Histological and imunohistochemical alterations of hippocampus and prefrontal cortex in a rat model of Alzheimer like-disease with a preferential role of the flavonoid “hesperidin”

Journal of Molecular Histology - Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic age-related neurodegenerative disease characterized by degeneration of the central cholinergic neurons, inflammation and...     

Efficacy of Bacillus subtilis,Moringa oleifera seeds extract and potassium bicarbonate on Cercospora leaf spot on sugar beet

Cercospora leaf spot caused by Cercospora beticola are among the most dangerous plant diseases on sugar beet plants. It causes heavy economic losses, whether on the yield of roots, the percentage of sugar in them, or the quality of sugar produced. In addition to the economic cost caused by chemical control, these chemical pesticides cause an imbalance in the ecosystem and harm the health of humans and animals. In an attempt to search for a safer method than pesticides and environmentally friendly, an evaluation of using biocontrol agents, Bacillus subtilis as cell suspension (10⁸ cell/ml), was conducted in this study. Seeds extract of Moringa oleifera with two concentrations (25 and 50 g/L) and potassium bicarbonate at (5 and10 g/L (compared to fungicide Montoro 30% EC (Propiconazole 15% + Difenoconazole 15%). The evaluation results for twenty-five sugar beet varieties showed a significant discrepancy between these varieties in the extent of their susceptibility to infection with the disease under investigation. In-Vitro, B. subtilis induced an antagonist to C. beticola, and both M. oleifera seeds extract and potassium bicarbonate significantly reduced the linear growth of this pathogen. Under field conditions, the treatments used have given positive results in controlling Cercospora leaf spots. They significantly decreased the severity of disease and prevented C. beticola from creating conidiophores and conidiospores, along with examining their cell walls with the formation of plasmolysis of the fungus cells and reducing both the number and diameter of the spots on the surface leaves; this was demonstrated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). It is worth noting that the best results obtained were most often when treated with M. oleifera seeds extract, followed by potassium bicarbonate, then cell suspension of B. subtilis. In addition, the percentage of the content of beet roots from total soluble solids and sucrose has improved significantly due to spraying sugar beet plants with the substances mentioned earlier. These treatments also contributed to a significant improvement in the enzymes polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase.     

Alterations in biogenic amines levels associated with age-related muscular tissue impairment in Drosophila melanogaster

While holding on youth may be a universal wish, aging is a natural process associated with physical and physiological impairment in living organisms. Drosophila provides useful insights into aging-related events. Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the age-related changes in muscle function and architecture in relation to the biogenic amine titers. To achieve this aim, visceral and skeletal muscles performance was tested in newly-eclosed, sexually mature and old adult flies using climbing and gut motility assays. In addition, age-related ultrastructural alterations of muscular tissue were observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The titer of selected biogenic amines was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results demonstrated that old flies were dramatically slower in upward movement than either newly-eclosed or sexually mature flies. Similarly, gut contraction rate was significantly lower in old flies than the sexually mature, although it was markedly higher than that in the newly-eclosed flies. In TEM examination, there were several ultrastructural changes in the midgut epithelium, legs and thorax muscles of old flies. Regarding biogenic amine titers, the old flies had significantly lower concentrations of octopamine, dopamine and serotonin than the sexually mature. We concluded that aging has adverse effects on muscular system function and ultrastructure, synchronized with biogenic amine titers changes. Our results highlighted the need for more researches on therapeutics that may balance the levels of age-related alterations in biogenic amines.     

Prognostic prospect of soluble programmed cell death ligand-1 in cancer management

Aggressive tissue biopsy is commonly unavoidable in the management of most suspected tumor cases to conclusively verify the presence of cancerous cells through ...     

Spore toxin complex recovery from solid-state fermentation of some mosquitocidal Bacilli

The efficiency of different methods for recovery of spore toxin complex (STC) from solid-state fermentation (SSF) extracts of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) and Lysinibacillus sphaericus 14N1(Ls14N1) was studied. Drying at 30–50°C, lyophilisation, flocculation by ferric chloride at 0.1–0.2% and encapsulation by entrapment in calcium alginate beads, agar, or polyacrylamide gel were efficient methods for recovery of STC of Ls14N1 and Bti from SSF extracts. Also, STC was precipitated with remained the mosquitocidal activity through adjusting the pH of the SSF liquid extract before centrifugation at pH 2–5 or after addition of acetone (200–400%), ethanol (400%) or acetic acid (2.5–4%) to SSF liquid extract of Ls14N1. On the other hand, STC of Bti showed a good recovery by centrifugation after adjusting SSF liquid extract at pH 4 followed by pH 3 and pH 5 or after the addition of ethanol (300%) or acetone (200–300%). This study contains simple and multiple methods for efficient recovery of STC of Bti and Ls14N1 grown under SSF. The choice of the best method depends on the availability of the necessary equipment as well as the cost of the treatment.     

SNAP23 promotes insulin-dependent glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes: possible interaction with cytoskeleton

The acutestimulation of glucose uptake by insulin in fat and muscle cells isprimarily the result of translocation of facilitative glucosetransporter 4 (GLUT-4) from an internal compartment to the plasmamembrane. Here, we investigate the role of SNAP23 (a 23-kDa moleculeresembling the 25-kDa synaptosome associated protein) in GLUT-4translocation and glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Microinjectionof a polyclonal antibody directed to the carboxy terminus of SNAP23inhibited GLUT-4 incorporation into the membrane in response toinsulin, whereas microinjection of full-length recombinant SNAP23enhanced the insulin effect. Introduction of recombinant SNAP23 intochemically permeabilized cells also enhanced insulin-stimulated glucosetransport. These results indicate that SNAP23 is required forinsulin-dependent, functional incorporation of GLUT-4 into the plasmamembrane and that the carboxy terminus of the protein is essential forthis process. SNAP23 is therefore likely to be a fusion catalyst alongwith syntaxin-4 and vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP)-2.Furthermore, the endogenous content of SNAP23 appears tobe limiting for insulin-dependent GLUT-4 exposure at the cell surface.A measurable fraction of SNAP23 was sedimented with cytoskeletalelements when extracted with Triton X-100, unlike VAMP-2 andsyntaxin-4, which were exclusively soluble in detergent. We hypothesizethat SNAP23 and its interaction with the cytoskeleton may be targetsfor regulation of GLUT-4 traffic.     

Bioremediation potential and lead removal capacity of heavy metal-tolerant yeasts isolated from Dayet Oum Ghellaz Lake water (northwest of Algeria)

International Microbiology - Seven metal-resistant yeast strains were isolated and selected from Dayet Oum Ghellaz Lake water (northwest of Algeria) known as a highly polluted area by lead and...     

Suit therapy versus whole-body vibration on bone mineral density in children with spastic diplegia

Objectives:Osteoporosis because of physical inactivity is one of the major complications associated with neuromuscular disorders. The study aimed to compare using Suit therapy and whole-body vibration in addition to selected physical therapy program to improve Bone Mineral Density in children with cerebral palsy of spastic diplegia.Methods:Forty-six patients were classified randomly into two equal groups. Patients in the group (A) engaged in a selected physical therapy program, also besides, suit therapy training program while those in the group (B) received the same selected physical therapy program received by group (A) in addition to the whole-body vibration training program. The treatment programs were conducted three times per week for twelve successive weeks. Measurements obtained included bone mineral density at the lumbar spine as well as at the femoral neck. These measures were recorded pre- and post-treatment.Results:There was a significant improvement in favor of the whole-body Vibration group. Bone mineral density improved significantly at both the lumbar spine (P=.038) and the femoral neck (P=.005) in the WBV group as compared to the Suit therapy group.Conclusions:Whole-body vibration is effective in improving Bone Mineral Density rather than Suit therapy in children with cerebral palsy of spastic diplegia.