Therapeutic Role of Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 (FGF21) in the Amelioration of Chronic Diseases

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) is a member of the family of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs). FGF21 (synthesized by many organs)...     

Performance,rumen fermentation,blood minerals,leukocyte and antioxidant capacity of young Holstein calves receiving high-surface ZnO instead of common ZnO

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to assess the effect of feeding high-surface ZnO instead of common ZnO on the performance, rumen fermentation, blood minerals, leukocytes and antioxidant capacity of pre- and post-weaning calves. Thirty male suckling Holstein calves were allotted to one of three experimental groups (10 replicates) in a completely randomised design. Calves received: (1) a low Zn diet without Zn supplementation (control diet), (2) a high Zn diet containing 50 mg supplementary Zn/kg dry matter (DM) as common ZnO or (3) a high Zn diet containing 50 mg supplementary Zn/kg DM as high-surface ZnO (nano-ZnO). The control diet contained a native Zn content of 35.5, 34.7 or 33.7 mg/kg DM for the age periods of 7 to 30, 31 to 70 and 71 to 100 d, respectively. Supplementation of the diet with Zn did not change the dry matter intake (DMI) of calves during d 7 to 30 but increased the ADG in this period (p < 0.05). During age periods of 31 to 70 and 71 to 100 d, DMI and ADG of the Zn supplemented calves were higher (p < 0.05) than the control animals. The nutrient digestibility and the concentration of rumen volatile fatty acids were positively affected (p < 0.05) and the rumen ammonia-N concentration decreased (p < 0.05) by dietary Zn supplementation. Furthermore, the incidence of diarrhoea and pneumonia was lower in calves receiving the Zn supplemented diets. Irrespective of ZnO source, the blood total antioxidant capacity, leukocyte and haematocrit levels significantly increased (p < 0.05) with the ZnO supplemented diets. The post-weaning DMI, nutrient digestibility and blood haematocrit levels were higher in calves receiving high-surface ZnO, compared to those supplemented with common ZnO. With inclusion of the Zn sources in pre- and post-weaning diets, the blood Zn concentration increased (p < 0.05), but the blood Cu, Fe, Ca, P and Mg levels remained unchanged. Regardless of source, dietary supplementation of young calves with ZnO improved the performance and decreased rumen ammonia-N and the incidence of diseases. Moreover, high-surface ZnO had advantages over common ZnO in increasing the post-weaning feed intake, digestibility and blood Zn concentration.     

A processing product of the Plasmodium falciparum reticulocyte binding protein RH1 shows a close association with AMA1 during junction formation

Plasmodium falciparum responsible for the most virulent form of malaria invades human erythrocytes through multiple ligand‐receptor interactions. The P. falciparum reticulocyte binding protein homologues (PfRHs) are expressed at the apical end of merozoites and form interactions with distinct erythrocyte surface receptors that are important for invasion. Here using a range of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against different regions of PfRH1 we have investigated the role of PfRH processing during merozoite invasion. We show that PfRH1 gets differentially processed during merozoite maturation and invasion and provide evidence that the different PfRH1 processing products have distinct functions during invasion. Using in‐situ Proximity Ligation and FRET assays that allow probing of interactions at the nanometre level we show that a subset of PfRH1 products form close association with micronemal proteins Apical Membrane Antigen 1 (AMA1) in the moving junction suggesting a critical role in facilitating junction formation and active invasion. Our data provides evidence that time dependent processing of PfRH proteins is a mechanism by which the parasite is able to regulate distinct functional activities of these large processes. The identification of a specific close association with AMA1 in the junction now may also provide new avenues to target these interactions to prevent merozoite invasion.     

Investigations of the kinetic energy parameters of irradiated (La)‐doped phosphate glass

The current study characterizes and analyzes glow curves obtained from phosphate glass doped with different concentrations of lanthanum. Kinetic parameters of the glow curves obtained from beta‐irradiated phosphate glass samples doped with lanthanum were determined using a newly designed deconvoluted software. The obtained results from the analyses indicated that the glow curves of the phosphate glass samples were composed of five overlapping peaks. The activation energies of the five electron traps were located between 0.622 and 1.133 eV. The obtained kinetic parameters were evaluated using the designed software and another two methods and all revealed good agreement. The first three traps displayed non‐first‐order behaviour, while the two deep traps obeyed nearly first‐order kinetics.     

Antimicrobial effect of different herbal plant extracts against different microbial population

This study evaluates the antimicrobial effects of ethanolic extract of five herbal plants; Guava (Psidium guajava), Sage (Salvia officinalis), Rhamnus (Ziziphusspina Christi), Mulberry (Morusalba L.), and Olive (Oleaeuropaea L) leaves against several microbial population representing Gram positive, Gram negative and Mollicutes; S. aureus, E. coli, Pasteurella multocida, B. cereus, Salmonella Enteritidis and M. gallisepticum using standard agar disc diffusion technique and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). Different extracts reveal variable results against the microorganism under study. All extracts have no antibacterial potency for Mycoplasma gallisepticum except Psidium guajava. The results of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the extracts against the six bacteria ranged from 625 to 5000 μg/ml. The used herbal extract could inhibit the selected microorganism under study with variable minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC).