Hasil untuk "Animal biochemistry"

Yazan Ranneh, Mohammed Hamsho, Abdulmannan Fadel et al.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the impact of L-carnitine (LC), L-acetyl-carnitine (LAC), and N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) on sperm parameters and pregnancy outcomes in men with idiopathic infertility. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases up to January 31, 2024. Of the 2293 initial citations, 109 studies were eligible, and 14 RCTs involving 1453 men were included in the analysis. LC supplementation significantly increased the sperm concentration (MD = 6.85), total motility (MD = 10.41 %), and normal morphology (MD = 1.78 %). LAC supplementation improved total motility (MD = 17.03 %) and forward motility (MD = 13.5 %), whereas LC + LAC supplementation showed no significant effects. Carnitine combinations (CCs) increased sperm count (MD = 16.75) and volume (MD = 0.19 mL), with improved forward motility (MD = 7.70 %). NAC supplementation enhanced sperm concentration (MD = 3.09) and normal morphology (MD = 1.43 %) and volume (MD = 0.61 mL). LC and CC significantly reduced follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels. Meta-analysis demonstrated significant heterogeneity in many comparisons. LC, CCs, and NAC may improve sperm parameters in idiopathic infertile men, including sperm concentration, motility, morphology, and volume as well as pregnancy outcomes. However, the overall quality of the included studies was low and high heterogeneity was observed. Future well-designed RCTs with longer durations and fixed doses are warranted to confirm these findings and to assess their impact on pregnancy outcomes.

L. Barton, S. Newsome, Fahu Chen et al.

Trevor O. Kirby, Jeremy R. Townsend, Philip A. Sapp et al.

Synbiotics, a combination of prebiotics and probiotics, are growing in popularity, with consumers desiring improved gastrointestinal health. Prebiotics are non-digestible nutrients that can be metabolized by microbiota to exert a beneficial effect, while probiotics are live microorganisms that can also exert beneficial effects when consumed. Due to the rise in prebiotic and probiotic usage, there has been concern from some experts that not all synbiotics indicated for use as nutritional supplements are properly evaluated for their biological efficacy. AG1 is a novel foundational nutrition supplement that has been designed to exert a synbiotic effect. In its formulation, AG1 contains traditional prebiotics, phytonutrients from wholefood sources and botanical extracts, and two probiotics (<i>Lactobacillus acidophilus</i> UALa-01 and <i>Bifidobacterium bifidum</i> UABb-10). Alongside ingredients evidence that AG1 exerts synbiotic effects, efficacy testing was performed using the Simulator of Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME^®) model. Physical and metabolic evidence of fermentation were used to evaluate the success of AG1 as a synbiotic. Data from the SHIME^® model showed a significant increase (<i>p</i> < 0.01) in the total amount of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), specifically with significant increases in total acetate (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and propionate (<i>p</i> < 0.0001) production, as well as gas production. These results were expected, as both SCFAs and gas are the major byproducts of bacterial carbohydrate fermentation. These data suggest that AG1 exerts preclinical evidence of a synbiotic effect by human microbiota.

L. Weiss, Kami Kim

J. Johnston, J. Ordovás, F. Scheer et al.

Yu Wu, Yu Wu, Hui Zhou et al.

A component of licorice polysaccharide (GPS-1) was extracted from licorice, its primary structure was identified and characterized for the first time, and its immunomodulatory activity was studied. Crude licorice polysaccharide was isolated and purified by DEAE sepharose FF ion-exchange column chromatography and Chromdex 200 PG gel filtration column chromatography to obtain a purified Glycyrrhiza polysaccharide named GPS-1. NMR and methylation analysis revealed that GPS-1 is composed of homogalacturonan (HG)-type pectin with 4)-D-GalpA-(1 as the backbone. This study of GPS-1 also examined its significant role in regulating immune activity in vitro and in vivo. As a result, GPS-1 promoted the secretion of IFN-γ and IL-4 in mice and increased the proportion of CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ T lymphocytes in their spleens. Dendritic cells (DCs) treated with GPS-1 showed promotion of DC maturation, antigen presentation, and phagocytic capacity. The results suggest that GPS-1 is a potential immunomodulator that stimulates the immune system by regulating multiple signaling pathways. Combined with our characterization of the primary structure of GPS-1, the present investigation provides the basis for future study of the form-function relationship of polysaccharides.

Olech Monika, Kuźmak Jacek, Kycko Anna et al.

Previous gag and env sequence studies placed Polish small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) isolated from sheep and goats in subtypes B1, B2, A1, A5, A12, A13, A16–A18, A23, A24 and A27. This study extended the genetic/phylogenetic analysis of previously identified Polish SRLV strains by contributing long terminal repeat (LTR) sequences.

Sarosh Saleem, Iqra Ghulam Rasool, Omar Nisar et al.

Background: Medical Ethics (ME) is considered an integral component of medical education around the world. However, limited training is being offered to medical students in Pakistan. Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate medical students' perspectives regarding medical ethics and to explore their experiences about medical ethics as a subject at a private medical college in Lahore, where Medical Ethics was formally introduced as part of the undergraduate curriculum in 2017. Methods: This mixed-method study included medical students from all five years of medical college. Quantitative component included a survey questionnaire, and the sample size was 410.  Convenient sampling technique was used. Qualitative component included focus group discussions. The students who have attended medical ethics lectures were included in the study. Results: The response rate was 82.72%. There were more females in gender distribution; 76.1% were female and 23.9% were male. Most respondents (74.9%) found medical ethics classes interesting and 72% thought that lecture sessions were important in medical ethics. Conclusions: Medical students find medical ethics as an important component of medical education. Although it is hard to correlate ethics education with their clinical experience as medical students, they believe that medical ethics education can be useful. Social and cultural issues inform clinical decision-making in Pakistan and hence these discussions should be incorporated into medical education. Further studies must be conducted on the actions that need to be taken to help students internalize the ethical issues.

Hu Heng, Huang Guoqiang, Shi Jin et al.

The perception of mechanical force is a universal process in biological growth and development. Mechanosensitive ion channels play an important role in this process. Piezo, a member of mechanosensitive ion channels, has extensively studied in animals as a Ca2+ channel located on the plasma membrane. However, the function of Piezo homologs in plants remains unclear. In Arabidopsis thaliana and Physcomitrium patens, Piezo protein has been proved to be located on the plasma membrane and vacuole membrane, and participates in regulating root and vacuole morphology, respectively. Here using evolution analysis, promoter analysis, conserved domain alignment and homology modeling of rice Piezo protein, we find that only one Piezo ortholog was retained in rice genome. The core domains of plant Piezo responsible for Ca2+ transduction were highly conserved, whilst exhibit low similarity with that of animals. The promoter region contains several cis-acting elements that were predicated to be involved in abscisic acid and gibberellin signaling pathway. Hence, the bioinformatics analysis of OsPiezo in this study has provided a reference for further research on the function of OsPiezo in rice.

Farhan Ahmad Atif, Saba Mehnaz, Muhammad Fiaz Qamar et al.

This review highlights the diagnostic methods used, the control strategies adopted, and the global epidemiological status of canine cyclic thrombocytopenia and granulocytic anaplasmosis at the animal–human interface. Canine anaplasmosis is an important worldwide disease, mainly caused by <i>Anaplasma platys</i> and <i>A. phagocytophilum</i> with zoonotic implications. <i>A. platys</i> chiefly infects platelets in canids, while <i>A. phagocytophilum</i> is the most common zoonotic pathogen infecting neutrophils of various vertebrate hosts. Diagnosis is based on the identification of clinical signs, the recognition of intracellular inclusions observed by microscopic observation of stained blood smear, and/or methods detecting antibodies or nucleic acids, although DNA sequencing is usually required to confirm the pathogenic strain. Serological cross-reactivity is the main problem in serodiagnosis. Prevalence varies from area to area depending on tick exposure. Tetracyclines are significant drugs for human and animal anaplasmosis. No universal vaccine is yet available that protects against diverse geographic strains. The control of canine anaplasmosis therefore relies on the detection of vectors/reservoirs, control of tick vectors, and prevention of iatrogenic/mechanical transmission. The control strategies for human anaplasmosis include reducing high-risk tick contact activities (such as gardening and hiking), careful blood transfusion, by passing immunosuppression, recognizing, and control of reservoirs/vectors.

Sara Panseri, Elisabetta Bonerba, Maria Nobile et al.

Monitoring contaminant residues in honey helps to avoid risks to human health, as it is a natural product widely consumed in all population groups, including the most vulnerable, such as children and the elderly. This is important for organic honey production that may be negatively influenced by geographical area pollution. Considering the importance of collecting data on the occurrence of various xenobiotics in different geographical areas, this study aimed to investigate the presence of contaminant residues (persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and pesticides, including glyphosate and metabolites) in organic honey samples from different production areas using different analytical methods, in order to confirm their incidence and possible impact on the food safety traits of organic production. Regarding POPs, traces of benzofluoroanthene and chrysene were detected in honey from intensive orchards and arable lands. Traces of all polychlorobiphenyl (PCB) congeners were detected at different percentages in almost all of the samples, regardless of the origin area. Traces of polybromodiphenylethers (PBDE 28, 33, and 47) were found in different percentages of samples from all of the geographical areas examined. Traces of organochlorines (OCs) and organophosphates (OPs) were identified in honey samples belonging to all of the geographical areas. No glyphosate, glufosinate, and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) residues were detected.

Zhongyan Lu, Zhihui Xu, Zhihui Xu et al.

Improving the yield of rumen microbial protein (MCP) has significant importance in the promotion of animal performance and the reduction of protein feed waste. The amount of energy supplied to rumen microorganisms is an important factor affecting the amount of protein nitrogen incorporated into rumen MCP. Substrate-level phosphorylation (SLP) and electron transport phosphorylation (ETP) are two major mechanisms of energy generation within microbial cells. However, the way that energy and protein levels in the diet impact the energy productivity of the ruminal microbiome and, thereafter, rumen MCP yields is not known yet. In present study, we have investigated, by animal experiments and metagenome shotgun sequencing, the effects of energy-rich and protein-rich diets on rumen MCP yields, as well as SLP-coupled and ETP-coupled energy productivity of the ruminal microbiome. We have found that an energy-rich diet induces a significant increase in rumen MCP yield, whereas a protein-rich diet has no significant impacts on it. Based on 10 reconstructed pathways related to the energy metabolism of the ruminal microbiome, we have determined that the energy-rich diet induces significant increases in the total abundance of SLP enzymes coupled to the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) oxidation in the glucose fermentation and F-type ATPase of the electron transporter chain, whereas the protein-rich diet has no significant impact in the abundance of these enzymes. At the species level, the energy-rich diet induces significant increases in the total abundance of 15 ETP-related genera and 40 genera that have SLP-coupled fermentation pathways, whereas the protein-rich diet has no significant impact on the total abundance of these genera. Our results suggest that an increase in dietary energy levels promotes rumen energy productivity and MCP yield by improving levels of ETP and SLP coupled to glucose fermentation in the ruminal microbiome. But, an increase in dietary protein level has no such effects.

Yunping Du, Zhichao Xu, Guolian Yu et al.

Bacillus subtilis is recognized as a safe and reliable human and animal probiotic and is associated with bioactivities such as production of vitamin and immune stimulation. Additionally, it has great potential to be used as an alternative to antimicrobial drugs, which is significant in the context of antibiotic abuse in food animal production. In this study, we isolated one strain of B. subtilis, named WS-1, from apparently healthy pigs growing with sick cohorts on one Escherichia coli endemic commercial pig farm in Guangdong, China. WS-1 can strongly inhibit the growth of pathogenic E. coli in vitro. The B. subtilis strain WS-1 showed typical Bacillus characteristics by endospore staining, biochemical test, enzyme activity analysis, and 16S rRNA sequence analysis. Genomic analysis showed that the B. subtilis strain WS-1 shares 100% genomic synteny with B. subtilis with a size of 4,088,167 bp. Importantly, inoculation of newborn piglets with 1.5 × 1010 CFU of B. subtilis strain WS-1 by oral feeding was able to clearly inhibit diarrhea (p &lt; 0.05) and death (p &lt; 0.05) caused by pathogenic E. coli in piglets. Furthermore, histopathological results showed that the WS-1 strain could protect small intestine from lesions caused by E. coli infection. Collectively, these findings suggest that the probiotic B. subtilis strain WS-1 acts as a potential biocontrol agent protecting pigs from pathogenic E. coli infection.Importance: In this work, one B. subtilis strain (WS-1) was successfully isolated from apparently healthy pigs growing with sick cohorts on one E. coli endemic commercial pig farm in Guangdong, China. The B. subtilis strain WS-1 was identified to inhibit the growth of pathogenic E. coli both in vitro and in vivo, indicating its potential application in protecting newborn piglets from diarrhea caused by E. coli infections. The isolation and characterization will help better understand this bacterium, and the strain WS-1 can be further explored as an alternative to antimicrobial drugs to protect human and animal health.

A. Pilati, Santiago Andrés Echaniz, Alicia Vignatti et al.

Don Tomás is a shallow, hypereutrophic lake that received sewage inputs from the city of Santa Rosa until 1987. In 1993, the main body of water was divided into smaller adjacent ponds. One of these ponds, Canotaje pond (with a small surface area and average depth), receives an important urban runoff from the city. Thus, the high load of nutrients and sediments after a storm should result in a higher trophic state than Don Tomás. The objective of this research was to compare the limnological characteristics of both water bodies to verify their trophic status. We did not find any significant statistical differences among the measured variables in the two systems, except for water conductivity and suspended organic solids, which were higher in Don Tomás, and for dissolved phosphorus, which was higher in Canotaje. Laboratory experiments determined that the phytoplankton community of both systems was limited by nitrogen, which is consistent with the observed low Redfield ratio of dissolved N and P (1.32). Algal diversity in both systems was represented by 66 taxa, 1/3 of which belonged to the phylum Cyanophyta. In addition, a Planktothrix agardhii bloom was observed in both water bodies. From the present study, we determined that Don Tomás and Canotaje have the same trophic state (i.e. hypereutrophic). In spite of the high urban runoff loaded with nutrients and sediments into Canotaje, the high amounts of P present in this system sediments would make both ponds highly resilient to changes in trophic state.

A. Goldberg

Guoxing Zheng, Changying Jiang, Yulin Li et al.

Abstract Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) is a genetic cardiac muscle disease that accounts for approximately 30% sudden cardiac death in young adults. The Ser358Leu mutation of transmembrane protein 43 (TMEM43) was commonly identified in the patients of highly lethal and fully penetrant ARVD subtype, ARVD5. Here, we generated TMEM43 S358L mouse to explore the underlying mechanism. This mouse strain showed the classic pathologies of ARVD patients, including structural abnormalities and cardiac fibrofatty. TMEM43 S358L mutation led to hyper-activated nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) activation in heart tissues and primary cardiomyocyte cells. Importantly, this hyper activation of NF-κB directly drove the expression of pro-fibrotic gene, transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ1), and enhanced downstream signal, indicating that TMEM43 S358L mutation up-regulates NF-κB-TGFβ signal cascade during ARVD cardiac fibrosis. Our study partially reveals the regulatory mechanism of ARVD development.

Lei Fu

Brian J. Smith, Kristen M. Hart, Frank J. Mazzotti et al.

Abstract Background GPS telemetry has revolutionized the study of animal spatial ecology in the last two decades. Until recently, it has mainly been deployed on large mammals and birds, but the technology is rapidly becoming miniaturized, and applications in diverse taxa are becoming possible. Large constricting snakes are top predators in their ecosystems, and accordingly they are often a management priority, whether their populations are threatened or invasive. Fine-scale GPS tracking datasets could greatly improve our ability to understand and manage these snakes, but the ability of this new technology to deliver high-quality data in this system is unproven. In order to evaluate GPS technology in large constrictors, we GPS-tagged 13 Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) in Everglades National Park and deployed an additional 7 GPS tags on stationary platforms to evaluate habitat-driven biases in GPS locations. Both python and test platform GPS tags were programmed to attempt a GPS fix every 90 min. Results While overall fix rates for the tagged pythons were low (18.1%), we were still able to obtain an average of 14.5 locations/animal/week, a large improvement over once-weekly VHF tracking. We found overall accuracy and precision to be very good (mean accuracy = 7.3 m, mean precision = 12.9 m), but a very few imprecise locations were still recorded (0.2% of locations with precision > 1.0 km). We found that dense vegetation did decrease fix rate, but we concluded that the low observed fix rate was also due to python microhabitat selection underground or underwater. Half of our recovered pythons were either missing their tag or the tag had malfunctioned, resulting in no data being recovered. Conclusions GPS biologging technology is a promising tool for obtaining frequent, accurate, and precise locations of large constricting snakes. We recommend future studies couple GPS telemetry with frequent VHF locations in order to reduce bias and limit the impact of catastrophic failures on data collection, and we recommend improvements to GPS tag design to lessen the frequency of these failures.

B. Bush

Guanglei Li, Yajing Liu, Yanting Zeng et al.