The paper reports on two new species of calcareous sponges (Porifera, Calcarea) from the Antarctic Weddell Sea, Clathrina brandtae sp. nov. and Leucetta delicata sp. nov., collected at 600 m depth during the ANT XXIV/2-SYSTCO expedition in January 2008. The new species are described based on a combination of morphological and molecular data. With these new additions the number of species of cal...

Developing flexible and deformable supercapacitor electrodes based on porous materials is of high interest in energy related fields. Here, we show that carbon nanotube sponges, consisting of highly porous conductive networks, can serve as compressible and deformation-tolerant supercapacitor electrodes in aqueous or organic electrolytes. In aqueous electrolytes, the sponges maintain a similar sp...

The attraction response of Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) to its own feces was evaluated in a triple cage olfactometer. Both time- and concentration-response relationships were obtained for female S. calcitrans exposed to cellulose sponges impregnated with fresh fly feces or filter papers treated with chloroform:methanol extracts of fresh fly feces in 6-min tests. Attraction to feces collected on cel...

A biodegradable sponge, composed of chitosan (CS) and sodium alginate (SA), was successfully obtained in this work. The sponge was ethereal and pliable. The chemical structure and morphology of the sponges was characterized by FTIR and SEM. The swelling ability, in vitro drug release and degradation behaviors, and an in vivo animal test were employed to confirm the applicability of this sponge ...

Enzymes are important molecules that help chemical reactions in living beings happen faster and easier. Did you know enzymes present many products used our daily lives? detergents, pets’ food own food. Sponges live the oceans need from enzymes, too. Microscopic organisms make their homes on marine sponges, these microbial partners produce sponges with nutrient digestion! These useful can also b...

BACKGROUND The labile nature of live, attenuated varicella-zoster virus (Oka/Merck) requires robust stabilization during virus bulk preparation and vaccine manufacturing in order to preserve potency through storage and administration. One stabilizing ingredient used in a varicella-zoster virus (VZV) vaccine is hydrolyzed porcine gelatin which represents the major protein/peptide-based excipient...

The effects of physical and enzymatic treatments of gelatin on the gelatin-antigelatin reaction have been presented. The data obtained indicate that the gelatin-antigelatin reaction is indeed a specific one. It appears that a definite limiting molecular size and specific molecular pattern of this molecular unit are necessary for reaction with antibody.

The Mediterranean sponge Aplysina aerophoba kept in aquaria or cultivation tanks can stop pumping for several hours or even days. To investigate changes in the chemical microenvironments, we measured oxygen profiles over the surface and into the tissue of pumping and non-pumping A. aerophoba specimens with Clark-type oxygen microelectrodes (tip diameters 18-30 μm). Total oxygen consumption rate...

Microbes associated with marine sponges play significant roles in host physiology. Remarkable levels of microbial diversity have been observed in sponges worldwide through both culture-dependent and culture-independent studies. Most studies have focused on the structure of the bacterial communities in sponges and have involved sponges sampled from shallow waters. Here, we used pyrosequencing of...

AIM As reported previously, porcine skin gelatin exerted direct anti-tumor effect in vitro and induced anti-tumor peritoneal macrophages in vitro. The present study investigated whether or not the gelatin exerted anti-tumor effect in vivo. METHODS In vitro anti-tumor activities of peritoneal macrophages and the gelatin were evaluated with tritium thymidine uptake by target tumor cells. In viv...