Unexpected antibody against the high-prevalence P antigen before cardiac surgery.

P is a high-prevalence antigen present in 99.9 percent of the population and is fully developed at birth. P- individuals form naturally occurring antibodies against P, which are often of immunoglobulin (Ig)M and/or IgG type, very potent in complement activation, and able to cause serious intravascular hemolytic transfusion reactions. Some people with anti-P have the rare P1 k phenotype, which lacks P in the presence of P1 and Pk. Blood transfusion in patients with anti-P is challenging, as is described here. A male patient without a history of blood transfusion was admitted for a planned cardiac surgery. The preoperative ABO blood group could not be determined because of unexpected reactions in the reverse grouping, and all red blood cells (RBCs) in the antibody detection test were positive, except for the autocontrol. Further analysis of the patient's sample confirmed the presence of the P1 k phenotype, and anti-P was identified. If transfusion was needed, P- blood would be required, and the only P- RBCs available were at the national Sanquin Bank of Frozen Blood. These units are limited, expensive, and only available for 48 hours after thawing. In the case of massive blood loss, first ABO and Rh-compatible units should be transfused, followed by P- units after the bleeding stops. In our case, the surgery was conducted without transfusion. This case illustrates the importance of preoperative ABO blood group testing and antibody screening in cases where blood loss can be expected. In recent years, more focus has been put on patient blood management. A good collaboration between the local laboratory, surgery department, and dedicated blood transfusion laboratory is critical to prevent unnecessary incompatible blood transfusions with potentially serious outcomes.

In vitro screening as an anthelmintic discovery pipeline for Calicophoron daubneyi: nutritive media and rumen environment-based approaches.

Paramphistomosis can lead to morbidity and mortality of ruminant livestock within tropical and sub-tropical climates. In recent decades, rumen fluke has become an emerging infection in temperate climates across Western Europe, with Calicophoron daubneyi, the primary species present. Clinical outbreaks with C. daubneyi larvae are reported and adults might be responsible for production losses. There is not currently a widely licensed anthelmintic product available to control C. daubneyi. In this study, three existing flukicide anthelmintics were tested for efficacy against mature C. daubneyi, comparing a standard in vitro culturing assay and a new more relevant rumen fluid based in vitro compound screening protocol. The new rumen based screen confirmed that oxyclozanide was active against adult C. daubneyi and identified activity with praziquantel. The study highlighted the downstream value of incorporating relevant in vitro screening for anthelmintic discovery pipelines.

Estimating the prevalence of chronic hepatitis C virus infection in New York City, 2015.

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the most common blood-borne infection in the USA. Estimating prevalence is critical for monitoring diagnosis, treatment, and cure and for allocating resources. Surveillance data reported to the New York City (NYC) Health Department, 2000-2015, were used to estimate HCV prevalence in NYC in 2015. The numbers who died, out-migrated or whose last RNA test was negative were removed from the count of people reported with HCV. A simulation model was used to remove estimates of people whose infection spontaneously cleared or was cured and to add an estimate of people unaware of infection. The surveillance-based HCV prevalence in NYC in 2015 overall was 1.4% (95% certainty level (CL) 1.2-1.6%; n ≈ 116 000, 95% CL ≈99 000-135 000) and among adults aged ⩾20 years was 1.8% (95% CL 1.5-2.0%, n ≈ 115 000, 95% CL ≈99 000-134 000), lower than the 2010 estimate among adults aged ⩾20 years of 2.4% (n ≈ 147 000). Contributors to the decrease in HCV prevalence from 2010 to 2015 include both the availability of highly effective treatment and also deaths among an ageing population. The 2015 estimate can be used to set NYC-specific HCV screening and treatment targets and monitor progress towards HCV elimination.

Association Between Orthostatic Hypotension and Handgrip Strength With Successful Rehabilitation in Elderly Hip Fracture Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between orthostatic hypotension (OH) and muscle strength versus time to successful rehabilitation within elderly patients with hip fracture. DESIGN: A prospective, observational cohort study. Handgrip strength was measured at the day of admission and OH as soon as possible after surgery. Cox proportional hazard modeling was used to investigate the relationship between OH or handgrip strength (kg) and time to successful rehabilitation, expressed as hazard ratios (HRs). OH was defined as a decrease in systolic blood pressure of ≥20mmHg or diastolic blood pressure of ≥10mmHg after postural change (dichotomous). Handgrip strength was measured with a hand dynamometer (continuous). SETTING: General hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=116) aged ≥70 years with a hip fracture were recruited on the day of hospital admission. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome was time to successful rehabilitation, which was defined as discharge to patients' own homes. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 36 days (interquartile range, 9-57d), 103 patients (89%) were successfully rehabilitated. No statistically significant relationships were found between OH and time to successful rehabilitation (HR=1.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], .67-1.66). Also, handgrip strength and successful rehabilitation were not statistically significantly related (HR=1.03; 95% CI, .99-1.06). CONCLUSIONS: OH measured during the first days of hospitalization is not related to time to successful rehabilitation in patients with hip fracture who have undergone surgery. Although no significant relationship was seen in the present study, the width of the CIs does not exclude a relevant relationship between handgrip strength and time to successful rehabilitation.

Isolation and characterization of Flavobacterium columnare strains infecting fishes inhabiting the Laurentian Great Lakes basin.

Flavobacterium columnare, the aetiological agent of columnaris disease, causes significant losses in fish worldwide. In this study, the prevalence of F. columnare infection was assessed in representative Great Lakes fish species. Over 2000 wild, feral and hatchery-propagated salmonids, percids, centrarchids, esocids and cyprinids were examined for systemic F. columnare infections. Logistic regression analyses showed that the prevalence of F. columnare infection varied temporally and by the sex of the fish, whereby females had significantly higher prevalence of infection. A total of 305 isolates of F. columnare were recovered. Amplification of the near complete 16S rRNA gene from 34 representative isolates and subsequent restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses demonstrated that all belonged to F. columnare genomovar I. Phylogenetic analysis of near complete 16S rRNA gene sequences also placed the isolates in genomovar I, but revealed some intragenomovar heterogeneity. Together, these results suggest that F. columnare genomovar I is widespread in the Great Lakes Basin, where its presence may lead to mortality.

Conspicuous visual signals do not coevolve with increased body size in marine sea slugs.

Many taxa use conspicuous colouration to attract mates, signal chemical defences (aposematism) or for thermoregulation. Conspicuousness is a key feature of aposematic signals, and experimental evidence suggests that predators avoid conspicuous prey more readily when they exhibit larger body size and/or pattern elements. Aposematic prey species may therefore evolve a larger body size due to predatory selection pressures, or alternatively, larger prey species may be more likely to evolve aposematic colouration. Therefore, a positive correlation between conspicuousness and body size should exist. Here, we investigated whether there was a phylogenetic correlation between the conspicuousness of animal patterns and body size using an intriguing, understudied model system to examine questions on the evolution of animal signals, namely nudibranchs (opisthobranch molluscs). We also used new ways to compare animal patterns quantitatively with their background habitat in terms of intensity variance and spatial frequency power spectra. In studies of aposematism, conspicuousness is usually quantified using the spectral contrast of animal colour patches against its background; however, other components of visual signals, such as pattern, luminance and spectral sensitivities of potential observers, are largely ignored. Contrary to our prediction, we found that the conspicuousness of body patterns in over 70 nudibranch species decreased as body size increased, indicating that crypsis was not limited to a smaller body size. Therefore, alternative selective pressures on body size and development of colour patterns, other than those inflicted by visual hunting predators, may act more strongly on the evolution of aposematism in nudibranch molluscs.

Prognostic value of Geriatric-8 for adverse outcomes within 30 days of surgery in older adults with colorectal cancer: A retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: It is unclear whether the Geriatric-8 (G8) has the accuracy to preselect patients for complete geriatric assessment, and has the ability to predict adverse outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). We therefore aimed to determine whether the G8, or other variables present in the medical record, are applicable in predicting 30-day adverse outcomes in older patients undergoing surgery for CRC. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study involving patients ≥70 years who had surgery for CRC between 2018 and 2020 in a general hospital in the Netherlands. The primary outcome was adverse outcome(s), which is a composite of surgical and non-surgical complications, readmission and mortality, all within 30 days of surgery. The secondary endpoints were the individual components, such as delirium, infection and ileus. We explored potential prognostic factors using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Data were collected from the Dutch ColoRectal Audit (DRCA) and medical records. RESULTS: The study included 200 patients (mean age 78.9 years: 50% female), with 36.5% having adverse outcomes in the first 30 days of surgery. In neither univariate nor multivariable analysis were G8 scores associated with adverse outcomes. Factors with higher odds of adverse outcomes were male gender, and having cognitive decline or previous delirium. CONCLUSION: This study confirms that G8 scores have no prognostic value for adverse outcomes, complications and mortality within 30 days of surgery among older adults with CRC. Therefore, the G8 should not be the tool for short-term risk prediction of adverse outcomes in these patients.

Monoclonal antibodies to B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) have no effect on in vitro B cell proliferation and act to inhibit in vitro T cell proliferation when presented in a cis, but not trans, format relative to the activating stimulus.

B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) is an immunoglobulin superfamily member surface protein expressed on B and T cells. Its ligand, herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM), is believed to act as a monomeric agonist that signals via the CRD1 of HVEM to inhibit lymphocyte activation: HVEM is also the receptor for lymphotoxin-α and LIGHT, which both bind in the CRD2 and CRD3 domains of the HVEM molecule, and for CD160 which competes with BTLA. We have shown that recombinant HVEM and a panel of different monoclonal antibodies specifically bind murine BTLA on both B and T cells and that some antibodies inhibit anti-CD3ε-induced T cell proliferation in vitro, but only when constrained appropriately with a putatively cross-linking reagent. The antibodies had no significant effect on in vitro T cell proliferation in a mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assay nor on in vitro DO11.10 antigen-induced T cell proliferation. None of these antibodies, nor HVEM-Fc, had any significant effect on in vitro B cell proliferation induced by anti-immunoglobulin M antibodies (±anti-CD40) or lipopolysaccharide. We further elucidated the requirements for inhibition of in vitro T cell proliferation using a beads-based system to demonstrate that the antibodies that inhibited T cell proliferation in vitro were required to be presented to the T cell in a cis, and not trans, format relative to the anti-CD3ε stimulus. We also found that antibodies that inhibited T cell proliferation in vitro had no significant effect on the antibody captured interleukin-2 associated with the in vivo activation of DO11.10 T cells transferred to syngeneic recipient BALB/c mice. These data suggest that there may be specific structural requirements for the BTLA molecule to exert its effect on lymphocyte activation and proliferation.

Effect of feeding fresh or conditioned red clover on milk fatty acids and nitrogen utilization in lactating dairy cows.

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in conditioned red clover (ensiled or cut and crushed) reduces both proteolysis and lipolysis in the herbage, which has led to increases in N use efficiency and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of milk when offered to dairy cows. In damaged plant cells, PPO is activated and binds protein through the formation of protein-bound phenols. This study investigated a) whether freshly cut red clover could increase N use efficiency and milk PUFA concentrations in dairy cows or whether PPO enzymes require prior activation before feeding to elicit a response, and b) apparent whole-tract amino acid digestibility to help determine the effect of PPO on amino acid utilization. Six multiparous Holstein x Friesian dairy cows in mid-lactation were allocated at random to 1 of 3 dietary treatments in a 3 x 3 Latin square: a control treatment of grass (low PPO, G); red clover (high PPO, RC), and conditioned red clover (high fully activated PPO, CRC). The CRC herbage was cut and chopped in the field and then transported with the G and RC herbages to the animal house. Each period consisted of a 2-wk adaptation to diet and a week of measuring dietary effects (N balance and milk collection). The PPO activity was greatest in the RC treatment as fed, whereas activation of latent PPO enzyme and protein-bound phenol levels were greatest in the CRC diet. Dry matter and total fatty acid intakes were comparable across treatments (18.8 kg/d and 550 g/d, respectively). Milk yields and total fatty acid content were similar across treatments (32.6 kg/d and 34.8 mg/mL, respectively). Cows offered either RC or CRC had greater levels of protein, C18 PUFA and total long-chain PUFA in their milk than animals offered grass with no difference between RC and CRC. Nitrogen intakes, and output in milk, urine, and feces were greater in cows offered the 2 red clover treatments than G, with no difference between RC and CRC. However, there were no differences in N use efficiency among diets as measured by the proportion of feed N converted into milk N, possibly as the result of the excessive supply of N with the red clover diets. Amino acid apparent whole-tract digestibilities were greater when on RC than G diets and intermediate when on CRC for all amino acids, with the exception of Met, which was reduced in cows on both red clover diets compared with G. It is proposed that the PPO trait could show more benefit to ruminants if red clover was fed in combination with lesser N-containing forages or if red clover was bred to contain less N.

What cell wall components are the best indicators for Miscanthus digestibility and conversion to ethanol following variable pretreatments?

BACKGROUND: Energy crops including Miscanthus provide a storable, portable energy source which can be used to complement a wide range of products and energy generation systems. Miscanthus is predominantly used in Europe as a combustion material for electricity generation but also has the potential for biochemical conversion due to its high yield and low-nutrient requirements. The ratio of holocellulose (hemicellulose and cellulose combined) to acid detergent lignin (H:L) within the senesced material has previously been shown to indicate the relative suitability of Miscanthus accessions for thermochemical conversion. In this study, the ratio was assessed to examine its use as a selection aid for biochemical conversion. 20 highly-characterised Miscanthus accessions were saccharified using an enzyme mix to determine optimum sugar release. Nine of these accessions spanning high, medium and low H:L ratios were then autoclaved with dilute acid, alkali or water, and enzymically hydrolysed and fermented to produce ethanol. Samples taken throughout the process allowed assessments of released sugars. RESULTS: Enzymic degradation of the biomass showed a relationship between H:L ratio and glucose release, with high glucose release for high H:L ratio accessions and vice versa. Xylose release showed no such relationship. This relationship was maintained following pretreatments and enzyme saccharification, where compound analysis showed that following all pretreatments, accessions with high H:L ratios repeatedly had the highest releases of glucose, xylose and arabinose, and produced more ethanol. Release of all measured compounds increased with the pretreatment severity and ethanol yields from each pretreatment correlated with the respective glucose yield, providing assurance that any inhibitory compounds generated were tolerated by the fermentation yeast. Strong correlations were also seen between glucose release, ethanol and cell wall components, with cellulose showing the highest correlations with ethanol yields for some treatments and H:L ratio with others. CONCLUSIONS: The H:L ratio is a good predictor of ethanol yields and sugar release from Miscanthus in this study but individual components lignin and cellulose also correlate well, especially for hot water and mild acid pretreatments. In conclusion, use of the H:L ratio does not provide any advantages over the concentration of individual cell wall components for predicting sugar release and ethanol yields.

Relationship between clinical outcomes and Dutch frailty score among elderly patients who underwent surgery for hip fracture.

BACKGROUND: Frailty is a geriatric condition that is associated with an increased risk of mortality and functional decline. To date, mainly the Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI) and Hospital Safety Management (VeiligheidsManagementSysteem [VMS]) frailty score are used to determine frailty in several hospitals in the Netherlands. However, it is yet unknown, which method has the best predictive value on clinical outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive value of GFI and VMS on clinical outcomes among patients who underwent hip fracture surgery. DESIGN: This is a prospective observational cohort study. METHODS: We selected all patients aged 70 years or higher, who underwent hip fracture surgery in our general hospital, between November 2014 and November 2015. Among all patients, VMS, GFI and Barthel-20 index (BI) were assessed. McNemar's paired test and Cohen's κ were used to examine the difference and the level of agreement between the two scoring methods. Kaplan-Meier and multivariable regression analyses were performed to determine overall survival and mortality, respectively, 3 years and 30 days after surgery. RESULTS: A total of 280 patients were included in the study. The median follow-up was 25 months. No systematic difference was found between the two methods (P=0.237), while a fair level of agreement could be measured (κ=0.363 [95% CI =0.23-50]). VMS showed a statistically significant difference in overall survival as compared to nonfrail patients (57 vs 80%, respectively [P logrank <0.001] with an HR of 3.5 [95% CI =2.1-5.7; P<0.001]). Classification according to GFI yielded a lower but still significant HR 2.3 (95% CI =1.2-4.1; P=0.008). CONCLUSION: VMS can be used in classifying frailty, whereby VMS frailty score is associated with clinical outcomes as overall survival mortality in older patients with hip fracture and who underwent surgery.

Regulation of aldehyde dehydrogenase activity in five rat hepatoma cell lines.

Significant changes in aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity occur during rat hepatocarcinogenesis in vivo. An NADP-dependent tumor ALDH isozyme has been studied extensively. To better understand the nature, origin, and importance of this tumor-associated phenotypic change, we have examined the ALDH activity of five well-established rat hepatoma cell lines, H4-II-EC3, HTC, McA-RH7777, JM1, and JM2. HTC, JM1, and JM2 express the tumor ALDH phenotype, as indicated by elevated NADP-dependent, benzaldehyde-oxidizing activity, the appearance of new isozymes by electrophoresis, and characteristic histochemical localization of ALDH activity in situ. The tumor ALDH phenotype is not detected in McA-RH7777 cells. H4-II-EC3 has intermediate tumor ALDH activity. Thus, the 5 cell lines provide a spectrum of tumor ALDH activities representative of the range of activities seen in vivo. Benzo(a)pyrene, 3-methylcholanthrene, and phenobarbital induce hepatic ALDH activity after treatment in vivo. The ability of these compounds to induce ALDH in vitro was assessed in H4-II-EC3, McA-RH7777, HTC, JM1, and JM2. Treatment of cell cultures for 72 hr with 3-methylcholanthrene (1.0 mM) increases the NADP-dependent ALDH activity in H4-II-EC3 and McA-RH7777 cell lines up to 34- and 11-fold, respectively. Treatment with benzo(a)pyrene (1.0 mM) also increases the NADP-dependent ALDH activity in both lines up to 17- and 48-fold, respectively. Treatment with 3-methylcholanthrene or benzo(a)pyrene increases ALDH activity 2-fold in HTC and JM2 but does not increase NADP-dependent ALDH activity in JM1. Only marginal increases in NADP-dependent ALDH are observed after phenobarbital treatment in 4 of 5 cell lines. The induction of ALDH is blocked by actinomycin D, alpha-amanitin, and cycloheximide. These studies support our hypothesis that changes in ALDH activity observed in vivo are due to mutational events occurring in initiated cells. It appears that rat hepatoma cell lines will provide an in vitro model for studying genetic regulation of the tumor ALDH.

Characterization of aldehyde dehydrogenase from HTC rat hepatoma cells.

We have proposed developing rat hepatoma cell lines as an in vitro model for studying the regulation of changes in aldehyde dehydrogenase activity occurring during hepatocarcinogenesis. Aldehyde dehydrogenase purified in a single step from HTC rat hepatoma cells is identical to the aldehyde dehydrogenase isolated from rat hepatocellular carcinomas. HTC aldehyde dehydrogenase is a 100 kDa dimer composed of 54-kDa subunits, prefers NADP+ as coenzyme, and preferentially oxidizes benzaldehyde-like aromatic aldehydes but not phenylacetaldehyde. The substrate and coenzyme specificity, effects of disulfiram, pH profile and isoelectric point of HTC aldehyde dehydrogenase are also identical to these same properties of the tumor aldehyde dehydrogenase. In immunodiffusion, both isozymes are recognized with complete identity by anti-HTC aldehyde dehydrogenase antibodies. Having established that HTC aldehyde dehydrogenase is very similar, if not identical, to the aldehyde dehydrogenase found in hepatocellular carcinomas, simplifies the development of molecular probes for examination of the regulation of tumor aldehyde dehydrogenase activity in vivo and in vitro.

Pseudobacteremia caused by Clostridium sordellii.

Thirteen of 280 (4.6%) blood cultures collected over a 12-day period were positive for Clostridium sordellii, a spore-forming anaerobe, rarely considered a human pathogen. Nosocomial bacteremia and intrinsic contamination of material used to culture blood were excluded as the source of the organism. Contaminated tincture of thimerosal used to swab the rubber stoppers of blood culture bottles prior to venting (aerobic) or during blind subculturing after 24 hours of incubation (anaerobic) in the clinical microbiology laboratory was determined to be the cause of the pseudobacteremia. After appropriate safe-guards were implemented, we have continued to use tincture of thimerosal for these procedures with no further growth of C sordellii from blood cultures. The importance of less-conspicuous steps in the routine processing of culture material have been reemphasized.

Methylene blue-induced neuronal protective mechanism against hypoxia-reoxygenation stress.

UNLABELLED: Brain ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury occurs in various pathological conditions, but there is no effective treatment currently available in clinical practice. Methylene blue (MB) is a century-old drug with a newly discovered protective function in the ischemic stroke model. In the current investigation we studied the MB-induced neuroprotective mechanism focusing on stabilization and activation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in an in vitro oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD)-reoxygenation model. METHODS: HT22 cells were exposed to OGD (0.1% O2, 6h) and reoxygenation (21% O2, 24h). Cell viability was determined with the calcein AM assay. The dynamic change of intracellular O2 concentration was monitored by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLTIM). Glucose uptake was quantified using the 2-[N-(7-Nitrobenz-2-Oxa-1,3-Diazol-4-yl)Amino]-2-Deoxy-d-Glucose (2-NBDG) assay. ATP concentration and glycolytic enzyme activity were examined by spectrophotometry. Protein content changes were measured by immunoblot: HIF-1α, prolyl hydroxylase 2 (PHD2), erythropoietin (EPO), Akt, mTOR, and PIP5K. The contribution of HIF-1α activation in the MB-induced neuroprotective mechanism was confirmed by blocking HIF-1α activation with 2-methoxyestradiol-2 (2-MeOE2) and by transiently transfecting constitutively active HIF-1α. RESULTS: MB increases cell viability by about 50% vs. OGD control. Compared to the corresponding control, MB increases intracellular O2 concentration and glucose uptake as well as the activities of hexokinase and G-6-PDH, and ATP concentration. MB activates the EPO signaling pathway with a corresponding increase in HIF-1α. Phosphorylation of Akt was significantly increased with MB treatment followed by activation of the mTOR pathway. Importantly, we observed, MB increased nuclear translocation of HIF-1α vs. control (about three folds), which was shown by a ratio of nuclear:cytoplasmic HIF-1α protein content. CONCLUSION: We conclude that MB protects the hippocampus-derived neuronal cells against OGD-reoxygenation injury by enhancing energy metabolism and increasing HIF-1α protein content accompanied by an activation of the EPO signaling pathway.

Effects of plant species, stage of maturity, and level of formic acid addition on lipolysis, lipid content, and fatty acid composition during ensiling.

Forage type and management influences the nutritional quality and fatty acid composition of ruminant milk. Replacing grass silage with red clover (RC; L.) silage increases milk fat 18:3-3 concentration. Red clover has a higher polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity compared with grasses, which has been suggested to decrease lipolysis and . The present study characterized the abundance and fatty acid composition of esterified lipid and NEFA before and after ensiling of grass and RC to investigate the influence of forage species, growth stage, and extent of fermentation on lipolysis. A randomized block design with a 2 × 3 × 4 factorial arrangement of treatments was used. Treatments comprised RC or a mixture of timothy ( L.) and meadow fescue ( Huds.) harvested at 3 growth stages and treated with 4 levels of formic acid (0, 2, 4, and 6 L/t). Lipid in silages treated with 0 or 6 L/t formic acid were extracted and separated into 4 fractions by TLC. Total PPO activity in fresh herbage and the content of soluble bound phenols in all silages were determined. Concentrations of 18:3-3 and total fatty acids (TFA) were higher ( < 0.001) for RC than for grass. For both forage species, 18:3-3 and TFA content decreased linearly ( < 0.001) with advancing growth stage, with the highest abundance at the vegetative stage. Most of lipid in fresh RC and grass herbage (97%) was esterified, whereas NEFA accounted for 71% of TFA in both silages. Ensiling resulted in marginal increases in TFA content and the amounts of individual fatty acids compared with fresh herbages. Herbage total PPO activity was higher ( < 0.001) for RC than grass (11 vs. 0.11 µkatal/g leaf fresh weight). Net lipolysis during ensiling was extensive for both forage species (660 to 759 g/kg fatty acid for grass and 563 to 737 g/kg fatty acid for RC). Formic acid application (0 vs. 6 L/t) resulted in a marked decrease ( = 0.026) in net lipolysis during the ensiling of RC, whereas the opposite was true ( = 0.026) for grass. In conclusion, results suggest that formic acid addition during the ensilage of RC decreases lipolysis . For both plant species, total PPO activity was not associated with the extent of lipolysis . However, bound phenols formed via PPO activity appear to have a role in protecting lipid and protein against degradation in grass and lowering proteolysis of RC during ensiling.

Fetal plasma prolactin levels.

Prolactin levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in umbilical cord plasma from fetuses, in capillary plasma from neonates, and in venous plasma from adults. The concentrations of prolactin in cord plasma from fetuses having gestational ages of 16 to 19 weeks, 20 to 34 weeks, and 35 to 42 weeks were 53 +/- 16 (mean and SE), 233 +/- 30 and 371 +/- 7 ng/ml, respectively. The prolactin levels decreased to 218 +/- 35 ng/ml during the first neonatal week. The similarity of the patterns of prolactin levels, reported gestational estrogen levels and adrenal weights, as well as the known biological properties of prolactin, estrogen, and ACTH is consistent with the view that these three factors may be involved in the growth of the fetal adrenal cortex and its involution in the newborn.

The argument from design: what is at stake theologically?

This article offers a brief overview of the argument for God's existence grounded in the evidence of design. It pays particular attention to the way the argument has evolved over time and in relation to changing scientific perspectives. The argument from design has in fact been formulated and reformulated in response to the discoveries and challenges it has encountered from the field of science. The conclusion of the article explores the theological importance of this argument with respect to its extent and its limits.

Mosaicism and lack of fluorescence of Y chromosome.

A patient with a female phenotype with XO/XY and possibly XYY mosaicism is presented. In all cells studied, there was no fluorescence of the Y chromosome. It appears that a tendency exists for an association of a defective Y chromosome with chromosomal mosaicism.