, 2013 and Pellissier et al , 2013) These processes have been ex

, 2013 and Pellissier et al., 2013). These processes have been exacerbated as a consequence of the abandonment of agricultural and pastoral activities (Piussi and Farrell, 2000, Chauchard et al., 2007 and Zimmermann et al., 2010) and changes in traditional fire uses (Borghesio, 2009, Ascoli and Bovio, 2010, Conedera and Krebs, 2010 and Pellissier see more et al., 2013), combined with intensified tourism pressure (Arndt et al., 2013). Many studies show how land-use abandonment and the following tree and shrub encroachment have negative consequences on biodiversity maintenance in the Alps, e.g., Laiolo et al. (2004), Fischer et al. (2008), Cocca et al. (2012), Dainese and Poldini (2012).

Under the second fire regime conditions, landscape opening favoured the creation of new habitats and niches with an increase in plant species richness (Carcaillet, 1998, Tinner et al., 1999, Colombaroli et al., 2010 and Berthel et al., 2012) and evenness, e.g., less dominant taxa (Colombaroli

et al., 2013). Such positive effects of fire on taxonomic and functional diversity are usually highest at intermediate fire disturbance level for both the plant (Delarze et al., 1992, Tinner et al., 2000, Beghin et al., 2010, Ascoli et al., 2013a and Vacchiano et al., 2014a) and invertebrate community (Moretti et al., 2004, Querner et al., 2010 and Wohlgemuth et al., 2010). In some cases fire favours the maintenance of habitats suitable for endangered Everolimus clinical trial L-gulonolactone oxidase communities (Borghesio, 2009) or rare species (Moretti et al., 2006, Wohlgemuth et al., 2010 and Lonati et al., 2013). However, prolonged and frequent fire disturbance can lead to floristic impoverishment.

On the fire-prone southern slopes of the Alps the high frequency of anthropogenic ignitions during the second fire epoch (see also Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 for details) caused a strong decrease or even the local extinction at low altitudes of several forest taxa such as Abies alba, Tilia spp, Fraxinus excelsior and Ulmus spp. ( Tinner et al., 1999, Favilli et al., 2010 and Kaltenrieder et al., 2010) and animal communities, e.g., Blant et al. (2010). In recent times however, opening through fire results also in an increased susceptibility of the burnt ecosystems towards the colonization of invasive alien species ( Grund et al., 2005, Lonati et al., 2009 and Maringer et al., 2012) or animal communities, e.g., Lyet et al. (2009) and Blant et al. (2010). Similar to what is reported for the Mediterranean ( Arianoutsou and Vilà, 2012) or other fire prone ecosystems ( Franklin, 2010 and Monty et al., 2013), also in the Alpine environments fire may represent an unrequested spread channel for alien invasive species with pioneer character, what reinforce the selective pressure of fire in favour of disturbance adapted species of both native ( Delarze et al., 1992; Tinner et al., 2000 and Moser et al., 2010) and alien origin ( Lonati et al., 2009 and Maringer et al., 2012) ( Fig. 7).

Moreover, many components with much lower concentration have been

Moreover, many components with much lower concentration have been identified including hyaluronidase, acid phosphatase, apamin, mast cell degranulating peptide, adolapin, secapin, minimine, phospholipase A2 (PLA2) histamine, glycosidase, tertiapin, dopamine and carbohydrates ( Gauldie et al., 1976, Habermann, 1972, Nelson and O’Connor, 1968, Vetter and Visscher, 1998 and Vetter et al., 1999). Among the multiple biological activities that have been identified for AMV, inhibition of different

aspects of the inflammatory response is of great interest. AMV inhibits oedema (Chang and Bliven, 1979) and nociception (Lee et al., 2001) induced by carrageenan in rats. It also inhibits inflammatory signs induced by Freund adjuvant in rats (Kang et al., 2002 and Lee et al., 2005) and the articular see more inflammation induced by immune

complex in rabbits (Thomsen et al., 1984). Furthermore, AMV reduces the production of inflammatory mediators in animal models of arthritis induced by lipopolysaccharide (Lee et al., 2005). Many mechanisms have been suggested to explain the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects GDC-0941 order induced by AMV. It has been demonstrated that AMV inhibits cyclooxygenase-2 expression (Jang et al., 2005 and Nam et al., 2003) and production of inflammatory cytokines (Nam et al., 2003 and Rekka et al., 1990) and nitric oxide (NO) (Jang et al., 2005) induced by different inflammatory stimuli. Furthermore, AMV increases cortisol production in monkeys and dogs (Chang and Bliven, 1979 and Kwon et al., 2003), an effect that may also contribute to its anti-inflammatory activity. Some experimental studies with AMV components have also been carried out. Melittin increases cortisol production in monkey and dogs (Chang and Bliven, 1979 and Kwon et al., 2003), mast cell degranulating peptide inhibits inflammation

induced by carrageenan (Martin and Hartter, 1980) and complete Freund adjuvant (Billingham et al., 1973), whereas adolapin inhibits nociception, oedema and fever induced by different inflammatory stimuli in rats (Koburova et al., 1985 and Shkenderov and Koburova, 1982). Although different studies demonstrated the antinociceptive effect induced by AMV and some of its components, most of them evaluated this effect after their injection in acupuncture points. The contribution of different HSP90 AMV components to its antinociceptive activity is unclear, as the interpretation of the results is limited by some drawbacks, including injection into acupuncture points, lack of comparison of the activity of AMV and their components in the same study and inadequate comparisons of results obtained from studies that used different experimental models, animals and sources of the venom. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects induced by AMV, the fraction with molecular mass lower than 10 kDa (F<10), melittin and melittin-free AMV in experimental models of nociceptive and inflammatory pain in mice.

Therefore, distinguishing

pancreatic cancer from chronic

Therefore, distinguishing

pancreatic cancer from chronic pancreatitis is a clinical challenge with current imaging agents. This study 17-AAG mw was aimed to investigate the feasibility of using computer-aided diagnostic techniques to extract EUS image parameters for the differential diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis. A total of 388 patients including 262 PC and 126 CP undergoing EUS were recruited in the study. All pancreatic cancer patients were confirmed by histology or cytology. Typical EUS images were selected manually from the sample sets. Texture features were extracted from the representative region of interest using computer-based image analysis software. Then the distance between class (DBC) algorithm and a sequential forward selection (SFS) algorithm were used for data screening in order to obtain a better combination of texture features. Finally, a support vector machine (SVM) predictive model was built, trained, and validated. With computer-based technology, 105 features from 9 categories were extracted from the EUS images for pattern classification. Of these features, 16 features were selected as a better combination of features. A SVM

predictive model was then built and trained by using these selected features as input variables for prediction of PC. The total cases were randomly divided into a training set and a testing set. The training set was used to train the SVM, learn more and the testing set was used to evaluate the performance of the SVM. After 200 trials of randomised experiments, the average accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, the

positive and negative predictive values of pancreatic cancer were (94.25±0.17) Demeclocycline %, (96.25±0.45) %, (93.38±0.20) %, (92.21±0.42) % and (96.68±0.14) %, respectively. This study reveals that computer-aided digital image processing of EUS technology could accurately differentiate pancreatic cancer form chronic pancreatitis, which is promising to be used as an inexpensive, non-invasive and effective diagnostic tool for the clinical determination of pancreatic cancer without fine needle aspiration in the near future. Extracted features “
“Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) is considered a major advance for the diagnosis of pancreatic lesions, given its ability to obtain cytologic material. The sensitivity of the cytologic study is modest, with limits also represented by sampling adequacy. Efforts to define new tests to improve the efficacy of EUS-FNS are needed. PDX-1 is a transcription factor required for pancreatic development. Studies have shown that PDX-1 is expressed in cases of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and its expression correlates with a worse prognosis. To establish a method to verify and quantify the expression of PDX-1 mRNA in EUS-FNA samples of patients with pancreatic lesions. mRNA was extracted in EUS-FNA samples of 33 cases of pancreatic cancer and 15 cases of cystic lesions.

Stenting allows fast and effective recanalization without the nee

Stenting allows fast and effective recanalization without the need of repetitive passing of the occlusion site and retrieval SCH 900776 order attempts. However, this concept has some disadvantages in general and especially in the setting of acute stroke treatment. Thrombus compression may lead to permanent side branch or perforator occlusion. Moreover, permanent stent placement needs double platelet anti-aggregation medication in order to prevent in-stent thrombosis

and re-occlusion. This preventive medication may increase the risk of sICH in the setting of acute stroke [6]. Furthermore, an in-stent re-stenosis rate of bare metal stents has been reported in up to 32% in the treatment of intracranial arteriosclerotic stenosis after a follow-up period of 9 months [7]. The use of different stent systems has been reported in case reports and small case series. find more In general, self-expandable stents are preferentially used over balloon-mounted stents. Recanalization rates are reported to be between 79% and 92% with moderate clinical outcome in 33–50% [8] and [9]. The Stent-Assisted Recanalization in Acute Ischemic Stroke (SARIS) trial is the first FDA approved prospective trial investigating stenting

in acute stroke treatment. 20 patients (mean NIHSS 14) were included within 6 h after symptom onset. Recanalization rate was 100% with adjuvant therapies such as angioplasty, IV tPA and IAT applied in 63% of patients. Moderate clinical outcome was achieved in 60% of patients [10] and [11]. Despite the high recanalization rate reported in these studies, the use of intracranial stenting in acute stroke treatment is debatable due to the risks associated with permanent stent deployment and the recent success of thrombectomy. However, stenting has a

clear value in selective cases of rescue therapy. All mechanical thrombectomy devices Amino acid are delivered by endovascular access proximal to the occlusion site. The various systems can be divided into 3 major groups according to where they apply mechanical force on the thrombus: (a) Proximal devices apply force to the proximal base of the thrombus. This group includes various aspiration catheters and systems. Vascular access is usually gained with a 7–8-F sheath. After placement of the guiding catheter, a large dedicated aspiration catheter (4–5-F) flexible enough to pass the tortuosity of the cranial vessels (e.g. carotid siphon) is navigated to the proximal surface of the thrombus. Aspiration force is applied to the thrombus using a 60-ml syringe. The aspiration catheter is then retrieved under constant negative pressure to avoid loss of thrombus material. This approach omits repetitive passing of the occlusion site and after each retrieval of clot fragments, the procedure can be repeated. The advantages of this approach are that it is mechanically simple, fast to apply and inexpensive.

21 Steroid therapy for TEN is reported as both controversial and

21 Steroid therapy for TEN is reported as both controversial and no longer recommended; if used, it should be check details within the first 48 hours of treatment because of the increased risk

of septic complications with an anti-inflammatory agent. Strict control of blood glucose levels is needed for patients with history of diabetes or on corticosteroids.22 For patients with extensive skin involvement, supportive care in an acute burn or intensive care unit is recommended for life support measures, pain management, and prevention of infection.23 Mechanical ventilation, fluid resuscitation with IV fluids or Ringer’s solution for electrolyte balance, anticoagulation with heparin to prevent thromboembolism, and supplemental nutrition via a nasogastric tube may be needed in severe cases.2 and 12 Antibiotic therapy Target Selective Inhibitor Library is not prophylactic but dependent on clinical symptoms, including positive skin cultures, sudden drop in temperature, or deterioration of

patient’s medical condition.2 In order to prevent caloric loss and an increase in metabolic rate, a room temperature of 30 °C to 32 °C is also recommended.2 Clinical studies on the use of intravenous immunoglobulin for patients with SJS and TEN have shown mixed results. Successful treatment appears to be dose dependent (1 g/kg/day for 3 days with a total of 3 g/kg over 3 consecutive days), with early treatment recommended.24 Other medications that have been studied and found beneficial include IV infliximab, cyclosporine, and IV N-acetylcysteine.12 Acyclovir has been suggested for herpetic lesions in the

oral cavity.8 For severe cases involving loss of epidermis, wound management goals are to prevent fluid loss, prevent infection, and facilitate reepithelialization. Although patients with SJS and TEN are best treated in an acute burn center, there are some definite differences in their clinical presentation that affect treatment. For example, SJS and TEN epidermal involvement may continue to spread after admission; subcutaneous necrosis is deeper in burns, thereby creating subcutaneous edema that is not observed in SJS and TEN; fluid requirements for SJS and Methisazone TEN are usually two-thirds to three-fourths those of burn patients with the same area involvement; and reepithelialization is usually faster in SJS and TEN because of more sparing of the hair follicles in the dermal layer.2 Skin lesions can be expected to heal in an average of 15 days; oral and pharyngeal lesions may take approximately 4 weeks longer.24 Debridement of detached epidermal tissue is controversial and usually not advisable in patients who have a positive Nikolsky sign.2 Collagen sheet dressings,13 Biobrane (Dow B. Hickam, Inc, Sugarland, TX, USA),8 and other occlusive nonadhesive wound coverings that prevent fluid loss and minimize pain with dressing changes have been recommended.

42 ± 23 46) There was no significant difference in time until de

42 ± 23.46). There was no significant difference in time until death between the two concentrations of bile derivatives tested (H1,16 = 0.099, p = 0.753; Table S4). Overall, six out of the 25 sea stars injected with Oxgall initially exhibited signs of the effects of bile injections (i.e. loss of turgor and localized lesions at the site of injection) within the first 24 h, but eventually recovered after 7 days of observation. Among the COTS injected at different sites with a single dose ( Fig. 1A, B; Table S5), Bile Salts No. 3 (28.95 ± 4.08 h) selleck inhibitor resulted in significantly more rapid death after injection

compared to Oxgall (57.98 ± 12.95) (F1,32 = 21.609, p = 0.019; Table S6). Even when Oxgall concentrations were doubled, proportion IOX1 concentration of dead COTS after 48 h remained at 60% ( Fig. 1D). The differences observed between Oxgall and Bile Salts No. 3 may be due to the composition of these derivatives. Bile Salts No. 3 is composed of sodium cholate and sodium deoxycholate, which are known detergents that lyse cell membranes after contact ( Rolo et al., 2004). Bile Salts No. 3 undergoes a refining process that removes lipids and reduces the pigments in the bile, thus

making it a useful component of selective broths and has higher potency even at lower concentrations ( Oxoid, 2014). There was no significant difference in mortality of COTS injected at different sites (p = 0.891; Fig. 1, Table S2). The highest proportion of dead COTS after 48 h (100%) was achieved by injecting COTS in the proximal region of the arm where digestive and reproductive glands are situated ( Fig. 1A, B). Mortality rates were lowest (60%) when COTS were injected in the central disk with oxgall at 6 g l−1 and 12 g l−1 ( Fig. 1B, D). Mortality of sea stars injected in the central disk mainly Carbohydrate depends on which organ the tip of the syringe needle hits upon injection. Chemicals can be easily

discharged by the sea star if injected in the cardiac stomach or near the mouth. Time to death was also most rapid in COTS that were injected in the base of the arm (22.68 ± 2.91 h) and slowest in sea stars injected in the central disk (59.39 ± 19.22 h), however these differences were not statistically significant (F1,32 = 7.511, p = 0.066; Table S6). The newly developed hybrid gun was the most consistent and effective of all three-injection guns, killing all COTS in 20.49 ± 0.18 h (Fig. 2). The Simcro® plastic syringe was also effective, killing all sea stars in 29.45 ± 4.66. However, the long needle fitted to this gun can overshoot during injection and release solutions outside the sea star’s body. The classic metal DuPont™ Velpar® Spotgun® only killed one individual, which lasted 53.78 h before dying. This finding confirmed that the large holes created by the traditional spray gun allow chemicals to leak back into the ocean and it is one of the causes of high rates of COTS survival during control efforts. A. planci injected with 4 g l−1 Bile Salts No.

I believe the top down approach is more efficient and economical

I believe the top down approach is more efficient and economical. It is also notable that the final characterization of the behavioral alteration should include multiple tests that tap into the same function but using different methods.

For example, testing relational learning in rodents can be achieved using the Morris water maze spatial learning task as well as the context GDC-0199 purchase dependent fear conditioning task [12]. While such well developed tasks do not yet exist for the zebrafish, the principles are the same: tasks with different performance demands tapping into the same principle brain function allow the experimenter to exclude performance alterations and focus on the main goal: in this example relational learning mechanisms. The last topic I will briefly consider is what forward genetic method to chose. The most frequently employed method has been ethyl nitroso-urea (ENU) mutagenesis [29]. While this method is highly efficient in inducing single point mutations with a relatively homogeneous and full coverage of the entire genome, its disadvantage has been the labor intensive linkage analysis based positional cloning method that is required for the identification

of the gene that carries the mutation. Linkage analysis requires multiple generations of breeding a large number of fish and positional cloning is also a labor intensive molecular biology technique. While ENU is still the most prevalent approach in the zebrafish forward genetics literature, ON-01910 clinical trial alternative mutagenesis methods

are also becoming a reality. The main advantage of these newer methods is that they allow rapid identification of the mutated gene and/or allow the precise targeting of the mutation to known sequences. Viral-vector mediated, or insertional, mutagenesis was introduced several years ago [30]. Because the mutation is induced by insertion of a non-native nucleotide sequence into the zebrafish genome and because this sequence is known, identification of the gene with the inserted sequence can be achieved in a single step. Meloxicam Another promising approach that has recently been introduced is the TALEN (transcription activator-like effector nuclease) system. TALENs are artificial restriction endonuclease-like enzymes. These enzymes are generated by fusing a transcription activator-like effector (TALE) DNA binding domain to a DNA cleavage domain. The method has been optimized for the zebrafish [31••] and has been claimed to allow one to target practically any desired zebrafish gene in an efficient manner. This essentially reverse genetic method may be utilized for forward genetics too because the zebrafish genome has been sequenced and suspected, that is, previously not cloned genes and uncharacterized genes, can now be targeted en masse and phenotypically characterized.

The authors would like to thank K E Skóra from the Hel Marine St

The authors would like to thank K.E. Skóra from the Hel Marine Station of the Institute of Oceanography (University of Gdańsk) for providing laboratory space and assistance of Marine Station staff and to A. Zgrundo from the Institute of Oceanography (University

of Gdańsk) for facilitating microphotography of histological slides. This study was financially supported by the National Science Centre (grant nos. N N304 260740 and DEC-2012/05/N/NZ8/00739) and the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (funds for Ph.D. students 2011–2012). “
“Energy is the most essential requirement for human INK 128 cost survival. The complete dependence of mankind on fossil fuels may cause a major shortage in

the future. Biofuels made from bio-products reduce the need for petroleum oil and offer considerable benefits for sustainability and reduce pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions (Hansen et al., 2009). Of the biofuels, biodiesel is highly promising. The main advantages of using biodiesel Galunisertib are that it is renewable, non-toxic, and biodegradable and can be used without modifying existing engines because it possesses similar properties to diesel fuel and produces less harmful gas emissions, such as sulphur oxide (Agarwal, 2007 and Hansen et al., 2009). Biodiesel reduces net carbon dioxide emissions by 78% on a lifecycle basis compared to conventional diesel fuel (Gunvachai et al., 2007). Biodiesel consists of fatty acid methyl esters prepared from triglycerides by transesterification with methanol (Gerpen, 2005). During transesterification, the glycerides in fats or oils react with an alcohol in the presence of a catalyst (Banerjee and Chakraborty, 2009, Enweremadu and Mbarawa, 2009 and Zabeti et al., 2009) and are converted into monoesters,

yielding free glycerol as a by-product. Biodiesel can be produced from different feedstocks. Each originating oil or fat is characterised by a different fatty acid composition, and the final ester properties differ significantly based on the feedstock, alcohol used in the esterification and the exact chemical process followed Montelukast Sodium (Knothe, 2005). Recently, much research has focused on the production of biodiesel from non-edible sources, such as Jatropha and algae ( Komninos and Rakopoulos, 2012 and Pinzi et al., 2009). There has been increased interest in the marine production of biofuels derived from macro-algae (seaweed) and microalgae (single cell plants) ( Singh and Cu, 2010 and Williams and Laurens, 2010). Biodiesels derived from micro- and macro-algae have become known as one of the most encouraged unusual sources of lipids for use in biodiesel production because they are renewable in nature, can be produced on a large scale and are environmentally friendly ( Carvalho et al., 2011).

An interesting next step would be to explore how sensorimotor cor

An interesting next step would be to explore how sensorimotor cortex engagement during explicit word comprehension tasks changes across age. This will help disentangle further how word processing strategies and developmental constraints contribute to reduced activation of “embodied” category representations for printed

words in childhood. Due to sluggishness of the BOLD-response, fMRI is not ideal for establishing if sensorimotor cortex responses in word comprehension at different selleck ages result from slow, deliberate word meaning processing or the rapid automatic process reported for skilled adult readers (Hauk et al., 2008 and Kiefer et al., 2008). This issue can be addressed in the future by complementing fMRI measures of sensorimotor cortex activation high in spatial resolution, with EEG measures high in temporal resolution. For example, by comparing the time course of gamma-band

de-synchronisation over the motor cortex (an index of motor cortex activation) during tool versus animal name reading across age. In conclusion, children and adults both showed clear differential cortical specialization when matching tool and animal pictures on basic-level category. However, while adults co-activated the same animal and tool picture-selective cortical regions Dolutegravir chemical structure when performing this task with the pictures’ written names, children did not. This was despite the fact that all children could read and comprehend all names in the Y-27632 2HCl experiment and despite substantial reading proficiency in the older children. This gradual emergence of neural responses thought to play a crucial role in printed word comprehension and its development, suggests that until a relatively late

age and advanced level of reading proficiency, children do not spontaneously experience the sensorimotor meaning of single printed words they read. These results form a first step towards understanding how printed word meaning becomes “embodied” as children learn to link word shapes to word meanings. This work was funded by a European Commission grant MEST-CT-2005-020725 (CBCD) and ITN-CT-2011-28940 (ACT). TMD was partly funded by an Economic & Social Research Council grant RES-061-25-0523, DM is supported in part by a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award, MHJ is funded by the UK Medical Research Council, G0701484, and MIS is funded by a National Institutes of Health grant R01 MH 081990 and a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award. We thank Professor Joseph Devlin and Dr Karin Petrini for help with the data analyses and advice on the manuscript, and Dr Caspar Addyman for help with data collection. “
“Spoken word comprehension is an incremental process – auditory information unfolds over time, partially activating multiple lexical candidates (Marslen-Wilson, 1987).

The workers were cryo-anesthetized (0 °C) and decapitated, while

The workers were cryo-anesthetized (0 °C) and decapitated, while queens had an incision made in their thorax with a sterile entomological pin. Between 0.5 and 0.75 μL of haemolymph was collected from each ant by microcapillary. The queens were put back in their colonies of origin after extraction. The

collected haemolymph was added to a tube containing 20 μL of Tris–HCl (0.05 M, pH 7.2) with 15% (v/v) of protease inhibitor cocktail [4-(2-aminoethyl)benzenesulfonyl fluoride (AEBSF), E-64, bestatin, leupeptin, aprotinin, and sodium EDTA (Sigma-Aldrich)]. E. tuberculatum vitellogenin and/or vitellin samples were obtained from newly laid queen eggs and mature oocytes dissected from workers’ ovaries. Eggs and oocytes were macerated buy PR-171 in 0.05 M Tris–HCl buffer, pH 7.2, containing 15% (v/v) of protease inhibitor cocktail (Sigma). The extracts were centrifuged at 9300 × g for 10 min and the supernatant was collected.

The soluble proteins present in the extracts were quantified according to Bradford (1976) using bovine serum albumin as a standard. The haemolymph samples and egg extracts from the queens and workers were subjected to electrophoresis on a 12% polyacrylamide gel containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS-PAGE) (Laemmli, 1970) in order to assess the protein profiles. The samples were diluted to a ratio of 1:2 (v/v) in sample buffer [20% (v/v) of 10% SDS, 12.5% (v/v) 0.5 M Tris–HCl pH 6.8, 25% (v/v) glycerol, 0.01% (w/v) bromophenol blue, 5% (v/v) β-mercaptoetanol], boiled Proton pump inhibitor for 4 min, and run on the gel. We used 5 μg of protein from egg extracts and 5 μL of diluted haemolymph

samples. The gel was stained with a Coomassie blue solution (2% blue Coomassie G250, 10% acetic acid, 47.5% ethanol). The molecular weights of the proteins were determined with a standard curve based on a linear regression between the log of molecular weight of standard proteins (Promega™ Broad Range Protein Molecular Weight Marker) and their rf-values. The two major vitellin proteins identified in queen Tau-protein kinase eggs on SDS-PAGE were isolated and used in the production of anti-vitellogenin antibodies. Each putative vitellogenin protein was used as antigen for immunization of three rabbits up to three months old. In the initial immunization a total of 1 mg of protein mixed with Freund’s complete adjuvant (v/v) was injected subcutaneously. The second and third booster immunizations were performed 30 and 60 days after the first, each of them using a total of 0.25 mg of protein mixed with incomplete Freund’s adjuvant (v/v). The rabbits were bled 30 days after the third immunization and the serum containing the antibodies was obtained and stored at −20 °C. Haemolymph samples and egg extracts were subjected to SDS-PAGE as described above. The gel was incubated for 20 min in transfer buffer (0.58% Tris base, 0.28% glycine, 0.037% SDS, 20% methanol), followed by transfer of the proteins to a 0.