A new membrane-permeant DNA stain, SYBR-14, was used in combination with propidium iodide (PI) to estimate the proportion of living sperm in bovine semen. The SYBR-14 stained living sperm while PI only stained degenerate cells that had lost their membrane integrity. Staining with SYBR-14 resulted in the nuclei of living sperm fluorescing bright green. Aliquots containing nearly all living bovin...

Knowledge of the virulence phenotypes of soybean cyst nematode, Heterodera glycines populations is important in choosing appropriate sources for breeding resistant cultivars and managing the nematode. We investigated races of 59 H. glycines populations collected from 1997 to 1998 and races and HG Types of 94 populations collected in 2002 from soybean fields across southern and central Minnesota...

BACKGROUND Regulatory T cells (Treg cells), which are essential for regulation of immune response to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, are promoted by pharyngeal commensal pneumococcus. The effects of pharyngeal microflora disruption by antibiotics on airway responsiveness and relative immune responses after RSV infection have not been clarified. METHODS Female BALB/c mice (aged 3 ...

We have demonstrated previously that there is an abnormal expression of sphingomyelin (SM) deacylase in the epidermis of patients with atopic dermatitis (ADe). In the present study, we have prepared N-[palmitic acid-1-(14)C]SM and N-[palmitic acid-1-(14)C]glucosylceramide (GCer) to use as substrates and have quantified SM deacylase activity by detecting the release of [(14)C]palmitic acid in ex...

Formation of the mammalian six-layered neocortex depends on a signaling pathway that involves Reelin, the very low-density lipoprotein receptor, the apolipoprotein E receptor-2 (ApoER2), and the adaptor protein Disabled-1 (Dab1). The 1.5 A crystal structure of a complex between the Dab1 phosphotyrosine binding (PTB) domain and a 14-residue peptide from the ApoER2 tail explains the unusual prefe...

There is considerable interest in immunotherapeutic approaches for lymphoma. The expression of proteinase inhibitor 9 (PI-9), a molecule that inactivates granzyme B, is considered an immune escape mechanism in lymphoma. Further, lymphomas frequently overexpress the antiapoptotic molecule bcl-2, which is able to inhibit perforin-dependent cytotoxic pathways. In this study, the impact of PI-9 and...

The present study aimed to investigate the analgesic effect of JCM-16021, a revised traditional Chinese herbal formula, on postinflammatory irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS) in rats. The trinitrobenzene sulfonic (TNBS) acid-induced PI-IBS model rats were orally administrated with different doses of JCM-16021 (1.2, 2.4, and 4.8 g/kg/d) for 14 consecutive days. The results showed that JCM-16021 t...

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are multifunctional enzymes involved in the protection of cellular components against anti-cancer drugs or peroxidative stress. Previously we found that GST pi, an isoform of the GSTs, is transported into the nucleus. In the present study, we found that GST pi is present in mitochondria as well as in the cytosol and nucleus in mammalian cell lines. A construct ...

background and aims. previous data have demonstrated that berberine, a barberry plant alkaloid, possesses various therapeutic properties. this study histologically evaluated the clinical efficacy of a berberine-derived topical gel on periodontal inflammation in patients requiring surgery. materials and methods. this randomized clinical trial was performed on 14 patient (11 females, 3 males) pre...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study is to investigate the role of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in the pathogenesis of sinonasal polyps. METHODS Study group (groups 1-3) consisted of nasal polyp samples of patients with sinonasal polyps and the control group consisted of inferior turbinate samples of patients without nasal polyp. In group 1, 14 specimens from ethmoid sinus; in group 2, 1...