Dietary oleic acid contributes to the regulation of food intake through the synthesis of intestinal oleoylethanolamide

IntroductionAmong the fatty acid ethanolamides (FAEs), oleoylethanolamide (OEA), linoleoylethanolamide (LEA), and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) are reported to be involved in feeding regulation. In particular, OEA is well characterized as a satiety signal. Following food consumption, OEA is synthesized from oleic acid (OA) via an N-acyl phosphatidylethanolamine-specific phospholipase D-dependent pathway in the gastroenterocytes, and OEA induces satiety by recruiting sensory fibers. Thus, we hypothesized that dietary OA is an important satiety-inducing molecule. However, there has been no direct demonstration of the effect of dietary OA on satiety induction without the influence of the endogenous biosynthesis of OA from stearic acid (SA) or other FAEs.MethodsIn this study, we used two experimental diets to test our hypothesis: (i) an OA diet (OAD; 38.4 mg of OA/g and 7.2 mg of SA/g) and (ii) a low OA diet (LOAD; 3.1 mg of OA/g and 42.4 mg of SA/g).ResultsRelative to mice fed the OAD, mice fed the LOAD for two weeks exhibited reduced levels of jejunal OEA but not jejunal LEA and PEA. The LOAD-fed mice showed an increase in food intake and body weight gain. Moreover, LOAD-induced increase in food intake was immediately observed after the switch from the OAD, whereas these effects were diminished by the switch back to the OAD. Furthermore, treatment with OA and OEA diminished the effects of LOAD on food intake.ConclusionCollectively, these results show that dietary OA is a key factor in the reduction of food intake and increase in satiety mediated by OEA signaling

Prvi dokaz invazije pasa lutalica na Filipinima protozoonom Babesia gibsoni pomoću imunokromatografskog testa.

A total of 46 stray dogs in an impounding facility comprising 17 males and 29 females were diagnosed using the Babesia gibsoni P50 truncated antigen immunochromatographic test (P50t-ICT). Thirteen dogs (28.0%) were serologically positive. There was no cross-reactivity with serum samples from Babesia canis (= B. vogeli)-infected dogs and none of the ICT strips showed invalid results, which reinforce the sensitivity and specificity of the P50t antigen and the reliability and accuracy of the P50t-ICT. Thirty-seven (80.4%) dogs had mixed tick infestations principally of the genus Rhipicephalus and Boophilus. From 11 seropositive and 20 seronegative dogs a total of 80 Rhipicephalus ticks were pooled. Among the 33 seronegative dogs, 48.5% had infestation with Rhipicephalus sp. only, 12.1% with Boophilus sp. only, 12.1% with mixed Rhipicephalus sp. and Boophilus sp., and 19.6% were un-infested. This paper documents the first account of serological detection of B. gibsoni in stray dogs and their infestation mainly with Rhipicephalus sp. suggestive of their role as putative key vectors of B. gibsoni in Philippine stray dogs.Istraživanje je provedeno kako bi se imunokromatografskim testom (P50t-ICT) dokazala prisutnost protozoona Babesia gibsoni u pasa lutalica na Filipinima. Ukupno je bilo pretraženo 46 pasa, 17 mužjaka i 29 ženki, na prisutnost antigena p50 protozoona Babesia gibsoni. Trinaest pasa (28%) bilo je serološki pozitivno. Nije ustanovljen nijedan slučaj križne reaktivnosti s uzorcima seruma pasa prirodno invadiranima protozoonom Babesia canis (Babesia vogeli). Test se pokazao prikladnim, osjetljivim, specifičnim, pouzdanim i točnim. U 37 pasa (80,4%) dokazane su mješovite infestacije krpeljima rodova Rhipicephalus i Boophilus. Na 11 serološki pozitivnih i 20 serološki negativnih pasa pronađeno je ukupno 80 krpelja iz roda Rhipicephalus. Od 33 serološki negativna psa krpelji roda Rhipicephalus dokazani su u 48,5%, roda Boophilus u 12,1%, a jedna mješovita infestacija vrstama tih rodova dokazana je također u 12,1% pasa. U 27,3% pasa krpelji nisu dokazani. Ovaj rad prvi put prikazuje mogućnost serološkoga dokaza infekcije vrstom B. gibsoni u pasa lutalica i njihovu infestaciju pretežito krpeljima roda Rhipicephalus kao ključnih prijenosnika B. gibsoni u pasa lutalica na Filipinim

Prvi dokaz invazije pasa lutalica na Filipinima protozoonom Babesia gibsoni pomoću imunokromatografskog testa.

A total of 46 stray dogs in an impounding facility comprising 17 males and 29 females were diagnosed using the Babesia gibsoni P50 truncated antigen immunochromatographic test (P50t-ICT). Thirteen dogs (28.0%) were serologically positive. There was no cross-reactivity with serum samples from Babesia canis (= B. vogeli)-infected dogs and none of the ICT strips showed invalid results, which reinforce the sensitivity and specificity of the P50t antigen and the reliability and accuracy of the P50t-ICT. Thirty-seven (80.4%) dogs had mixed tick infestations principally of the genus Rhipicephalus and Boophilus. From 11 seropositive and 20 seronegative dogs a total of 80 Rhipicephalus ticks were pooled. Among the 33 seronegative dogs, 48.5% had infestation with Rhipicephalus sp. only, 12.1% with Boophilus sp. only, 12.1% with mixed Rhipicephalus sp. and Boophilus sp., and 19.6% were un-infested. This paper documents the first account of serological detection of B. gibsoni in stray dogs and their infestation mainly with Rhipicephalus sp. suggestive of their role as putative key vectors of B. gibsoni in Philippine stray dogs.Istraživanje je provedeno kako bi se imunokromatografskim testom (P50t-ICT) dokazala prisutnost protozoona Babesia gibsoni u pasa lutalica na Filipinima. Ukupno je bilo pretraženo 46 pasa, 17 mužjaka i 29 ženki, na prisutnost antigena p50 protozoona Babesia gibsoni. Trinaest pasa (28%) bilo je serološki pozitivno. Nije ustanovljen nijedan slučaj križne reaktivnosti s uzorcima seruma pasa prirodno invadiranima protozoonom Babesia canis (Babesia vogeli). Test se pokazao prikladnim, osjetljivim, specifičnim, pouzdanim i točnim. U 37 pasa (80,4%) dokazane su mješovite infestacije krpeljima rodova Rhipicephalus i Boophilus. Na 11 serološki pozitivnih i 20 serološki negativnih pasa pronađeno je ukupno 80 krpelja iz roda Rhipicephalus. Od 33 serološki negativna psa krpelji roda Rhipicephalus dokazani su u 48,5%, roda Boophilus u 12,1%, a jedna mješovita infestacija vrstama tih rodova dokazana je također u 12,1% pasa. U 27,3% pasa krpelji nisu dokazani. Ovaj rad prvi put prikazuje mogućnost serološkoga dokaza infekcije vrstom B. gibsoni u pasa lutalica i njihovu infestaciju pretežito krpeljima roda Rhipicephalus kao ključnih prijenosnika B. gibsoni u pasa lutalica na Filipinim

Highly sensitive nested PCR and rapid immunochromatographic detection of Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina infection in a cattle herd with acute clinical and fatal cases in Argentina

Bovine babesiosis is a tick‐transmitted haemoparasitic disease caused by Babesia bovis and B. bigemina affecting cattle of tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Pathogens are transmitted by the tick vector Rhipicephalus microplus displaying a widespread distribution in northeastern Argentina. The disease is characterized by significant animal morbidity and mortality resulting in considerable economic loss. In this study, B. bovis and B. bigemina infection was investigated in a cattle herd of 150 adult bovines of pure Braford breed raised in a tick‐hyperendemic field using molecular and serum antibody tests. A highly sensitive nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) assay targeting a species‐specific region of the apocytochrome b gene resulted in direct B. bovis and B. bigemina detection in 27.3% and 54.7% of bovines, respectively. A recently developed immunochromatographic strip test (ICT) based on recombinant forms of spherical body protein 4 and the C‐terminal region of rhoptry‐associated protein 1 showed that 71.3% and 89.3% of bovines were seropositive for B. bovis and B. bigemina, respectively. The mixed infection rate as observed by direct (19.3%) and indirect detection (65.3%) coincided with those expected, respectively. Importantly, four months after sampling, nine bovines of the studied herd showed clinical signs of bovine babesiosis of which six animals eventually died. Microscopic detection of infected erythrocytes in Giemsa‐stained blood smears confirmed B. bovis infection. Our study demonstrates that although animals showed a relatively high and very high rate of immunity against infection with B. bovis (71.3%) and B. bigemina (89.3%) parasites, respectively, clinical cases and fatalities due to the infection with B. bovis were observed. It is proposed that the most adequate control measure in the studied epidemiological situation is to vaccinate animals to prevent losses and/or an outbreak of bovine babesiosis.Instituto de PatobiologíaFil: Ganzinelli Sabrina Belen. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patobiología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Benitez, Daniel Francisco. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Mercedes; ArgentinaFil: Gantuya, Sambuu. Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine. National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases; JapónFil: Guswanto, Azirwan. Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine. National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases; JapónFil: Florin-Christensen, Mónica. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patobiología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Schnittger, Leonhard. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patobiología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Igarashi, Ikuo. Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine. National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases; Japó

Imunokromatografski test za dokaz invazije vrstama Babesia caballi i Babesia equi Laveran 1901 (Theileria equi Mehlhorn i Schein, 1998) (Phylum Apicomplexa) u fi lipinskih konja u usporedbi s dokazom parazita u krvnim razmascima

Sera collected from 71 slaughtered and 33 racing horses were assayed for Babesia spp. infection using immunochromatographic (ICT) assay. The ICT strips which were developed at the National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases (NRCPD), Obihiro University, Hokkaido, Japan contained a recombinant B. caballi 48-kDa rhoptry protein (rBc48) and a recombinant truncated B. equi merozoite antigen 2 (rEMA-2t) for the detection of anti-horse Babesia spp. antibodies. The 63 sero-positive blood samples consisted of 41(57.7%) and 22 (66.7%) cases in slaughtered and racing horses, respectively. Twelve sera (19.0%) reacted with both B. caballi and B. equi antigens, 45 sera (71.0%) reacted with rBc48 antigen only, and six sera (10.0%) were positive for B. equi antibodies only. Babesia caballi infection accounted for 90.5% cases. Infection with B. caballi and/or B. equi confirmed in Giemsa-stained blood smears prepared from racing horse samples only revealed 22 (66.7%) seropositive cases. Paired pear or crescent-shaped merozoites (0.5-1.25 μm), characteristic of B. caballi were observed in 20 blood smears, while only two seropositive cases revealed the presence of both B. caballi and the Maltese cross or tetrad-shaped merozoites (0.62-0.95 μm) generally associated with Theileria sp. (B. equi) parasite. To our knowledge, this is the first immunochromatographic assay of equine babesiosis in the Philippines validated by the detection of specific etiologic agent(s) in blood smears.Uzorci seruma 71 zaklanog konja i 33 športska konja bili su pretraženi na prisutnost protutijela za babezije imunokromatografskim testom (ICT). Testovi razvijeni u Nacionalnom istraživačkom centru za protozojske bolesti u sklopu Sveučilišta Obihiro u Hokaidu u Japanu sadržavali su rekombinantni protein od 48-kDa (rBc48) vrste B. caballi i rekombinantni krnji merozoitski antigen 2 (rEMA-2t) vrste B. equi za određivanje protutijela za vrste roda Babesia. Od ukupno 63 serološki pozitivna konja, 41 (57,7%) pripadao je skupini kojoj je krv bila uzeta pri klanju, a 22 (66,7%) bila su iz skupine športskih konja. Dvadeset uzoraka seruma (19,0%) bilo je pozitivno na oba antigena (B. caballi i B. equi), 45 uzoraka (71,0%) samo na antigen rBc48, dok je svega šest uzoraka (10%) bilo pozitivno na protutijela za vrstu B. equi. Protutijela za vrstu B. caballi bila su dokazana u 90,5% pretraženih uzoraka. Pretragom krvnih razmazaka obojenih po Giemzi babezije su bile dokazane u svega 22 (66,7%) športska konja. Kruškaste tvorevine (0,5-1,25 μm), karakteristične za merozoite protozoona B. caballi bile su dokazane u 20 razmazaka krvi. Samo u dva serološki pozitivna uzorka dokazana je vrsta B. caballi i merozoiti razmješteni u obliku malteškoga križa (0,62-0,95 μm) što je i karakteristika protozoa iz roda Theileria (B. equi). Ovim istraživanjem prvi put je dokazana prikladnost imunokromatografskoga testa za određivanje protutijela za babezije konja na Filipinima, a rezultati su uspoređeni s nalazom uzročnika u krvnim razmascima

International interlaboratory validation of a nested PCR for molecular detection of Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina, causative agents of bovine babesiosis

Babesia bovis and B. bigemina are tick-transmitted parasites causing bovine babesiosis, characterized by significant morbidity and mortality leading to economic losses to the livestock industry in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Animals that recover from acute infection remain carriers with low parasitemia acting as a source of transmission, and often escape detection. An improved diagnosis of a B. bovis and/or B. bigemina infection of carrier animals is enabled by the availability of detection methods with high sensitivity. To this end, two nested PCR assays targeting the cytochrome b (cytb) genes of B. bovis and B. bigemina (cytb-nPCR), have been recently developed and an increased sensitivity with respect to reference protocols has been shown (Romero-Salas et al., 2016). In this study, the specificity against a panel of hemoparasites that potentially co-occur with B. bovis and B. bigemina was demonstrated to ensure applicability of the cytb-nPCR assays in a wide range of regions where bovine babesiosis is endemic. Furthermore, we compared both reported cytb-nPCR assays with reference nPCR and qPCR protocols for (i) their capability to detect carrier animals in the field, and (ii) their reproducibility when performed in different laboratories by independent operators. We show that, in a panel of bovine field samples (n = 100), the cytb-nPCR assays detected a considerably higher number of 25% B. bovis and 61% B. bigemina-positive animals compared to 7% and 20% B. bovis and 55% and 49% B. bigemina-positive animals when tested by reference nPCR and qPCR protocols, respectively. Cytb-nPCRs were also found superior in the detection of carrier animals when field samples from Africa were analyzed. In addition, both the B. bovis and B. bigemina cytb-nPCR assays were independently validated in a single blinded study in three laboratories. Importantly, no significant differences in the number/percentage of infected animals was observed using cytb-nPCR assays. In summary, the cytb-nPCR assays detected a considerably higher number of chronically infected B. bovis and B. bigemina carrier animals compared to reference nPCR and qPCR protocols, when applied in different epidemiological field situations. Furthermore, a high reproducibility between laboratories could be demonstrated.Instituto de PatobiologíaFil: Ganzinelli Sabrina Belen. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patobiología Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Ganzinelli Sabrina Belen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Byaruhanga, Charles. University of Pretoria. Faculty of Veterinary Science. Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases. Vectors and Vector-borne Diseases Research Programme; SudáfricaFil: Primo, María Evangelina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela. Instituto de Investigación de la Cadena Láctea; ArgentinaFil: Primo, María Evangelina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lukanji, Zinathi. University of Pretoria. Faculty of Veterinary Science. Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases. Vectors and Vector-borne Diseases Research Programme; SudáfricaFil: Sibeko, Kgomotso. University of Pretoria. Faculty of Veterinary Science. Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases. Vectors and Vector-borne Diseases Research Programme; SudáfricaFil: Matjila, Tshepo. University of Pretoria. Faculty of Veterinary Science. Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases. Vectors and Vector-borne Diseases Research Programme; SudáfricaFil: Neves, Luis. University of Pretoria. Faculty of Veterinary Science. Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases. Vectors and Vector-borne Diseases Research Programme; SudáfricaFil: Benitez, Daniel Francisco. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Mercedes; ArgentinaFil: Enkhbaatar, Batmagnai. Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine. National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases; JapónFil: Enkhbaatar, Batmagnai. Mongolian University of Life Sciences. Institute of Veterinary Medicine. Laboratory of Molecular Genetics; MongoliaFil: Nugraha, Arifin Budiman. Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine. National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases; JapónFil: Nugraha, Arifin Budiman. IPB University. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Department of Animal Infectious Diseases and Veterinary Public Health; IndonesiaFil: Igarashi, Ikuo. Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine. National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases; JapónFil: Florin-Christensen, Mónica. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patobiología Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Florin-Christensen, Mónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Schnittger, Leonhard. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Patobiología Veterinaria; ArgentinaFil: Schnittger, Leonhard. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Medium-chain fatty acids suppress lipotoxicity-induced hepatic fibrosis via the immunomodulating receptor GPR84

食事性肥満から肝炎発症に関わる制御因子の同定 --中鎖脂肪酸油による予防・GPR84標的NASH治療薬の可能性--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-01-18.Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which consist of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), are unique forms of dietary fat with various health benefits. G protein–coupled 84 (GPR84) acts as a receptor for MCFAs (especially C10:0 and C12:0); however, GPR84 is still considered an orphan receptor, and the nutritional signaling of endogenous and dietary MCFAs via GPR84 remains unclear. Here, we showed that endogenous MCFA-mediated GPR84 signaling protected hepatic functions from diet-induced lipotoxicity. Under high-fat diet (HFD) conditions, GPR84-deficient mice exhibited nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and the progression of hepatic fibrosis but not steatosis. With markedly increased hepatic MCFA levels under HFD, GPR84 suppressed lipotoxicity-induced macrophage overactivation. Thus, GPR84 is an immunomodulating receptor that suppresses excessive dietary fat intake–induced toxicity by sensing increases in MCFAs. Additionally, administering MCTs, MCFAs (C10:0 or C12:0, but not C8:0), or GPR84 agonists effectively improved NASH in mouse models. Therefore, exogenous GPR84 stimulation is a potential strategy for treating NASH

Genetic Diversity of Staphylocoagulase Genes (coa): Insight into the Evolution of Variable Chromosomal Virulence Factors in Staphylococcus aureus

. Although SCs have been classified into 10 serotypes based on the differences in the antigenicity, genetic bases for their diversities and relatedness to chromosome types are poorly understood. type except for the cases of CC1 and CC8, which contained two and three different SC types, respectively. loci, resulting in the carriage of the combinations of allotypically different important virulence determinants in staphylococcal chromosome

BioHackathon series in 2011 and 2012: penetration of ontology and linked data in life science domains

The application of semantic technologies to the integration of biological data and the interoperability of bioinformatics analysis and visualization tools has been the common theme of a series of annual BioHackathons hosted in Japan for the past five years. Here we provide a review of the activities and outcomes from the BioHackathons held in 2011 in Kyoto and 2012 in Toyama. In order to efficiently implement semantic technologies in the life sciences, participants formed various sub-groups and worked on the following topics: Resource Description Framework (RDF) models for specific domains, text mining of the literature, ontology development, essential metadata for biological databases, platforms to enable efficient Semantic Web technology development and interoperability, and the development of applications for Semantic Web data. In this review, we briefly introduce the themes covered by these sub-groups. The observations made, conclusions drawn, and software development projects that emerged from these activities are discussed

Species-Specific Immunity Induced by Infection with Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba moshkovskii in Mice

Entamoeba histolytica, the parasitic amoeba responsible for amoebiasis, causes approximately 100,000 deaths every year. There is currently no vaccine against this parasite. We have previously shown that intracecal inoculation of E. histolytica trophozoites leads to chronic and non-healing cecitis in mice. Entamoeba moshkovskii, a closely related amoeba, also causes diarrhea and other intestinal disorders in this model. Here, we investigated the effect of infection followed by drug-cure of these species on the induction of immunity against homologous or heterologous species challenge. Mice were infected with E. histolytica or E. moshkovskii and treated with metronidazole 14 days later. Re-challenge with E. histolytica or E. moshkovskii was conducted seven or 28 days following confirmation of the clearance of amoebae, and the degree of protection compared to non-exposed control mice was evaluated. We show that primary infection with these amoebae induces a species-specific immune response which protects against challenge with the homologous, but not a heterologous species. These findings pave the way, therefore, for the identification of novel amoebae antigens that may become the targets of vaccines and provide a useful platform to investigate host protective immunity to Entamoeba infections