPAHs is limited. In this study, concentrations of 20 CIPAHs and 16 parent PAHs were measured in electronic wastes, workshop-floor dust, vegetation, and surface soil collected from the vicinity of an electronic waste (e-waste) recycling facility and in surface soil from a chemical industrial complex (comprising a coke-oven plant, a coal-fired power plant, and a chlor-alkali plant), and agricultural areas in central and eastern China.

Effects of L-arginine and L-lysine mixtures on splenic sympathetic nerve activity and tumor proliferation.

Oral supplementations of L-arginine and L-lysine show tumor inhibition abilities. The splenic sympathetic nerve is involved in central modulation of cellular immunity and suppresses splenic natural killer cell activity in rats. An intravenous administration of a mixture of 10 mM L-arginine and L-lysine decreased splenic sympathetic nerve activity (splenic-SNA).

A seroepidemiological survey for paragonimosis among boar-hunting dogs in central and southern Kyushu, Japan.

A seroepidemiological survey for paragonimosis among boar-hunting dogs was conducted throughout central and southern Kyushu, Japan. Among a total of 224 sera collected from boar-hunting dogs kept by 38 owners, 147 (65.6%) were positive for IgG antibodies against Paragonimus westermani antigen by ELISA.

[Case of carcinoembryogenic antigen-producing renal pelvic cancer].

A 58-year-old man with a chief complaint of exertional dyspnea was admitted to our hospital. One year earlier, he had visited another hospital for the evaluation of gross hematuria, and had undergone right nephro-ureterectomy with a diagnosis of right renal pelvic cancer. Blood chemistry revealed an elevated level of carcinoembryogenic antigen (CEA) (134.

Discovery of Paragonimus westermani in Vietnam and its molecular phylogenetic status in P. westermani complex.

Paragonimus westermani is the most well-known species among the genus Paragonimus. It is widely distributed in Asia with considerable genetic diversity to form P. westermani species complex.

Concentrations, profiles, and estimated human exposures for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans from electronic waste recycling facilities and a chemical industrial complex in Eastern China.

Environmental pollution arising from electronic waste (e-waste) disposal and recycling has received considerable attention in recent years. Treatment, at low temperatures, of e-wastes that contain polyvinylchloride and related polymers can release polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). Although several studies have reported trace metals and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) released from e-waste recycling operations, environmental contamination and human exposure to PCDD/Fs from e-waste recycling operations are less well understood.

Effect of the culture extract of Lentinus edodes mycelia on splenic sympathetic activity and cancer cell proliferation.

The spleen is an important organ for tumor immunity, and the splenic sympathetic nerve has a suppressive effect on splenic natural killer (NK) cytotoxicity. On the basis of this and reports that Lentinus edodes (Shiitake mushroom) has tumor-inhibitory effects, the authors hypothesized that an extract of a mycelial culture of L. edodes grown in a solid medium of sugar-cane bagasse and defatted rice bran-L.

Eimeria vermiformis infection reduces goblet cells by multiplication in the crypt cells of the small intestine of C57BL/6 mice.

In the gastrointestinal mucosa, mucus produced by goblet cells plays an important role in the defense against various pathogens. It is well known that some helminth parasites are able to up-regulate goblet cell numbers and alter the mucus components. However, the nature of the interactions between the protozoan parasites and goblet cells is still unclear.

Rumen ciliates from Tanzanian short horn zebu cattle, Bos taurus indicus, and the infraciliature of Entodinium palmare n.sp. and Enoploplastron stokyi (Buisson, 1924).

Rumen ciliates of ten Tanzanian short horn zebu cattle were examined. A total of 15 genera and 46 species were identified, including a new Entodinium species. The ciliate density was 22.

Infection of a group of boar-hunting dogs with Paragonimus westermani in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan.

A 5-year-old male mixed-bred boar-hunting dog with a Plott hound background weighing 23 kg was brought to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Miyazaki, in October 2002. The dog was diagnosed with active infection with the lung fluke Paragonimus westermani by serological testing and also by detection of parasite eggs in his feces. Subsequent examination of four other dogs working with this dog as a boar-hunting team revealed that all five dogs were infected with P.

Gastrointestinal motor disturbance in rabbits experimentally infected with Strongyloides papillosus.

Strongyloides papillosus is a common nematode in ruminants, and the rabbit is the only susceptible experimental animal that has been identified to date. It is known that heavy infection with S. papillosus causes death in a number of animals.

Emerging contaminants in car interiors: evaluating the impact of airborne PBDEs and PBDD/Fs.

Air samples from automobile cabins were collected and analyzed for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polybrominated dibenzofurans (PBDFs), and polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PBDDs). The concentration of total PBDEs (sigmaPBDE; sum of 19 congeners) varied from 0.4 to 2644 pg m(-3), with a median of 201 pg m(-3), while BDE 47, 99, and 209 collectively accounted for 70 +/- 30% of sigmaPBDE concentrations.

Search for B+-->D*+pi0 decay.

We report on a search for the doubly Cabibbo suppressed decay B+-->D*+pi0, based on a data sample of 657x10(6) BB pairs collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+e- collider. We find no significant signal and set an upper limit of B(B+-->D*+pi0)<3.6x10(-6) at the 90% confidence level.

High-fat diet-induced obesity is attenuated by probiotic strain Lactobacillus paracasei ST11 (NCC2461) in rats.

In a recent study, we obtained some evidences that probiotic strain Lactobacillus affects the autonomic nerve activities and regulates blood glucose and cardiovascular function. In the study presented here, we found that long-term ingestion of the lactobacillus strain Lactobacillus paracasei ST11 (NCC2461) reduced body weight and abdominal fat weight. To investigate possible role of autonomic nerves in anti-obesity action of NCC2461, we examined the effects of intraduodenal (ID) injection of the lactobacillus strain L.

Gastrointestinal nematode infection increases organophosphate toxicity in rats.

Serum paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is an esterase associated with high-density lipoproteins in plasma and is involved in the detoxification of organophosphates (OP). We have previously reported a significant decrease in serum PON1 activity following Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infection in Wistar rats. In the present study we investigated the effects of decreased serum PON1 activity due to N.

Increased anxiety-like behavior in neuropsin (kallikrein-related peptidase 8) gene-deficient mice.

Neuropsin (kallikrein-related peptidase 8) is concentrated in the hippocampus, amygdala, olfactory bulb, and prefrontal cortex. Earlier studies showed that protease deficiency causes a significant impairment of early-phase long-term potentiation in the Schaffer collateral pathway and hippocampus-dependent memory in the Y maze and Morris water maze (Z. Chen et al.

Decreased serum paraoxonase-1 activity during intestinal nematode (Nippostrongylus brasiliensis) infection in rats.

Reduced paraoxonase-1 (PON1) activity has been observed in a number of pathological conditions; however, little is known about the effects of intestinal nematode infections, such as Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, on paraoxonase activity. We observed a significant reduction in serum paraoxonase and arylesterase activity after N. brasiliensis infection in Wistar rats from Day 6 until Day 12 post-infection (p.

Survey of organosilicone compounds, including cyclic and linear siloxanes, in personal-care and household products.

The determination of organosiloxanes in consumer products is important for the evaluation and characterization of sources of human and environmental exposures. In this study, we determined concentrations of cyclic siloxanes [octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D(4)), decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D(5)), dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D(6))], tetradecamethylcycloheptasiloxane (D(7))] and linear siloxanes (L(4) to L(14)) in a variety of consumer products (n = 76), including hair-care products, skin lotions, body washes, cosmetics, nursing nipples (i.e.

Historical trends of organic pollutants in sediment cores from Hong Kong.

Recent studies have indicated the occurrence of a wide range of trace organic contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the Hong Kong environment. These contaminants are potentially harmful to ecological systems, particularly in coastal areas. In this study, two sediment cores (4m) were collected from southern waters of Hong Kong in 2004 to study the historical trends, distribution patterns, and potential sources of trace organic contaminants.

Occurrence and profiles of chlorinated and brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in waste incinerators.

Chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (CIPAHs) have been reported to occur in urban air. Nevertheless, sources of CIPAHs in urban air have not been studied, due to the lack of appropriate analytical methods and standards. In this study, we measured concentrations of 20 CIPAHs and 11 brominated PAHs (BrPAHs) in fly ash and bottom ash from 11 municipal/hazardous/industrial waste incinerators, using analytical standards synthesized in our laboratory.

Sequence analyses of ITS2 and CO1 genes of Paragonimus proliferus obtained in Yunnan province, China and their similarities with those of P. hokuoensis.

Among about 50 Paragonimus species, Paragonimus proliferus is a rare species characterized by extremely large metacercariae, most of which are present excysted in the crab hosts. Recently, this species was discovered by us in northern Vietnam as the first record outside of China. DNA sequences of both second internal transcribed spacer region (ITS2) and cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene (CO1) genes of the metacercariae and adult worms of P.

Neuropsin (KLK8)-dependent and -independent synaptic tagging in the Schaffer-collateral pathway of mouse hippocampus.

Hippocampal early long-term potentiation (LTP) elicited by a weak (one or two) tetanic stimulus normally fades away within 90 min. Late LTP elicited by strong (four) stimuli lasts >180 min and requires new protein synthesis to persist. If a strong tetanus is injected once into a synapse, even a weak tetanus injected into another synapse can evoke persistent LTP.

Case of pregnancy in two cows with unicorn horn of the uterus either by artificial insemination at ipsilateral or embryo transfer at contralateral corpus luteum in the ovary.

Two Holstein heifers and a cow were diagnosed with White Heifer Disease by ultrasonography. Case 1 was a 14 month-old heifer with aplasia of both sides of the uterine horn. In case 2, a primiparous cow and case 3, an 18 month-old heifer, both showed aplasia of the right uterine horn.