Synergistic Effect of Exercise and Phellodendron Amurense on Muscle Mass Preservation in a Prostate Cancer Mouse Model

Muscle loss has detrimental effects on the body. It leads to a reduction in physical function, strength, endurance, and quality of life. In men with prostate cancer (PCa), a large percentage of men will suffer from muscle loss, a debilitating adverse effect caused by both the chronic illnesses or from the treatment of these illnesses. Studies have shown that the implementation of a routine exercise elicits muscle preservation in patients with PCa. Previously, our group has found that the natural product phellodendron amurense (PA) preserves muscle mass similar to exercise. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that combining PA and exercise will have a synergistic effect on muscle preservation and strength. METHOD: Twenty-four, 10-week-old transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) mice were randomized into one of four study groups: Exercise (running wheel) group, PA group, exercise plus PA, or no treatment control. PA was pelleted into the feed at a dose of 600 mg/kg and provided ad lib. Body mass was measured each week. Fore limb and all limb grip strength was measured at baseline and end of study (Columbus Instruments, Columbus, OH). Mice completed 10 repetitions on the apparatus with the first five repetitions using only the forelimbs and the last five repetitions using all four limbs. After euthanasia, the right gastrocnemius and soleus were collected, cleaned and weighted. One way and two-way analysis of variance was performed with tukey’s post-hoc test. Significance was set at pRESULTS: Analysis of body weight revealed significant differences between groups (F(3,20) = 2.93, P = 0.0311). Post hoc analysis revealed significantly lower body mass at the end of the study in the combination exercise plus PA group (25.83 ± 1.72 g) compared to the control group (28.70 ± 1.70 g; p=0.03). Higher soleus mass was found in the mice from the exercise only (11.6 ± 5 mg) and combination exercise plus PA (11.5 ± 3.271 mg) groups compared to the no treatment control group (10.33 ± 3.445 mg), however, these results did not reach significance. No statistical significance was found in the measurement of forelimb or all limb grip strength. CONCLUSION: Our initial hypothesis of synergy was not supported, however, there is preliminary evidence that exercise and PA independently reduces the loss of slow twitch skeletal muscle induced by cancer. Future research is required to validate these results

Bioassay-guided identification of the antiproliferative compounds of cissus trifoliata and the transcriptomic effect of resveratrol in prostate cancer pc3 cells

The bioassay-guided fractionation of a CHCl3-MeOH extract from the stems of Cissus trifo-liata identified an active fraction against PC3 prostate cancer cells. The treatment for 24 h showed an 80% reduction in cell viability (p ≤ 0.05) by a WST-1 assay at a concentration of 100 µg/mL. The HPLC-QTOF-MS analysis of the fraction showed the presence of coumaric and isoferulic acids, apigenin, kaempferol, chrysoeriol, naringenin, ursolic and betulinic acids, hexadecadienoic and octadecadienoic fatty acids, and the stilbene resveratrol. The exposure of PC3 cells to resveratrol (IC25 = 23 µg/mL) for 24 h induced significant changes in 847 genes (Z-score ≥ ±2). The functional classification tool of the DAVID v6.8 platform indicates that the underlying molecular mechanisms against the proliferation of PC3 cells were associated (p ≤ 0.05) with the process of differentiation and metabolism. These findings provide experimental evidence suggesting the potential of C. trifoliata as a promising natural source of anticancer compounds

Use of magnetic port finder for metallic foreign body extraction in hand

Foreign bodies are defined as any foreign object that enters the human body due to various circumstances. FBs are a common reason for emergency department visits. The hand's complex vascular and nervous structures make aggressive exploration dangerous. FBs can be composed of various materials, making their detection with a single imaging study difficult. We propose using a magnetic tissue expander locator for intraoperative FB localization, presenting the case of a 50-year-old female patient who, after falling from her height, presented with a foreign body in her right hand. Due to the complexity of locating the FB, we used the magnetic finder, successfully extracting it without damaging any underlying structures. Use of magnetic tissue expander locators are effective, practical, and safe alternative to help for locating magnetic foreign bodies

The Effects of Interactions on the Structure and Morphology of Elliptical/Lenticular galaxies in Pairs

We present a photometric and structural analysis of 42 E/S0 galaxies in (E/S0 + S) pairs observed in the BVRI color bands. We empirically determine the effects of interactions on their morphology, structure and stellar populations as seen from the light concentration (C), asymmetry (A), and clumpiness (S) parameters. We further compare these values to a control sample of 67 mostly isolated, non-interacting E/S0 galaxies. The paired E/S0 galaxies occupy a more scattered loci in CAS space than non-interacting E/S0's, and the structural effects of interactions on E/S0's are minor, in contrast to disk galaxies involved in interactions. This suggests that observational methods for recognizing interactions at high z, such the CAS methodology, would hardly detect E/S0's involved in interactions (related to early phases of the so called `dry-mergers'). We however find statistical differences in A when comparing isolated and interacting E/S0s. In the mean, paired E/S0 galaxies have A values 2.96+-0.72 times larger than the ones of non-interacting E/S0's. For the subset of presumably strongly interacting E/S0's, A and S can be several times larger than the typical values of the isolated E/S0's. We show that the asymmetries are consistent with several internal and external morphological distortions. We conclude that the interacting E/S0s in pairs should be dense, gas poor galaxies in systems spaning a wide range of interaction stages, with typical merging timescales >~ 0.1-0.5 Gyr. We use the observed phenomenology of these galaxies to predict the approximate loci of `dry pre-mergers' in the CAS space.(Abridged)Comment: 23 pages, 9 figures included. To appear in The Astronomical Journa

Morfometría del burro criollo de la región de Zozutla, Puebla, México

En México el burro es una especie con importancia económica en las zonas rurales, ya que se utiliza como medio de transporte y carga, siendo una ayuda indispensable al campesino marginado, que vive en regiones remotas y mal comunicadas. El objetivo de la presente investigación fue el de caracterizar la morfometría del burro criollo de la región de Zozutla, Puebla. México. Se estudiaron 25 asnos hembras y 25 asnos machos, de 2 a 3 años. A cada uno de los animales de estudio, aplomados correctamente y accediendo a los mismos por su flanco izquierdo, se les tomaron sus medidas corporales o variables zoométricas de naturaleza cuantitativa, por medio de la cinta métrica y el pelvímetro: alzada de la cruz (AC), alzada dorso (AD), alzada grupa (AG), alzada pelvis (AP), alzada palomillas (APa), alzada nacimiento cola (ANC), diámetro longitudinal (DL), diámetro dorso esternal (DDE), diámetro entre encuentros (DEE), diámetro bicostal (DB), anchura grupa (AnG), longitud grupa (LG), perímetro torácico (PT), perímetro rodilla (PR), perímetro caña (PC), perímetro menudillo (PM), perímetro cuartilla (PCu), perímetro corona (PCo),perímetro corvejón (PCor),   longitud oreja (LO), longitud cabeza (LC), anchura cabeza (ACa), profundidad cabeza (PCa), longitud cara (LCa) y anchura cráneo (ACr). Los resultados obtenidos a partir de las 26 variables de medición biométricas proporcionaron los datos importantes para diferenciar los burros criollos hembras de los machos, y fueron agrupados en conjuntos específicos en base a las variables de estudio, proporcionando en los animales las aptitudes funcionales.  Los resultados demostraron que las variables muestran diferencias altamente significativas (P<.0001) en las mediciones de los animales de estudio. En esta investigación los animales criollos, fueron de talla pequeña, los cuales presentaron una deficiente alimentación y un nulo manejo sanitario de los animales

Taxonomic variations in the gut microbiome of gout patients with and without tophi might have a functional impact on urate metabolism

[Objective] To evaluate the taxonomic composition of the gut microbiome in gout patients with and without tophi formation, and predict bacterial functions that might have an impact on urate metabolism.[Methods] Hypervariable V3–V4 regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene from fecal samples of gout patients with and without tophi (n = 33 and n = 25, respectively) were sequenced and compared to fecal samples from 53 healthy controls. We explored predictive functional profiles using bioinformatics in order to identify differences in taxonomy and metabolic pathways. [Results] We identified a microbiome characterized by the lowest richness and a higher abundance of Phascolarctobacterium, Bacteroides, Akkermansia, and Ruminococcus_gnavus_group genera in patients with gout without tophi when compared to controls. The Proteobacteria phylum and the Escherichia-Shigella genus were more abundant in patients with tophaceous gout than in controls. Fold change analysis detected nine genera enriched in healthy controls compared to gout groups (Bifidobacterium, Butyricicoccus, Oscillobacter, Ruminococcaceae_UCG_010, Lachnospiraceae_ND2007_group, Haemophilus, Ruminococcus_1, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, and Ruminococcaceae_UGC_013). We found that the core microbiota of both gout groups shared Bacteroides caccae, Bacteroides stercoris ATCC 43183, and Bacteroides coprocola DSM 17136. These bacteria might perform functions linked to one-carbon metabolism, nucleotide binding, amino acid biosynthesis, and purine biosynthesis. Finally, we observed differences in key bacterial enzymes involved in urate synthesis, degradation, and elimination. [Conclusion] Our findings revealed that taxonomic variations in the gut microbiome of gout patients with and without tophi might have a functional impact on urate metabolism.This study was supported by the Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra” and the Grant INF-2016-01-269675 from the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT)

Complex evolutionary history of the Mexican stoneroller Campostoma ornatum Girard, 1856 (Actinopterygii: Cyprinidae)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Studies of the phylogeography of Mexican species are steadily revealing genetic patterns shared by different species, which will help to unravel the complex biogeographic history of the region. <it>Campostoma ornatum </it>is a freshwater fish endemic to montane and semiarid regions in northwest Mexico and southern Arizona. Its wide range of distribution and the previously observed morphological differentiation between populations in different watersheds make this species a useful model to investigate the biogeographic role of the Sierra Madre Occidental and to disentangle the actions of Pliocene tecto-volcanic processes <it>vs </it>Quaternary climatic change. Our phylogeographic study was based on DNA sequences from one mitochondrial gene (<it>cytb</it>, 1110 bp, n = 285) and two nuclear gene regions (S7 and RAG1, 1822 bp in total, n = 56 and 43, respectively) obtained from 18 to 29 localities, in addition to a morphological survey covering the entire distribution area. Such a dataset allowed us to assess whether any of the populations/lineages sampled deserve to be categorised as an evolutionarily significant unit.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found two morphologically and genetically well-differentiated groups within <it>C. ornatum</it>. One is located in the northern river drainages (Yaqui, Mayo, Fuerte, Sonora, Casas Grandes, Santa Clara and Conchos) and another one is found in the southern drainages (Nazas, Aguanaval and Piaxtla). The split between these two lineages took place about 3.9 Mya (CI = 2.1-5.9). Within the northern lineage, there was strong and significant inter-basin genetic differentiation and also several secondary dispersal episodes whit gene homogenization between drainages. Interestingly, three divergent mitochondrial lineages were found in sympatry in two northern localities from the Yaqui river basin.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results indicate that there was isolation between the northern and southern phylogroups since the Pliocene, which was related to the formation of the ancient Nazas River paleosystem, where the southern group originated. Within groups, a complex reticulate biogeographic history for <it>C. ornatum </it>populations emerges, following the taxon pulse theory and mainly related with Pliocene tecto-volcanic processes. In the northern group, several events of vicariance promoted by river or drainage isolation episodes were found, but within both groups, the phylogeographic patterns suggest the occurrence of several events of river capture and fauna interchange. The Yaqui River supports the most diverse populations of <it>C. ornatum</it>, with several events of dispersal and isolation within the basin. Based on our genetic results, we defined three ESUs within <it>C. ornatum </it>as a first attempt to promote the conservation of the evolutionary processes determining the genetic diversity of this species. They will likely be revealed as a valuable tool for freshwater conservation policies in northwest Mexico, where many environmental problems concerning the use of water have rapidly arisen in recent decades.</p