A pilot study on semivolatile organic compounds in senior care facilities: Implications for older adult exposures.

The occurrence of five groups of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) (total of ∼120 distinct chemicals) was investigated in senior care facilities in the United States and in Portugal. Indoor settled dust samples were collected from fourteen facilities, and the concentrations of organophosphate esters (OPEs), brominated flame retardants (BFRs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in these samples. Overall, OPEs, PAHs, and BFRs were the most abundant, and OCPs and PCBs were the least abundant SVOC groups in dust collected from both U.

Partial pressures of PCB-11 in air from several Great Lakes sites.

Relatively high concentrations of 3,3'-dichlorobiphenyl (PCB-11) have been reported in water and air, and it has been suggested that this compound did not come from commercial PCB products. We report here data on atmospheric partial pressures of PCB-11 and of total PCBs at five sites around the Great Lakes and demonstrate that both total PCBs and PCB-11 track human population density. In addition, we show that with the exception of Chicago, the PCB congener pattern at our sampling sites is best represented by Aroclor 1242; in Chicago, the pattern is best represented by a 1:1 mixture of Aroclors 1242 and 1254.

Specificity of IgG and IgE antibody responses to Haemophilus somnus infection of calves.

Haemophilus somnus is an important cause of bovine respiratory disease and septicemia with all it's sequelae. The role of immune responses in protection and immunopathogenesis is not well understood. We showed that infection with bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) 6 days before H.

Haemophilus somnus (Histophilus somni) in bighorn sheep.

Respiratory disease and poor lamb recruitment have been identified as limiting factors for bighorn-sheep populations. Haemophilus somnus (recently reclassified as Histophilus somni) is associated with respiratory disease in American bison, domestic sheep, and cattle. It is also harbored in their reproductive tracts and has been associated with reproductive failure in domestic sheep and cattle.

Immune mechanisms of pathogenetic synergy in concurrent bovine pulmonary infection with Haemophilus somnus and bovine respiratory syncytial virus.

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) and Haemophilus somnus are two bovine respiratory pathogens that cause disease singly or as part of a polymicrobial infection. BRSV infection is often associated with a predisposition towards production of a T helper type 2 (Th2) response and IgE production. In contrast, an IgG2 response to H.

Genetic manipulation of immunoglobulin binding proteins of Haemophilus somnus.

The relationship of the 76kDa immunoglobulin binding, surface antigen (p76) of Haemophilus somnus to the high molecular weight immunoglobulin binding proteins (HMW IgBPs) was investigated. The kanamycin resistance gene from pLS88 was used via homologous recombination with allelic exchange to replace a portion of the gene encoding IgBPs of H. somnus strain 8025.

Presence of visual head tracking differentiates normal sighted from retinal degenerate mice.

We have generated a large number of potential eye and vision mutants by a mouse mutagenesis programme and sought to develop a rapid method for testing vision. This experiment assesses whether the visual tracking drum can differentiate between mice with and without retinal degeneration. The population of mice tested had a proportion with retinal degeneration, the remainder having normal retinas.

Novel ENU-induced eye mutations in the mouse: models for human eye disease.

We have carried out a genome-wide screen for novel N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced mutations that give rise to eye and vision abnormalities in the mouse and have identified 25 inherited phenotypes that affect all parts of the eye. A combination of genetic mapping, complementation and molecular analysis revealed that 14 of these are mutations in genes previously identified to play a role in eye pathophysiology, namely Pax6, Mitf, Egfr and Pde6b. Many of the others are located in genomic regions lacking candidate genes and these define new loci.