Effects of phospholipids in the diet on biochemical factors of sturgeon fish (Huso-huso) juveniles

A study was carried out to determine the influence of dietary phospholipids biochemical factors parameters of beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) juveniles. Juveniles were fed formulated diet with four varying dietary levels of PL, that is, 0 (D1), 2 (D2), 4 (D3) and 6% (D4). At the end of the experimental period (56 days), there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) found for hepatic enzymes among treatments. The enzyme alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was highest in fish fed diet D2, while the lowest was found in fish fed diet D1 with values of 46.07 and 24.70 (IU/L), respectively. The enzyme aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was found highest in fish fed diet D3 and lowest was found in fish fed diet D2 with values 16.43 and 12.47 (IU/L), respectively. The enzyme lipase was found to be highest in fish fed diet D4, while the lowest was shown in fish fed diet D3 with values of 32.47 and 29.03 (IU/L), respectively. Among the biochemical factors, there was a significant difference (P < 0.05) observed in blood sugar, in which case, the highest reading was found in fish fed diet D3 with amount of 83 mg/dl and the lowest amount was found in fish fed diet D2 with a value of 46 mg/dl. However, the other biochemical parameters such as cholesterol and triglyceride did not showed significant differences (P > 0.05) among treatments. The triglyceride values ranged from the highest and lowest values were found in fish fed diets D4 and D2 with values of 349.33 and 263.00 (mg/dl), respectively. The cholesterol values which ranged from the highest to lowest were found in fish fed diets D4 and D2 with values of 121.67and 104.67 (mg/dl), respectively.Key words: Phospholipids, sturgeon fish, Huso huso, biochemical factors

Nitric oxide and L-type calcium channel influences the changes in arterial blood pressure and heart rate induced by central angiotesin II

We study the voltage dependent calcium channels and nitric oxide involvement in angiotensin II-induced pressor effect. The antipressor action of L-Type calcium channel antagonist, nifedipine, has been studied when it was injected into the third ventricle prior to angiotensin II. The influence of nitric oxide on nifedipine antipressor action has also been studied by utilizing NW-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (LNAME) (40 μg/0.2 μl) a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor and L-arginine (20 μg/0.2 μl), a nitric oxide donor agent. Adult male Holtzman rats weighting 200–250 g, with cannulae implanted into the third ventricle were injected with angiotensin II. Angiotensin II produced an elevation in mean arterial pressure and a decreased in heart rate. Such effects were potentiated by the prior injection of LNAME. L-arginine and nifedipine blocked the effects of angiotensin II. These data showed the involvement of L-Type calcium channel and a free radical gas nitric oxide in the central control of angiotensin II-induced pressor effect. This suggested that L-Type calcium channel of the circunventricular structures of central nervous system participated in both short and long term neuronal actions of ANG II with the influence of nitrergic system

Sirt1 attenuates kidney disorders in male offspring due to maternal high-fat diet

© 2019, MDPI AG. All rights reserved. Maternal obesity has been associated with kidney disorders in male offspring. Our previous studies have demonstrated that Sirtuin (SIRT)1, an essential regulator of metabolic stress responses, is suppressed in the offspring as the result of maternal high-fat diet (HFD) consumption, which is likely to underpin the adverse metabolic and renal outcomes. To examine if SIRT1 overexpression or activation early in life can protect the offspring kidney, wild-type (WT) and transgenic (Tg) offspring were born to the same diet-induced obese female C57BL/6 mice through breeding with hemizygous SIRT1-transgenic (Tg) male mice and examined for renal pathological changes. In separate experiments, SIRT1 activator SRT1720 (25 mg/kg/2 days i.p) was administrated in WT offspring over 6 weeks of postnatal high-fat diet exposure. The results show that offspring born to obese dams have increased kidney weight, higher levels of renal triglycerides, and increased expression of oxidative stress, inflammatory, and fibrotic markers, as well as increased albuminuria compared to offspring of control dams. Both SIRT1 overexpression and SRT1720 treatment attenuated renal lipid contents and expression of lipogenesis, oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers; however, fibrosis was modestly reduced and albuminuria was not affected. The findings suggest that SIRT1 therapy can ameliorate some pathological mechanisms of kidney programming due to maternal obesity but may not be sufficient to prevent the resulting chronic kidney injury

Expression of chimeric HCV peptide in transgenic tobacco plants infected with recombinant alfalfa mosaic virus for development of a plant-derived vaccine against HCV

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the major etiologic agent of blood transfusion–associated and sporadic non-A non-B hepatitis affecting more than 180 million worldwide. Vaccine development for HCV has been difficult and there is no vaccine or effective therapy against this virus. In this paper, we describe the development of an experimental plant-derived subunit vaccine against HCV. Our subunit vaccine originates from a consensus HCV-HVR1 epitope (R9) that antigenically mimics many natural HVR1 variants. This HVR1 sequence was cloned into the open reading frame of a plant virus, Alfalfa Mosaic Virus (ALMV) coat protein (CP). The chimeric ALMV RNA4 containing sequence-encoding R9 epitope was introduced into full-length infectious ALMV-RNA3 that was utilized as an expression vector. The recombinant chimeric protein is expressed in transgenic tobacco plants (P12) expressing ALMV RNA1 and 2. Plant–derived HVR1/ALMV-CP reacted with HVR1 and/or ALMV-CP specific monoclonal antibodies and immune sera from individuals infected with HCV. Using plant-virus based transient expression to produce this unique chimeric antigen will facilitate the development and production of an experimental HCV vaccine. A plant derived recombinant HCV vaccine can potentially reduce expenses normally associated with production and delivery of conventional vaccine. Key Words: Hepatitis C virus (HCV), transgenic tobacco plants (P12), consensus HCV HVR1 epitope (R9), and chimeric ALMV-RNA4. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol.3(11) 2004: 588-59

Maternal Obesity Promotes Diabetic Nephropathy in Rodent Offspring

Maternal obesity is known to increase the risk of obesity and diabetes in offspring. Though diabetes is a key risk factor for the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD), the relationship between maternal obesity and CKD has not been clearly defined. In this study, a mouse model of maternal obesity was employed to determine the impact of maternal obesity on development of diabetic nephropathy in offspring. Female C57BL/6 mice were fed high-fat diet (HFD) for six weeks prior to mating, during gestation and lactation. Male offspring were weaned to normal chow diet. At postnatal Week 8, offspring were randomly administered low dose streptozotocin (STZ, 55 mg/kg/day for five days) to induce diabetes. Assessment of renal damage took place at postnatal Week 32. We found that offspring of obese mothers had increased renal fibrosis, inflammation and oxidative stress. Importantly, offspring exposed to maternal obesity had increased susceptibility to renal damage when an additional insult, such as STZ-induced diabetes, was imposed. Specifically, renal inflammation and oxidative stress induced by diabetes was augmented by maternal obesity. Our findings suggest that developmental programming induced by maternal obesity has implications for renal health in offspring. Maternal obesity should be considered a risk factor for CKD

Off-pump coronary artery bypass in poland syndrome with dextrocardia: case report

Poland Syndrome is a congenital disorder characterised by hypoplasia of the pectoral muscles along with upper extremity deformities. We encountered a patient with Poland syndrome associated with dextrocardia and also failed pectus excavatum repairs who presented to us with symptomatic ischaemic heart disease requiring intervention. He underwent successful off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery (OPCABG). As far as we are aware, this is the first case report of OPCABG in a case of Poland syndrome with dextrocardia. We describe here the management of this complex patient and wish to emphasise that the off-pump option is feasible in dextrocardia with some technical modifications

Efficient uncertainty quantification for seawater intrusion prediction using optimized sampling and null space Monte Carlo method

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record Data availability: The authors do not have permission to share data.Uncertainty in environmental modeling predictions, stemming from parameter estimation, is a crucial challenge that must be addressed to ensure effective decision-making. Limited field measurements, high computational costs, and a lack of guidance in estimating measurement uncertainty further compound this challenge, particularly for highly parameterized complex models. In this study, we propose a novel and computationally efficient framework for quantifying predictive uncertainty that can be applied to a range of environmental modeling contexts. The novel components of the framework include efficient parameter space sampling using an Optimized Latin hypercube sampling strategy, and applying the Null Space Monte Carlo method (NSMC) along with a developed filtering technique. The NSMC generates sample sets to calibrate the model while exploring the null space. This space contains parameter combinations that are not sufficiently supported by observations. The filtering technique omits low-potential parameter sets from undergoing model calibration. The framework was tested on the seawater intrusion (SWI) model of Wadi Ham aquifer in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to investigate aquifer sustainability in 2050. Our results demonstrate the importance of incorporating direct and indirect measurements of heads, salinity, and geophysical survey data into the calibration dataset to reduce uncertainty in salinity predictions. The extent of SWI for multiple calibrated parameter sets varied by 4.5% to 11% relative to their means at two main pumping fields. We conclude, with a moderate to a high degree of certainty, that SWI is a serious threat to these fields, and actions are needed to protect the aquifer from salinization. Additionally, variations in SWI length under different geological conditions illustrate regions of high uncertainty that require further data collection. Our framework effectively reduced and quantified prediction uncertainty and provides decision-makers with critical information to inform risk management strategies.Ministry of Higher Education of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Netwon Mosharafa scholarshi

Impact of maternal cigarette smoke exposure on brain inflammation and oxidative stress in male mice offspring

Maternal cigarette smoke exposure (SE) during gestation can cause lifelong adverse effects in the offspring's brain. Several factors may contribute including inflammation, oxidative stress and hypoxia, whose changes in the developing brain are unknown. Female Balb/c mice were exposed to cigarette smoke prior to mating, during gestation and lactation. Male offspring were studied at postnatal day (P) 1, P20 and 13 weeks (W13). SE dams had reduced inflammatory mediators (IL-1β, IL-6 and toll like receptor (TLR)4 mRNA), antioxidant (manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD)), and increased mitochondrial activities (OXPHOS-I, III and V) and protein damage marker nitrotyrosine. Brain hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)1α and its upstream signalling molecule early growth response factor (EGR)1 were not changed in the SE dams. In the SE offspring, brain IL-1R, IL-6 and TLR4 mRNA were increased at W13. The translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane, and MnSOD were reduced at W13 with higher nitrotyrosine staining. HIF-1α was also increased at W13, although EGR1 was only reduced at P1. In conclusion, maternal SE increased markers of hypoxia and oxidative stress with mitochondrial dysfunction and cell damage in both dams and offspring, and upregulated inflammatory markers in offspring, which may render SE dams and their offspring vulnerable to additional brain insults

Climatic factors interference with the occurrence of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae in cultivated soil

Description of method and recommendation of laboratory and field procedures for the isolation of soil borne entomopathogenic fungi (specifically Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae) is presented. Baiting technique method was used for screening of occurrence of indigenous populations of entomopathogenic fungi. Totally, 2068 alive greater wax moth larvae (Galleria mellonella L.) were used to trap entomopathogenic fungi present in the soil. Site selected was the experimental farm of Assiut University; only 105 larvae were infected by entomopathogenic fungi representing 5.08% mortality. B. bassiana caused 85.71% of the mortality  represented by 90 isolates. M. anisopliae caused 14.29% of the mortality giving only 15 isolates of M. anisopliae. Data showed that B. bassiana seems to be the most economically important entomopathogenic fungi inhabiting soil cultivated with wheat and cotton plants. The highest number of the isolates was recorded during spring and autumn seasons. The relationship between the incidence of B. bassiana and M. anisopliae and the selected weather factors was statistically analyzed using multiple regression analysis.Key words: Entomopathogenic fungi, Galleria mellonella, baiting technique, soil

Mitigating seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers: Novel approach with treated wastewater injection and groundwater circulation

This is the final version. Available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record. Data availability: Data will be made available on request.Seawater intrusion (SWI) is a natural phenomenon that negatively impacts the potability of groundwater and is expected to worsen with rising sea levels due to climate change. Artificial recharge of freshwater is a commonly-used remediation method to mitigate SWI and improve freshwater supply security in affected coastal aquifers. However, limited freshwater availability can limit the effectiveness of this approach. This study proposes a novel mitigation measure, called Inj-GCW, which combines the injection of reclaimed water with the use of groundwater circulation wells (GCW) to enhance the effectiveness of artificial recharge in controlling SWI. GCW is a dual-screened well with isolated screens that extract and inject groundwater into the aquifer. The performance of the proposed measure was quantitatively evaluated using an illustrative simplified unconfined coastal aquifer. Based on the findings, the design parameters were estimated for a field-scale case study of the Nile Delta aquifer (NDA), a large Mediterranean coastal aquifer in Egypt. The study adopts a future scenario that considers Sea-level rise due to climate change and projected population growth by 2100. Results demonstrate that introducing of GCWs into the saltwater wedge, along with injection, effectively retreated the saltwater wedge, due to enhanced velocity, seaward fluxes, and dilution of contamination. Inj-GCW measure led to an 8.9% reduction in SWI and a 5.2% decrease in aquifer salinity compared to the expected intrusion in 2100. Furthermore, the Inj-GCW measure resulted in a 2.2% higher repulsion rate and 0.3% reduction in total salt mass compared to injection alone. The Inj-GCW measure presents a promising solution to SWI challenges in the NDA and other coastal aquifers facing similar issues. The formation of a brackish water bubble at the injection well screen of the GCW and the generated vertical groundwater circulation cells acted as a hydraulic barrier and contributed to the proposed method effectiveness.Ministry of Higher Education of the Arab Republic of Egyp