Motor representation of rhythmic jaw movements in the amygdala of guinea pigs.

Objective: The areas of the amygdala contributing to rhythmic jaw movements and the movement patterns induced remain unknown. Therefore, the present study investigated the areas of the amygdala contributing to rhythmic jaw movements using repetitive electrical microstimulation techniques.

Design: Experiments were performed on head-restrained guinea pigs under ketamine-xylazine anesthesia.

After-effects of acute footshock stress on sleep states and rhythmic masticatory muscle activity during sleep in guinea pigs.

This study investigated the effects of acute footshock stress (FS) on the occurrence of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity (RMMA) during sleep in guinea pigs. Animals were prepared for chronic recordings from electroencephalogram, electrooculogram and electromyograms of neck and masseter muscles. The signals were recorded for six hours on the two successive days: the first day with stress-free condition (non-FS condition) and the second day with acute FS (FS condition).

Changes in cortical, cardiac, and respiratory activities in relation to spontaneous rhythmic jaw movements in ketamine-anesthetized guinea pigs.

It has been reported that rhythmic jaw movements (RJMs) spontaneously occur in ketamine-anesthetized animals. The present study investigated the physiological processes that occur during the cortical, cardiac, and respiratory events which contribute to the genesis of RJMs in animals after supplemental ketamine injections. Fourteen guinea pigs were prepared to allow electroencephalographic, electrocardiographic, and electromyographic activities to be recorded from the digastric muscle, measurement of jaw movements, and nasal expiratory airflow under ketamine-xylazine anesthesia.

Comparison of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity during non-rapid eye movement sleep in guinea pigs and humans.

Rhythmic masticatory muscle activity can be a normal variant of oromotor activity, which can be exaggerated in patients with sleep bruxism. However, few studies have tested the possibility in naturally sleeping animals to study the neurophysiological mechanisms of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity. This study aimed to investigate the similarity of cortical, cardiac and electromyographic manifestations of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity occurring during non-rapid eye movement sleep between guinea pigs and human subjects.

Reliable indirect competitive ELISA used for a survey of ochratoxin A in green coffee from the North of Paraná State, Brazil.

The performance of an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) based on a monoclonal antibody (mAb) for ochratoxin A (OTA) detection was evaluated in a comparative study with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis using 68 freshly harvested coffee samples from the North of Paraná State, Brazil. The anti-OTA mAb showed high specificity and low cross-reactivity with OTA analogues (OTB and OTalpha), but cross-reacted with OTC. This ic-ELISA showed a detection limit of 3.

New Amylase Inhibitor Present in Corn Seeds Active In Vitro Against Amylase from Fusarium verticillioides.

A screening for specific amylase inhibitor levels against amylase from Fusarium verticillioides (Fusarium moniliforme), the most relevant mycotoxigenic fungus in corn, was conducted on 37 corn hybrids. The amylase inhibitor levels in these hybrids ranged from 5.5 to 16.

Hepatitis B and C viruses infection, lifestyle and genetic polymorphisms as risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma in Haimen, China.

A case-control study was carried out to investigate the impact of factors including virus infection, aflatoxin B1, microcystins, smoking/drinking and dietary habits as well as genetic polymorphisms of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) and cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1), on susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Haimen, China. A total of 248 patients with HCC and 248 sex-, age- and residence-matched population-based controls were recruited into the study. Virus infection, and ALDH2 and CYP2E1 gene polymorphisms were assessed in 134 paired cases and controls.

Determination of microcystins in lake water using reusable immunoaffinity column.

A reusable immunoaffinity column for purification of microcystins in lake water was prepared by coupling anti-microcystin-LR monoclonal antibodies to immunoaffinity support. Thanks to spherical shape of the immunoaffinity support Formyl-Cellulofine used in this study, applied solutions passed the column smoothly even when used repeatedly. Reusability of the column was examined by determining the recoveries of spiked microcystins-RR, -YR and -LR (100ng each) from lake water.