Preparation and in vitro-in vivo evaluation of salmon calcitonin-loaded polymeric nanoparticles.

The aim of the study was to develop and characterize polymeric nanoparticles as a sustained release system for salmon calcitonin (sCT). Nanoparticles were prepared by a double emulsion solvent evaporation method using Eudragit RS and two types of a biodegradable poly(lactic-co-glycolic) copolymer (PLGA). It was demonstrated that sCT was incorporated into nanoparticles with encapsulation efficiencies in the range 69-83%.

Development of a fluorescence-based microtiter plate method for the measurement of glutathione in yeast.

The present work was aimed to the development of a fluorescence assay using the universal 96-well microplate format, for the measurement of reduced glutathione (GSH) in yeast cells. The method relies upon the reaction between GSH and a highly selective fluorogenic probe, i.e.

Fast gas chromatography characterisation of purified semiochemicals from essential oils of Matricaria chamomilla L. (Asteraceae) and Nepeta cataria L. (Lamiaceae).

The chemical composition of Matricaria chamomilla L. and Nepeta cataria L. essential oils was determined by GC-MS on an apolar stationary phase by comparison of the characteristic fragmentation patterns with those of the Wiley 275L database.

A physical map of the 1-gigabase bread wheat chromosome 3B.

As the staple food for 35% of the world's population, wheat is one of the most important crop species. To date, sequence-based tools to accelerate wheat improvement are lacking. As part of the international effort to sequence the 17-billion-base-pair hexaploid bread wheat genome (2n = 6x = 42 chromosomes), we constructed a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)-based integrated physical map of the largest chromosome, 3B, that alone is 995 megabases.

Slug/Snai2 is a downstream mediator of epidermal growth factor receptor-stimulated reepithelialization.

Many peptide growth factors, including EGFR ligands, accelerate wound reepithelialization in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, EGFR expression is transiently increased at wound margins, suggesting an active role for this receptor in wound repair. During reepithelialization of cutaneous wounds, keratinocytes display a phenotypic plasticity resembling aspects of epithelial-mesenchymal transformation.

Simple and sensitive HPLC method with fluorescence detection for the measurement of ibuprofen in rat plasma: application to a long-lasting dosage form.

A simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay applied to the measurement of ibuprofen in rat plasma has been developed. Two parameters have been investigated to improve ibuprofen detectability using fluorescence detection: variation of mobile phase pH and the use of beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD). Increasing the pH value from 2.

Vanishing spleen after Nissen fundoplication: a case report.

Nissen fundoplication is a generally accepted treatment for severe gastro-oesophageal reflux after conservative management has failed. The surgical techniques and the complications that may develop following the operation have been well described. However, necrosis of the spleen is a rare complication.

Comparison of non-linear growth models to describe the growth curve in West African Dwarf sheep.

The objectives of this study were to compare the goodness of fit of four non-linear growth models, i.e. Brody, Gompertz, Logistic and Von Bertalanffy, in West African Dwarf (WAD) sheep.

Role of glutathione metabolism status in the definition of some cellular parameters and oxidative stress tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells growing as biofilms.

The resistance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to oxidative stress (H(2)O(2) and Cd(2+)) was compared in biofilms and planktonic cells, with the help of yeast mutants deleted of genes related to glutathione metabolism and oxidative stress. Biofilm-forming cells were found predominantly in the G1 stage of the cell cycle. This might explain their higher tolerance to oxidative stress and the young replicative age of these cells in an old culture.

Efficacy of antioxidants in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae correlates with their effects on protein thiols.

We have found previously that only a limited number of antioxidants are able to protect yeast cells against endogenous and exogenous oxidative stress. In search of factors determining this selectivity of antioxidant action we compared the ability of a set of antioxidants to: (i) protect a thiol-dependent enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) against inactivation by superoxide, peroxynitrite and hydrogen peroxide; (ii) prevent H(2)O(2)-induced activation of Yap1 p; and (iii) decrease extracellular redox potential of the medium. The results obtained provide demonstration with respect to yeast that the ability to lower redox potential and to maintain critical thiol groups in the reduced state is an important facet of the action of antioxidants.

Pediatric illness severity measures predict delirium in a pediatric intensive care unit.

Context: Delirium in children is a serious but understudied neuropsychiatric disorder. So there is little to guide the clinician in terms of identifying those at risk.

Objective: To study, in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), the predictive power of widely used generic pediatric mortality scoring systems in relation to the occurrence of pediatric delirium (PD).

Indigenous Muscovy ducks in Congo Brazzaville. 2. Preliminary observations on indigenous Muscovy ducks reared under moderate inputs in Congolese conditions.

To evaluate the potential of the native Muscovy ducks in Congo, a trial was conducted with closed housing, commercial feeding and veterinary care. The characterization included reproductive performance, daily weight gain, live body weight, feed conversion ratio, body live weight productivity, and meat productivity. The experimental genetic stock was bred under natural mating and natural incubation.

Indigenous Muscovy ducks in Congo-Brazzaville. 1. A survey of indigenous Muscovy duck management in households in Dolisie City.

A cross-sectional study by means of a questionnaire with open-ended questions and multiple-choice questions was used to collect data on the profile of duck keepers, husbandry practices, and performances, opportunities and constraints of Muscovy duck breeding in households (n = 88) in Dolisie city (Congo-Brazzaville). The study confirmed the common observations on traditional poultry keeping such as scavenging during the day and housing overnight. The flock size (7.

YcbX and yiiM, two novel determinants for resistance of Escherichia coli to N-hydroxylated base analogues.

We have shown previously that lack of molybdenum cofactor (MoCo) in Escherichia coli leads to hypersensitivity to the mutagenic and toxic effects of N-hydroxylated base analogues, such as 6-N-hydroxylaminopurine (HAP). However, the nature of the MoCo-dependent mechanism is unknown, as inactivation of all known and putative E. coli molybdoenzymes does not produce any sensitivity.

Contrasted microcolinearity and gene evolution within a homoeologous region of wheat and barley species.

We study here the evolution of genes located in the same physical locus using the recently sequenced Ha locus in seven wheat genomes in diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid species and compared them with barley and rice orthologous regions. We investigated both the conservation of microcolinearity and the molecular evolution of genes, including coding and noncoding sequences. Microcolinearity is restricted to two groups of genes (Unknown gene-2, VAMP, BGGP, Gsp-1, and Unknown gene-8 surrounded by several copies of ATPase), almost conserved in rice and barley, but in a different relative position.

Complex conductivity of water-saturated packs of glass beads.

The low-frequency conductivity response of water-saturated packs of glass beads reflects a combination of two processes. One process corresponds to the polarization of the mineral/water interface coating the surface of the grains. The other process corresponds to the Maxwell-Wagner polarization associated with accumulation of the electrical charges in the pore space of the composite medium.

Soft selective sweep near a gene that increases plant height in wheat.

Strong selection within a given population locally reduces genetic variability not only in the selected gene itself but also in neighbouring loci. This so-called hitch-hiking effect is related to the initial linkage disequilibrium between markers and the selected gene, and depends mainly on the number of copies of the beneficial allele at the start of the selection phase. Contrary to the classical case, in which selection acts on a single, newly arisen beneficial mutation, we considered selection from standing variation (soft selective sweeps) on a gene (Rht-B1) with a major effect on plant height, a selected trait in an experimental wheat population grown for 17 generations, and we documented the evolution of gene diversity and linkage disequilibrium near this gene.

The lipoprotein lipase serine 447 stop polymorphism is associated with altered serum carotenoid concentrations in the Stanislas Family Study.

Background: Carotenoids are mainly carried by lipoproteins in blood, however little is known about the influence of polymorphisms of apolipoproteins (apo), cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) involved in serum lipid metabolism.

Objective: We aimed to analyze whether serum concentrations of 5 carotenoids (lutein-zeaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene) are associated with common polymorphisms of Apo E, Apo B, Apo CIII, CETP, and LPL.

Methods: Serum concentrations of lutein-zeaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, alpha-carotene, and beta-carotene were measured and polymorphisms of Apo E (cys112arg and arg158cys), Apo B (thr71ile), Apo CIII [C(-482)T, Apo CIII T(-455)C, Apo CIII C1100T, Apo CIII C3175G, Apo CIII T3206G], CETP (ile405val), and LPL (S447X) were determined in a sample of 447 children and adults drawn from the Stanislas Study.

Physical mapping in large genomes: accelerating anchoring of BAC contigs to genetic maps through in silico analysis.

Anchored physical maps represent essential frameworks for map-based cloning, comparative genomics studies, and genome sequencing projects. High throughput anchoring can be achieved by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library pools with molecular markers. However, for large genomes such as wheat, the development of high dimension pools and the number of reactions that need to be performed can be extremely large making the screening laborious and costly.

A unified classification system for eukaryotic transposable elements.

Our knowledge of the structure and composition of genomes is rapidly progressing in pace with their sequencing. The emerging data show that a significant portion of eukaryotic genomes is composed of transposable elements (TEs). Given the abundance and diversity of TEs and the speed at which large quantities of sequence data are emerging, identification and annotation of TEs presents a significant challenge.

[Update in drug therapy in neuropediatry].

The most recent antiepileptic drugs used in children are lamotrigine, topiramate, oxcarbamaz6pine and levetiracetam. Their efficacy is proven, depending on the type of crisis, but in Belgium they are reimbursed only in certain conditions. The treatment of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which was only constituted of methylphenidate, can now benefit from atomoxetine whose mechanism of action is different.

Acute hepatic injury in four children with Dravet syndrome: valproic acid, topiramate or acetaminophen?

We describe four children with Dravet syndrome treated with the combination of valproic acid (VPA) and topiramate (TPM) who developed transient liver toxicity. The time-interval between fever, administration of acetaminophen, epileptic status and liver enzyme disturbances in our four cases suggests that accumulation of toxic acetaminophen-metabolites is possibly responsible for liver toxicity. If acetaminophen and its metabolites cause those liver problems in children treated with the combination of VPA and TPM, the advice to use acetaminophen for treating fever in children using this combination, should be changed.

Genotoxic effects and induction of phytochelatins in the presence of cadmium in Vicia faba roots.

This study investigates different effects in roots of Vicia faba (broad bean) after exposure to cadmium. Genotoxic effects were assessed by use of the well-known Vicia root tip micronucleus assay. Cytotoxic effects were evaluated by determining the mitotic index in root tip cells.

Comparison of sarcoplasmic proteomes between two groups of pig muscles selected for shear force of cooked meat.

Two-dimensional electrophoresis was used to compare Longissimus sarcoplasmic protein abundance between two groups (tough meat and tender meat), defined on the basis of extreme Warner-Bratzler shear force values measured on cooked pork. Fourteen protein spots differed in quantity (P<0.05) between the two groups and were identified.