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An analysis of the reactions of herpes simplex virus (HSV) R1 with inhibitory peptide YAGAVVNDL was conducted to determine the regions and residues involved in the reaction. The genetic transcription and structure of several 'truncated' and intact HSV R1 were compared. The formation of homodimers by deleted proteins reveals the presence of residues between amino acids 421 and 438 and R1 regions between amino acids 349 and 373 and 996 and 1137.

Presents a study which proposed a method to predict the reflection and refraction of spherical waves across a planar interface. Theoretical considerations; Description of the model; Example application.

The article presents a study which aims to measure the retention and absorption of vitamin B 12 from milk in pre-ruminant lambs as well as the effect of the activation of metabolic pathways in tissue concentration. According to the article, newborn lambs were divided into two groups, with the other given milk substitute alone while the other with added proportion by up to four weeks. In addition, it affirms that lambs that are being administered with the vitamins in the liver and plasma at a marginal range were able to maintain normal concentrations.

The review contains new data on tautomerism of organic compounds belonging to different classes, which were obtained by mass spectrometry and confirmed by quantum-chemical calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a survey of plasma and liver mineral concentrations and enzyme activities in ostriches under farmed conditions in New Zealand. Results showed that plasma concentrations were within the normal range observed in the literature for ratite species. It was observed that copper concentrations in plasma were lower but higher in liver. Although aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and creatine kinase (CK) are higher compared to those literature from South Africa, the author concludes that they were normal and were only a reflection of the high growth rates of the musculoskeletal system.

Corrinoids from various ovine tissue samples (liver, blood, small intestinal fluid and faeces) were analysed using a combination of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and a radioisotope dilution assay (RIDA) to estimate the distribution of corrinoids-the cobalamins hydroxocobalamin (OH-cbl), methylcobalamin (me-cbl) and 5′-deoxyadenosylcobalamin (ado-cbl), and cobalamin analogues-in these tissues. Samples were taken from either cobalt-deficient or cobalt-replete ewes, and ruminant and pre-ruminant lambs. In liver, ado-cbl predominated, followed by analogues, OH-cbl and me-cbl. Supplementation with either cobalt (ruminant) or vitamin B12 injections (pre-ruminant) increased the amount of ado-cbl and decreased analogues. In blood, OH-cbl predominated, followed by ado-cbl, analogues and me-cbl, respectively. In small intestinal fluid, the distribution from largest to smallest percentage was analogues, ado-cbl, OH-cbl and me-cbl. In faeces, analogues constituted the greatest proportion, followed by OH-cbl, ado-cbl and me-cbl, respectively. Owing to the small sample sizes only cautionary interpretations can be made. In contrast to humans, where me-cbl constitutes the highest proportion of corrinoids in plasma and ado-cbl in the liver, in sheep the amount of ado-cbl was consistently higher than me-cbl in all tissues. This may be due to the higher metabolic need of sheep for ado-cbl due to gluconeogenesis. Analogues and OH-cbl were found in each tissue, contrary to previous postulations. The much higher amount of vitamin B12 in small intestinal fluid compared with faeces indicates that a large proportion of the vitamin is absorbed by the gastro-intestinal tract. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Smooth muscle contraction is one of the hallmarks of asthma. A recently developed pyridine derivative, Y-27632, a selective Rho kinase inhibitor, has been reported to inhibit the smooth muscle contraction of human and animal trachea in ex vivo systems but its effect in animal models of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) has not been examined. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Y-27632 in a murine model of allergic and virally induced AHR.Methods: Baseline lung resistance and methacholine induced AHR were measured in mice sensitised to ovalbumin (OVA) and also in mice infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) following ovalbumin sensitisation (OVA/RSV).Results: Time course and dose ranging experiments indicated that 30 mg/kg Y-27632 given by gavage 2 hours before methacholine challenge significantly reduced baseline lung resistance and prevented AHR in OVA sensitised mice. Y-27632 also suppressed AHR induced by the bronchospastic agent serotonin in OVA sensitised mice and prevented methacholine induced AHR in OVA/RSV mice.Conclusions: These results suggest that the signalling pathway mediated through Rho kinase may have an important role in bronchial smooth muscle tone in allergen induced and virus induced AHR and should be considered as a novel target for asthma treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]