The mechanisms by which prebiotics affect the immune system have not yet been investigated in detail. Most effects have been attributed to increases in the innate and acquired immune responses. This study was conducted to elucidate the long-term effects of orally administered lactulose on the immune response in the intestinal tract of probiotic-fed calves. Preruminant calves were randomized to 3 feeding

groups: milk replacer containing 1) no lactulose, 2) 1% lactulose, or 3) 3% lactulose. All 3 milk replacers contained 10(9) cfu Enterococcus faecium/kg. Messenger RNA expression of different this website cell activation markers, pro-and antiinflammatory cytokines, and IgA Fc receptor was investigated in the ileum, mesenterial lymph node, spleen, and white blood cells. A significantly greater number of blood lymphocytes were detected in the 3% lactulose group (P = 0.02) than in the control group. The expression results in male calves

indicated that the transcription of IgA Fc receptor in the ileal mucosa of the 1% lactulose treatment group increased significantly (P = 0.04) and also tended to increase in the 3% lactulose group (P = 0.07). Furthermore, decreases in IL-10 SB-715992 cell line and interferon-gamma mRNA expression were observed in the ileum (P = 0.04). The CD4-presenting lymphocytes were decreased significantly in the ileum (P = 0.04) and mesenteric lymph node (P = 0.01), whereas CD8-presenting lymphocytes were increased in the blood (P = 0.03) of females. Other proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1 beta, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-a) and antiinflammatory cytokines (transforming growth factor-alpha) did not show significant differences in mRNA expression among treatment groups. The results indicate that additional P505-15 lactulose feeding had an immunomodulatory effect on the composition of T-cell subsets in different immune compartments and

had minor effects on pro-and antiinflammatory cytokine mRNA expression.”
“We present the complex dielectric function of BiCrO3 thin films in the energy range of 0.73-9.8 eV determined using spectroscopic ellipsometry. By analyzing the absorption onset region, it is shown that the optical bandgap of BiCrO3 is indirect, with a value of 2.27 eV. The imaginary part of the BiCrO3 dielectric function, epsilon(2), calculated using density functional theory in the generalized gradient approximation with an Hubbard potential of 3 eV agrees well with the experimentally determined one. Raman spectra of both polycrystalline and epitaxial thin films of BiCrO3 are reported. The temperature dependent Raman measurements indicate a structural phase transition at similar to 400 K which was confirmed also by x-ray diffraction investigations. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.