Here we consider contact amongst barn-housed dairy cattle, one of the most important UK livestock sectors. A novel observational study of faecal spread indicates that the level of contact an individual animal can have with other herd
members via this transmission pathway is very high (80 +/- 4% within sub-units). MCC950 Additional observational studies indicate the possible level of direct physical contact an animal has with other group members (an approximate Poisson distribution with a mean rate of 14.4 distinct individuals per hour), and the potential for indirect transfer via inanimate objects by considering the proportion of the herd that touched a given gatepost in the milking parlour each day (43 +/- 6%). Results suggest that mixing may be considered homogeneous for certain pathogens, but that the spread of diseases transmitted along only specific routes requires the incorporation of within group contact structures.
(c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Background: Repetitive exposure of the skin to UVA radiation elicits sagging more frequently than wrinkling, which is mainly attributed to its biochemical mechanism to up-regulate the expression of matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 PLX3397 cell line and skin fibroblast elastase (SFE)/neutral endopeptidase (NEP), respectively.
Objective: In this study, we examined the effects of a potent antioxidant, astaxanthin (AX), on the induction of MMP-1 and SFE by UVA treatment of cultured human dermal fibroblasts.
Methods: Those effects were assessed by real-time RT-PCR. Western blotting and enzymic activity assays.
Results: UVA radiation elicited a significant increase in the gene expression of MMP-1 as well as SFE/NEP (to a lesser extent) which was followed by distinct increases in their protein and enzymatic activity levels. The addition of AX at concentrations of 4-8 mu M immediately after UVA exposure significantly Epacadostat chemical structure attenuated the induction of MMP-1 and SFE/NEP expression elicited by UVA at the gene, protein and activity levels although both the UVA stimulation and the subsequent AX inhibition were greater for MMP-1 than for SFE/NEP. Analysis of the UVA-induced release
of cytokines revealed that UVA significantly stimulated only the secretion of IL-6 among the cytokines tested and that AX significantly diminished only the IL-6 secretion.
Conclusion: These findings indicate that, based on different effective concentrations of AX, a major mode of action leading to the inhibition elicited by AX depends on inhibition of UVA effects of the reactive oxygen species-directed signaling cascade, but not on interruption of the IL-6-mediated signaling cascade. We hypothesize that AX would have a significant benefit on protecting against UVA-induced skin photo-aging such as sagging and wrinkles. (c) 2010 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.