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Backround: The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of drying temperature (40, 50, and 60 °C), tempering time (40, 80, and 120 min), and initial moisture content at onset of tempering (15, 17, and 19% dry basis) on head rice yield, milled rice yield, and total processing time of IRGA 424 rice.; Results: The most significant effects were the drying temperature and its interaction with initial moisture content at onset of tempering. The optimum conditions predicted to reach the highest total yield (74.1%) included drying at 46.6 °C, 49 min of tempering time, and initial moisture content at onset of tempering of 19%. To achieve the maximum value of whole grain yield (52.9%), drying at 40 °C, 40 min of tempering, and an initial moisture content of 19% at the initiation of tempering were required. Under these conditions, the grain reached a moisture content of 13% in 84 min.; Conclusion: Whole-grain rice yields may be maximized through the optimization of the drying process. This may result in a larger fraction of the crop entering the human food chain, enhancing the value of the crop, and resulting in a smaller fraction of broken grain, which commands a lower market value. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.; © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Bifenthrin is a pyrethroid insecticide used in urban and agricultural applications. Previous studies have shown that environmentally relevant (ng/L) concentrations of bifenthrin increased plasma concentrations of 17β-estradiol (E2) and altered the expression of dopaminergic pathway components. The dopaminergic neurons can indirectly regulate E2 biosynthesis, suggesting that bifenthrin may disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Because embryos do not have a complete HPG axis, the hypothesis that bifenthrin impairs dopamine regulation was tested in embryonic and 1-mo-old juvenile zebrafish (Danio rerio) with exposure to measured concentrations of 0.34 and 3.1 µg/L bifenthrin for 96 h. Quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was used to investigate transcripts of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine receptor 1 (DR1) and 2A (DR2A), dopamine active transporter (DAT), estrogen receptor α (ERα), ERβ1, ERβ2, luteinizing hormone β (LHβ), follicle-stimulating hormone β (FSHβ), vitellogenin (VTG), cytochrome P450 cyp19a1a, and cyp19a1b. Levels of E2 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Dopamine and its metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) concentrations were measured by liquid chromatrography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Significant decreases in TH and DR1 transcripts and HVA levels, as well as ratios of HVA/dopamine and HVA+DOPAC/dopamine, in zebrafish embryos were observed after bifenthrin treatment. In juveniles, a significant increase in the expression of ERβ1 and the DOPAC to dopamine ratio was noted. These results show a possible antiestrogenic effect of bifenthrin in embryos, and estrogenicity in juveniles, indicating life-stage-dependent toxicity in developing fish. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:236-246. © 2017 SETAC.

Aims To compare the efficacy of pelvic floor muscle exercises (PFME) with and without electromyographic biofeedback (BF) in increasing muscle strength, improving myoelectric activity, and improving pre-contraction and quality of life in postmenopausal women with stress urinary incontinence. Methods Randomized controlled trial of 49 postmenopausal women with stress urinary incontinence. Participants were allocated across three groups: control, PFME alone, and PFME + BF. Forty-five women completed the study (14 control, 15 PFME, 16 PFME + BF; mean age 58.26 years). Outcome assessment was carried out using digital palpation (modified Oxford grading scale), electromyography, and the International Consultation Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF) quality of life instrument. The treatment protocol consisted of eight twice-weekly, 20-min one-on-one sessions. Controls were assessed only at baseline and after 1 month. Results The PFME and PFME + BF groups exhibited significant increases in muscle strength (Oxford scale) (P

Stress indicators (plasma cortisol, glucose and lactate) were evaluated in sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax submitted to different pre-slaughter conditions, and cortisol levels in plasma were found to correlate with those detected in mucus, gut contents and muscle. The results demonstrate new possibilities for monitoring stress status in fishes in which blood sampling is difficult or impossible.

Previous research has demonstrated that suppression of inhibition in projection neurons of the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) represents an essential mechanism underlying the emergence of negative emotional responses, including exaggerated fear and anxiety. The present work evaluates inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) in pyramidal projection neurons of the BLA in rats subjected to either diazepam or ethanol withdrawal or uncontrollable stress. These are experimental paradigms conducive to a negative emotional state. In slices containing the BLA, IPSPs were studied using whole-cell patch clamp. In control animals, a small IPSP was evoked by sub-threshold stimulation of the external capsule. When an action potential (AP) was evoked by supra-threshold stimuli, IPSPs were considerably larger; these IPSPs were sensitive to blockade of GABA(A) receptors by picrotoxin. However, IPSPs were clearly reduced in diazepam- or ethanol-withdrawn and in stressed rats. Firing of an AP by a depolarizing pulse applied through the patch pipette consistently evoked an inhibitory postsynaptic current (IPSC) in the pyramidal neurons of control animals from all three experimental models; these IPSCs were mediated by GABA(A) receptor activation and were blocked after suppression of glutamatergic transmission. In contrast, no IPSCs were observed in slices from diazepam- or ethanol-withdrawn or stressed animals, although the depolarizing pulse regularly evoked an AP in pyramidal neurons. It is concluded that, in withdrawn or stressed rats, GABAergic disinhibition occurs due to attenuation or suppression of feedback inhibition.

Wolf–ungulate interactions were studied in a mountainous region of the western Alps (Italy) from December 1999 to November 2002. Analysis of 848 scats of wolves Canis lupus showed that their most important prey was wild ungulates (87.2%). Cervids were the preferred prey (74.2%) and constituted predominant food items both in winter (84.2%) and summer (54.3%). Wolves preyed most intensively upon young ungulates. Presence of domestic ungulates on high-altitude pastures during summer (May–October) influenced wolf diet (summer 19.0%, winter 0.3%), but, despite the major density of domestic livestock, wolves still preferred wild ungulates. A strong trophic relationship between wolves and red deer Cervus elaphus emerged from the present study. During three winters, 177 ungulate carcasses were recorded. Excluding hunting, the most important cause of death in red deer was predation by wolves (51.5%), followed by disease and starvation (36.4%) and traffic accidents (12.1%). The majority of red deer killed were hinds (58.8%) and calves (29.4%); stag kills represented only 11.8%. For roe deer Capreolus capreolus, starvation and diseases were the lowest factor (11.5%), slightly higher than wolf predation (10.8%), while traffic accidents were the main cause of mortality (77.7%). Chamois Rupicapra rupicapra seemed to be less important than red deer and roe deer in the diet of wolves. The high susceptibility of red deer to wolf predation could be a result of the strong overlap of habitat and altitude use with the wolf, and to their more conspicuous herding.

Background Lung allergen recognition that takes place in the airways of asthmatic subjects is still a controversial matter. Objective We hypothesized that a rapid allergen recognition process requires the presence, at the mucosal surface, of professional APC, such as B7+ alveolar macrophages (AM) and/or CD1+ dendritic cells, which usually have a lower expression in the normal human lung. Methods Studies were performed on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid collected from 10 untreated allergic subjects and 10 adult normal volunteers. Further controls consisted of five untreated pulmonary sarcoidosis (PS) and four extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA) individuals. To ascertain whether T helper 2-type cytokines or allergen influence B7 and CD1 antigen expression, in vitro studies were carried out using unprimed (naive) cord blood plastic-adherent monocytes. Results Cytofluorymetric analysis revealed that AM from asthmatics, unlike those from normal subjects or patients with PS or EAA, overexpressed B7-2, CD1a and, to a lesser extent, B7-1 surface molecules. Immunohistochemical studies confirmed the presence of CD1+ dendritic cells in the BAL fluid from asthmatic subjects. On in vitro cultured naive cord blood monocytes both purified Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus allergen and T-cell cytokines, i.e. IL-4 and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, induced surface expression of B7-2 and CD1a receptors, whereas they had no appreciable effect on that of B7-1 membrane molecule. Conclusions Taken together, these findings support the proposal that airways of atopic individuals are equipped with professional APC that synergize with allergen-specific T cells for the recognition of intact allergens. When the recognition process takes place, asthmatic symptoms could develop in genetically susceptible individuals.

Chemokines, which include interleukin (IL)-8, are a family of pro-inflammatory molecules with potent chemoattractant activity on neutrophils, as well as other cell types. IL-8 can be recovered from many inflammatory sites. To test the hypothesis that Th2-type allergen-specific T cells, known to be the main cell type governing the allergic inflammation, are a source of IL-8 and to investigate whether IL-8 release is influenced by the nature of the in vitro mitogenic or co-mitogenic stimulation, cypress-specific T-cell clones (TCC) were generated from five allergic subjects during in vitro seasonal exposure to the allergen. Purified cypress extract was produced directly from freshly collected pollen and used for in vitro stimulation of PBMC bulk cultures. After 5 days priming and a further 7 day period of IL-2-driven cell expansion, monoclonal antibodies to CD3, CD2 and CD28 were adopted for in vitro restimulation of allergen-specific cell lines or, subsequently, secondary established TCC. The induction of apoptosis was detected by propidium iodide (PI) cytofluorimetric assay. Basal and co-stimulation-induced IL-8 production was measured by an ELISA method. Both cypress-specific T-cell lines and TCC secreted appreciable amounts of IL-8. By cross-linking T-cell lines or Th2 CD4+ TCC with CD3, CD2 or CD28 MoAbs, the authors observed a great stimulation-induced IL-8 secretion, preferentially after CD2 or combined CD2/CD28 stimulation. In addition, CD4+ clones released large amounts of IL-8 into culture supernatants after CD2 stimulation while undergoing programmed cell death (30-40% hypodiploid DNA profile of PI-stained cells). In contrast, CD3 crosslinking was unable to determine the release of IL-8 or the induction of apoptosis. Taken together, these results suggest that incomplete TcR engagement by allergen may lead to the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines with a contemporary induction of apoptosis in a significant number of target cells. This phenomenon may represent an additional way for local recruitment of neutrophils and basophils.

Flowcytometric analysis on T-cell subpopulations in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 10 children with mumps meningitis (MM) revealed that the proportion of lymphocytes which bore the gamma delta T-cell receptor for antigen was significantly higher in CSF than in autologous and heterologous blood samples. gamma delta T-cell values in CSF of MM patients were also significantly higher than those calculated in CSF specimens from nine children with non-inflammatory neurological disorders. Whether and how the expanded CSF gamma delta T-lymphocyte subset, either CD8+ or double-negative (CD4-/CD8-), contributes to the eradication of mumps virus infection from the central nervous system represents a central focus of our ongoing research.

The proliferative response of purified T cells to anti-CD2 monoclonal antibodies (T112 plus T113) was found to be markedly reduced in 12 subjects with Down's syndrome (DS). The addition of phorbol ester PMA, which activates Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent enzyme protein kinase C, or calcium ionophore A23187, which increases intracytosolic free Ca2+ concentration, enhanced, but did not normalize, the defective anti-CD2-mediated T-cell mitogenesis. In contrast, the proliferation of resting lymphocytes from trisomic patients was comparable to that of the control cells when PMA and A23187 were used as co-blastogenic reagents. Because PMA and A23187 together bypass the early activation pathways and promote T-cell growth through the direct induction of membrane interleukin 2 (IL-2) receptor expression and IL-2 synthesis and secretion, it could reasonably be hypothesized that the faulty DS T-cell activation induced by antigen or mitogen is due to a deranged transmembrane signal transduction, rather than a defect in the later intracellular events.