First Record of Steinernema kraussei (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) from Turkey and Its Virulence against Agrotis segetum (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

During a survey of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) in the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey in 2009–2012, a steinernematid species was recorded and isolated using the Galleria-baiting method. The isolate was identified as Steinernema kraussei based on its morphological and molecular properties. The analysis of the ITS rDNA sequence placed the Turkish population of S. kraussei in the “feltiae-kraussei” group in the clade that contains different isolates of the species. This is the first record of S. kraussei from Turkey. The efficacy of S. kraussei was tested on Agrotis segetum (Lepidoptera: Noctuidea) larvae at different densities (100, 300, and 500 infective juveniles (IJs) g⁻¹ dry sand ) in laboratory conditions at 25 °C. The highest mortality (98%) was obtained with 500 IJs g⁻¹ dry sand within 7 d after inoculation. Our results indicate that the new isolate is a highly promising biological control agent against A. segetum, one of the most serious soil pests of agricultural area and fruits worldwide.     

Erythropoietin stimulates the coronary collateral development in patients with coronary chronic total occlusion

Objective

Erythropoietin (EPO) improves cardiac function and induces neovascularisation in post-myocardial infarction heart failure. The aim of this study was to analyse the association between the serum erythropoietin level and coronary collateral development in patients with coronary artery disease and chronic total occlusion.

Methods

A total of 168 patients consisting of 117 with coronary artery disease (CAD, (62 with chronic total occlusion (CTO), 55 without CTO)) and 51 with healthy coronary arteries were included in the study. The patients were assigned as coronary artery disease without CTO (group 0), CAD with CTO (group 1: poor collateral development, group 2: good collateral development) and normal coronary arteries (group 3).

Results

There was a significant positive correlation between serum EPO levels and the Rentrop scores in angiography (r = 0.243, p = 0.001). Similarly, a positive correlation was found between serum EPO levels and the Syntax scores (r = 0.253, p = 0.001). Echocardiography revealed a negative correlation between serum EPO levels and the cardiac ejection fraction (r = ?0.210, p = 0.006).

Conclusions

Serum EPO is a useful biomarker for coronary collateral development in patients with CTO.

     

A Persistence Detector for Metabolic Network Rewiring in an Animal

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Developmental signals do not further accentuate nonuniform postpneumonectomy compensatory lung growth.

Mechanical forces imposed on lung tissue constitute major stimuli for normal lung development and postpneumonectomy (PNX) compensatory growth and remodeling. Superimposing developmental signals on PNX signals augments compensatory alveolar growth but exaggerates airway-parenchymal dissociation (i.e., dysanaptic lung growth); the latter tends to offset benefits derived from the former. In adult dogs after PNX, lobar expansion and growth of the remaining lobes were markedly non-uniform (Ravikumar et al. J Appl Physiol 97:1567-1574, 2004). We hypothesized that superimposing developmental and post-PNX signals further accentuates nonuniformity of lobar growth. We used high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) to follow regional lung expansion and growth in foxhounds undergoing right PNX at 2.5 mo of age compared with litter-matched control (Sham) animals; scans were performed 4 and 10 mo following surgery, i.e., before and after somatic maturity. Air and tissue volumes were measured in each lobe; tissue volume estimated by HRCT includes air-free tissue and blood in small vessels <1 mm. Interlobar nonuniformity of tissue volume was absent at 4 mo but evident 10 mo after PNX; growth of the remaining left lower lobe gradually lagged behind other lobes. At maturity, nonuniformity of lobar growth in pneumonectomized puppies was similar to that previously reported in pneumonectomized adults. We conclude that superimposing developmental and post-PNX signals enhances some aspects of compensatory lung growth and remodeling without altering its nonuniform spatial distribution.     

Comparison of microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation eligibility using sporosarcina pasteurii and bacillus licheniformis on two different sands

The use of biological means for ground improvement have become popular, which generally works through the process called microbially-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP). Many studies indicate successful application of MICP based improvement with multiple bacteria and on several soils. Given the proven performance of MICP, this study aims to examine the MICP process by comparing the calcium carbonate precipitation ability of widely studied bacteria, i.e., Sporosarcina pasteurii and relatively under-recognized bacteria, i.e., Bacillus licheniformis to outline the formation success. For this purpose, two different sands were tested for observing precipitation behavior using a series of syringe tests. Furthermore, the effect of concentration and inclusion of calcium chloride for nutrition of bacteria, saturation with water, and hybrid use of two bacteria were investigated in some tests for diversification. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used for the interpretation of results. Results indicated that Sporosarcina pasteurii had performed superior over Bacillus licheniformis when achieving calcium carbonate precipitation in tests for both sands. In addition, many intriguing SEM images contributed to the literature of MICP monitoring, highlighting the effects of the variables investigated.     

Treatment options in extravasation injury: an experimental study in rats

Local skin necrosis after extravasation of doxorubicin hydrochloride (Adriamycin), a widely used chemotherapeutic agent, is a common problem in cancer patients. Even though several treatment options have been proposed for extravasation injury, there is still controversy regarding the management of such lesions. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of saline infiltration, vitamin C infiltration, suction technique, and early surgical excision as a treatment in a rat extravasation model. The authors planned their study in two stages. In stage 1, the lowest effective dose of doxorubicin at which a homogeneous skin necrosis was formed and the method of administration were investigated. Intradermal and subpannicular injections were made for six rats, using six different concentrations of doxorubicin (0.33, 0.5, 0.66, 1.0, 1.33, and 1.5 mg/ml). In stage 1, the intradermal injection produced homogeneous and uniform tissue necrosis. In stage 2, the efficacy of saline infiltration (group 1), vitamin C infiltration (group 2), suction (group 3), suction and saline washout (group 4), suction and vitamin C washout (group 5), and early surgical excision (group 6) was compared. The treatment options were applied 2 hours after doxorubicin injection. At the end of the seventh day, the presence and size of ulcers at the injection site were calculated. Fourteen days after injection, a histopathologic examination was performed for each treatment and control group. In groups 1 and 3, there was no statistically significant difference in the size of necrosis compared with the control groups. In groups 2, 4, and 5, the size of necrosis was smaller compared with the control groups, and this was statistically significant. Furthermore, in group 4 (suction and saline washout) and group 5 (suction and vitamin C washout), the calculated area of necrosis was smaller compared with other treatment groups, and this was statistically significant. The findings supported the assertion that suction and saline or vitamin C washout reduce necrotic tissue size in extravasation injury.     

Assessment of DNA strand breakage by comet assay in diabetic patients and the role of antioxidant supplementation

Diabetes patients often show increased production of reactive oxidative species (ROS) together with vascular complications. The presence of these ROS may lead to increased DNA damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes that may be revealed by the comet assay. To test whether DNA is damaged in diabetes, peripheral blood samples were taken from 30 control individuals and 63 diabetic patients (15 insulin dependent (IDDM) and 48 non-insulin dependent (NIDDM)) and the alkaline comet assay was used to evaluate background levels of DNA damage. Significant differences were detected between control and diabetic patients in terms of frequencies of damaged cells. The extend of DNA migration was greater in NIDDM patients by comparison with IDDM patients which might indicate that IDDM patients are handling more oxidative damage on a regular basis. Smoker individuals had higher frequencies of cells with migration by comparison with the non-smokers in both groups. Also, clear differences between patients on placebo and on Vitamin E supplementation for 12 weeks were observed on the basis of the extend of DNA migration during single cell gel electrophoresis.     

PROGRESS STUDY: Progression of chronic kidney disease in children and heat shock proteins

Various molecular and cellular processes are involved in renal fibrosis, such as oxidative stress, inflammation, endothelial cell injury, and apoptosis. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are implicated in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Our aim was to evaluate changes in urine and serum HSP levels over time and their relationships with the clinical parameters of CKD in children. In total, 117 children with CKD and 56 healthy children were examined. The CKD group was followed up prospectively for 24 months. Serum and urine HSP27, HSP40, HSP47, HSP60, HSP70, HSP72, and HSP90 levels and serum anti-HSP60 and anti-HSP70 levels were measured by ELISA at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months. The urine levels of all HSPs and the serum levels of HSP40, HSP47, HSP60, HSP70, anti-HSP60, and anti-HSP70 were higher at baseline in the CKD group than in the control group. Over the months, serum HSP47 and HSP60 levels steadily decreased, whereas HSP90 and anti-HSP60 levels steadily increased. Urine HSP levels were elevated in children with CKD; however, with the exception of HSP90, they decreased over time. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that CKD progression is a complicated process that involves HSPs, but they do not predict CKD progression. The protective role of HSPs against CKD may weaken over time, and HSP90 may have a detrimental effect on the disease course.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12192-021-01239-9.