Transcriptome analysis to identify differential gene expression affecting meat quality in heavy Italian pigs.

Suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to analyse the muscle transcriptome and identify genes affecting meat quality within an Italian pig population of Large White and Landrace purebred individuals. Seven phenotypes were recorded at slaughter: dorsal fat thickness, ham fat thickness, ham fat coverage, muscle compactness, marbling, meat colour and colour uniformity. Two subtractive libraries were created from longissimus dorsi tissue of selected pigs with extreme phenotypes for meat quality. Eighty-four differentially expressed ESTs were identified, which showed homology to expressed pig sequences and/or to genomic pig sequences produced within the pig genome project. Sixty-eight sequences were mapped on the pig genome, and most of these sequences co-localized with the same chromosomal positions as QTLs that have been previously identified for meat quality. Thirty sequences, including eight matching known genes previously related to muscle metabolic pathways, were selected to statistically validate their differential expression. Association analysis and t-test results indicated that 28 ESTs of the 30 analysed were associated with phenotypes investigated here and have significant differential expression levels (P≤ 0.05) between the two tails of the phenotypic distribution.

Profile of in vitro binding affinities of neuroleptics at different rat brain receptors: cluster analysis comparison with pharmacological and clinical profiles.

A series of 21 neuroleptics with different chemical structures (phenothiazines, thioxanthenes, dibenzodiazepines, butyrophenones, benzamides, etc.) was examined for their in vitro interactions with 12 neurotransmitter binding sites in the rat brain (alpha- and beta-noradrenergic, dopaminergic, muscarinic, serotoninergic, histaminic, and opioid receptors, calcium channels, and serotonin uptake binding sites). The biochemical profile obtained from the binding data was compared with reported pharmacological and clinical profiles for this class of compounds by cluster analysis. Cluster analysis on binding data classified the compounds in three main subgroups: benzamides, compounds with an affinity mainly for DA2 and 5-HT2 receptors and inactive at muscarinic receptors, and compounds with a high affinity for alpha 1-adrenergic receptors and muscarinic receptors. The main subgroups resulting from cluster analysis of previously published pharmacological and clinical data for neuroleptics contain compounds common to the present study, with some correlations. The results extend previous observations that a complete binding profile corresponds to the pharmacological and clinical profile of this class of compounds.

Relationship between the brain levels and the anticonvulsant activity of denzimol after its acute and repeated administration to mice.

The relationship between the brain concentration of denzimol and its anticonvulsant activity was studied in mice after acute and repeated administration (14 days) of this drug to mice. Anticonvulsant activity was assessed against maximal electroshock seizures (MES). When denzimol was administered at 30 mg/kg p.o. to repeatedly treated mice, its brain concentration and anticonvulsant activity were reduced in comparison to non-treated mice and t1/2 beta was significantly changed from 2.10 to 1.53 hr. Tonic hindlimb extension was completely abolished at a brain denzimol concentration higher than 15 mcg/g, whereas the minimum effective brain concentration was between 2-3 mcg/g both in acute and repeatedly treated animals. The brain concentration of denzimol is closely correlated with its anticonvulsant effect both in acute and repeatedly treated animals. Furthermore these findings seem to suggest that the decreased anticonvulsant activity of denzimol, following repeated administrations, might be due to a development of pharmacokinetic tolerance.

Diode laser system for measurement of gaseous ammonia in ambient air.

The use of a second harmonic diode laser system for monitoring gaseous ammonia in tropospheric air is discussed. Using a 96 m White cell operated at 13 torr pressure in flow mode, a minimum detectable concentration lower than 1 ppbv was obtained.The NH3 mixing ratio was determined by simultaneous spectroscopic analysis of an atmospheric CO2 line used as a built-in calibration standard.