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http://www.webmedcentral.com/images/Header_Logo.giftext/html2011-10-04T09:43:28+01:00http://www.webmedcentral.com/Dr. Mahdi EsmaeilzadehAn Overview of the Basics of Generate Transgenic Hen \'Bioreactors\'
http://www.webmedcentral.com/article_view/2289
The hen has long held promise as a low-cost, high-yield bioreactor for the production of human biopharmaceuticals in egg whites using genetic engineering. Recently finding appeared indicating the production of substantial levels of human monoclonal and single chain antibodies (O 3mg and O 150 mg, respectively) in eggs of transgenic hens. These promising ?ndings indicate that the hen is close to becoming a competitive manufacturing platform for the production of human biopharmaceuticals.The most successful method of gene transfer in birds is to use PGC and retroviral vectors injected into the embryos following oviposition. The germline transmission rate of the founder birds is very low. Nevertheless, the transgenic lines demonstrate the stable integration and inheritance of the transgene to subsequent generations.In this review, general avian reproduction and establishment of germ cells will be described for possible routes to gene transfer. Later, the current gene transfer methodologies will be summarized with a focus on PGC gene transfer. Finally, the application of transgenics to poultry will be discussed.text/html2010-10-05T19:34:03+01:00http://www.webmedcentral.com/Dr. Arne SmithAbsence Of Oestrus In H.sapiens ; Review Of Possible Causes And Suggested Explanation
http://www.webmedcentral.com/article_view/903
One of the peculiarities of our species is that we have a menstrual cycle rather than an oestrus cycle.When women ovulate they do not have the extreme proactive sexual behavior which is found in the great majority of placental mammals.Oestrus itself is confined to the placental mammals.Vertebrates such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds lack the trait. Oestrus is defined as "The periodic state of sexual excitement in the female of most mammals, excluding humans, that immediately precedes ovulation and during which the female is most receptive to mating; heat."(Note that the focus is on the behavior of oestrus rather than any other aspect, such as swellings and scent)The questions arise then : what is oestrus and why is it absent in H.sapiens?This paper proposes1)that oestrus results from the arrangement of the genital structures in the pelvic floor of female placental mammals 2) the loss of oestrus resulted from a displacement of a structure in the pelvic floor of women .text/html2011-10-13T12:59:53+01:00http://www.webmedcentral.com/Dr. Clyde WintersThe Gibraltar Out of Africa Exit for Anatomically Modern Humans
http://www.webmedcentral.com/article_view/2319
Using archaeological, craniometric, anthropological, and samples of ancient mtDNA we examined the possibility that there was a third exit from Africa, of anatomically modern humans (amh) across the Straits of Gibraltar into Iberia and thence throughout Eurasia. The finding of ancient Sub-Saharan mtDNA and related evidences make it clear that the Aurignacian culture was taken into Eurasia from Africa by Cro-Magnon people crossing the Straits of Gibraltar.text/html2011-12-03T20:06:40+01:00http://www.webmedcentral.com/Mr. B.P.Niranjan ReddyBasics for the Construction of Phylogenetic Trees
http://www.webmedcentral.com/article_view/2563
Phylogeny- A Diagram for Evolutionary Network-is used to infer the phylogenetic relationships among the species or genes. The phylogenetic analysis including morphological, biological, and bionomic characters, allozyme, RFLP data have been extensively used to infer the evolutionary relationship among the species during the pre-genomic era. With the advent of high throughput sequencing technologies and the development of extensive statistical analytical tools, an increased amount of sequence information is made available in the public domains. This particular situation has revolutionarized the field of phylogenetics, and has opened up opportunities for drawing and reconstructing the phylogenetic relationships with more confidence and accuracy. Consequently, today, phylogenetics has become an integral part of any sequencing associated research projects. Although, many publications related to the understanding of the phylogenetic tree are available, most of them are either for the experts in the field or for bioinformaticians. It is essentially needed for the beginner to start from a document that includes all the basics together with briefings of the modern developments in phylogenetics. Considering the importance of phylogenetic analysis in modern science, here in this review, an attempt was made to simplify the understanding of the phylogenetic tree construction, availability and usability of the different methods and software tools for inferring the trees.text/html2012-02-09T14:16:18+01:00http://www.webmedcentral.com/Prof. Giorgio MorpurgoOur Own HLA Makes Tolerable and Even Agreable the Scent of Own Faeces
http://www.webmedcentral.com/article_view/2981
The hypothesis is forwarded that tolerance to our faeces smell is due to the presence in the scent of our own HLA molecules which are different in any individual . With the exception of identical twins each individual may therefore tolerate only its smell . The reasons supporting this explanation are discussed.text/html2012-03-12T16:53:34+01:00http://www.webmedcentral.com/Mrs. Michelle M MoronCancer Cells Jointly Exposed To Gamma-radiation And Electric Field Develop S-phase Arrest
http://www.webmedcentral.com/article_view/3143
It has been shown recently that death of cells simultaneously exposed to ionizing radiation and static electric fields is substantially higher than in cells only irradiated, suggesting that a static electric field interferes with cell repair mechanisms. In the present work, T47D breast cancer cells were firstly irradiated with 1 and 2 Gy of gamma radiation, and then exposed to a SEF of 1250 V/cm by 24 hours. After these treatments cell cycle distributions were evaluated by flow cytometry. It was found that treatment with irradiation plus static electric fields exposure causes a higher accumulation of cells at the S phase, and a corresponding reduction at G1, while the population in G2/M was nearly unchanged. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a static electric field is shown to interfere with the progression trough S-phase in irradiated cells, most likely due to an interference with DNA repair mechanisms. We conclude that this physical agent works as an additional factor accentuating the deleterious effects of DNA damage and therefore, it is a radiation sensitizer for possible clinical application.text/html2012-10-04T19:35:22+01:00http://www.webmedcentral.com/Dr. Kayode I OlayemiPhysico-chemical Properties Of Selected Fish Ponds In Nigeria: Implications for Artificial Fish Culture
http://www.webmedcentral.com/article_view/3751
The need for baseline information on the suitability of fish pond environmental conditions for sustainable artificial fish culturing in Nigeria informed this study, on the physico-chemical properties of randomly selected typical fish ponds in the area. Methods: Series of water samples were collected from selected fish ponds at regular intervals, and subjected to physico-chemical analyses following recommended standard procedures. Results: The result indicated that certain parameters namely, Temperature, Turbidity, pH and Phosphates, varied within narrow limits among the 3 fish ponds investigated. However, Conductivity (range = 100.60 ± 32.01 to 338.00 ± 140.81 ), Alkalinity (132.40 ± 46.36 to 228.00 ± 28.88mg/l), Hardiness (39.60 ± 7.81 to 110.00 ± 16.25mg/l), Dissolved Oxygen (D.O.) (3.30 ± 0.77 to 6.66 ± 2.71mg/l), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) (0.84 ± 0.38 to 3.72 ± 1.95mg/l) and Nitrate (1.21 ± 0.68 to 9.24 ± 2.55mg/l) differed significantly (P < 0.05) in the ponds; and such differences were attributed to the influence of edaphic factors in different ecological settings. While pond ‘A’ had the highest values of physico-chemical parameter (except DO, BOD and Nitrate), Pond ‘B’ had the least in most of the parameters thus, perhaps, making the two ponds the most and least ideal for fish rearing, respectively. Conclusion: The values of the physico-chemical parameters obtained in this study were mostly within the recommended range for good fish production. The finding of this study should, therefore, serve as impetus to further encourage artificial fish farming in Minna, Nigeria, as away of meeting the growing demands for animal protein in the area.text/html2014-10-17T07:13:29+01:00http://www.webmedcentral.com/Dr. Basma EllahiDietary intake patterns of South Asian men attending mosques in Burnley, UK
http://www.webmedcentral.com/article_view/4721
Objective: To characterise the diet of South Asian males attending mosques in Burnley in order to focus intervention strategies to improve nutrition-related health in the community. Design: Cross sectional survey of Muslim men in Burnley, Lancashire UK. Muslim men (n=141) aged 15-67 years who consented were recruited. Subjects completed a food and health questionnaire and a 24 hour dietary recall (repeated) and provided self-reported anthropometric data.Results: Data revealed significant dietary under-reporting in the sample with a mean value of 78.0% of the estimated average intake (EAR) for energy specific to age group reported. Under-reporting was more likely as the body mass index (BMI) of subjects increased. Similar proportions of total energy were derived from protein but a greater percentage of energy was provided by total fat and a smaller proportion by total carbohydrate when compared with white British males. Saturated fatty acids constituted half the proportion of total food energy yet mono-unsaturated fatty acid intake was low in comparison. All (except the 46-67) year old age group consumed greater than 6g of salt a day. Conclusions: The study identifies several areas with the potential for health improvement. Subjects should reduce total fat intake and redistribute fat intake to more favourable proportions, with more emphasis on monounsaturated fat sources. Further dietary modifications include reducing salt intake and increasing non-starch polysaccharide consumption. Access to mosques for use as a health assessment and promotion environment is an important avenue for ensuring effective communication of messages for Muslims.