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PubMed2005

A preliminary study of EAT and BITE scores for one school year in Bermuda: increased early anorexic measures related to socio-economic factors.

BACKGROUND: Bermuda is a unique heterogeneous ethnic population in which it is possible to study the interaction of ethnicity, culture, gender and economic factors that influence abnormal eating attitudes. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey of 836 adolescents, one total school year in Bermuda. The BITE and EAT self-report questionnaires were administered in a classroom setting. The analysis was for caseness and for total scores. Caseness represents possible developing anorexic or bulimic eating disorder pathology for this non-adult population. RESULTS: 7.3% fulfilled EAT caseness, 0.24% fulfilled BITE caseness. There was no gender or ethnic difference for caseness. Multivariate analysis for EAT caseness found Odds Ratios of 2.89 (95% CI 1.37, 6.11) for Manual maternal job status. CONCLUSION: Despite the limitation of a questionnaire analysis, lower socioeconomic status increases the risk of possible eating disorder pathology in this adolescent population. Developing anorexic eating attitudes were more prevalent compared to bulimic attitudes for schoolchildren in this unique cultural setting.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

The preparation and testing of the proposed International Reference (IRP) Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon)-pollen extract.

A lyophilized candidate extract of Bermuda-grass (Cynodon dactylon) pollen, intended for use as an International Reference Standard, was prepared by pooling four individual candidate extracts. In preliminary investigations, the four candidate extracts encompassed a variety of extraction methods. The collaborative testing program simultaneously analyzed the proposed reference and the individual extracts and included 11 laboratories performing RAST inhibition, histamine release, crossed immunoelectrophoresis, crossed radioimmunoelectrophoresis, isoelectric focusing, sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis, and protein determinations with a variety of reagents and methods. The four candidate extracts and the pooled reference were found to be equivalent. The stability of this extract has also been studied. This International Reference Preparation of Bermuda grass-pollen extract should be useful for research and industry.

Allergens↗
PubMed1987

Identification of Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon)--pollen allergens by electroblotting.

Bermuda grass-pollen proteins were electrophoretically separated on polyacrylamide gels and transferred to nitrocellulose where IgE-binding components were detected by reaction with individual patient's serum and 125I-labeled antihuman IgE. Seventeen pollen components (in the molecular weight (MW) range of 8000 to 94,000 daltons), separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, bound IgE antibodies from a panel of 44 sera from allergic patients. The spectrum of Bermuda grass-pollen IgE-binding components detected is greater in number and wider in MW range than has previously been described. A component of MW 34,000 daltons (fraction 9) bound IgE from 100% of atopic sera tested. This component also bound the greatest quantity of IgE. Electrophoresis and transfer under nondissociating conditions revealed a component of MW 100,000 daltons that also bound IgE antibodies in all 44 sera tested. This component may be an aggregated form of fraction 9. A comparison of the electroblotting results obtained under dissociating and nondissociating conditions suggests once again that allergenic proteins in crude extracts may aggregate or associate during in vitro studies. Electrophoretic transfer analysis with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis may thus be the method of choice for allergen separation and identification.

Allergens↗
PubMed1989

An immunoelectrophoretic analysis of the allergens of Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass) pollen.

A crude extract of Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass) pollen was obtained by extraction, centrifugation, dialysis, and lyophilization. The corresponding polyspecific rabbit antibodies were obtained by immunization, bleeding, and purification and were used for a cross immunoelectrophoretic analysis of the crude extract. At least 52 antigens (Ags), of which 47 migrated toward the anode, and five, toward the cathode, were revealed. Crossed radioimmunoelectrophoretic analysis performed with sera from 32 patients allergic to Bermuda grass and a pool from 1000 normal individuals revealed specific IgE binding to 13 of these Ags. The approximate molecular weights (MWs) for 10 of these IgE-binding Ags were determined by a combination of gel filtration and immunochemical analysis. These Ags had apparent MWs greater than 14 kd. A combination of preparative sucrose gradient isoelectric focusing and immunochemical analysis was used to determine the approximate isoelectric point values of five of the IgE-binding Ags. Most precipitating Ags had isoelectric points between 4.5 and 5.5. Four of the Ags (Ag 24, MW, less than 65 kd; Ag 31, MW, 33 kd; Ag 33, MW, 20 kd; and Ag 34/35, MW, 32 kd) were classified as major allergens.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Use of monoclonal antibodies to isolate and characterize Cyn d I, the major allergen of Bermuda grass pollen.

BACKGROUND: Cyn d I has been found to be the major allergen of Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) pollen, but its exact nature remains to be clarified. METHODS: Cyn d I, the major allergen of Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) pollen, was purified by monoclonal antibody (MoAb) affinity chromatography, and its biochemical and immunologic properties were characterized. Anti-Cyn d I MoAb 4-37, which recognizes all of the isoallergens of Cyn d I, was chosen as the immunosorbent. RESULTS: The purified protein has an amino acid composition similar to that of the group I allergens of other grass pollens. It appears as a single 34 kd band or as a mixture of 34 and 29 kd polypeptides in sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis. The hydrophobicity of these two polypeptides is similar because they have the same retention time on a C18 reverse-phase column when a trifluoroacetic acid/H2O/CH3CN buffer system is used. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the 34 kd component has a 60% homology with residues of 1-25 of Lol p I, whereas that of the 29 kd component has a 68% homology with residues 31-68 of Lol p I. In addition, this 29 kd polypeptide can be recognized by another anti-Cyn d I MoAb 1-61. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the 29 kd component is derived from Cyn d I. In spite of the similarity in the amino acid composition between Cyn d I and group I allergens of other grass pollens, none of our four anti-Cyn d I MoAbs cross-reacted with 10 other grass pollens tested, including ryegrass pollen. Despite biochemical similarity with other group I allergens, the B-cell epitopes on Cyn d I are different from those on other grass pollens.

Allergens↗
PubMed1999

Sequence polymorphism of the group 1 allergen of Bermuda grass pollen.

BACKGROUND: Cyn d 1, the major allergen of Bermuda grass pollen, consists of a number of isoforms. OBJECTIVE: To examine the extent of sequence variation of Cyn d 1 isoforms at the molecular level. METHODS: A Bermuda grass pollen lambdaZAP II cDNA expression library was immunoscreened with anti-Cyn d 1 monoclonal antibodies. The reactive clones were isolated, subcloned into Escherichia coli, and sequenced. Some of them were expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris to obtain recombinant Cyn d 1 proteins. RESULTS: Ten cDNA clones were obtained, all these clones encode the full length of Cyn d 1 protein. Their deduced mature proteins can be grouped into: the long ones with 246 amino acids, and the short ones with 244 amino acids. The last two amino acids (AG) of the long Cyn d 1 are deleted in the short Cyn d 1. The remaining amino acid sequences share more than 98% identity; a total of nine amino acid variations were observed. Two recombinant Cyn d 1 proteins (rCyn d 3-2 and rCyn d 5-4) with three amino acid substitutions showed differential IgE-binding profiles. CONCLUSION: The present study extended our understanding of the primary structure of isoforms of Cyn d 1.

Allergens↗
PubMed2001

Marker concentration patterns of labelled leaf and stem particles in the rumen of cattle grazing bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) analysed by reference to a raft model.

Large (>1600 microm), ingestively masticated particles of bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon L. Pers.) leaf and stem labelled with 169Yb and 144Ce respectively were inserted into the rumen digesta raft of heifers grazing bermuda grass. The concentration of markers in digesta sampled from the raft and ventral rumen were monitored at regular intervals over approximately 144 h. The data from the two sampling sites were simultaneously fitted to two pool (raft and ventral rumen-reticulum) models with either reversible or sequential flow between the two pools. The sequential flow model fitted the data equally as well as the reversible flow model but the reversible flow model was used because of its greater application. The reversible flow model, hereafter called the raft model, had the following features: a relatively slow age-dependent transfer rate from the raft (means for a gamma 2 distributed rate parameter for leaf 0.0740 v. stem 0.0478 h(-1)), a very slow first order reversible flow from the ventral rumen to the raft (mean for leaf and stem 0.010 h(-1)) and a very rapid first order exit from the ventral rumen (mean of leaf and stem 0.44 h(-1)). The raft was calculated to occupy approximately 0.82 total rumen DM of the raft and ventral rumen pools. Fitting a sequential two pool model or a single exponential model individually to values from each of the two sampling sites yielded similar parameter values for both sites and faster rate parameters for leaf as compared with stem, in agreement with the raft model. These results were interpreted as indicating that the raft forms a large relatively inert pool within the rumen. Particles generated within the raft have difficulty escaping but once into the ventral rumen pool they escape quickly with a low probability of return to the raft. It was concluded that the raft model gave a good interpretation of the data and emphasized escape from and movement within the raft as important components of the residence time of leaf and stem particles within the rumen digesta of cattle.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2004

'Candidatus Phytoplasma cynodontis', the phytoplasma associated with Bermuda grass white leaf disease.

Bermuda grass white leaf (BGWL) is a destructive, phytoplasmal disease of Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon). The causal pathogen, the BGWL agent, differs from other phytoplasmas that cluster in the same major branch of the phytoplasma phylogenetic clade in <2.5% of 16S rDNA nucleotide positions, the threshold for assigning species rank to phytoplasmas under the provisional status 'Candidatus'. Thus, the objective of this work was to examine homogeneity of BGWL isolates and to determine whether there are, in addition to 16S rDNA, other markers that support delineation of the BGWL agent at the putative species level. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the 16S rDNA sequences of BGWL strains were identical or nearly identical. Clear differences that support separation of the BGWL agent from related phytoplasmas were observed within the 16S-23S rDNA spacer sequence, by serological comparisons, in vector transmission and in host-range specificity. From these results, it can be concluded that the BGWL phytoplasma is a discrete taxon at the putative species level, for which the name 'Candidatus Phytoplasma cynodontis' is proposed. Strain BGWL-C1 was selected as the reference strain. Phytoplasmas that are associated with brachiaria white leaf, carpet grass white leaf and diseases of date palms showed 16S rDNA and/or 16S-23S rDNA spacer sequences that were identical or nearly identical to those of the BGWL phytoplasmas. However, the data available do not seem to be sufficient for a proper taxonomic assignment of these phytoplasmas.

Acholeplasmataceae↗
PubMed1966

Amino Acid and protein metabolism in bermuda grass during water stress.

The ability of Arizona Common and Coastal Bermuda grass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] to synthesize amino acids and proteins during water stress was investigated. Amino acids were continually synthesized during the water stress treatments, but protein synthesis was inhibited and protein levels decreased.Water stress induced a 10- to 100-fold accumulation of free proline in shoots and a 2- to 6-fold accumulation of free asparagine, both of which are characteristic responses of water-stressed plants. Valine levels increased, and glutamic acid and alanine levels decreased.(14)C labeling experiments showed that free proline turns over more slowly than any other free amino acid during water stress. This proline is readily synthesized and accumulated from glutamic acid. It is suggested that during water stress free proline functions as a storage compound.No significant differences were found in the amino acid and protein metabolism of the 2 varieties of Bermuda grass.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1988

Identification of allergens and antigens of Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) pollen by immunoblot analysis.

Allergens and antigens of Bermuda grass pollen fractionated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes were identified using twenty-one sera of Bermuda grass pollen-allergic patients. The IgE- and IgG-binding pollen components transferred to nitrocellulose were detected by reaction with enzyme-labelled anti-human IgE and anti-human IgG, respectively. There was heterogeneity in both IgE- and IgG-binding patterns of the allergic sera tested. Fourteen pollen components, ranging in molecular weight from 16,000 to 88,000 daltons, bound to IgE antibodies. Only two of the fourteen allergens identified reacted with IgE antibodies of more than 50% of the twenty-one allergic sera. The pollen component with a molecular weight of 32,000 daltons showed by far the highest frequency of IgE binding, being recognized by sixteen (76%) of the twenty-one sera examined. Fifteen (71%) of the twenty-one sera tested had IgE antibodies that reacted with more than one of the fourteen allergenic components identified. Pollen components recognized by IgE antibodies also reacted with IgG antibodies, and there were components only recognized by IgG antibodies. Results obtained from this study should be useful both clinically and in research.

Allergens↗
PubMed1994

Biodegradation of lignocellulose in Bermuda grass by white rot fungi analyzed by solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance.

Following the solid-state fermentation of Bermuda grass by two lignin-degrading white rot fungi, compositional changes have been observed in situ by utilization of cross-polarization and magic angle spinning 13C nuclear magnetic resonance difference spectra and interrupted decoupling spectra. Intensity differences in the 13C resonances assigned to specific components of the cell wall were used to observe these changes. Bermuda grass treated with Phanerochaete chrysosporium K-3 exhibited losses primarily in the polysaccharide components, with a smaller proportion of phenolic components also being degraded. In contrast, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora FP 90031-sp removed a proportionate amount of phenolic components compared with polysaccharide components. The results also indicated that C. subvermispora preferentially removes guaiacyl phenolic components relative to syringyl phenolic components, while P. chrysosporium was nonspecific in its attack on phenolic components.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1980

Salt balance in embryos of Fundulus heteroclitus and F. bermudae adapted to seawater.

22Na+ and 36Cl- tracer flux experiments of embryos of Fundulus heteroclitus show that a significant influx and efflux of Na+ and Cl- occur during development. The average influx for Na+ and Cl-, respectively, are 5.0 +/- 0.76 and 1.1 +/- 0.1 nmol . mg-1 . h-1. The average effluxes are 4.9 +/- 0.95 and 3.0 +/- 0.01 nmol . mg-1 . h-1 for Na+ and Cl-, respectively. The electrical potential across the embryonic cavity epithelium of F. heteroclitus and F. bermudae is 50 +/- 1.7 mV and 40 +/- 1.3 mV, respectively (inside positive). Diluting the artificial seawater bathing medium with distilled water decreases the potential across the embryonic cavity of F. bermudae to -11 +/- 5.0 mV at 5% artificial seawater. Because in seawater the potential across the embryonic cavity epithelium is inside positive, the efflux of Cl- is against its electrical potential gradient indicating an active extrusion mechanism for Cl-. The site of the active extrusion mechanism for chloride is located in the yolk sac where chloride cells associated with blood vessels are common.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1982

Toxic Bermuda grass tremor in the goat: an electroencephalographic study.

Tremorgenic Bermuda grass hay harvested during the 1971 Louisiana outbreak of toxicosis and kept in cold storage until 1979 was fed to a female Nubian cross goat. Cortical EEG from chronically implanted screw electrodes was recorded daily during hay consumption. Typical clinical signs of toxicosis were manifested as ataxia on day 8 and tremor on day 11. Motor activity returned to normal 2 days after reinstitution of nontoxic Bermuda grass hay. Changes in EEG amplitudes, frequency content, or wave-forms were not seen during the development or after the appearance of toxicosis. The administration of diazepam at the height of toxicosis suppressed the tremor for several hours.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Effects of bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon cv. Coast cross) and rice hulls on growth performance of 30 day-old weaned rabbits.

Several studies have demonstrated that rabbits can be maintained on diets containing high levels of Crude Fiber (CF) when compared to other monogastric animals. In the present study, we examined the effects of rice hulls and of bermuda grass (cv. Coast cross) on the growing performance of 30 day-old weaned rabbits. Rabbits were fed one of 5 diets containing rice hulls and/or bermuda grass as fiber source at the following proportions (BG/RH) 0/17.5, 15/11, 0/29, 14.7/19.1 and 48.5/0 for diets A, B, C, D and E, respectively. Body weight gain and voluntary feed intake were measured at 30, 44, 58 and 72 days. The time necessary to attain 2 kg of live body weight was not affected by the diets. However, daily weight gain differed significantly during the first two weeks after weaning among dietary groups. Diets C and D caused a lower body weight gain, probably because of the high level of Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF) in the diet (24% and 23%). Voluntary feed intake increased with age in all treatments, but food intake was lower in treatments C and D when compared to animals receiving treatments B and E. The present results demonstrate that when rice hulls are used as fiber source, fiber must be given as ADF and not as CF because the difference between ADF and CF is enormous. Rice hull-containing diets balanced with CF give an inappropriate amount of components that seem to affect the growth performance of young animals.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1976

Nasopharyngeal cancer in Bermuda.

Six cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) were diagnosed in residents of Bermuda in the 7-year period 1966-1972. While epidemiologic study revealed no history of common environmental exposures, two of the six cases occurred in adult sibs from a family in which a third adult sib developed NPC in 1963. These three cases were from a large, possibly in-bred Portuguese family with origins in the Azores Islands. The remaining four cases were all in black children ages 10-15; two of these were first cousins. These observations suggest the possibility that genetic influence may contribute to the etiology of NPC.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Computer-based three-dimensional reconstruction of the anatomy of Microhedyle remanei (Marcus, 1953), an interstitial acochlidian gastropod from Bermuda.

Phylogenetic analysis of the highly enigmatic and aberrant acochlidian opisthobranch gastropods is mainly hindered by the lack of reliable anatomical data. Due to their small size, marine interstitial acochlidian species are not suitable for anatomical investigations by dissecting. The tinyness and complexity of, e.g., opisthobranch central nervous and reproductive systems make data derived from older paraffin-based histology and interpretation by hand-based graphical reconstruction questionable. In a former study, a hermaphroditic member of the basal acochlidian genus Hedylopsis ("Hedylopsacea") has been examined in detail. The present study uses the gonochoric Microhedyle remanei (Microhedylidae) as a model organism of the other traditional major acochlidian subgroup, the "Microhedylacea." More than 20 specimens with up to 2 mm body length were extracted from coarse subtidal sand near Castle Roads, Bermuda Islands. Their central nervous, digestive, circulatory, excretory, and genital systems were reconstructed three-dimensionally from serial semithin histological sections using AMIRA software. The radula was analyzed by SEM. Our specimens closely resemble the original description of M. remanei (Marcus, 1953; as Unela) from Brazil; apparent differences regarding the number of visceral loop ganglia or details of male genitalia are assumed to be due to oversights by the former author or because of different ontogenetic stages. Microhedyle remanei differs from all congeners due to the lack (vs. presence) of eyes; further distinguishing features are discussed. In contrast to members of the hedylopsacean Hedylopsidae, Acochlidiidae, and Tantulidae, M. remanei shows a nervous system with numerous precerebral accessory "ganglia" that are not differentiated into cortex and medulla. While all Microhedylidae previously were thought to lack a heart, M. remanei shows a two-chambered heart, as is usual for opisthobranchs. The oocytes of M. remanei are yolky and large in relation to body size and suggest intracapsular larval development. A comparative microanatomical discussion and the distribution of characters within acochlidian taxa indicate that the current classification of the Acochlidia does not reflect phylogenetic relationships. Detailed structural investigations on further poorly known species are required; the computer-based 3D reconstruction of semithin serial sections with AMIRA is shown to be an ideal tool for efficient analysis and presentation of the microanatomy of small specimens.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Motorcycle injuries in Bermuda.

Tourists who hire mopeds or motorcycles for personal use have a risk for accident. The incidence of tourist accidents in Bermuda was 1.57 accidents/1000 tourists evaluated over a 6-month period. The accident incidence increased as the tourist population got larger. Tourists of more than 40 years of age had the greatest increase in incidence for accident during this period. The risk of an injury requiring hospital stay was one patient for every 16,000 tourists visiting the island, and usually involved the fracture of an extremity. All accidents, major or minor, resulted in some form of skin injury.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2005

Ecotoxicological effects of a semi-submerged municipal dump (Castle harbour, Bermuda) on the Calico scallop Argopecten gibbus.

A biomarker study was undertaken using the Calico scallop Argopecten gibbus to assess the ecotoxicological effects of a semi-submerged municipal dump on the adjacent patch reef lagoon ecosystem (Castle harbour, Bermuda). Caged scallops were deployed in situ for 2 months at various distances from the dump (50 m, 900 m and 2.7 km) and at a reference site (14 km). A suite of biomarkers comprising metallothionein (MT), lipid peroxidation (LPO), vitellin-like proteins (Vn), glutathione S-transferase (GST), DNA strand breaks and condition factor (CF) were investigated in various tissues of the scallop (gill, digestive gland and gonad). Levels of heavy metals were also measured in the whole scallop soft tissue. While there was some variation in response between tissues, in general the results indicated that the dump was negatively impacting scallops deployed in the adjacent marine environment: elevated levels of MT, DNA strand breaks, Vn and GST and reduced condition factor were found for scallops deployed nearest to the dump and at the site 1.5 km from this point source of contamination (Tuckers town) in Castle harbour, with respect to the reference site, North Rock (although this exhibited some degree of metal contamination). The gills from scallops deployed at the dump site were the most responsive tissue, with the highest expression of MT, LPO and DNA damage. This study indicates the potential of the Calico scallop as a convenient bioindicator species in the marine tropical benthos.

Analysis of Variance↗