Presence of double‐stranded RNAs and virus‐like particles in the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae

Nucleic acids from 41 strains of Metarhizium anisopliae, obtained from different parts of the world were extracted and examined by electrophoresis. Strong bands of double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA) were detected in two isolates from Brazil, V215 and V291, which had, respectively, 13 and 9 distinct bands ranging in size from ca. 0.75 to 3.5 kb. Icosahedral virus‐like particles (VLPs) (ca. 33 nm in diameter) were observed by transmission electron microscopy in extracts of these isolates. The VLPs and dsRNA were both absent from a clone of the isolate V291 which had been subcultured successively on solid medium. Bioassays against the aphid Myzus persicae showed no detectable difference in virulence between the clone of V291 which contained dsRNA and the clone that did not.     

Erk1/2 signaling mediates the HGF-induced protection against ethanol and acetaldehyde-induced toxicity in the pancreatic RINm5F cell line

Alcohol-induced pancreas damage remains as one of the main risk factors for pancreatitis development. This disorder is poorly understood, particularly the effect of acetaldehyde, the primary alcohol metabolite, in the endocrine pancreas. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a protective protein in many tissues, displaying antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and proliferative responses. In the present work, we were focused on characterizing the response induced by HGF and its protective mechanism in the RINm5F pancreatic cell line treated with ethanol and acetaldehyde. RINm5F cells were treated with ethanol or acetaldehyde for 12 h in the presence or not of HGF (50 ng/ml). Cells under HGF treatment decreased the content of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation induced by both toxics, improving cell viability. This effect was correlated to an improvement in insulin expression impaired by ethanol and acetaldehyde. Using a specific inhibitor of Erk1/2 abrogated the effects elicited by the growth factor. In conclusion, the work provides mechanistic evidence of the HGF-induced-protective response to the alcohol-induced damage in the main cellular component of the endocrine pancreas.     

Dietary protein requirement for captive juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas)

Head-starting programs are extremely important for restoring the population of sea turtles in wild whereas husbandry conditions and feeding regimens of captive turtles are still limited. In the current study, the optimal dietary protein requirement for green turtle (Chelonia mydas) was investigated to support rearing in head-starting programs. Twenty-five-day-old turtles (44.5–46.2 g body weight, n = 45) were randomly distributed into 15 experimental plastic tanks, comprising three treatment replications of 3 turtles each. They were fed fishmeal-based feeds containing different levels of protein (30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, and 50%) for 8 weeks. At the end of feeding trial, growth performance (specific growth rate = 1.86% body weight/day) and feed utilization (protein efficiency ratio = 3.30 g gain/g protein) were highest in turtles fed with 40% protein in feed (p < .05). These nutritional responses were significantly supported by specific activities of fecal digestive enzymes, especially trypsin, chymotrypsin, amylase, and the amylase/trypsin ratio. Also, this dietary level improved the deposition of calcium and phosphorus in carapace, supporting a hard carapace and strong healthy bones. There were no negative effects in general health status of reared turtles, as indicated by hematological parameters. Based on a broken-line analysis between dietary protein levels and specific growth rate, the optimal protein level for green turtles was estimated as 40.6%. Findings from the current study support the use of artificial diets of specific protein levels to rear captive green turtle before release to natural habitats.     

Alternative metabolic fates of thymine nucleotides in human cells.

Three types of experiments have been used to study the metabolism of thymine nucleotides by human cells. (1) Cells were labelled continuously with [3H]thymidine and the incorporation of label into DNA compared with the specific radioactivities of pools of individual thymine nucleotides separated by chromatography on polyethylene-imine-cellulose. (2) Cellular thymine nucleotides were labelled with [3H]thymidine at 13 degrees C, followed by incubation at 37 degrees C in unlabelled medium. Incorporation of label into DNA and loss of label from the nucleotide pools were monitored during the 'chase' period at 37 degrees C. (3) The experiments described in (2) above were repeated in the presence of the DNA-synthesis inhibitor cytosine arabinoside, in order to demonstrate more clearly and to quantify degradative pathways for thymine nucleotides. In phytohaemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes and in bone-marrow cells, only a proportion (25-60%) of labelled thymine nucleotide was incorporated into DNA, the rest being rapidly degraded and lost from the cell. In contrast, an established cell line (HPB-ALL) from a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia of thymic origin incorporated 100% of its exogenously labelled thymine nucleotides into DNA. These results indicated that alternative metabolic routes are open to thymine nucleotides in human cells. In lymphocytes from patients with megaloblastic anaemia and in normal lymphocytes treated with methotrexate, the utilization of labelled thymine nucleotides for DNA synthesis was more efficient than in controls. These results offer an explanation for the observation of a normal pool of thymidine triphosphate in the cells of patients with untreated megaloblastic anaemia even though the amount of this compound available for DNA synthesis appears to be decreased.     

Comparing the frequency of CD33+ pSTAT3+ myeloid-derived suppressor cells and IL-17+ lymphocytes in patients with prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most epidemic types of cancer in men. The tumor microenvironment (TME) of PCa is involved in the emergence of immunosuppressive factors such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), which regulate the immune system by several mechanisms, including interleukin (IL)-10 production. On the other hand, IL-17⁺ helper T cells (Th17) induce MDSCs and chronic inflammation in TME by producing IL-17. This study demonstrated that the frequency of CD33⁺ pSTAT3⁺ MDSC and IL-17⁺ lymphocyte as well as IL-10 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression were significantly higher in the PCa patients than in the benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) group. Moreover, there was no significant relationship between the frequency of CD33⁺ pSTAT3⁺ MDSC, and IL-17⁺ lymphocyte with Gleason scores in the PCa group. We suggested that the higher frequency of CD33⁺ pSTAT3⁺ MDSC and IL-17⁺ lymphocyte and the more frequent expression of IL-10 mRNA in PCa patients may play roles in tumor progression from BPH to PCa.     

Serum level of adiponectin is a surrogate independent biomarker of radiographic disease progression in early rheumatoid arthritis: results from the ESPOIR cohort

Introduction

Adipokines such as adiponectin, leptin, and visfatin/nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) have recently emerged as pro-inflammatory mediators involved in the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We aimed to determine whether serum adipokine levels independently predicted early radiographic disease progression in early RA.

Methods

In total, 791 patients were included from the prospective Etude et Suivi des POlyarthrites Indifférenciées Récentes (ESPOIR) cohort who met the American College of Rheumatology-European League Against Rheumatism criteria for RA (n = 632) or had undifferentiated arthritis (UA) (n = 159). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to assess baseline serum levels of adiponectin, leptin, and visfatin/NAMPT. In the RA group, we tested the association of serum adipokine levels and (a) baseline radiographic damage and (b) radiographic disease progression, defined as a change >0 or ≥5 in total Sharp-van der Heijde Score (∆SHS) between inclusion and 1 year (∆SHS ≥1 or rapid radiographic progression: ∆SHS ≥5), adjusting for confounders (age, sex, body-mass index, insulin resistance, C-reactive protein level, Disease Activity Score in 28 joints, Health Assessment Questionnaire score, autoantibody status, steroid use, and radiographic evidence of RA damage at inclusion).

Results

Adiponectin level was independently associated with baseline total SHS (adjusted β = 0.12; P = 0.006). It was also associated with ∆SHS ≥1 (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.84 (1.25 to 2.72)) involving erosive as well as narrowing disease progression (aOR = 1.73 (1.17 to 2.55) and 1.93 (1.04 to 3.57), respectively). Serum adiponectin level predicted ∆SHS ≥5 (aOR = 2.0 (1.14 to 3.52)). Serum leptin level was independently associated only with ∆SHS >0 (aOR = 1.59 (1.05 to 2.42)). Conversely, serum visfatin/NAMPT level and radiographic disease progression were unrelated. Considering the receiver-operated characteristic curves, the best adiponectin cut-offs were 4.14 μg/ml for ∆SHS ≥1 and 6.04 μg/ml for ∆SHS ≥5, with a good specificity (58% and 75% for ∆SHS ≥1 and ∆SHS ≥5, respectively) and high negative predictive values (75% and 92% for ∆SHS ≥1 or ∆SHS ≥5, respectively).

Conclusion

Serum adiponectin level is a simple useful biomarker associated with early radiographic disease progression in early RA, independent of RA-confounding factors and metabolic status.     

Genotyping of –374A/T, –429A/G,And 63 bp Ins/Del Polymorphisms of Rage By Rapid One-Step Hexaprimer Amplification Refractory Mutation System Polymerase Chain Reaction in Breast Cancer Patients

Several studies have focused on the RAGE genetic background and have demonstrated that its polymorphisms affect the receptor's activity, expression, and downstream signaling. However, there is only little information regarding RAGE polymorphism in breast cancer. In the present study, the authors studied RAGE polymorphisms in 71 patients with breast cancer and 93 healthy women. RAGE –374T/A, –429T/C, and 63 bp Ins/del polymorphisms were analyzed using a hexaprimer amplification refractory mutation system PCR (H-ARMS-PCR). The results showed that RAGE polymorphisms are not associated with breast cancer in the current study population. Larger studies are required to confirm these data in other populations.     

Suitability indices and habitat suitability index model of Caspian kutum (Rutilus frisii kutum) in the southern Caspian Sea

The relationship between species and habitat is important in ecosystem-based fisheries management. Habitat suitability index (HSI) modeling is a valuable tool in ecology and can be used to describe the relationship between fish abundance and ecological variables in order to estimate the suitability of specific habitats. In the present study, an HSI model was applied to determine suitable habitats for the Caspian kutum (Rutilus frisii kutum), an important commercial species in the southern Caspian Sea. An arithmetic mean model (AMM) was found to be the most appropriate model for describing the relationship between two of the environmental variables investigated (depth and benthos biomass). However, a geometric mean model explained the evident relationship when all four environmental variables were used (depth, benthos biomass, photosynthetically active radiation and sea surface temperature). The areas with an HSI > 0.5 had over 85 % of the total catch indicating the reliability of the prediction of the Caspian kutum habitat using the AMM. The present study showed that depth and substrate structure are the most important environmental variables for the Caspian kutum to select its habitats, and between remotely sensed data, chlorophyll a, photosynthetically active radiation and sea surface temperature are the most critical parameters for near real-time prediction of the Caspian kutum habitat.