Effect of feeding maternal colostrum or plasma-derived or colostrum-derived colostrum replacer on passive transfer of immunity, health, and performance of preweaning heifer calves.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of feeding maternal colostrum (MC), a plasma-derived (PDCR) or colostrum-derived colostrum replacer (CDCR) on passive transfer of immunity, health, and performance of preweaning heifer calves. Preplanned contrasts were performed for MC versus CR (PDCR combined with CDCR) and PDCR versus CDCR. At birth, calves were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups: MC (n=49), 3.8L of maternal colostrum; PDCR (n=49), 550 g (1 dose; 150 g of IgG) of a PDCR; or CDCR (n=49), 470 g (1 dose; 100g IgG) of a CDCR. The best total protein cutoff for determining passive transfer was >5.2, 5.6, and 5.1g/dL for MC, PDCR, and CDCR, respectively. Serum total protein was greater for calves fed MC (mean ± SE; 6.14 ± 0.11 g/dL) than for calves fed PDCR (5.29 ± 0.11 g/dL) and CDCR (5.27 ± 0.11 g/dL). Serum IgG concentrations were greater for calves fed MC (2,098 ± 108 g/dL) than for calves fed PDCR (927 ± 107 g/dL) or CDCR (1,139 ± 108 g/dL). Apparent efficiency of absorption was greater for CDCR than PDCR (38.8 ± 3.0 vs. 21.6 ± 3.0%). Adequate passive transfer was greatest for MC (91.8%), followed by CDCR (49%) and PDCR (28.6%). Calves fed MC had greater weaning weights and body weight gain than calves fed CR. Morbidity was lower for calves fed MC (46.9%) than for calves fed PDCR (71.4%) or CDCR (67.3%). Calves fed MC tended to have lower mortality than calves fed CR. Given the conditions of this trial, feeding 3.8L of MC was superior to feeding one dose of CR. Further research is needed to evaluate calf performance when a higher dose of CR is fed.

Monitoring near-shore shingle transport under waves using a passive acoustic technique.

Passive acoustic techniques have been used to measure shingle (gravel) sediment transport in very shallow water, near the wave breaking zone on a beach. The experiments were conducted at 1:1 scale in the Large Wave Flume, Grosse Wellen Kanal (GWK) at Hannover, Germany. The frequency spectrum induced by shingle mobilized under breaking waves can be distinguished from other ambient noise, and is found to be independent of water depth and wave conditions. The inverse relationship between centroid frequency and representative grain size is shown to remain valid in shallow water wave conditions. Individual phases of onshore and offshore transport can be identified. Analysis of the acoustic frequency spectrum provides insight into the mechanics of phase-resolved shingle transport.

The use of adhesive metal-ceramic restorations as an alternative to conventional crown and bridge materials.

A compromise is often necessary when choosing the most appropriate material in the construction of crowns and bridges. The most commonly used material is porcelain fused to metal since it is aesthetic and has acceptable physical characteristics to be used in the restoration of both anterior and posterior teeth. Unfortunately, to achieve a predictable and durable result extensive tooth preparation is invariably necessary. More conservative alternatives such as dentine-bonded crowns may have inferior physical characteristics and allow less predictable control over the occlusal contour. This paper describes the construction of fixed restorations which use both lost wax and refractory die techniques in their construction. This results in a restoration which has the combined advantages of both traditional porcelain fused to metal and dentine-bonded crowns and bridges.

Procedure for combining a facial porcelain veneer with a metal lingual and occluding surface.

This article describes a procedure for making a crown that combines an all-porcelain facial veneer with a metal lingual and occluding surface. The procedure combines both the conventional lost wax technique and the use of a refractory cast for firing porcelain. The crown retains the advantages of the traditional all-porcelain crown restoration but reduces the risk of damage to the opposing teeth associated with an all-ceramic occluding surface. Furthermore, compared with porcelain, the metal surface allows more control over the occlusal and lingual contours during construction of the crown. Although the construction of the anterior crown is described, the procedure is equally applicable to posterior full-coverage restorations.

A 5-year follow-up of a controlled trial of an arthritis education programme.

A 5-yr follow-up of an arthritis education programme is reported. After adjustment for those lost, deceased or moved away, the 5-yr response rate was 75% among intervention subjects and 78% among controls. Individuals who participated in the education programme maintained their increased knowledge in some aspects. The relative difference in pain and disability over 5 yr was greater in the control group. Most individuals were less active at practising exercise after 5 yr. Improvement in performing exercise and joint protection shown at 12-months follow-up did not persist. Additional questions after 5 yr showed that participants in the education programme had significantly more contact with rheumatologists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. The participants developed an increased internal sense of control of the disease between 12 months and 5 yr. There was also a significant reduction in reported problems with their disease after 12 months, maintained after 5 yr. This may indicate that patient education contributes to the patient's feeling of responsibility for, and ability to cope with, their diseases.

A crystalline lipid phase in a dry biological system: evidence from X-ray diffraction analysis of Typha latifolia pollen.

The temperature limits for germination in Typha latifolia pollen lie within the range 4-40 degrees C. These limits correlate at the low-temperature end with the 'crystallization' of endogenous triacylglycerols and on the high-temperature end with the 'melting' of a gel-like lipid component in intact pollen. X-ray diffraction analysis was used to structurally characterize and to trace the latter gel-like lipid from the intact pollen through a range of pollen lipid fractions. We tentatively identify this component as a fatty acyl sterol ester and present evidence that it resides in the exine of the pollen grain. Its thermotropic behavior is insensitive to pollen hydration. The possibility of interpreting a crystalline lipid phase as being membrane-derived when in fact it originates from contaminating non-membranous neutral lipid is discussed. The total lipid content of T. latifolia pollen is 123 mg/g dry weight, of which 37% is polar lipid. The neutral lipid consists primarily of triacylglycerols and of the aforementioned sterol ester, which represents 0.34% (w/w) of pollen dry weight. The polar lipid fraction has phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidic acid as major components with lesser amounts of phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylinositol. Palmitic (16:0) and linoleic (18:2) acids, in a 1:2 molar ratio, constitute the major fatty acids of both polar and neutral lipid fractions with lesser amounts of linolenic (18:3), oleic (18:1) and stearic (18:0) acid in evidence.

Human pulmonary dirofilariasis.

Dirofilaria immitis, the canine heartworm, is a relatively rare, but well-documented cause of human lung disease. The disease presents in man as a solitary, peripheral parenchymal lung nodule which may simulate a peripheral lung neoplasm. This case is the first report of the disease in New Zealand, a country where the parasite has not become established in the dog population. A brief review of the life cycle, epidemiology and clinical data relating to human dirofilariasis is included.

Surface charge on isolated maize-coleoptile amyloplasts.

Whole amyloplasts were isolated from Zea mays L. coleoptiles. Electron microscopy confirmed that their envelopes consisted of two intact membranes. Their surface charge was quantified through electrokinetic measurements employing a vertically oriented cataphoresis cell. Amyloplasts from coleoptiles of different ages (5-9 d) and degree of exposure to light (0-9 d) all had negative zeta potentials (mean of -19.4 mV). Isolated starch granules had comparable values. The net negative surface charge was confirmed ultrastructurally by the binding of cationised ferritin to both amyloplasts and starch grains. Cationised ferritin tagged with a fluorescent label (fluorescein isothiocyanate) showed binding to some amyloplasts but not to starch grains. These results are discussed in the context of a hypothesized role for statolith charge in plant graviperception.

Phospholipid Motional Characteristics in a Dry Biological System : A P-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Study of Hydrating Typha latifolia Pollen.

Analysis of the proton-decoupled (31)P-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrum of fully hydrated Typha latifolia pollen revealed the presence of two main peaks: A broad asymmetrical component of a ;bilayer' lineshape and a much narrower symmetrical component originating from phosphorus compounds undergoing rapid isotropic motion. From (a) (31)P-NMR experiments on the hydrated total pollen phospholipids, (b) saturation transfer (31)P-NMR experiments, and (c) the fraction of lipid phosphate in the pollen, it can be concluded that the great majority of the endogenous phospholipids are arranged in extended bilayers in which the lipid phosphates undergo fast (tau(c) < 10(-6) second) long axis rotation. This bilayer arrangement of phospholipids was observed in the pollen down to hydration levels of at least 10.9% moisture content. At the lowest level of pollen hydration examined (5.2%) the (31)P-NMR spectrum had a solid state lineshape demonstrating that all the phosphorus-containing compounds (including the phospholipids) were virtually immobile.

Temperature and Aging Effects on Leaf Membranes of a Cold Hardy Perennial, Fragaria virginiana.

The lipid composition of leaves of wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana Duchesne) was analyzed throughout an annual growth cycle in the field. Cellular hardiness to temperature stress was assessed concomitantly by a solute leakage technique. Leaves were shown to be very sensitive to an applied temperature of -5 degrees C during the summer months but insensitive to a 35 degrees C treatment. This general pattern was also seen in young overwintering leaves but was reversed after a period of low-temperature hardening of these same leaves. Associated with cold hardening of the overwintering leaves was a twofold increase in the phospholipid content of the leaf membranes with a proportionately smaller increase in free sterols. The large increase in phospholipids presumably is due primarily to the proliferation of a sterol-poor membrane fraction, probably the endoplasmic reticulum. These quantitative changes in membrane material may be important in increasing freezing tolerance in the overwintering leaf cells by enhancing the overall capacity of the cell for plasma membrane and tonoplast extension through vesicle fusion using components from this endomembrane pool. Analysis of electron micrographs of hardened leaf cells showed an increase in vesiculated smooth endoplasmic reticulum and tonoplast membrane over nonhardened leaf cells, the latter resulting in an enhanced tonoplast surface area to vacuolar volume ratio. During this same period, no changes in the fatty acid or free sterol composition were detectable, suggesting that regulation of membrane fluidity via these components is not required for cold acclimation in this species. During aging and senescence of both the overwintering and the summer leaves, the cellular membranes remained functionally intact but became progressively more vulnerable to temperature stress. Free sterol content increased during this time. This feature may be related to the inability of the older leaves to withstand environmental stress. Increasing sensitivity of the cellular membranes to stress may, in turn, be causally related to the actual onset of senescence in these leaves, thus explaining why only the older leaves senesce when the plant is challenged by periodic environmental stress.

Membrane organization in soybean seeds during hydration.

The ability of seeds to withstand dehydration indicates that their membranes may maintain structural integrity even when dry. Analysis of polar lipids (the principal lipidic constituents of the membranes) from soybean seeds (Glycine-max (L.) Merr.) by X-ray diffraction indicated that even in the dehydrated state the lipids retained a lamellar (bilayer) configuration. As the degree of hydration was raised, evidence of some structural alteration (apparent as an abrupt increase in bilayer spacing) was obtained from diffraction patterns of both the extracted lipid and particles of seed tissue. In seed tissue this increase in bilayer spacing occurred at a hydration level just above that at which free water could be detected by nuclear-magnetic-resonance analysis. The water content at which the increase in bilayer spacing occurred was higher in the seed tissue than in the extracted polar lipids, probably because other cell components restricted the availability of free water in the seed.

Tocopherol and Organic Free Radical Levels in Soybean Seeds during Natural and Accelerated Aging.

Soybean seeds which had aged in long-term storage ("natural aging") or by exposure to high temperature and humidity ("accelerated aging") were analyzed for their tocopherol and organic free radical contents. Tocopherol levels remained unchanged during both types of aging. Three principal tocopherol homologues (alpha, gamma, delta) were present in fairly constant proportions throughout. Organic free radical levels were also remarkably stable, presumably due to the relatively immobile environment of the dry seed. These results, taken in conjunction with previous data on the stability of unsaturated fatty acids in soybean seeds, indicate that it is improbable that lipid peroxidation need play a significant role during natural or accelerated aging in this species.

Absence of Lipid Oxidation during Accelerated Aging of Soybean Seeds.

When seeds of soybean were subjected to accelerated aging, the amount of total lipid which was extracted from the whole seed increased with "age," whereas the extractable phospholipid decreased slightly. This small decline primarily reflected changes in the amounts of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. The levels of unsaturated fatty acids in the whole seed and in the seed axis showed no decline during aging. Similarly, the fatty acids in a polar lipid extract from the whole seed showed little change in unsaturation. These results suggest that oxidation of seed lipids may be unrelated to the process of seed aging.