Renal transplantation with limit donors: to what should the good results obtained be attributed?

BACKGROUND: There have been several reports on respiratory allergic symptoms induced by pollen of oilseed rape. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report dealing with oilseed rape dust mainly composed of seeds, as an occupational allergen in the grain industry. In this paper, we present a case of occupational asthma caused by oilseed rape dust from the Animal Feed Industry, which proved to be induced by an IgE-mediated reaction. METHODS AND RESULTS: The patient displayed positive responses to Dermatophagoides farinae as well as oilseed rape dust extract. The bronchoprovocation test showed an early asthmatic response to oilseed rape dust extract. Serum specific IgE antibody to oilseed rape antigen was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). ELISA inhibition test showed significant inhibitions with addition of oilseed rape antigen. In order to further identify the allergenic components of extract, sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoblot analysis were performed. Fourteen IgE-binding components ranging from 10 to 160kDa were detected within the oilseed rape extract. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the inhalation of oilseed rape dust, not pollen, can cause IgE mediated bronchoconstriction in an exposed worker of the grain industry.     

Field tolerance to fungal pathogens of Brassica napus constitutively expressing a chimeric chitinase gene

Constitutive overexpression of a protein involved in plant defense mechanisms to disease is one of the strategies proposed to increase plant tolerance to fungal pathogens. A hybrid endochitinase gene under a constitutive promoter was introduced by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation into a winter-type oilseed rape (Brassica napus var. oleifera) inbred line. Progeny from transformed plants was challenged using three different fungal pathogens (Cylindrosporium concentricum, Phoma lingam, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) in field trials at two different geographical locations. These plants exhibited an increased tolerance to disease as compared with the nontransgenic parental plants.     

DNA profiling and plant variety registration: 1. The use of random amplified DNA polymorphisms to discriminate between varieties of oilseed rape

Before they can be marketed in the UK, newly bred varieties of crop species have to undergo a process of statutory testing, part of which involves the examination of the distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS) of the variety. DUS testing is also used as the basis for the award of Plant Breeders' Rights. This paper examines the potential of DNA polymorphisms, amplified using arbitrary primers (RAPDs) for use in DUS testing of varieties of oilseed rape. RAPDs using suitable primers can produce high levels of discrimination (> 95%) between varieties, although there are certain problems in gel 'scoring' that are only partially resolved by computerised gel scanning/evaluation techniques. Varieties of oilseed rape are also heterogeneous in their RAPD profiles using certain primers, which could cause problems in the DUS testing context. DNA profiling with RAPDs could be used for discrimination between and identification of oilseed rape varieties, but its use for DUS testing needs to be considered carefully.     

Algorithms in the diagnosis and management of exotic diseases. XV. Leprosy

The pharmacokinetic properties of amikacin (BBK8) were similar to those of kanamycin in newborn infants. Peak serum concentrations of both drugs were in the range of 15 to 25 mug/ml with the exception of kanamycin in babies weighing greater than 2,000 g at birth where peak levels were 12.5 to 15 mug/ml. Volumes of distribution, plasma clearances, and serum half-life values were comparable for the two drugs. The clinical and bacteriological responses to amikacin therapy were assessed in 45 neonates with bacterial diseases. A case fatality rate of 26% was observed in infants with septicemia and/or meningitis, whereas no deaths occurred among 22 infants with urinary tract and mucocutaneous infections. Cultures from infected sites were sterile within 72 h of initiating amikacin therapy in 47% of the infants, continued positive for greater than 72 h in 31%, and were not reevaluated during therapy in 22%. The clinical response was judged to be satisfactory in 92% of the surviving infants. The efficacy of amikacin was comparable to that of kanamycin or gentamicin in neonatal bacterial diseases.     

High-level production and long-term storage of engineered antibodies in transgenic tobacco seeds

We have used transgenic tobacco seeds to produce large amounts of a functionally active engineered antibody. A gene infusion encoding an antigen-binding single chain Fv protein (scFv) that recognizes the hapten oxazolone was constructed and used as a model. After characterization in a bacterial expression system ,the scFv gene was cloned into a plant expression cassette conferring seed specific expression, and transferred using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, into Nicotiana tabacum. The expressed scFv could be detected in the developing as well as ripe seeds of regenerated transgenic plants, and the functionally active scFv is stabaly deposited and accumulates up to 0.67% of the total soluble seed protein. After storage of ripe transgenic tobacco seeds for one year at room temperature there was no loss of scFv protein or its antigen-binding activity.     

Post-movement EEG synchronization studied with different high resolution methods

The influence of environmental ethanol on different fitness components and the larval activities of some enzymes were studied in three strains of Drosophila melanogaster. All three strains carried the AdhS-alphaGpdhF allele combination on their second chromosomes while they had unique allele combinations at the Odh and Aldox loci on their third chromosomes (strain 1: OdhS-AldoxF; strain 2: OdhF-AldoxS; strain 3: OdhS-AldoxS). Normal lines and exposure lines, kept on 5% ethanol supplemented medium for at least 20 generations, were established from each strain and the responses of the two lines to different ethanol concentrations were compared. Two survival components were estimated in the juvenile life history stages. In addition, the weights of the emerging adult males were measured at various concentrations of ethanol. The changes in the activities of two enzymes (ADH and alpha GPDH) were also surveyed in the larvae after the different ethanol treatments. Strain-specific differences were observed in the responses of all investigated traits to ethanol. OdhS-AldoxF larvae seemed to be more tolerant to ethanol than the larvae of the other two strains while the utilisation of ethanol as energy source appeared to be the least effective in this strain. Larvae of the exposure lines had significantly higher tolerance to ethanol, and the adult males were heavier, than the ones from the normal lines. The enzymatic responses of the two lines to the ethanol treatments were also different. ADH activity, fresh male weight, and pupa-to-adult survival seemed only to be associated under short-term exposure to ethanol. Ethanol tolerance appeared to be independent of the utilisation of ethanol in the larva-to-pupa stage.     

Pim1 cooperates with E2a-Pbx1 to facilitate the progression of thymic lymphomas in transgenic mice

Mice transgenic for the leukemia oncogene E2A-PBX1 invariably develop lethal, high-grade T-cell lymphomas by 5 months of age. In this study, retroviral insertional mutagenesis was employed to identify oncogenes that cooperate with the E2A-PBX1 transgene in lymphomagenesis. Neonatal retroviral infection substantially reduced length of survival due to accelerated development of lymphomas (81 versus 130 days). The Pim1 gene was targeted by retroviral insertions in 48% of accelerated lymphomas whereas less than 5% contained activated c-Myc and none contained activated Pim2. However, Pim1 DNA rearrangements were frequently sub-stoichiometric and not present at all sites of involvement in an otherwise monoclonal lymphoma indicating that Pim1 activation occurred late in the course of lymphomagenesis. Tumor subpopulations containing activated Pim1 alleles displayed a substantial growth advantage over Pim1 negative cells following serial transfer to secondary, syngeneic recipients. Cooperative interactions were observed in intercrossed Pim1 and E2A-PBX1 transgenic mice in which all double transgenic progeny developed lethal, diffuse T lineage lymphomas by 3 months of age, whereas only 13% of E2A-PBX1 and none of Pim1 single transgenic intercross progeny developed lymphomas by 1 year. Tumors from double transgenic mice were monoclonal providing evidence that additional genetic events were required for transformation. Therefore, Pim1 and E2a-Pbx1 cooperate in T lineage lymphomagenesis but they are not sufficient and the role of Pim1 is more likely to be associated with tumor progression.     

Metastatic cutaneous melanoma promoted by ultraviolet radiation in mice with transgene-initiated low melanoma susceptibility

An inbred-strain (C57BL/6) transgenic (Tyr-SV40E) mouse model of ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-induced metastatic cutaneous melanoma was produced without the use of chemical carcinogens and without resulting in other skin malignancies. Expression of this transgene occurs specifically in melanocytic-lineage cells. In untreated hemizygous mice of transgenic line 12 there are no skin melanomas, and the oncogenic sequence, which is expressed at a very low level, functions solely as a weak initiating stimulus. UVR [including 65% ultraviolet B (280-320 nm wavelength)] supplied the necessary promoting stimulus leading to melanomas. Of various trial protocols, eight were successful and involved exposure of 112 mice for a limited time on each of 3-10 days starting at 2-3 days of age and totalling 1.1-3.7 J/cm2 UVR. Fourteen of these animals developed a total of 15 invasive skin melanomas on the head and body, arising between 37-115 weeks of age and, therefore, often after a relatively long latency. The tumors were melanotic and in five of the mice they yielded macrometastases in regional and distant sites. The single most favorable protocol (1.9 J/cm2 total UVR, at 0.38 J/cm2/day for 5 days starting at 3 days of age) led to the highest incidence of melanoma (5 of 19 mice) and one of the lowest mortality rates (2 of 19). No melanomas occurred in UVR-treated nontransgenic C57BL/6 controls. Benign skin keratoacanthomas arose and often regressed in treated transgenic as well as nontransgenic mice. This new transgenic mouse model introduces many novel possibilities for experimental analysis of the melanoma-promoting mechanisms of UVR and also of the ability of specific genetic changes to impede or facilitate the UVR effect.     

Neither extended sequential nor simultaneous feature positive training result in modulation of evaluative flavor-flavor conditioning in humans

Transgenic animals are new and important models for the study of candidate genes in hypertension research as well as in other fields of medicine. For detailed genetic characterization of the transgenic animals, and to account for the symptoms arising from the insertion of transgenes in the genome, it is essential to identify these insertion sites. In this study, the insertion sites of the transgenes of candidate genes for hypertension were identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) after G-banding of the chromosomes in transgenic rats and mice. This technique combines high resolution G-banding and fluorescence in situ hybridization for the mapping of four different candidate genes in six different transgenic rats as well as three different mouse transgenic lines. The presented results will help to draw conclusions about the influence of the respective integration site on transgene expression.     

稀土浸种对油菜种子萌发及种苗生长的生物效应

浓度低于（８００μｇ／ｍＬ）稀土可促进油菜种子萌发的启动。使用浓度为１００μｇ／ｍＬ,１２小时计数其发芽率为２５％,对照为１２％。但浓度高于１０００μｇ／ｍＬ时,会明显抑制萌发。处理浓度低于８００μｇ／ｍＬ时,稀土浸种对油菜种苗根系的生长有明显促进作用。表现为根长、根鲜重增加,根系活力和幼根内源激素—ＧＡｓ、ＩＡＡ含量都得到提高。幼苗子叶中叶绿素含量提高。高浓度（＞１０００μｇ／ｍＬ）对幼苗生长会有抑制作用,正常苗的百分比下降。     

Abnormal nocturnal blood pressure fall in normotensive adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes is ameliorated following glycemic improvement

BACKGROUND: A single-center study of 655 nonsensitized recipients of primary cadaveric kidney grafts is presented. RESULTS: Graft survival in serologically HLA-DR 1-10 antigen-matched grafts to nonsensitized recipients at 1 year was 90%, compared with 82% (P=0.004) and 73% (P=0.001) in one and two DR antigen-mismatched grafts. The corresponding figures at 5 years were 76%, 62%, and 56%, respectively. Matching for the DR antigens 11-14, or for some DR alleles only detectable by genomic typing, further improved graft survival, but the differences did not reach statistical significance. Matching also for the serologically defined HLA-A and -B antigens did not significantly further improve overall graft survival, but some effects for grafts surviving at least 1 year were observed. Among recipients of grafts mismatched for zero, one, or two HLA-DR antigens, acute rejection episodes were experienced in 48%, 64% (P<0.001), and 82% (P<0.001), respectively, within the first 3 months. HLA-A and -B mismatches showed no significant correlation to acute rejection episodes. CONCLUSION: Matching for the DR antigens 1-10 significantly secures and prolongs the survival of first cadaveric renal grafts. Our results also show that DR 1-10 antigen-matched combinations can often be obtained even in rather small recipient pools, when actively sought for.     

Microbicidal activity of a new silver-containing polymer, SPI-ARGENT II

The survival of three bacterial species and Candida albicans was studied on SPI-ARGENT II. The immediate recovery from silver-impregnated polymer and control polymer (1 cm2) was approximately 10(6) to 10(7) microorganisms. After incubation (37 degreesC) and neutralization of silver with horse serum (5%), surviving organisms were recovered. The survival of the microorganisms on the polymer was not found to be influenced by the silver implantation.     

Ultrastructural and biochemical studies on Candida albicans after prolonged incubation in sea water

The Mexican shrub Cuphea hookeriana accumulates up to 75% caprylate (8:0) and caprate (10:0) in its seed oil. An acyl-ACP thioesterase cDNA from C. hookeriana, designated Ch FatB2, has been identified, which, when expressed in Escherichia coli, provides thioesterase activity specific for 8:0- and 10:0-ACP substrates. Expression of this clone in seeds of transgenic canola, an oilseed crop that normally does not accumulate any 8:0 and 10:0, resulted in a dramatic increase in the levels of these two fatty acids accompanied by a preferential decrease in the levels of linoleate (18:2) and linolenate (18:3). The Ch FatB2 differs from Ch FatB1, another Cuphea hookeriana thioesterase reported recently, in both substrate specificity and expression pattern. The Ch FatB1 has a broad substrate specificity with strong preference for 16:0-ACP and is expressed throughout the plant; whereas Ch FatB2 is specific for 8:0/10:0-ACP and its expression is confined to the seed. It is proposed that the amplified expression of Ch FatB2 in the embryo provides the hydrolytic enzyme specificity determining the fatty acyl composition of Cuphea hookeriana seed oil.     

Age-specific patterns of genetic variance in Drosophila melanogaster. II. Fecundity and its genetic covariance with age-specific mortality

Under the mutation accumulation model of senescence, it was predicted that the additive genetic variance (VA) for fitness traits will increase with age. We measured age-specific mortality and fecundity from 65,134 Drosophila melanogaster and estimated genetic variance components, based on reciprocal crosses of extracted second chromosome lines. Elsewhere we report the results for mortality. Here, for fecundity, we report a bimodal pattern for VA with peaks at 3 days and at 17-31 days. Under the antagonistic pleiotropy model of senescence, it was predicted that negative correlations will exist between early and late life history traits. For fecundity itself we find positive genetic correlations among age classes > 3 days but negative nonsignificant correlations between fecundity at 3 days and at older age classes. For fecundity vs. age-specific mortality, we find positive fitness correlations (negative genetic correlations) among the traits at all ages > 3 days but a negative fitness correlation between fecundity at 3 days and mortality at the oldest ages (positive genetic correlations). For age-specific mortality itself we find overwhelmingly positive genetic correlations among all age classes. The data suggest that mutation accumulation may be a major source of standing genetic variance for senescence.     

Transcranial Doppler assessment of brain death in children

Airborne dust in pig houses causes health problems for humans with full-time employment in pig houses. Many attempts have been made to reduce the dust burdens, but often without sufficient results. At Research Centre Bygholm ten different possibilities for dust reduction have been tested in the test section, and the results are evaluated on the basis of results obtained simultaneously in an identical control section. Until now, the two most efficient methods are addition of fat to the pigs' diet and spraying a thin layer of rape seed oil in the animal house. By adding 4% of fat to the diet, a reduction of 50% can be seen, and by spraying 5 g of rape seed oil daily per pig place, the aerial dust concentration can be reduced to about 75%. The costs are about 1 DM/pig at a price of rape seed oil of 2 DM/l.     

Trade-off associated with selection for increased ability to resist parasitoid attack in Drosophila melanogaster

Costs of resistance are widely assumed to be important in the evolution of parasite and pathogen defence in animals, but they have been demonstrated experimentally on very few occasions. Endoparasitoids are insects whose larvae develop inside the bodies of other insects where they defend themselves from attack by their hosts' immune systems (especially cellular encapsulation). Working with Drosophila melanogaster and its endoparasitoid Leptopilina boulardi, we selected for increased resistance in four replicate populations of flies. The percentage of flies surviving attack increased from about 0.5% to between 40% and 50% in five generations, revealing substantial additive genetic variation in resistance in the field population from which our culture was established. In comparison with four control lines, flies from selected lines suffered from lower larval survival under conditions of moderate to severe intraspecific competition.     

Relation between Neodymium and Calcium in Rape under Ca-Deficiency

Rareearthelements (REEs)areofcertainphysi ologicalactivity .Theycanimprovetheproductivityandqualityofcropsiftheyareusedaptly[1] .Howev er ,thebasicltheoriesneedtobeexploreddeeplythatREESwereapplicated .inagriculture .SomeREEsaresimilartoCainchemicalproper ties ,andtheyhavebeendescribedasCaanalogs[2 ] .Forexample ,thecrystalradiusoflanthanidecationsisin 96 1 1 5 pm ,whichissimilartothatoftherangeofCa2 (99pm) ,especiallythecrystalradiusofNd3 (99.5pm )isclosesttothatofCa2 .REEsoften…     

Enhanced methionine levels and increased nutritive value of seeds of transgenic lupins (Lupinus angustifolius L.) expressing a sunflower seed albumin gene

With the aim of improving the nutritive value of an important grain legume crop, a chimeric gene specifying seed-specific expression of a sulfur-rich, sunflower seed albumin was stably transformed into narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.). Sunflower seed albumin accounted for 5% of extractable seed protein in a line containing a single tandem insertion of the transferred DNA. The transgenic seeds contained less sulfate and more total amino acid sulfur than the nontransgenic parent line. This was associated with a 94% increase in methionine content and a 12% reduction in cysteine content. There was no statistically significant change in other amino acids or in total nitrogen or total sulfur contents of the seeds. In feeding trials with rats, the transgenic seeds gave statistically significant increases in live weight gain, true protein digestibility, biological value, and net protein utilization, compared with wild-type seeds. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of using genetic engineering to improve the nutritive value of grain crops.