The effects of dry period length and dietary energy source on natural antibody titers and mammary health in dairy cows.

In earlier studies, natural antibodies (NAb) were related not only to the energy balance (EB) of dairy cows, but also to somatic cell count (SCC) and clinical mastitis (CM). The first objective of our study was to evaluate the effects of dry period length and dietary energy source on titers of NAb binding keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in plasma and milk, SCC and CM occurrence in dairy cows in two subsequent lactations. Our second objective was to study the relationship between NAb levels and mammary health.

A-kinase anchoring proteins contribute to loss of E-cadherin and bronchial epithelial barrier by cigarette smoke.

Airway epithelium, which forms the first barrier towards environmental insults, is disturbed by cigarette smoking, a major risk factor for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAP) maintain endothelial barrier function and coordinate subcellular localization of protein kinase A (PKA). However, the role of AKAPs in epithelial barrier function is unknown.