Understanding how avian influenza viruses adapt to human hosts is critical for the monitoring and prevention of future pandemics. Host specificity is determined by multiple sites in different viral proteins, and mutation of only a limited number of these sites can lead to inter-species transmission. Several of these sites have been identified in the viral polymerase, the best characterised bein...

PURPOSE This study investigates the utility of serum tryptase for the confirmation of shrimp-induced anaphylaxis. METHODS Patients with a history of shrimp allergy and positive skin prick tests (SPT) to commercial shrimp extract were recruited for shrimp challenges. Serum total tryptase was obtained at baseline and 60 min (peak) after the onset of symptoms. RESULTS Thirty-nine patients were...

Lawn dart injuries account for an estimated 675 emergency department visits per year. Seventy-six patients are described herein. The victims ranged from 1 to 18 years of age and were predominantly male (male to female ratio is 3.1:1). The most common sites of injury were head (54%), eye (17%), and face (11%). Hospitalization was required for 54% (41/76) of these patients. Sequelae included unil...

We present a new transcriptome assembly of the Pacific whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), the species most farmed for human consumption. Its functional annotation, a substantial improvement over previous ones, is provided freely. RNA-Seq with Illumina HiSeq technology was used to analyze samples extracted from shrimp abdominal muscle, hepatopancreas, gills and pleopods. We used the Trinity...

BP-type viruses infect wild and farmed shrimp species in the Americas and can cause high mortality in larval stages. Histologically, BP disease is characterized by the presence of occlusion bodies (OBs) in the nucleus of hepatopancreatic epithelial cells. By in situ hybridization using different molecular probes, we tested shrimp infected with BP-type viruses collected from several geographical...

Alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid isolated from Ulva fasciata showed toxic effects on red tide phytoplankters in a concentration-dependent manner. Among six species tested, raphidophycean flagellate Heterosigma akashiwo was the most susceptible to these fatty acids, and 50% lethal concentrations (LC50) of alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid were estimated to be 0.58 and 1.91 microg/ml r...

Some small collections of alpheid shrimp resulting from the participation of the United States research vessels in the International Indian Ocean Expeditions are reported: 53 species in six genera were collected, with many of the collection records extending the known range of the various species within the Indian Ocean. Two new species are described from the deeper sublittoral zone: Synalpheus...

Numerous studies have been focused on natural anticarcinogenic agents. Many antioxidants have been identified as anticarcinogens. Antimutagens have also been proposed as cancer chemopreventive agents. The use of natural products as anticancer has a long history that began with traditional medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate cytotoxicity and antioxidant activity of twenty-three plant...

Solvent-extracted cottonseed meal was used in shrimp Penaeus vannamei diets at levels of 0, 13.3, 26.5, 39.8, 53.0 and 66.3%, substituting on an equal nitrogen basis for 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% of animal protein mix (53% menhaden fish meal, 34% shrimp waste meal and 13% squid meal). The feeds were formulated to contain 32% crude protein and 3,100 kcal metabolizable energykg. Each diet was fe...