Brucellosis Causes Alteration in Trace Elements and Oxidative Stress Factors

Brucellosis is regarded as one of the most common diseases among humans and livestock. In the present study, we aimed to assess the effect of this disease on the level of various cations including copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and magnesium (Mg) as well as oxidative stress status in the serum of people suffering from brucellosis. The present case-study was carried out on 40 patients with brucellosis (case) and 20 healthy people (control). Blood specimens were taken from all the people and the level of essential trace elements and oxidative stress status were measured. The serum level of copper in the case group (165.39 ± 43.19 μg/dl) was significantly higher compared with that in the control group (122.12 ± 28.88 μg/dl). Whereas the serum level of zinc was significantly lower in the case group compared with that in the control group (76.47 ± 28.88 vs. 92.85 ± 23.16 μg/dl). The manganese and magnesium serum levels did not differ significantly between the two groups. Furthermore, total antioxidant capacity level was significantly lower in the case group (122.12 ± 28.22 μmol/ml) than that in the control group (3.08 ± 0.12 μmol/ml) and the level of serum malondialdehyde was significantly higher in the case group (7.20 ± 0.23 mmol/ml) than that in the control group (4.0 ± 0.19 mmol/ml). Brucellosis can cause alteration in the serum level of essential trace elements. Moreover, the present study indicated that brucellosis produces oxidative stress in patients.     

Toward <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> bacteria machine for water oxidation

Nature uses a Mn oxide-based catalyst for water oxidation in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Mn oxides are among major candidates to be used as water-oxidizing catalysts. Herein, we used two straightforward and promising methods to form Escherichia coli bacteria/Mn oxide compounds. In one of the methods, the bacteria template was intact after the reaction. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction spectrometry. Electrochemical properties of the catalysts were studied, and attributed redox potentials were assigned. The water oxidation of the compounds was examined under electrochemical condition. Linear sweep voltammetry showed that the onsets of water oxidation in our experimental condition for bacteria and Escherichia coli bacteria/Mn oxide were 1.68 and 1.56 V versus the normal hydrogen electrode (NHE), respectively. Thus, the presence of Mn oxide in the catalyst significantly decreased (~?120 mV) the overpotential needed for water oxidation.     

Determining the binding site and binding affinity of estradiol to human serum albumin and holo-transferrin: fluorescence spectroscopic,isothermal titration calorimetry and molecular modeling approaches

The interactions between estradiol and two carrier proteins, i.e. human serum albumin (HSA) and holo-transferrin (HTF) in aqueous solution at pH = 7.4 were studied by three-dimensional fluorescence emission spectroscopy, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), zeta-potential, resonance light-scattering and molecular modeling. Extensive fluorescence quenching was observed throughout the interaction between the drug and both proteins. Moreover, conformational changes were determined by observing the rearrangement of Trp residues during binding of estradiol with HSA and HTF at different concentrations. ITC experiments revealed that, in the presence of estradiol, both van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonding became predominant. In addition, other binding parameters such as enthalpy and entropy changes were determined by the zeta potential method. Molecular modeling suggested that estradiol was situated within sub-domain IB sited in the hydrophobic cluster in Site I, whereas the drug was located in the N-terminal of HTF where it was hydrogen bonded with Ala 670.     

Experimental and computational studies on the binding of diazinon to human serum albumin

In the present research, the binding properties of diazinon (DZN), as an organophosphorus herbicide, to human serum albumin (HSA) were investigated using combination of spectroscopic, electrochemistry, and molecular modeling techniques. Changes in the UV–Vis and FT-IR spectra were observed upon ligand binding along with a significant degree of tryptophan fluorescence quenching on complex formation. The obtained results from spectroscopic and electrochemistry experiments along with the computational studies suggest that DZN binds to residues located in subdomains IIA of HSA with binding constant about 1410.9 M^?1 at 300 K. From the thermodynamic parameters calculated according to the van’t Hoff equation, the enthalpy change ΔH° and entropy change ΔS° were found to be ?16.695 and 0.116 KJ/mol K, respectively. The primary binding pattern is determined by hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen binding occurring in so-called site I of HSA. DZN could slightly alter the secondary structure of HSA. All of experimental results are supported by computational techniques such as docking and molecular dynamics simulation using a HSA crystal model.     

Intraspecific killing among Leopards (Panthera pardus) in Iran (Mammalia: Felidae)

Intraspecific aggression is one of the most common causes of death in leopards. Here, we report four cases of intraspecific killing amongst Persian Leopards (Panthera pardus saxicolor) in Iran. A young male leopard was found on 7 June 2008 which, according to camera trap images, had been killed by an adult male over a Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) kill, with trauma to his neck in Dorfak No-Hunting Area. A young female that had been fitted with a satellite GPS collar on 6 December 2015 in Tandoureh National Park died on 29 January 2016 at a site where an Urial Sheep (Ovis orientalis) ram had been freshly killed. Necropsy results, footprints at the scene of death and camera trap footage all supported the deduction that the animal was killed by a larger female leopard at the kill site. On 13 January 2017, a young, partially eaten female leopard was found with double puncture on the side of her throat. Finally, a rehabilitated adult female fitted with a satellite GPS collar found on 19 December 2017 with a double puncture on her head with several trauma and haemorrhages on her back. These instances seem to be the first documented reports of intraspecific killing among free-ranging leopards in Asia.     

Imidacloprid impedes mitochondrial function and induces oxidative stress in cotton bollworm, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helicoverpa armigera</Emphasis> larvae (Hubner: Noctuidae)

Neonicotinoids have high agonistic affinity to insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) and are frequently used as insecticides against most devastating lepidopteran insect pests. Imidacloprid influenced dose-dependent decline in the state III and IV respiration, respiration control index (RCI), and P/O ratios, in vitro and in vivo. The bioassay indicated its LD₅₀ value to be 531.24 μM. The insecticide exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition on F₀F₁-ATPase and complex IV activity. At 600 μM, the insecticide inhibited 83.62 and 27.13% of F₀F₁-ATPase and complex IV activity, respectively, and induced the release of 0.26 nmoles/min/mg protein of cytochrome c. A significant dose- and time-dependent increase in oxidative stress was observed; at 600 μM, the insecticide correspondingly induced lipid peroxidation, LDH activity, and accumulation of H₂O₂ content by 83.33, 31.51 and 223.66%. The stress was the maximum at 48 h of insecticide treatment (91.58, 35.28, and 189.80%, respectively). In contrast, catalase and superoxide dismutase were reduced in a dose- and time-dependent manner in imidacloprid-fed larvae. The results therefore suggest that imidacloprid impedes mitochondrial function and induces oxidative stress in H. armigera, which contributes to reduced growth of the larvae along with its neurotoxic effect.     

Monophosphoryl Lipid A and Pam3Cys Prevent the Increase in Seizure Susceptibility and Epileptogenesis in Rats Undergoing Traumatic Brain Injury

Five percent of all epilepsy cases are attributed to traumatic brain injury (TBI), which are known as post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE). Finding preventive strategies for PTE is valuable. Remarkable feature of TBI is activation of microglia and subsequent neuroinflammation, which provokes epileptogenesis. The toll-like receptor agonists monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) and tri-palmitoyl-S-glyceryl-cysteine (Pam3Cys) are safe, well-tolerated and effective adjuvants existing in prophylactic human vaccines. We examined the impact of early injection of MPL and Pam3Cys to rats, on the rate of kindled seizures acquisition following TBI. Rats received a single dose (1 µg/rat) of MPL or Pam3Cys through intracerebroventricular injection. 5 days later, trauma was exerted to temporo-parietal cortex of rats by controlled cortical impact device. After 24 h, traumatic rats underwent amygdala kindling. Brain level of the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) was also measured in traumatic rats by immunoblotting. Compared to non-traumatic (sham-operated) rats, traumatic rats showed three times lower seizure threshold (133?±?5 µA vs. 416.3?±?16 µA, p?<?0.001); about three times less number of stimuli to become kindled (5?±?1 vs. 14?±?2, p?<?0.01); longer duration of kindled seizure parameters including entire seizure behavior, generalized seizures, and afterdischarges (p?<?0.001); and a two times increase in the TNF-α level. MPL and Pam3Cys did not change kindling rate and the seizure parameters in sham-operated rats. The MPL- and Pam3Cys-pretreated traumatic rats displayed seizure threshold, speed of kindling, and duration of kindled seizure parameters, similar to the non-traumatic rats. Pretreatment by MPL and Pam3Cys prevented the increase in TNF-α level by trauma. Given that MPL and Pam3Cys currently have clinical use as well-tolerated vaccines with reliable safety, they have the potential to be used in prevention of PTE.     

Phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis and phosphatidylinositol 4′,5′-diphosphate hydrolysis are separable responses during secretagogue action in the rat pancreas

Rat pancreatic fragments and acinar preparations were incubated in vitro to characterize further the changes in phosphoinositide metabolism that occur during secretagogue action. Two distinct responses were discernible. The first response, most notably involving a decrease in phosphatidylinositol content, was (a) observed at lower carbachol concentrations in dose-response studies, (b) inhibited by incubation in Ca²⁺-free media containing 1 mM EGTA, (c) associated with increases in inositol monophosphate production, and (d) provoked by all tissue secretagogues (carbachol, cholecystokinin, secretin, insulin, dibutyryl cAMP and the ionophore A23187), regardless of whether their mechanism of action primarily involved Ca²⁺ mobilization or cAMP generation. This decrease in phosphatidylinositol content was at least partly due to phospholipase C (and/or D) activation, as evidenced by the increase in inositol monophosphate. The second response, most notably involving markedly increased incorporation of ³²PO₄ into phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylinositol, was (a) observed at higher carbachol concentrations, (b) not influenced by incubation in Ca²⁺-free media containing 1 mM EGTA, and (c) associated with increases in inositol triphosphate production. This ³²PO₄ turnover response was probably largely the result of phospholipase C-mediated hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4′,5′-diphosphate, which, as shown previously, also occurs at higher carbachol concentrations and is insensitive to comparable EGTA-induced Ca²⁺ deficiency. This phosphatidylinositol 4′,5′-diphosphate hydrolysis response was only observed in the action of agents (carbachol and cholecystokinin) which mobilize Ca²⁺ via activation of cell surface receptors. The present results indicate that phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositol 4′,5′-diphosphate hydrolysis are truly separable responses to secretagogues acting in the rat pancreas. Furthermore, phosphatidylinositol 4′,5′-diphosphate, rather than phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis is more likely to be associated with receptor activation and Ca²⁺ mobilization.     

Diosbulbin d and 8-epidiosbulbin e acetate,norclerodane diterpenoids from dioscorea bulbifera tubers

From tubers of Dioscorea buibifera L. var sativa a new 18-norclerodane diterpenoid, 8-epidiosbulbin E acetate, has been isolated, besides the previously known norditerpenoid, diosbulbin D, and its structure established by spectroscopic means.     

Effects of light on ultradian rhythms in the lateral leaflets of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Desmodium gyrans</Emphasis>

Rhythmic up-down movements were studied in the lateral leaflets ofDesmodium gyrans (L.F.) DC. These were recorded with a video-computer system, whereby the digital video signals from a CCD camera were processed with special software. Under control conditions (24°C and 0.1 nM cm^-2 s^-1 of stable, dim light), the average period of lateral leaflet movement was 3.5 min. In the presence of light stimuli (for 2 min), those leaflets always moved toward the light, regardless of where it was applied to any axial part of the pulvinus. The strongest effect was manifested by a reduced amplitude of movement and, thus, a shortened period, which could be up to ~43% less under moderate light intensity (5 nM cm^-2 s^-2). Oscillations regained their original regularity over ~10 cycles after the light stimulus was removed. In addition, these oscillations temporarily disappeared after long exposure (~10 min) under moderate light, or when the leaflets were quickly exposed to a higher intensity (~12 nM cm^-2s^-1). Therefore, we have now demonstrated that light can affect physiological parameters that are involved in the control of oscillations.