Mycoplasma and herpesvirus PCR detection in tortoises with rhinitis-stomatitis complex in Spain.

Chelonid herpesvirus (ChHV) and mycoplasmal infections cause similar clinical signs in terrestrial tortoises and may be the most important causative agents of rhinitis-stomatitis complex, a common disease in captive tortoises worldwide. Currently, diagnosis of ChHV and Mycoplasma spp. infections is most often based on serologic testing.

Assessment of different surveillance systems for avian influenza in commercial poultry in Catalonia (North-Eastern Spain).

Compulsory surveillance programmes for avian influenza (AI) have been implemented in domestic poultry and wild birds in all the European Member States since 2005. The implementation of these programmes is complex and requires a close evaluation. A good indicator to assess their efficacy is the sensitivity (Se) of the surveillance system.

Out-of-plane magnetic patterning based on indentation-induced nanocrystallization of a metallic glass.

Periodic arrays of micrometer-sized ferromagnetic structures with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy are prepared by nanoindentation at the surface of a Fe(67.7)B(20)Cr(12)Nb(0.3) glassy ribbon initially showing in-plane magnetic anisotropy.

Dietary olive oil and corn oil differentially affect experimental breast cancer through distinct modulation of the p21Ras signaling and the proliferation-apoptosis balance.

Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) has been hypothesized to have chemopreventive effects on breast cancer, unlike high corn oil (HCO) diets that stimulate it. We have investigated mechanisms of these differential modulatory actions on experimental mammary cancer. In 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene adenocarcinomas of rats fed a high EVOO, HCO and control diets (n = 20 for each group), we have analyzed the expression and activity of ErbB receptors, p21Ras and its extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2, Akt and RalA/B effectors by immunoblotting analyses.

Purinergic and nitrergic junction potential in the human colon.

The aim of the present work is to investigate a putative junction transmission [nitric oxide (NO) and ATP] in the human colon and to characterize the electrophysiological and mechanical responses that might explain different functions from both neurotransmitters. Muscle bath and microelectrode techniques were performed on human colonic circular muscle strips. The NO donor sodium nitroprusside (10 microM), but not the P2Y receptor agonist adenosine 5'-O-2-thiodiphosphate (10 microM), was able to cause a sustained relaxation.

Changes in rumen microbial fermentation are due to a combined effect of type of diet and pH.

Low ruminal pH may occur when feeding high-concentrate diets. However, because the reduction in pH occurs at the same time as the amount of concentrate fed increases, the changes observed in rumen fermentation may be attributed to pH or the type of substrate being fermented. Our objective was to determine the contribution of pH and type of substrate being fermented to the changes observed in rumen fermentation after supplying a high-concentrate diet.

The Sulfolobus solfataricus radA paralogue sso0777 is DNA damage inducible and positively regulated by the Sta1 protein.

Little is known about the regulation of the DNA damage-mediated gene expression in archaea. Here we report that the addition of actinomycin D to Sulfolobus solfataricus cultures triggers the expression of the radA paralogue sso0777. Furthermore, a specific retarded band is observed when electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) with crude S.

Effects of time at suboptimal pH on rumen fermentation in a dual-flow continuous culture system.

Ruminal pH varies considerably during the day, achieving values below 6.0 when cows consume large amounts of concentrates. Low ruminal pH has negative effects on ruminal fermentation.

Proteome of the bacterium Mycoplasma penetrans.

A proteome map of Mycoplasma penetrans has been constructed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis in combination with mass spectrometry (MS). Mycoplasma penetrans infects the urogenital and respiratory tracts of humans. A total of 207 spots were characterized with MS and, in comparing the experimental data with the DNA sequence-derived predictions, it was possible to assign these 207 spots to 153 genes.

Limitations of ASM1 and ASM3: a comparison based on batch oxygen uptake rate profiles from different full-scale wastewater treatment plants.

The two most popular models for the description of the biological COD removal are ASM1 and ASM3. However, some numerical inconsistencies arise when using these models to interpret the data obtained in short-term respirometric batch experiments. In this study, both models are fitted to four different respirometric batch profiles obtained with biomass from different WWTP.

Quantification of total bacteria, enterobacteria and lactobacilli populations in pig digesta by real-time PCR.

Jejunum digesta samples were taken from weaning pigs in order to evaluate real-time PCR (qPCR) as a method for quantifying pig gut bacteria. Total bacteria, lactobacilli and enterobacteria were quantified by qPCR and the results were compared with those obtained with traditional methods: 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI staining) for total bacteria, selective culture for lactobacilli and enterobacteria. Real-time PCR showed higher values in terms of 16S rRNA gene copies than DAPI counts or CFU.

Preferential alternate segregation in the common t(11;22)(q23;q11) reciprocal translocation: sperm FISH analysis in two brothers.

Segregation behaviour studies in t(11;22) carriers have reported controversial results. Whereas some authors have detected a preponderance of 3:1 products, no evidence of such prevalence was found by others. This study reports a fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) segregation analysis on decondensed spermatozoa in two brothers, carriers of the same t(11;22)(q23;q11) rearrangement.

Curve-fitting of Fourier manipulated spectra comprising apodization, smoothing, derivation and deconvolution.

We present a general method for curve-fitting Fourier manipulated spectra, comprising apodized, smoothed, derivatised and deconvoluted spectra. The analytical expressions of Fourier manipulated bands in the spectral domain, needed for the curve-fitting, are usually very complex or do not even exist; hence an accurate curve-fit of Fourier manipulated spectra becomes unfeasible. Our strategy is to construct both the model and their derivatives in the Fourier domain, where they have simple and general expressions, and then Fourier transform them back to the spectral domain.

Use of antioxidants to minimize rancidity in pressurized and cooked chicken slurries.

Sodium chloride (5%) and some antioxidants (400 ppm rosemary extract; 2000 ppm acerola extract; 50 ppm ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA); 1,000, 2,000, and 5,000 pm of sodium hexametaphosphate or 5 and 10% egg white powder) were added to minced chicken. From these mixtures, slurries were made by mixing with water (1:3) at 15,000 rpm for 30 s at 20 °C. Samples were pressurized (300, 500 and 900 MPa for 30 min at 20 °C) or cooked (90 °C for 15 min).

Histological and immunohistochemical study of clinically normal skin of Leishmania infantum-infected dogs.

Skin lesions are the most usual manifestation of canine leishmaniosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the histological pattern and parasite load in clinically normal skin of Leishmania-infected dogs. Two groups of Leishmania-infected dogs were studied.

Do current sequence analysis algorithms disclose multifunctional (moonlighting) proteins?

A number of multifunctional, 'moonlighting', proteins have been analyzed by different current programs to test whether they identify both functions. PSI-BLAST and PRODOM perform best in predicting the alternative function.

Lipid oxidation of pressurized and cooked chicken: role of sodium chloride and mechanical processing on TBARS and hexanal values.

Lipid oxidation of pressurized (300 and 500 MPa for 30 min at 20 °C) or cooked (90 °C for 15 min) minced chicken breast and slurries was evaluated. Mechanical processing, before and after pressurization and cooking, and addition of sodium chloride were also tested as prooxidant factors. At 1, 3, 6 and 9 days of storage at 4 °C, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and hexanal were quantified by means of the TBARS test and solid phase microextraction, respectively.

The chemistry of precipitation, throughfall and stemflow in two holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) forests under a contrasted pollution environment in NE Spain.

Atmospheric deposition was studied through measurements of bulk deposition, throughfall and stemflow at two sites of contrasted exposure to pollution in the Montseny mountains (Northeastern Spain). To explore the contribution of local or distant sources at both sites, concentration data and precipitation amounts (log transformed) for both bulk deposition and net throughfall were fitted by linear regression. These models indicated the more important contribution of washout scavenging processes and dry deposition at the pollution exposed site.

The unfolding pathway of leech carboxypeptidase inhibitor.

The unfolding and denaturation curves of leech carboxypeptidase inhibitor (LCI) were elucidated using the technique of disulfide scrambling. In the presence of thiol initiator and denaturant, the native LCI denatures by shuffling its native disulfide bonds and transforms into a mixture of scrambled species. 9 of 104 possible scrambled isomers of LCI, amounting to 90% of total denatured LCI, can be distinguished.

Ultrastructural organization of the accessory olfactory bulb of the lizard Podarcis hispanica.

The ultrastructural organization of the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) was studied in a squamate reptile, Podarcis hispanica. Five types of neuronal cell bodies were differentiated by their size, location, and ultrastructure. Dark and light small somata were observed in the glomerular layer and correlated with two possible subpopulations of periglomerular cells.