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Biomedical subjects

G Butler

Publications and source records attributed to G Butler.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Effect of supplementing gilts' diets with different levels of vitamin E and different fats on the humoral and cellular immunity of gilts and their progeny.

The effects of supplementing gestation and lactation diets of gilts with different combinations of vitamin E at or above NRC recommended levels (22, 44, or 88 IU/kg during gestation and 55, 110, and 220 IU/kg during lactation) and types of fat (5% added tallow or fish oil or no added fat) on humoral and cellular immunity of gilts and their pigs were evaluated. With only two exceptions, total IgG, IgM, and IgA in colostrum, milk, and plasma of gilts and in plasma of their pigs did not show significant (P > .05) effects, and no interactions between vitamin E and fat supplementation were observed. Cellular immunity was measured as lymphocyte proliferation response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (Con A), purified protein derivative of Mycobacterium avium, keyhole limpet hemocyanin, Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and Salmonella typhimurium LPS. Only the nonspecific mitogens, PHA and Con A, induced proliferation of gilt and pig lymphocytes. Fish oil supplementation in the gilts' diets resulted in lower (P < .01) postpartum PHA response in gilts and slower (P < .05) acquisition of PHA response in newborn pigs compared with groups with added tallow or no added fat. The vitamin E supplementation did not have a significant positive effect on either PHA or Con A response of the gilts. However, the rate of acquisition of PHA response and Con A response in newborn pigs was greater (P < .05) for groups supplemented with 110 and 220 IU/kg of vitamin E than for the group supplemented with 55 IU/kg vitamin E.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Utilization of grass silage by cattle: effect of supplementation with different sources and amounts of protein.

Forty-eight crossbred beef steer calves, initial live weight of 260 kg, were used to examine production responses when grass silage was supplemented with fish meal (FM) or soybean meal (SBM) during a 210-d feeding period. The silage was available on an ad libitum basis either alone or supplemented with 100, 225, 350, or 500 g of FM or 600 g of SBM/d. Increasing levels of FM resulted in a linear increase in live weight gain (P < .001) and gain:feed ratio (P < .001). The FM supplementation had no effect (P = .79) on silage DM intake. The FM supplement increased plasma albumin concentration (P < .05) but did not affect plasma glucose (P > .20) The steers were shipped to market when they had 8 mm of fat over the longissimus muscle as determined by ultrasound. Sensory evaluation of roasts from steers fed 0, 225, 350, or 500 g/d of FM indicated a positive linear (P < .01) increase in flavor and decrease in juiciness as FM level increased. There were no differences (P > .15) in live weight gain, intake, or gain:feed ratio between isonitrogenous supplements of FM and SBM. However, the additional gain resulting from SBM and FM indicated that, on a crude protein basis, SBM was approximately 80% as effective as FM in increasing live weight gain in steers fed grass silage.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Intake, digestibility, and ruminal degradability of shredded hay.

Thirty-two Outaouais intact male lambs averaging 39.1 kg were assigned randomly to a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments consisting of two forages and two methods of harvesting to determine intake and digestibility. The four treatments fed during the experiment consisted of alfalfa and timothy hays harvested with either a prototype mat maker or a conventional mower conditioner. Hays were fed for ad libitum intake for the entire experiment, and data on digestibility and intake were collected for 9 d after a 21-d adaptation. Ruminal degradability of DM, N, and ADF of hays was estimated with two fistulated cows using nylon bags incubated up to 96 h. Harvesting with the prototype mat maker compared with the conventional mower generally increased intake and digestibility of alfalfa and timothy hays. Ruminal degradability of DM and the potentially degradable fraction of DM and ADF was higher when hay was harvested with the prototype mat maker than with the conventional mower. The increased digestibility of hay harvested with the prototype mat maker could be explained by the increased digestibility in the rumen because harvesting with the prototype mat maker increased the potentially degradable fraction of DM and ADF. These results suggest that the digestible energy content of hay was increased by shredding.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1994

Longitudinal study of visual functions in young insulin dependent diabetics.

The aim of this study was to compare the visual functions of a group of young insulin dependent diabetes mellitus patients (IDDMs), (n = 42) with an age and sex matched control group (n = 24). Examinations were carried out every 3 months for 2 years. There were no significant differences in visual acuity between IDDMs and control subjects. The IDDMs made significantly more errors with the desaturated D15 compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The contrast sensitivity for the IDDMs was lower at each spatial frequency compared with the control group, being significantly different from 3 c/deg and above (P < 0.05). A negative correlation was found between HbA1 and contrast sensitivity at 6 and 12 c/deg; as the HbA1 increased the contrast sensitivity decreased (P < 0.05). As the blood glucose level decreased, the colour vision deteriorated (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the visual performance of those IDDMs with retinopathy (n = 5) compared to those without.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

The synthesis of oligoribonucleotides containing O6-methylguanosine: the role of conserved guanosine residues in hammerhead ribozyme cleavage.

The synthesis is described of oligoribonucleotides containing the modified nucleoside O6-methylguanosine. Solid-phase oligoribonucleotide assembly was carried out by use of 2'-silyl-protected nucleoside phosphoramidites, a new O6-methylguanosine-containing synthon and a mild deprotection method. The O6-methylguanosine-modified oligonucleotides were used in the study of the role of conserved residues G5, G8 and G12 in hammerhead ribozyme cleavage. Hammerheads thus substituted at any of these positions showed an approximately 75-fold reduction in kcat whereas Km was unaffected. Hammerheads with modifications at G5 or G8 showed a significant reduction in magnesium binding affinity whereas modification at G12 had no effect. The results show that the three conserved G residues play crucial but different role sin hammerhead cleavage.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Predicting outcome after treatment for generalised anxiety disorder.

A previous paper, Butler and Anastasiades (Behaviour Research and Therapy 26, 531-534, 1988) presented evidence for three reliable predictors of response to Anxiety Management in patients with generalised anxiety disorder. It was argued there that these reflected severity of anxiety, demoralisation and depression. A second study (Butler, Fennell, Robson & Gelder, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 167-175, 1991) has compared two treatments for GAD: Behaviour Therapy and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Data from this study is used here to answer two questions: (i) do the same three variables predict outcome in the second study? The answer to this question is 'no'; and (ii) which variables contribute to prediction of outcome when these two treatments are compared? Information presented here suggests that this depends partly on the nature of the treatment given. Outcome after behaviour therapy is predicted by initial levels of anxiety only, but the gains made are also relatively modest. Outcome after cognitive behaviour therapy is predicted by the degree to which ambiguous (external) information is interpreted as threatening. Thus a cognitive variable contributes reliably to the prediction of outcome after a cognitive treatment, but does not predict in the same way to outcome after a behavioural treatment.

Anxiety Disorders↗
PubMed1993

Vitamin E and fat supplementation of sows and the effect on tissue vitamin E concentrations in their progeny.

A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementing the diets of gestating and lactating sows with 3 levels of vitamin E (22, 44 or 88 IU/kg) and fat (no fat, 5% tallow, or 5% fish oil) on tissue vitamin E concentrations in their progeny. Tissue levels of vitamin E were examined at birth, and then at 14 and 28 d of age in the suckling piglets. Vitamin E concentration in all tissues at birth were very low (hip muscle, neck muscle, lung, brain, heart, kidney < 1.0 microgram/g tissue). Piglet tissue vitamin E levels at birth were influenced by the vitamin E status of the maternal diet during gestation. The piglet tissue concentration of vitamin E increased 2- to 3-fold by 14 d of age. Tocopherol concentrations greater than 3 micrograms/g tissue were found in the liver, lung, spleen, heart and kidney. Tissue vitamin E concentrations of piglets from sows that had received fish oil were lower (significantly in 5 cases: P < 0.05) than piglets from sows receiving tallow or no fat. Tocopherol concentrations in tissues, with the exception of the spleen, increased significantly (P < 0.05) with increased vitamin E in the sows' diet.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1993

Effects of vitamin E and fat supplementation on concentration of vitamin E in plasma and milk of sows and in plasma of piglets.

Twenty-seven (Yorkshire) gilts, on a corn-soybean diet up to 57 d of gestation, were assigned to 3 treatment groups. Group 1 received no fat, Group 2 were supplemented with 5% tallow and Group 3 with 5% fish oil. Each group was supplemented with 0.1 ppm Se and 22, 44 or 88 IU of dl-alpha-tocopherol acetate/kg of feed. Samples of gilts' blood were taken at 57, 78 and 99 days of gestation, parturition, 14 and 28 d later. Similarly, first colostrum and milk (14 and 28 days postpartum) were sampled. Blood samples were also taken from the newborn piglets and at 14 and 28 d post natally. Increasing gilts' dietary vitamin E concentrations during gestation and lactation increased alpha-tocopherol levels in the plasma (P < 0.05). No statistical difference was observed (P > 0.05) in gilts' plasma alpha-tocopherol concentration at any blood sampling time among dietary fat treatments. Dietary fat did not affect alpha-tocopherol concentrations in colostrum or milk (P > 0.05). Overall the effect of vitamin E supplementation was linear in the milk at 14 and 28 d of sampling. The level of alpha-tocopherol in the colostrum was much higher than in milk. At birth piglet tocopherol concentrations were very low, perhaps because little tocopherol crosses the placental barrier. At day 14 piglet plasma tocopherol concentrations increased about 4-fold (P < 0.01) with a tendency for a greater concentration in piglets sucking gilts receiving higher levels of alpha-tocopherol. Dietary effects were not found to be significant (P > 0.05).

Animals↗
PubMed1992

The calcium binding proteins parvalbumin and calbindin-D 28K form complementary patterns in the cat superior colliculus.

Parvalbumin (PV) and calbindin-D 28K (CaBP) are calcium binding proteins involved in calcium regulation in the brain. In some regions they coexist in the same neuron, while in other regions they are found in different cell types. We have studied the distribution and morphology of PV labeled neurons in the cat superior colliculus (SC) with antibody immunocytochemistry and compared this labeling to that of CaBP. PV neurons were concentrated in a dense tier within the deep superficial gray and upper optic layers. Scattered PV neurons also were found within the deep layers of SC. By contrast, CaBP neurons were concentrated in three tiers: one within the zonal and upper superficial gray layers, a second within the deep optic and upper intermediate gray layers (IGL), and a third within the deep gray layer. The distribution of PV neurons is thus complementary to that of CaBP neurons, with the CaBP cell tiers bordering the dense tier of PV neurons. PV neurons varied in size and morphology. The average diameter of labeled cells was 20 microns, almost twice the size of CaBP neurons. The cells were predominantly round, vertical fusiform, or stellate, and included the very large neurons found scattered in the IGL. Horseradish peroxidase injections into the lateral geniculate nucleus, the lateral posterior nucleus, the opposite superior colliculus, the dorsal lateral pontine gray nucleus, and two descending pathways--the crossed predorsal bundle and the tecto-ponto-bulbar tracts--each labeled SC neurons that were also labeled by PV. A large percentage (84%) of projection neurons contained PV. This result also differs from CaBP neurons in SC, most of which are interneurons. Two antigen double-label experiments did not produce any cells that contained both PV and CaBP. The two calcium binding proteins thus reveal a unique sublaminar organization in SC that consists of alternating small cell interneuron groups and large cell projection neuron groups.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Parallel pathways of gene regulation: homologous regulators SWI5 and ACE2 differentially control transcription of HO and chitinase.

Two independent pathways of transcriptional regulation that show functional homology have been identified in yeast. It has been demonstrated previously that SWI5 encodes a zinc finger DNA-binding protein whose transcription and cellular localization both are cell cycle regulated. We show that ACE2, whose zinc finger region is nearly identical to that of SWI5, shows patterns of cell cycle-regulated transcription and nuclear localization similar to those seen previously for SWI5. Despite their similarities, SWI5 and ACE2 function in separate pathways of transcriptional regulation. SWI5 is a transcriptional activator of the HO endonuclease gene, whereas ACE2 is not. In contrast, ACE2 is a transcriptional activator of the CTS1 gene (which encodes chitinase), whereas SWI5 is not. An additional parallel between the SWI5/HO pathway and the ACE2/CTS1 pathway is that HO and CTS1 both are cell cycle regulated in the same way, and HO and CTS1 both require the SWI4 and SWI6 transcriptional activators. Overproduction of either SWI5 or ACE2 permits transcriptional activation of the target gene from the other pathway, suggesting that the DNA-binding proteins are capable of binding in vivo to promoters that they do not usually activate. Chimeric SWI5/ACE2 protein fusion experiments suggest that promoter specificity resides in a domain distinct from the zinc finger domain.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Feed efficiency, carcass characteristics, and sensory quality of lambs, with or without prolific ancestry, fed diets with different protein supplements.

Data were collected on 130 intact male lambs fed diets based on roughages supplemented with fish meal, soybean meal, or corn gluten-blood meal and slaughtered at 43 kg live weight. A nonsupplemented group served as a control. The lambs represented Romanov (R), Finnsheep (F), a new breed developed in Canada (DLS), Coopworth (C), and Suffolk (S), three first crosses of DLS with R, F, and Booroola Merino (B), and their backcrosses to DLS. Supplemented lambs consumed 16 to 22% less (P less than .05) silage than control lambs. Average daily gains of lambs fed fish meal (226 g) and corn gluten-blood meal (217 g) were higher and feed conversion ratio (4.99 and 5.11) lower than that of lambs fed soybean meal (189 g and 5.48) or control (186 g and 5.76) diets (P less than .05). The cost of feed per kilogram of gain or per kilogram of lean produced was similar in the four treatments but was between C $.23 and .65 cheaper in the protein-supplemented groups when the number of days to reach slaughter weight was considered. The effect of diet on carcass traits and meat quality were minimal. Meat of lambs fed the three protein supplements was less juicy than that of control lambs. With a few exceptions, most of the significant differences among genetic groups in growth, carcass, and sensory traits were mainly between prolific (R and F) and meat-type breeds (C, S, and DLS). Gain in weight was highest in S lambs (199 g/d), but F and R first crosses were the youngest at slaughter (196 and 198 d). The F lambs had higher dressing and kidney fat percentages than meat-type breeds. The DLS lambs had the largest longissimus muscle area (14.0 cm2), whereas C had the smallest (10.7 cm2). The B crosses had larger longissimus muscle area than R and F crosses. The R lambs had more lean and less fat in the 12th rib, whereas C lambs had the lowest lean and a high bone percentage. The toughest and the most tender roasts were those of R and B crossbred lambs, respectively. Roasts from F lambs had the most intense lamb flavor.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1991

Elimination of mycoplasmas from cell cultures by a novel soft agar technique.

Mycoplasmal infection of cell cultures remains a significant threat to diagnostic and research procedures. In certain defined situations, curing of mycoplasmal infected cultures is a reasonable exercise. Four methods of curing were compared: treatment with BM-cycline, 5 bromouracil, use of specific antisera and treatment of infected cells suspended in soft agar with antibiotics. Antisera treatments were of low efficiency of curing: 50%. None of nine infected cell lines treated with 5-bromouracil were consistently cured of mycoplasmas. The use of BM-cycline was effective for some, but not all lines and required long periods of treatment, 12-21 days. 35 naturally or deliberately infected cultures were treated in soft agar a total of 119 times. This procedure which consisted of suspending infected cultures in soft agar containing appropriate antibiotics resulted in successful mycoplasmal elimination 118/119 times. This soft agar technique took 1-3 days. In separate studies, it was shown that certain Mycoplasma fermentans strains were resisted to this and other curing methods. This may be due to their intracellular location. Such strains may be more amenable to antibiotics that penetrate mammalian cells. It is concluded that the soft agar technique is a rapid, efficient and reliable method to eliminate cell culture mycoplasmas.

Agar↗
PubMed1991

Comparison of behavior therapy and cognitive behavior therapy in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.

In a controlled clinical trial, 57 Ss meeting DSM-III-R criteria for generalized anxiety disorder, and fulfilling an additional severity criterion, were randomly allocated to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), behavior therapy (BT), or a waiting-list control group. Individual treatment lasted 4-12 sessions; independent assessments were made before treatment, after treatment, and 6 months later, and additional follow-up data were collected after an interval of approximately 18 months. Results show a clear advantage for CBT over BT. A consistent pattern of change favoring CBT was evident in measures of anxiety, depression, and cognition. Ss were lost from the BT group, but there was no attrition from the CBT group. Treatment integrity was double-checked in England and in Holland, and special efforts were made to reduce error variance. Possible explanations for the superiority of CBT are discussed.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1991

ACE2, an activator of yeast metallothionein expression which is homologous to SWI5.

Transcription of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae metallothionein gene CUP1 is induced in response to high environmental levels of copper. Induction requires the ACE1 gene product, which binds to specific sites in the promoter region of the CUP1 gene. In this study, we found that deleting the entire coding sequence of the ACE1 gene resulted in a decrease in basal-level transcription of CUP1 to low but detectable levels and conferred a copper-sensitive phenotype to the cells. We have isolated a gene, designated ACE2, which when present on a high-copy-number plasmid suppresses the copper-sensitive phenotype of an ace1-deletion strain. The presence of multiple copies of the ACE2 gene enhanced expression of an unlinked CUP1-lacZ fusion integrated in the yeast genome and resulted in an increase in the steady-state levels of CUP1 mRNA in an ace1-deletion background. A large deletion of the coding region of the genomic copy of ACE2 resulted in a decrease in steady-state levels of CUP1 mRNA, indicating that ACE2 plays a role in regulating basal-level expression of CUP1. The ACE2 open reading frame encodes a polypeptide of 770 amino acids, with putative zinc finger structures near the carboxyl terminus. This protein is 37% identical to the SWI5 gene product, an activator of HO gene transcription in S. cerevisiae, suggesting that ACE2 and SWI5 may have functional similarities.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Heat shock transcription factor activates transcription of the yeast metallothionein gene.

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, transcription of the metallothionein gene CUP1 is induced by copper and silver. Strains with a complete deletion of the ACE1 gene, the copper-dependent activator of CUP1 transcription, are hypersensitive to copper. These strains have a low but significant basal level of CUP1 transcription. To identify genes which mediate basal transcription of CUP1 or which activate CUP1 in response to other stimuli, we isolated an extragenic suppressor of an ace1 deletion. We demonstrate that a single amino acid substitution in the heat shock transcription factor (HSF) DNA-binding domain dramatically enhances CUP1 transcription while reducing transcription of the SSA3 gene, a member of the yeast hsp70 gene family. These results indicate that yeast metallothionein transcription is under HSF control and that metallothionein biosynthesis is important in response to heat shock stress. Furthermore, our results suggest that HSF may modulate the magnitude of individual heat shock gene transcription by subtle differences in its interaction with heat shock elements and that a single-amino-acid change can dramatically alter the activity of the factor for different target genes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

The cytochrome b of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus is naturally resistant to myxothiazol and mucidin.

The ubiquinol:cytochrome c reductase activity of Paracentrotus lividus mitochondria is relatively insensitive to the specific inhibitors myxothiazol and mucidin. The I50 of myxothiazol and mucidin are three and two orders of magnitude higher, respectively, in P. lividus than in bovine heart mitochondria. The natural resistance of the P. lividus reductase to these inhibitors can be correlated with a single amino replacement, an alanine for a glycine at position 143, in the sequence of cytochrome b. This position is located in a conserved region of the molecule, believed to be important in the oxidation of ubiquinol by the reductase.

Alkenes↗