The localization of amyloid precursor protein to ependymal cilia in vertebrates and its role in ciliogenesis and brain development in zebrafish

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is expressed in many tissues in human, mice and in zebrafish. In zebrafish, there are two orthologues, Appa and Appb. Interestingly, some cellular processes associated with APP overlap with cilia-mediated functions. Whereas the localization of APP to primary cilia of in vitro-cultured cells has been reported, we addressed the presence of APP in motile and in non-motile sensory cilia and its potential implication for ciliogenesis using zebrafish, mouse, and human samples. We report that Appa and Appb are expressed by ciliated cells and become localized at the membrane of cilia in the olfactory epithelium, otic vesicle and in the brain ventricles of zebrafish embryos. App in ependymal cilia persisted in adult zebrafish and was also detected in mouse and human brain. Finally, we found morphologically abnormal ependymal cilia and smaller brain ventricles in appa-/-appb-/- mutant zebrafish. Our findings demonstrate an evolutionary conserved localisation of APP to cilia and suggest a role of App in ciliogenesis and cilia-related functions

Rhizospheric solutions: Pseudomonas isolates counter Botrytis cinerea on tomato

La moisissure grise causée par Botrytis cinerea provoque des dégâts sur plus de 200 espèces de cultures dans le monde. B. cinerea sporule pour former une pourriture grise sur les feuilles, les tiges et les fruits. Pour lutter contre B. cinerea, des fongicides synthétiques sont utilisés. Ces derniers mettent en danger la santé humaine et environnementale en plus de la résistance qu'ils peuvent occasionner chez les souches de B. cinerea. Les alternatives écologiques sont des solutions appropriées pour contrôler la moisissure grise tout en maintenant l’équilibre environnemental. L’objectif de cette étude est d'évaluer l’effet des isolats de Pseudomonas issus de la rhizosphère de la tomate sur B. cinerea. Les résultats ont montré que les 76 isolats testés inhibent le développement de B. cinerea in vitro. Cinq isolats de Pseudomonas (Q6B, Q13B, Q7B, Q14B et Q1B) ont provoqué des niveaux d'inhibition significatifs allant de 65 à 73%. Par ailleurs, ces isolats ont également inhibé B. cinerea sur les feuilles et le fruit de la tomate. Pour tenter d'élucider les mécanismes d'action, les cinq isolats ont montré une production des métabolites antifongiques tels que les sidérophores, le cyanure d'hydrogène et d’autres enzymes. Les résultats de cette étude ont montré que les isolats de Pseudomonas Q6B, Q13B, Q7B, Q14B et Q1B ont une forte efficacité dans la lutte biologique contre B. cinerea et peuvent être utilisés pour une lutte écologique durable.Gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea causes serious losses in more than 200 crop species worldwide. The necrotrophic fungus sporulates to effect a grey covering on leaves, stems and flowers. B. cinerea is controlled by chemical synthetic fungicides, endangering human and environmental health. Synthetic fungicides stimulate emergence of pathogen resistance. Organic alternatives which may be present or introduced into the edaphic environment are suitable solutions to control outbreaks. This study was done in order to elucidate the mode of action involved in the control of B. cinerea using fluorescent Pseudomonas isolates from tomato roots. The results show that all 76 isolates inhibit fungal growth during in vitro bioassay using dual culture technique. Five isolates of Pseudomonas (Q6B, Q13B, Q7B, Q14B and Q1B) cause significant inhibition levels ranging from 65 to 73%. These isolates inhibit fungal growth in both fruits and leaves. Each isolate tested produced antifungal metabolites (siderophores, hydrogen cyanide and enzymes). Results of this study show that all tested Pseudomonas isolates have a strong efficacy in biological control against B. cinerea and can be used for environmentally sustainable control

Production pastorale et mode d’utilisation des parcours forestiers au niveau du Rif occidental

Extensive livestock farming plays an important socio-economic role for goat farmers in Western Rif. Silvopastoral resources are the main source of feed for herds. Actually, these resources have a strong tendency to degradation. To ensure their sustainability, setting up a monitoring and evaluation system is a necessity. The aim of this study was to assess the pastoral production and the silvopastoral areas use. This work was carried out in two forest rangelands (Ain Rami and Derdara), where dairy goat farming has been dominant for decades. For the floristic study, a total of ninety-six plant species were counted. The chemical composition and nutritional value of pastoral species varied according to the analyzed species. For phytomass, significant differences were noted according to the season and the sites, with a maximum productivity in spring of 2725 and 2465 kg DM per hectare, respectively in Ain Rami and Derdara. The degree of palatability depended mainly on the chemical composition and the season of pastoral species intake. The most grazed rangelands were overgrown by unpalatable species. Management actions of silvopastoral resources use, including a reduction of grazing pressure, should be developed to ensure the productivity and the sustainability of these resources.L’élevage extensif joue un rôle socio-économique très important pour les éleveurs caprins du Rif occidental. Les ressources sylvopastorales constituent la principale source d’alimentation pour le troupeau. Actuellement, ces ressources connaissent une forte tendance à la dégradation. Pour assurer leur durabilité, la mise en place d’un système de suivi-évaluation s’avère une nécessité. L’objectif de cette étude est d’évaluer l’offre pastorale et le mode d’utilisation de ces espaces sylvopastoraux. Ce travail a été mené, au niveau de deux parcours forestiers (Ain Rami et Derdara), où l’élevage des chèvres laitières règne depuis des décennies. Pour l’étude floristique, un total de quatre-vingt-seize espèces végétales a été recensé. La composition chimique et la valeur nutritive varient selon l’espèce pastorale considérée. Pour la phytomasse, des différences significatives ont été relevées en fonction de la saison et des sites de prélèvement, avec un maximum de productivité enregistré au printemps de 2725 kg MS/ha et 2465 kg MS/ha, respectivement à Ain Rami et Derdara. Le degré d’appétibilité dépend essentiellement de la composition chimique et de la saison de prélèvement des espèces pastorales. Les pâturages les plus fréquentés par les caprins sont envahis par des espèces à faible intérêt pastoral. Des actions de gestion du mode d’utilisation des ressources sylvopastorales, incluant une diminution de la pression de pâturage, devraient être mises en place afin d’assurer la productivité et la durabilité de ces ressources

Hemocromatose hereditária relato de caso e revisão da literatura

-Racional — A hemocromatose hereditária associada ao gene HFE é a doença hepática hereditária mais comum nas populações caucasianas e refere-se à associação de estoques aumentados de ferro com um dano tissular progressivo (como por exemplo, cirrose hepática, diabetes mellitus, cardiomiopatia), quando o diagnóstico e o tratamento são tardios. Objetivos - É apresentado o caso de uma paciente de 44 anos portadora de hemocromatose hereditária assintomática, cujo diagnóstico foi feito a partir da detecção casual de alterações na cinética do ferro. Apresenta-se, também, uma breve revisão da literatura sobre a doença. Conclusão - A existência de métodos diagnósticos capazes de identificar a doença antes que surjam suas complicações e a possibilidade de terapêutica efetiva que permita evitar as suas manifestações, tornam a hemocromatose hereditária entidade ideal para profilaxia primária, alterando completamente a sua história natural

Evaluacija svojstava vezanja sluzi sjemenki biljke Plantago psyllium

Mucilage extracted from Plantago psyllium seeds was evaluated for inertness and safety parameters. The suitability of psyllium mucilage for a pharmaceutical binder was assessed in paracetamol tablets. Properties of the granules prepared using different concentrations of psyllium mucilage was compared with PVP and tragacanth. Psyllium mucilage at 5 % (m⁄m) level was found to be comparable with 3 % (m⁄m) of PVP. Investigated paracetamol tablets indicated that psyllium mucilage can retard the drug release.U radu je ispitivana neškodljivost i sigurnost uporabe sluzi ekstrahirane iz sjemenki biljke Plantago psyllium. Primjenjivost te sluzi kao veziva u farmaceutskim pripravcima ispitana je na tabletama paracetamola. Granule pripravljene s različitim koncentracijama sluzi uspoređene su s granulama s PVP-om i tragakantom. Sluz s udjelom 5 % (m/m) usporediva je s otopinom PVP-a masenog udjela 3 %. Pripravljene tablete paracetamola ukazuju na to da ispitivana sluz može usporiti oslobađanje lijeka

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Coagulation–Flocculation Treatment Using Aluminum Sulfate on a Polluted Surface Water Source: A Year-Long Study

\ua9 2024 by the authors.Safeguarding drinking water is a major public health and environmental concern because it is essential to human life but may contain pollutants that can cause illness or harm the environment. Therefore, continuous research is necessary to improve water treatment methods and guarantee its quality. As part of this study, the effectiveness of coagulation–flocculation treatment using aluminum sulfate (Al2(SO4)3) was evaluated on a very polluted site. Samplings were taken almost every day for a month from the polluted site, and the samples were characterized by several physicochemical properties, such as hydrogen potential (pH), electrical conductivity, turbidity, organic matter, ammonium (NH+4), phosphate (PO43−), nitrate (NO3−), nitrite (NO2−), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), total hardness (TH), chloride (Cl−), bicarbonate (HCO3−), sulfate (SO42−), iron (Fe3+), manganese (Mn2+), aluminum (Al3+), potassium (K+), sodium (Na+), complete alkalimetric titration (TAC), and dry residue (DR). Then, these samples were treated with Al2(SO4)3 using the jar test method, which is a common method to determine the optimal amount of coagulant to add to the water based on its physicochemical characteristics. A mathematical model had been previously created using the support vector machine method to predict the dose of coagulant according to the parameters of temperature, pH, TAC, conductivity, and turbidity. This Al2(SO4)3 treatment step was repeated at the end of each month for a year, and a second characterization of the physicochemical parameters was carried out in order to compare them with those of the raw water. The results showed a very effective elimination of the various pollutions, with a very high rate, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of the Al2(SO4)3. The physicochemical parameters measured after the treatment showed a significant reduction in the majority of the physicochemical parameters. These results demonstrated that the coagulation–flocculation treatment with Al2(SO4)3 was very effective in eliminating the various pollutions present in the raw water. They also stress the importance of continued research in the field of water treatment to improve the quality of drinking water and protect public health and the environment

Efficient preparation of Arabidopsis pollen tubes for ultrastructural analysis using chemical and cryo-fixation

The pollen tube (PT) serves as a model system for investigating plant cell growth and morphogenesis. Ultrastructural studies are indispensable to complement data from physiological and genetic analyses, yet an effective method is lacking for PTs of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Methods: Here, we present reliable approaches for ultrastructural studies of Arabidopsis PTs, as well as an efficient technique for immunogold detection of cell wall epitopes. Using different fixation and embedding strategies, we show the amount of PT ultrastructural details that can be obtained by the different methods. Results: Dozens of cross-sections can be obtained simultaneously by the approach, which facilitates and shortens the time for evaluation. In addition to in vitro-grown PTs, our study follows the route of PTs from germination, growth along the pistil, to the penetration of the dense stylar tissue, which requires considerable mechanical forces. To this end, PTs have different strategies from growing between cells but also between the protoplast and the cell wall and even within each other, where they share a partly common cell wall. The separation of PT cell walls in an outer and an inner layer reported for many plant species is less clear in Arabidopsis PTs, where these cell wall substructures are connected by a distinct transition zone. Conclusions: The major advancement of this method is the effective production of a large number of longitudinal and cross-sections that permits obtaining a detailed and representative picture of pollen tube structures in an unprecedented way. This is particularly important when comparing PTs of wild type and mutants to identify even subtle alterations in cytoarchitecture. Arabidopsis is an excellent plant for genetic manipulation, yet the PTs, several-times smaller compared to tobacco or lily, represent a technical challenge. This study reveals a method to overcome this problem and make Arabidopsis PTs more amenable to a combination of genetic and ultrastructural analyses

A Novel Mouse c-fos Intronic Promoter That Responds to CREB and AP-1 Is Developmentally Regulated In Vivo

BACKGROUND: The c-fos proto-oncogene is an archetype for rapid and integrative transcriptional activation. Innumerable studies have focused on the canonical promoter, located upstream from the transcriptional start site. However, several regulatory sequences have been found in the first intron. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we describe an extremely conserved region in c-fos first intron that contains a putative TATA box, and functional TRE and CRE sites. This fragment drives reporter gene activation in fibroblasts, which is enhanced by increasing intracellular calcium and cAMP and by cotransfection of CREB or c-Fos/c-Jun expression vectors. We produced transgenic mice expressing a lacZ reporter controlled by the intronic promoter. Lac Z expression of this promoter is restricted to the developing central nervous system (CNS) and the mesenchyme of developing mammary buds in embryos 12.5 days post-conception, and to brain tissue in adults. RT-QPCR analysis of tissue mRNA, including the anlage of the mammary gland and the CNS, confirms the existence of a novel, nested mRNA initiated in the first intron. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results provide evidence for a novel, developmentally regulated promoter in the first intron of the c-fos gene

Some recent developments in the transmutation operator approach

This is a brief overviewof some recent developments in the transmutation operator approach to practical solution of mathematical physics problems. It introduces basic notions and results of transmutation theory, and gives a brief historical survey with some important references. Mainly applications to linear ordinary and partial differential equations and to related boundary value and spectral problems are discusse