Lactobacillus plantarum BS22 promotes gut microbial homeostasis in broiler chickens exposed to aflatoxin B1.

Probiotics promote the health of the host by maintaining intestinal microbial homeostasis. This study aimed to investigate the benefits of Lactobacillus plantarum BS22 (LP) in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) microbial homeostasis of broiler chickens exposed to aflatoxin B1 using the PCR-DGGE, viable count and real-time PCR. The toxin adsorption experiment demonstrated that treatment R5 (1.0 × 108 CFU/g LP) exhibited good absorptive effect in adsorbing the aflatoxin B1 (AFB1 ) in vitro. DGGE showed that the composition and structure of gut microbiota were more similar in the mucosa than in the content of all the samples. In addition, higher diversity of the microbiota was observed in the caecum and glandular stomach than in other segments. Lactobacillus, Enterococcus and Enterobacteriaceae were more abundant in the ileum than in the other segments. Enterobacteriaceae in groups I (basal diet) and II (basal diet+50 µg/kg AFB1 ) showed a significant difference in group III (basal diet + 50 µg/kg AFB1  + 1 × 108 CFU/g LP) in the crop content and duodenum mucosa (p < .05). This investigation indicates that the L. plantarum BS22 promotes GIT microbial homeostasis in broiler chickens exposed to AFB1 , particularly for the intestine mucosa microbiota. Thus, L. plantarum BS22 is a possible candidate for degrading AFB1.

The meaning of a high plasma free haemoglobin: retrospective review of the prevalence of haemolysis and circuit thrombosis in an adult ECMO centre over 5 years.

AIMS: In adults requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), we wanted to determine; i) the frequency of elevated plasma free haemoglobin (PFHb), ii) the reasons for circuit changes and iii) whether elevated PFHb was associated with higher in-hospital mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients requiring ECMO between January 2010 and August 2014 were identified from a prospectively collected ECMO database. Their scanned medical records and pathology results were reviewed. Relevant patient, biochemical and circuit data were collected on an Excel spreadsheet and analysed using Stata 13 (StataCorp, College Station, TX). The patients were analysed in three groups, depending on their peak PFHb during ECMO: 'Normal PFHb' (<0.1 g/L), 'Low level PFHb' (0.1 - 0.5 g/L), 'High level PFHb' (>0.5 g/L). MAIN RESULTS: There were 184 ECMO runs (56 VV, 128 VA) - 61 'Normal PFHb', 99 'Low level PFHb', 24 'High level PFHb'. Circuit thrombosis (pump, oxygenator) or haemolysis requiring exchanges were significantly more common in VV ECMO compared to VA ECMO - 23.21% (13/56) vs. 0.78% (1/128), p<0.001. Elevated PFHb was associated with a longer duration of haemofiltration (p<0.001) and ECMO support (p<0.001). In-hospital mortality rates for the 'Normal PFHb', 'Low level PFHb' and 'High level PFHb' groups were 16.39% (10/61), 30.30% (30/99) and 37.50% (9/24), respectively, p=0.067. CONCLUSION: Elevated PFHb values during adult ECMO were common. Severe haemolysis or thrombosis requiring circuit changes were uncommon and occurred almost exclusively on VV ECMO. There was a non-statistically significant increase in in-hospital mortality with elevated PFHb and studies of larger registry data may clarify the prognostic value of PFHb in adult patients.

Alternating current aspects of antimicrobial molecular complexes.

A novel method was designed involving the titration of alternating current titration in a cell where one electrode was shielded by a capillary enclosure restricting access to it by charge carriers. With this cell, charge transfer complex titration of several thiazines all with some antimicrobial properties was effected in acetonitrile, against the electron accepting molecule iodine. The maxima of the Job plots generated by these titrations exhibited displacement of their positions for the forward and reverse titrations with respect to electron donor-acceptor complexation conductivity and apparent stoichiometry. A plot of inverse conductivity maxima differences against literature-cited dipole moments squared yielded a straight line passing through the origin. The titration plot profiles are discussed in terms of the type, number, and mobility of charge carriers produced in the complexation interaction. This novel method may be used to determine dipole moments of bioactive homologues empirically. There was correlation between thiazine drug dipole moments and minimal inhibitory concentrations of these drugs for some bacterial and yeast species. Several new avenues of investigation of possible relevance to microbiology are suggested.

Ocellar projections within the central nervous system of the worker honey bee, Apis mellifera.

The projections of ocellar fibres within the brain and thorax of the honey bee, Apis mellifera, were established using a modified cobalt sulphide technique, supplemented by serial sectioning of the brain for the light microscope. The results are: 5 large fibres in each lateral nerve and 12 in the median nerve have wide-field terminal arborisations in ocellar association areas on either side of the posterior slope area. 9 medium-sized fibres in each lateral nerve and 12 in the median nerve form a second ocellar association area on each side of the perioesophageal foramen. A group of fine fibres , stained via the ocellar nerves, arborise just below and anterior to the protocerebral bridge. 10 medium-sized fibres run from the level of the ocellar nerve tracts to the first and second thoracic ganglia, branching in a number of discrete areas within each ganglion. These fibres also form a restricted ocellar association area within the suboesophageal ganglion. A few fibres run between the higher-order optic centres and the ocellar tract. The large- and medium-sized fibres give off short, stout spines from their axons within the ocellar tracts.