Condition, disease and immune defence

Life-history traits and secondary sexual characters often demonstrate condition-dependence, and reproductive success thus ultimately appears to be determined by condition. Here we test the hypothesis that anti-parasite defence is condition-dependent and thus ultimately limits fitness. Animal hosts defend themselves against parasites by an efficient immune system that changes its activity level depending on level of infection. Since immune function is costly, as demonstrated by several field studies, we predicted that large immune defence organs should be maintained when the costs of an elevated immune response were reduced, or when the benefits were increased. Hence, the size of immune defence organs was predicted to increase in response to disease due to increased benefits of investment in immune function, and the; size was predicted to increase in response to high body condition because of reduced costs of investment in immune function. A comparative study of birds demonstrated that the size of the spleen was significantly increased among individuals suffering from parasitic infections and signs of disease as compared to healthy individuals. Furthermore, we found evidence for a positive association between spleen size and body condition. These findings are consistent with the hypothesised cost of immune function and hence a cost of anti-parasite defence.

Tasavallan Presidentin radio- ja TV-haastattelu 5.8.1970

Haastattelu

L'hygiène des albuminuriques / par le Dr Maurice Springer,...

Collection : Bibliothèque d'hygiène thérapeutique

Tabela de vida de fertilidade de Lysiphlebus testaceipes (Cresson, 1880) (Hymenoptera, Aphidiidae) em Schizaphis graminum (Rondani, 1852) (Hemipera, Aphididae)

Life table analyses have been developed to understanding the impact of various sources of intrinsic and extrinsic mortalities on the rate of population growth. The understanding of the population increase of the parasitoids related to their hosts is important in biological control programs. This work had as objective to evaluate the survival and fertility of the parasitoid Lysiphlebus testaceipes (Cresson, 1880) on Schizaphis graminum (Rondani, 1852) as a host under fertility life table. The experiment were carried out in a climatic chamber at 25 ± 1ºC, RH 60 ± 10% and 10h photophase. To determine the immature mortality, the development time and the sex ratio of the parasitoid, 12 females of the parasitoid (less than one day old) and 240 nymphs of S. graminum (3 days old) were used. To evaluate the longevity and fertility of L. testaceipes, 15 females (less than one day old) were used. Nymphs of S. graminum (3 days old) were offered for each parasitoid female daily, until the female died, being in the 1st day - 300 nymphs; 2nd day - 250 nymphs; 3rd day - 200 nymphs; 4th day - 150 and in the other days a number of 50 nymphs. L. testaceipes had an immature mortality of 22,2%, and a development time of males and females of 9.0 and 9.1 days, respectively. The females of L. testaceipes laid, in it first life day, 257.8 eggs, and they survived up until seven days. The net reproduction rate (Ro) and the intrinsic rate of increase (r m) were respectively, 301.9 and 0.513. The finite rate of increase (l) was 1.67 females per day, the mean length of a generation (T) was 11.13 days and the time to duplicate the population (TD) was 1.35 weeks. The parasitoid L. testaceipes have a high potential of population growth on S. graminum as a host under the analyzed conditions.

Helsinki 26/6 1942

Kirje 26.6.1942

19 p:nä kesäkuuta 1942

Kirje 19.6.1942

Cost system design and cost management in the Spanish public sector

Cost systems have been shown to have developed considerably in recent years andactivity-based costing (ABC) has been shown to be a contribution to cost management,particularly in service businesses. The public sector is composed to a very great extentof service functions, yet considerably less has been reported of the use of ABC tosupport cost management in this sector.In Spain, cost systems are essential for city councils as they are obliged to calculate thecost of the services subject to taxation (eg. waste collection, etc). City councils musthave a cost system in place to calculate the cost of services, as they are legally requirednot to profit , from these services.This paper examines the development of systems to support cost management in theSpanish Public Sector. Through semi-structured interviews with 28 subjects within oneCity Council it contains a case study of cost management. The paper contains extractsfrom interviews and a number of factors are identified which contribute to thesuccessful development of the cost management system.Following the case study a number of other City Councils were identified where activity-based techniques had either failed or stalled. Based on the factors identified inthe single case study a further enquiry is reported. The paper includes a summary usingstatistical analysis which draws attention to change management, funding and politicalincentives as factors which had an influence on system success or failure.

Radioimmunotherapy of human colon carcinoma by 131I-labelled monoclonal anti-CEA antibodies in a nude mouse model.

A mixture of 3 MAbs directed against 3 different CEA epitopes was radiolabelled with 131I and used for the treatment of a human colon carcinoma transplanted s.c. into nude mice. Intact MAbs and F(ab')2 fragments were mixed because it had been shown by autoradiography that these 2 antibody forms can penetrate into different areas of the tumor nodule. Ten days after transplantation of colon tumor T380 a single dose of 600 microCi of 131I MAbs was injected i.v. The tumor grafts were well established (as evidenced by exponential growth in untreated mice) and their size continued to increase up to 6 days after radiolabelled antibody injection. Tumor shrinking was then observed lasting for 4-12 weeks. In a control group injected with 600 microCi of 131I coupled to irrelevant monoclonal IgG, tumor growth was delayed, but no regression was observed. Tumors of mice injected with the corresponding amount of unlabelled antibodies grew like those of untreated mice. Based on measurements of the effective whole-body half-life of injected 131I, the mean radiation dose received by the animals was calculated to be 382 rads for the antibody group and 478 rads for the normal IgG controls. The genetically immunodeficient animals exhibited no increase in mortality, and only limited bone-marrow toxicity was observed. Direct measurement of radioactivity in mice dissected 1, 3 and 7 days after 131I-MAb injection showed that 25, 7.2 and 2.2% of injected dose were recovered per gram of tumor, the mean radiation dose delivered to the tumor being thus more than 5,000 rads. These experiments show that therapeutic doses of radioactivity can be selectively directed to human colon carcinoma by i.v. injection of 131I-labelled anti-CEA MAbs.

Informe de evaluación de los recursos pesqueros anchoveta, sardina, jurel y caballa a julio de 1980

Evaluación de los recursos pelágicos a julio de 1980, proyectándose sobre los niveles de captura permisibles para el segundo semestre de 1980.

Highly efficient DNA incorporation of intratumourally injected [125I]iododeoxyuridine under thymidine synthesis blocking in human glioblastoma xenografts.

Intratumoural (i.t.) injection of radio-iododeoxyuridine (IdUrd), a thymidine (dThd) analogue, is envisaged for targeted Auger electron- or beta-radiation therapy of glioblastoma. Here, biodistribution of [(125)I]IdUrd was evaluated 5 hr after i.t. injection in subcutaneous human glioblastoma xenografts LN229 after different intravenous (i.v.) pretreatments with fluorodeoxyuridine (FdUrd). FdUrd is known to block de novo dThd synthesis, thus favouring DNA incorporation of radio-IdUrd. Results showed that pretreatment with 2 mg/kg FdUrd i.v. in 2 fractions 0.5 hr and 1 hr before injection of radio-IdUrd resulted in a mean tumour uptake of 19.8% of injected dose (% ID), representing 65.3% ID/g for tumours of approx. 0.35 g. Tumour uptake of radio-IdUrd in non-pretreated mice was only 4.1% ID. Very low uptake was observed in normal nondividing and dividing tissues with a maximum concentration of 2.9% ID/g measured in spleen. Pretreatment with a higher dose of FdUrd of 10 mg/kg prolonged the increased tumour uptake of radio-IdUrd up to 5 hr. A competition experiment was performed in FdUrd pretreated mice using i.t. co-injection of excess dThd that resulted in very low tumour retention of [(125)I]IdUrd. DNA isolation experiments showed that in the mean >95% of tumour (125)I activity was incorporated in DNA. In conclusion, these results show that close to 20% ID of radio-IdUrd injected i.t. was incorporated in tumour DNA after i.v. pretreatment with clinically relevant doses of FdUrd and that this approach may be further exploited for diffusion and therapy studies with Auger electron- and/or beta-radiation-emitting radio-IdUrd.

Estructura especiológica de los subsistemas dermesal costero y pelagial costero. Prospección E/E Huamanga 9611-12

Se analiza la composición especiológica y distribución de las capturas obtenidas en la Prospección Pesquera Costera efectuada entre Punta Malpelo (03°30,32 'S; 80°33,36 'W), sur de Puerto Pizarro, y bahía Grande (11°12,46 'S; 77°43,20 'W), al norte de Huacho. Se capturaron 115 especies: 86 peces, 17 crustáceos, 6 moluscos, 3 equinodermos, un cnidario, un sálpido y un poliqueto. Los recursos demersales, con lances de arrastre de fondo, efectuados entre las Puntas Malpelo y Malabrigo (07°43,05 'S, 79°38,75 'W), tuvieron la mayor diversidad (113 especies) y la mayor captura (11 639,4 kg de pesca) destacando por sus volúmenes, tres especies que representaron el 74% de la pesca de arrastre: la merluza (Merluccius gayi peruanus con 6.508,1 kg) seguida del falso volador (Prionotus stephanophrys con 1.603,85 kg) y la anchoveta blanca (Anchoa nasus con 499,85 kg). Los recursos pelágicos se capturaron en menor volumen (581,2 kg), y dos especies constituyeron el 95,3% del total: la anchoveta (Engraulis ringens con 251,95 kg) y el bagre con faja (Galeichthys peruvianus con 301,7 kg).