Evaluation of cadmium and mercury on cardiovascular and neurological systems: Effects on humans and fish

Chemicals are at the top of public health concerns and metals have received much attention in terms of toxicological studies. Cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) are among the most toxic heavy metals and are widely distributed in the environment. They are considered important factors involved in several organ disturbances. Heart and brain tissues are not among the first exposure sites to Cd and Hg but they are directly affected and may manifest intoxication reactions leading to death. Many cases of human intoxication with Cd and Hg showed that these metals have potential cardiotoxic and neurotoxic effects. Human exposure to heavy metals is through fish consumption which is considered as an excellent source of human nutrients. In the current review, we will summarize the most known cases of human intoxication with Cd and Hg, highlight their toxic effects on fish, and investigate the common signal pathways of both Cd and Hg to affect heart and brain tissues. Also, we will present the most common biomarkers used in the assessment of cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity using Zebrafish model.The open-access finding of the present work is provided by the Qatar National Library (QATAR)

Evaluation of cadmium and mercury on cardiovascular and neurological systems: Effects on humans and fish

Chemicals are at the top of public health concerns and metals have received much attention in terms of toxicological studies. Cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) are among the most toxic heavy metals and are widely distributed in the environment. They are considered important factors involved in several organ disturbances. Heart and brain tissues are not among the first exposure sites to Cd and Hg but they are directly affected and may manifest intoxication reactions leading to death. Many cases of human intoxication with Cd and Hg showed that these metals have potential cardiotoxic and neurotoxic effects. Human exposure to heavy metals is through fish consumption which is considered as an excellent source of human nutrients. In the current review, we will summarize the most known cases of human intoxication with Cd and Hg, highlight their toxic effects on fish, and investigate the common signal pathways of both Cd and Hg to affect heart and brain tissues. Also, we will present the most common biomarkers used in the assessment of cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity using Zebrafish model

PENERAPAN MODEL PEMBELAJARAN TEAM ASSISTED INDIVIDUALIZATION (TAI) BERBANTUAN MEDIA POWERPOINT UNTUK MENIGKATKAN HASIL BELAJAR IPS TERPADU PADA SISWA KELAS VIII SMP NEGERI 16 BANDA ACEH

ABSTRAKParasati, Maysila. 2017. Penerapan Model Pembelajaran Team Assisted individualization Berbantuan Media Powerpoint untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar IPS Terpadu pada siswa kelas VIII SMP Negeri 16 Banda Aceh. Skripsi, Jurusan Pendidikan Geografi, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Syiah Kuala. Pembimbing:(1) Drs. Thamrin K, M.Si., (2) Dr. Alamsyah Taher, M.siKata Kunci : Penerapan, Model, Team Assisted Individualization, Hasil Belajar, IPS TerpaduModel pembelajaran Team Assisted Individualization merupakan salah satu model pembelajaran kooperatif yang menuntut para siswa untuk bisa bekerja sama dalam satu kelompok. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui: (1) Peningkatan hasil belajar siswa kelas (2) Kesesuaian aktivitas gurudan siswa (3) Keterampilan guru dalam mengelola pembelajaran (4) Respon siswa terhadap pembelajaran dengan menggunakan model Team Assisted Individualization berbantuan media powerpoint.Pendekatan yang digunakan dalam ppenelitian ini adalah pendekatan kualitatif dalam bentuk penelitian tindakan kelas (Classroom process research). Subjek dalam penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas VIII-4 SMP Negeri 16 banda Aceh yang berjumlah 27 orang siswa. Analisis data menggunakan statistik deskriftif persentase. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa (1) persentase ketuntasan secara individual meningkat dari 17 siswa yang tuntas pada siklus I, 21 siswa yang tuntas pada siklus II, dan 25 siswa yang tuntas pada siklus III, persentase ketuntasan klasikal juga meningkat dari 50% padasiklus I, 70% pada siklus II, dan 90% pada siklus III; (2) Jumlah kesesuaian aktivitas guru dan siswa meningkat dari 5 aktivitas sesuai pada siklus I menjadi 7 aktivitas sesuai pada siklus II dan 10 aktivitas sesuai pada siklus III; (3) keterampilan guru meningkat dari perolehan skor 2,56 pada siklus I dengan kategori sedang, skor 3,2 pada siklus II dengan kategori baik,dan skor 3,36 pada siklus III dengan kategori baik; (4) sebanyak 100% siswa menyatakan bahwa model pembelajaran Team Assited Individualization adalah baru membantu siswa dalam memahami materi pelajaran.Berdasarkan hasil penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa, terdapat peningkatan prestasi belajar siswa mulai dari siklus I sapai siklus III dengan menggunakan model Team Assisted Individualization berbantuan media powerpoint di kelas VIII-4 SMP Negeri 16 Banda Aceh.Banda Ace

Development of Recombinant PLC-Zeta Protein as a Therapeutic Intervention for the Clinical Treatment of Oocyte Activation Failure

The sperm-specific phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ) protein is widely considered as the predominant physiological stimulus for initiating the Ca2+ release responsible for oocyte activation during mammalian fertilization. The increasing number of genetic and clinical reports that directly link PLCζ defects and/or deficiencies with oocyte activation failure (OAF) necessitates the use of a powerful therapeutic intervention to overcome such cases of male factor infertility. Currently, in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics treat OAF cases after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with Ca2+ ionophores. Despite their successful use, such chemical agents are unable to trigger the physiological pattern of Ca2+ oscillations. Moreover, the safety of these ionophores is not yet fully established. We have previously demonstrated that recombinant PLCζ protein can be successfully used to rescue failed oocyte activation, resulting in efficient blastocyst formation. Herein, we produced a maltose binding protein (MBP)-tagged recombinant human PLCζ protein capable of inducing Ca2+ oscillations in mouse oocytes similar to those observed at fertilization. Circular dichroism (CD) experiments revealed a stable, well-folded protein with a high helical content. Moreover, the recombinant protein could retain its enzymatic properties for at least up to 90 days after storage at −80 °C. Finally, a chick embryo model was employed and revealed that exposure of fertilized chicken eggs to MBP-PLCζ did not alter the embryonic viability when compared to the control, giving a first indication of its safety. Our data support the potential use of the MBP-PLCζ recombinant protein as an effective therapeutic tool but further studies are required prior to its use in a clinical setting.This study was performed according to the guidelines of the Qatar University ethical committee. All procedures were ethically approved by the Qatar University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (QU-IACUC) (IACUC REFERENCE number: QU-IACUC 007/2021-REN1)