57. Aortic valve replacement with sutureless valve and mitral valve repair in patient with infected aortic homograft

The approach of implanting aortic sutureless valve inside the calcific homograft is suitable in redo surgery especially if associated with mitral valve surgery. Aortic valve replacement in patients who have undergone previous aortic root replacement with an aortic homograft remains a technical challenge because of homograft degeneration and the need for a redo Bentall operation. We report a case of redo aortic valve replacement (valve in valve) with a sutureless valve and mitral valve repair by miniband annuloplasty in a female patient aged 64years old who underwent aortic valve replacement with homograft 14years ago and presented by sever aortic valve regurge and sever mitral valve regurge because of infective endocarditis. This technique allows rapid aortic valve replacement in a heavily calcified aortic root. It also avoids aortic valve size affection after mitral valve repair by ordinary methods especially in patients with small aortic annulus. This technique is particularly suitable in redo procedures for homograft degeneration, it avoids performing a redo Bentall operation with its known problems as well as to avoid patient prosthesis mismatch

2. Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery why do you take the risks?

During recent years, minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (MIMVS) become the preferred method of mitral valve repair and replacement in many institutions worldwide with excellent results, in spite of there is no clear difinition of minimally invasive surgery and we do not have efficient studies about the risks of MIMVS comparing to conventional mitral valve surgery. Many studies are needed to clarify the need for either conventional or minimally invasive mitral valve surgery instead of personal preference. The patient’s demographic profile, intraoperative data and postoperative outcomes of patients undergoing minimally invasive mitral valve surgery were retrospectively collected from our database from May 2011 to April 2014. We will present early and mid-term outcomes of patients undergoing minimally invasive mitral valve surgery in our institution. Seventy consecutive patients (45 male and 25 female), age 35±12 years, underwent MIMVS surgery. Mean preoperative New York Heart Association function class was 2.6±0.7. Mean ejection fraction was 50±8. Cardiopulmonary bypass was instituted through femoral cannulation (28 of 70, 40%), or direct aortic cannulation (42 of 70, 25%). Aortic cross-clamp used in (66 of 70, 94.2%). Without aortic cross-clamp in (4 of 70, 5.7%), mitral valve repair has been done in (52 of 70, 74.2%), mitral valve replacement (18 of 70, 25.7%). Concomitant procedures included AF ablation (24 of 70, 34.2%), and tricuspid valve repair (33 of 70, 47.1%). No mortality recorded, residual mitral regurge was found in (6 of 70, 8.5%) during 1 year follow up. Cardiopulmonary bypass, and “skin to skin” surgery were 95±35 and 250±74min, respectively. 4 patients (5.7%) underwent reexploration for bleeding and (57 of 70, 81.4%) did not receive any blood transfusions. Six patients (8.5%) sustained face oedema. Mean length of hospital stay was 7±3.8days. 18 patients (25.7%) did not feel any interest regarding cosmotic advantage over conventional surgery. Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery is an excellent alternative to conventional mitral valve surgery in most cases however comparing to conventional mitral surgery it shows long bypass time, long cross clamp time, difficult reexploration for bleeding and multiple body incisions

Cobalt availability in the soil plant and animal food chain: a study under a peri-urban environment

Abstract Cobalt metal is considered as an essential trace element for the animals. Present investigation was undertaken in the peri-urban area to analyze the cobalt availability in animal food chain by using different indices. Cow, buffalo and sheep samples along with forage and soil samples were collected from the three different sites of District Jhang and analyzed through atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Cobalt values differed in soil samples as 0.315-0.535 mg/kg, forages as 0.127-0.333 mg/kg and animal samples as 0.364-0.504 mg/kg. Analyzed cobalt concentration in soil, forage and animal samples was found to be deficient in concentration with respect to standard limits. Soil showed the minimum cobalt level in Z. mays while maximum concentration was examined in the forage C. decidua samples. All indices examined in this study has values lesser than 1, representing the safer limits of the cobalt concentration in these samples. Enrichment factor (0.071-0.161 mg/kg) showed the highly deficient amount of cobalt enrichment in this area. Bio-concentration factor (0.392-0.883) and pollution load index (0.035-0.059 mg/kg) values were also lesser than 1 explains that plant and soil samples are not contaminated with cobalt metal. The daily intake and health risk index ranged from 0.00019-0.00064 mg/kg/day and 0.0044-0.0150 mg/kg/day respectively. Among the animals, cobalt availability was maximum (0.0150 mg/kg/day) in the buffaloes that grazed on the C. decidua fodder. Results of this study concluded that cobalt containing fertilizers must be applied on the soil and forages. Animal feed derived from the cobalt containing supplements are supplied to the animals, to fulfill the nutritional requirements of livestock

The gyrfalcon (Falcon rusticolus) genome

High-quality genome assemblies are characterized by high-sequence contiguity, completeness, and a low error rate, thus providing the basis for a wide array of studies focusing on natural species ecology, conservation, evolution, and population genomics. To provide this valuable resource for conservation projects and comparative genomics studies on gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), we sequenced and assembled the genome of this species using third-generation sequencing strategies and optical maps. Here, we describe a highly contiguous and complete genome assembly comprising 20 scaffolds and 13 contigs with a total size of 1.193 Gbp, including 8, 064 complete Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCOs) of the total 8, 338 BUSCO groups present in the library aves_odb10. Of these BUSCO genes, 96.7% were complete, 96.1% were present as a single copy, and 0.6% were duplicated. Furthermore, 0.8% of BUSCO genes were fragmented and 2.5% (210) were missing. A de novo search for transposable elements (TEs) identified 5, 716 TEs that masked 7.61% of the F. rusticolus genome assembly when combined with publicly available TE collections. Long interspersed nuclear elements, in particular, the element Chicken-repeat 1 (CR1), were the most abundant TEs in the F. rusticolus genome. A de novo first-pass gene annotation was performed using 293, 349 PacBio Iso-Seq transcripts and 496, 195 transcripts derived from the assembly of 42, 429, 525 Illumina PE RNA-seq reads. In all, 19, 602 putative genes, of which 59.31% were functionally characterized and associated with Gene Ontology terms, were annotated. A comparison of the gyrfalcon genome assembly with the publicly available assemblies of the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus), zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), and hummingbird (Calypte anna) revealed several genome rearrangements. In particular, nine putative chromosome fusions were identified in the gyrfalcon genome assembly compared with those in the G. gallus genome assembly. This genome assembly, its annotation for TEs and genes, and the comparative analyses presented, complement and strength the base of high-quality genome assemblies and associated resources available for comparative studies focusing on the evolution, ecology, and conservation of Aves. © The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Genetics Society of America.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Ubiquitylation of ABA Receptors and Protein Phosphatase 2C Coreceptors to Modulate ABA Signaling and Stress Response

Post-translational modifications play a fundamental role in regulating protein function and stability. In particular, protein ubiquitylation is a multifaceted modification involved in numerous aspects of plant biology. Landmark studies connected the ATP-dependent ubiquitylation of substrates to their degradation by the 26S proteasome; however, nonproteolytic functions of the ubiquitin (Ub) code are also crucial to regulate protein interactions, activity, and localization. Regarding proteolytic functions of Ub, Lys-48-linked branched chains are the most common chain type for proteasomal degradation, whereas promotion of endocytosis and vacuolar degradation is triggered through monoubiquitylation or Lys63-linked chains introduced in integral or peripheral plasma membrane proteins. Hormone signaling relies on regulated protein turnover, and specifically the half-life of ABA signaling components is regulated both through the ubiquitin-26S proteasome system and the endocytic/vacuolar degradation pathway. E3 Ub ligases have been reported that target different ABA signaling core components, i.e., ABA receptors, PP2Cs, SnRK2s, and ABFs/ABI5 transcription factors. In this review, we focused specifically on the ubiquitylation of ABA receptors and PP2C coreceptors, as well as other post-translational modifications of ABA receptors (nitration and phosphorylation) that result in their ubiquitination and degradation

S-ACO: An Ant-Based Approach to Combinatorial Optimization Under Uncertainty

Abstract. A general-purpose, simulation-based algorithm S-ACO for solving stochastic combinatorial optimization problems by means of the ant colony optimization (ACO) paradigm is investigated. Whereas in a prior publication, theoretical convergence of S-ACO to the globally opti-mal solution has been demonstrated, the present article is concerned with an experimental study of S-ACO on two stochastic problems of fixed-routes type: First, a pre-test is carried out on the probabilistic traveling salesman problem. Then, more comprehensive tests are performed for a traveling salesman problem with time windows (TSPTW) in the case of stochastic service times. As a yardstick, a stochastic simulated annealing (SSA) algorithm has been implemented for comparison. Both approaches are tested at randomly generated problem instances of different size. It turns out that S-ACO outperforms the SSA approach on the considered test instances. Some conclusions for fine-tuning S-ACO are drawn.

Effect of anise seed (Pimpinella anisum L.) and protease alone or in combination on growth performance, carcase characteristics, humoral immunity, nutrients digestibility and cecal microbiota in Japanese quails

The trial investigated the effects of anise seed powder and protease, alone and combined, in Japanese quail diets. 540 seven-day-old quails were divided into four groups: Control (basal diet), Anise Seed Group (1000 mg/kg anise seed powder), Protease Enzyme Group (30,000 IU/kg Bacillus subtilis-derived protease enzyme), and a combination of anise powder and protease. The combination significantly increased weight gain and dressing percentage compared to the control. Quails receiving protease, anise powder, or both showed higher antibody titers against infectious diseases. The population of beneficial Lactobacillus increased in groups receiving protease and the combination. Additionally, the presence of harmful bacteria like Escherichia coli and Salmonella decreased significantly in quails supplemented with both protease enzyme and anise powder. In summary, combining protease and anise powder improved growth performance, immune responses, increased Lactobacillus population, and decreased pathogenic bacteria in quails

Evaluation of potential ecological risk assessment of toxic metal (lead) in contaminated meadows in the vicinity of suburban city: soil vs forages vs livestock

Abstract Heavy metal toxicity is becoming an increasing concern for environmental, human and animal health. The current research analyzed the lead (Pb) contamination in the food chain under three different irrigation sources (ground, canal, and wastewater). Soil, plant and animal samples were collected from the Jhang district of Pakistan and processed with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Lead concentration varied in the samples as: 5.22-10.73 mg/kg in soil, 2.46-10.34 mg/kg in forages and 0.736-2.45 mg/kg in animal samples. The observed lead concentration in forage and animal blood samples was higher than the standard limits. The pollution load index (0.640-1.32) in soil showed that lead contamination mainly took place at the wastewater irrigating sites. Bio-concentration factor values (0.313-1.15) were lower than one in all samples except Zea mays, showing that lead metal was actively taken up by Zea mays tissues from the soil. Enrichment factor values ranged from 0.849-3.12, showing a moderate level of lead enrichment. Daily intake and health risk index varied between 0.004-0.020 mg/kg/day and 0.906-4.99, respectively. All the samples showed maximum lead concentration at the wastewater irrigating site compared to the ground or canal water application sites. These results recommended that consistent application of wastewater for forage irrigation must be avoided to prevent health hazards associated with lead in the animal and human food chain. Government must implement adequate strategies to protect the animal and human health from the harms of toxic heavy metals

Synthesis, anticancer activity, and molecular docking of new pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine derivatives

The reaction of 3-aminopyrzoles with dimethylamino-acrylonitrile derivatives was utilized for the production of new functionalized pyrazolopyrimidine compounds 4a-c and 6a-c. The structures of the obtained pyrazolopyrimidines were characterized by the different spectroscopic measurements (IR, NMR, and mass analyses). The DFT quantum chemical calculations were applied to the determination of the HOMO-LUMO energies and Mulliken atomic charges. The investigated derivatives exhibited a low HOMO-LUMO energy gap, ranging from 2.70 to 2.34 eV, 4c and both 4b and 6b, respectively. Furthermore, the anticancer activities of the synthesized compounds have also been investigated against four cancer cells as well as normal cells (WI38). The investigated compounds demonstrated an impressive cytotoxic effect on MCF-7 and Hep-2 cells. On comparison with 5-fluorouracil, pyrazolopyrimidines 6a–c showed promising cytotoxic action against MCF-7 and Hep-2, with IC50 values of 18.31–26.51 and 24.15–27.16 μM, respectively. Molecular docking of the prepared pyrazolopyrimidines 4 and 6 with the crystal structure of the KDM5A protein, obtained from the PDB, revealed the types of the protein's binding sites

Polyphenols-rich polyherbal mixture attenuates hepatorenal impairment, dyslipidaemia, oxidative stress and inflammation in alloxan-induced diabetic rats

Effects of polyherbal mixture on hepatorenal injury and dyslipidaemia in alloxan-induced diabetic rats were evaluated. Alloxan monohydrate (120 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected into Wistar rats to induce diabetes. Animals were allotted to six groups (n = 6) and treatments were administered for consecutive six weeks as normal and diabetic controls, glibenclamide and polyherbal mixture (200, 400 and 600 mg/kg), respectively. Ameliorative effects of the polyherbal mixture were investigated by assessing FBG levels, changes in body and organ (liver and kidney) weights, biochemical parameters, oxidative stress along with inflammatory parameters in addition to histopathological examination of the liver and kidney. The results showed that alloxan-injected rats had significant (P < 0.05) hyperglycaemia in addition to elevated serum levels of hepatorenal injury indices (ALT, AST, ALP, bilirubin, total protein, albumin, creatinine, BUN and uric acid) and hyperlipidaemia evidenced by increased TC, TG, LDL-C, VLDL-C and decreased HDL-C levels. Furthermore, diabetes induction caused an increase in lipid peroxidation (MDA) and a reduction in antioxidant markers (SOD and CAT activities) as well as inflammation (TNF-α) in hepatic and renal tissues. Polyherbal mixture remarkably improved the aforementioned parameters in a dose-dependent manner. Histopathological findings supported the biochemical results. Conclusively, this study has provided novel insights into the efficacy of polyherbal mixtures in managing hyperglycaemia and its secondary complications in diabetes mellitus