Doxorubicin-induced alterations in kidney functioning,oxidative stress,DNA damage,and renal tissue morphology; Improvement by Acacia hydaspica tannin-rich ethyl acetate fraction

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline drug used for cancer treatment. However, its treatment is contiguous with toxic effects. We examined the nephroprotective potential of A. hydaspica polyphenol-rich ethyl acetate extract (AHE) against DOX persuaded nephrotoxicity. 36 male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assorted into 6 groups. Control group received saline; DOX group: 3 mg/kg b.w. dosage of DOX intraperitoneally for 6 weeks (single dose/week). In co-treatment groups, 200 and 400 mg/kg b.w AHE was given orally for 6 weeks in concomitant with DOX (3 mg/kg b.w, i.p. injection per week) respectively. Standard group received silymarin 400 mg/kg b.w daily + DOX (single dose/week). Biochemical kidney function tests, oxidative stress markers, genotoxicity, antioxidant enzyme status, and histopathological changes were examined. DOX caused significant body weight loss and decrease kidney weight. DOX-induced marked deterioration in renal function indicators in both urine and serum, i.e., PH, specific gravity, total protein, albumin, urea, creatinine, uric acid, globulin, blood urea nitrogen, etc. Also, DOX treatment increases renal tissue oxidative stress markers, while lower antioxidant enzymes in tissue along with degenerative alterations in the renal tissue compared to control rats. AHE co-treatment ameliorates DOX-prompted changes in serum and urine chemistry. Likewise, AHE treatment decreases sensitive markers of oxidative stress and prevented DNA damages by enhancing antioxidant enzyme levels. DOX induction in rats also caused DNA fragmentation which was restored by AHE co-treatment. Moreover, the histological observations evidenced that AHE effectively rescued the kidney tissue from DOX interceded oxidative damage. Our results suggest that co-treatment of AHE markedly improve DOX-induced deleterious effects in a dose-dependent manner. The potency of AHE co-treatment at 400 mg/kg dose is similar to silymarin. These outcomes revealed that A. hydaspica AHE extract might serve as a potential adjuvant that avoids DOX-induced nephrotoxicity.     

Schistocephalus solidus and Ligula intestinalis: Pinocytosis by the tegument

Using ruthenium red as a macromolecule, endocytosis was demonstrated in the plerocercoid of Ligula intestinalis and adult Schistocephalus solidus. Uptake, transport across the tegument, and exocytosis across the basal plasma membrane occurred within 6 min. The types of vesicles in the tegument of L. intestinalis are redescribed and their former classification is modified. The vertical and longitudinal distribution of pinosomes in the tegument of adult S. solidus and L. intestinalis plerocercoids were determined. The possible role of macromolecular uptake in the economy of pseudophyllidean tapeworms is discussed with particular reference to growth and defence of an unencysted larval stage in the tissues of the intermediate host.     

Antagonistic and synergistic interactions between aluminum and manganese on growth of Vigna unguiculata at low ionic strength

Concentrations of soluble aluminum (Al) and manganese (Mn) frequently reach phytotoxic levels in acid soils. While dose response relationships for these metals are well documented, the effects of combined exposure have received less attention. We have examined the effect of combinations of Al and Mn on growth and metal accumulation in Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. grown in solution culture under conditions of low ionic strength (conductivities typically < 100 µS cm⁻¹). The nature of interaction between these metals varied with the specific physiological response, the part of the plant investigated, and the relative amount of stress imposed. Analysis of growth data provided evidence for amelioration of metal toxicity (antagonistic effects), although this effect was dose dependent. Analysis of metal content data provided evidence for antagonistic and synergistic (exacerbation of toxicity) effects, again depending on dose. Analysis of foliar symptoms also provided evidence for antagonisms and synergisms, with the nature of the response dependent on the specific physiological response and specific plant part investigated. In contrast with previous reports, evidence for antagonistic, synergistic, and multiplicative effects on growth, metal uptake, and expression of foliar symptoms have been obtained under physiologically and environmentally relevant conditions. These results suggest a more detailed analysis of the potential for interactions between metals in the environment is required.     

Sexing adult Northern Shrikes using DNA, morphometrics, and plumage

ABSTRACT.   Northern Shrikes ( Lanius excubitor ) are predatory songbirds found primarily in taiga regions throughout their Holarctic breeding range. The species is poorly known, especially in North America, and is generally thought to be sexually monomorphic. From 2004 to 2007, we captured 50 adults in northern Wisconsin during the nonbreeding season (December–March) and determined sex using DNA extracted from feather samples. Males had significantly longer wings, longer tails, and less black in the outer rectrix than females, but body mass did not differ between the sexes. A discriminant function equation using tail length and extent of black on the outer rectrix correctly assigned the sex of 97.4% of captured adults. Plumage dimorphism was also evident, with males having paler gray heads and backs without brown tones, whiter underparts with lighter barring, and a more distinct and horizontal border at the base of the sixth primary feather. The ability to accurately determine sex will provide opportunities to examine possible inter- and intrasexual differences in the behavior and ecology of adult Northern Shrikes.     

Integrating the spatial proximity effect into the assessment of changes in ecosystem services for biodiversity conservation

The assessment of the value of ecosystem services is a valuable tool for biodiversity conservation that can facilitate better environmental policy decision-making and land management, and can help land managers develop interventions to compensate for biodiversity loss at the patch level. Previous studies have suggested that it is appropriate to assess the value of biodiversity for conservation planning by considering both the condition of the landscape and the spatial configuration of adjacent land uses that can be reflected as a proximity effect. This research examines the influence of spatial proximity on biodiversity conservation from the ecosystem service perspective based on the assumption that the variation in the proximity effect caused by land cover change has positive or negative impacts on ecological services. Three factors related to the spatial characteristics of the landscape were considered in this approach: the relative artificiality of the land cover types, the distance decay effect of patches and the impact of one land cover type on others. The proximity effect change (PE_C) parameter reflected the relationship between the spatial proximity effect and biodiversity conservation. The results of a quantitative and spatial comparative analysis of the proposed method and the conventional method in Yingkou for the periods of 2000–2005 and 2005–2010 showed that the former can account for the temporal and spatial changes in ecosystem services for biodiversity conservation that were caused by patch-level changes as well as the interaction between the altered and adjacent patches from a spatial perspective. The metric can also identify the most critical areas for biodiversity protection and inform the efficient allocation of limited land resources for nature conservation to maximize the benefit to biodiversity by guiding the process of land-use change, particularly urbanization and agriculture. Future studies should focus on the other important factors that are applicable to the assessment of the value of biodiversity conservation in socio-ecological systems, where society and nature are mutually capable of fulfilling their roles.     

Identifying non-sperm particles during flow cytometric physiological assessment: a simple approach

Flow cytometry is now being used more frequently to determine sperm functional characteristics during semen assessment for artificial insemination. With this methodology, viable and potentially functional cells are detected as unstained events differentiated from non-sperm events through their light-scattering characteristics. However, it can be shown mathematically that identification of sperm on the basis of light scatter leads to significant overestimation of unstained viable cells and underestimation of responding cells in tests of sperm function (subpopulations expressing different fluorescence patterns). We have developed a simple and cost-efficient flow cytometric approach for identifying non-sperm particles that can be carried out in parallel with functional assessments. Our method is based on the sperm's osmotic intolerance. Diluted in water, lethal osmotic shock causes major damage to the cell membranes, and all sperm will stain with propidium iodide (PI). Particulate material which is not PI-positive can then be quantitatively evaluated by FACS analysis and the results substituted in mathematical equations to provide true values for sperm counts and subpopulations. In practical tests, the percentage of non-sperm particles determined by this technique was closely comparable to the figure obtained either by SYBR14^®/PI staining or by PI/CFDA staining. As well as being valuable with respect to tests of sperm function, the procedure is also suitable for obtaining accurate sperm counts during routine semen evaluation.