Ovine fetal testis stage-specific sensitivity to environmental chemical mixtures.

Exposure of the fetal testis to numerous individual environmental chemicals (ECs) is frequently associated with dysregulated development, leading to impaired adult reproductive competence. However, 'real-life' exposure involves complex mixtures of ECs. Here we test the consequences, for the male fetus, of exposing pregnant ewes to EC mixtures derived from pastures treated with biosolids fertiliser (processed human sewage).

Polyvalent Diazonium Polymers Provide Efficient Protection of Oncolytic Adenovirus Enadenotucirev from Neutralizing Antibodies while Maintaining Biological Activity In Vitro and In Vivo.

Oncolytic viruses offer many advantages for cancer therapy when administered directly to confined solid tumors. However, the systemic delivery of these viruses is problematic because of the host immune response, undesired interactions with blood components, and inherent targeting to the liver. Efficacy of systemically administered viruses has been improved by masking viral surface proteins with polymeric materials resulting in modulation of viral pharmacokinetic profile and accumulation in tumors in vivo.

Alkyl-Modified Oligonucleotides as Intercalating Vehicles for Doxorubicin Uptake via Albumin Binding.

DNA-based drug delivery vehicles have displayed promise for the delivery of intercalating drugs. Here, we demonstrate that oligonucleotides modified with an alkyl chain can bind to human serum albumin, mimicking the natural binding of fatty acids. These alkyl-DNA-albumin complexes display excellent serum stability and are capable of strongly binding doxorubicin.

Influence of Polymer Size on Uptake and Cytotoxicity of Doxorubicin-Loaded DNA-PEG Conjugates.

Intercalation of drugs into assembled DNA systems offers versatile new mechanisms for controlled drug delivery. However, current systems are becoming increasingly complex, reducing the practicality of large scale production. Here, we demonstrate a more pragmatic approach where a short DNA sequence was modified with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) of various lengths at both 5'-termini to provide serum stability and compatibility.

The fetal ovary exhibits temporal sensitivity to a 'real-life' mixture of environmental chemicals.

The development of fetal ovarian follicles is a critical determinant of adult female reproductive competence. Prolonged exposure to environmental chemicals (ECs) can perturb this process with detrimental consequences for offspring. Here we report on the exposure of pregnant ewes to an environmental mixture of ECs derived from pastures fertilized with sewage sludge (biosolids): a common global agricultural practice.

Longitudinal study of Asian elephants, Elephas maximus, indicates intermittent shedding of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus 1 during pregnancy.

Introduction: EEHV-1 is a viral infection of elephants that has been associated with a fatal haemorrhagic syndrome in Asian elephants. Previous studies have suggested that pregnant animals may shed more virus than non-pregnant animals.

Methods: This study examined whether pregnancy affected the frequency or magnitude of shedding of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus 1 (EEHV1) using Taq man real-time PCR on trunk washes from four female elephants from a UK collection over three time periods between 2011 and 2014.

Sensitive detection of Xanthomonas oryzae Pathovars oryzae and oryzicola by loop-mediated isothermal amplification.

Molecular diagnostics for crop diseases can enhance food security by enabling the rapid identification of threatening pathogens and providing critical information for the deployment of disease management strategies. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a PCR-based tool that allows the rapid, highly specific amplification of target DNA sequences at a single temperature and is thus ideal for field-level diagnosis of plant diseases. We developed primers highly specific for two globally important rice pathogens, Xanthomonas oryzae pv.

Active adenoviral vascular penetration by targeted formation of heterocellular endothelial-epithelial syncytia.

The endothelium imposes a structural barrier to the extravasation of systemically delivered oncolytic adenovirus (Ad). Here, we introduced a transendothelial route of delivery in order to increase tumor accumulation of virus particles (vp) beyond that resulting from convection-dependent extravasation alone. This was achieved by engineering an Ad encoding a syncytium-forming protein, gibbon ape leukemia virus (GALV) fusogenic membrane glycoprotein (FMG).