Anthropological studies among Libyans. Erythrocyte genetic factors,serum haptoglobin phenotypes and anthropometry

Anthropological studies were done on 1276 Libyans from the Mediterranean cities of Tripoli and Benghazi, and from Sabha southward in The Sahara. The incidences of hemoglobin (Hb)-S and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficiency were low in the coastal areas and significantly high in Sabha. Hb-C occurred sporadically in Tripoli and Sabha, and was absent from Benghazi in the east. One case of Hb-J Benghazi was noted. There were no significant differences in the ABO blood group and Rh₀ (D) type distributions in the three localities. G-6-PD gene Gd^A frequency was significantly high in Sabha. The lowest value of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6-PGD) gene PGD^A frequency and highest value of the gene PGD^C were in Sabha. Adenylate kinase (AK) gene AK² was only detectable in Tripoli. Acid phosphatase (AP) gene P^a frequency in Sabha was more than twice that in Tripoli and Benghazi, while P^c was distinctly lower in Sabha than in the northern cities. Haptoglobin gene Hp¹ frequency was almost identical in all areas. Anthropometric measurements revealed overall homogeneity of the three samples, closer similarity in the coastal region to adjacent North African populations, and Negroid influence in the Saharan Libyans. Anthropometry substantiated findings from blood markers.     

In vivo glucose-6-phosphatase inhibitory,toxicity and antidiabetic potentials of 2-picolylamine thioureas in Swiss albino mice

The 2-picolylamine is a simplest analogue of the alkaloid that has secondary and tertiary nitrogen function in its cyclic structure like that of alkaloids that can be derivatized to a number of biologically active compounds. In connection to our previous work, in the present work, three thiourea derivatives (I = 1,3-bis(2-benzyl-3-phenyl-1-(pyridine-2-yl) propyl) thiourea, II = 1,3-bis (pyridin-2-ylmethyl) thiourea, and III = 1-(2-benzyl-3-phenyl-1-(pyridine-2-yl) propyl)-3-phenylthiourea) were synthesized using 2-picolylamine template which is a readily available synthetic analogue of naturally occurring alkaloid. The biological effect of the synthesized derivatives were monitored on the activity of glucose-6-phosphatase in Swiss albino mice (21-days). The derivatives were also tested for their potential toxicity in a 28-days sub-chronic toxicity studies by assessing their effects on different parameters like hematological, serum biochemistry and liver histology. The therapeutic effect of the safe derivative (I) was examined in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice as well. The derivatives showed inhibition of the enzyme activity from good to an excellent degree. Compound I had the highest inhibition with 21.42 ± 5.113 mg of the released phosphate as compared to that of the positive control group (84.55 ± 3.213 mg). Only I turned out to be safe for use in animals without exerting any toxic or lethal effects on any of the assessed parameters in the used animal model. Compound I efficiently reversed the effects like hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and weight loss in the test animals. Out of these three-tested compounds, I was found safe to be use as therapeutic agent in diabetes complications. However, further toxicological studies in other animal models are needed as well.     

SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid and Nsp3 binding: an in silico study

Archives of Microbiology - Severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) belongs to the single-stranded positive-sense RNA family. The virus contains a large genome that encodes four...     

In vitro evaluation of archaeosome vehicles for transdermal vaccine delivery

Abstract

Archaeosomes composed of archaeal total polar lipids (TPL) or semi-synthetic analog vesicles have been used as vaccine adjuvants and delivery systems in animal models for many years. Typically administered by intramuscular or subcutaneous injections, archaeosomes can induce robust, long-lasting humoral and cell-mediated immune responses against entrapped antigens and provide protection in murine models of infectious disease and cancer. Herein, we evaluated various archaeosomes for transdermal delivery, since this route may help eliminate needle-stick injuries and needle re-use, and therefore increase patient compliance. Archaeosomes composed of TPL from different archaea (Halobacterium salinarum, Methanobrevibacter smithii, Haloferax volcanii) and various semi-synthetic glycolipid combinations were evaluated for their ability to diffuse across the skin barrier using an ex vivo pig skin model and the results were compared to conventional synthetic ester liposomes. Physicochemical characteristics were determined for selected formulations including vesicle size, size distribution, zeta potential, fluidity, antigen (ovalbumin) incorporation efficiency and release. Archaeosomes, in particular those composed of M. smithii TPL or the synthetic glycolipid sulfated S-lactosylarchaeol (SLA) mixed with uncharged glycolipid lactosyl archaeol (LA), appeared to be effective carriers for ovalbumin, achieving much better antigen distribution and vesicle accumulation in the skin epidermis than conventional liposomes. The enhanced skin permeation of archaeosomes may be attributed to their chemical structure and physicochemical properties such as particle size, surface charge, stability, and fluidity of their lipid bilayer.     

Intraplaque Stretch in Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque – an Effective Biomechanical Predictor for Subsequent Cerebrovascular Ischemic Events

Background

Stretch is a mechanical parameter, which has been proposed previously to affect the biological activities in different tissues. This study explored its utility in determining plaque vulnerability.

Methods

One hundred and six patients with mild to moderate carotid stenosis were recruited in this study (53 symptomatic and 53 asymptomatic). High resolution, multi-sequence magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed to delineate various plaque components. Finite element method was used to predict high stretch concentration within the plaque.

Results

During a two-year follow-up, 11 patients in symptomatic group and 3 in asymptomatic group experienced recurrent cerebrovascular events. Plaque stretch at systole and stretch variation during one cardiac cycle was greater in symptomatic group than those in the asymptomatic. Within the symptomatic group, a similar trend was observed in patients with recurrent events compared to those without.

Conclusion

Plaques with high stretch concentration and large stretch variation are associated with increased risk of future cerebrovascular events.     

The advantage of laser‐capture microdissection over whole tissue analysis in proteomic profiling studies

Laser‐capture microdissection (LCM) offers a reliable cell population enrichment tool and has been successfully coupled to MS analysis. Despite this, most proteomic studies employ whole tissue lysate (WTL) analysis in the discovery of disease biomarkers and in profiling analyses. Furthermore, the influence of tissue heterogeneity in WTL analysis, nor its impact in biomarker discovery studies have been completely elucidated. In order to address this, we compared previously obtained high resolution MS data from a cohort of 38 breast cancer tissues, of which both LCM enriched tumor epithelial cells and WTL samples were analyzed. Label‐free quantification (LFQ) analysis through MaxQuant software showed a significantly higher number of identified and quantified proteins in LCM enriched samples (3404) compared to WTLs (2837). Furthermore, WTL samples displayed a higher amount of missing data compared to LCM both at peptide and protein levels (p‐value < 0.001). 2D analysis on co‐expressed proteins revealed discrepant expression of immune system and lipid metabolisms related proteins between LCM and WTL samples. We hereby show that LCM better dissected the biology of breast tumor epithelial cells, possibly due to lower interference from surrounding tissues and highly abundant proteins. All data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange with the dataset identifier PXD002381 ( http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD002381 ).     

Differential responses by two closely related native fishes to restoration actions

Globally, river degradation has decimated freshwater fish populations. To help reverse this trend in a southeastern Australia river, we used multiple restoration actions, including reintroduction of instream woody habitat, riparian revegetation, removal of a weir hindering fish movement, fencing out livestock, and controlling riparian weeds. We monitored the responses of native fish at the segment scale (20 km) and reach scale (0.3 km) over 7 years to assess the effectiveness of the different restoration strategies. Two closely related species, Murray cod Maccullochella peeli and trout cod Maccullochella macquariensis, increased at the restored segment compared with the control segment. However, inherent differences between river segments and low sample size hampered assessment of the mechanisms responsible for segment‐scale changes in fish abundance. In contrast, at the reach scale, only M. peeli abundance significantly increased in reaches supplemented with wood. These differential responses by 2 closely related fish species likely reflect species‐specific responses to increased habitat availability and enhanced longitudinal connectivity when the weir improved passage around a fishway. Changes in M. peeli abundance in segments supplemented with and without wood suggest an increase in carrying capacity and not simply a redistribution of individuals within the segment, facilitated the observed expansion. Our findings confirm the need to consider individual fish species' habitat preferences carefully when designing restoration interventions. Further, species‐specific responses to restoration actions provide waterway managers with precise strategies to target fish species for recovery and the potential to predict fish outcomes based on ecological preferences.     

新疆南部棉区麦蛾柔茧蜂对田间棉铃虫的防治效果

2006年,在新疆阿克苏市进行了利用麦蛾柔茧蜂Harbrobracon hebetor Say防治麦田第一代棉铃虫和棉田第二代棉铃虫的田间试验.结果显示,在麦田按500头/亩的量释放麦蛾柔茧蜂,可使麦田棉铃虫幼虫的虫口减退57.7%;化蛹量较对照减少0.56头/m2.在棉田按700头/亩的量释放麦蛾茧蜂,对棉铃虫幼虫的麻痹率是50.73%,对棉铃虫的防效达65.96%.     

Blockchain based secure,efficient and coordinated energy trading and data sharing between electric vehicles

Cluster Computing - In this study, a secure and coordinated blockchain based energy trading system for Electric Vehicles (EVs) is presented. The major goals of this study are to provide secure and...