| highly pathogenic avian influenza (h5n1) in ducks and in-contact chickens in backyard and smallholder commercial duck farms in viet nam. | scavenging ducks are thought to play an important role in the maintenance and transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza (hpai) h5n1 virus among domesticated and wild bird populations in south east asia, but detailed field epidemiological results describing the infection status of domestic ducks and in-contact chickens have not been published. we conducted a longitudinal study, monitoring ducks and in-contact chickens in 80 flocks in the mekong delta of viet nam with bi-monthly testing fr ... | 2010 | 20594603 |
| antigen-specific igg antibodies in feather duvet lung. | feather duvet lung (fdl) is a rare subgroup of bird fancier's lung (bfl). we were interested in determining antigen-specific igg antibodies in patients with fdl and comparing them with those with bfl. | 2010 | 20597960 |
| duck! scaling the height of a horizontal barrier to body height. | recent research shows that the body is used to scale environmental extents. we question whether the body is used to scale heights as measured by real actions (experiments 1 and 2) or by judgments about action and extent made from a single viewpoint (experiments 3 and 4). first, participants walked under barriers naturally, when wearing shoes, or when wearing a helmet. participants required a larger margin of safety (they ducked at shorter heights) when they were made taller. in follow-up experim ... | 2010 | 20601715 |
| characterization of the duck plague virus ul35 gene. | previous study has demonstrated that the duck plague virus (dpv) ul35 gene can be expressed as a recombinant fusion protein, and the prepared antiserum has a high reactivity and specificity against the purified recombinant protein. in the present study, to elucidate the properties and functions of its encoding protein, the ul35 gene product (vp26) was identified by using the prepared rabbit polyclonal antiserum. | 2010 | 20606463 |
| epidemiology of avian influenza virus in wild birds in switzerland between 2006 and 2009. | after the spread of h5n1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (aiv) from asia into russia, the middle east, europe, and africa in 2005-06, the swiss national aiv surveillance program was extended. one of the new focal points was lake constance, where sentinel duck stations and swim-in traps were established within the project constanze in collaboration with germany and austria. more than 2000 samples from 41 species were collected in switzerland between september 2006 and december 2008. appro ... | 2010 | 20608533 |
| expression and distribution of the duck enteritis virus ul51 protein in experimentally infected ducks. | to determine the expression and distribution of tegument proteins encoded by duck enteritis virus (dev) ul51 gene in tissues of experimentally infected ducks, for the first time, an immunoperoxidase staining method to detect ul51 protein (ul51p) in paraffin-embedded tissues is reported. a rabbit anti-ul51 polyclonal serum, raised against a recombinant 6-his-ul51 fusion protein expressed in escherichia coli, was prepared, purified, and used as primary antibodies. fifty-eight 30-day-old dev-free d ... | 2010 | 20608544 |
| epidemiologic investigation of riemerella anatipestifer in a commercial duck company by serotyping and dna fingerprinting. | a commercial duck company that raises approximately two million pekin ducks per year experienced an outbreak of riemerella anatipestifer (ra) on nine farms over a 1-yr period. owing to concerns that the bacteria was being spread from farm to farm, an investigation using serotyping and dna fingerprinting was performed. the results revealed that there were three different strains of ra involved in the outbreak. one strain was spread from one farm to six other farms, while another strain from the s ... | 2010 | 20608551 |
| development and evaluation of a vp1-elisa for detection of antibodies to duck hepatitis type 1 virus. | the vp1-encoding gene of the duck hepatitis type 1 virus (dhv-1) hp-1 strain was cloned and expressed in escherichiacoli. the open reading frame (orf) of vp1 comprised 714 bp and encoded 238 amino acids, with a predicated molecular mass of 26.5 kda. the expressed vp1 fusion protein in e. coli was detected by western blotting with duck anti-dhv-1 polyclonal serum. a vp1-elisa using the expressed vp1 protein as a coating antigen for the detection of antibodies to dhv-1 in ducks was developed. in c ... | 2010 | 20609374 |
| thermostability of subpopulations of h2n3 influenza virus isolates from mallard ducks. | maintenance of avian influenza virus in waterfowl populations requires that virions remain infectious while in the environment. temperature has been shown to negatively correlate with persistence time, which is the duration for which virions are infectious. however, thermostability can vary between isolates regardless of subtype, and it is not known whether this variation occurs when host and geographic location of isolation are controlled. in this study, we analyzed the thermostabilities of 7 h ... | 2010 | 20610728 |
| coordinated and sequential activation of neutral and acidic dnases during interdigital cell death in the embryonic limb. | interdigital tissue regression during embryonic development is one of the most representative model systems of morphogenetic cell death, but the degenerative cascade accounting for this process awaits clarification. although the canonical apoptotic caspase pathway appears to be activated in the interdigital mesenchyme committed to die, neither genetic nor chemical blockage of caspases or their downstream effectors, is sufficient to prevent cell death. hence, alternative and/or complementary dyin ... | 2010 | 20614251 |
| antiviral effect of strictinin on influenza virus replication. | strictinin, which is a member of the ellagitanin family of hydrolyzable tannins, prevented replication of human, duck and swine influenza a viruses (iavs) in vitro at non-toxic concentrations. the addition of strictinin at the same time as iav inoculation to mdck cells inhibited viral replication in a dose-dependent manner. strictinin showed 50% inhibitory concentrations for iavs from 0.09±0.021 to 0.28±0.037μm (mean±s.e.m.) by the focus-forming assay. treatment of mdck cells with strictinin bef ... | 2010 | 20615432 |
| combinatorial binding leads to diverse regulatory responses: lmd is a tissue-specific modulator of mef2 activity. | understanding how complex patterns of temporal and spatial expression are regulated is central to deciphering genetic programs that drive development. gene expression is initiated through the action of transcription factors and their cofactors converging on enhancer elements leading to a defined activity. specific constellations of combinatorial occupancy are therefore often conceptualized as rigid binding codes that give rise to a common output of spatio-temporal expression. here, we assessed t ... | 2010 | 20617173 |
| mx gene diversity and influenza association among five wild dabbling duck species (anas spp.) in alaska. | mx (myxovirus-resistant) proteins are induced by interferon and inhibit viral replication as part of the innate immune response to viral infection in many vertebrates. influenza a virus appears to be especially susceptible to mx antiviral effects. we characterized exon 13 and the 3' utr of the mx gene in wild ducks, the natural reservoir of influenza virus and explored its potential relevance to influenza infection. we observed a wide range of intra- and interspecies variations. total nucleotide ... | 2010 | 20621205 |
| environmental health risk assessment of dioxin exposure through foods in a dioxin hot spot-bien hoa city, vietnam. | this study used the australian environmental health risk assessment framework to assess the human health risk of dioxin exposure through foods for local residents in two wards of bien hoa city, vietnam. these wards are known hot-spots for dioxin and a range of stakeholders from central government to local levels were involved in this process. publications on dioxin characteristics and toxicity were reviewed and dioxin concentrations in local soil, mud, foods, milk and blood samples were used as ... | 2010 | 20623031 |
| diversity of the predominant spoilage bacteria in water-boiled salted duck during storage. | the spoilage microbiota in water-boiled salted duck during storage at 4 degrees c was determined using culture-dependent and independent methods. analysis of the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (dgge) patterns of pcr amplicons targeting the v3 region of the 16s rdna and sequencing of the bands allowed profiling of the microbiota present in the duck. community dna extracts were prepared directly from water-boiled salted duck and from culturable bacterial fractions harvested from both mrs ... | 2010 | 20629890 |
| comparison of nonlinear and spline regression models for describing mule duck growth curves. | this study compared models for growth (bw) before overfeeding period for male mule duck data from 7 families of a qtl experimental design. four nonlinear models (gompertz, logistic, richards, and weibull) and a spline linear regression model were used. this study compared fixed and mixed effects models to analyze growth. the akaike information criterion was used to evaluate these alternative models. among the nonlinear models, the mixed effects weibull model had the best overall fit. two paramet ... | 2010 | 20634537 |
| expression and intracellular localization of duck enteritis virus pul38 protein. | knowledge of the intracellular location of a protein can provide useful insights into its function. bioinformatic studies have predicted that the dev pul38 mainly targets the cytoplasm and nucleus. in this study, we obtained anti-pul38 polyclonal sera. these antibodies were functional in western blotting and immunofluorescence in dev-infected duck embryo fibroblasts (defs). pul38 was expressed as a 51-kda protein from 8 h post-infection onward, initially showing a diffuse distribution throughout ... | 2010 | 20637115 |
| relationships between dietary carotenoids, body tissue carotenoids, parasite burden, and health state in wild mallard (anas platyrhynchos) ducklings. | while rodents and other mammals have traditionally served as models for studying carotenoid physiology, many wild animals from a variety of other taxa utilize carotenoids for self-maintenance and reproduction and accumulate far greater concentrations than those found in mammals. though we have basic understandings of the control and value of carotenoids in some wild animal systems, many gaps remain. for example, parasites and pathogens impose severe survival constraints on free-ranging organisms ... | 2010 | 20637173 |
| population structure and genetic diversity of worldwide nova scotia duck tolling retriever and lancashire heeler dog populations. | the aim of this study was to research the population structure and genetic diversity of the nova scotia duck tolling retriever (ns) and the lancashire heeler (lh) dog breeds. data consisted of nearly all the worldwide registration history for both breeds, including 28,668 ns and 4,782 lh individuals. a reference population, including the females born between 1999 and 2008, was defined for genetic analyses for each breed. average depth of the pedigrees known for the reference population dogs was ... | 2010 | 20646119 |
| study of colistin depletion in duck tissues after intramuscular and oral administration. | | 2010 | 20646204 |
| wintering french mallard and teal are heavier and in better body condition than 30 years ago: effects of a changing environment? | animal populations are exposed to large-scale anthropogenic impact from, e.g., climate change, habitat alteration and supplemental stocking. all of these may affect body condition in wintering dabbling ducks, which in turn may affect an individual's survival and reproductive success. the aim of this study was to assess whether there have been morphometric changes in mallard (anas platyrhynchos) and teal (anas crecca) over the last 30 years at a major wintering site. body mass and condition incre ... | 2010 | 20653279 |
| models for estimating abundance from repeated counts of an open metapopulation. | summary. using only spatially and temporally replicated point counts, royle (2004b, biometrics 60, 108-115) developed an n-mixture model to estimate the abundance of an animal population when individual animal detection probability is unknown. one assumption inherent in this model is that the animal populations at each sampled location are closed with respect to migration, births, and deaths throughout the study. in the past this has been verified solely by biological arguments related to the st ... | 2010 | 20662829 |
| expressing gk gene of duck enteritis virus guided by bioinformatics and its applied prospect in diagnosis. | duck viral enteritis, which is caused by duck enteritis virus (dev), causes significant economic losses in domestic and wild waterfowls because of the high mortality and low egg production rates. with the purpose of eliminating this disease and decreasing economic loss in the commercial duck industry, researching on glycoprotein k (gk) of dev may be a new kind of method for preventing and curing this disease. because glycoproteins project from the virus envelope as spikes and are directly involv ... | 2010 | 20663161 |
| origin and genetic diversity of chinese domestic ducks. | china is particularly rich in duck genetic resources. in order to reveal the genetic diversity and origin of chinese domestic duck, the 667 bp control region of mitochondrial dna of 238 domestic ducks from 26 indigenous breeds, 25 wild mallards and nine spot-billed ducks were sequenced and analyzed them together with the published data for 12 mallards and nine spot-billed ducks. the haplotype diversity (hd, 0.645) and average nucleotide diversity (pi, 0.115%) indicate low genetic diversity of ch ... | 2010 | 20674751 |
| scavenging ducks and transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza, java, indonesia. | in java, indonesia, during march 2007-march 2008, 96 farms with scavenging ducks that were not vaccinated against highly pathogenic avian influenza (hpai) were monitored bimonthly. bird-level (prevalence among individual birds) h5 seroprevalence was 2.6% for ducks and 0.5% for chickens in contact with ducks. at least 1 seropositive bird was detected during 19.5% and 2.0% of duck- and chicken-flock visits, respectively. duck flocks were 12.4x more likely than chicken flocks to have seropositive b ... | 2010 | 20678318 |
| duck hunters' perceptions of risk for avian influenza, georgia, usa. | to determine duck hunters'risk for highly pathogenic avian influenza, we surveyed duck hunters in georgia, usa, during 2007-2008, about their knowledge, attitudes, and practices. we found they engage in several practices that could expose them to the virus. exposures and awareness were highest for those who had hunted >10 years. | 2010 | 20678324 |
| chondroitin sulfate demarcates astrocytic territories in the mammalian cerebral cortex. | adjacent astrocytes in the grey matter of the mammalian cerebral cortex are organized in a tile-like manner and separated from one another, forming discrete domains named "non-overlapping territories". we have previously reported that an anti-chondroitin sulfate (cs) antibody, cs-56, marks a subpopulation of cortical astrocytes which we named the dandelion clock-like structure (dacs) based on its morphological characteristics. in the present study, we found that another anti-cs antibody (anti-cs ... | 2010 | 20678547 |
| inhibition of viral transcription using designed zinc finger proteins. | currently available therapeutics for hepatitis b virus (hbv) infection have limited effectiveness in patients and often do not clear hbv from the liver due to the persistence of the stable, double-stranded (ds) dna genome of hbv. by designing zinc finger proteins (zfps) to bind the dsdna genome of a model virus, duck hbv (dhbv), we were able to inhibit viral transcription, and subsequently, viral protein and progeny production. this inhibition is likely due to competition for dna binding sites b ... | 2010 | 20680830 |
| effect of environment on pekin duck behaviour and its correlation with body condition on commercial farms in the uk. | 1. forty-six flocks of commercially-reared pekin ducks were studied to determine the effects of housing system and environment on the behaviour of farmed ducks and its correlation with physical condition. houses differed predominantly in their ventilation, drinking, feeding and brooding systems, and were indicative of systems currently in use in the uk. 2. at 41 d of age ducks spent 15% of the time feeding, 67% drinking, 42% rooting and 155% dry preening. they spent large amounts of time relativ ... | 2010 | 20680866 |
| clinicopathological characterization in poultry of three strains of newcastle disease virus isolated from recent outbreaks. | newcastle disease is a severe threat to the poultry industry and is caused by newcastle disease virus, a member of the genus avulavirus, family paramyxoviridae. the virus is rapidly evolving, and several new genotypes have been discovered in the past few years. characterization of these strains is important to evaluate field changes, anticipate new outbreaks, and develop adequate control measures. three newcastle disease isolates (apmv-1/duck/vietnam, long bien/78/2002, apmv-1/chicken/australia/ ... | 2011 | 20685918 |
| virulence determinants of avian h5n1 influenza a virus in mammalian and avian hosts: role of the c-terminal esev motif in the viral ns1 protein. | we assessed the prediction that access of the viral ns1 protein to cellular pdz domain protein networks enhances the virulence of highly pathogenic avian influenza a viruses. the ns1 proteins of most avian influenza viruses bear the c-terminal ligand sequence glu-ser-glu-val (esev) for pdz domains present in multiple host proteins, whereas no such motif is found in the ns1 homologues of seasonal human virus strains. previous analysis showed that a c-terminal esev motif increases viral virulence ... | 2010 | 20686040 |
| recent advances into understanding some aspects of the structure and function of mammalian and avian lungs. | recent findings are reported about certain aspects of the structure and function of the mammalian and avian lungs that include (a) the architecture of the air capillaries (acs) and the blood capillaries (bcs); (b) the pulmonary blood capillary circulatory dynamics; (c) the adaptive molecular, cellular, biochemical, compositional, and developmental characteristics of the surfactant system; (d) the mechanisms of the translocation of fine and ultrafine particles across the airway epithelial barrier ... | 2010 | 20687843 |
| relationships between local carcass density and risk of mortality in molting mallards during avian botulism outbreaks. | removal of bird carcasses has been advocated for management of clostridium botulinum outbreaks on lakes in north america because a reduction in density of toxin-laden maggots produced within bird carcasses is assumed to enhance survival of healthy birds. this inverse relationship between carcass density and survival has been reported in controlled studies with mallards (anas platyrhynchos) but has not been verified in wild ducks during naturally occurring botulism outbreaks. therefore, we radio- ... | 2010 | 20688643 |
| lead toxicity in captive and wild mallards (anas platyrhynchos) in spain. | forty captive mallards (anas platyrhynchos), of both sexes, were separated into five groups and dosed with lead shot via oral intubation; one group was used as a control. lead dosage differed in terms of shot number and size, as well as administration time. one hundred and thirty-five wild mallards were trapped between 1998 and 2001 in the boada and nava lagoons near the canal de castilla, in the spanish province of palencia. radiologic techniques (ventrodorsal and lateral views) were used to de ... | 2010 | 20688691 |
| survival of radio-marked mallards in relation to management of avian botulism. | avian botulism outbreaks are frequently perpetuated by type c toxin produced by clostridium botulinum proliferating in decomposing bird carcasses and consumption of toxic maggots from these carcasses by healthy birds. therefore, removing bird carcasses has been advocated for disease management because availability of toxic maggots should be reduced, increasing duck survival. however, this management is expensive, and its effect on waterfowl mortality under field conditions is unknown. we radio-m ... | 2010 | 20688692 |
| an outbreak of type c botulism in waterbirds: incheon, korea. | five outbreaks of botulism in waterbirds were encountered over a 5-yr period from 2004 to 2008 in korea. in october 2008, an outbreak of avian type c botulism affected approximately 2,000 wild waterbirds in the namdong flood control basin, incheon, south korea. ecologic conditions, clinical signs exhibited by moribund birds, and lack of gross pathology and microbial evidence of infectious disease, suggested botulinum intoxication. type c botulinum toxin was demonstrated in duck sera, liquid cult ... | 2010 | 20688696 |
| canada geese and the epidemiology of avian influenza viruses. | canada geese (branta canadensis) are numerous, highly visible, and widely distributed in both migratory and resident populations in north america; as a member of the order anseriformes, they are often suggested as a potential reservoir and source for avian influenza (ai) viruses. to further examine the role of canada geese in the ecology of ai, we re-evaluated existing literature related to ai virus in this species and tested breeding populations of canada geese from three states (georgia, west ... | 2010 | 20688710 |
| the persistence in the liver of residual duck hepatitis b virus covalently closed circular dna is not dependent upon new viral dna synthesis. | residual hepatitis b virus (hbv) dna can be detected following the resolution of acute hbv infection. our previous work using duck hepatitis b virus (dhbv) infected ducks, indicated that ~80% of residual dhbv dna in the liver is in the covalently closed circular dna (cccdna) form, suggesting that viral dna synthesis is suppressed. the current study asked more directly if maintenance of residual dhbv cccdna is dependent upon ongoing viral dna synthesis. ducks that recovered from acute dhbv infect ... | 2010 | 20705309 |
| the role of selected cytochrome p450 enzymes on the bioactivation of aflatoxin b1 by duck liver microsomes. | a study was conducted to determine the cytochrome (cyp) p450 enzymes responsible for the bioactivation of aflatoxin b1 (afb1) into its epoxide form (afbo) in duck liver microsomes. six male and six female 6-week-old pekin ducks were used. the biochemical toxicology strategies applied included the use of selective inhibitors, prototype substrate activity for specific human p450s, correlation between aflatoxin bioactivation and enzymatic activity of prototype substrates, and the expression of spec ... | 2010 | 20706884 |
| distribution of serotypes and virulence-associated genes in pathogenic escherichia coli isolated from ducks. | the objective of the present study was to investigate the serotypes and virulence-associated genes of avian pathogenic escherichia coli (apec) isolated from duck colibacillosis cases. two hundred and fifty-four apec isolates from duck colibacillosis cases were serotyped and amplified for 12 known virulence-associated genes and the beta gene (encoding choline dehydrogenase) by polymerase chain reaction assays. one hundred and forty-three e. coli isolates from cloacal swabs of healthy ducks were a ... | 2010 | 20706886 |
| effects of language comprehension on visual processing - meg dissociates early perceptual and late n400 effects. | we investigated whether and when information conveyed by spoken language impacts on the processing of visually presented objects. in contrast to traditional views, grounded-cognition posits direct links between language comprehension and perceptual processing. we used a magnetoencephalographic cross-modal priming paradigm to disentangle these views. in a sentence-picture verification task, pictures (e.g. of a flying duck) were paired with three sentence conditions: a feature-matching sentence ab ... | 2011 | 20708788 |
| detection of duck circovirus in china: a proposal on genotype classification. | since the first description of duck circovirus (ducv)-associated disease, there are several reports about the distribution of the disease. however, the information regarding the genetic variation of ducv in recent years is unclear. in the present study, the complete genomic sequences of 9 ducv strains, which were obtained by pcr screening from 90 dead or diseased ducks collected from different regions in china between 2008 and 2010, were determined and compared with previously available ducv seq ... | 2011 | 20709471 |
| development and application of an indirect immunohistochemical method for the detection of duck plague virus vaccine antigens in paraffin sections and localization in the vaccinated duckling tissues. | the objective of the present study was to develop and apply a streptavidin-alkaline phosphatase labeling system of indirect immunohistochemistry (sp-ihc) to detect antigenic distribution and localization regularity of duck plague virus (dpv) vaccine antigens in paraformaldehyde-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of experimentally vaccinated ducklings. male new zealand rabbits were immunized with purified dpv antigens, which were engaged by a combination of differential centrifugation and sucrose-de ... | 2010 | 20709976 |
| synthesis and biological evaluation of heat-shock protein 90 inhibitors: geldanamycin derivatives with broad antiviral activities. | previous studies have suggested that geldanamycin (ga) inhibits the replication of several viruses in vitro. here, we aimed to synthesize and evaluate the antiviral activity of 17-amino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin derivatives. | 2010 | 20710066 |
| effects of dietary cadmium contamination on bird anas platyrhynchos--comparison with species cairina moschata. | this study aimed to assess the effect of two dietary cadmium (cd) levels (c1: 1 mgkg(-1); c10: 10 mgkg(-1)) on bird anas platyrhynchos exposed for 10, 20 and 40 days (5 animals per experimental condition). ducks were able to accumulate high amounts of cd, especially in kidneys (after 40 days: c1 8.1 ± 1 mgkg(-1), c10 37.7 ± 4.3 mgkg(-1)). after 40 days, the lowest cd level triggered oxidative stress and stimulated mitochondrial metabolism. at the same time, highest amounts of cd (c10 group) only ... | 2010 | 20723979 |
| effects of in ovo injecting disaccharides and alanyl-glutamine dipeptide on the energy status in duck embryos and neonates. | this experiment tested the hypothesis that administering additional available nutrients to duck embryos would enhance the glucose store and improve the body growth of ducks. a total of 520 duck eggs of 21 days' incubation containing viable embryos were used in the present study and randomly divided into four treatments. at 23 days of incubation (23e), three groups of eggs were injected with the following solution: (1) sucrose and maltose (ds); (2) l-alanyl-l-glutamine (ala-gln); (3) sucrose, mal ... | 2010 | 20727692 |
| treating meats with ionising radiations. an epr approach to the reconstruction of the administered dose and its reliability. | treatment of food with ionising radiations in order to increase its shelf-life is largely employed in many countries. because of restrictions issued by different governments on the use of this technique, in addition to the identification of irradiated foodstuffs, it may be important to determine the radiation dose administered to the foodstuffs. an epr based protocol to reconstruct the administered dose from samples of irradiated meats (rabbit, pork and duck) within an uncertainty of ± 25% is re ... | 2011 | 20728370 |
| antimicrobial activity of lipophilic avian eggshell surface extracts. | the avian eggshell cuticle is the waxy outermost layer of the mineralized eggshell in direct contact with the environment. in this study, lipophilic eggshell surface extracts from three domestic species were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity. chicken and goose extracts demonstrated potent bactericidal activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, while activity could not be detected for duck eggshell surface extracts. using the chicken as a model species, evaluation of ... | 2010 | 20804124 |
| predicting mercury concentrations in mallard eggs from mercury in the diet or blood of adult females and from duckling down feathers. | measurements of hg concentrations in avian eggs can be used to predict possible harm to reproduction, but it is not always possible to sample eggs. when eggs cannot be sampled, some substitute tissue, such as female blood, the diet of the breeding female, or down feathers of hatchlings, must be used. when female mallards (anas platyrhynchos) were fed diets containing methylmercury chloride, the concentration of hg in a sample of their blood was closely correlated with the concentration of hg in ... | 2010 | 20821458 |
| enhanced reproduction in mallards fed a low level of methylmercury: an apparent case of hormesis. | breeding pairs of mallards (anas platyrhynchos) were fed a control diet or a diet containing 0.5 microg/g mercury (hg) in the form of methylmercury chloride. there were no effects of hg on adult weights and no overt signs of hg poisoning in adults. the hg-containing diet had no effect on fertility of eggs, but hatching success of eggs was significantly higher for females fed 0.5 microg/g hg (71.8%) than for controls (57.5%). survival of ducklings through 6 d of age was the same (97.8%) for contr ... | 2010 | 20821490 |
| intraperitoneal injections as a possible means of generating varied levels of methylmercury in the eggs of birds in field studies. | the ideal study of the effects of methylmercury on the reproductive success of a species of bird would be one in which eggs contained mercury concentrations ranging from controls to very heavily contaminated, all at the same site. such a study cannot be realized at a hg-contaminated area or under laboratory conditions but could be achieved by introducing methylmercury into breeding females and allowing them to deposit hg in their eggs. female mallards (anas platyrhynchos) were intraperitoneally ... | 2010 | 20821543 |
| relating the ability of mallards to ingest high levels of sediment to potential contaminant exposure in waterfowl. | when waterfowl feed from the bottom of bodies of water, they sometimes ingest sediments along with their food, and this sediment can be a major source of contaminants. learning how much sediment waterfowl can consume in their diet and still maintain their health would be helpful in assessing potential threats from contaminants in sediment. in a controlled laboratory study the maximum tolerated percentage of sediment in the diet of mallards (anas platyrhynchos) was measured. when fed a well-balan ... | 2010 | 20821613 |
| generation of covalently closed circular dna of hepatitis b viruses via intracellular recycling is regulated in a virus specific manner. | persistence of hepatitis b virus (hbv) infection requires covalently closed circular (ccc)dna formation and amplification, which can occur via intracellular recycling of the viral polymerase-linked relaxed circular (rc) dna genomes present in virions. here we reveal a fundamental difference between hbv and the related duck hepatitis b virus (dhbv) in the recycling mechanism. direct comparison of hbv and dhbv cccdna amplification in cross-species transfection experiments showed that, in the same ... | 2010 | 20824087 |
| mortality factors and lead contamination of wild birds from korea. | wild birds have frequently been found dead in their natural habitats, but little is known about what ecological stressors may impact health of wild populations. here, we report the potentially harmful lead (pb) levels in tissues along with necropsies on 69 individuals of cranes, raptors, and waterfowl found dead between 2000 and 2003 in korea. in all samples diagnosed, trauma (n = 22), severe emaciation (n = 15), and infectious diseases (n = 11) were identified. in the survey, injury with pb sho ... | 2010 | 20824331 |
| a 27-amino-acid deletion in the neuraminidase stalk supports replication of an avian h2n2 influenza a virus in the respiratory tract of chickens. | the events and mechanisms that lead to interspecies transmission of, and host adaptation to, influenza a virus are unknown; however, both surface and internal proteins have been implicated. our previous report highlighted the role that japanese quail play as an intermediate host, expanding the host range of a mallard h2n2 virus, a/mallard/potsdam/178-4/83 (h2n2), through viral adaptation. this quail-adapted virus supported transmission in quail and increased its host range to replicate and be tr ... | 2010 | 20826691 |
| drag-based 'hovering' in ducks: the hydrodynamics and energetic cost of bottom feeding. | diving ducks use their webbed feet to provide the propulsive force that moves them underwater. to hold position near the bottom while feeding, ducks paddle constantly to resist the buoyant force of the body. using video sequences from two orthogonal cameras we reconstructed the 3-dimensional motion of the feet through water and estimated the forces involved with a quasi-steady blade-element model. we found that during station holding, near the bottom, ducks use drag based propulsion with the web ... | 2010 | 20830286 |
| the development of persistent duck hepatitis b virus infection can be prevented using antiviral therapy combined with dna or recombinant fowlpoxvirus vaccines. | we recently reported the development of a successful post-exposure combination antiviral and "prime-boost" vaccination strategy using the duck hepatitis b virus (dhbv) model of human hepatitis b virus infection. the current study aimed to simplify the vaccination strategy and to test the post-exposure efficacy of combination therapy with the bristol-myers squibb antiviral drug, entecavir (etv) and either a single dose of dhbv dna vaccines on day 0 post-infection (p.i.) or a single dose of recomb ... | 2010 | 20833122 |
| aerodynamic characteristics of flying fish in gliding flight. | the flying fish (family exocoetidae) is an exceptional marine flying vertebrate, utilizing the advantages of moving in two different media, i.e. swimming in water and flying in air. despite some physical limitations by moving in both water and air, the flying fish has evolved to have good aerodynamic designs (such as the hypertrophied fins and cylindrical body with a ventrally flattened surface) for proficient gliding flight. hence, the morphological and behavioral adaptations of flying fish to ... | 2010 | 20833919 |
| [genome sequencing and genetic analysis of a natural reassortant h5n1 subtype avian influenza virus possessing h9n2 internal genes]. | abstract:one h5n1 subtype avian influenza virus, a/duck/shandong/009/2008 (dk/sd/009/08), was isolated from apparently healthy domestic ducks in some live bird market in east china during our epidemiological surveillance. to investigate the genetic composition, dk/sd/009/08 was subjected to genome sequencing. the amino acid motif of cleavage site was "plrerrrk-r/gl", which was consistent with the characterization of the hpaiv. according to the newest unified nomenclature system of h5n1, dk/sd/ 0 ... | 2010 | 20836384 |
| identification of a novel linear b-cell epitope in the ul26 and ul26.5 proteins of duck enteritis virus. | the unique long 26 (ul26) and ul26.5 proteins of herpes simplex virus are known to function during the assembly of the viruses. however, for duck enteritis virus (dev), which is an unassigned member of the family herpesviridae, little information is available about the function of the two proteins. in this study, the c-terminus of dev ul26 protein (designated ul26c), which contains the whole of ul26.5, was expressed, and the recombinant ul26c protein was used to immunize balb/c mice to generate ... | 2010 | 20836860 |
| development of a new pcr primer system for selective amplification of actinobacteria. | the occurrence of actinobacteria in water-damaged building materials as well as the clinical relevance of some actinobacteria (e.g. saccharopolyspora spp., mycobacterium spp., nocardia spp., etc.), led us to develop a detection system to examine the actinobacterial community. a new primer system, com2xf/ac1186r (16s rrna gene based) specific for actinobacteria was designed. the adequacy for the intended use of the primer system was first investigated in silico using sequences of 164 different sp ... | 2010 | 20840602 |
| transcription phase, protein characteristics of dev ul45 and prokaryotic expression, antibody preparation of the ul45 des-transmembrane domain. | some ul45 gene function of herpesvirus was reported. while there was no any report of the duck enteritis virus (dev) ul45 protein as yet. | 2010 | 20843372 |
| maternal investment of female mallards is influenced by male carotenoid-based coloration. | the differential allocation hypothesis predicts that females modify their investment in a breeding attempt according to its reproductive value. one prediction of this hypothesis is that females will increase reproductive investment when mated to high-quality males. in birds, it was shown that females can modulate pre-hatch reproductive investment by manipulating egg and clutch sizes and/or the concentrations of egg internal compounds according to paternal attractiveness. however, the differentia ... | 2011 | 20843851 |
| production, purification and characterization of polyclonal antibody against the truncated gk of the duck enteritis virus. | duck virus enteritis (dve) is an acute, contagious herpesvirus infection of ducks, geese, and swans, which has produced significant economic losses in domestic and wild waterfowl. with the purpose of decreasing economic losses in the commercial duck industry, studying the unknown glycoprotein k (gk) of dev may be a new method for preferably preventing and curing this disease. so this is the first time to product and purify the rabbit anti-tgk polyclonal antibody. through the western blot and eli ... | 2010 | 20846457 |
| antigenic, genetic, and pathogenic characterization of h5n1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses isolated from dead whooper swans (cygnus cygnus) found in northern japan in 2008. | in april and may 2008, whooper swans (cygnus cygnus) were found dead in hokkaido in japan. in this study, an adult whooper swan found dead beside lake saroma was pathologically examined and the identified h5n1 influenza virus isolates were genetically and antigenically analyzed. pathological findings indicate that the swan died of severe congestive edema in the lungs. phylogenetic analysis of the ha genes of the isolates revealed that they are the progeny viruses of isolates from poultry and wil ... | 2010 | 20848174 |
| functional characterization of the cc chemokine rantes from pekin duck (anas platyrhynchos). | rantes (regulated upon activation, normal t-cell expressed and secreted) is a key pro-inflammatory cytokine that belongs to the cc-group of chemokines. the present study was carried out to functionally characterize the previously identified rantes homologue in domestic duck (genbank accession no. ay641435). recombinant duck rantes was expressed in escherichia coli-based and hek293t cell-based systems. a trna supplementation strategy was required to express the protein in e. coli due to the prese ... | 2011 | 20850473 |
| antiviral activity of various 1-(2'-deoxy-β-d-lyxofuranosyl), 1-(2'-fluoro-β-d-xylofuranosyl), 1-(3'-fluoro-β-d-arabinofuranosyl), and 2'-fluoro-2',3'-didehydro-2',3'-dideoxyribose pyrimidine nucleoside analogues against duck hepatitis b virus (dhbv) and human hepatitis b virus (hbv) replication. | despite the existence of successful vaccine and antiviral therapies, infection with hepatitis b virus (hbv) continues to be a major global cause of acute and chronic liver disease and high mortality. we synthesized and evaluated several lyxofuranosyl, 2'-fluoroxylofuranosyl, 3'-fluoroarabinofuranosyl, and 2'-fluoro-2',3'-didehydro-2',3'-dideoxyribose pyrimidine nucleoside analogues for antiviral activities against hepatitis b virus. among the compounds examined, 1-(2-deoxy-β-d-lyxofuranosyl)thym ... | 2010 | 20857959 |
| rapid evolution of low-pathogenic h9n2 avian influenza viruses following poultry vaccination programmes. | to investigate whether currently circulating h9n2 avian influenza viruses (aivs) in domestic poultry have evolved in korean poultry since 2007, genetic and serological comparisons were conducted of h9n2 isolates from poultry slaughterhouses from january 2008 to december 2009. the isolation rate was relatively low in 2008 but increased gradually from january 2009 onwards. genetic and phylogenetic analyses revealed that reassortant viruses had emerged, generating at least five novel genotypes, mos ... | 2011 | 20861321 |
| immunogenicity, safety and tolerance of a purified duck embryo vaccine (pdev, vaxirab) for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis: results of a multicentric study in india. | rabies continues to be a major public health problem in india. nearly 17 million people are getting exposed to this disease every year. therefore the need for effective post-exposure prophylaxis with safe and potent modern rabies vaccines continues to exist. purified duck embryo vaccine (pdev) was introduced in this country to meet the ever increasing need for modern rabies vaccines. in this study we have assessed the safety, imunogenicity and tolerance of an indigenously manufactured pdev in pe ... | 2010 | 20861692 |
| impacts of microbial community composition on isotope fractionation during reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethylene. | isotope fractionation has been used with increasing frequency as a tool to quantify degradation of chlorinated aliphatic pollutants in the environment. the objective of this research was to determine if the electron donor present in enrichment cultures prepared from uncontaminated sediments influenced the extent of isotope fractionation of tetrachloroethylene (pce), either directly, or through its influence on microbial community composition. two pce-degrading enrichment cultures were prepared f ... | 2011 | 20862525 |
| antiviral activity of 2,3'-anhydro and related pyrimidine nucleosides against hepatitis b virus. | various 2,3'-anhydro analogs of 5-substituted 1-(2-deoxy-β-d-lyxofuranosyl)uracils (10-15) and a related 1-(3-o-mesyl-2-deoxy-β-d-lyxofuranosyl) pyrimidine nucleoside analog (18) have been synthesized for evaluation as a new class of potential anti-hbv agents. the compounds 10, 12, and 15 demonstrated most potent anti-hbv activities against duck hbv (dhbv) and human hbv with ec(50) values in the range of 2.5-10 and 5-10 μg/ml, respectively, at non-toxic concentrations (cc(50) = > 200 μg/ml). the ... | 2010 | 20863701 |
| expression of the c-terminal orf2 protein of duck astrovirus for application in a serological test. | duck astrovirus (dastv) is an important pathogen causing duck viral hepatitis (dvh), a highly contagious and fatal disease in young ducklings. to provide an antigen for a diagnostic serum test, the c-terminus of dastv orf2 protein was expressed in escherichia coli. four positive and 30 negative sera were used to validate the purified orf2 protein by developing an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa). no cross-reactions were found against other duck pathogens, including duck hepatit ... | 2010 | 20863856 |
| synthesis and in vitro antiviral activities of 3'-fluoro (or chloro) and 2',3'-difluoro 2',3'-dideoxynucleoside analogs against hepatitis b and c viruses. | chronic infections with hepatitis b virus (hbv) and hepatitis c virus (hcv) lead to serious liver diseases worldwide. co-infection with hbv and hcv is very common and is associated with increased risk of liver pathogenesis, liver cancer, and liver failure. several 5-substituted 3'-fluoro (or chloro) (1-4, 6, 7, 17-19) and 2',3'-difluoro 2',3'-dideoxynucleosides (15 and 16) were synthesized and evaluated for in vitro antiviral activities against duck hepatitis b virus (dhbv), human hepatitis b vi ... | 2010 | 20869253 |
| [effects of different rice farming systems on paddy field weed community]. | taking the paddy fields planted with glutinous rice and hybrid rice in the traditional agricultural region in congjiang county of guizhou province as the case, and by using semi-experiment combined with random sampling investigation, this paper studied the characteristics of weed community in the paddy fields under rice monoculture (r), rice-fish culture (r-f), and rice-fish-duck culture (r-f-d). under the three rice farming systems, glutinous rice had higher capability in inhibiting weeds, comp ... | 2010 | 20873641 |
| new horned dinosaurs from utah provide evidence for intracontinental dinosaur endemism. | during much of the late cretaceous, a shallow, epeiric sea divided north america into eastern and western landmasses. the western landmass, known as laramidia, although diminutive in size, witnessed a major evolutionary radiation of dinosaurs. other than hadrosaurs (duck-billed dinosaurs), the most common dinosaurs were ceratopsids (large-bodied horned dinosaurs), currently known only from laramidia and asia. remarkably, previous studies have postulated the occurrence of latitudinally arrayed di ... | 2010 | 20877459 |
| shedding light on avian influenza h4n6 infection in mallards: modes of transmission and implications for surveillance. | wild mallards (anas platyrhychos) are considered one of the primary reservoir species for avian influenza viruses (aiv). because aiv circulating in wild birds pose an indirect threat to agriculture and human health, understanding the ecology of aiv and developing risk assessments and surveillance systems for prevention of disease is critical. | 2010 | 20877466 |
| adult predation risk drives shifts in parental care strategies: a long-term study. | 1. grouping provides antipredatory benefits, and therefore aggregation tendencies increase under heightened predation risk. in socially breeding groups, however, conflicts over reproductive shares or safety tend to disintegrate groups. group formation thereby involves a balance between the antipredatory benefits of aggregation and the destabilizing effect of reproductive conflict. 2. we study the grouping behaviour of a facultatively social precocial sea duck with uniparental female care, the ei ... | 2010 | 20880024 |
| pathogenicity of two egyptian h5n1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in domestic ducks. | domestic ducks have been implicated in the dissemination and evolution of h5n1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (hpai) viruses. in this study, two h5n1 hpai viruses belonging to clade 2.2.1 isolated in egypt in 2007 and 2008 were analyzed for their pathogenicity in domestic pekin ducks. both viruses produced clinical signs and mortality, but the 2008 virus was more virulent, inducing early onset of neurological signs and killing all ducks with a mean death time (mdt) of 4.1 days. the 2007 virus ... | 2011 | 20882306 |
| conditioning to magnetic direction in the pekin duck (anas platyrhynchos domestica). | the ability of ducks to derive magnetic direction information was tested in a conditioned procedure and the functional properties of the mechanism of magnetoreception investigated using common manipulations. twelve ducks were trained to find a hidden imprinting stimulus behind one of three screens in a round arena. once a criterion was reached, the directional choices of ducks were recorded in four treatments presented in a random order, separated with rewarded training trials to avoid extinctio ... | 2010 | 20889822 |
| relationship of pcdd/f concentrations in duck-egg farmers and consumption of ranched duck eggs in central taiwan. | the 2004 food market-basket survey in taiwan found high levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (pcdd/fs) in duck eggs. a subsequent survey in chang-hua county, central taiwan, found nine duck farms for egg production and duck eggs that were highly contaminated by pcdd/fs in the secondary sampling and analysis during the years 2004 to 2005. duck-egg farmers eat duck eggs rather than chicken eggs, and the aim of the current study was to evaluate how eating contaminated duck ... | 2010 | 20891013 |
| alien invasive birds. | a bird species is regarded as alien invasive if it has been introduced, intentionally or accidentally, to a location where it did not previously occur naturally, becomes capable of establishing a breeding population without further intervention by humans, spreads and becomes a pest affecting the environment, the local biodiversity, the economy and/or society, including human health. european starling (sturnus vulgaris), common myna (acridotheres tristis) and red-vented bulbul (pycnonotus cafer) ... | 2010 | 20919578 |
| cis-acting sequences that contribute to synthesis of minus-strand dna are not conserved between hepadnaviruses. | hepadnaviruses are dna viruses that are found in several mammalian and avian species. these viruses replicate their genome through reverse transcription of an rna intermediate termed pregenomic rna (pgrna). pgrna is reverse transcribed by the viral polymerase into a minus-strand dna, followed by synthesis of the plus-strand dna. there are multiple cis-acting sequences that contribute to the synthesis of minus-strand dna for human hepatitis b virus (hbv). less is known about the cis-acting sequen ... | 2010 | 20926578 |
| the bayh-dole act turns 30. | on 12 december 1980, in the waning days of the lame duck session of the 96th congress, the u.s. senate passed the university and small business patent procedures act, now known as the bayh-dole act, a seemingly obscure act that allowed universities to claim title to inventions that had been made with federal funding. it is unlikely that many present that day realized what a dramatic impact that act would have. data clearly show that it played a critical role in rejuvenating the entire u.s. econo ... | 2010 | 20926832 |
| factors limiting the health of semi-scavenging ducks in bangladesh. | duck rearing is well suited to coastal and lowland areas in bangladesh. it is an important component of sustainable livelihood strategies for poor rural communities as an additional source of household income. an epidemiological study was conducted during january 2005-june 2006 on 379 households in chatkhil of the noakhali district, bangladesh which were using the recently devised "bangladesh duck model". the overall objective of the study was to identify factors that significantly contributed t ... | 2010 | 20936345 |
| monitoring the health and production of household jinding ducks on hatia island of bangladesh. | duck rearing is an important component of sustainable living in poor rural communities, especially as a source of subsistence. a study was conducted on 118 households (n = 1,373 jinding ducks, anas platyrhynchus) from december 2002 to february 2004 on hatia island in bangladesh with the aim of identifying the factors that limit the health and production of jinding ducks. overall duck mortality was 29.3%, with disease (19.7%) being a more significant factor than predation (9.6%; p = 0.001). duck ... | 2010 | 20936346 |
| low cholesteryl ester transfer protein and phospholipid transfer protein activities are the factors making tree shrew and beijing duck resistant to atherosclerosis. | tree shrew and beijing duck are regarded as animal models resistant to atherosclerosis (as). this study was carried out to discover the potential mechanism. | 2010 | 20937151 |
| immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a dna vaccine encoding a chimeric protein of avian influenza hemagglutinin subtype h5 fused to cd154 (cd40l) in pekin ducks. | the potential of cd154 (cd40l) as a powerful immunological adjuvant has been shown in various strategies. in this study we examine the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a cd40-targeting avian influenza hemagglutinin (ha) subunit dna vaccine in ducks. dna constructs encoded the ectodomain of the ha protein of lpai a/mallard/bc/373/2005 (h5n2) with or without fusion to the ectodomain of duck cd154. cd40-targeting significantly accelerated and enhanced humoral responses to the vector-encode ... | 2010 | 20937323 |
| eggshell permeability: a standard technique for determining interspecific rates of water vapor conductance. | typically, eggshell water vapor conductance is measured on whole eggs, freshly collected at the commencement of a study. at times, however, it may not be possible to obtain whole fresh eggs but rather egg fragments or previously blown eggs. here we evaluate and describe in detail a technique for modern laboratory analysis of eggshell conductance that uses fragments from fresh and museum eggs to determine eggshell water vapor conductance. we used fresh unincubated eggs of domesticated chickens (g ... | 2010 | 20939733 |
| assessment of different surveillance systems for avian influenza in commercial poultry in catalonia (north-eastern spain). | compulsory surveillance programmes for avian influenza (ai) have been implemented in domestic poultry and wild birds in all the european member states since 2005. the implementation of these programmes is complex and requires a close evaluation. a good indicator to assess their efficacy is the sensitivity (se) of the surveillance system. in this study, the sensitivities for different sampling designs proposed by the spanish authorities for the commercial poultry population of catalonia were asse ... | 2010 | 20943281 |
| susceptibility of muscovy (cairina moschata) and mallard ducks (anas platyrhynchos) to experimental infections by different genotypes of h5n1 avian influenza viruses. | it is a fact that in viet nam, muscovy ducks are raised in large populations (approximately 8 million), usually kept in small flocks together with mallards and chickens. as a result, it is a great concern for epidemiologists to elucidate possible differences in relation to these species being exposed to infection with h5n1. to do this, an experimental study on infections with different genotypes of h5n1 in mallards and muscovy ducks have been conducted, where it was found that the mortality of t ... | 2010 | 20943331 |
| surveillance and identification of influenza a viruses in wild aquatic birds in the crimea, ukraine (2006-2008). | the ecology of avian influenza (ai) viruses in wild aquatic birds of asia is poorly understood, especially for the h5n1 high pathogenicity ai (hpai) viruses. from march 2006 through november 2008, 20 ai viruses were isolated in the crimea region of ukraine with an overall frequency of virus recovery of 3.3%. all the viruses were isolated from three species of dabbling ducks: mallard (anas platyrhynchos), wigeon (anas penelope), and garganey (anas querquedula), making the frequency of virus recov ... | 2010 | 20945793 |
| potential of low pathogenicity avian influenza viruses of wild bird origin to establish experimental infections in turkeys and chickens. | the potential of low pathogenicity (lp) avian influenza virus (aiv) isolates of wild bird origin to establish infection in commercial turkeys and broiler chickens was studied. isolates, representing subtypes h5n1, h7n3, h6n2, and h3n6, were recovered in 2005 and 2006 from waterfowl and shorebirds in the delmarva peninsula region of the east coast of the united states. the lp aiv isolates were not pathogenic for 2-wk-old meat-type turkeys and broiler chickens. no mortality, clinical signs, or gro ... | 2010 | 20945794 |
| development and evaluation of an immunochromatographic strip test based on the recombinant ul51 protein for detecting antibody against duck enteritis virus. | duck enteritis virus (dev) infection causes substantial economic losses to the worldwide duck-producing areas. the monitoring of dev-specific antibodies is a key to evaluate the effect of dev vaccine and develop rational immunization programs. thus, in this study, an immunochromatographic strip (ics) test was developed for detecting dev serum antibodies. | 2010 | 20946624 |
| molecular adaptation of an h7n3 wild duck influenza virus following experimental multiple passages in quail and turkey. | to investigate the molecular adaptation of influenza viruses during natural interspecies transmission, we performed a phenotypic and genotypic analysis of a low-pathogenic duck h7n3 influenza virus after experimental passages in turkey and quail. results obtained showed differences in the ha receptor-binding and in na enzyme activities in viruses recovered after passages in quail, compared to those obtained from passages in turkey. sequencing of the ha, na and genes of internal proteins of the v ... | 2010 | 20947115 |
| low pathogenic avian influenza (h7n1) transmission between wild ducks and domestic ducks. | this article describes a virological investigation in a mixed flock of ducks and geese following detection of avian influenza virus antibodies in domestic geese. low pathogenic h7n1 was found in both domestic and wild birds, indicating that transmission of virus was likely to have taken place between these. the importance of implementing and maintaining appropriate biosecurity measures is re-emphasized. | 2010 | 20950409 |
| dietary exposure to pcbs based on food consumption survey and food basket analysis at taizhou, china--the world's major site for recycling transformers. | the levels of pcbs in different types of food (fish, shellfish, meat, rice, vegetables, and fruits) were analyzed to determine the dietary intake of 37 pcbs for local residents and e-waste workers (all lactating mothers) at taizhou (china), a major electronic waste scrapping center, in particular for recycling transformers. the exposure to pcbs through dietary intake in taizhou was estimated at 92.79 ngkg(-1)d(-1), contributed by consumption of freshwater fish (28%), rice (28%), meat (17%), shel ... | 2010 | 20951404 |
| antibiotic-resistant escherichia coli bacteria, including strains with genes encoding the extended-spectrum beta-lactamase and qnrs, in waterbirds on the baltic sea coast of poland. | individual cloacal swabs of mallards (anas platyrhynchos) and of herring gulls (larus argentatus), as well as samples of waterbird feces obtained in 2008 and 2009, were cultivated for escherichia coli. isolates of e. coli were tested for susceptibilities to 12 antimicrobial agents by the disk diffusion method. moreover, the samples were subcultivated on macconkey agar (mca) containing cefotaxime (2 mg liter(-1)) to detect e. coli with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (esbl) and subsequently on m ... | 2010 | 20952638 |
| a duck with four legs: investigating the structure of conceptual knowledge using picture drawing in semantic dementia. | in study 1, six patients with semantic dementia were asked to produce drawings of concrete concepts from dictation of their names. the drawings were characterised by a loss of distinctive features. in the artefact domain, this feature loss resulted in representations that were increasingly box-like. in the living domain, as well as distinctive features being lost, there was a tendency for patients to include incorrect features that resulted in more familiar and "prototypical" representations. a ... | 2003 | 20957563 |
| genetic characterization of h1 avian influenza viruses isolated from migratory birds and domestic ducks in korea. | h1 avian influenza viruses (aivs) isolated from migratory birds and domestic ducks from 2003 to 2007 were analyzed to determine their genetic relationship. phylogenic analysis with nucleotide sequences of all eight gene segments showed that 13 h1 aivs from migratory birds and domestic ducks belonged to eurasian avian lineages and were closely related to each other. compared with h1 influenza viruses of swine or human origin in korea, there was no evidence of reassortment among the human, swine, ... | 2010 | 20960044 |
| method to introduce mannitol powder to intubated patients to improve sputum clearance. | poor sputum clearance is a common problem encountered in intubated patients, which may cause airway obstruction, hypoxaemia, and increased risk of lower respiratory tract infection. this may result in longer intensive care unit (icu) stay or even death. dry powder mannitol has been shown to improve sputum clearance, and thus we developed a system to deliver it to intubated patients. | 2010 | 20961167 |