This report of a severely injured trilobite from the Middle Ordovician (~465 Ma) accords with a number of similar observations of healed lesions observed in trilobites. The uniqueness of the specimen described here is that the character of the repair-mechanisms is reflected by the secondarily built structures, which form the new surface of the ruptured compound eye. Smooth, repaired areas insid...

Mastitis is still one of the three main diseases that affects the profitability of dairy farmers. Despite the implementation of the five-point mastitis control programme in the early 1970 s, the incidence in the UK has not reduced dramatically over the past 10 years. A review of the scientific literature indicates that there is a link between nutrition and mastitis in the dairy cow. The major i...

Studies have shown that gut microbiota plays an important role in the maintenance of immune function in the body. However, the abuse of antibiotics disrupts the normal balance of gut microbiota, causing an imbalance of pro-inflammatory and antiinflammatory factors in gut-associated lymphoid tissues, which reduces both innate and adaptive immune responses in the body and induces the development ...

The immune system and the microbiota mutually interact to maintain homeostasis in the intestine. However, components of the microbiota can alter this balance and promote chronic inflammation, promoting intestinal tumor development. We review recent advances in understanding the complex interactions between the microbiota and the innate and adaptive immune systems and discuss their potential to ...

Dendritic cells are antigen presenting cells that are likely to be pivotal in the balance between tolerance and active immunity to commensal microorganisms that is fundamental to inflammatory conditions, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Interactions between dendritic cells and microbial products are discussed and how they contribute to regulation of immune responses. The concep...

Leprosy control is achieved through a fine-tuning of TH1 and TH2 immune response pattern balance. Given the increasing epidemiological overlay of HIV and M. leprae infections, immune response in co-infected patients consists in an important contemporary issue. Here we describe for the first time the innate lymphoid cells compartment in peripheral blood of leprosy and HIV/M. leprae co-infected p...