Because of their large masses, charm quarks are predominantly produced in the early stages of the heavy-ion collisions via hard scatterings. Therefore, they experience the entire evolution of the ...Quark-Gluon Plasma created in such collisions. Compared to light quarks, charm quarks thermalize more slowly. Therefore, the open charm hadrons present a unique probe to the properties of the hot and dense nuclear matter by measuring their energy loss and degree of thermalization in the medium. Furthermore, with the combined measurements of D0 and Ds mesons, we can study multiple modes of coalescence of charm quarks with light quarks in heavy-ion collisions. Heavy Flavor Tracker at the STAR experiment enables full topological reconstruction of open charm hadrons which greatly improves measurements of D0 mesons and opens the door to reconstructing the Ds mesons for the first time at RHIC. In this paper, we present the nuclear modification factor and azimuthal anisotropy for the D0 and Ds mesons as well as the ratio of Ds/D0 in Au+Au collisions at the center-of-mass energy sNN=200 GeV.
The current rapid development of nanotechnologies and engineered nanomaterials (ENM) will impact the society in a major fashion during the coming decades. This development also causes substantial ...safety concerns. Among the many promising applications of ENM, products that can be used for diagnosis and treatment of diseases, including conditions that affect the nervous system, are under development. ENM can pass the blood brain barrier (BBB) and accumulate within the brain. It seems that the nano-form rather than the bulk form of the chemicals pass the BBB, and that there is an inverse relationship between particle size and the ability to penetrate the BBB. Although translocation of ENM to the brain is possible during experimental conditions, the health relevance for real-life situations is far from clear. One major reason for this is that studies have been using nanoparticle concentrations that are far higher than the ones that can be expected during realistic exposures. However, very high exposure to the CNS can cause effects on neurotransmission, redox homeostasis and behavior. Available studies have been focusing on possible effects of the first generation of ENM. It will be necessary to study possible health effects also of expected novel sophisticated materials, independent of the outcome of present studies. The prospects for intended or targeted medical applications are promising since it has been shown that ENM can be made to pass the BBB and reach specific regions or cells within the brain.
Animal models have been essential for advancing research of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in humans, but few animal species effectively replicate the behavioural and clinical signs of FASD. ...The honey bee (
) is a previously unexplored research model for FASD that offers the distinct benefit of highly social behaviour. In this study, we chronically exposed honey bee larvae to incremental concentrations of 0, 3, 6, and 10% ethanol in the larval diet using an in vitro rearing protocol and measured developmental time and survival to adult eclosion, as well as body weight and motor activity of newly emerged adult bees. Larvae reared on 6 and 10% dietary ethanol demonstrated significant, dose-responsive delays to pupation and decreased survival and adult body weight. All ethanol-reared adults showed significantly decreased motor activity. These results suggest that honey bees may be a suitable social animal model for future FASD research.
To protect the health of sows and gilts, significant investments are directed toward the development of vaccines against infectious agents that impact reproduction. We developed an intrauterine ...vaccine that can be delivered with semen during artificial insemination to induce mucosal immunity in the reproductive tract. An
culture of uterine epithelial cells was used to select an adjuvant combination capable of recruiting antigen-presenting cells into the uterus. Adjuvant polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C), alone or in combination, induced expression of interferon gamma, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and select chemokines. A combination adjuvant consisting of poly I:C, host defense peptide and polyphosphazene (Triple Adjuvant; TriAdj), which previously was shown to induce robust mucosal and systemic humoral immunity when administered to the uterus in rabbits, was combined with boar semen to evaluate changes in localized gene expression and cellular recruitment,
. Sows bred with semen plus TriAdj had decreased γδ T cells and monocytes in blood, however, no corresponding increase in the number of monocytes and macrophages was detected in the endometrium. Compared to sows bred with semen alone, sows bred with semen plus TriAdj showed increased CCL2 gene expression in the epithelial layer. These data suggest that the adjuvants may further augment a local immune response and, therefore, may be suitable for use in an intrauterine vaccine. When inactivated porcine parvovirus (PPV) formulated with the TriAdj was administered to the pig uterus during estrus along with semen, we observed induction of PPV antibodies in serum but only when the pigs were already primed with parenteral PPV vaccines. Recombinant protein vaccines and inactivated PPV vaccines administered to the pig uterus during breeding as a primary vaccine alone failed to induce significant humoral immunity. More trials need to be performed to clarify whether repeated intrauterine vaccination can trigger strong humoral immunity or whether the primary vaccine needs to be administered via a systemic route to promote a mucosal and systemic immune response.
Piglets must acquire passive immunity through colostrum within hours after birth to survive. How colostral macromolecules traverse the small intestinal epithelium may include nonselective pinocytosis ...and paracellular transport through tight junction proteins located between epithelial cells. Claudin proteins‐3 and ‐4 contribute to the epithelial tight junctions (TJs) on the apical aspect of lateral surfaces of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) where they help regulate ion and macromolecule movement across the intestinal epithelium. Throughout the small intestine of newborn piglets, Claudin‐3 was localized to the lateral and basolateral surface of intestinal epithelial cells as well as the membrane of large vacuoles. In the duodenum and jejunum, Claudin‐4 was localized to the apical surface independent of tight junction regions. In the ileum, Claudin‐4 was localized to the lateral and basolateral surfaces indicating region‐specific differences and noncanonical patterns of Claudin‐4 localization independent of tight junction regions. Understanding the timing of changes in surface localization of Claudin‐3 and Claudin‐4 and how they may coincide with changes in small intestinal permeability may help develop new protective strategies against infectious diseases within newborn piglets.
The newborn piglet small intestine epithelial cells do not exclusively express Claudin‐3 and Claudin‐4 at the tight junction region which may lead to leaky gut.
This study was conducted to examine the effects of a combined supplementation of Aspergillus awamori (AA) and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in feed on growth and egg quality. Hens (28-week old) were fed ...on a basal diet as control group; diets supplemented with 0.05% AA, 0.10% LAB, or a combination of AA and LAB (6 birds/group) for 6 weeks. The growth performance of the birds was improved by all the treatments. Synergistic effects of AA and LAB were observed on feed intake, egg production, total egg weight and feed conversion (p < .05). Weights and heights of yolk and albumin was not affected by treatment while, yolk fat, shell weight and thickness were increased (p < .05). On the other hand, egg yolk total cholesterol was decreased and synergistically by the combination of AA and LAB (p < .05). Serum glucose, total cholesterol, ALT and triglyceride were reduced by all the treatment groups. Conversely, serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) was synergistically increased by the combination. Ca, P and Zn concentration in yolk was increased by AA and LAB and synergistically increased by the combination (p < .05). Interestingly, saturated fatty acids (SFA) were decreased while; unsaturated fatty acids (USFA) were increased in egg yolk in all groups. In conclusion, the combined supplementation of AA and LAB synergistically had no effect on the growth of laying hens. In addition, AA and LAB modify the egg yolk fatty acid profile by increasing unsaturated fatty acid and reducing saturated fatty acid.
The objective of this study was to review the currently published literature on the topic of pediatric triage education.
An integrative review of the literature was conducted using database searching ...and historical record review.
A wide variety of pediatric triage educational methods exist, but studies with the highest-quality ratings most often used simulation programs or a standardized curriculum. Although there was a good deal of heterogeneity in terms of the outcomes measured, the accuracy of triage improved following educational interventions.
Additional research is needed to compare different methods of pediatric triage education directly. Emergency nurses should be aware that pediatric triage is a high-risk event, and some educational methods may have advantages over others. In addition, although retention of pediatric triage skills is affected by the method and timing of pediatric triage education, emergency nurses should remain aware that improved pediatric triage skills could lead to improved pediatric outcomes, and target this as an area for further research.Unlabelled Box
The aim of this study was to analyse the change of the characteristics of different types of organic bedding in deepened stall base cubicles for dairy cows. The research was carried out in barn 1 ...using separated raw manure solids, in barn 2 using drum composted manure solids and for comparison a barn 3 was chosen, which used traditional straw as a bedding material. Dry matter of separated raw manure and drum composted recycled manure solids in sample 1 collected after 2–3 hours of bedding acclimatization in the stable were lower (P < 0.05) compared with sample 3 collected 2–3 hours before the new bedding was spread, but dry matter of straw in sample 1 was higher (P < 0.05) compared with sample 3. The values of the coefficient of thermal conductivity show that the bedding from recycled sludge slurry is a good insulant and absorbent. In addition, a determined increase of humidity at the end of the bedding interval does not cause dramatic changes of thermal performance.
Summary
The aim of this study was to examine possible effects of bee pollen added to the feed mixture (FM) on rat ovarian functions (secretion activity and apoptosis). We evaluated the bee pollen ...effect on the release of insulin‐like growth factor I (IGF‐I) and steroid hormones (progesterone and estradiol), as well as on the expression of markers of apoptosis (Bcl‐2, Bax and caspase‐3) in rat ovarian fragments. Female rats (n = 15) were fed during 90 days by FM without or with rape seed bee pollen in dose either 3 kg/1000 kg FM or 5 kg/1000 kg FM. Fragments of ovaries isolated from rats of each group (totally 72 pieces) were incubated for 24 h. Hormonal secretion into the culture medium was detected by RIA. The markers of apoptosis were evaluated by Western blotting. It was observed that IGF‐I release by rat ovarian fragments was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased; on the other hand, progesterone and estradiol secretion was increased after bee pollen treatment at dose 5 kg/1000 kg FM but not at 3 kg/1000 FM. Accumulation of Bcl‐2 was increased by bee pollen added at 3 kg/1000 kg FM, but not at higher dose. Accumulation of Bax was increased in ovaries of rats fed by bee pollen at doses either 3 or 5 kg/1000 kg FM, whilst accumulation of caspase‐3 increased after feeding with bee pollen at dose 5 kg/1000 kg FM, but not at 3 kg/1000 kg FM. Our results contribute to new insights regarding the effect of bee pollen on both secretion activity (release of growth factor IGF‐I and steroid hormones progesterone and estradiol) and apoptosis (anti‐ and pro‐apoptotic markers Bcl‐2, Bax and caspase‐3). Bee pollen is shown to be a potent regulator of rat ovarian functions.
The aim of this study is to investigate if 1,800 MHz radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) can induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) release and/or changes in heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) ...expression in human blood cells, using different exposure and co-exposure conditions. Human umbilical cord blood-derived monocytes and lymphocytes were used to examine ROS release after exposure to continuous wave or different GSM signals (GSM-DTX and GSM-Talk) at 2 W/kg for 30 or 45 min of continuous or intermittent (5 min ON/5 min OFF) exposure. The cells were exposed to incubator conditions, to sham, to RF-EMF, or to chemicals in parallel. Cell stimulation with the phorbol ester phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA; 1 microM) was used as positive control for ROS release. To investigate the effects on Hsp70 expression, the human monocytes were exposed to the GSM-DTX signal at 2 W/kg for 45 min, or to heat treatment (42 degrees C) as positive control. ROS production and Hsp70 expression were determined by flow cytometric analysis. The data were compared to sham and/or to control values and the statistical analysis was performed by the Student's t-test (P<0.05). The PMA treatment induced a significant increase in ROS production in human monocytes and lymphocytes when the data were compared to sham or to incubator controls. After continuous or intermittent GSM-DTX signal exposure (2 W/kg), a significantly different ROS production was detected in human monocytes if the data were compared to sham. However, this significant difference appeared due to the lowered value of ROS release during sham exposure. In human lymphocytes, no differences could be detected if data were compared either to sham or to incubator control. The Hsp70 expression level after 0, 1, and 2 h post-exposure to GSM-DTX signal at 2 W/kg for 1 h did not show any differences compared to the incubator or to sham control.
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