Given the lack of research regarding the effect of microalgal supplementation in dairy cows on milk mineral concentrations, this study investigated the effect of feeding different protein supplements ...in dairy cow diets on milk, feces, and blood plasma mineral concentrations, associated milk and blood plasma transfer efficiencies, and apparent digestibility. Lactating Finnish Ayrshire cows (n = 8) were allocated at the start of the trial to 4 diets used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment: (1) control diet (CON), (2) a pelleted rapeseed supplement (RSS; 2,550 g/d), (3) a mixture of rapeseed and Spirulina platensis (RSAL; 1,280 g of RSS + 570 g of S. platensis per day), and (4) S. platensis (ALG; 1,130 g of S. platensis per day). In each of the 4 experimental periods, a 2-wk adaptation to the experimental diets was followed by a 7-d sampling and measurement period. Feed samples were composited per measurement period, milk, and feed samples (4 consecutive days; d 17–20), and blood plasma samples (d 21) were composited for each cow period (n = 32). Data were statistically analyzed using a linear mixed effects model with diet, period within square, square and their interaction as fixed factors, and cow within square as a random factor. Cows fed ALG were not significantly different in their milk or blood plasma mineral concentrations compared with CON, although feeding ALG increased fecal concentrations of macrominerals (Ca and Mg) and trace elements (Co, Cu, Fe, I, Mn, and Zn), and reduced their apparent digestibility, compared with CON. When compared with CON and ALG, milk from cows fed RSAL and RSS had lower milk I concentrations (−69.6 and −102.7 μg/kg of milk, respectively), but total plasma I concentrations were not affected significantly. Feeding S. platensis to dairy cows did not affect mineral concentrations in cows' blood or milk, but care should be taken when rapeseed is fed to avoid reducing milk I concentrations which may in turn reduce consumers' I intake from milk and dairy products.
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive form of breast cancer. Due to its heterogeneity and lack of hormone receptor expression, this subtype is more likely to metastasize and ...resist treatment attempts than are other forms of breast cancer. Due to the absence of targetable receptors, chemotherapy and breast conserving surgery have been the predominant treatment options for patients. However, resistance to chemotherapy and local recurrence of the tumors is frequent. Emerging immunotherapies have begun to change treatment plans for patients diagnosed with TNBC. In this review, we discuss the various immune pathways identified in TNBC and the role they play as targets for new potential treatment choices. Various therapeutic options that inhibit key pathways in cellular growth cycles, DNA repair mechanisms, epithelial mesenchymal transition, and immunosuppression have been shown to improve survival in patients with this disease. With promising results thus far, continued studies of immunotherapy and neoadjuvant therapy options for TNBC are likely to alter the treatment course for these diagnoses in the future.
Abstract IL-15 is a member of the IL-2 family of cytokines whose signaling pathways are a bridge between innate and adaptive immune response. IL-15 is part of the intestinal mucosal barrier, and ...functions to modulate gut homeostasis. IL-15 has pivotal roles in the control of development, proliferation and survival of both innate and adaptive immune cells. IL-15 becomes up-regulated in the inflamed tissue of intestinal inflammatory disease, such as IBD, Celiac Disease and related complications. Indeed, several studies have reported that IL-15 may participate to the pathogenesis of these diseases. Furthermore, although IL-15 seems to be responsible for inflammation and autoimmunity, it also may increase the immune response against cancer. For these reasons, we decided to study the intestinal mucosa as an ‘immunological niche’, in which immune response, inflammation and local homeostasis are modulated. Understanding the role of the IL-15/IL-15R system will provide a scientific basis for the development of new approaches that use IL-15 for immunotherapy of autoimmune diseases and malignancies. Indeed, a better understanding of the complexity of the mucosal immune system will contribute to the general understanding of immuno-pathology, which could lead to new therapeutical tools for widespread immuno-mediated diseases.
A novel electrochemical approach to the direct detection of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), in aqueous solutions, covering a wide pH range (acid to alkali), is described. In brief, a dual band electrode ...device is employed, in a hydrodynamic flow cell, where the upstream electrode is used to controllably generate hydroxide ions (OH(-)), which flood the downstream detector electrode and provide the correct pH environment for complete conversion of H2S to the electrochemically detectable, sulfide (HS(-)) ion. All-diamond, coplanar conducting diamond band electrodes, insulated in diamond, were used due to their exceptional stability and robustness when applying extreme potentials, essential attributes for both local OH(-) generation via the reduction of water, and for in situ cleaning of the electrode, post oxidation of sulfide. Using a galvanostatic approach, it was demonstrated the pH locally could be modified by over five pH units, depending on the initial pH of the mobile phase and the applied current. Electrochemical detection limits of 13.6 ppb sulfide were achieved using flow injection amperometry. This approach which offers local control of the pH of the detector electrode in a solution, which is far from ideal for optimized detection of the analyte of interest, enhances the capabilities of online electrochemical detection systems.
The development and application of a new methodology, in situ electrochemical X-ray fluorescence (EC-XRF), is described that enables direct identification and quantification of heavy metals in ...solution. A freestanding film of boron-doped diamond serves as both an X-ray window and the electrode material. The electrode is biased at a suitable driving potential to electroplate metals from solution onto the electrode surface. Simultaneously, X-rays that pass through the back side of the electrode interrogate the time-dependent electrodeposition process by virtue of the XRF signals, which are unique to each metal. In this way it is possible to unambiguously identify which metals are in solution and relate the XRF signal intensity to a concentration of metal species in solution. To increase detection sensitivity and reduce detection times, solution is flown over the electrode surface by use of a wall-jet configuration. Initial studies focused on the in situ detection of Pb(2+), where concentration detection limits of 99 nM were established in this proof-of-concept study (although significantly lower values are anticipated with system refinement). This is more than 3 orders of magnitude lower than that achievable by XRF alone in a flowing solution (0.68 mM). In situ EC-XRF measurements were also carried out on a multimetal solution containing Hg(2+), Pb(2+), Cu(2+), Ni(2+), Zn(2+), and Fe(3+) (all at 10 μM concentration). Identification of five of these metals was possible in one simple measurement. In contrast, while anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) also revealed five peaks, peak identification was not straightforward, requiring further experiments and prior knowledge of the metals in solution. Time-dependent EC-XRF nucleation data for the five metals, recorded simultaneously, demonstrated similar deposition rates. Studies are now underway to lower detection limits and provide a quantitative understanding of EC-XRF responses in real, multimetal solutions. Finally, the production of custom-designed portable in situ EC-XRF instrumentation will make heavy metal analysis at the source a very realistic possibility.
Infanticide is well documented in chimpanzees and various hypotheses have been proposed to explain this behavior. However, since infanticide by chimpanzees is relatively rare, it has thus far not ...been possible to thoroughly test these hypotheses. Here we present an analysis of the largest dataset of infanticides from a single community of chimpanzees, a full record of all intra-community infanticides and failed attempts at infanticide over a 24-year period for the Sonso community of chimpanzees in the Budongo Forest, Uganda. We use these data to test four hypotheses for this behavior: the sexual selection hypothesis, male mating competition, resource competition, and meat acquisition. Our dataset consisted of 33 attacks on 30 victims, 11 of which were ‘definite’ infanticides, four of which ‘almost certain’, and nine were ‘suspected’, while nine were ‘attempted’ infanticides. The majority of attacks where the perpetrators were known (23) had only male attackers and victims were disproportionately young (two-thirds of victims with known ages were under 1 week old). Our data best support the sexual selection hypothesis for infanticide. Cannibalism was infrequent and partial, suggesting meat acquisition was a by-product of infanticide, and there was no evidence to suggest that infanticide was part of a male strategy to eliminate future competitors. Infanticide by females was rare, but we suggest sexual selection, operating through intra-sexual competition, may also be responsible for infanticide by females.
Seymour, A.C.; Ridge, J.T.; Rodriguez, A.B.; Newton, E.; Dale, J., and Johnston, D.W., 2018. Deploying fixed wing unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) for coastal morphology assessment and management. ...Accurate measurement of the morphology and distribution of coastal habitats is critical for understanding the function of coastal environments, assessing the resilience of coastal communities, and managing the coastal zone effectively. Unoccupied aerial systems (UASs, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles) and structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry may be optimal for coastal surveys around small- or medium-sized municipalities, but guidance is needed to identify appropriate equipment configurations. Digital surface models (DSMs) from UAS equipped with mapping and survey-grade GPS units were processed with and without ground control point (GCP) correction, and their accuracy was compared to terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) derived DSMs and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) checkpoints. Four UAS sorties were flown over an active fetch-limited barrier island in North Carolina, which was concurrently surveyed with TLS and GNSS. Average DSM vertical accuracy from real-time kinematic (RTK)-equipped UAS improved from 0.081 m error to 0.032 m error after GCP correction, and the average elevation range between surfaces improved from ∼0.17 m to ∼0.05 m. In areas with low dunes, the UAS DSM was an average of 0.042 m away from the TLS DSM and was closer to the GNSS survey checkpoints. In vegetated areas, this distance increased to 0.082 m because of TLS occlusion effects. The SfM process-generated elevation artifacts in areas of imagery with homogenous texture, such as the foreshore and sun angle, likely plays an important role when surveying sandy beach environments. The RTK-equipped UAS and UAS data processed with GCPs yield DMSs with similar accuracy to those derived from TLS but are a superior choice for municipal-scale surveys because of lower operating costs, greater areal coverage, and lower environmental impact.
Influence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea on Mortality in Patients With Heart Failure Hanqiao Wang, John D. Parker, Gary E. Newton, John S. Floras, Susanna Mak, Kuo-Liang Chiu, Pimon Ruttanaumpawan, ...George Tomlinson, T. Douglas Bradley We compared mortality in 164 patients with heart failure divided into those with mild or no sleep apnea, and those with untreated and treated moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). During a follow-up of (mean ± SD) 2.9 ± 2.2 years, mortality was greater in the 38 untreated OSA patients than in the 113 mild or no sleep apnea patients (8.7 vs. 4.2 deaths per 100 patient years, p = 0.029). Although there were no deaths among the 14 patients whose OSA was treated by continuous positive airway pressure, the mortality rate was not significantly different from the untreated OSA patients (p = 0.070).
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