Effects of the microencapsulated feed additive of lactic acid bacteria on production parameters and post-vaccinal immune response in pigs.

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of feed addition of LAVIPAN PL5 probiotic preparation containing compositions of microencapsulated lactic acid bacteria (Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, Pediococcus pentosaceus) on production parameters and post-vaccinal immune response in pigs under field condition. The study was performed on 400 pigs in total and 60 pigs from this group were used to evaluate the effect of the product tested on the post-vaccinal response. The animals were divided into two groups: control group, fed without additive of LAVIPAN PL5 and the study group, receiving LAVIPAN PL5 at doses recommended by manufacturer from weaning to the end of fattening. The following parameters were recorded: main production parameters, including weight gains, fattening time (slaughter age) and animal health status during the study (mortality), and specific humoral post-vaccinal response after vaccination against swine erysipelas. The results indicate that the application of LAVIPAN PL5 had positive influence on the animals` productivity and did not significantly affect the post-vaccinal antibody levels and the development and maintenance of the post-vaccinal response, albeit the levels of antibodies were slightly higher in the animal receiving the test preparation. The higher average daily weight gains (by over 3%) which resulted in a 2 kg higher average weight at slaughter and a reduction of the fattening period by 5 days, undoubtedly contributed to significant economic benefits.

Stainless steel surface functionalization for immobilization of antibody fragments for cardiovascular applications.

Stainless steel 316 L material is commonly used for the production of coronary and peripheral vessel stents. Effective biofunctionalization is a key to improving the performance and safety of the stents after implantation. This paper reports the method for the immobilization of recombinant antibody fragments (scFv) on stainless steel 316 L to facilitate human endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) growth and thus improve cell viability of the implanted stents for cardiovascular applications. The modification of stent surface was conducted in three steps. First the stent surface was coated with titania based coating to increase the density of hydroxyl groups for successful silanization. Then silanization with 3 aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS) was performed to provide the surface with amine groups which presence was verified using FTIR, XPS, and fluorescence microscopy. The maximum density of amine groups (4.8*10(-5) mol/cm(2)) on the surface was reached after reaction taking place in ethanol for 1 h at 60 °C and 0.04M APTS. On such prepared surface the glycosylated scFv were subsequently successfully immobilized. The influence of oxidation of scFv glycan moieties and the temperature on scFv coating were investigated. The fluorescence and confocal microscopy study indicated that the densest and most uniformly coated surface with scFv was obtained at 37 °C after oxidation of glycan chain. The results demonstrate that the scFv cannot be efficiently immobilized without prior aminosilanization of the surface. The effect of the chemical modification on the cell viability of EPC line 55.1 (HucPEC-55.1) was performed indicating that the modifications to the 316 L stainless steel are non-toxic to EPCs.

Selective condensation of DNA by aminoglycoside antibiotics.

The condensing effect of aminoglycoside antibiotics on the structure of double-stranded DNA was examined. The selective condensation of DNA by small molecules is an interesting approach in biotechnology. Here, we present the interaction between calf thymus DNA and three types of antibiotic molecules: tobramycin, kanamycin, and neomycin. Several techniques were applied to study this effect. Atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy images, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra showed that the interaction of tobramycin with double-stranded DNA caused the rod, toroid, and sphere formation and very strong condensation of DNA strands, which was not observed in the case of other aminoglycosides used in the experiment. Studies on the mechanisms by which small molecules interact with DNA are important in understanding their functioning in cells, in designing new and efficient drugs, or in minimizing their adverse side effects. Specific interactions between tobramycin and DNA double helix was modeled using molecular dynamics simulations. Simulation study shows the aminoglycoside specificity to bend DNA double helix, shedding light on the origins of toroid formation. This phenomenon may lighten the ototoxicity or nephrotoxicity issues, but also other adverse reactions of aminoglycoside antibiotics in the human body.

[Biological tests of sol-gel biomaterials]. / Badania biologiczne biomaterialów zol-zelowych.

Recently, the sol-gel based biomaterials are extendedly investigated in emphasis on theirs medical applications. In this respect it is important to investigate the influence of sol-gel matrices on biological systems. The results of laboratory and biological testing of water extracts of sol-gels are presented in this work. It was proved that it is possible to construct the sol-gels that are not cytotoxic for which the haemolytic reactions fulfils the foreseen norms. This can be achieved by heating the materials in certain temperatures (higher than 350 degrees C). This effect can also be reached by suitably long aging (minimum 6 months).

Guest editorial: special section on coherence domain optical methods in biomedical science and clinics.

This Special Section Guest Editorial provides an overview of the topical area and an introduction to the articles featured in the special section.

Guest editorial: special section on interferometry in biomedicine, part I.

This Special Section Guest Editorial provides an overview of the topical area and an introduction to the articles featured in the special section.

Guest Editorial: Special Section on Interferometry in Biomedicine, Part II.

This Special Section Guest Editorial provides an overview of the topical area and an introduction to the articles featured in the special section.

High precision Twyman-Green interferometer for the measurement of ophthalmic surfaces.

PURPOSE: We developed a method for measuring ophthalmic surfaces based on a Twyman-Green interferometer. METHODS: To demonstrate the accuracy, we measured the anterior surface of four used hard contact lenses and evaluated the interference pattern with phase shift technique. The obtained interferograms were evaluated by an image processing system. RESULTS: The interferometric resolution of the measurement is up to lambda/20 (30 nm) which refers to a dioptric resolution of about delta D = 10(-3) m(-1) for typical anterior radii of curvature. The dioptric maps were calculated from the height distribution. As we used a focus tracking distance measurement setup with an accuracy of 10 microns we could determine the absolute value of the dioptric number to be delta D approximately 0.04 m-1. To demonstrate the accuracy we tested contact lenses which were specified to have a spherical anterior surface. Obviously, the topography of contact lenses changes when worn. We measured astigmatic deviations up to 0.6 D in the central zone of the lenses. We briefly discuss the possibilities of this method concerning a topographer for measuring the fine corneal surface structure. CONCLUSIONS: The presented Twyman-Green interferometer with distance measurement and image processing system is a very accurate method for measuring the topographic properties of ophthalmic surfaces. The method may also be useful for studying the distribution of the tear layer on the contact lens, or the corneal topography.

Biomechanical investigation of the hyoid bone using speckle interferometry.

Speckle interferometry is a non-destructive measurement technique using a laser. The principles of the method are described. Human hyoid bones (n = 10) were investigated. Loads were applied to individual points on the anterior surface of the body of hyoid bones. All hyoid bones showed an asymmetric displacement. The displacement was greatest in a plane vertical to the load. An evaluation of fracture behavior is possible due to the displacement pattern.

Nonlinear effects of the recording material on the image quality of a Fourier hologram.

A new representation for the D log E curve for photographic emulsions, based on the Fermi formula, is presented. This representation uses easily measured photometric parameters and is conveniently adapted for different kinds of absorption holographic recording materials. The corresponding transmittance-versus-exposure curve is used to calculate the influence of film nonlinearity on Fourier-transform hologram-recording parameters.