The discrete, subthreshold, slow potential fluctuations (SPF's) which can be recorded intracellularly in Limulus ommatidia are sensitive to temperature and light wavelength. SPF frequency increases with increasing temperature (Q(10) about 3.5) and light intensity. The effects are additive. SPF rise and decay time decrease with increasing temperature (Q(10) between 2 and 3). There is a peak, nea...

Long exposure of UV radiation increases risk of skin diseases such as cancer and photoallergic reactions. UV-B (280-320 nm) radiation is mainly responsible for inducing skin problems. Skin protection is a suitable method in the fight against ultraviolet radiation induced damage. Various synthetic agents have been used as photo protective but because of their potential toxicity in humans, they h...

"Black" pigment gallstones form in sterile gallbladder bile in the presence of excess bilirubin conjugates ("hyperbilirubinbilia") from ineffective erythropoiesis, hemolysis, or induced enterohepatic cycling (EHC) of unconjugated bilirubin. Impaired gallbladder motility is a less well-studied risk factor. We evaluated the spontaneous occurrence of gallstones in adult germfree (GF) and conventio...

There is increasing interest in the bidirectional communication between the mammalian host and prokaryotic cells. Catecholamines (CA), candidate molecules for such communication, are presumed to play an important role in the gut lumen; however, available evidence is limited because of the lack of actual data about luminal CA. This study evaluated luminal CA levels in the gastrointestinal tract ...

Birds play a central role in WNV epidemiology by spreading and amplifying the virus. Increasing numbers of WNV isolates are detected in Europe, and the virulence of these genetically variable isolates is not well characterized for birds. Therefore, we investigated whether SPF chickens could be a valuable avian model for the pathotyping of WNV strains. One-day-old SPF chickens were inoculated su...

OBJECTIVE Quantitative balance studies were performed to compare fat and calcium absorption in healthy, full term infants fed casein hydrolysate-based (CHF) and soy protein-based (SPF) infant formulas with or without palm olein (PO). Previous studies have reported that PO significantly reduced absorption of both fat and calcium in cow's milk-based formulas in which most of the calcium is inhere...

Testing Function Block Diagram (FBD) programs for safety-critical software components is of significant importance. Their failure or malfunction may result in a serious outcome and may cause severe damage. Consequently, a certain degree of certification is required to guarantee that the provided test cases cover the logical structure of the safety-critical software components. In practise, test...

The use of a single broad-spectrum human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA-based PCR test may fail to detect lower concentrations of HPV DNA due to competition between different genotypes in mixed infections. To improve HPV detection by PCR, broad-spectrum and type-specific (TS) PCRs were combined, with a focus on HPV-16 and HPV-18. Cervical and cervicovaginal cell samples were obtained from 1,113 healt...

The urea cycle functions to incorporate ammonia, generated by normal metabolism, into urea. Urea cycle disorders (UCDs) are caused by loss of function in any of the enzymes responsible for ureagenesis, and are characterized by life-threatening episodes of acute metabolic decompensation with hyperammonemia (HA). A prospective analysis of interim HA events in a cohort of individuals with ornithin...