Negative controls were subjected to routine conditions with the o

Negative controls were subjected to routine conditions with the omission of the primary antibody. After washing, cells were exposed to either a 1:250 dilution PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor of Alexafluor 568 goat-anti mouse IgG (ciliated cells) (Invitrogen Ltd, Paisley, UK) or a 1:100 dilution of FITC 488 goat anti-rabbit IgG (goblet cells) (Abcam, Cambridge, UK) for 1 h at 4 °C in the dark. Cells were once again washed three times in PBS

and the membrane was then cut out using a scalpel and mounted on a microscope slide using Vectashield with DAPI (Vector Laboratories, Peterborough, UK). Fluorescent images were viewed on a Leica SP5 confocal DMI 6000 inverted microscope equipped with a krypton-argon laser as the source for the ion beam using a x40 oil immersion objective (numerical aperture 1.25). Images were captured and viewed using LAS AF (Leica)

acquisition software. TEER was measured on days 7, 14 and 21 to ensure the formation and integrity of tight junctions between cells in the epithelium using an EVOM metre (World Precision Instruments, FL, USA) [36]. Cultures were washed with PBS and trypsinised with cytospin slides being subsequently made by spinning 5×104 cells/slide. Goblet cells and ciliated cells were detected using a 1:200 dilution of mouse monoclonal antibody against MUC5AC (Abcam, Cambridge, UK) and a 1:700 dilution selleck of mouse monoclonal antibody against acetylated alpha tubulin (Abcam, Cambridge,

UK), respectively, for 2 h at room temperature. Negative controls were subjected to routine conditions with the omission of the primary antibody. Specific binding was detected by a micro-polymer of active peroxidase coupled to anti-mouse IgG secondary antibodies Sulfite dehydrogenase (ImmPress™ Universal Reagent, Vector Laboratories, Peterborough, UK). These slides were stained using DAB peroxidase substrate kit (Vector Laboratories, Peterborough, UK) and counterstained with haematoxylin (Sigma-Aldrich, Dorset, UK). Slides (n=4 per patient per treatment) were mounted using DPX (D&H, Belfast, UK) and viewed under a light microscope. The numbers of positive cells for each stain are represented as a mean % of the total number of cells counted per slide. 1000 cells per slide were counted. WD-PBECs harvested for RNA extraction were detached by trypsinisation from the membrane and stored in RNAlater (Applied Biosystems, Warrington, UK) to stabilise the cellular RNA profile. Total RNA was extracted from stabilized cells using an RNeasy Mini kit (Qiagen, Crawley, UK) according to the manufacturer’s instructions and quantified on a spectrophotometer. The transcription of total mRNA to cDNA was performed using First Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit for RT-PCR (AMV) (Roche, UK) according to the manufacturer’s protocol.

43 Safe handling of sharps includes ensuring that sharps

43 Safe handling of sharps includes ensuring that sharps

are contained in a safe manner and using proper disposal practices. Sharps injuries can be sustained because sharps are left on the floor or a table or are protruding from a trash bag or disposal container.51 Sharps containers should be puncture and leak resistant and large enough to hold the types of sharps that will need to be placed in them.52 The container should be recognizable, visible, and placed in proximity to the point of use.52 After the container has reached a visible fill level, the container should be replaced.11 Personnel should use counting devices to contain needles and sharps on the sterile field.11 Perioperative RNs can advocate for others through careful use of sharps disposal containers, such as by placing containers close to the point of use, using care when putting sharps into the container, and ensuring the containers Dabrafenib in vivo are not overfilled. Careful identification and separation of contaminated disposable and reusable sharps is important to protect personnel in the decontamination MS-275 nmr area from injury.

Reusable sharps should be clearly segregated on the case cart for easy identification.11 Perioperative RNs should maintain an awareness of personal and professional responsibilities for sharps injury prevention and serve as role models for other team members. This includes observing all local, state, and federal regulations pertaining to handling of sharps and prevention of bloodborne pathogens. Perioperative O-methylated flavonoid RNs can protect themselves by wearing appropriate PPE, getting immunized against hepatitis B virus, using sharps devices

with safety features provided by the health care facility, and complying with other policies and procedures designed to protect against disease transmission. If a perioperative RN sustains a sharps injury, he or she should immediately report the injury and receive prophylactic treatment for bloodborne pathogen exposure. If a team member experiences a sharps injury, the perioperative RN can assist the team member with the reporting process. Perioperative RNs can be leaders in the sharps injury prevention process by being a “champion” of sharps safety. The final four recommendations in each AORN RP document discuss education/competency, documentation, policies and procedures, and quality assurance/performance improvement, as applicable. These four topics are integral to the implementation of AORN practice recommendations. Personnel should receive initial and ongoing education and competency verification as applicable to their roles. Implementing new and updated recommended practices affords an excellent opportunity to create or update competency materials and verification tools. AORN’s perioperative competencies team has developed the AORN Perioperative Job Descriptions and Competency Evaluation Tools 53 to assist perioperative personnel in developing competency evaluation tools and position descriptions.

Many of the published review articles were submitted by the invit

Many of the published review articles were submitted by the invited authors on the basis of the recommendation of the specialized member societies of JADS, who were internationally well versed in their specialized field of clinical or scientific study. Therefore, it covers all the fields of dentistry and it is referred to as a quite important journal for dental practitioners and researchers due to the convenience that the modern aspects of dental science over every field not only in Japan but also in the world are available from it. Some of the

overseas prominent researchers have also been invited and such CH5424802 nmr plan will be more enhanced for greater diversity of authors. The unsolicited submissions are welcome; however, most of those papers submitted from overseas in the past were unfortunately rejected by the reason that some were substantially lack of comprehensive

or systematic contemplation and some were out of scope such as original paper and case report. JDSR has so far been published biannually and the contents have also been available from online journals. The printed journals have been delivered free to as many as 817 overseas dental schools, libraries and the related organizations. From Vol. 49 in 2013, the new circulations will be incorporated in which the official online journal will be published quarterly and it will be able to be accessed free of charge regardless of the membership in order www.selleckchem.com/products/epz-6438.html to make it more available for the professionals in the world.

Although the printed journal will be published biannually as in the past, we should apologize to the customers for discontinuing the service of delivering it in association with the alteration of the publication medium. It is our long wishes for JDSR to get impact factor since its first publication. The quality of the contents of JDSR has been highly evaluated by virtue of the internationally active and sophisticated authors as well as the well polished editing system involving peer-refereeing by the prominent domestic and overseas reviewers and excellent publishing about technique of Elsevier. The number of download from online JDSR has rapidly increased to be more than 14,000/year in the world. Such circumstances make us convince that it will surely be covered in the “Web of Science” database of Thomson Reuters which gives the source of impact factor and our application for it is under preparation in autumn in 2012. On the occasion of applying for impact factor, we should arouse the attention again to the members not to misinterpret the impact factor as mentioned in the editorial in Vol. 47, No. 1 of JDSR. The impact factor is calculated by the ratio of the total citation index of all the articles versus the number of the articles in the journal during the past 2 years as it may be well known.

For the level of contamination evaluated and under the conditions

For the level of contamination evaluated and under the conditions used in this study, 93.6% of the ochratoxin A was reduced during the chocolate making process. Considering the results of ochratoxin A in the fractions after roasting and their percentage in the bean composition (Table 3), it is possible to estimate that about 16.6% of the toxin is destroyed by the thermal treatment at 150 °C applied for Kinase Inhibitor Library 40 min, which results in a temperature of about 90 °C in the beans (Fig. 1). This experiment demonstrated that after the roasting

processing, 82.9% of the remaining ochratoxin A stayed in the shell fraction, which is mostly removed from the processing line by winnowing (where a maximum of 1–1.5% of shell residues in the nibs is allowed (Minifie, 1999). Thus, among the steps of cocoa processing, the shelling step is the main one responsible for the decrease of ochratoxin A. The amount of toxin physically removed is greater than that destroyed by the heating treatment of cocoa beans, so the winnowing efficiency can be

considered critical for reducing the ochratoxin A contamination in chocolate and finished products. In the next Selleckchem A 1210477 step, the cocoa mass was obtained after the grinding of nibs and a heat treatment of 70 °C for 3 h. After this step the total reduction increased to 89.9%, showing that this step is also important for ochratoxin decrease. The total reduction achieved in the final product, the chocolate was 93.6%. It has been shown next that the ochratoxin A molecule resists the majority of heat

treatments used for food production (MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture & Food), 1996). A study conducted by Boudra, Le Bars, and Le Bars (1995) in dry wheat under temperatures and time of exposure similar to those applied in our study demonstrated that the ochratoxin A reduction achieved was 20%, similar to the values found in our study (16.6%). Manda et al. (2009) evaluated the stability of ochratoxin A during the cocoa processing, finding decreases between 23.7% and 40.5% when roasting cocoa at 140 °C for 30 min. Different studies demonstrate that most ochratoxin A is concentrated in the shell fraction and just a small part of the toxin contaminates the nibs (Amezqueta et al., 2005, Gilmour and Lindblom, 2008 and Manda et al., 2009). About 48% (25–72%) of the toxin is physically removed by industrial shelling (Gilmour & Lindblom, 2008), while hand-made shelling can reduce 50–100% of ochratoxin A contamination (Amezqueta et al., 2005 and Manda et al., 2009). Regarding cocoa mass and chocolate, the ochratoxin A reduction reached 28.9% with the grinding of nibs (70 °C for 3 h). Considering the data from Boudra et al. (1995) in wheat, less than 20% would be expected. Additionally, 36.5% of the decrease was achieved in the chocolate when compared with cocoa mass due to the dilution caused by ingredient addition.

Other characteristics found to be helpful diagnostically included

Other characteristics found to be helpful diagnostically included time interval between symptom onset and diagnosis (based on HRCT finding, on average NSIP was diagnosed a few months earlier than UIP), mean age and gender.3 Pathologic characteristic Selleck Baf-A1 of NSIP is uniform thickening of alveolar walls with a spectrum of cellular to fibrosing patterns. Recent ATS/ERS review of 305 cases of which 193 had sufficient data for diagnosis, has

suggested NSIP as a separate entity rather than previously thought that it is more a temporary diagnosis. Exclusion of other interstitial lung diseases being of primary concern. NSIP is considered to have good prognosis. Additionally 66 patients were followed up from 0.6 to 19.44 years of which 8 patients passed away (7 from NSIP and 1 from nonrespiratory cause) and 1 patient underwent lung transplantation. Two patients subsequently showed Collagen Vascular Disease (scleroderma and polymyositis). Extensive pathology review of 67 probable cases is summarized as follows: varying amounts of interstitial inflammation and fibrosis uniformly appearing. Two varieties were distinguished: cellular (16% of cases) with mild to moderate chronic inflammatory interstitial infiltrate with little fibrosis and fibrosing (84% of cases) with interstitial thickening by uniform fibrosis of

same age with preservation of alveolar architecture and various amounts of cellular inflammation. Clinical presentation was breathlessness and cough of 6–7 months, mostly women, never-smoker and in 6th decade of life. In cases of histological similarity between NSIP and HP, clinical history of antigen exposure Selleck Dolutegravir guided diagnosis.6 Pulmonary drug toxicity another cause associated with NSIP is frequently caused by cytotoxic drugs such as cyclophosphamide, bleomycine, carmustine. NSIP has been reported with carmustine toxicity or noncytotoxic drugs such as amiodarone. Other noncytotoxic drugs associated with pulmonary

toxicity include nitrofurantoin, sulfasalazine and gold salts.7 One study compared BAL findings in patients with sarcoidosis versus Loperamide HP. They noted lymphocytosis consistent with sarcoidosis and Masson bodies have been observed in HP or extrinsic allergic alveolitis.8 Another form of interstitial lung disease that often presents with chronic respiratory symptoms and needs to be distinguished from NSIP is hypersensitivity pneumonitis for antigen avoidance and preventive measures. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis or extrinsic allergic alveolitis is characterized by diffuse parenchymal and airways inflammation due to inhaled antigens previously sensitized to. Symptoms occur 4–8 h after exposure. Studies in England have shown that incidence is 0.9 per 100,000 person years, with mean age of diagnosis of 57, equal male to female ratio and patients less likely to be smokers. HP is classified into acute, sub-acute or intermittent and chronic progressive.

oeni could be interesting tools for the early stages of winemakin

oeni could be interesting tools for the early stages of winemaking, especially since the wines produced from them were preferred by the tasting panel, and enzyme treatment could evidently contribute positively to the “typical” Riesling aroma. However, further detailed experiments using different wine varieties and fermentation conditions (e.g., yeasts) will be required in order to confirm this conclusion. Regarding a possible application of see more such glycosidases,

it is necessary to mention that a direct application of bacterial enzymes in winemaking is at present not realistic. A major obstacle is the necessity of recombinant enzyme production. The use of recombinant techniques in the food industry has a rather negative image due to consumer and market preferences. An attractive alternative (although recombinant as well) could be the use of LAB as GRAS/food grade expressions www.selleckchem.com/mTOR.html systems, which is a developing field of intensive research ( Peterbauer, Maischberger, & Haltrich, 2011). This work was supported by a Grant (FWF Project 20246-B11) given to K.D.K. by the Austrian Science Fund. We thank Yiqun Wu for assistance in sample preparation. “
“In chromatographic analysis of complex samples, the

responses attributed to pesticides may undergo changes caused by matrix components. “Matrix effect” is the name given to these changes. This phenomenon is used to explain recovery rates of pesticides that exceed 100% and the low accuracy of results (Hajslová et al., 1998). Usually the matrix effect is observed when a significant difference in response is obtained between chromatographic standards prepared in solvent and those prepared in the matrix extract (Picó, Blasco, & Font, 2004). This effect can be positive, leading to an increase in Farnesyltransferase chromatographic signal or negative, when there is a decrease of this signal. These changes are the result of adsorption of analytes

and matrix components in both the injector and the detector and/or in chromatographic column (Hajslová & Zrostlíková, 2003). When standard solutions are prepared in pure solvent and analysed by gas chromatography, the analytes can bind to the active sites of the inserter and a smaller amount of it is transferred to the chromatographic column and consequently detected. In the analysis of the matrix extract containing these analytes, the co-extractives “compete” with the analytes for the occupation of the sites, causing a larger amount of analyte is transferred to the chromatographic column than when prepared in pure solvent. When the detector response, attributed to the analyte, is compared with the response of standard solutions of the same analyte, there is an overestimation of the results (Pinho, Neves, Queiroz, & Silvério, 2009).

Using the above symbols, the fixed boundary conditions then alter

Using the above symbols, the fixed boundary conditions then alter to equation(10) ϕ(0)=0,X(0)=0,ϕ0=0,X0=0, equation(11) ϕ(π)=π,   X(π)=0,   Y(π)=0,ϕπ=π,   Xπ=0,   Yπ=0,and the geometric relations can be recast as equation(12) X′=cosϕ,X′=cosϕ, equation(13) Y′=−sinϕ.Y′=−sinϕ. Moreover, an additional boundary condition at the point s = a can be derived as (see Eq. (A6) in Appendix

A) equation(14) ϕ′01−C0=(1+μ)ϕ′02.ϕ′01−C0=1+μϕ′02. It should be mentioned that, although the intrinsic boundary conditions for this problem are fixed, they can be imagined as movable, and then the new variation method about a functional with movable boundary conditions can be put to use [27] and [28]. In fact, the energy functional of Eq. (1) is special in that the undetermined variable a   causes the boundary movement of the system, which should create an additional selleck screening library term during the variation process. At the point s   = a  , the displacement and the slope angle are continuous, namely, X−(A)=X+(A)XA−=XA+, Y−(A)=Y+(A)YA−=YA+, ϕ−(A)=ϕ+(A),ϕA−=ϕA+, but the curvature is abrupt.

In use of the variation TGF-beta Smad signaling principle dealing with movable boundary conditions, one can derive the transversality condition (The detailed derivations are shown in Appendix A) equation(15) ϕ′01−C0=(1+μ)ϕ′02.ϕ′01−C0=1+μϕ′02.When κ  2→ ∞ and C  0 = 0, Eq. (15) degenerates to the situation of a vesicle sitting at a rigid substrate, i.e. ϕ′012=2w, and this solution is consistent with the former results in Refs. [11], [12], [13] and [14]. Without loss of generality, we take λ˜1=0 and C  0 = 0, for the spontaneous curvature doesn’t appear in the governing equations [13] and [22], then Eqs. (7) and (8) can be reduced to equation(16) ϕ″−λ˜2sinϕ=0,0≤A≤A, equation(17) 1+μϕ″−λ˜2sinϕ=0,A≤S≤π,and λ˜2 is a constant. Multiplying ϕ′ to

both sides of Eqs. (16) and (17), the integrations lead to equation(18) dS=dϕ2C1−λ˜2cosϕ,0≤A≤A, equation(19) dS=dϕ2C2−λ˜2cosϕ/1+μ,A≤S≤π,where C1 and C2 are two integration constants. In combination with Eqs. (12), (18) and (19) and the fixed boundary condition X(0) = 0, one has equation(20) ∫0ϕ0cosϕdϕ2C1−λ˜2cosϕ+∫ϕ0πcosϕdϕ2C2−λ˜2cosϕ/1+μ=0. In order to close this problem, Doxorubicin chemical structure the inextensible condition of the elastica is supplemented [29], which reads equation(21) ∫0ϕ0dϕ2C1−λ˜2cosϕ+∫ϕ0πdϕ2C2−λ˜2cosϕ/1+μ=π. Substituting Eqs. (18) and (19) into Eq. (15) yields equation(22) w=μC1−λ˜2cosϕ01+μ=μC2−λ˜2cosϕ0. Therefore, when the dimensionless work of adhesion w and the rigidity ratio μ are given, the total equation set ( (20), (21) and (22)) involving four variables can be solved. A numerical code based upon shooting method has been developed, and the shape equations of the vesicle and the substrate can be solved.

Species composition varied

Species composition varied selleck products substantially within habitat types between study areas for some metrics: white fir was much more abundant in Moist Mixed

sites in Chiloquin than Wildhorse, sugar pine was abundant only in the Dry Mixed in the Black Hills, and lodgepole pine was more abundant in the Wildhorse area. Stand structure on the Dry Mixed sites in the Black Hills was most strongly dominated by large trees (73 ± 6% of tph > 53 cm dbh). The wide range of values recorded across the landscape reflects the inclusion of more rare and extreme conditions than the narrower range indicated by the standard deviations and 95th percentile values that reflect the Selleck GDC 0449 preponderance of low-density forests dominated by large ponderosa pine trees as described in Section

3. Mean forest density has increased by more than 300% during the last 90 years, as measured by number of trees per hectare, and shifted toward a dominance of shade-tolerant species on mixed-conifer sites (Table 5). The increases in densities are due to increased populations of small diameter (15–53 cm) trees as there has been a substantial decrease in the densities of large diameter (>53.3 cm) trees (Table 5). The mean relative abundance of large trees as a proportion of total density has decreased by more than a factor of five and the percentage of the forest that supports at least 25 large-diameter tph (>53 cm dbh) has declined similarly (Table 5). Reductions in the abundance and proportion of large trees are universal on all habitat types. Changes in species composition as a proportion of density are more apparent on mixed-conifer sites. There has been only a modest increase in forest density (<20%) as measured by mean

stand basal area during the last 90 years, but it has been accompanied by a large reduction in basal area in large trees (>50%, Table 5). These statistics emphasize the dramatic change in overall stand structure from forests dominated by a few large trees to a much denser forest dominated by many small trees. The prevalence of low-density forests composed primarily of large-diameter ponderosa pines leads us to conclude that a disturbance Dichloromethane dehalogenase regime of frequent low- to moderate-severity fires was the dominant influence on the structure and composition of forests in this landscape for several centuries prior to the 1914–1922 inventory. The preponderance of low-density stands and pine dominance, even on the moister mixed-conifer sites, supports this inference. The structure and composition recorded 90 years ago is consistent with those of contemporary forests subject to frequent low- and moderate-severity disturbance (Stephens and Fulé, 2005, Stephens and Gill, 2005 and Collins et al., 2011).

, 2011) The potential of restored forests to become seed sources

, 2011). The potential of restored forests to become seed sources for future restoration activities should be taken into consideration when planning restoration, especially for rare, endemic or endangered species for which the availability of suitable FRM is often very limited. Efforts should be made to avoid the successive use of seed collections from planted stands with low genetic diversity (e.g., Lengkeek et al., 2005 and Pakkad et al., 2008), as this may exacerbate the effects of a narrow genetic base in this website subsequent populations.

Maintaining records of the sources of FRM is essential, as it will inform decisions about future collection and management. Such records will also allow lessons to be learned about the site-adaptability and viability of the original FRM used as the restored forests mature and the fitness of populations can be evaluated (Rogers and Montalvo, 2004, Godefroid et al., 2011 and Breed et al., 2013). Tree populations face three possible fates under changing environmental conditions: (i) they may persist if the changes remain within the range of their plasticity or they are able to track appropriate ecological niches through migration; (ii) they may persist through adaptation to new environmental conditions where they currently grow; or (iii) they may be extirpated

(Aitken et al., 2008). These same fates apply to tree-based ecosystems in the process of being restored. Given Selleck GSK1349572 the uncertainty of future climatic conditions

and lack of knowledge of the nature and distribution of adaptive traits in tree species, several measures have been suggested to build resilience to climate change into forest restoration initiatives. Such measures include increasing population sizes, enhancing Wilson disease protein species and genetic diversity, ensuring the maintenance of tree cover in the landscape for genetic and geographic connectivity between tree populations, and identifying and protecting evolutionary refugia (Ledig and Kitzmiller, 1992, Aitken et al., 2008, Sgrò et al., 2011, Bhagwat et al., 2012 and Pauls et al., 2013). The process of natural selection, necessary for adaptation to occur in place, depends upon population size, amount of variation among individuals, selection pressure and gene flow from neighbouring populations. Thus, the adaptive potential of a tree population in the process of being restored can be expected to correlate positively with its size, at least on the assumption that appropriate reproductive material has been used (i.e. representing sufficient adaptive genetic variation) (Reed and Frankham, 2003 and Sgrò et al., 2011). Maintaining evolutionary potential – the ability of populations to both persist over the long term and undergo evolutionary adaptation in response to changing environmental conditions – depends on large, effective population sizes (Sgrò et al.

pylori-associated gastric disease The Mongolian gerbil model is

pylori-associated gastric disease. The Mongolian gerbil model is the best animal model for this purpose because H. pylori infection induces chronic gastritis, gastric ulcers, and intestinal metaplasia in these animals. Mongolian gerbils develop gastric neoplasia and gastric cancer after chronic infection by H. pylori strain 7.13 [28] and [29], as used in the present study. After the infection of gerbils with H. pylori, we determined: the changes in LPO level, which is an index of oxidative membrane damage; the activity of MPO, a biomarker of neutrophil infiltration; the induction of inflammatory mediator keratinocyte chemoattractant

factor (KC), an IL-8 homolog in rodents [30]; IL-1β; iNOS; and the phosphorylation of MEK inhibitor IκBα, which reflects the activation of NF-κB. In addition,

this website viable H. pylori colonization in the stomach, changes in food intake and body weight, stomach weight/total body weight, and histological analysis of gastric mucosa were compared between animals that received RGE and those that did not. Five-wk-old male specific-pathogen-free Mongolian gerbils (MGS/Sea) with an average weight of approximately 40 g were purchased from Charles River Laboratories (Wilmington, MA, USA). Gerbils were housed in polypropylene cages on hard wood chip bedding in groups of five/cage. Food and water were provided ad libitum. The animals were maintained in a temperature-controlled room (22 ± 2°C) with a 12-h light–dark cycle. The

animal experiments were performed in accordance with institutional guidelines. Protocols were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Yonsei University Medical Center (Seoul, Korea; Permit No.: 10-107). Ten gerbils were included in each group. Histological observations are reported for 10 gerbils/group. All animals were maintained in the specific pathogen-free facility at Yonsei University Medical Center. H. pylori strain 7.13 was maintained as frozen stock at –80°C in brain–heart infusion medium supplemented with 20% glycerol and 10% fetal bovine serum. Bacteria were grown on horse blood agar plates containing 4% Columbia agar base (Oxoid, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK), 5% defibrinated horse blood (HemoStat Labs, Dixon, CA, USA), enough 0.2% β-cyclodextrin, 10 μg/mL vancomycin, 5 μg/mL cefsulodin, 2.5 U/mL polymyxin B, 5 μg/mL trimethoprim, and 8 μg/mL amphotericin B at 37°C under microaerophilic conditions. A microaerobic atmosphere was generated using a CampyGen sachet (Oxoid) in a gas pack jar. For liquid culture, H. pylori was grown in brucella broth (Difco & BBL Diagnostics, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA) containing 10% FBS (Gibco-BRL, Grand Island, NY, USA). Cultures were shaken in a microaerobic environment. According to the growth curve, 108 bacteria were collected and resuspended in 500 μL of brucella broth for the infection of each animal.