Mycoplasma suis infection results endothelial cell damage and activation: new insight into the cell tropism and pathogenicity of hemotrophic mycoplasma.

Hemotrophic mycoplasmas (HM) are highly specialized red blood cell parasites that cause infectious anemia in a variety of mammals, including humans. To date, no in vitro cultivation systems for HM have been available, resulting in relatively little information about the pathogenesis of HM infection. In pigs, Mycoplasma suis-induced infectious anemia is associated with hemorrhagic diathesis, and coagulation dysfunction.

Infant feeding practices among mildly wasted children: a retrospective study on Nias Island, Indonesia.

Background: This study investigated the infant feeding practices of participating mothers who were recruited into a research project aimed at improving the nutritional status of mildly wasted children (< -1.0 to ≥ -1.5 Weight-for-Height Z-scores) aged ≥ 6 to < 60 months on Nias Island, Indonesia.

Insights into the gene expression profile of uncultivable hemotrophic Mycoplasma suis during acute infection, obtained using proteome analysis.

Hemotrophic mycoplasmas, bacteria without cell walls whose niche is the erythrocytes of their hosts, have never been cultivated in vitro. Therefore, knowledge of their pathogenesis is fundamental. Mycoplasma suis infects pigs, causing either acute fatal hemolytic anemia or chronic low-grade anemia, growth retardation, and immune suppression.

Chromatin repair after oxidative stress: role of PARP-mediated proteasome activation.

Oxidative stress is an inevitable process in the nucleus, especially in antitumor chemotherapy, and adaptation by defense mechanisms seems to be one element in the development of long-term resistance to many chemotherapeutic drugs. In this study, a potential chromatin repair mechanism during oxidative stress was investigated in HT22 cells. The 20S proteasome has been shown to be largely responsible for the degradation of oxidatively modified histone proteins in the nucleus.

Protein pool maintenance during oxidative stress.

The production of reactive species causes oxidative modifications of proteins accompanied by a loss of protein function. By protein oxidation all cellular compartments and any amino acid are effected. This might result in a defect of cellular homeostasis.

The proteasomal system.

Rising interest in the mechanism and function of the proteasomes and the ubiquitin system revealed that it is hard to find any aspect of the cellular metabolic network that is not directly or indirectly affected by the degradation system. This includes the cell cycle, the "quality control" of newly synthesized proteins (ERAD), transcription factor regulation, gene expression, cell differentiation, immune response or pathologic processes like cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, lipofuscin formation, diabetes, atherosclerosis, inflammatory processes or cataract formation and in addition to that the aging process itself and the degradation of oxidized proteins, in order to maintain cell homeostasis. But also this seems to be only a small aspect of the general view.

Isolation of microsatellite loci from expressed sequence tag library of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici.

We described twenty polymorphic microsatellite loci derived from the expressed sequence tags of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, which causes yellow rust disease on wheat.

Turnover of oxidatively modified proteins: the usage of in vitro and metabolic labeling.

Cellular reactions to oxidative stress always include a response in the protein turnover. Therefore, cellular handling of proteins is important to observe. In this method review, radioactive labeling of proteins in vitro and in intact cells is described.

Polyphenols and inflammation: basic interactions.

Purpose Of Review: For more than 20 years polyphenols, food-derived bioactive compounds in fruits and vegetables, are claimed to help prevent cancer, degenerative diseases and chronic and acute inflammation. Modern methods in cell and molecular biology allow us to understand the interactions of different polyphenols with basic mechanisms of inflammatory response. This review summarizes recent papers dealing with the effect of polyphenols on modulators of the inflammatory cascade.

Breastfeeding in Tigray and Gonder, Ethiopia, with special reference to exclusive/almost exclusive breastfeeding beyond six months.

This study assesses the initiation and duration of exclusive/almost exclusive breastfeeding (Ex/AEx-BF) versus partial breastfeeding (P-BF) and its relationship to infant growth and maternal body mass index (BMI) in Ethiopian infants up to 12 months of age (Tigray n = 471; Gonder n =596). Initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hr after birth was 1.7 times more common in Tigray.

Antioxidant therapy in critical care--is the microcirculation the primary target?

This review presents the rationale for the therapeutic use of antioxidants in treating critically ill patients; it is not a systematic review of the clinical evidence that has been assessed recently by others. Clinical and nonclinical evidence is presented to support the notion that natural antioxidants are of therapeutic value in treating cardiovascular shock. Oxidative stress is a major promoter and mediator of the systemic inflammatory response.

The proteasome and its role in nuclear protein maintenance.

The cellular proteome is in a dynamic state of synthesis and degradation. Degradation of extracellular proteins is mainly mediated non-specifically by the lysosomes or due to released proteases, while the proteolysis of intracellular including nuclear proteins is catalyzed by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Furthermore, the proteasomal system is largely responsible for the removal of unfolded and oxidatively damaged proteins.

Intrinsic optical signal of retinal spreading depression: second phase depends on energy metabolism and nitric oxide.

Spreading depression (SD) is a wave-like phenomenon that spreads through the gray matter of central nervous tissue. The aim of this work is to investigate how cellular energy supply and nitric oxide (NO) influence the recovery period after SD wave propagation. We have examined the SD wave in chicken retina by registration of the intrinsic optical signal (IOS).

The Tomato mosaic virus 30 kDa movement protein interacts differentially with the resistance genes Tm-2 and Tm-2(2).

In tomato plants ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), the genes Tm-2 and Tm-2(2) confer resistance to Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV). Sequence analysis of ToMV strains able to break the Tm-2 or Tm-2(2) resistance revealed distinct amino acid exchanges in the viral 30 kDa protein, suggesting that the movement protein is recognized by both resistance genes to induce the plant defense reaction.

Organization and evolutionary relatedness of OR37 olfactory receptor genes in mouse and human.

We report a comprehensive comparative analysis of human and mouse olfactory receptor (OR) genes encoding OR37 subtypes to determine the repertoire, chromosomal organization, and relatedness of these genes. Two OR37 clusters were found in both mouse (chromosome 4) and human (chromosome 9); with five genes in cluster I and three (mouse) and seven genes (human) in cluster II. The pronounced diversity of noncoding sequence regions in both genomic loci indicates a long-term coexistence of the two clusters and the genes within the clusters.

Subzonal organization of olfactory sensory neurons projecting to distinct glomeruli within the mouse olfactory bulb.

Olfactory sensory neurons located in the nasal neuroepithelium send their axons directly into the olfactory bulb, where they contact the dendrites of second-order neurons in specialized spherical structures called glomeruli; each sensory neuron projects to a single glomerulus. All neurons expressing the same odorant receptor gene are confined to distinct zones within the epithelium and converge their axons onto a small number of common glomeruli. In the present study, we analyzed transgenic mouse lines in which the projection of a neuron population expressing a particular receptor gene can be visualized as a result of axonal markers that are coexpressed.

A long-term culture system for olfactory explants with intrinsically fluorescent cell populations.

As a prerequisite for exploring the mechanisms which lead to the formation and maintenance of the precise wiring patterns in the olfactory system, organotypic cultures of olfactory tissue from transgenic mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) under control of the olfactory marker protein promotor have been established. Tissue specimen from embryonic stage 14 were explanted and kept in culture for >1 week. Within the explants, numerous GFP-fluorescent olfactory sensory neurons assembled in an epithelial-like manner during this period.

Meat and cancer: meat as a component of a healthy diet.

Based on epidemiological studies it is assumed that meat, especially red meat, enhances risk for cancer, particularly of the colon, breast and prostate. Meat and meat products are important sources of protein, some micronutrients and fat. High fat intake has been blamed for correlation with different diseases, including cancer.

Brain targeting and glomerulus formation of two olfactory neuron populations expressing related receptor types.

Olfactory sensory neurons expressing different members of the mOR37 odourant receptor subfamily send their axons to distinct glomeruli located in the immediate vicinity in the olfactory bulb [Strotmann, J., Conzelmann, S., Beck, A.

Metabolic and functional properties of lactic acid bacteria in the gastro-intestinal ecosystem: a comparative in vitro study between bacteria of intestinal and fermented food origin.

Metabolic and functional properties of probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in the human gastro-intestinal ecosystem may be related to certain beneficial health effects. In this study, lactobacilli of either intestinal or fermented food origin were compared in their capability to survive low pH and bile, in their metabolic activity in the presence of bile salts and mucins, as well as in their potential to attach to enterocyte-like CaCO-2 cells. Food fermenting bacteria especially strains of the species Lactobacillus plantarum showed high tolerance to the consecutive exposure to hydrochloric acid (pH 1.

Effects of tebuconazole on morphology, structure, cell wall components and trichothecene production of Fusarium culmorum in vitro.

The effects of tebuconazole, a systemic fungicide, on the morphology, structure, cell wall components and toxin production of Fusarium culmorum were investigated in vitro. Treatment was by application of four filter paper strips (0.75 cm x 5.

Non-pathogenic bacteria elicit a differential cytokine response by intestinal epithelial cell/leucocyte co-cultures.

Background And Aim: Intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) are thought to participate in the mucosal defence against bacteria and in the regulation of mucosal tissue homeostasis. Reactivity of IEC to bacterial signals may depend on interactions with immunocompetent cells. To address the question of whether non-pathogenic bacteria modify the immune response of the intestinal epithelium, we co-cultivated enterocyte-like CaCO-2 cells with human blood leucocytes in separate compartments of transwell cultures.

Activation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells by nonpathogenic bacteria in vitro: evidence of NK cells as primary targets.

The interaction of commensal bacteria with immunocompetent cells may occur in definite compartments of the mucosal immune system, as limited translocation through the epithelial barrier cannot be excluded. In this study the stimulation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and purified lymphocyte subsets by nonpathogenic gram-positive lactobacilli (Lactobacillus johnsonii and Lactobacillus sakei) and gram-negative Escherichia coli was investigated. The various bacterial strains induced a differential cytokine pattern.

Biochemical but not clinical vitamin A deficiency results from mutations in the gene for retinol binding protein.

Background: Two German sisters aged 14 and 17 y were admitted to the Tübingen eye hospital with a history of night blindness. In both siblings, plasma retinol binding protein (RBP) concentrations were below the limit of detection (<0.6 micromol/L) and plasma retinol concentrations were extremely low (0.

Effects of energy and purines in the diet on proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis in the small intestine of the pig.

The effects of the energy and purine content in the diet on mucosal cell mitosis, function, and apoptosis in the small intestine of pigs were investigated in two experiments. In experiment I, three groups of five pigs were first fed a commercial diet that contained 9.1 MJ metabolizable energy (ME) per kilogram dry matter (DM) and 16.