Numerous species of mammals are susceptible to
Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (TB). Several wildlife hosts have emerged as reservoirs of
M. bovis infection for ...domestic livestock in different countries. In the present study, blood samples were collected from Eurasian badgers (
n
=
1532), white-tailed deer (
n
=
463), brushtail possums (
n
=
129), and wild boar (
n
=
177) for evaluation of antibody responses to
M. bovis infection by a lateral-flow rapid test (RT) and multiantigen print immunoassay (MAPIA). Magnitude of the antibody responses and antigen recognition patterns varied among the animals as determined by MAPIA; however, MPB83 was the most commonly recognized antigen for each host studied. Other seroreactive antigens included ESAT-6, CFP10, and MPB70. The agreement of the RT with culture results varied from 74% for possums to 81% for badgers to 90% for wild boar to 97% for white-tailed deer. Small numbers of wild boar and deer exposed to
M. avium infection or paratuberculosis, respectively, did not cross-react in the RT, supporting the high specificity of the assay. In deer, whole blood samples reacted similarly to corresponding serum specimens (97% concordance), demonstrating the potential for field application. As previously demonstrated for badgers and deer, antibody responses to
M. bovis infection in wild boar were positively associated with advanced disease. Together, these findings suggest that a rapid TB assay such as the RT may provide a useful screening tool for certain wildlife species that may be implicated in the maintenance and transmission of
M. bovis infection to domestic livestock.
A study of vector boson scattering in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV is presented. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 19.4 fb(-1) collected with the CMS ...detector. Candidate events are selected with exactly two leptons of the same charge, two jets with large rapidity separation and high dijet mass, and moderate missing transverse energy. The signal region is expected to be dominated by electroweak same-sign W-boson pair production. The observation agrees with the standard model prediction. The observed significance is 2.0 standard deviations, where a significance of 3.1 standard deviations is expected based on the standard model. Cross section measurements for W(±)W(±) and WZ processes in the fiducial region are reported. Bounds on the structure of quartic vector-boson interactions are given in the framework of dimension-eight effective field theory operators, as well as limits on the production of doubly charged Higgs bosons.
Systems Biology of the Vervet Monkey Jasinska, Anna J; Schmitt, Christopher A; Service, Susan K ...
ILAR journal,
01/2013, Letnik:
54, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Nonhuman primates (NHP) provide crucial biomedical model systems intermediate between rodents and humans. The vervet monkey (also called the African green monkey) is a widely used NHP model that has ...unique value for genetic and genomic investigations of traits relevant to human diseases. This article describes the phylogeny and population history of the vervet monkey and summarizes the use of both captive and wild vervet monkeys in biomedical research. It also discusses the effort of an international collaboration to develop the vervet monkey as the most comprehensively phenotypically and genomically characterized NHP, a process that will enable the scientific community to employ this model for systems biology investigations.
The use of nonstandardized and inadequately validated outcome measures in atopic eczema trials is a major obstacle to practising evidence‐based dermatology. The Harmonising Outcome Measures for ...Eczema (HOME) initiative is an international multiprofessional group dedicated to atopic eczema outcomes research. In June 2011, the HOME initiative conducted a consensus study involving 43 individuals from 10 countries, representing different stakeholders (patients, clinicians, methodologists, pharmaceutical industry) to determine core outcome domains for atopic eczema trials, to define quality criteria for atopic eczema outcome measures and to prioritize topics for atopic eczema outcomes research. Delegates were given evidence‐based information, followed by structured group discussion and anonymous consensus voting. Consensus was achieved to include clinical signs, symptoms, long‐term control of flares and quality of life into the core set of outcome domains for atopic eczema trials. The HOME initiative strongly recommends including and reporting these core outcome domains as primary or secondary endpoints in all future atopic eczema trials. Measures of these core outcome domains need to be valid, sensitive to change and feasible. Prioritized topics of the HOME initiative are the identification/development of the most appropriate instruments for the four core outcome domains. HOME is open to anyone with an interest in atopic eczema outcomes research.
The expression, inducibility, and regulation of four different cytochrome (cyt.) P-450 isoenzymes (PB1, PB2, MC1, and MC2) NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase, the glutathione transferases (GSTs) B and ...C and microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEHb) have been studied during nitrosamine-induced hepatocarcinogenesis using immunohistochemical techniques. The investigations revealed basic differences in the expression of the individual drug metabolizing enzymes in the course of neoplastic development. While the two GSTs and mEHb were increased in all preneoplastic and benign neoplastic lesions, the levels of the distinct cyt. P-450 isoenzymes were characteristically different from each other. Following initial changes in the expression of these enzymes in early preneoplastic lesions (i.e., increase of cyt. P-450 PB1 versus slight decrease of the other cyt. P-450 isoenzymes), a continuous reduction of all cyt. P-450 isoenzymes was observed during the further course of hepatocarcinogenesis. In progressed neoplastic nodules, all cyt. P-450-isoenzymes and NADPH cyt. P-450 reductase were decreased to varying extents. Treatment of animals with inducers of the monooxygenase system, such as phenobarbital, 3-methylcholanthrene and polychlorinated biphenyls, led to a rather heterogenous pattern of enzyme alterations in preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions. Following administration of phenobarbital, some islets responded to the same degree as the surrounding tissue, others were less or not at all inducible and a few of the lesions showed a prominent increase in cyt. P-450 PB2 and NADPH-cyt. P-450 reductase levels. The interesting finding that these two enzymes always showed concurrent changes may be indicative of a common regulation.
Protein kinase CK2 is a crucial regulator of endothelial cell proliferation, migration and sprouting during angiogenesis. However, it is still unknown whether this kinase additionally affects the ...angiogenic activity of other vessel-associated cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of CK2 inhibition on primary human pericytes. We found that CK2 inhibition reduces the expression of nerve/glial antigen (NG)2, a crucial factor which is involved in angiogenic processes. Reporter gene assays revealed a 114 bp transcriptional active region of the human NG2 promoter, whose activity was decreased after CK2 inhibition. Functional analyses demonstrated that the pharmacological inhibition of CK2 by CX-4945 suppresses pericyte proliferation, migration, spheroid sprouting and the stabilization of endothelial tubes. Moreover, aortic rings of NG2
mice showed a significantly reduced vascular sprouting when compared to rings of NG2
mice, indicating that NG2 is an important regulator of the angiogenic activity of pericytes. In vivo, implanted Matrigel plugs containing CX-4945-treated pericytes exhibited a lower microvessel density when compared to controls. These findings demonstrate that CK2 regulates the angiogenic activity of pericytes through NG2 gene expression. Hence, the inhibition of CK2 represents a promising anti-angiogenic strategy, because it does not only target endothelial cells, but also vessel-associated pericytes.
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