Differentiation factor (D factor), also called leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), is a glycoprotein that has been increasingly recognized to possess a wide range of physiological activities. We examined the possibility that the administration of D factor may confer beneficial effects and enhance host resistance against lethal endotoxemia. A single intravenous dose of recombinant human D factor c...

Background: In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the development of sub-lethal earthworm biomarkers as they are relevant indicators of environmental change and they are among the five key indicators for ecotoxicological testing of industrial chemicals determined by the OECD. In the present study, the effects of an organophosphate pesticide dichlorovos on lysosomes of coelomoc...

Nerve agents with low volatility such as VX are primarily absorbed through the skin when released during combat or a terrorist attack. The barrier function of the stratum corneum may be compromised during certain stages of development, allowing VX to more easily penetrate through the skin. However, age-related differences in the lethal potency of VX have yet to be evaluated using the percutaneo...

Goldfish died within 24 hr after intraperitoneal injections of 0.2 ml of Seitz filtrates of hemolytic Staphylococcus aureus cultures grown on Dolman and Wilson medium under increased CO(2) pressure for 72 to 96 hr. Two lethal toxins differing in heat sensitivity, antigenicity, and degree of toxicity were demonstrated. Studies of the relationship between the lethal factors and the hemolysins in ...

We conducted a study to determine the contribution of lethal and nonlethal effects to a predator's net effect on a prey's population growth rate in a natural setting. We focused on the effects of an invasive invertebrate predator, Bythotrephes longimanus, on zooplankton prey populations in Lakes Michigan and Erie. Field data taken at multiple dates and locations in both systems indicated that t...