Over the past year, many reports have been published on a variety of clinical manifestations related to antiphospholipid antibodies. The low prevalence of anticardiolipin antibodies with the rare occurrence of thrombosis and a low rate of fetal loss in studies in Malaysia and China showed a potential role for local factors. A study of cross-reactive idiotype of the anticardiolipin antibody suggested that anticardiolipin antibodies are derived from a set of natural autoreactive clones. Regarding the pathogenic role of the antiphospholipid antibody, evidence has been presented that the epitopes formed between cardiolipin and beta 2 glycoprotein I are the targets of the antiphospholipid antibody. Complement activation, abnormalities of natural anticoagulants such as protein S deficiency, and genetic association with DR4, DR7, and DRw53 have also been studied.
Seven Malaysian medicinal plants were screened for their antiplasmodial activities in vitro. These plants were selected based on their traditional claims for treatment or to relieve fever. The plant extracts were obtained from Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). The antiplasmodial activities were carried out using the pLDH assay to Plasmodium falciparum D10 strain (sensitive strain) while the cytotoxic activities were carried out towards Madin- Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells using MTT assay. The concentration of extracts used for both screening assays were from the highest concentration 64 microg/ml, two fold dilution to the lowest concentration 0.03 microg/ml. Goniothalamus macrophyllus (stem extract) showed more than 60% growth inhibition while Goniothalamus scortechinii root and stem extract showed a 90% and more than 80% growth inhibition at the last concentration tested, 0.03 microg/ml. The G. scortechini (leaves extract) showed an IC50 (50% growth inhibition) at 8.53 microg/ml, Ardisia crispa (leaves extract) demonstrated an IC50 at 5.90 +/- 0.14 microg/ml while Croton argyratus (leaves extract) showed a percentage inhibition of more than 60% at the tested concentration. Blumea balsamifera root and stem showed an IC50 at 26.25 +/- 2.47 microg/ml and 7.75 +/- 0.35 microg/ ml respectively. Agathis borneensis (leaves extract) demonstrated a 50% growth inhibition at 11.00 +/- 1.41 microg/ml. The study gives preliminary scientific evidence of these plant extracts in line with their traditional claims.
Xanthorrhizol is a natural sesquiterpenoid compound isolated from the rhizome of Curcuma xanthorrhizza Roxb (Zingerberaceae). Recent studies of xanthorrhizol in cell cultures strongly support the role of xanthorrhizol as an antiproliferative agent. In our study, we tested the antiproliferative effect of xanthorrhizol using different breast cancer cell lines. The invasive breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231, was then selected for further investigations. Treatment with xanthorrhizol caused 50% growth inhibition on MDA-MB-231 cells at 8.67 +/- 0.79 microg/ml as determined by sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. Hoechst 33258 nuclear staining assay showed the rate of apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells to increase in response to xanthorrhizol treatment. Immunofluorescence staining using antibody MitoCapture and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled cytochrome c revealed the possibility of altered mitochondrial transmembrane potential and the release of cytochrome c respectively. This was further confirmed by Western-blotting, where cytochrome c was showed to migrate from mitochondrial fraction to the cytosol fraction of treated MDA-MB-231 cells. Caspase activity assay showed the involvement of caspase-3 and caspase-9, but not caspase-6 or caspase-8 in MDA-MB-231 apoptotic cell death. Subsequently, cleavage of PARP-1 protein is suggested. These data suggest treatment with xanthorrhizol modulates MDA-MB-231 cell apoptosis through the mitochondria-mediated pathway subsequent to the disruption of mitochondrial transmembrane potential, release of cytochrome c, activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9, and the modulation of PARP-1 protein.
Introduction: Adenoviruses are important in public health. They are used as indicators for microbial pollution source tracking (MST), and as vaccine vectors. Knowledge of host specificity and pre-existing immunity are critical for the two applications. Bovine and porcine adenoviruses are expected to be widespread in the environment through agriculture. Here we examined if bovine and porcine adenovirus strains are truly distinctive from other adenovirus strains. Methods: 46 adenovirus strains with complete genome were downloaded from the RefSeq database of Gen-Bank. 450 bp of nucleotides each at positions 1- 450, 18001-18450, and 27001 – 27450 of the respective strains were subjected to the Disparity Index Test using Mega 7 software. Analysis focused on four adenovirus strains: Bo-vine B, Bovine D, Porcine C and Porcine 3. The total number of strains that were significantly different (P
Data from 3691 dairy cows from 76 farms were used to investigate the risk factors associated with the area of hair loss over the lateral aspect of the hock and the correlation between the area of hair loss (as calculated using a hock map) and hock lesion scores determined using a pre-existing categorical scale. Six factors were associated with a greater area of hair loss, including cows with locomotion score 3, a cleanliness score (10/28 to 18/28), high daily milk yield (25.1-58.1 kg), poor body condition score (1-1.5), duration of winter housing (≥41 days) and some combinations of cubicle base and bedding materials. Compared with cows housed in cubicles with a concrete base and whole straw or rape straw bedding, cows housed in cubicles with concrete bases with sand or chopped straw bedding had smaller areas of hair loss and cows housed on a mattress base with whole straw or rape straw bedding had larger areas of hair loss. Area of hair loss, as measured on hock maps, was not significantly different between cows with score 1 (median 23.6 cm(2)) and score 2 (median 20.3 cm(2)) on the categorical scale for hock lesions. This suggests that the categorical scale was not reflecting the extent of hair loss and that hock maps are a good alternative for studying the dynamics of hock lesions over time.
An inhibitive assay of insecticides using Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) from the local fish Clarias batrachus is reported. AChE was assayed according to the modified method of Ellman. Screening of insecticide and heavy metals showed that carbofuran and carbaryl strongly inhibited C. batrachus AChE. The inhibition concentration (IC) IC50 values (and the 95% confidence interval) for both carbofuran and carbaryl inhibition on C. batrachus AChE at 6.66 (5.97-7.52) and 130.00 (119.3-142.5) microg l(-1), respectively was within the IC50 range of Electrophorus electricus at 6.20 (6.03-6.39) and 133.01 (122.40-145.50) microg l(-1), respectively and were much lower than bovine AChE at 20.94 (19.53-22.58) and 418.80 (390.60-451.60) microg l(-1), respectively. The results showed that C. batrachus have the potential to be used as a cheaper and more readily available source of AChE than other more commercially available sources.
The main failure factors of cortical bone are aging or osteoporosis, accident and high energy trauma or physiological activities. However, the mechanism of damage evolution coupled with yield criterion is considered as one of the unclear subjects in failure analysis of cortical bone materials. Therefore, this study attempts to assess the structural response and progressive failure process of cortical bone using a brittle damaged plasticity model. For this reason, several compressive tests are performed on cortical bone specimens made of bovine femur, in order to obtain the structural response and mechanical properties of the material. Complementary finite element (FE) model of the sample and test is prepared to simulate the elastic-to-damage behavior of the cortical bone using the brittle damaged plasticity model. The FE model is validated in a comparative method using the predicted and measured structural response as load-compressive displacement through simulation and experiment. FE results indicated that the compressive damage initiated and propagated at central region where maximum equivalent plastic strain is computed, which coincided with the degradation of structural compressive stiffness followed by a vast amount of strain energy dissipation. The parameter of compressive damage rate, which is a function dependent on damage parameter and the plastic strain is examined for different rates. Results show that considering a similar rate to the initial slope of the damage parameter in the experiment would give a better sense for prediction of compressive failure.
Control of ticks and tick-borne pathogens is a priority for human and animal health. Livestock-holders extensively rely on acaricide applications for tick control. Different groups of acaricides including cypermethrin and amitraz have been consistently used in Pakistan. There has been a gap in understanding the susceptibility or resistance of Rhipicephalus microplus, the most prevalent tick in Pakistan, to acaricides. The present study aimed to molecularly characterize cypermethrin and amitraz targeted genes such as voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) and octopamine tyramine (OCT/Tyr) of R. microplus ticks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan to monitor the acaricides resistance. Tick specimens were collected from cattle and buffaloes in northern (Chitral, Shangla, Swat, Dir, and Buner), central (Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, Swabi, and Nowshera), and southern districts (Kohat, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Tank, and Dera Ismail Khan) of KP, Pakistan. Different concentrations of commercially available cypermethrin (10%) and amitraz (12.5%) were prepared for in vitro larval immersion tests (LIT). In LIT, the average mortality rate of immersed larvae was recorded that was increased gradually with an increase in the concentration of specific acaricide. The larvae's highest mortality rates (94.5% and 79.5%) were observed at 100-ppm of cypermethrin and amitraz, respectively. A subset of 82 R. microplus ticks was subjected to extract genomic DNA, followed by PCR to amplify partial fragments of VGSC (domain-II) and OCT/Tyr genes. The BLAST results of the consensus sequence of VGSC gene (domain-II) showed 100% identity with the acaricides susceptible tick sequence from the United States (reference sequence). Obtained identical sequences of OCT/Tyr genes showed maximum identity (94-100%) with the identical sequences reported from Australia (reference sequence), India, Brazil, Philippines, USA, South Africa, and China. Thirteen single nucleotide polymorphisms (10 synonymous and three non-synonymous) were observed at various positions of partial OCT/Tyr gene fragments. The SNP at position A-22-C (T-8-P) in OCT/Tyr gene has been linked to amitraz resistance in R. microplus ticks. Molecular analysis and LIT bioassay's findings indicate the availability of resistant R. microplus ticks in the KP region. To our understanding, this is the first preliminary study to monitor cypermethrin and amitraz resistance via molecular profiling of cypermethrin and amitraz targeted genes (VGSC and OCT/Tyr) in combination with in vitro bioassays (LIT) in R. microplus ticks from Pakistan.
The ability to trace the movement of animals and their related products is key to success in animal disease control. To ensure that a traceability system is optimized, livestock farmers and traders must have good appreciation and understanding about animal tracing. The present study examined the traceability of cattle in Malaysia vis-à-vis the domains of knowledge, attitude, and practice among cattle farmers and traders. A total of 543 farmers and traders in Peninsular Malaysia were interviewed. The results revealed that over 60% of the respondents had satisfactory knowledge and attitude about cattle movement and traceability. A lower proportion of the respondents (49%) were involved in appropriate practice that facilitated traceability of cattle. We found that the type of husbandry system and stakeholders' participation in livestock management-specific short courses were positively associated with satisfactory knowledge, attitude, and practice. A structured education and training program should be formulated to improve these domains so that the benefit of traceability becomes clear, paving the way to a successful traceability program.
To assess the likelihood of an introduction of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) into the Malaysia-Thailand-Myanmar (MTM) peninsula through terrestrial movement of livestock.
Matched MeSH terms: Cattle; Cattle Diseases/epidemiology; Cattle Diseases/prevention & control
The addition of ribose to bovine or porcine gelatine solutions followed by heating at 95 °C yielded brown solutions with different pH, colour (CIE L(*) and b(*)) and absorbance (A(420*) values. These differences were used for gelatine powder identification, differentiation and quality control. Differentiation analysis of the Maillard reaction parameters was conducted using cluster analysis (CA) and confidence intervals (CI). The potential use of the method as a quality control procedure was evaluated by using statistical process control (SPC). CA revealed that the two types of gelatine could be classified into two different groups. CI (95% confidence) revealed that the absorbance and colour values could be used as indicators for differentiation between the two types of gelatine because the intervals between the Maillard reaction parameters of the samples were far apart. The methodology demonstrated good reproducibility because it behaved predictably based on the X¯-S charts generated from the SPC charts.
Dairy cow welfare is an important consideration for optimal production in the dairy industry. Lameness affects the welfare of dairy herds by limiting productivity. Whilst the application of LS systems helps in identifying lame cows, the technique meets with certain constraints, ranging from the detection of mild gait changes to on-farm practical applications. Recent studies have shown that certain animal-based measures considered in welfare assessment, such as body condition, hock condition and leg hygiene, are associated with lameness in dairy cows. Furthermore, behavioural changes inherent in lame cows, especially the comfort in resting and lying down, have been shown to be vital indicators of cow welfare. Highlighting the relationship between lameness and these welfare indicators could assist in better understanding their role, either as risk factors or as consequences of lameness. Nevertheless, since the conditions predisposing a cow to lameness are multifaceted, it is vital to cite the factors that could influence the on-farm practical application of such welfare indicators in lameness studies. This review begins with the welfare consequences of lameness by comparing normal and abnormal gait as well as the use of LS system in detecting lame cows. Animal-based measures related to cow welfare and links with changes in locomotion as employed in lameness research are discussed. Finally, alterations in lying behaviour are also presented as indicators of lameness with the corresponding welfare implication in lame cows.
Mannheimiosis or pneumonic pasteurellosis commonly occurs in small ruminants. Mannheimiosis is caused by Mannheimia haemolytica (M. haemolytica) a Gram-negative coccobacillus producing acute febrile and infectious condition resulting in death of animal if not diagnosed and treated promptly. M. haemolytica serotype A2 is a commensal of the nasopharynx, gaining access to the lungs when host defenses are compromised by stress or infection in small ruminants. Till date, there is a vast literature and research that has been conducted on the pathogenesis of M. haemolytica invariably on respiratory system and its related immune system and mechanisms. From the clinical point of view, infection or diseases involving vital organs will systemically affect the production and performance of the infected animal. Therefore, there is a huge gap of knowledge and research to answer the question whether there is any association between M. haemolytica infection with reproductive physiology and performance in small ruminants and how it affects the productivity level. This review will explore the possibilities of involvement and new potential research to be carried out to determine the involvement of male and female reproductive system with M. haemolytica infection among small ruminants.
This study aimed to find the association between urinary aflatoxin M(1) level and milk and dairy products consumption. Of 160 morning urine samples collected, aflatoxin M(1) was detected in 61.3 % samples (n = 98) [mean ± SD = 0.0234 ± 0.0177 ng/mL; range = 0-0.0747 ng/mL]. Of these positive samples, 67.3 % (n = 66) had levels above the limit of detection. Respondents with intake of milk and dairy products above median (67.79 g/day) had significantly high level of AFM(1) compared to those with low intake. A significant and positive association (φ = 0.286) was found between milk and dairy products consumption and urinary aflatoxin M(1) level.
Background: This study aimed to investigate the association between prenatal/infancy factors and lipid profile in children and adolescents. Methods: This multicentric national study was conducted in 30 provinces in Iran. It comprised 4200 participants, aged 7-18 years, from the fifth survey of a national surveillance program. History regarding birth weight, as well as the type of consumed milk and food during infancy was obtained from parents. In addition to physical examinations, fasting blood samples were obtained to assess the lipid profile of these students. Results: Data from 3844 participants were available (91.5% participation rate), 52.4 % of students were boys. Mean (SD) age of participants was 12.3(3.2) years. Consuming cow milk in the first two years significantly increased the risk of high triglycerides (TG) (odds ratio [OR]:2.77, 95% CI: 1.32-5.85, P: 0.01), elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (P<0.05) and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (P <0.05). Students who had consumed commercially made food as complementary feeding were 93% more likely to have high LDL (OR: 1.93, 95% CI=1.19-3.13, P: 0.01) and 90% more likely to have high TG than students who had consumed homemade food (OR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.15-3.12, P: 0.01). The aforementioned figures were not significantly associated with an elevated total cholesterol (TC) level. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that the history of using human milk and home-made food as complementary feeding was associated with better lipid profile in childhood and early adolescence. Increasing public knowledge in this regard might be useful for encouragement of healthier life prevention of chronic diseases.
The use of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy coupled with chemometric techniques to differentiate butter from beef fat (BF) was investigated. The spectral bands associated with butter, BF, and their mixtures were scanned, interpreted, and identified by relating them to those spectroscopically representative to pure butter and BF. For quantitative analysis, partial least square (PLS) regression was used to develop a calibration model at the selected fingerprint regions of 1500-1000 cm-1, with the values of coefficient of determination (R2) and root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) are 0.999 and 0.89% (v/v), respectively. The PLS calibration model was subsequently used for the prediction of independent samples containing butter in the binary mixtures with BF. Using 6 principal components, root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) is 2.42% (v/v). These results proved that FTIR spectroscopy in combination with multivariate calibration can be used for the detection and quantification of BF in butter formulation for authentication use.
To evaluate the effect of autologous human serum (AHS) versus pooled human serum (PHS) versus foetal bovine serum (FBS) for growth of articular chondrocytes and formation of chondrocytefibrin constructs.
Interspecies variations in the processes of B-cell development and repertoire generation contrast with the greater consistency of T-cell development. B-cell development in mice and humans, with postnatal B-cell generation of new repertoire in the bone marrow throughout life, is regarded as the 'standard' pattern. In contrast, accounts of B cells in birds, sheep, cattle, rabbits and pigs (the 'other' species) describe cessation of gene diversification in the perinatal period, with the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) functioning as the primary lymphoid organ thereafter. It has become customary to regard the developmental pathways of T and B cells within any individual species as being as dissimilar as the functions of the two mature cell types. Reinterpretation of B-cell development patterns in different species is overdue in response to two types of reports. The first of these describe T-B 'crossover', specifically the intrathymic production of B cells and the extrathymic production of T cells. The second attests to the extent of sharing of B-cell developmental features across the two groups of species. We propose that, as is a feature of other haematopoietic cells, a menu of alternative B- and T-cell pathways has been retained and shared across species. A single pathway usually predominates in any species, masking alternatives. The observed predominance of any pathway is determined by factors such as placental permeability, extent of maturation of the immune system by birth and the feasibility of direct experimental intervention in development.
We barcoded 25 in vitro isolates (representing 92 samples) of Giardia duodenalis from humans and other animals, which have been assembled by the Upcroft team at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research over a period of almost three decades. We used mutation scanning-coupled sequencing of loci in the triosephosphate isomerase, glutamate dehydrogenase and β-giardin genes, combined with phylogenetic analysis, to genetically characterise them. Specifically, the isolates (n514) of G. duodenalis from humans from Australia (AD113; BRIS/83/HEPU/106; BRIS/87/HEPU/713; BRIS/89/HEPU/1003; BRIS/92/HEPU/1541; BRIS/92/HEPU/1590; BRIS/92/HEPU/2443; BRIS/93/HEPU/1706), Malaysia (KL/92/IMR/1106) and Afghanistan (WB), a cat from Australia (BAC2), a sheep from Canada (OAS1) and a sulphur-crested cockatoo from Australia (BRIS/95/HEPU/2041) represented assemblage A (sub-assemblage AI-1, AI-2 or AII-2); isolates (n510) from humans from Australia (BRIS/91/HEPU/1279; BRIS/92/HEPU/2342; BRIS/92/HEPU/2348; BRIS/93/HEPU/1638; BRIS/93/HEPU/1653; BRIS/93/HEPU/1705; BRIS/93/HEPU/1718; BRIS/93/HEPU/1727), Papua New Guinea (BRIS/92/HEPU/1487) and Canada (H7) represented assemblage B (sub-assemblage BIV) and an isolate from cattle from Australia (BRIS/92/HEPU/1709) had a match to assemblage E. Isolate BRIS/90/HEPU/1229 from a human from Australia was shown to represent a mixed population of assemblages A and B. These barcoded isolates (including stocks and derived lines) now allow direct comparisons of experimental data among laboratories and represent a massive resource for transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolic and functional genomic studies using advanced molecular technologies.