Beneficial effects of voluntary over forced exercise on skeletal muscle structure and myokines’ expression

Background: Myokines, a group of small proteins — mainly cytokines, are released by myocytes during muscular contraction and proved to have many biological effects locally or at systemic levels. The main objective was to study the morphological alterations and myokines expression in rat gastrocnemius muscle following forced compared to voluntary muscle contraction. Materials and methods: Thirty-six adult male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: control, voluntary exercise and forced swimming regimen. The experiment last for 3 weeks. The weight of rats and serum corticosterone levels were recorded. The gastrocnemius muscle samples were processed for histological and immunohistochemical study of different myokines. Results: The mean weight of rats showed no statistical difference between groups. Corticosterone level significantly increased after forced exercise. Voluntary exercise muscle fibres appeared hypertrophied with prominent transverse banding and dominating satellite cells. Forced exercise muscle showed atrophied widely spaced muscle fibres and inflammatory cell infiltrate. Voluntary exercise significantly increased optic density of interleukin 6, macrophage inhibitory and brain derived neurotrophic factors, whereas the forced exercise group showed significant decrease in their optic densities. The optic density of vascular endothelial growth factor significantly decreased in the forced exercise group. Forced exercise could be harmful to the skeletal muscle fibres and it decreases the secretion of important myokines. Further, forced exercise significantly increases the serum corticosterone level. Conclusions: The use of exercise for the attainment of healthy life style or in psycho- or neuro-therapy should follow a thoroughly studied programme for welfare of human health

Effect of salinity degree of injected water on oil recovery from carbonate reservoir

32-37Water injection is considered the most successful and widespread secondary recovery method. Low salinity water injections is a well-established and proved technique for water flooding application in sandstone rocks to enhance the recovery efficiency; where the water salinity is adapted to a certain degree to extract the highest amount of oil from a reservoir. Reserve-estimation statistics show the significance of oil reserves in carbonate reservoirs, hence this work deals with the carbonate rocks where water flooding may fail due to many reasons, and the most common one is fractures existence in the carbonate rocks. This work applied the water injection for six carbonate (limestone) core samples from Belayim Formation of Middle Miocene age that extracted from an Egyptian offshore oil field in the Gulf of Suez. This carbonate facies is hard, vuggy, fragmented, dolomitic, and highly saturated with oil and considered a good reservoir. Relative permeability test was carried out to investigate the reservoir response in terms of recovery efficiency hence residual oil saturation, when flooding the reservoir with waters having different salinity ratios. Results showed an increase in recovery efficiency for all the tested samples, on applying the low salinity water injection, where all the relative permeability curves displayed wettability modification/alteration toward water wetness properties

Contribution of glia cells specifically astrocytes in the pathology of depression: immunohistochemical study in different brain areas

Background: The contribution of glial cells to the pathophysiology of depression is an emerging research purpose. This study investigated the deficits in glial cells, specifically astrocytes in various brain regions, after the development of depression and then after voluntary running in depressed rats. Materials and methods: Forty-five adult male Wistar rats aged 8–10 weeks were used in the study. A depression model was generated through a forced swimming programme; voluntary running was allowed on rat running wheels; and brain sections were taken from the hippocampus, dentate gyrus (DG), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and cerebellar cortex. After immunostaining with specific antibodies immuno-stain, the astrocytes, oligodendroglia and microglial cells were counted, and certain indices relating astrocytes to other glial cells were calculated. Astrocytic morphology was studied, and the optical density (OD) of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immuno-expression was measured in different groups. Results: Compared to the control group, animals in the depression group exhibited significant decreases in the mean astrocyte count in all studied brain areas, significant decreases in GFAP OD values in all areas and significantly reduced values for all glial astrocyte indices in the hippocampus, DG and mPFC. Compared to the rats in the depression group, those in the depression/exercise group exhibited significantly elevated mean astrocyte and oligodendroglia counts in all studied areas, significantly elevated GFAP OD values in all studied areas, and non-significant differences in glial astrocyte indices in the hippocampus, mPFC and cerebellar cortex. Conclusion: Astrocytes, rather than other glia, constitute a basis for the development and/or relief of depression

Mass spectrometry imaging of levofloxacin distribution in TB-infected pulmonary lesions by MALDI-MSI and continuous liquid microjunction surface sampling

A multi-modal mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) and profiling approach has been applied to assess the partitioning of the anti-TB fluoroquinolone levofloxacin into pulmonary lesions. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) and a commercial liquid microjunction surface sampling technology (LMJ-SSP), or flowprobe, have been used to both spatially profile and image drug distributions in lung tissue sections from TB-infected rabbits following oral administration of a single human-equivalent dose., Levofloxacin levels were highest at 6 h post-dose in normal lung, cellular granuloma, and necrotic caseum compartments. The drug accumulated in the cellular granuloma regions with lower amounts partitioning into central caseous compartments. Flowprobe imaging at 630 μm (limited by the probe tip diameter) enabled visualization of drug distribution into lesion compartments, including limited differentiation of relative drug abundance in cellular versus caseous regions of the lesions., MALDI-MSI analysis at 75 μm provided more detailed drug distribution, which clearly accumulated in the cellular region immediately surrounding the central caseum core. Imaging and profiling data acquired by flowprobe and MALDI-MSI were validated by quantitative LC/MS/MS analysis of lung and granuloma homogenates taken from the same animals., The results of the investigation show flowprobe imaging and sampling as a rapid and sensitive alternative to MALDI-MSI for profiling drug distributions into tissues when spatial resolution of data below the threshold of the probe diameter is not required

Phenotype and Function of CD209+ Bovine Blood Dendritic Cells, Monocyte-Derived- Dendritic Cells and Monocyte-Derived Macrophages

Phylogenic comparisons of the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS) of humans and mice demonstrate phenotypic divergence of dendritic cell (DC) subsets that play similar roles in innate and adaptive immunity. Although differing in phenotype, DC can be classified into four groups according to ontogeny and function: conventional DC (cDC1 and cDC2), plasmacytoid DC (pDC), and monocyte derived DC (MoDC). DC of Artiodactyla (pigs and ruminants) can also be sub-classified using this system, allowing direct functional and phenotypic comparison of MoDC and other DC subsets trafficking in blood (bDC). Because of the high volume of blood collections required to study DC, cattle offer the best opportunity to further our understanding of bDC and MoDC function in an outbred large animal species. As reported here, phenotyping DC using a monoclonal antibody (mAb) to CD209 revealed CD209 is expressed on the major myeloid population of DC present in blood and MoDC, providing a phenotypic link between these two subsets. Additionally, the present study demonstrates that CD209 is also expressed on monocyte derived macrophages (MoΦ). Functional analysis revealed each of these populations can take up and process antigens (Ags), present them to CD4 and CD8 T cells, and elicit a T-cell recall response. Thus, bDC, MoDC, and MoΦ pulsed with pathogens or candidate vaccine antigens can be used to study factors that modulate DC-driven T-cell priming and differentiation ex vivo

Phenotype and Function of CD209+ Bovine Blood Dendritic Cells, Monocyte-Derived- Dendritic Cells and Monocyte-Derived Macrophages

Phylogenic comparisons of the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS) of humans and mice demonstrate phenotypic divergence of dendritic cell (DC) subsets that play similar roles in innate and adaptive immunity. Although differing in phenotype, DC can be classified into four groups according to ontogeny and function: conventional DC (cDC1 and cDC2), plasmacytoid DC (pDC), and monocyte derived DC (MoDC). DC of Artiodactyla (pigs and ruminants) can also be sub-classified using this system, allowing direct functional and phenotypic comparison of MoDC and other DC subsets trafficking in blood (bDC). Because of the high volume of blood collections required to study DC, cattle offer the best opportunity to further our understanding of bDC and MoDC function in an outbred large animal species. As reported here, phenotyping DC using a monoclonal antibody (mAb) to CD209 revealed CD209 is expressed on the major myeloid population of DC present in blood and MoDC, providing a phenotypic link between these two subsets. Additionally, the present study demonstrates that CD209 is also expressed on monocyte derived macrophages (MoΦ). Functional analysis revealed each of these populations can take up and process antigens (Ags), present them to CD4 and CD8 T cells, and elicit a T-cell recall response. Thus, bDC, MoDC, and MoΦ pulsed with pathogens or candidate vaccine antigens can be used to study factors that modulate DC-driven T-cell priming and differentiation ex vivo

Simultaneous cognate epitope recognition by bovine CD4 and CD8 T cells is essential for primary expansion of antigen-specific cytotoxic T-cells following ex vivo stimulation with a candidate Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis peptide vaccine

Studies in cattle show CD8 cytotoxic T cells (CTL), with the ability to kill intracellular bacteria, develop following stimulation of monocyte-depleted peripheral blood mononuclear cells (mdPBMC) with antigen-presenting cells (APC, i.e. conventional dendritic cells [cDC] and monocyte-derived DC [MoDC]) pulsed with MMP, a membrane protein from Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) encoded byMAP2121c. CTL activity was diminished if CD4 T cells were depleted from mdPBMC before antigen (Ag) presentation by APC, suggesting simultaneous cognate recognition of MMP epitopes presented by MHC I and MHC II molecules to CD4 and CD8 T cells is essential for development of CTL activity. To explore this possibility, studies were conducted with mdPBMC cultures in the presence of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for MHC class I and MHC class II molecules. The CTL response of mdPBMC to MMP-pulsed APC was completely blocked in the presence of mAbs to both MHC I and II molecules and also blocked in the presence of mAbs to either MHC I or MHC II alone. The results demonstrate simultaneous cognate recognition of Ag by CD4 and CD8 T cells is essential for delivery of CD4 T cell help to CD8 T cells to elicit development of CTL

Does Globalization Cause Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Pakistan? A Promise to Enlighten the Value of Environmental Quality

Global environmental issues such as environmental degradation, climate change, and global warming have posed a threat to the global economy, including Pakistan. The primary source of these problems is greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions are the result of human activity. The objective of the study was to investigate the symmetric and asymmetric relationship between globalization and greenhouse gas emissions in Pakistan. The ARDL modern econometric techniques of the time series model were used. Firstly, the stationarity test favors the use of the ARDL model in this study. The BDS test result confirmed that the ARDL model has a non-linearity issue. As a result, the ARDL approach was used to test both the symmetric and asymmetric effect. The results of the asymmetric ARDL model are more robust and reliable than those of the symmetric ARDL model. According to the results of the symmetric ARDL, economic, social, and political globalization have a positive relationship with greenhouse gas emissions in both the short and long run. Furthermore, the long-run results of the asymmetric ARDL model show that positive and negative shocks of economic and political globalization have positive and negative shock effects on greenhouse gas emissions. In the long run, however, the positive shock of social globalization has a negative relationship with greenhouse gas emissions. According to the results of impulse response functions, economic globalization has a significantly more relationship with greenhouse gas emissions than social and political globalization. A policy should be developed that allows only the positive effects of globalization while prohibiting the negative effects of globalization. © 2022 by the authors

A Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis relA deletion mutant and a 35 kDa major membrane protein elicit development of cytotoxic T lymphocytes with ability to kill intracellular bacteria

Efforts to develop live attenuated vaccines against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map), using indirect methods to screen Map deletion mutants for potential efficacy, have not been successful. A reduction in the capacity to survive in macrophages has not predicted the ability of mutants to survive in vivo. Previous studies for screening of three deletion mutants in cattle and goats revealed one mutant, with a deletion in relA (ΔMap/relA), could not establish a persistent infection. Further studies, using antigen presenting cells (APC), blood dendritic cells and monocyte derived DC, pulsed with ΔMap/relA or a 35 kDa Map membrane protein (MMP) revealed a component of the response to ΔMap/relA was directed towards MMP. As reported herein, we developed a bacterium viability assay and cell culture assays for analysis and evaluation of cytotoxic T cells generated against ΔMap/relA or MMP. Analysis of the effector activity of responding cells revealed the reason ΔMap/relA could not establish a persistent infection was that vaccination elicited development of cytotoxic CD8 T cells (CTL) with the capacity to kill intracellular bacteria. We demonstrated the same CTL response could be elicited with two rounds of antigenic stimulation of APC pulsed with ΔMap/relA or MMP ex vivo. Cytotoxicity was mediated through the perforin granzyme B pathway. Finally, cognate recognition of peptides presented in context of MHC I and II molecules to CD4 and CD8 T cells is required for development of CTL