Various Stressors (various + stressor)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Interactions of Salmonella enterica with lettuce leaves

JOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2009
Y. Kroupitski
Abstract Aims:, To investigate the interactions of Salmonella enterica with abiotic and plant surfaces and their effect on the tolerance of the pathogen to various stressors. Methods and Results:,Salmonella strains were tested for their ability to form biofilm in various growth media using a polystyrene plate model. Strong biofilm producers were found to attach better to intact Romaine lettuce leaf tissue compared to weak producers. Confocal microscopy and viable count studies revealed preferential attachment of Salmonella to cut-regions of the leaf after 2 h at 25°C, but not for 18 h at 4°C. Storage of intact lettuce pieces contaminated with Salmonella for 9 days at 4°C resulted only in small changes in population size. Exposure of lettuce-associated Salmonella cells to acidic conditions (pH 3·0) revealed increased tolerance of the attached vs planktonic bacteria. Conclusions:, Biofilm formation on polystyrene may provide a suitable model to predict the initial interaction of Salmonella with cut Romaine lettuce leaves. Association of the pathogen with lettuce leaves facilitates its persistence during storage and enhances its acid tolerance. Significance and Impact of the Study:, Understanding the interactions between foodborne pathogens and lettuce might be useful in developing new approaches to prevent fresh produce-associated outbreaks. [source]


Cell resilience in species life spans: a link to inflammation?

AGING CELL, Issue 4 2010
Caleb E. Finch
Summary Species differences in life span have been attributed to cellular survival during various stressors, designated here as ,cell resilience'. In primary fibroblast cultures, cell resilience during exposure to free radicals, hypoglycemia, hyperthermia, and various toxins has shown generally consistent correlations with the species characteristic life spans of birds and mammals. However, the mechanistic links of cell resilience in fibroblast cultures to different species life spans are poorly understood. We propose that certain experimental stressors are relevant to somatic damage in vivo during inflammatory responses of innate immunity, particularly, resistance to reactive oxygen species (ROS), low glucose, and hyperthermia. According to this hypothesis, somatic cell resilience determines species differences in longevity during repeated infections and traumatic injuries in the natural environment. Infections and injury expose local fibroblasts and other cells to ROS generated by macrophages and to local temperature elevations. Systemically, acute phase immune reactions cause hypoglycemia and hyperthermia. We propose that cell resilience to somatic stressors incurred in inflammation is important in the evolution of longevity and that longer-lived species are specifically more resistant to immune-related stressors. This hypothesis further specifies Kirkwood's disposable soma theory. We suggest expanding the battery of stressors and markers used for comparative studies to additional cell types and additional parameters relevant to host defense and to their ecological specificities. [source]


A rapid onset, post-capture muscle necrosis in the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (L.) from the West coast of Scotland

JOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES, Issue 4 2000
G D Stentiford
A post-capture, abdominal muscle necrosis of rapid onset has been identified in Norway lobsters, Nephrops norvegicus (L.), captured off the West coast of Scotland. Economic losses, as a result of the mortality of these animals in transport, were encountered by Scottish wholesalers during the summer and autumn of 1999. Affected animals show a characteristic whitening of individual muscle fibres and fibre bundles of the abdomen within hours of capture, with a progression towards complete opacity of the abdominal musculature within a number of days. The pathology causes a loss of the normal function of the abdomen; thus, preventing the normal ,tail flip' swimming. Electron microscopy failed to reveal any obvious causative agent but showed that affected tissue displayed a progressive disruption of sarcomere organization, loss of Z-line material, condensation of myofibrils and infiltration of necrotic regions by granulocytes. SDS,PAGE of affected muscle tissue showed that there was a great reduction of most of the major contractile proteins. The condition most closely resembles idiopathic or spontaneous muscle necrosis, a pathology previously reported from both wild and cultured crustaceans. Damage to the integument in conjunction with exposure to various stressors during and immediately after capture is the most likely cause of the pathology. The rapid onset of the pathology has implications for the post-capture handling procedure for N. norvegicus and their subsequent vivier transport to market. It may also be partially responsible for the high mortality rate of undersized N. norvegicus returned to the sea after capture and aerial emersion. [source]


Lipopolysaccharide Inhibits Luteinizing Hormone Release Through Interaction with Opioid and Excitatory Amino Acid Inputs to Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurones in Female Rats: Possible Evidence for a Common Mechanism Involved in Infection and Immobilization Stress

JOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 6 2003
D. He
Abstract Acute immobilization stress suppresses naloxone- and N -methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA)-induced, but not gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-induced, luteinizing hormone (LH) release in ovariectomized oestrogen-primed rats. To explore whether a common mechanism may underlie inhibition of gonadotropin secretion by various stressors, we examined in the present study the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on LH release induced by progesterone, GnRH, naloxone and NMDA. The effect of LPS on Fos expression in GnRH neurones was also examined in association with its effect on steroid-induced LH release. Injection of progesterone (1 mg/rat) at noon induced an LH surge in the afternoon in ovariectomized rats pretreated with oestradiol benzoate. In these rats, the majority of hypothalamic GnRH neurones expressed Fos in the evening. Intravenous (i.v.) administration of LPS (10 µg/rat) inhibited steroid-induced LH release and also reduced the Fos expression in GnRH neurones. In separate experiments, an i.v. injection of GnRH (50 ng/kg), naloxone (10 mg/kg) or NMDA (20 mg/kg) significantly elevated serum LH concentrations within 10 min. Pretreatment with LPS, which did not affect basal LH release or GnRH-induced LH release, inhibited naloxone-induced and NMDA-induced LH release. These results show that LPS has a suprapituitary site(s) of action to suppress the activity of GnRH neurones in female rats, and suggest that LPS affects the opioid, as well as the excitatory amino acidergic regulation of GnRH neurones. The similarity of effects of LPS and immobilization stress further suggests that a common mechanism is involved in inhibition of GnRH neurones by different stressors. [source]


Patient variation in veterinary medicine: part I. Influence of altered physiological states

JOURNAL OF VETERINARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 3 2010
M. MARTINEZ
Martinez, M., Modric, S. Patient variation in veterinary medicine: part I. Influence of altered physiological states. J. vet. Pharmacol. Therap.33, 213,226. In veterinary medicine, the characterization of a drug's pharmacokinetic (PK) properties is generally based upon data that are derived from studies that employ small groups of young healthy animals, often of a single breed. These are also the data from which population predictions are often generated to forecast drug exposure characteristics in the target population under clinical conditions of use. In veterinary medicine, it is rare to find information on the covariates that can influence drug exposure characteristics. Therefore, it is important to recognize some of the factors that can alter the outcome of PK studies and therefore potentially alter the pharmacological response. Some of these factors are easily identified, such as breed, gender, age, and body weight. Others are less obvious, such as disease, heritable traits, and environmental factors. This manuscript provides an overview of the various stressors (such as disease, inflammation, pregnancy, and lactation) that can substantially alter drug PK. Part II of this series provides an overview of the potential impact of physiological variables such as age, weight, and heritable traits, on drug PK. Ultimately, failure to identify appropriate covariates can lead to substantial error when predicting the dose,exposure relationship within a population. [source]


Using bald eagles to indicate the health of the Great Lakes' environment

LAKES & RESERVOIRS: RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2002
William W. Bowerman
Abstract The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is one of the most studied birds of North America, and a great amount of natural life-history information, including the response of various stressors on the eagles' ability to reproduce, are well known. In Michigan, the eagle has been chosen to track the trends of bioaccumulative compounds of concern across watersheds in the state. The state has been divided into major watersheds, and 20% of these are surveyed each year. A control area in northern Minnesota, Voyageurs National Park, is also sampled annually. We report here on the methods used, the preliminary results of the 1999 field season, and how differences in mercury concentrations varied over a 10-year period. Mercury in feathers of nestling eagles declined over time only in Lakes Michigan and Huron, but have not decreased among other subpopulations in Michigan. Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 4,4,-DDE in blood plasma from nestling eagles have declined over time for most subpopulations; however, they remain greater for breeding areas associated with the Great Lakes' food web. Sea eagles of the genus Haliaeetus are a good sentinel species to track trends in bioaccumulative compounds in aquatic systems. [source]


Mental health issues of peacekeeping workers

PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 5 2002
JUN SHIGEMURA
Abstract The end of the Cold War has brought a dramatic change to the international political situation and the role of the United Nations peacekeeping operations (PKO) has drawn increased attention. While many reports on PKO have focused on political or sociologic considerations, the mental health of the peacekeepers themselves has received little attention and psychiatric problems that can have a negative impact on mission success have been largely ignored. Participation in PKO creates a number of stressors and serious psychiatric and/or physical disorders may result. Yet, there is little research on this topic, either domestically or globally, and the methodology for clinical intervention remains in an early stage of development. We have reviewed previous reports to determine how various stressors before, during and after deployment affect the participants. Research in associated fields (e.g. crisis workers and military personnel) are also reviewed and their application to peacekeeping psychiatry is discussed. It must be admitted that the significance of PKO is arguable and each PKO is unique in terms of the nature of its mission and the local situation. Yet, the relationship between the psychiatric status of the personnel and the characteristics of an individual mission has never been studied. At present, no clear consensus regarding a framework for psychiatric intervention exists. Studies that enhance the recognition and significance of peacekeeping psychiatry are likely to improve the efficacy of PKO. [source]