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Comp Biochem Physiol Part D Genomics Proteomics 2019 Mar 16;30:290-304. Epub 2019 Mar 16.

Department of Ocean Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's A1C 5S7, NL. Canada. Electronic address:

Little is known about how variation in omega-6 to omega-3 (ω6:ω3) fatty acid (FA) ratios affects lipid metabolism and eicosanoid synthesis in salmon, and the potential underlying molecular mechanisms. The current study examined the impact of five plant-based diets (12-week exposure) with varying ω6:ω3 (0.3-2. Read More

Chemosphere 2019 Apr 13;227:425-434. Epub 2019 Apr 13.

College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China. Electronic address:

Pesticide pollution residues have become increasingly common health hazards over the last several decades because of the wide use of pesticides. The gastrointestinal tract is the first physical and biological barrier to contaminated food and is therefore the first exposure site. Interestingly, a number of studies have shown that the gut microbiota plays a key role in the toxicity of pesticides and has a profound relationship with environmental animal and human health. Read More

Eval Program Plann 2019 Apr 3;75:10-19. Epub 2019 Apr 3.

Department of Agricultural Economics and Animal Production, University of Limpopo, South Africa. Electronic address:

This paper is focussed on the analysis of development outcomes of Fadama III programme among fish farmers in Nigeria with evidence from Lagos state. Random sampling technique was used to select 141 fish farmers from the Fadama III participants and non-participants from three agricultural divisions. Data were collected through structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Apr 6;673:685-693. Epub 2019 Apr 6.

School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.

Frameworks for human health risk assessment often include the opportunity to correct the estimate of exposure for bioavailability, which could be predicted from bioaccessibility. Lead and As are the only metallic elements for which bioavailability and bioaccessibility have been correlated across a spectrum of mineralogy and particle types. The objective of the present study is to correlate in vivo bioavailability with ex vivo bioaccessibility for elevated Ni in soils of ultramafic origin and explore attribution of any variation in this correlation to mineralogical characterization of the Ni. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2019 Apr 9;674:1-8. Epub 2019 Apr 9.

Division of Infection Control and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, PO Box 222, Skøyen, N-0213 Oslo, Norway.

Both building materials and consumer products have been identified as possible sources for potentially hazardous substances like phthalates, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organophosphorous flame retardants (OPFRs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) in indoor air. Thus, indoor air has been suggested to contribute significantly to human exposure to these chemicals. There is lack of data on the occurrence of several of the aforementioned chemicals in indoor air. Read More

Theriogenology 2019 Apr 11;132:72-82. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China. Electronic address:

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PPARGC1A) acts as a powerful coactivator of many transcriptional factors that relate to granulosa cell (GC) apoptosis. In this study, the miRNAs mediating goat follicular atresia and luteinized granulosa cell (LGC) apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide (HO) via PPARGC1A were investigated. Our results showed that miR-1197-3p targeted PPARGC1A was predicted by bioinformatics algorithm and verified by luciferase reporter assay. Read More

Environ Int 2019 Apr 16;127:730-741. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address:

p-Arsanilic acid (p-ASA) and roxarsone (ROX) are two major phenylarsenic feed additives that are still widely used in many countries, and the land application of animal waste containing these compounds could introduce large quantities of arsenic into the environment. In this study, we proposed a treatment scheme for animal waste that involves leaching of p-ASA/ROX out of the manure first by water, then oxidation by ferrate (Fe(VI)) and removal of the arsenate released by in situ formed Fe(III) oxide-hydroxide. The effects of solution pH, dosage of Fe(VI), solution ionic strength, and matrix species on the treatment performance were systematically evaluated. Read More

Appl Radiat Isot 2019 Apr 10;149:9-21. Epub 2019 Apr 10.

Department of Nuclear Medicine, Klinikum Rechts Der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, Munich, Germany.

The antimicrobial peptide fragment GF-17 was synthesized in-house and conjugated with DOTA and measured molecular mass of DOTA-GF-17 conjugate was 2489 Da. The peptide conjugate was purified and labeled with [Ga]. The best radiolabeling efficiency (95. Read More

Hear Res 2019 Apr 11;377:234-246. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Department of Anatomy, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA, United States. Electronic address:

The inferior colliculus (IC) is a major relay station for both ascending and descending auditory pathways. The IC is divided into three major regions, the external cortex (ECIC), the dorsal cortex (DCIC) and the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (CNIC). While the ECIC and DCIC receive many non-auditory inputs, the CNIC receives predominantly auditory input ascending within the lateral lemniscus and descending input from the cerebral cortex. Read More

Eur J Pharm Sci 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Bose Institute, Division of Molecular Medicine, P-1/12, C.I.T. Scheme VII M, Kolkata 700054, India. Electronic address:

A series of aryl 7-chloroquinolinyl hydrazone derivatives (3a-u) have been synthesized in 55-76% yield using simple reaction condition. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activities based on their ability to inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion from the macrophages after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Three compounds appeared as promising anti-inflammatory agents. Read More

Toxicol In Vitro 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Safety Evaluation Centre, Ecology & Quality Management Division, CSR Division, FUJIFILM Corporation, 210 Nakanuma, Minamiashigara-shi, Kanagawa, Japan.

The Amino acid Derivative Reactivity Assay (ADRA) is an in chemico alternative to animal testing for skin sensitization potential, in which measurements of multi-constituent solutions were sometimes affected by co-elution with nucleophilic reagents. So, we established a means of using fluorescence detection and verified the utility of a newly developed ADRA-fluorescence detection (ADRA-FL) test method. We tested three types of plant extracts-aloe, green tea, and licorice-and although unable to quantify nucleophilic reagents using ultraviolet detection due to co-elution of multiple components, the use of fluorescence detection enabled us to detect nucleophilic reagents selectively and predict each of the extract solutions to be sensitizers. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019 Apr 16;178:159-167. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China. Electronic address:

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been closely linked to increased morbidity and mortality of lung cancer worldwide. However, the role of PM2. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2019 Apr 16;178:146-158. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

DAFNAE, University of Padova, Viale Università 16, 30520 Legnaro, PD, Italy.

Animal manure or bio-solids used as fertilizers are the main routes of antibiotic exposure in the agricultural land, which can have immense detrimental effects on plants. Sulfadiazine (SDZ), belonging to the class of sulfonamides, is one of the most detected antibiotics in the agricultural soil. In this study, the effect of SDZ on the growth, changes in antioxidant metabolite content and enzyme activities related to oxidative stress were analysed. Read More

Int J Pharm 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Pharmacokinetics and Biopharmaceutics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, 1-78-1, Sho-machi, Tokushima 770-8505, Japan. Electronic address:

Liposomal anticancer drugs have been developed with improved clinical effects and reduced side effects. We have developed a PEGylated liposomal formulation of oxaliplatin that has anticancer effects in animal models of colorectal cancer with a favorable toxicity profile. To move this formulation into clinical development, a formulation that is stable during long term storage is needed, which has similar pharmacokinetics and therapeutic activity against solid tumors to the original formulation. Read More

Mech Ageing Dev 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Department of Pharmacology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address:

Even though they would have great benefit across research and clinical fields, currently there are no accepted biomarkers of frailty. Cross-sectional studies in humans have identified promising candidates including inflammatory markers such as IL-6, immune markers such as WBC count, clinical markers such as albumin, endocrine markers such as vitamin D, oxidative stress markers such as isoprostanes, proteins such as BDNF and epigenetic markers such as DNA methylation, but there are limitations to the current state of the research. Future approaches to the identification of frailty biomarkers should include longitudinal studies, studies using animal models of frailty, studies incorporating novel biomarkers combined into composite panels, and studies investigating sex differences and potential overlap between markers of biological age and frailty. Read More

Life Sci 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Embryo Engineering, College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University, No.5333 Xi'an Road, Lvyuan District, Changchun 130062, Jilin Province, China. Electronic address:

Aims: Colorectal cancer syndrome has been one of the greatest concerns in the world. Although several epidemiological studies have shown that hepatic low lipoprotein lipase (LPL) mRNA expression may be associated with dyslipidemia and tumor progression, it is still not known whether the liver plays an essential role in hyperlipidemia of Apc mice.

Main Methods: We measured the expression of metabolic enzymes that involved fatty acid uptake, de novo lipogenesis (DNL), β-oxidation and investigated hepatic triglyceride production in the liver of wild-type and Apc mice. Read More

Gene 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Biociências - Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Sala 320, Rua do Matão, 277, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil.

The stingless bee Melipona bicolor is the only bee in which true polygyny occurs. Its mitochondrial genome was first sequenced in 2008, but it was incomplete and no information about its transcription was known. We combined short and long reads of M. Read More

Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

In Vitro Toxicology and Biomedicine, Dept Inaugurated by the Doerenkamp-Zbinden Foundation, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany; CAAT-Europe, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78457, Germany. Electronic address:

J Microbiol Methods 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524001, PR China. Electronic address:

The objective of this study was to establish a novel isothermal amplification method for detection of heat-labile enterotoxin (LT-I)-producing Escherichia coli. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), cross-priming amplification (CPA), and isothermal multiple-self-matching-initiated amplification (IMSA) were developed and evaluated. Optimal conditions, specificity, and sensitivity tests were performed and compared to qPCR findings. Read More

Dev Comp Immunol 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510225, China. Electronic address:

Recombination-activating gene 2 (rag 2) allies with recombination-activating gene 1 (rag 1) and regulates the V(D)J recombination of immunoglobulin (Ig) and T-cell receptor (TCR) genes. Being a key player in the adaptive immune response of vertebrates, functional characterization of rag 2 from yellow catfish is beneficial for understanding the biological response towards the pathogens. In this report, we have cloned and characterized the rag 2 gene of yellow catfish, and a particular pattern of expression was analysed in the major tissues of yellow catfish. Read More

Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Centre for Research on Environmental Ecology and Fish Nutrition of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; National Demonstration Centre for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China. Electronic address:

Estradiol is an important sex steroid hormone that involved in regulation of animal lipid metabolism. However, the effect of estradiol on lipid metabolism in swimming crab (Portunus trituberculatus) is unclear. The present study investigated the effect of four concentrations of exogenous estradiol (0, 0. Read More

Gen Comp Endocrinol 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos and Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales (FCEFyN), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Argentina.

Faecal glucocorticoid measurement is a potentially important tool for improving wildlife conservation, but its use is still limited by methodological issues including the need to avoid modifications of steroids by faecal microorganisms during storage. The freezing of faeces is recommended as a means of avoiding such alterations, but this is costly under non-controlled environmental conditions. The present study was designed to determine whether the application of thymol reduced the proliferation of microorganisms in the faeces of Tamandua tetradactyla and whether it influenced faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) measurements. Read More

Exp Eye Res 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Ophthalmology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

Aim of the study was to compare optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) and conventional fluorescein angiography (FA) for quantitative analysis of the retinal and choroidal vasculature in the animal model of laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Therefore, Dark Agouti rats underwent argon laser photocoagulation to induce CNV at D0. In vivo imaging using combined confocal scanner laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO)-based FA and OCT-A (Heidelberg Engineering GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany) was performed before and immediately after laser treatment as well as at day 2, 7, 14 and 21. Read More

Acta Trop 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Reproductive Diseases, Animal Reproduction Research Institute, ARC, Giza, Egypt.

Johne's disease is chronic enteric incurable disease in ruminant, is caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). The data about incidence and economic importance of the disease in Egypt are scare. Read More

J Physiol 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Key Points: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a chronic condition characterized by intermittent hypoxia that induces oxidative stress and inflammation leading to cardiovascular disease. Women can develop OSA during late pregnancy, which is associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. However, the effects of OSA throughout pregnancy on fetoplacental outcomes are unknown. Read More

PLoS Pathog 2019 Apr 19;15(4):e1007575. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Pathology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America.

High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) E6 proteins associate with the cellular ubiquitin ligase E6-Associated Protein (E6AP), and then recruit both p53 and certain cellular PDZ proteins for ubiquitination and degradation by the proteasome. Low-risk HPV E6 proteins also associate with E6AP, yet fail to recruit p53 or PDZ proteins; their E6AP-dependent targets have so far been uncharacterized. We found a cellular PDZ protein called Na+/H+ Exchanger Regulatory Factor 1 (NHERF1) is targeted for degradation by both high and low-risk HPV E6 proteins as well as E6 proteins from diverse non-primate mammalian species. Read More

PLoS One 2019 19;14(4):e0215605. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Veterinary Microbiology & Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America.

Recombinant herpesvirus vaccine vectors offer distinct advantages in next-generation vaccine development, primarily due to the ability to establish persistent infections to provide sustainable antigen responses in the host. Recombinant bovine herpesvirus-4 (BoHV-4) has been previously shown to elicit protective immunity in model laboratory animal species against a variety of pathogens. For the first time, we describe the induction of antigen-specific immune responses to two delivered antigens in the host species after intranasal nebulization of recombinant BoHV-4 expressing the chimeric peptide containing the bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) glycoprotein E2 and the bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) glycoprotein D (BoHV-4-A-CMV-IgK-gE2gD-TM). Read More

PLoS One 2019 19;14(4):e0215647. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Introduction: Tuberculous lymphadenitis is the most frequent form of extra-pulmonary TB (EPTB) and accounts for a considerable proportion of all EPTB cases. We conducted a systematic review of articles that described the epidemiological features of TBLN in Africa.

Methods: Any article that characterized TBLN cases with respect to demographic, exposure and clinical features were included. Read More

PLoS One 2019 19;14(4):e0215458. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America.

Spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models have improved the ability to estimate densities of rare and elusive animals. However, SCR models have seldom been validated even as model formulations diversify and expand to incorporate new sampling methods and/or additional sources of information on model parameters. Information on the relationship between encounter probabilities, sources of additional information, and the reliability of density estimates, is rare but crucial to assessing reliability of SCR-based estimates. Read More

PLoS One 2019 19;14(4):e0215871. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Tubule-interstitial injury (TII) is a critical step in the progression of renal disease. It has been proposed that changes in proximal tubule (PT) albumin endocytosis plays an important role in the development of TII. Some reports have shown protective effects of lithium on kidney injury animal models that was correlated to proteinuria. Read More

PLoS One 2019 19;14(4):e0215812. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Anesthesiology, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial joint disease and a common disabling condition in the elderly population. The associated pain and pathohistological changes in cartilage are common features of OA in both humans and animal models. Shea nut oil extract (SheaFlex75) contains a high triterpenoid concentration and has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic effects in both human and animal studies. Read More

PLoS One 2019 19;14(4):e0215717. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Division of Animal Facility, CSIR - Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India.

The present study provides first evidence on the role of plasma gelsolin in protecting pulmonary thromboembolism and thrombosis in a mouse model. Gelsolin is the most abundant actin depolymerizing protein in plasma and its significantly depleted values have been reported in metabolic disorders including cardiovascular diseases and myocardial infarction. Though gelsolin replacement therapy (GRT) has been shown to be effective in some animal models, no such study has been reported for thrombotic diseases that are acutely in need of bio-therapeutics for immediate and lasting relief. Read More

PLoS One 2019 19;14(4):e0215387. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Miami-Leonard Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States of America.

The dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) model of colitis is a common animal model of inflammatory bowel disease that causes pain and distress. In this study, we aimed to determine whether fluid supplementation can be used as a welfare-based intervention to minimize animal suffering. C57Bl/6 females undergoing acute colitis by administration of 3% DSS in drinking water were supplemented with 1 mL intraperitoneal injections of NaCl and compared to non-supplemented control mice. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019 Apr 19;13(4):e0007048. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Mestrado Profissional em Biotecnologia e Gestão da Inovação, Centro Universitário de Sete Lagoas, Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Background: The hyaluronidase enzyme is generally known as a spreading factor in animal venoms. Although its activity has been demonstrated in several organisms, a deeper knowledge about hyaluronidase and the venom spreading process from the bite/sting site until its elimination from the victim's body is still in need. Herein, we further pursued the goal of demonstrating the effects of inhibition of T. Read More

PLoS One 2019 19;14(4):e0214859. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Bacteriology, Animal and Plant Health Agency, New Haw, Addlestone, United Kingdom.

In developing an oral bait BCG vaccine against tuberculosis in badgers we wanted to understand the conditions of the gastrointestinal tract and their impact on vaccine viability. Conditions mimicking stomach and small-intestine caused substantial reduction in BCG viability. We performed in vivo experiments using a telemetric pH monitoring system and used the data to parameterise a dynamic in vitro system (TIM-1) of the stomach and small intestine. Read More

PLoS Biol 2019 Apr 19;17(4):e3000217. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

BioFrontiers Institute and Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America.

Viruses of wild and domestic animals can infect humans in a process called zoonosis, and these events can give rise to explosive epidemics such as those caused by the HIV and Ebola viruses. While humans are constantly exposed to animal viruses, those that can successfully infect and transmit between humans are exceedingly rare. The key event in zoonosis is when an animal virus begins to replicate (one virion making many) in the first human subject. Read More

PLoS One 2019 19;14(4):e0214843. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa-International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI) Hub, Nairobi, Kenya.

Indigenous goats make significant contributions to Cameroon's national and local economy, but little effort has been devoted to identifying the populations. Here, we assessed the genetic diversity and demographic dynamics of Cameroon goat populations using mitochondrial DNA (two populations) and autosomal markers (four populations) generated with the Caprine 50K SNP chip. To infer genetic relationships at continental and global level, genotype data on six goat populations from Ethiopia and one population each from Egypt, Morocco, Iran, and China were included in the analysis. Read More

PLoS Biol 2019 Apr 19;17(4):e3000080. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America.

Hemodynamic recordings from visual cortex contain powerful endogenous task-related responses that may reflect task-related arousal, or "task engagement" distinct from attention. We tested this hypothesis with hemodynamic measurements (intrinsic-signal optical imaging) from monkey primary visual cortex (V1) while the animals' engagement in a periodic fixation task over several hours was varied through reward size and as animals took breaks. With higher rewards, animals appeared more task-engaged; task-related responses were more temporally precise at the task period (approximately 10-20 seconds) and modestly stronger. Read More

Int J Med Mushrooms 2019 ;21(4):401-411

College of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City, Taiwan.

Recently, erinacine A-enriched Hericium erinaceus (EAHE) mycelia have demonstrated therapeutic efficacy in animal models of neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer and Parkinson disease. Despite promising results from animal models, there have been no reports on its toxicity after long-term consumption. Hence, the present study was designed to evaluate the safety of EAHE mycelia through a 13-week subchronic rodent feeding study. Read More

Int J Med Mushrooms 2019 ;21(4):323-330

School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jaipur National University, Jagatpura, 302017, Jaipur, India.

Haloperidol-induced catalepsy is an animal model of a psychotic disorder that may be associated with neurodegeneration and free radical damage. Auricularia polytricha is effective in both prevention and treatment of numerous types of neurological disorders. In the present study, anticataleptic activity of aqueous extract of A polytricha (AEAP) at different doses (400 and 600 mg/kg, respectively, p. Read More

Crit Rev Eukaryot Gene Expr 2019 ;29(1):69-76

Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Institute, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Science, Wuhan, 430064, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control Agents for Animal Bacteriosis (Ministry of Agriculture), Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), also known as broilers ascites syndrome, is characterized by hypoxia, pulmonary artery pressure, and right heart failure. However, less information is available about the molecular mechanisms of PAH. We evaluated the mediation of calcium-sensing receptor by inducing hypoxia for the possible proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells via the G protein pathway. Read More

Am Nat 2019 May 12;193(5):748-754. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

A fundamental tenet of modern ecology and conservation science is the fact that species occurrence in habitat patches can be determined by patch area and isolation. But such island biogeographic models often poorly predict actual species occurrences in structurally complex landscapes that typify most ecosystems. Recent advances in circuit theory have enhanced estimates of species dispersal and can provide powerful ways to predict landscape-scale distribution of species assemblages through integration with island biogeography. Read More

Am Nat 2019 May 8;193(5):E116-E131. Epub 2019 Mar 8.

Almost all animal species undergo metamorphosis, even though empirical data show that this life-history strategy evolved only a few times. Why is metamorphosis so widespread, and why has it evolved? Here we study the evolution of metamorphosis by using a fully size-structured population model in conjunction with the adaptive-dynamics approach. We assume that individuals compete for two food sources; one of these, the primary food source, is available to individuals of all sizes. Read More

Br J Nurs 2019 Apr;28(8):509-515

Lead Therapy Dog Handler, Southampton Children's Hospital, and Animal Assisted Intervention Advisor to the Royal College of Nursing Pets in Health Protocol.

An online survey of parents and staff was conducted to assess the effect of an animal-assisted intervention (AAI) service at a UK children's university teaching hospital. Three volunteer handlers with five golden retriever dogs provided AAIs across all eight paediatric wards including day, medical, surgical, oncology and intensive care. Interventions ranged from 'meet and greet' to assisting nursing care, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, as well as providing distraction during blood taking and other tests including radiology examinations. Read More

Transbound Emerg Dis 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil, 21.941-902.

Interspecies transmission is an important mechanism of evolution and contributes to RVA diversity. In order to evaluate the detection frequency, genetic diversity, epidemiological characteristics, and zoonotic potential of rotavirus A (RVA) strains in fecal specimens from humans and animals cohabiting in the same environment in the department of Cusco, Peru, by molecular analysis, 265 fecal specimens were obtained from alpacas, llamas, sheep, and shepherd children, and tested for RVA by RT-PCR. Genotyping was performed by multiplex PCR and sequence analysis. Read More

Microsc Res Tech 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Animal Science, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, India.

Amphibian skin secretions contain a variety of bioactive compounds that are involved in diverse roles such as communication, homeostasis, defence against predators, pathogens, and so on. Especially, the caecilian amphibians possess numerous cutaneous glands that produce the secretory material, which facilitate survival in their harsh subterranean environment. Inspite of the fact that India has a fairly abundant distribution of caecilian amphibians, there has hardly been any study on their skin and its secretion. Read More

Vet Clin Pathol 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.

J Antimicrob Chemother 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Addlestone, UK.

Aminoglycosides (AGs) are important antibacterial agents for the treatment of various infections in humans and animals. Following extensive use of AGs in humans, food-producing animals and companion animals, acquired resistance among human and animal pathogens and commensal bacteria has emerged. Acquired resistance occurs through several mechanisms, but enzymatic inactivation of AGs is the most common one. Read More

J Agric Food Chem 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Animal and Poultry Science, College of Agriculture and Bioresources , University of Saskatchewan , 51 Campus Drive , Saskatoon , SK Canada , S7N5A8.

The utilization of the nutrient potential of alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) cannot be maximized because of its rapidly degradable protein content in the rumen, leading to waste and various digestive disorders. This might be alleviated if protein-binding proanthocyanidins are present in aerial parts of alfalfa forage in adequate amounts. Read More

ACS Sens 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Oxygenation and tissue hypoxia play critical roles in mammalian biology and contribute to aggressive phenotypes in cancerous tumors, driving research to develop accurate and easy to implement methods for monitoring hypoxia in living cells and animal models. This study reports the chemiluminescent probe HyCL-4-AM, which contains a nitroaromatic sensing moiety and, importantly, an acetoxymethyl (AM) ester that dramatically improves operation in cells and animals. HyCL-4-AM provides a selective 60,000-fold increase in luminescence emission in the presence of rat liver microsomes (RLM). Read More