Ultrasonographic diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy: importance of transabdominal imaging

Endovaginal sonography has greatly improved the diagnostic evaluation of suspected ectopic pregnancy. Some authors suggest imaging solely by endovaginal technique for diagnosis. We perform both a transabdominal scan for a global view of the pelvic and abdominal contents and an endovaginal sonographic examination for a higher resolution and focused view of the gynecologic structures. We report three patients with negative endovaginal examinations who had obvious ectopic pregnancies on our subsequent transabdominal examination. These cases remind us of the valuable information that can be obtained with the transabdominal approach and the complementary role it plays with endovaginal sonography.     

Effects on nutrient digestion of wheat processing and methods of tallow addition to the diets of lactating dairy cows

Five multiparous Holstein cows in midlactation that were fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannulas were used in a 3 x 5 incomplete Latin square. The objective of this study was to examine the effects on nutrient digestion of wheat processing and method of tallow addition to the diets of lactating dairy cows. Diets consisted of 45% forage and 55% concentrate, and each diet contained 20% wheat and 2% tallow (as-fed basis). Treatments were dry-rolled wheat with tallow added to the concentrate, steam-rolled wheat with tallow added to the concentrate, and steam-rolled wheat with tallow added first to the wheat. The dry matter intake; digestion of starch, fiber, and fatty acids; ammonia N concentration; and molar proportions of volatile fatty acids in ruminal fluid were not affected by treatments. The apparent digestibility in the total tract of organic matter and nitrogenous compounds was significantly higher for the steam-rolled treatment with tallow added first to the wheat. Mean ruminal fluid pH was similar across treatments; however, cows fed the diet containing steam-rolled wheat with tallow added first to the wheat had the smallest pH change from 0 to 2 h postfeeding. Milk yield did not differ, regardless of cow diet. Method of tallow addition had marked effects on the apparent digestibility of organic matter and N in the total tract of lactating dairy cows.     

The feeding value of dry-rolled and steam-flaked corn in finishing diets for feedlot cattle: influence of protein supplementation

We used 80 medium-framed yearling crossbred heifers (357 kg) in a 110-d trial to evaluate the influence of dietary protein level (11 vs 14%) on the feeding value of dry-rolled (DRC) and steam-flaked corn (SFC). All diets contained 1% urea; cottonseed meal (CSM) was the source of supplemental undegradable intake protein (UIP). Steam flaking corn reduced DMI (9%, P < .10) and increased (P < .01) feed efficiency (14%), dietary NEm (13%), and NEg (15%). Steam flaking increased the NEm by 17% and NEg by 19%. Supplemental CSM decreased (P < .10) feed efficiency (7%) and dietary NEm (4%) and NEg (6%). There were no treatment effects (P > .10) on carcass characteristics. Steam flaking corn increased (P < .05) fecal pH and reduced (P < .01) fecal starch. Supplemental CSM increased (P < .01) fecal pH and reduced (P < .01) fecal starch. Four Holstein steers (413 kg) were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square experiment to evaluate treatment effects on digestive function. Steam flaking corn increased (P < .05) flow of nonammonia N (11%, P < .05) and microbial N (15%, P < .01) to the duodenum. Supplemental CSM increased the flow of microbial N (6%, P < .01), feed N (21%, P < .10), and nonammonia N (12%, P < .05) to the duodenum. The UIP value of CSM was 28% for the DRC diet and 52% for the SFC diet. Steam flaking corn increased (P < .01) ruminal starch digestion (26%) and total tract digestibility of OM (17%), N (15%), starch (19%), and GE (17%). Steam flaking increased the DE value of corn by 21%. Supplemental CSM did not influence (P > .10) postruminal or total tract starch digestion. Supplemental CSM decreased (7%, P < .10) the DE value of the diet. We conclude that increasing the postruminal protein supply of a corn-based finishing diet beyond that provided by urea supplementation, alone, will not enhance starch digestion or the energy value of the diet.     

Purification and characterization of cytochrome c6 from the unicellular green alga Scenedesmus obliquus

Purification of a soluble cytochrome c6 from the unicellular green alga Scenedesmus obliquus by a simple and rapid method is described. The purification procedure includes ammonium sulfate precipitation and non-denaturating PAGE. The N-terminal sequence of the first 20 amino acids was determined and shows 85% similarity and 75% identity to the sequence of cytochrome c6 from the green alga Monoraphidium braunii. The ferrocytochrome shows typical UV/VIS absorption peaks at 552.9, 521.9 and 415.7 nm. The apparent molecular mass was estimated to be 12 kDa by SDS-PAGE. EPR-spectroscopy at 20 K shows resonances indicative for two distinct low-spin heme forms.     

Growth hormone response to growth hormone releasing hormone in calves that differ in genetic merit for milk yield

Holstein heifer, steer, and bull calves from control (CL) and select (SL) lines of cows that differed by more than 4000 kg of milk during a 305-d lactation (SL > CL) were used to determine growth hormone (GH) response to 5 doses of GH releasing hormone (GHRH) and how this response was affected by gender, period (age), and genetic merit for milk yield. Doses (0, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 microg/100 kg of BW) of a GHRH analog were assigned randomly to each heifer (4 CL, 4 SL), steer (4 CL, 4 SL), and bull (3 CL, 3 SL) calf and administered on consecutive days at approximately 3, 6, and 10 mo of age (periods; P1, P2, and P3). Jugular blood samples (n = 15) collected between -30 and 240 min relative to GHRH administration were used to quantify area under the GH response curve (AUC) after subtracting mean prechallenge GH concentrations. Estimates of maximum response (Rmax) and sensitivity (ED50) to GHRH were obtained from the hyperbolic dose response curves (AUC vs. dose). Data were analyzed for effects of dose, line, period, gender, and their interactions with period as the repeated effect. Prechallenge GH concentrations were not affected by genetic line, gender, or period. The AUC was not affected by line, but decreased with period and increased with GHRH dose. The Rmax did not differ between lines or among genders, but decreased with period. The ED50 did not differ between lines or among periods, but heifers were more sensitive to GHRH than steers or bulls. Although GH response to GHRH has been identified as a potential indicator of genetic merit, it did not differ between these substantially different genetic lines.     

Curcumin and the cellular stress response in free radical-related diseases

Free radicals play a main pathogenic role in several human diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, and cancer. Although there has been progress in treatment of these diseases, the development of important side effects may complicate the therapeutic course. Curcumin, a well known spice commonly used in India to make foods colored and flavored, is also used in traditional medicine to treat mild or moderate human diseases. In the recent years, a growing body of literature has unraveled the antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, and antinfectious activity of curcumin based on the ability of this compound to regulate a number of cellular signal transduction pathways. These promising data obtained in vitro are now being translated to the clinic and more than ten clinical trials are currently ongoing worldwide. This review outlines the biological activities of curcumin and discusses its potential use in the prevention and treatment of human diseases.     

CMC jackets for metallic pipes – A novel approach to prevent the creep deformation of thermo-mechanically loaded metals

Steel materials suffer extensive creep by the application at temperatures of about 700?°C and pressures about 350?bar in a power plant environment. The presented concept overwraps a steel pipe with a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) jacket in order to support the steel pipe and provide high temperature strength. Finite Element simulations show the influence of the wall thickness of CMC jacket and the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) on circumferential stresses within the hybrid metal ceramic pipe. Suitable fiber and matrix materials were studied, composites fabricated and mechanical properties determined. Finally, a prototype was designed in order to confirm the feasibility of the concept. The lifetime of a pure steel pipe was increased by more than four-fold by the additional CMC jacket.     

Intravital FRET: Probing Cellular and Tissue Function in Vivo

The development of intravital Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) is required to probe cellular and tissue function in the natural context: the living organism. Only in this way can biomedicine truly comprehend pathogenesis and develop effective therapeutic strategies. Here we demonstrate and discuss the advantages and pitfalls of two strategies to quantify FRET in vivo—ratiometrically and time-resolved by fluorescence lifetime imaging—and show their concrete application in the context of neuroinflammation in adult mice.     

A low-wavenumber-extended confocal Raman microscope with very high laser excitation line discrimination

We describe the simple modification of a confocal Raman imaging microscope to incorporate two ultra-narrow holographic notch filters. The modified microscope rejects the laser excitation line (Rayleigh peak) by a discrimination factor of ～10(11) and allows simultaneous measurements of Stokes/anti-Stokes Raman shifts as close as ～10/20 cm(-1) to the Rayleigh line. The extremely high rejection ratio of the Rayleigh peak results in its intensity becoming comparable to typical Raman scattering signals. This is essential for micro-Raman spectroscopy and imaging in the low-wavenumber region. We illustrate the resulting performance with measurements on silicon/silica, sapphire, sulfur, L-cystine, as well as on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). We find that both aggregated (bulk) and individual (deposited on substrate) SWNTs demonstrate strong and broad characteristic Raman features below ～100 cm(-1)-in a region which has remained essentially unexplored in measurements of bulk SWNT samples and which has so far been inaccessible for Raman spectroscopy of individual SWNTs.