Improvement of nutritional quality of cultured sobaity sea bream,Sparidentex hasta (Valenciennes) muscle by preharvest feeding of finisher feeds

A 6‐month long study was conducted to improve the nutritional quality of the cultured sobaity bream, Sparidentex hasta by feeding them finisher feeds containing high docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) at the last two months of the grow‐out stage so that the muscle DHA level be increased at par to the wild. A grow‐out feed used from the beginning until the end of the trial was considered as the control (Diet 1). Experimental diets 2 and 3 were formulated to contain 9.0% DHA (e.g. 1.68 g DHA/100 g feed) and 10.5% DHA (2.20 g DHA/100 g feed), by incorporating high DHA tuna oil into a sea bream grow‐out diet. For comparison, a commercial finisher feed (Diet 4) from Skretting, Italy was also used. The results of this study demonstrated that fish fed DHA enriched finisher diets resulted in significantly (p < .05) better growth, feed utilization and higher muscle eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and DHA content compared to those fed grow‐out diet. The muscle DHA and EPA of fish fed finisher diets were also higher than those of the whole year average DHA and EPA content of wild sobaity. An organoleptic evaluation showed no significant (p > .05) differences between sensory attributes of muscle from cultured and wild sea bream. The results of the study demonstrated that feeding finisher feed enriched with DHA at the later part of the grow‐out operation, the n‐3 PUFA levels of cultured sobaity can cost‐effectively be increased at par to the wild.     

Designing an immunoinformatic vaccine for peri-implantitis using a structural biology approach

ObjectivesPeri-implantitis is a destructive inflammatory process that affects the soft and hard tissues around dental implants. porphyromonas gingivalis, an anaerobic gram-negative bacterium, appears to be the main culprit. Since there is no efficient and specific vaccine to treat peri-implantitis, the goal of our research has been to develop a multi-epitope vaccination utilizing an immunoinformatics approach that targeted P. gingivalis type I fim A.Materials and methodsP. gingivalis peptides 6JKZ and 6KMF are suitable for vaccine development. B- and T-cell epitopes from 6KMF and 6JKZ were detected and evaluated based on critical factors to produce a multi-epitope vaccine construct. It was assessed based on allergenicity, antigenicity, stability. The vaccine's dual major histocompatibility complex (MHC-I and MHC-II) binding epitopes allowed it to reach a larger population. P. gingivalis fimbriae induce immune subversion through TLR -CXCR4 receptor complex pathway. The ClusPro 2.0 server was used to do the molecular docking using TLR2 - CXCR4 and vaccine epitopes as receptor and ligand respectively.ResultsThe designed vaccine was non-allergenic and had a high antigenicity, solubility, and stability. The 3D structure of the vaccine revealed strong interaction with CXCR4(TLR2) using molecular docking. The vaccine-CXCR4 interface was more consistent, possibly because the vaccination has a higher affinity for the CXCR4-TLR2 complex.ConclusionThis study details the vaccine's distinct and sustained interaction with the CXCR4(TLR2) immunological receptor and its consistent and effective utterance in the bacterial system. As a result, our vaccine formulation will evoke a significant memory response and induce an adaptive immune response against P. gingivalis.     

Protective effects of cinnamon powder against hyperlipidemia and hepatotoxicity in butter fed female albino mice

A butter-enriched high-fat diet changes lipid metabolism, resulting in fat storage, hyperlipidemia and obesity. Effects of cinnamon powder were investigated in butter-fed mice. 40 Swiss Albino mice, aged 28 to 30 days, were randomly assigned into two groups. Group A was an untreated control group (n = 8) and another group (n = 32) was a butter-treated group fed 10% butter. In the fifth week, mice of the butter-fed group were further divided into four equal groups: B, C, D, and E (n = 8), fed 10% butter with cinnamon 200 mg, 400 mg, and 600 mg powder per liter drinking water, respectively for 10 weeks. The butter-fed group was gained the most weight. Cinnamon supplementation significantly normalized weight gain and had no harmful effects on hematological parameters. Butter supplementation significantly increased total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol (LDL-c) whereas, cinnamon powder significantly reduced TC, LDL-c and glucose levels. In butter-fed mice, a significant increase was observed in the liver enzymes, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels with subsequent fat deposition in the liver. Excitingly, these enzymes were decreased and no fat depositions were observed in the liver of cinnamon-treated mice. Applying different concentrations of cinnamon powder improved the lipid profile in butter-fed female albino mice.     

Biogas manufacture from co-digestion of untreated primary sludge with raw chicken manure under anaerobic mesophilic environmental conditions

This work aimed to co-digest various wastes to assess the best combination of all mixing ratio, also at choosing the best ratio between untreated primary sludge (UPS) singly from two sources, (South valley University (SUPS) and Abu tesht wastewater station (AUPS) and raw chicken manure (RCM) and comparing the results in either case. The co-digestions of untreated primary sludge from Abu tesht wastewater treatment stations with different levels of raw chicken manure (0:100, 10:90, 30:70, 50:50, 90:10, and 100:0) to obtain the best mixtures. Also, co-digestion of untreated primary sludge from south valley university with different levels of raw chicken manure at the same ratios, to obtain the best mixtures. Batch digestion tests were applied in 2.5 L digester with a working volume of 2.0 L. The samples in triplicates were separately loaded into the digesters locally fabricated and kept for 20 days as a retention period and diluted with the same amount of water. Mesophilic under 35 °C was adopted for untreated primary sludge as well as mixtures with raw chicken manure based on total solids (TS) and volatile solid (VS) proportions. The average biogas yields from AUPS/RCM mixture obtained ranged from 8570 to 5600 ml, by the following descending order, 10: 90 > 90:10 and so on >100:0, and the average biogas yields from SUPS/RCM obtained ranged from 6330 to 5635 ml, in the order of 90: 10 > 10:90 and so on >100:0. The results showed highest biogas yield from AUPS/RCM and SUPS/RCM mixtures with mixing ratio of 10:90 and 90:10, respectively, however, the lowest biogas production detected in separate digestion of AUPS and SUPS. The results indicated that co-digestion between the sludge and raw chicken manure could increase total biogas production volume, enhance sludge treatment process, and produce eco-friendly sludge because of co-digestion process than separate processing of each feedstock.     

Light pulses do not induce c-fos or per1 in the SCN of hamsters that fail to reentrain to the photocycle

Circadian activity rhythms of most Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus sungorus) fail to reentrain to a 5-h phase shift of the light-dark (LD) cycle. Instead, their rhythms free-run at periods close to 25 h despite the continued presence of the LD cycle. This lack of behavioral reentrainment necessarily means that molecular oscillators in the master circadian pacemaker, the SCN, were unable to reentrain as well. The authors tested the hypothesis that a phase shift of the LD cycle rendered the SCN incapable of responding to photic input. Animals were exposed to a 5-h phase delay of the photocycle, and activity rhythms were monitored until a lack of reentrainment was confirmed. Hamsters were then housed in constant darkness for 24 h and administered a 30-min light pulse 2 circadian hours after activity onset. Brains were then removed, and tissue sections containing the SCN were processed for in situ hybridization. Sections were probed with Siberian hamster c-fos and per1 mRNA probes because light rapidly induces these 2 genes in the SCN during subjective night but not at other circadian phases. Light pulses induced robust expression of both genes in all animals that reentrained to the LD cycle, but no expression was observed in any animal that failed to reentrain. None of the animals exhibited an intermediate response. This finding is the first report of acute shift in a photocycle eliminating photosensitivity in the SCN and suggests that a specific pattern of light exposure may desensitize the SCN to subsequent photic input.     

Analysis of PEG 400 and 4000 in urine for gut permeability assessment using solid phase extraction and gel permeation chromatography with refractometric detection

We developed a treatment of urine samples allowing the analysis of two intestinal permeability markers: polyethylene glycol (PEG) 400 (highly diffusible; basal permeability indicator) and PEG 4000 (poorly diffusible; indicator of an abnormal increase of permeability) by a unique gel permeation chromatography (GPC) with refractometric detection. Urinary PEG were extracted using a mixed-bed resin composed of C2 and C18 layers. Permeability mean values determined in 11 human healthy subjects were 24.20 +/- 9.30% and 0.12 +/- 0.08% for, respectively, PEG 400 and 4000. The percentage of the PEG 4000 permeability value to the one of PEG 400 corresponded to an intestinal permeability index (IPI) of 0.52 +/- 0.35 expressing a low diffusion of this poorly permeability marker.     

The role of the primary care physician in the management of bladder dysfunction

Urinary incontinence is a major health challenge for primary care physicians. Unfortunately, the majority of incontinent patients remain untreated. Primary care physicians are ideally positioned to screen for and manage urinary incontinence. A knowledge of basic micturition physiology is important for the physician to accurately identify the cause of incontinence and arrive at the correct treatment course. To this end, this article reviews the physiology of the lower urinary tract, describes the clinical types of urinary incontinence, and outlines a stepwise approach for the primary care physician to the basic evaluation and management of patients with this condition.     

A model for shear stress sensing and transmission in vascular endothelial cells

Arterial endothelial cell (EC) responsiveness to flow is essential for normal vascular function and plays a role in the development of atherosclerosis. EC flow responses may involve sensing of the mechanical stimulus at the cell surface with subsequent transmission via cytoskeleton to intracellular transduction sites. We had previously modeled flow-induced deformation of EC-surface flow sensors represented as viscoelastic materials with standard linear solid behavior (Kelvin bodies). In the present article, we extend the analysis to arbitrary networks of viscoelastic structures connected in series and/or parallel. Application of the model to a system of two Kelvin bodies in parallel reveals that flow induces an instantaneous deformation followed by creeping to the asymptotic response. The force divides equally between the two bodies when they have identical viscoelastic properties. When one body is stiffer than the other, a larger fraction of the applied force is directed to the stiffer body. We have also probed the impact of steady and oscillatory flow on simple sensor-cytoskeleton-nucleus networks. The results demonstrated that, consistent with the experimentally observed temporal chronology of EC flow responses, the flow sensor attains its peak deformation faster than intracellular structures and the nucleus deforms more rapidly than cytoskeletal elements. The results have also revealed that a 1-Hz oscillatory flow induces significantly smaller deformations than steady flow. These results may provide insight into the mechanisms behind the experimental observations that a number of EC responses induced by steady flow are not induced by oscillatory flow.