Targeting arthropod subolesin/akirin for the development of a universal vaccine for control of vector infestations and pathogen transmission     

de la Fuente J  Moreno-Cid JA  Canales M  Villar M  de la Lastra JM  Kocan KM  Galindo RC  Almazán C  Blouin EF 《Veterinary parasitology》2011,181(1):17-22

Diseases caused by arthropod-borne pathogens greatly impact on human and animal health. Recent research has provided evidence that tick protective antigens can be used for development of vaccines with the dual target of controlling arthropod infestations and reducing their vector capacity for pathogens. As reviewed herein, protective antigens such as subolesin/akirin, which are highly conserved across vector species, show promise for use in development of a universal vaccine for the control of arthropod infestations and the reduction of pathogen transmission. However, further research is needed in critical areas towards achieving this goal.  相似文献   

Ketamine-induced loss of phenotype of fast-spiking interneurons is mediated by NADPH-oxidase   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Behrens MM  Ali SS  Dao DN  Lucero J  Shekhtman G  Quick KL  Dugan LL 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2007,318(5856):1645-1647

Abuse of the dissociative anesthetic ketamine can lead to a syndrome indistinguishable from schizophrenia. In animals, repetitive exposure to this N-methyl-d-aspartate-receptor antagonist induces the dysfunction of a subset of cortical fast-spiking inhibitory interneurons, with loss of expression of parvalbumin and the gamma-aminobutyric acid-producing enzyme GAD67. We show here that exposure of mice to ketamine induced a persistent increase in brain superoxide due to activation in neurons of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase. Decreasing superoxide production prevented the effects of ketamine on inhibitory interneurons in the prefrontal cortex. These results suggest that NADPH oxidase may represent a novel target for the treatment of ketamine-induced psychosis.  相似文献   

Assessing the impacts of international trade on CITES-listed species: Current practices and opportunities for scientific research     

Matthew J. Smith  Hesiquio Benítez-Díaz  Margarita África Clemente-Muñoz  John Donaldson  Jon M. Hutton  H. Noel McGough  Rodrigo A. Medellin  David H.W. Morgan  Colman O’Criodain  Thomasina E.E. Oldfield  Uwe Schippmann  Richard J. Williams 《Biological conservation》2011,(1):82-91

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) came into effect in 1975 to protect certain species of wild fauna and flora against over-exploitation through international trade. Determining which trade is detrimental to the survival of species in the wild can be a major difficulty in the implementation of CITES by national authorities, partly due to limited knowledge and understanding of the species’ biology, management, and the impacts of harvesting. Some of this knowledge could be acquired through targeted scientific research. However, to date there exists no general overview of the current use of biological information in determining detriment in CITES to help scientists identify research priorities. For an international meeting in 2008, over 100 scientists and regulators compiled 60 case studies covering a wide range of CITES-listed taxa, outlining how information on the biology, harvesting and management might be used to determine whether international trade is detrimental. We used these case studies, workshop conclusions, and other published literature, to identify 10 potential research directions for the scientific community which, if addressed, could greatly assist in the making of Non-Detriment Findings. We hope that this will encourage more scientists to study CITES-listed species, and foster more collaboration between research scientists, CITES national authorities, CITES technical committees and local communities. The case studies highlight a general need for advice on how to identify and manage levels of risk involved when assessing possible detriment, and for advice on assessing detriment under complex harvesting scenarios such as when multiple species, or parts of individuals, are harvested. Broadly, they highlight an opportunity for scientists to further develop a body of scientific studies that propose, refine and adapt methods for assessing detrimental trade in CITES-listed taxa. Comparisons within life-form groups indicated the potential for the identification of practical advice that could apply to groups of taxa. The case studies highlighted a widespread need for more information gathering studies of CITES-listed taxa such as the broader impacts of harvesting on populations and ecosystems, and the potential long-term evolutionary impacts. The case studies also highlighted the need for practical advice on how to implement adaptive management programmes and for research into enterprises based on the harvesting of CITES-listed species from the wild.  相似文献   

Mechanisms of fluoroquinolone resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from canine infections     

Teresa Tejedor M  Martín JL  Navia M  Freixes J  Vila J 《Veterinary microbiology》2003,94(4):295-301

Chronic otitis externa in dogs is often associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Fluoroquinolones are often used for treating such infections. Fluoroquinolone resistance mechanisms were characterized in 10 strains of P. aeruginosa isolated from chronic canine otitis externa. Nine out of ten strains harbored a mutation in the gyrA gene and presented an overexpression of efflux pump(s). There was a good correlation between the lipophilicity of the fluoroquinolone being tested and the effect of the efflux pump inhibitor in the final MIC. Therefore, both mechanisms, mutation in the gyrA gene and increased efflux pump(s), seem to play an important role in the acquisition of fluoroquinolone resistance in veterinary clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa. Levels of resistance to fluoroquinolones suggest that they could not be a good choice for systemic therapy of Pseudomonas otitis.  相似文献   

Plant‐associated invertebrates and ecological quality in some Mediterranean shallow lakes: implications for the application of the EC Water Framework Directive     

Francisco García‐Criado  Eloy Bcares  Camino Fernndez‐Alez  Margarita Fernndez‐Alez 《水产资源保护:海洋与淡水生态系统》2005,15(1):31-50

• 1. The EC Water Framework Directive requires that Member States assess the ecological quality of their water bodies on the basis of a wide set of variables, including benthic invertebrates.
• 2. The aim of the study was to find one or more faunistic indices that could be related to ecological status of shallow lakes, independent of different macrophyte types.
• 3. Six invertebrate indices were calculated from abundance and biomass data in 10 Spanish shallow lakes: total abundance and biomass, Shannon's index, percentage of predators, percentage of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera, Orthocladiinae as a percentage of the total Chironomidae, and Chironominae as a percentage of the whole macroinvertebrate community. Taxon richness was also calculated.
• 4. Differences in the values of indices across different macrophyte types were explored by means of a one‐way analysis of variance. Significant differences were occasionally found when indices were calculated from biomass data. Total abundance was also significantly different across some architecture types.
• 5. No significant correlations were found between the overall values of the indices for each lake and the environmental variables measured (ecological status, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, chlorophyll a concentrations, dynamics of the water flow, and naturalness of the shore), except in the case of total biomass.
• 6. Values of indices were plotted (box plots) to detect potential differences between lakes of different ecological status. None of the index values was clearly related to ecological status. Thus, the approach used here, requiring relatively little sampling effort and taxonomic expertise, was of little use as a quality indicator for shallow lakes. The implementation of the Directive will therefore require different approaches to be developed and tested.

Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Is humane slaughter of fish possible for industry?   总被引：4，自引：1，他引：4  

Hans van de Vis  Steve Kestin  David Robb  Jörg Oehlenschläger  Bert Lambooij  Werner Münkner  Holmer Kuhlmann  Karin Kloosterboer  Margarita Tejada  Almudena Huidobro  Håkon Otterå  Bjørn Roth  Nils Kristian Sørensen  Leif Akse  Hazel Byrne  & Paul Nesvadba 《Aquaculture Research》2003,34(3):211-220

Abstract The objective was to evaluate industrial and research slaughter methods for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), gilt‐head seabream (Sparus auratus) and eel (Anguilla anguilla) with respect to welfare and quality. As a general term of reference, an optimal slaughter method should render fish unconscious until death without avoidable excitement, pain or suffering prior to killing. For Atlantic salmon, commercial slaughter methods (carbon dioxide stunning followed by gill cutting, and gill cutting alone) are not in conformity with the general term of reference, as the fish are not rendered unconscious immediately and possibly experience stress. Evaluation of automated percussive stunning remained unconclusive. More research should enable us to ascertain whether loss of consciousness is instantaneous. Electrical stunning can be humane if applied properly. However, because flesh of electrostunned fish was characterized by occasional bloodspots, optimization of the electrical parameters is required. Prototypes for percussive and electrical stunning of salmon have been recently developed. This implies that humane slaughter of salmon is feasible for industry. For gilt‐head seabream, neither aphyxia in air nor transfer of the fish to an ice slurry were considered to be humane: the methods did not induce immediate brain dysfunction and vigorous attempts to escape occurred. Percussive and electrical stunning can be in conformity with the general term of reference. However, conditions for stunning whole batches of seabream have not been established. Quality of the fish slaughtered by percussive stunning was similar to that obtained by the industrial method, i.e. immersion in an ice slurry. Further work is required to establish optimal stunning conditions and to develop prototypes. For eel, desliming in a salt‐bath followed by evisceration, electrical stunning performed under the conditions prescribed by the German legislation, and live chilling and freezing were not considered to be humane. In contrast, it was established that a 10–20 kg batch of eels in fresh water could be rendered unconscious immediately and until death by applying electricity in combination with nitrogen gas. The conditions used were 0.64 A dm^?2 for 1 s, followed by 0.17 A dm^?2 combined with nitrogen flushing for 5 min. A preliminary assessment of flesh quality suggests that it may be improved by application of the latter method, compared with the salt bath. The results clearly indicated that humane slaughter of eels is possible in practice.  相似文献   

Diversity maintenance and use of Vicia faba L. genetic resources     

Gérard Duc  Shiying Bao  Michael Baum  Bob Redden  Mohammed Sadiki  Maria Jose Suso  Margarita Vishniakova  Xuxiao Zong 《Field Crops Research》2010

The faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is an ancient crop that is represented in collections by cultivated forms only. Botanic and molecular data suggest that the wild ancestor of this species has not yet been discovered or has become extinct. This fact makes ex situ collections more crucial for the present and future breeding activities of this crop, especially when the modernization of agriculture reduces genetic diversity.  相似文献   

Atypical Reactive Center Kunitz-Type Inhibitor from the Sea Anemone Heteractis crispa     

I Gladkikh  M Monastyrnaya  E Leychenko  E Zelepuga  V Chausova  M Isaeva  S Anastyuk  Y Andreev  S Peigneur  J Tytgat  E Kozlovkaya 《Marine drugs》2012,10(7):1545-1565

The primary structure of a new Kunitz-type protease inhibitor InhVJ from the sea anemone Heteractis crispa (Radianthus macrodactylus) was determined by protein sequencing and cDNA cloning. InhVJ amino acid sequence was shown to share high sequence identity (up to 98%) with the other known Kunitz-type sea anemones sequences. It was determined that the P1 Thr at the reactive site resulted in a decrease of the K(i) of InhVJ to trypsin and α-chymotrypsin (7.38 × 10(-8) M and 9.93 × 10(-7) M, respectively). By structure modeling the functional importance of amino acids at the reactive site as well as at the weak contact site were determined. The significant role of Glu45 for the orientation and stabilization of the InhVJ-trypsin complex was elucidated. We can suggest that there has been an adaptive evolution of the P1 residue at the inhibitor reactive site providing specialization or functional diversification of the paralogs. The appearance of a key so-called P1 Thr residue instead of Lys might lead to refinement of inhibitor specificity in the direction of subfamilies of serine proteases. The absence of Kv channel and TRPV1-receptor modulation activity was confirmed by electrophysiological screening tests.  相似文献   

Understorey fuel load estimation along two post-fire chronosequences of Pinus halepensis Mill. forests in Central Greece     

Dimitris Kazanis  Gavriil Xanthopoulos  Margarita Arianoutsou 《Journal of Forest Research》2012,17(1):105-109

Pinus halepensis forests are among the forest ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin most affected by fire. Their distribution across lowland areas, in particular along the wildland–urban interface, increases the need to understand their ecology and responses to fire regime for their effective management. Apart from the extremely flammable tree layer, in several stands of these forests there is an increased fuel load attributed to the well-developed understorey of evergreen sclerophyllous shrubs. Taking into consideration that, in contrast with the long period required for full development of post-fire-regenerating pines, these shrubs resprout vigorously within the first post-fire weeks, it is important to explore the temporal trend of fuel accumulation to determine the risk of a second fire across a burned landscape. Two post-fire chronosequences of, in total, 12 P. halepensis stands were considered for sampling in Central Greece. The first chronosequence corresponds to pine stands characterized by the dominance of evergreen sclerophyllous shrubs in the understorey (Type 1) whereas the second chronosequence corresponds to pine stands where the cover of such shrubs was lower (Type 2). This study helps in understanding the fuel dynamics according to the type of P. halepensis forest stand and to anticipate future biomass growth. The proposed equations are simple tools, enabling land managers to estimate understorey total fuel load easily by visually recording the cover and height of the evergreen sclerophyllous shrub component, to justify understorey fuel reduction measures.  相似文献   

Biological and Chemical Control in Rot Root in Avocado by Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands     

Ma.  Blanca Nieves  Lara-Chavez Teresita  del Carmen  Avila-Val Jestus  Alejandro  Guerrero-Tejeda Francisco  Said  Barriga-Gonzalez Eulalio  Venegas-Gonzalez Salvador  Aguirre-Paleo Margarita  Vargas-Sandoval Hector  Guillen Andrade  Satul  Rodriguez-Lopez 《农业科学与技术》2012,(7):882-887

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