Effects of the bovine SLICK1 mutation in PRLR on sweat gland area, FOXA1 abundance, and global gene expression in skin.

The SLICK1 mutation in the prolactin receptor (PRLR) results in a short-hair coat and increased ability to regulate body temperature during heat stress. It is unclear whether the mutation affects capacity for sweating. The objective of this observational study was to evaluate whether the SLICK1 mutation in PRLR alters characteristics of skin related to sweat gland abundance or function. Skin biopsies from 31 Holstein heifers, including 14 wild-type (SL-/-) and 17 heterozygous slick (SL+/-), were subjected to histological analysis to determine the percent of the surface area of skin sections that are occupied by sweat glands. We detected no effect of genotype on this variable. Immunohistochemical analysis of the forkhead transcription factor A1 (FOXA1), a protein essential for sweating in mice, from 6 SL-/- and 6 SL+/- heifers indicated twice as much FOXA1 in sweat glandular epithelia of SL+/- heifers as in SL-/- heifers. Results from RNA sequencing of skin biopsies from 5 SL-/- and 7 SL+/- heifers revealed few genes that were differentially expressed and none that have been associated with sweat gland development or function. In conclusion, results do not support the idea that the SLICK1 mutation changes the abundance of sweat glands in skin, but do show that functional properties of sweat glands, as indicated by increased abundance of immunoreactive FOXA1, are modified by inheritance of the mutation in PRLR.

Mathematical analysis of an integral equation arising from population dynamics.

In this paper, we establish the existence of travelling wave solution to an intrinsically non-linear differential-integral equation formed as a result of mathematical modelling of the evolution of an asexual population in a changing environment. This equation is first converted to a non-linear integral equation. The discretization and manipulation of the corresponding eigenvalue problem allows us to use the theory of positive matrices to get some very useful estimates and then to confirm the existence of solution. We also exhibit numerical simulation results and explain the biological meaning of the results.

Assay for hepatitis C virus in peripheral blood mononuclear cells enhances sensitivity of diagnosis and monitoring of HCV-associated hepatitis.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major etiological factor in chronic hepatitis affecting up to 24% of blood donors in Egypt. Since fluctuating levels of HCV RNA loads, including undetectable values, have been frequently observed in sera of chronic hepatitis patients, this study was designed to assess the sensitivity of PCR amplification for the plus- and minus-RNA strands in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) compared to single serum PCR assay. Since the latter test detects viremia in only 79.5% of seropositive cases, the highest sensitivity for HCV diagnosis was achieved (93.20% when applying the combined triple test including PCR amplification of plus-strand in serum, together with plus-strand in PBMC and minus-strand in PBMC. The results of this study indicate that the triple test provides significant information on extrahepatic replication of HCV in a sizable sample of seropositive subjects (429 cases) and improves the assessment of HCV viremia. The cost/effectiveness and speed were upgraded by using capillary/air rapid thermal cycler. The use of the triple assay in HCV diagnosis and post-therapy monitoring is recommended.

Chloramphenicol drug failure in typhoid fever.

Two hundred positive blood culture typhoid patients admitted to Embaba Fever Hospital, Giza province, were subjected to: 1) Careful history and thorough clinical examination. 2) Complete blood picture. 3) Widal agglutination test. 4) Urine and stool cultures for Salmonellae. 5) To the isolates of the cultures, disk diffusion chloramphenicol susceptibility test, minimum inhibitory concentrations and chloramphenicol acetyl transferase test were performed. The dose of chloramphenicol was restricted to 50 mg per Kg body weight daily, whatever the route used; whether oral, rectal or intravenous. When fever did not drop up to 5 days or the patient presented with typhoid complications or the blood culture revealed resistant Salmonellae, quinolones or third generation, cephalosporins were administered. Measurement of the level of chloramphenicol in the blood was performed for every patient. Fifty (25%) patients were found to be resistant in vitro and in vivo to chloramphenicol. All their Salmonellae isolates were resistant to chloramphenicol, the mean zone size was 10 mm, the mean inhibitory concentration was 64 microgram per ml. and all were positive for chloramphenicol acetyl transferase. There was no significant difference in the serum level of chloramphenicol between susceptible and resistant groups to the drug. Results were interpreted and discussed.