Morfología comparativa de las células sanguíneas del tiburón nodriza Ginglymostoma cirratum (Bonnaterre, 1788) con diversos peces.

Se llevó a cabo una comparación entre la morfología de las células de la sangre periférica de 9 tiburones nodriza, de una raya americana y 9 peces teleósteos; además, se determinó la fórmula leucocitaria y la cantidad total de eritrocitos y leucocitos/mm 3 de sangre para cada pez estudiado. English Abstract This work is a comparation of the blood cells morphology between 9 nurse sharks, southern stingray and 9 bone fishes, moreover, it was maked a differential leucocytes count, red and white cells counts by blood mm3 for any fish.

Effects of blood extraction on horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus)

Horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) are caught by commercial fishermen for use as bait in eel and whelk fisheries (Berkson and Shuster, 1999)—fisheries with an annual economic value of $13 to $17 million (Manion et al.1). Horse-shoe crabs are ecologically important, as well (Walls et al., 2002). Migratory shorebirds rely on horseshoe crab eggs for food as they journey from South American wintering grounds to Arctic breeding grounds (Clark, 1996). Horse-shoe crabs are also essential for public health (Berkson and Shuster, 1999). Biomedical companies bleed horse-shoe crabs to extract a chemical used to detect the presence of endotoxins pathogenic to humans in injectable and implantable medical devices (Novitsky, 1984; Mikkelsen, 1988). Bled horseshoe crabs are returned to the wild, subject to the possibility of postbleeding mortality. Recent concerns of overharvesting have led to conflicts among commercial fishermen, environmentalists acting on behalf of the shorebirds, and biomedical companies (Berkson and Shuster, 1999; Walls et al., 2002).

Fecundity and spawning season of striped mullet (Mugil cephalus L.) in South Carolina estuaries

Fecundity in striped mullet (Mugil cephalus) from South Carolina correlated highly with length and weight, but not with age. Oocyte counts ranged from 4.47 × 105 to 2.52 × 106 in 1998 for fish ranging in size from 331 mm to 600 mm total length, 2.13 × 105to 3.89 × 106in 1999 for fish ranging in size from 332 mm to 588 mm total length, and 3.89 × 105 to 3.01 × 106 in 2000 for fish ranging in size from 325 mm to 592 mm total length. The striped mullet in this study had a high degree of variability in the size-at-age relation-ship; this variability was indicative of varied growth rates and compounded the errors in estimating fecundity at age. The stronger relationship of fecundity to fish size allowed a much better predictive model for potential fecundity in striped mullet. By comparing fecundity with other measures of reproductive activity, such as the gonadosomatic index, histological examination, and the measurement of mean oocyte diameters, we determined that none of these methods by themselves were adequate to determine the extent of reproductive development. Histological examinations and oocyte diameter measurements revealed that fecundity counts could be made once developing oocytes reached 0.400 μm or larger. Striped mullet are isochronal spawners; therefore fecundity estimates for this species are easier to determine because oocytes develop at approximately the same rate upon reaching 400 μm. This uniform development made oocytes that were to be spawned easier to count. When fecundity counts were used in conjunction with histological examination, oocyte diameter measurements, and gonadosomatic index, a more complete measure of reproductive potential and the timing of the spawning season was possible. In addition, it was determined that striped mullet that recruit into South Carolina estuaries spawn from October through April.

Toxic effects of dietary seaweeds Sargassum bovianum, Caulera faridii and Gracilaria corticata on blood parameters of albino rats

The present communication deals with the feeding trials of brown (Sargassum bovianum), green (Caulerpa faridii) and red (Gracilaria corticola) seaweeds in albino rats for a period of thirty days in order to investigate their digestibility and acceptability as supplementary food for animals. The parameters used were: changes in blood hemoglobin, ESR, MCHC, PCV and plasma vitamin levels. The result revealed that all the three species of seaweeds had acceptability up to 5% level, as no ill effect was noted during the experiment. But at 10% and 20% levels, marked changes were observed in blood parameters with diarrhea, vomiting and convulsions indicating possibilities of either tissue and muscular dystrophy, gastrointestinal tract necrosis or functional disorder of central nervous system. A heavy mortality was noted due to excessive water loss through diarrhea and vomiting. However, no mortality was observed after 22nd day at both 10% and 20% levels with subsided clinical signs. The results suggest that these three seaweed species could be used safely as a supplementary food, in native form, in animals at low concentrations.

Cell types in the peripheral blood of waking catfish Clarias batrachus (Lin.)

Different types of haematocytes found in the peripheral blood of walking catfish Clarias batrachus, have been characterized and identified using morphological, morphometric and cytochemical techniques. These cells are: erythrocytes, reticulocytes, large and small lymphocytes, thrombocytes, monocytes and polymorphonuclear leucocytes (neutrophils).

Sulfide binding characteristics of blood serum in Calyptogena pacifica and Vesicomya gigas

The sulfide binding characteristics of blood serum were studied in vitro in two deep-sea vesicomyid clams, Calyptogena pacifica and Vesicomya gigas. Both the C. pacifica and the V. gigas serum concentrated sulfide at least an order of magnitude above ambient levels. V. gigas accumulated sulfide faster than C. pacifica, reaching saturation at 5000 M after an hour. C. pacifica bound sulfide at half the rate of V. gigas, reaching saturation in about two hours at a substantially higher concentration of sulfide. The observed distribution of the animals near cold seeps in the Monterey Submarine Canyon can be explained by their different sulfide binding abilities. The hypothesis that cold seeps are actually much more unstable sources of sulfide than previously assumed is explored.

Towards a complete dense geometric and photometric reconstruction under varying pose and illumination

This paper proposes a novel framework to construct a geometric and photometric model of a viewed object that can be used for visualisation in arbitrary pose and illumination. The method is solely based on images and does not require any specialised equipment. We assume that the object has a piece-wise smooth surface and that its reflectance can be modelled using a parametric bidirectional reflectance distribution function. Without assuming any prior knowledge on the object, geometry and reflectance have to be estimated simultaneously and occlusion and shadows have to be treated consistently. We exploit the geometric and photometric consistency using the fact that surface orientation and reflectance are local invariants. In a first implementation, we demonstrate the method using a Lambertian object placed on a turn-table and illuminated by a number of unknown point light-sources. A discrete voxel model is initialised to the visual hull and voxels identified as inconsistent with the invariants are removed iteratively. The resulting model is used to render images in novel pose and illumination. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Molecular evolution of CXCR1, a G protein-coupled receptor involved in signal transduction of neutrophils

Human neutrophils are a type of white blood cell, which forms an early line of defense against bacterial infections. Neutrophils are highly responsive to the chemokine, interleukin-8 (IL-8) due to the abundant distribution of CXCR1, one of the IL-8 receptors on the neutrophil cell surface. As a member of the GPCR family, CXCR1 plays a crucial role in the IL-8 signal transduction pathway in neutrophils. We sequenced the complete coding region of the CXCR1 gene in worldwide human populations and five representative nonhuman primate species. Our results indicate accelerated protein evolution in the human lineage, which was likely caused by Darwinian positive selection. The sliding window analysis and the codon-based neutrality test identified signatures of positive selection at the N-terminal ligand/receptor recognition domain of human CXCR1.

Genetic diversity of Yunnan local pig breeds inferred from blood protein electrophoresis

Protein electrophoresis was used to examine the blood protein polymorphism in Yunnan local pig breeds, i.e., the Saba pig, Dahe pig, and Diannan small-ear pig breeds, Of 38 genetic loci surveyed 9 were found to be polymorphic. The percentage of polymorphic loci (P) varies from 0.1875 to 0.2121, and the mean individual heterozygosity (H) varies front 0.0712 to 0.1027 in three pig breeds. The results indicate that blood protein polymorphism in Yunnan pig breeds is high. Yunnan local pig breeds have a wealth of genetic diversity at the level of blood proteins.

Phylogenetic study of complete cytochrome b genes in musk deer (genus Moschus) using museum samples

As an endangered animal group, musk deer (genus Moschus) are not only a great concern of wildlife conservation, but also of special interest to evolutionary studies due to long-standing arguments on the taxonomic and phylogenetic associations in this group. Using museum samples, we sequenced complete mitochondrial cytochrome b genes (1140 bp) of all suggested species of musk deer in order to reconstruct their phylogenetic history through molecular information. Our results showed that the cytochrome b gene tree is rather robust and concurred for all the algorithms employed (parsimony, maximum likelihood, and distance methods). Further, the relative rate test indicated a constant sequence substitution rate among all the species, permitting the dating of divergence events by molecular clock. According to the molecular topology, M. moschiferus branched off the earliest from a common ancestor of musk deer (about 700,000 years ago); then followed the bifurcation forming the M. berezouskii lineage and the lineage clustering M. fuscus, M. chrysogaster, and M. leucogaster (around 370,000 years before present), interestingly the most recent speciation event in musk deer happened rather recently (140,000 years ago), which might have resulted from the diversified habitats and geographic barriers in southwest China caused by gigantic movements of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in history. Combining the data of current distributions, fossil records, and molecular data of this study, we suggest that the historical dispersion of musk deer might be from north to south in China. Additionally, in our further analyses involving other pecora species, musk deer was strongly supported as a monophyletic group and a valid family in Artiodactyla, closely related to Cervidae. (C) 1999 Academic Press.

In vitro phagocytic study of blood leucocytes and peritoneal macrophages of walking catfish Clarias batrachus ( Ham.) against Aeromonas hydrophila and Escherichia coli.

In observation of in vitro phagocytic activity against Aeromonas hydrophila isolate 34k (a virulent form) and Escherichia coli (an avirulent bacteria) of neutrophil- and monocyte-like cells of walking catfish Clarias batrachus showed phagocytosis. N eutrophils and monocytes phagocytized the avirulent form of bacterial isolate more than the virulent one. Other blood leucocytes did not show phagocytosis. Peritoneal macrophage of the fish were separated by glycogen elicitation and the macrophages were being adhered on plastic cover slips for studying their in vitro phagocytic activity. Most of the cells were alive after adherence and showed phagocytosis against the virulent and avirulent bacteria. The percent phagocytosis and phagocytic index were higher against the avirulent E. coli than the virulent A. hydrophila.

ISOLATION AND PROPERTIES OF A BLOOD-COAGULATION FACTOR-X ACTIVATOR FROM THE VENOM OF KING COBRA (OPHIOPHAGUS HANNAH)

A specific blood coagulation factor X activator was purified from the venom of Ophiophagus hannah by gel filtration and two steps of FPLC Mono-Q column ion-exchange chromatography. It showed a single protein band both in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and alkaline polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The mol. wt was estimated to be 62,000 in non-reducing conditions and 64,500 in reducing conditions by SDS-PAGE. The isoelectric point was found to be pH 5.6. The enzyme had weak amidolytic activities toward CBS 65-25, but it showed no activities on S-2266, S-2302, thrombin substrate S-2238, plasmin substrate S-2251 or factor Xa substrate S-2222. It had no arginine esterase activity toward substrate benzoylarginine ethylester (BAEE). The enzyme activated factor X in vitro and the effect was absolutely Ca2+ dependent, with a Hill coefficient of 6.83. It could not activate prothrombin nor had any effect on fibrinogen and thus appeared to act specifically on factor X. The procoagulant activity of the enzyme was almost completely inhibited by serine protease inhibitors like PMSF, TPCK and soybean trypsin inhibitor; partially inhibited by L-cysteine. Metal chelator EDTA did not inhibit its procoagulant activity. These results suggest that the factor X activator from O. hannah venom is a serine protease.

AN ACTIVATOR OF BLOOD-COAGULATION FACTOR-X FROM THE VENOM OF BUNGARUS-FASCIATUS

A specific activator of blood coagulation factor X was purified from the venom of Bungarus fasciatus by gel filtration and by ion-exchange chromatography on a Mono-Q column (FPLC). It consisted of a single polypeptide chain, with a mel. wt of 70,000 in reducing and non-reducing conditions. The enzyme had an amidolytic activity towards the chromogenic substrates S-2266 and S-2302 but it did not hydrolyse S-2238, S2251 or S-2222, which are specific substrates for thrombin, plasmin and factor Xa, respectively. The enzyme activated factor X in vitro and the effect was Ca2+ dependent with a Hill coefficient of 7.9. As with physiological activators, the venom activator cleaves the heavy chain of factor X, producing the activated factor Xa alpha. The purified factor X activator from B. fasciatus venom did not activate prothrombin, nor did it cleave or clot purified fibrinogen. The amidolytic activity and the factor X activation activity of the factor X activator from B. fasciatus venom were readily inhibited by serine protease inhibitors such as diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP), phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), benzamidine and by soybean trypsin inhibitor but not by EDTA. These observations suggest that the factor X activator from B. fasciatus venom is a serine protease. It therefore differs from those of activators obtained from Vipera russelli and Bothrops atrox venoms, which are metalloproteinases.

Effects of Pallas' viper (Agkistrodon halys pallas) venom on blood coagulation and characterization of a prothrombin activator

The action of Pallas' viper (Agkistrodon halys pallas) venom on blood coagulation was examined in vitro and a strong anticoagulant effect was observed. This action was abolished after treatment with a specific inhibitor of phospholipase A(2) activity (p-bromophenacyl bromide), revealing a procoagulant action in low concentrations of treated venom (around 1 mu g/ml). The effect of the venom an haemostasis was further characterized by measuring its ability to activate purified blood coagulation factors. It is concluded that A. halys pallas venom contains prothrombin activation activity. A prothrombin activator (aharin) was purified from the venom by Sephadex G-75 gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography on a Mono-Q column. It consisted of a single polypeptide chain, with a mol. wt of 63,000. Purified aharin possessed no amidolytic activity on chromogenic substrates. It did not act on other blood coagulation factors, such as factor X and plasminogen, nor did it cleave or clot purified fibrinogen. The prothrombin activation activity of aharin was readily inhibited by ethylenediamine tetracetic acid (a metal chelator), but specific serine protease inhibitors such as diisopropyl fluorophosphate and phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride had no effect on it. These observations suggest that, like those prothrombin activators from Echis carinatus and Bothrops atrox venoms, the prothrombin activator from A. halys pallas venom is a metalloproteinase. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.