Mitochondrial DNA diversity and origins of South and Central American goats.

We have analysed the genetic diversity of South and Central American (SCA) goats by partially sequencing the mitochondrial control region of 93 individuals with a wide geographical distribution. Nucleotide and haplotype diversities reached values of 0.020 +/- 0.

Dendritic assembly of heteromeric gamma-aminobutyric acid type B receptor subunits in hippocampal neurons.

Understanding the mechanisms that control synaptic efficacy through the availability of neurotransmitter receptors depends on uncovering their specific intracellular trafficking routes. gamma-Aminobutyric acid type B (GABA(B)) receptors (GABA(B)Rs) are obligatory heteromers present at dendritic excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic sites. It is unknown whether synthesis and assembly of GABA(B)Rs occur in the somatic endoplasmic reticulum (ER) followed by vesicular transport to dendrites or whether somatic synthesis is followed by independent transport of the subunits for assembly and ER export throughout the somatodendritic compartment.

Pig melatonin receptor 1a (MTNR1A) genotype is associated with seasonal variation of sow litter size.

The duration of nocturnal melatonin secretion reaches its minimum in summer, a physiological event that is likely related with the diminished sow fertility and delayed puberty typically observed in this season. Melatonin exerts its function by binding two different receptors named as MTNR1A and MTNR1B. Interestingly, the MTNR1A gene is located on a chromosome SSC17 region where QTL for prolificacy traits have been detected in previous studies.

The Peruvian fisherman's knot: a new, simple, and versatile self-locking sliding knot.

Background: In many plastic surgery operations that are undertaken through relatively small incisions resulting in deep-seated operating fields, sliding knots with a self-locking property are preferred by plastic surgeons for 3 reasons: simplicity, reliability, and versatility. We describe a new and versatile sliding knot that can be easily sledded and locked.

Methods: The technique of knot tying is described in detail as a stepwise approach with photographs.

Comparative hematologic analysis of uncomplicated malaria in uniquely different regions of unstable transmission in Brazil and Colombia.

Information on malaria-associated anemia in adult patients is scarce in South American populations. From 2004 to 2006, malaria patients 18 to 45 years of age were recruited in a descriptive cross-sectional study from two different towns: Manaus, in the Brazilian Amazon (120 patients) where Plasmodium falciparum incidence is lower ( approximately 20%), and in Tumaco on the Colombian Pacific Coast (126 patients) where P. falciparum incidence is higher ( approximately 90%).

Design, characterization and application of a minibioreactor for the culture of human hematopoietic cells under controlled conditions.

The in vitro culture of human hematopoietic cells has recently received considerable attention due to its clinical importance. Most studies of the culture and expansion of hematopoietic cells have been performed in static cultures but only very few reports exist on the use of bioreactors where strict control of environmental variables is maintained. In this work, the design, characterization and application of a fully instrumented minibioreactor for the culture of human hematopoietic cells from umbilical cord blood is presented.

Immobilization of free-ranging Hoffmann's two-toed and brown-throated three-toed sloths using ketamine and medetomidine: a comparison of physiologic parameters.

Free-ranging Hoffmann's two-toed sloths (Choloepus hoffmanni; n=26) and brown-throated three-toed sloths (Bradypus variegatus; n=15) were manually captured and immobilized with 2.5 mg/kg ketamine + 0.02 mg/kg medetomidine administered intramuscularly.

Advanced considerations determining procedure selection in cervicoplasty. Part two: surgery.

This article describes the routine steps to evaluate a patient's aesthetic, anatomic, and aging characteristics in consideration of cervicoplasty. The procedure selection based on the findings of this evaluation is presented. The anatomic and aesthetic reasons and foundations for each technical maneuver are described.

Advanced considerations determining procedure selection in cervicoplasty. Part one: anatomy and aesthetics.

This article presents a detailed anatomic description of the neck as it applies to most cervicoplasty surgical techniques and describes the surgical aesthetics of the beautiful and young neck compared with the aging neck. The anatomy and aesthetics of the aging neck are also outlined, and the anatomic reasons and foundations for each technical maneuver are described. Technical tips to avoid trouble are mentioned throughout the anatomic and relevant technical description.

Detection of Leishmania infantum in captive wolves from Southwestern Europe.

The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of Leishmania infantum infection in a wild reservoir host (Canis lupus) throughout an endemic area for the disease (Southern Europe). For that reason, the serum and peripheral blood samples of 33 captive wolves from the European Breeding of Endangered Species Programme (EEP) were analyzed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). L.

Mapping of quantitative trait loci for cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglyceride serum concentrations in pigs.

The fine mapping of polymorphisms influencing cholesterol (CT), triglyceride (TG), and lipoprotein serum levels in human and mouse has provided a wealth of knowledge about the complex genetic architecture of these traits. The extension of these genetic analyses to pigs would be of utmost importance since they constitute a valuable biological and clinical model for the study of coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction. In the present work, we performed a whole genome scan for serum lipid traits in a half-sib Duroc pig population of 350 individuals.

The effect of heating rate on Escherichia coli metabolism, physiological stress, transcriptional response, and production of temperature-induced recombinant protein: a scale-down study.

At the laboratory scale, sudden step increases from 30 to 42 degrees C can be readily accomplished when expressing heterologous proteins in heat-inducible systems. However, for large scale-cultures only slow ramp-type increases in temperature are possible due to heat transfer limitations, where the heating rate decreases as the scale increases. In this work, the transcriptional and metabolic responses of a recombinant Escherichia coli strain to temperature-induced synthesis of pre-proinsulin in high cell density cultures were examined at different heating rates.

Maternal glucose tolerance status influences the risk of macrosomia in male but not in female fetuses.

Objective: To elucidate whether the risk of macrosomia, large for gestational age (LGA) and small for gestational age (SGA) is influenced by maternal body mass index and glucose tolerance differently in male and female fetuses.

Methods: A population study was conducted in 16 general hospitals from the Spanish National Health Service that included 9270 consecutive women with singleton pregnancies and without a former diagnosis of diabetes mellitus who delivered 4793 male and 4477 female newborns. Logistic regression analyses were performed to predict the effect of body mass index (BMI) category and glucose tolerance on macrosomia, large for gestational age newborns (LGA) and small for gestational age newborns (SGA) Separate analyses according to foetal sex were carried out for each outcome.

Positive selection on mammalian MHC-DQ genes revisited from a multispecies perspective.

Major histocompatibility complex class II DQA and DQB genes have been shown to be under positive selection in certain mammalian species but not in others, fuelling a debate about how their polymorphism has evolved. In this study, we have analysed whether polymorphism in the peptide-binding region (PBR) of DQA (190 sequences, 11 species) and DQB (209 sequences, 7 species) molecules is positively selected by using both approximate (Nei-Gojobori, Li-Wu-Luo and Pamilo-Bianchi-Li) and maximum-likelihood methods. The results obtained with approximate methods were rather inconsistent for DQA, probably due to the high inaccuracy with which d(S) (PBR) is estimated, whereas evidence of positive selection was observed for most of the DQB PBR sequences.

The use of culture redox potential and oxygen uptake rate for assessing glucose and glutamine depletion in hybridoma cultures.

Culture redox potential (CRP) and oxygen uptake rate (OUR) were monitored on-line during glucose- and glutamine-limited batch cultures of a murine hybridoma cell line that secretes a neutralizing monoclonal antibody specific to toxin 2 of the scorpion Centruroides noxius Hoffmann. It was found that OUR and CRP can be used for assessing the viable cell concentration and growth phases of the culture. Before nutrient depletion, OUR increased exponentially with viable cell concentration, whereas CRP decreased monotonically until cell viability started to decrease.

Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for L-tyrosine production by expression of genes coding for the chorismate mutase domain of the native chorismate mutase-prephenate dehydratase and a cyclohexadienyl dehydrogenase from Zymomonas mobilis.

The expression of the feedback inhibition-insensitive enzyme cyclohexadienyl dehydrogenase (TyrC) from Zymomonas mobilis and the chorismate mutase domain from native chorismate mutase-prephenate dehydratase (PheA(CM)) from Escherichia coli was compared to the expression of native feedback inhibition-sensitive chorismate mutase-prephenate dehydrogenase (CM-TyrA(p)) with regard to the capacity to produce l-tyrosine in E. coli strains modified to increase the carbon flow to chorismate. Shake flask experiments showed that TyrC increased the yield of l-tyrosine from glucose (Y(l-Tyr/Glc)) by 6.

Immunomodulatory effects of the intake of fermented milk with Lactobacillus casei DN114001 in lactating mothers and their children.

The healthy action of probiotics is not only due to their nutritional properties and their influence on the gastrointestinal environment, but also to their action on the immune system. The aim of the present study was to determine if 6 weeks of probiotic intake would be able to modulate the immune system in women who had recently delivered and were breast-feeding. The design consisted of a randomised, controlled and double-blind nutritional intervention study with parallel groups with a sample size of 104 women.

An association analysis between a silent C558T polymorphism at the pig vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 locus and sow reproduction and piglet survivability traits.

The vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1) has a strong influence on embryonic development and on the formation of the umbilical cord and placenta. These developmental processes are crucial to ensure the success of pregnancy. In this work, we have identified two T306A and C558T single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) at exons 2 and 3 of the pig VCAM1 locus, respectively.

Empirical Bayes factor analyses of quantitative trait loci for gestation length in Iberian × Meishan F2 sows.

The aim of this study was to investigate chromosomal regions affecting gestation length in sows. An experimental F2 cross between Iberian and Meishan pig breeds was used for this purpose and we genotyped 119 markers covering the 18 porcine autosomal chromosomes. Within this context, we have developed a new empirical Bayes factor (BF) approach to compare between nested models, with and without the quantitative trait loci (QTL) effect, and after including the location of the QTL as an unknown parameter in the model.

Coutilization of glucose and glycerol enhances the production of aromatic compounds in an Escherichia coli strain lacking the phosphoenolpyruvate: carbohydrate phosphotransferase system.

Background: Escherichia coli strains lacking the phosphoenolpyruvate: carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS) are capable of coutilizing glucose and other carbon sources due to the absence of catabolite repression by glucose. In these strains, the lack of this important regulatory and transport system allows the coexistence of glycolytic and gluconeogenic pathways. Strains lacking PTS have been constructed with the goal of canalizing part of the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) not consumed in glucose transport to the aromatic pathway.

Factors influencing pregnancy outcome in women with type 2 versus type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Aim: To compare pregnancy outcome and factors related to adverse perinatal outcome in women with type 1 versus type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).

Material And Methods: Multicentre retrospective study. Some 404 women were studied, 257 with type 1 DM and 147 with type 2 DM.