Prevalence of antibodies to lipid A in Danish cattle

A cross-sectional study was performed on the occurrence of IgG antibodies to lipid A of the Gram-negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS, endotoxin) on serum of 2272 cattle distributed on 19 Danish dairy herds. The relationship between the concentration of antibodies to lipid A (ALI) and age, herd, pregnancy rate and occurrence of mastitis, bovine virus diarrhoea (BVD), reproductive and digestive disorders, diarrhoea, pneumonia, foot disorders, various infections and traumatic udder lesions was investigated. ALI generally was low in calves and increased during their first 1.5 years of life to a steady state, which could be altered by the occurrence of disease. There were significant differences in the mean ALI among the herds (P < 0.001). High ALI was associated with a low herd pregnancy rate, to preceding occurrence of mastitis (P < 0.048), BVD (P < 0.01), reproduction diseases (P < 0.041) and digestion disorders (P < 0.064) in animals older than 2 years. The calf mortality rate was not associated to ALI and there was no correlation between the ALI in calves and their dams. The occurrence of high ALI levels on a herd basis may be an indication of increased challenge or enhanced immunological defense to Gram-negative bacteria or endotoxin.     

Comparison of body composition by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry to other estimates of body composition during weight loss in obese patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Body composition was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning and classical reference methods (40K, 3H2O, and a combination of these in a four-compartment model) in 19 overweight patients with rheumatoid arthritis who underwent a 12-week weight-reducing regimen. The aim of the study was to investigate whether DXA provides a valid estimate of body composition. The results showed that weight as determined by DXA was highly significantly correlated to weight determined by scales. Furthermore, significant correlations were found in the body components (fat-free mass, fat mass) determined by DXA, 40K, 3H2O and the four-compartment model. Mean values differed slightly but significantly. With respect to changes in body composition, no significant correlations were found between any of the methods, except for the weight loss recorded by DXA and scales, and loss of fat mass (and fat free mass) estimated by 3H2O and the four-compartment model. The sparseness of correlations reflected the small changes in fat-free mass and fat mass (2.6 and 1.7 kg respectively), and the fact that changes were comparable to measurement errors of the various methods. We suggest that DXA scanning is a valid supplement for determination of body composition. Validation of DXA scanning requires new experimental in vitro investigations, which, incidentally, also applies to the classical reference methods.     

Psychological interventions for cancer patients to enhance the quality of life.

Although the thrust of the nation's cancer objectives for the year 2000 is prevention and screening, each year approximately 1 million Americans are diagnosed and must cope with the disease and treatments. They do so with the aid of family, friends, and the health care system, but accumulating data suggest that psychological interventions may be important for reducing emotional distress, enhancing coping, and improving "adjustment." Experimental and quasi-experimental studies of psychological interventions are reviewed, and a discussion of treatment components and mechanism is offered. A final section discusses future research directions and challenges to scientific advance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

HNK-1 antigens on uveal and cutaneous melanoma cell lines

The HNK-1 epitope has been associated with the metastatic behaviour of uveal melanomas. We characterized HNK-1 antigens on four human uveal (primary and metastatic) and two primary cutaneous melanoma cell lines by immunocytochemistry and Western blot analysis. We also determined the involvement of the HNK-1 epitope in cell-cell interactions on a matrigel layer. Three uveal melanoma cell lines (one primary and two metastatic) and one cutaneous melanoma cell line showed HNK-1 expression by immunocytochemistry. On matrigel, only the HNK-1-positive cutaneous melanoma cell line Bowes grew in a honeycomb-like structure which disappeared after adding HNK-1 antibodies to the culture medium. Immunoblot analysis of the primary uveal melanoma cell line EOM-3 revealed five HNK-1-positive protein bands with apparent molecular weights of 200, 160, 115, 95 and 75 kDa. The cutaneous melanoma cell line Bowes showed three HNK-1-positive protein bands with apparent molecular weights of 150, 135 and 90 kDa. This study shows that two uveal (primary and metastatic) and one primary cutaneous melanoma cell lines express HNK-1 antigens on immunoblot. Only in the HNK-1-positive cutaneous melanoma cell line Bowes did the HNK-1 epitope have a function in intercellular adhesion. Although the primary uveal melanoma cell line EOM-3 showed a similar HNK-1 immunoreactivity, we could not demonstrate HNK-1-mediated cell adhesion. On immunoblot, the two cell lines displayed different HNK-1 antigens, which may explain the difference in cell adhesion.     

Tailored Magnetic Fields in the Melt Extraction of Metallic Filaments

Porous bodies that are resistant to corrosion at high temperatures and thermal shock may be produced from metallic fibers. In order to accomplish reasonable homogeneity and high porosity, the cross-sectional area of the fibers and the width of distribution thereof need to be small. This article studies two techniques for making fibers. Melt extraction out of a crucible yields filaments with a typical diameter ranging from 50 to 200 μm, which is too thick. Also patented for a long time is the extraction from a pendant drop. Even though relatively fine fibers can be manufactured with this method, it never exceeded crucible extraction with respect to industrial importance owing to the low productivity of the process. The present article addresses the drawbacks of both variants of melt extraction of metallic filaments. Because metallic melts are electrically conducting, the use of magnetic fields allows for contactless process optimization. It is well believed that increasing the extraction speed diminishes the fiber diameter. Being not always true, at least in the case of crucible melt extraction, as indicated by the present findings, however, undesired fluid flow, i.e., turbulence, imposes an upper limit on the rotation rate of the extraction wheel. Application of a static magnetic field leads to both higher wheel speed and thinner filaments. The low productivity of extraction from the molten tip of a rod suffers from the fact that only one melt drawing edge can be used. As the bare rod is problematic with respect to heating its tip in contact with the extraction wheel, it is challenging to melt the entire edge of a sheet. A special design of the induction-heating magnetic field is also proposed to solve also this task. This article is based on a presentation given at the International Symposium on Liquid Metal Processing and Casting (LMPC 2007) which occurred in September 2007 in Nancy, France.