The efficacy of commercial decontamination agents differs between standardised test settings and research laboratory usage for a variety of bacterial species.

Decontamination of surfaces and items plays an important role in reducing the spread of infectious microorganisms in many settings including hospitals and research institutes. Regardless of the location, appropriate decontamination procedures are required for maintaining biosafety and biosecurity. For example, effective decontamination of microbial cultures is essential to ensure proper biocontainment and safety within microbiological laboratories.

Critical Role of the Disintegrin Metalloprotease ADAM-like Decysin-1 [ADAMDEC1] for Intestinal Immunity and Inflammation.

Background And Aims: ADAM [A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase] is a family of peptidase proteins which have diverse roles in tissue homeostasis and immunity. Here, we study ADAM-like DECysin-1 [ADAMDEC1] a unique member of the ADAM family. ADAMDEC1 expression is restricted to the macrophage/dendritic cell populations of the gastrointestinal tract and secondary lymphoid tissue.

E4 antibodies facilitate detection and type-assignment of active HPV infection in cervical disease.

High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are the cause of nearly all cases of cervical cancer. Although the detection of HPV DNA has proved useful in cervical diagnosis, it does not necessarily predict disease presence or severity, and cannot conclusively identify the causative type when multiple HPVs are present. Such limitations may be addressed using complementary approaches such as cytology, laser capture microscopy, and/or the use of infection biomarkers.

Weight loss effects of quaternary salts of 5-amino-1-(chloromethyl)-1,2-dihydro-3H-benz[e]indoles; structure-activity relationships.

Quaternary salt analogues based on the DNA minor groove binder and adenine N3 alkylating agent 5-amino-1-(chloromethyl)-1,2-dihydro-3H-benz[e]indole (aminoCBI) show remarkable effects on the body weight of mice (a long-term failure to gain weight relative to matched controls with no loss of appetite or perceptible deterioration in health) following administration of a single (non-toxic) dose between about 0.5-5 μmol/kg. The nature of the quaternizing group was not important, but a related hydroxyCBI analogue was much less effective.

γ₂-Melanocyte stimulation hormone (γ₂-MSH) truncation studies results in the cautionary note that γ₂-MSH is not selective for the mouse MC3R over the mouse MC5R.

The melanocortin system has been implicated in a multitude of physiological pathways including obesity, satiety, energy homeostasis, sexual behavior, pigmentation, sodium regulation, hypertension, and many others. Based upon studies of the endogenous melanocortin receptor agonists at the cloned human melanocortin receptor proteins, it was concluded that the γ-MSH related agonist ligands are selective for the MC3 versus the MC4 and MC5 receptors. In attempts to understand and identify the specific amino acids of γ₂-MSH important for MC3R selectivity, we have performed N- and C-terminal truncation studies and pharmacologically characterized twenty-eight ligands at the mouse MC1 and MC3-5 melanocortin receptors.

New Zealand Ginger mouse: novel model that associates the tyrp1b pigmentation gene locus with regulation of lean body mass.

The study of spontaneous mutations in mice over the last century has been fundamental to our understanding of normal physiology and mechanisms of disease. Here we studied the phenotype and genotype of a novel mouse model we have called the New Zealand Ginger (NZG/Kgm) mouse. NZG/Kgm mice are very large, rapidly growing, ginger-colored mice with pink eyes.

1 kb of 5' flanking sequence from mouse MC4R gene is sufficient for tissue specific expression in a transgenic mouse.

The melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) plays a critical role in the regulation of energy homeostasis, and the MC4R knockout mouse and humans with MC4R defective mutations in only one allele indicate that there is a gene dosage effect. Alterations in gene expression levels for MC4R could, therefore, have significant effects on energy homeostasis. To begin to develop a mouse model for studies on MC4R promoter in situ we used approximately 1 kb mouse MC4R promoter together with 426 bp MC4R 5' UTR, previously shown to support basal expression of reporter gene transcription in cell lines with endogenous MC4R mRNA, and fused this DNA to a nuclear localized LacZ reporter gene.