Response of catalase activity to Ag+, Cd2+, Cr6+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ in five tissues of freshwater fish Oreochromis niloticus

Catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.6) is an important enzyme in antioxidant defense system protecting animals from oxidative stress. Freshwater fish Oreochromis niloticus were exposed for 96 h to different concentrations of Ag(+), Cd(2+), Cr(6+), Cu(2+) and Zn(2+), known to cause oxidative stress, and subsequently CAT activities in liver, kidney, gill, intestine and brain were measured. In vivo, CAT was stimulated by all metals except Ag(+) in the liver and the highest increase in CAT activity (183%) resulted from 1.0 mg Cd(2+)/L exposure, whereas 0.5 mg Ag(+)/L exposure resulted in a sharp decrease (44%). In tilapia kidney, cadmium and zinc had no significant effects on CAT activity, whereas 0.1 mg Cr(6+)/L exposure caused a decrease (44%). Cadmium and zinc did not significantly affect the CAT activity in gill; however, 0.5 mg Ag(+)/L exposure caused an increase (66%) and 1.5 mg Cr(6+)/L exposure caused a decrease (97%) in CAT activity. All metals, except Cu(2+)(41% increase), caused significant decreases in CAT activity in the intestine. In brain, 1.0 mg Zn(2+)/L resulted in an increase in CAT activity (126%), while 1.5 mg Ag(+)/L exposure caused a 54% decrease. In vitro, all metals -- except Ag(+) and Cu(2+) in kidney -- significantly inhibited the CAT activity in all tissues. Results emphasized that CAT may be considered as a sensitive bioindicator of the antioxidant defense system.     

Suppression of natural killer cell activity on Candida stellatoidea by a 50 Hz magnetic field

Exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) is ubiquitous for almost all individuals living in industrialized countries. Epidemiological and laboratory studies suggest that exposure to Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) EMF increase cancer risk. The immune system functions as one of the body's main protective mechanisms, and Natural Killer (NK) cells are a subset of lymphocytes that can destroy several types of tumor cells. In this study, we investigated, NK cell activity after exposure to a 50 Hertz (Hz), 2 mT magnetic field generated by a Helmholtz Coil. Nineteen male, 10-12 week old guinea pigs were used, and NK cytotoxic activity of splenocytes was measured in vitro by natural anticandidial colorimetric index. The Mann-Whitney U test was applied for statistical analysis. NK cell cytotoxic activity was decreased in exposed compared to controls. Our data suggests that part of the immune system, the NK cell, can be suppressed by a 50 Hz magnetic field.     

Liver fibrogenesis due to cholestasis is associated with increased Smad7 expression and Smad3 signaling

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Profibrogenic TGF-beta signaling in hepatic stellate cells is modulated during transdifferentiation. Strategies to abrogate TGF-beta effects provide promising antifibrotic results, however, in vivo data regarding Smad activation during fibrogenesis are scarce. METHODS: Here, liver fibrosis was assessed subsequent to bile duct ligation by determining liver enzymes in serum and collagen deposition in liver tissue. Activated hepatic stellate cells were identified by immunohistochemistry and immunoblots for alpha smooth muscle actin. Cellular localization of Smad3 and Smad7 proteins was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. RTPCR for Smad4 and Smad7 was conducted with total RNA and Northern blot analysis for Smad7 with mRNA. Whole liver lysates were prepared to detect Smad2/3/4 and phospho- Smad2/3 by Western blotting. RESULTS: Cholestasis induces TGF-beta signaling via Smad3 in vivo, whereas Smad2 phosphorylation was only marginally increased. Smad4 expression levels were unchanged. Smad7 expression was continuously increasing with duration of cholestasis. Hepatocytes of fibrotic lesions exhibited nuclear staining Smad3. In contrast to this, Smad7 expression was localized to activated hepatic stellate cells. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatocytes of damaged liver tissue display increased TGF-beta signaling via Smad3. Further, negative feedback regulation of TGF-beta signaling by increased Smad7 expression in activated hepatic stellate cells occurs, however does not interfere with fibrogenesis.     

Selenium-Mercury Balance in Commercial Fish Species from the Turkish Waters

Biological Trace Element Research - The interactions between selenium (Se) and mercury (Hg) were assessed in order to interpret public health risk, associated with dietary mercury exposure due to...     

Resource dedication problem in a multi-project environment

There can be different approaches to the management of resources within the context of multi-project scheduling problems. In general, approaches to multi-project scheduling problems consider the resources as a pool shared by all projects. On the other hand, when projects are distributed geographically or sharing resources between projects is not preferred, then this resource sharing policy may not be feasible. In such cases, the resources must be dedicated to individual projects throughout the project durations. This multi-project problem environment is defined here as the resource dedication problem (RDP). RDP is defined as the optimal dedication of resource capacities to different projects within the overall limits of the resources and with the objective of minimizing a predetermined objective function. The projects involved are multi-mode resource constrained project scheduling problems with finish to start zero time lag and non-preemptive activities and limited renewable and nonrenewable resources. Here, the characterization of RDP, its mathematical formulation and two different solution methodologies are presented. The first solution approach is a genetic algorithm employing a new improvement move called combinatorial auction for RDP, which is based on preferences of projects for resources. Two different methods for calculating the projects’ preferences based on linear and Lagrangian relaxation are proposed. The second solution approach is a Lagrangian relaxation based heuristic employing subgradient optimization. Numerical studies demonstrate that the proposed approaches are powerful methods for solving this problem.     

Effects of taurine on vascular tone

Taurine is widely distributed at high concentrations in mammalian tissues, and it plays an important role in a wide range of biological effects including modulation of cardiovascular functions. This review summarizes the role of taurine in vascular tone and blood pressure modulation based on experimental and human studies. It is well established that supplementation of taurine prevents development of hypertension in several animal models and p.o. taurine administration reduces blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Both central and peripheral actions of taurine may be involved in its hypotensive effects. In isolated animal arteries, taurine exerts vasodilation through endothelium-dependent and independent mechanisms. Several studies showed that taurine relaxed various animal arteries through opening potassium channels. We have recently shown that taurine relaxes human internal mammary and radial arteries by opening large conductance Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channels. To date, the molecular mechanism(s) involved in the vascular effects of taurine are largely unknown and require further investigation. Clarifying the mechanisms in which taurine affects the vascular system may facilitate the development of therapeutic and/or diet-based strategies to reduce the burden of vascular diseases.