Cadherin and vimentin immunoexpression in the testis of normal and induced infertility models of albino rats

Background: Sertoli cells are important in determining the fate of spermatogenic cells by providing nutrition and structural support via cell junctions. Adhesion between Sertoli and germ cells is important for spermatogenesis. Cadherin are transmembrane proteins that mediate cell-cell adhesion, while, vimentin, the cytoskeletal intermediate filament plays an important role in spermatogenesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate cadherin and vimentin immunoexpression in the normal testis and in two types of altered spermatogenic states: the cyclophosphamide (CP) treatment and the cryptorchidism (Cx) models.Materials and methods: Twenty four male albino rats were divided into control group: 6 rats receiving saline orally and the other 6 were sham-operated. CP group (n = 6): given 6 mg/kg/day of CP orally for 4 weeks. Cx group (n = 6): the left testis was surgically freed from the scrotum and fixed in the abdomen. Animals were sacrificed and the left testis dissected and prepared to be stained with haematoxylin and eosin stain and immunohistochemical stain against cadherin and vimentin. Morphometric measurements and statistical analysis were done.Results: In CP-treated group there was degeneration of spermatocytes, vacuolations of Sertoli cells and absence of spermatozoa. These changes were more prominent in Cx group, in addition to interstitial hypercellularity. There was alsoa significant decrease in cadherin and vimentin immunostaining in CP-treated group that was more marked in the cryptorchidism group.Conclusions: A downregulation of both cadherin and vimentin was associated with both models of impaired spermatogenesis. This impairment could be attributed to disruption of the junctions between Sertoli and germ cells

Morphological evaluation of the protective role of dark soy sauce against acrylamide induced neurotoxicity in albino rats

Background: Acrylamide (ACR) exposure is associated with neurotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and reproductive toxicity. The use of soy sauce as a condiment is common and it has been found that it possesses high antioxidant activity. The objective of the current study is to evaluate the protective role of dark soy sauce (DSS) against ACR-induced neurotoxicity in rats. Materials and methods: Thirty-five adult male rats were divided into four groups: control, ACR given for 4 weeks, DSS given for 4 weeks before ACR, and DSS given with ACR for 4 weeks. The trigeminal ganglia and cerebellum were dissected and processed for histological staining with haematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemistry for synaptophysin (SYP) and morphometric analysis. Results: In the trigeminal ganglia, ACR group showed central chromatolysis, degeneration and cell loss. DSS before ACR group had less marked changes in the neuronal architecture, while in ACR with DSS group, better preservation was observed. In the cerebellum, ACR group showed shrunken Purkinje cells and nuclear pyknosis. Spacing and dissociation between Purkinje layer and other layers was seen. DSS before ACR group showed few degenerated Purkinje cells with normal pattern of the other layers of cerebellar cortex. ACR with DSS group showed less disturbed cerebellar layers architecture. Cerebellar SYP immunoexpression and its area per cent were decreased in ACR group compared with the control. It increased in both DSS treated groups, specifically DSS concomitantly given with ACR. Conclusions: ACR exerted marked cellular degenerative effects and administration of DSS and ACR at the same time had neuroprotective effect. DSS treatment before ACR exposure gave only marginal improvement

Bacteriological and Molecular Studies on the Enterococcus Species Isolated From Diseased Fish and Its Effect on Fish Farm Profits

The study was carried out on 120 fish samples O. nitoticus collected from Kafir El-Sheikh Governorate (60 diseased and 60 apparently healthy fish). The clinical picture of naturally infected O. niloticus showed haemorrhagic spots on the operculum, base of fins and mouth edges, skin darkening, uni-or bJJateraJ exophthalmia and skeletal deformity in some cases abdominal distension was observed. Postmortum lesions in O. niloticus revealed congested and enlarged liver or pale with grayish nodules in some cases. Spleen and kidneys were enlarged and congested and abdominal cavity contained serous fluid in some cases. Bacteriological examination revealed the isolation of (26) streptococcus isolates with an incidence of (43.3%) from diseased O. niloticus, and isolation of (17) isolates with an incidence of (28.3%) from the 60 apparently healthy . These isolates were biochemically tested. SDS-P AGE analysis of whole cell protein of selected serotyped strains revealed the presence of 7-13 protein bands and the most common characteristic bands were 36.67 KDa, 27.37 KDa and 44.0 KDa. Kb. DNA profile analysis of the 3 streptococcus species showed common band at 321 Serological examination of 37 selected isolates result in differentiation into 17 Enterococcus faecalis, 12 Streptococcus iniae, 5 Streptococcus pneumoniae and 3 untypeable strains. Experimental infection of 8 groups of O. niloticus (each of 10 fish) with bacterial suspension of 8 isolates (2 Enterococcus faecalis, 5 Streptococcus iniae and 1 Streptococcus pneumoniae result in mortality rate of 20%, 10% and 0%, respectively. While, inoculation of the bacterial filtrate of the same isolates result in mortality rate of 30%, 22% and 10%. Our results cleared that the enterococci causes a great economic losses to fish farm production and it differ according to the type of bacteria that infected the fish. In bacterial suspension infection the weight losses for each 100/fish were 450 gm, 262.5 gm and zero losses zero losses for S. fecalis, S. iniae and S. pnumoniae and the return losses reached to 4.5 LE, 2.62 LE and zero losses for S. fecalis, S. iniae and S. pnumoniae. While, in bacterial filtrate the weight losses for each 100/fish were 675 gm, 1237.5 and 112.5 gm for S. fecalis, S. iniae and S. pnumoniae and the return losses reached to 6.75 LE, 12.37 LE and 11.25 losses for S. fecalis, S. iniae and S. pnumoniae. From these results we concluded that: Fish farms should avoid use of polluted water. Fish handlers with cut wounds should avoid fish handling without gloves as Streptococcus soft tissue causing sepsis, infection endocardities, urinary tract infections, labor pneumonia and meningitis. Human should keep water sources away from sewage pollution

Sintesis Nanopartikel Perak Dan Uji Aktivitasnya Terhadap Bakteri E. Coli Dan S. Aureus

Pada penelitian ini dipelajari sintesis nanopartikel perak dan uji aktivitasnya sebagai anti-mikroba terhadapEscherichia coli dan Staphylococcus aureus. Nanopartikel perak disintesis melalui pembentukan larutan koloidperak dengan metode reduksi perak nitrat dengan zat pereduksi natrium borohidrida. Performa hasil sintesis larutankoloid nanopartikel perak dalam menghambat pertumbuhan mikroba dievaluasi melalui uji aktivitas terhadapEscherichia coli dan Staphylococcus aureus. Pada perbandingan molar NaBH4/AgNO3 = 1,2 dan perbandinganberat Ag/asam poli akrilat (PAA) = 10,7, diperoleh diameter rata-rata nanopartikel perak sebesar 71,8 nm dengannilai polydispersity index (PI) sebesar 0,293. Hasil sintesis larutan koloid nanopartikel memperlihatkan kemampuandalam menghambat pertumbuhan bakteri, dan daya hambat terhadap Staphylococcus aureus ditemukan 30% lebihkuat dibanding terhadap bakteri Escherichia coli. Hasil uji aktivitas antimikroba secara kuantitatif menunjukkanbahwa persentase reduksi bakteri dapat mencapai hingga lebih dari 99%

Glucose (xylose) isomerase production from thermotolerant and thermophilic bacteria

Glucose (xylose) isomerase (GI) is one of the most important industrial enzymes. It is used widely to catalyze the reversible conversion of D-glucose to D-fructose in vivo. The latter is used on a wide scale in the production of the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) from corn starch. The great need of a thermostable GI, which is still active at higher temperatures (up to 90°C), opened the door to screen more microorganisms for the production of a more efficient industrial enzyme. Whole cells of 50 thermotole-rant/thermophilic bacterial isolates were used to evaluate their potential to produce GI when they were grown in broth medium (pH 7.0) containing D-xylose as a sole carbon source. Klebsiella and Pseudomonas showed the highest enzyme activity of 0.7; Bacillus came second with an activity of 0.3; while Acetobacter and Staphylococcus showed moderate activity of 0.3 for both, and Clostridium, Corynebacterium and Enterobacter showed the lowest enzyme activity of 0.2 each. The results reveal the need for optimizing the conditions for enhancing the production of the enzyme from Klebsiella and Pseudomonas isolates.Key words: Glucose isomerase, xylose isomerase, enzyme activity, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas

Keanekaragaman Jenis Kepiting di Ekosistem Hutan Mangrove Kuala Langsa, Kota Langsa, Aceh

Mangrove merupakan suatu vegetasi yang memiliki banyak manfaat. Salah satu dari manfaat mangrove adalah menyediakan ruang hidup bagi banyak organisme. Kepiting merupakan salah satu dari berbagai jenis hewan avertebrata yang hidup berasosiasi dengan mangrove. Pentingnya peran kepiting pada ekosistem mangrove karena kepiting merupakan hewan yang hidup meliang, sehingga akan membuat tanah pada ekosistem mangrove menjadi subur. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui keanekaragaman jenis kepiting, jenis kepiting yang mendominasi atau paling sering ditemukan dan habitat hidup kepiting yang berasosiasi dengan pohon mangrove di sekitar hutan mangrove Kuala Langsa, Kota Langsa, Aceh.Penelitian ini bersifat deskriptif. Pengambilan sampel dilakukan dengan 2 metode yaitu kualitatif pada kuadran plot 5x5 meter2 dan kuantitatif pada kuadran plot 1x1 meter2. Dari hasil penelitian ditemukan 15 jenis kepiting dari 7 genus dan 5 famili.Nilai indeks keanekaragaman untuk semua stasiun penelitian termasuk dalam kategori sedang.Indeks keseragaman tinggi dan tidak ada dominansi jenis pada seluruh stasiun.Dari 15 jenis kepiting, terdapat 3 jenis kepiting ekonomis (Scylla serrata, Scylla olivacea dan Thalamita crenata) dan 12 jenis kepiting non-ekonomis.Secara umum, kepiting dari genus Uca merupakan kepiting yang paling banyak ditemukan di lokasi penelitian

Glucose metabolism following human traumatic brain injury: methods of assessment and pathophysiological findings.

The pathophysiology of traumatic brain (TBI) injury involves changes to glucose uptake into the brain and its subsequent metabolism. We review the methods used to study cerebral glucose metabolism with a focus on those used in clinical TBI studies. Arterio-venous measurements provide a global measure of glucose uptake into the brain. Microdialysis allows the in vivo sampling of brain extracellular fluid and is well suited to the longitudinal assessment of metabolism after TBI in the clinical setting. A recent novel development is the use of microdialysis to deliver glucose and other energy substrates labelled with carbon-13, which allows the metabolism of glucose and other substrates to be tracked. Positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance spectroscopy allow regional differences in metabolism to be assessed. We summarise the data published from these techniques and review their potential uses in the clinical setting.This is the final published version. It originally appeared at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11011-014-9628-y

Strontium and Oxygen Isotope Analyses Reveal Late Cretaceous Shark Teeth in Iron Age Strata in the Southern Levant

Skeletal remains in archaeological strata are often assumed to be of similar ages. Here we show that combined Sr and O isotope analyses can serve as a powerful tool for assessing fish provenance and even for identifying fossil fish teeth in archaeological contexts. For this purpose, we established a reference Sr and O isotope dataset of extant fish teeth from major water bodies in the Southern Levant. Fossil shark teeth were identified within Iron Age cultural layers dating to 8–9th century BCE in the City of David, Jerusalem, although the reason for their presence remains unclear. Their enameloid 87Sr/86Sr and δ18OPO4 values [0.7075 ± 0.0001 (1 SD, n = 7) and 19.6 ± 0.9‰ (1 SD, n = 6), respectively], are both much lower than values typical for modern marine sharks from the Mediterranean Sea [0.7092 and 22.5–24.6‰ (n = 2), respectively]. The sharks’ 87Sr/86Sr are also lower than those of rain- and groundwater as well as the main soil types in central Israel (≥0.7079). This indicates that these fossil sharks incorporated Sr (87Sr/86Sr ≈ 0.7075) from a marine habitat with values typical for Late Cretaceous seawater. This scenario is in line with the low shark enameloid δ18OPO4 values reflecting tooth formation in the warm tropical seawater of the Tethys Ocean. Age estimates using 87Sr/86Sr stratigraphy place these fossil shark teeth at around 80-million-years-old. This was further supported by their taxonomy and the high dentine apatite crystallinity, low organic carbon, high U and Nd contents, characteristics that are typical for fossil specimens, and different from those of archaeological Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) teeth from the same cultural layers and another Chalcolithic site (Gilat). Chalcolithic and Iron Age seabream enameloid has seawater-like 87Sr/86Sr of 0.7091 ± 0.0001 (1 SD, n = 6), as expected for modern marine fish. Fossil shark and archaeological Gilthead seabream teeth both preserve original, distinct enameloid 87Sr/86Sr and δ18OPO4 signatures reflecting their different aquatic habitats. Fifty percent of the analysed Gilthead seabream teeth derive from hypersaline seawater, indicating that these seabreams were exported from the hypersaline Bardawil Lagoon in Sinai (Egypt) to the Southern Levant since the Iron Age period and possibly even earlier

Bacteriological and Molecular Studies on the Enterococcus Species Isolated From Diseased Fish and Its Effect on Fish Farm Profits

The study was carried out on 120 fish samples O. nitoticus collected from Kafir El-Sheikh Governorate (60 diseased and 60 apparently healthy fish). The clinical picture of naturally infected O. niloticus showed haemorrhagic spots on the operculum, base of fins and mouth edges, skin darkening, uni-or bJJateraJ exophthalmia and skeletal deformity in some cases abdominal distension was observed. Postmortum lesions in O. niloticus revealed congested and enlarged liver or pale with grayish nodules in some cases. Spleen and kidneys were enlarged and congested and abdominal cavity contained serous fluid in some cases. Bacteriological examination revealed the isolation of (26) streptococcus isolates with an incidence of (43.3%) from diseased O. niloticus, and isolation of (17) isolates with an incidence of (28.3%) from the 60 apparently healthy . These isolates were biochemically tested. SDS-P AGE analysis of whole cell protein of selected serotyped strains revealed the presence of 7-13 protein bands and the most common characteristic bands were 36.67 KDa, 27.37 KDa and 44.0 KDa. Kb. DNA profile analysis of the 3 streptococcus species showed common band at 321 Serological examination of 37 selected isolates result in differentiation into 17 Enterococcus faecalis, 12 Streptococcus iniae, 5 Streptococcus pneumoniae and 3 untypeable strains. Experimental infection of 8 groups of O. niloticus (each of 10 fish) with bacterial suspension of 8 isolates (2 Enterococcus faecalis, 5 Streptococcus iniae and 1 Streptococcus pneumoniae result in mortality rate of 20%, 10% and 0%, respectively. While, inoculation of the bacterial filtrate of the same isolates result in mortality rate of 30%, 22% and 10%. Our results cleared that the enterococci causes a great economic losses to fish farm production and it differ according to the type of bacteria that infected the fish. In bacterial suspension infection the weight losses for each 100/fish were 450 gm, 262.5 gm and zero losses zero losses for S. fecalis, S. iniae and S. pnumoniae and the return losses reached to 4.5 LE, 2.62 LE and zero losses for S. fecalis, S. iniae and S. pnumoniae. While, in bacterial filtrate the weight losses for each 100/fish were 675 gm, 1237.5 and 112.5 gm for S. fecalis, S. iniae and S. pnumoniae and the return losses reached to 6.75 LE, 12.37 LE and 11.25 losses for S. fecalis, S. iniae and S. pnumoniae. From these results we concluded that: Fish farms should avoid use of polluted water. Fish handlers with cut wounds should avoid fish handling without gloves as Streptococcus soft tissue causing sepsis, infection endocardities, urinary tract infections, labor pneumonia and meningitis. Human should keep water sources away from sewage pollution