Case report: Spontaneous abortion of monoamniotic twins at the third trimester of pregnancy in Camelus dromedarius

Monoamniotic twins develop when a blastocyst spontaneously splits its progenitor cells, and each group of progenitor cells independently grows to become an individual. It is the rarest type of twin pregnancy and usually has significant developmental or congenital abnormalities, a higher rate of abortion, perinatal morbidity, and mortality. There is no information regarding monoamniotic twins in livestock species. Here, we reported a spontaneous abortion of monoamniotic twins in a dromedary camel at 278 days of gestation. Gonadorelin acetate (100 μg) was injected intramuscularly to induce ovulation in the recipient. A 7 days-old embryo produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer was transferred transcervically to the recipient. Early pregnancy was confirmed by an elevated level of serum progesterone followed by ultrasonography at 22 and 44 days after embryo transfer. A single sac was observed on 22 days while twins were evident 44 days after embryo transfer. Pregnancy was periodically monitored by the tail-up phenomenon. A ruptured fetal sac was observed on the ground having two fetuses. On autopsy, full-grown fetuses were found. Their bodies were separated. There was no congenital anomaly or any malformation in the fetuses. According to the reported chronology in human twins, we hypothesized that the blastocyst splitted before 13 days as it was monoamniotic and not conjoined. If the embryo splits within 4 to 8 days, it develops two amniotic sacs, and splitting after 13 days develops conjoined fetuses. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first reported case of monoamniotic twin abortion in dromedary camels. This report will increase awareness among practicing veterinarians and camel breeders about twin abortions

Production of transgenic first filial puppies expressing mutated human amyloid precursor protein gene

Propagation of transgenic animals by germline transmission using assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) is the most efficient way to produce transgenic colonies for biomedical research. The objective of this study was to generate transgenic puppies from a founder dog expressing the mutated human amyloid precursor protein (mhAPP) gene. Experiment I assessed the characteristics of the semen prepared by freshly diluted, swim-up, and Percoll gradient methods using a computer-assisted semen analyzer (CASA). Motile and progressively motile sperm counts were higher in the Percoll gradient samples (p < 0.05) than in the swim-up and freshly diluted samples. In Experiment II, a total of 59, 70, and 65 presumptive zygotes produced by fresh, Percoll gradient, and swim-up methods, respectively, were transferred to surrogates (5 for each group); the Percoll gradient (27.27%) and swim-up samples (14.29%) showed the highest blastocyst formation rates, while fresh diluted semen did not produce any blastocyst. Experiment III examined the full-term developmental ability of embryos. Among the 5 surrogates in the Percoll gradient group, one (20.0%) became pregnant; it had 4 (6.15%) sacs and delivered 4 (6.15%; 2 males and 2 females) live puppies. Among the 4 puppies, 2 (50.0%) were found to transmit the transgene on their nail and toe under GFP fluorescence. Furthermore, the integration and expression of the mhAPP transgene were examined in the umbilical cords of all the IVF-derived puppies, and the presence of the transgene was only observed in the GFP-positive puppies. Thus, semen prepared by the Percoll method could generate transgenic puppies by male germline transmission using the IVF technique. Our result will help propagate transgenic dogs efficiently, which will foster human biomedical research

Dysregulation of adipose glutathione peroxidase 3 in obesity contributes to local and systemic oxidative stress

Glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPx3) accounts for the major antioxidant activity in the plasma. Here, we demonstrate that down-regulation of GPx3 in the plasma of obese subjects is associated with adipose GPx3 dysregulation, resulting from the increase of inflammatory signals and oxidative stress. Although GPx3 was abundantly expressed in kidney, lung, and adipose tissue, we observed that GPx3 expression was reduced selectively in the adipose tissue of several obese animal models as decreasing plasma GPx3 level. Adipose GPx3 expression was greatly suppressed by prooxidative conditions such as high levels of TNFalpha and hypoxia. In contrast, the antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine and the antidiabetic drug rosiglitazone increased adipose GPx3 expression in obese and diabetic db/db mice. Moreover, GPx3 overexpression in adipocytes improved high glucose-induced insulin resistance and attenuated inflammatory gene expression whereas GPx3 neutralization in adipocytes promoted expression of proinflammatory genes. Taken together, these data suggest that suppression of GPx3 expression in the adipose tissue of obese subjects might constitute a vicious cycle to expand local reactive oxygen species accumulation in adipose tissue potentially into systemic oxidative stress and obesity-related metabolic complications

Metabolic effects of aloe vera gel complex in obese prediabetes and early non-treated diabetic patients: Randomized controlled trial

a b s t r a c t Objective: The metabolic effects of an aloe vera gel complex (Aloe QDM complex) on people with prediabetes or early diabetes mellitus (DM) are unknown. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of Aloe QDM complex on body weight, body fat mass (BFM), fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting serum insulin, and Homeostasis Model of Assessment -Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) in obese individuals with prediabetes or early DM who were not on diabetes medications. Methods: Participants (n ¼ 136) were randomly assigned to an intervention or a control group and evaluated at baseline and at 4 and 8 wk. Results: The study lost six participants in the control group and eight in the intervention group. At 8 wk, body weight (P ¼ 0.02) and BFM (P ¼ 0.03) were significantly lower in the intervention group. At 4 wk, serum insulin level (P ¼ 0.04) and HOMA-IR (P ¼ 0.047) were lower in the intervention group; they also were lower at 8 wk but with borderline significance (P ¼ 0.09; P ¼ 0.08, respectively). At 8 wk, FBG tended to decrease in the intervention group (P ¼ 0.02), but the between-group difference was not significant (P ¼ 0.16). Conclusion: In obese individuals with prediabetes or early untreated DM, Aloe QDM complex reduced body weight, BFM, and insulin resistance

Renal outcomes of laparoscopic versus open surgery in patients with rectal cancer: a propensity score analysis

Background A laparoscopic approach is widely used in abdominal surgery. Although several studies have compared surgical and oncological outcomes between laparoscopic surgery (LS) and open surgery (OS) in rectal cancer patients, there have been few studies on postoperative renal outcomes. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 1,633 patients who underwent rectal cancer surgery between 2003 and 2017. Postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) was diagnosed according to the serum creatinine criteria of the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes classification. Results Among the 1,633 patients, 1,072 (65.6%) underwent LS. After matching propensity scores, 395 patients were included in each group. The incidence of postoperative AKI in the LS group was significantly lower than in the OS group (9.9% vs. 15.9%; p = 0.01). Operation time, estimated blood loss, and incidence of transfusion in the LS group were significantly lower than those in the OS group. Cox proportional hazard models revealed that LS was associated with decreased risk of postoperative AKI (hazard ratio [HR], 0.599; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.402–0.893; p = 0.01) and postoperative transfusion was associated with increased risk of AKI (HR, 2.495; 95% CI, 1.529–4.072; p < 0.001). In the subgroup analysis, the incidence of postoperative AKI in patients with middle or high rectal cancer who underwent LS was much lower than in those who underwent OS (HR, 0.373; 95% CI, 0.197–0.705; p = 0.002). Conclusion This study showed that LS may have a favorable effect on the development of postoperative AKI in patients with rectal cancer

Discutindo a educação ambiental no cotidiano escolar: desenvolvimento de projetos na escola formação inicial e continuada de professores

A presente pesquisa buscou discutir como a Educação Ambiental (EA) vem sendo trabalhada, no Ensino Fundamental e como os docentes desta escola compreendem e vem inserindo a EA no cotidiano escolar., em uma escola estadual do município de Tangará da Serra/MT, Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se entrevistas com os professores que fazem parte de um projeto interdisciplinar de EA na escola pesquisada. Verificou-se que o projeto da escola não vem conseguindo alcançar os objetivos propostos por: desconhecimento do mesmo, pelos professores; formação deficiente dos professores, não entendimento da EA como processo de ensino-aprendizagem, falta de recursos didáticos, planejamento inadequado das atividades. A partir dessa constatação, procurou-se debater a impossibilidade de tratar do tema fora do trabalho interdisciplinar, bem como, e principalmente, a importância de um estudo mais aprofundado de EA, vinculando teoria e prática, tanto na formação docente, como em projetos escolares, a fim de fugir do tradicional vínculo “EA e ecologia, lixo e horta”.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Regulation of Adipocyte Differentiation via MicroRNAs

Adipocyte differentiation, termed adipogenesis, is a complicated process in which pluripotent mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into mature adipocytes. The process of adipocyte differentiation is tightly regulated by a number of transcription factors, hormones and signaling pathway molecules. Recent studies have demonstrated that microRNAs, which belong to small noncoding RNA species, are also involved in adipocyte differentiation. In vivo and in vitro studies have revealed that various microRNAs affect adipogenesis by targeting several adipogenic transcription factors and key signaling molecules. In this review, we will summarize the roles of microRNAs in adipogenesis and their target genes associated with each stage of adipocyte differentiation

Study of a Betavoltaic Battery Using Electroplated Nickel-63 on Nickel Foil as a Power Source

A betavoltaic battery was prepared using radioactive 63Ni attached to a three-dimensional single trenched P–N absorber. The optimum thickness of a 63Ni layer was determined to be approximately 2 μm, considering the minimum self-shielding effect of beta particles. Electroplating of radioactive 63Ni on a nickel (Ni) foil was carried out at a current density of 20 mA/cm2. The difference of the short-circuit currents (Isc) between the pre- and postdeposition of 63Ni (16.65 MBq) on the P–N junction was 5.03 nA, as obtained from the I–V characteristics. An improved design with a sandwich structure was provided for enhancing performance