Four bacterial strains isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of adult shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei, Vibrio alginolyticus UTM 102, Bacillus subtilis UTM 126, Roseobacter gallaeciensis SLV03, and Pseudomonas aestumarina SLV22, were evaluated for potential use as probiotics for shrimp. In vitro studies demonstrated antagonism against the shrimp-pathogenic bacterium, Vibrio parahaemolyticus PS-017. Feeding shrimp with diets containing the potential probiotics showed the best feed conversion ratio in comparison with the control groups. After feeding with the potential probiotics for 28 days, challenge by immersion indicated effectiveness at reducing disease caused by V. parahaemolyticus in shrimp.

The increase of productivity in aquaculture has been accompanied by ecological impacts including emergence of a large variety of pathogens and bacterial resistance. These impacts are in part due to the indiscriminate use of chemotherapeutic agents as a result of management practices in production cycles. This review provides a summary of the use of probiotics for prevention of bacterial diseases in aquaculture, with a critical evaluation of results obtained to date.

Abstract Intersection type systems are introduced as a solution to limitations of the Curry Type Sys- tem for the lambda calculus. It is summarised,how Forsythe uses an intersection type system e ectively, for the purposes of typing combinations of expressive language features that are used to represent conventional language features. We study some intersection type systems with type variables, which are generalisations of the Curry Type System, explain how they are expressive, but how undecidability renders them unsuitable for practical use in their unrestricted form. Keywords:

Pedal osteomyelitis in diabetic patients is a serious clinical problem. There is no single, reliable diagnostic tool; plain films are inaccurate, bone scans nonspecific and the role of human pooled immunoglobulin (Hig) scans remains unclear. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) may prove useful. We therefore aimed to compare these four diagnostic modalities. Thirteen diabetic patients with possible pedal osteomyelitis were recruited. Nine were found to have osteomyelitis based on clinical, microbiological, and surgical findings. All were scanned with all four modalities and the results compared. MRI scans correctly identified all positive cases, with two false positive cases, and excelled in localising infection, allowing for surgical planning. Plain film and Hig scans were less sensitive (6/9 and 7/9 cases, respectively), were difficult to interpret and were poor in localising infection. Bone scans identified eight of the nine cases, with no false positives. In conclusion, this small study suggests that plain films and Hig scans did not confer any additional benefit in the diagnosis of pedal osteomyelitis. Bone scans are a useful screening tool, but when positive an MRI scan should be sought to confirm the diagnosis.

Excess vascular oxidative stress has been linked to impaired endothelium-dependent arterial relaxation in hypercholesterolemia. alpha-Tocopherol (AT) preserves endothelial function in hypercholesterolemia although the mechanism(s) for this protective effect is (are) not known. We examined the tissue-specific effects of AT on oxidized LDL (ox-LDL)-mediated endothelial dysfunction in male New Zealand White rabbits. Animals consumed chow deficient in (< 10 IU/kg) or supplemented with (1,000 IU/kg) AT for 28 d. Exposure of thoracic aortae from AT-deficient animals to ox-LDL (0-500 microg/ml) for 4 h produced dose-dependent inhibition of acetylcholine-mediated relaxation (P < 0.05) while vessels derived from animals consuming AT were resistant to ox-LDL-mediated endothelial dysfunction. Animals consuming AT demonstrated a 100-fold increase in vascular AT content and this was strongly correlated with vessel resistance to endothelial dysfunction from ox-LDL (R = 0.67; P = 0.0014). These results were not explained by an effect of AT on ox-LDL-mediated cytotoxicity by LDH assay or scanning electron microscopy. Vascular incorporation of AT did produce resistance to endothelial dysfunction from protein kinase C stimulation, an event that has been implicated in the vascular response to ox-LDL. Human aortic endothelial cells loaded with AT also demonstrated resistance to protein kinase C stimulation by both phorbol ester and ox-LDL. Thus, these data indicate that enrichment of vascular tissue with AT protects the vascular endothelium from ox-LDL-mediated dysfunction, at least in part, through the inhibition of protein kinase C stimulation. These findings suggest one potential mechanism for the observed beneficial effect of AT in preventing the clinical expression of coronary artery disease that is distinct from the antioxidant protection of LDL.

Excess vascular oxidative stress and the local formation of oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) have been implicated in the development of impaired endothelium-dependent arterial relaxation in hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis. Dietary antioxidants limit LDL oxidation in vitro and treatment of cholesterol-fed rabbits with dietary antioxidants preserves endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) action. To investigate the mechanism(s) responsible for these observations, we examined EDRF action, vascular oxidative stress, and antioxidant protection in male New Zealand White rabbits using four dietary treatments. Animals consumed standard chow (chow group) or chow supplemented with: (a) 0.5% cholesterol (0.5% cholesterol group); (b) 1% cholesterol (1% cholesterol group); or (c) 1% cholesterol and 1% probucol (probucol group). After 28 d of dietary treatment, segments of thoracic aorta from the 0.5 and 1% cholesterol groups demonstrated impairment of acetylcholine-mediated endothelium-dependent arterial relaxation compared to chow-fed animals (57 +/- 11% and 45 +/- 9% vs 78 +/- 3%, respectively; P < 0.05). In contrast, vessels from the probucol group demonstrated normal relaxation to acetylcholine (83 +/- 5%). Plasma cholesterol levels and the extent of atherosclerosis were similar among all cholesterol-fed groups. Probucol treatment was associated a threefold increase in LDL resistance to copper-induced oxidative modification (P < 0.05) and a reduction in tissue lipid peroxidation (as assessed by thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances; P < 0.05) compared to animals fed cholesterol alone. Most importantly, both of these changes were strongly correlated with preserved EDRF action. Moreover, cholesterol feeding was associated with a dose-dependent increase in vascular superoxide generation and lysophosphatidylcholine content, both of which were prevented by probucol treatment. From these findings, we conclude that probucol, a lipid-soluble antioxidant, preserves EDRF action in cholesterol-fed rabbits in association with limiting vascular oxidative stress and superoxide generation.