Animals navigate complex environments that present both hazards and essential resources. The prioritization of perceptual information that is relevant to their next actions, such as accessing or ...avoiding different resources, poses a potential challenge to animals, one that can impact survival. While animals’ attentional biases toward negatively valanced and threatening stimuli have been explored, parallel biases toward differently valued resources remain understudied. Here, we assessed whether three primate species (chimpanzees Pan troglodytes, gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla, and Japanese macaques Macaca fuscata) prioritized their attention to positively valued resources—preferred foods compared to unpreferred foods. We employed a computerized dot probe attentional bias task in which we presented participants with paired images of their preferred and unpreferred foods in randomized locations (left or right). Latencies to touch the “probe” that replaced either image revealed that all three species responded faster to the probe when it replaced the preferred option (χ²(1) = 284.50, SE² = .03, p < .001). The uniformity of the primates’ responses hints that a propensity to prioritize highly preferred items is rooted in these primates’ evolutionary past, one that may serve as a mechanism to rapidly detect and locate resources such as highly valued foods. Future research will help disentangle the role that color plays in these biases. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)
Understanding causes of death allows adjustment of health management strategies for animals in managed care. From 224 documented chimpanzee deaths occurring from 1995 to 2019 in 42 accredited U.S. ...zoos, post-mortem records and necropsy reports were analyzed for the primary cause of death, which were available for 214 individuals. In total, 37 cases of stillbirth and neonatal deaths were assessed (16.5%); however, the focus was otherwise placed on the remaining 177 cases in which the death occurred in individuals aged greater than 1 month. There were no sex-related differences in etiology; however, age variation in the cause of death was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Elderly (35 years and older) chimpanzees tended to die of intrinsic, often degenerative, etiologies, whereas infants, juveniles, and adolescents (less than 15 years) were more likely to be involved in fatal trauma. Overall, there were 27 deaths (15.3% of all post-neonatal deaths) related to trauma and 13 of these were directly or indirectly related to conspecific aggression. Understanding causes of mortality and the interrelation with management can benefit managed populations of chimpanzees.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Objective Delivery of a robust local anesthetic injection aids in the successful management of all patients' fears, anxieties, and discomfort during dental treatments. The most expected or ...frightening stimuli in the dental operatory are local anesthetic injections. The objective of this trial was to study the analgesic efficacy of distant cold stimulation in relieving injection pain from the greater palatine nerve block. Before receiving local anesthetic injections, employing cryotherapy by using an ice bath changes the pain perceptions and also increases the pain threshold. Purpose The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of distant cold stimulation on palatal injection pain using an ice-cold bath. Method This was a randomized, controlled trial conducted at an oral and maxillofacial surgery department. A split-mouth technique was employed for the study, in which patients requiring bilateral greater palatine nerve block for any dental procedures were included. The bilateral greater palatine nerve block was given one at a time, separated by an interval of three days. The inclusion criteria for this study were no history of drug allergy and an extraction site free of any active infection. There were 28 participants in this experimental study. Two groups were randomly created from this research sample: group A (palatal injection with distant cold stimulation) and group B (palatal injection without distant cold stimulation). In group A, the patient was asked to put his or her hand of the same side as the palatal injection in an ice-cold bath till the time patient could tolerate it; immediately after the patient removed his hand, the greater palatine nerve block was given, and the patient was assessed for the injection pain. In group B, the patient was directly given the greater palatine nerve block without any distant cold stimulation. The time interval between the two extractions/dental procedures was three days. Outcomes of interest were pain severity with and without distant cold stimulation which were assessed using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain scale, and a comparison was made between the two groups. Results As per our study, in terms of pain, there was a statistically significant difference between the two interventions at all time points. Patients in group A had a lower score on the VAS pain scale as compared to group B. The standard deviation (STD) for group A was 0.81, and the standard deviation for group B was 0.92. P value was derived to be P < 0.001, which is suggestive of a significant difference between the pain scores of both groups. Conclusion Hence, we conclude that the use of distant cryotherapy as an adjunct is an effective way to reduce pain perception and increase pain threshold. This technique is comparatively simple, painless, and easy for the surgeon and for apprehensive patients, and it offers a fair cost solution for the suffering often associated with dental procedures requiring local anesthetic injections.
The significance of EGFR targeted therapy in the lung adenocarcinoma is paramount. Several controlled clinical trials have reported significant survival of EGFR mutation positive patients on ...receiving the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). However, the real-world evidence of benefits of EGFR TKI would be further useful to understand how the designated therapeutic regimen benefits the patients. In this study, we report a decade long real-world evidence of EGFR molecular testing in lung cancer at Tata Memorial Hospital (Mumbai, India). Laboratory and hospital records containing basic demographic details, clinical characteristics, treatment regimen, survival outcome were collected retrospectively. Statistical association and survival analysis were performed using the R programming. The cohort includes 9,053 lung cancer patients tested for EGFR mutations during 2011 to 2019. Baseline T790M and compound mutations were the only mutations observed co-occurring while all other EGFR mutations were mutually exclusive. Furthermore, the baseline T790M were also observed to be associated with TTF1 positivity, smoking and local metastasis. Overall survival of the patients harboring co-occurring compound mutations was significantly lesser than the other EGFR positive patients. Overall, our study suggests that EGFR TKI may provide real-world benefit to the lung cancer patients harboring mutually exclusive EGFR mutations. On the other hand, further systematic study is essential to develop better therapeutic regimen for co-occurring baseline EGFR T790M and other compound mutations.
The present manuscript deals with the hydrogen absorption properties of multiwalled carbon nano-tubes (MWCNTs) doped with Pd nanoparticles by the conventional wet impregnation method and the polyol ...method. In the latter method Pd nanoparticles are doped into CNTs based on polyhydroxy organic compounds (polyol) mediated functionalization. The polyol medium reduces palladium chloride to palladium nanoparticles, and also acts as a capping agent to stabilize the Pd nanoparticles. The samples have been characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) and Infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Hydrogen absorption studies clearly illustrate that Pd doped MW-CNT's prepared by polyol mediated functionalization show much higher hydrogen storage capacity compared to the sample prepared by wet impregnation route. To determine the cause of this behavior, Transmission Electron Microscopic (TEM) studies of the samples were carried out. The results indicate that the dispersion of Pd nanoparticle on the MW-CNT is much better for the sample prepared by the polyol route. An attempt was made to determine the existence of any metal-support interaction using Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). The investigation reveals that the higher dispersion of Pd nanoparticles on the CNT support plays a major role for the hydrogen adsorption.
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•Large scale synthesis of MW-CNT using CVD method.•Dispersion of Pd on MW-CNT using different routes.•Polyol method shows better hydrogen storage capacity.•Higher dispersion of Pd leads to better hydrogen sorption.
Isoprenoids and phenylpropanoids are the major secondary metabolite constituents in Ocimum genus. Though enzymes from phenylpropanoid pathway have been characterized from few plants, limited ...information exists on how they modulate levels of secondary metabolites. Here, we performed phenylpropanoid profiling in different tissues from five Ocimum species, which revealed significant variations in secondary metabolites including eugenol, eugenol methyl ether, estragole and methyl cinnamate levels. Expression analysis of eugenol synthase (EGS) gene showed higher transcript levels especially in young leaves and inflorescence; and were positively correlated with eugenol contents. Additionally, transcript levels of coniferyl alcohol acyl transferase, a key enzyme diverting pool of substrate to phenylpropanoids, were in accordance with their abundance in respective species. In particular, eugenol methyl transferase expression positively correlated with higher levels of eugenol methyl ether in Ocimum tenuiflorum. Further, EGSs were functionally characterized from four Ocimum species varying in their eugenol contents. Kinetic and expression analyses indicated, higher enzyme turnover and transcripts levels, in species accumulating more eugenol. Moreover, biochemical and bioinformatics studies demonstrated that coniferyl acetate was the preferred substrate over coumaryl acetate when used, individually or together, in the enzyme assay. Overall, this study revealed the preliminary evidence for varied accumulation of eugenol and its abundance over chavicol in these Ocimum species. Current findings could potentially provide novel insights for metabolic modulations in medicinal and aromatic plants.
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•Significant variation in phenylpropanoids levels in different tissue of Ocimum spp.•Eugenol synthase (EGS) from four Ocimum species were functionally characterized.•EGS expression positively correlated with eugenol contents among various tissues.•Kinetic analyses revealed higher EGS turnover in species accumulating more eugenol.•Homology modeling of EGS indicated coniferyl acetate as the preferred substrate.
Wheat is an important source of dietary protein and calories for the majority of the world's population. It is one of the largest grown cereal in the world occupying over 215 M ha. Wheat production ...globally is challenged by biotic stresses such as pests and diseases. Of the 50 diseases of wheat that are of economic importance, the three rust diseases are the most ubiquitous causing significant yield losses in the majority of wheat production environments. Under severe epidemics they can lead to food insecurity threats amid the continuous evolution of new races of the pathogens, shifts in population dynamics and their virulence patterns, thereby rendering several effective resistance genes deployed in wheat breeding programs vulnerable. This emphasizes the need to identify, characterize, and deploy effective rust-resistant genes from diverse sources into pre-breeding lines and future wheat varieties. The use of genetic resistance has been marked as eco-friendly and to curb the further evolution of rust pathogens. Deployment of multiple rust resistance genes including major and minor genes in wheat lines could enhance the durability of resistance thereby reducing pathogen evolution. Advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms and associated bioinformatics tools have revolutionized wheat genomics. The sequence alignment of the wheat genome is the most important landmark which will enable genomics to identify marker-trait associations, candidate genes and enhanced breeding values in genomic selection (GS) studies. High throughput genotyping platforms have demonstrated their role in the estimation of genetic diversity, construction of the high-density genetic maps, dissecting polygenic traits, and better understanding their interactions through GWAS (genome-wide association studies) and QTL mapping, and isolation of R genes. Application of breeder's friendly KASP assays in the wheat breeding program has expedited the identification and pyramiding of rust resistance alleles/genes in elite lines. The present review covers the evolutionary trends of the rust pathogen and contemporary wheat varieties, and how these research strategies galvanized to control the wheat killer genus Puccinia. It will also highlight the outcome and research impact of cost-effective NGS technologies and cloning of rust resistance genes amid the public availability of common and tetraploid wheat reference genomes.
Medicinally important genus Ocimum harbors a vast pool of chemically diverse metabolites. Current study aims at identifying anti-diabetic candidate compounds from Ocimum species. Major metabolites in ...O. kilimandscharicum, O. tenuiflorum, O. gratissimum were purified, characterized and evaluated for anti-glycation activity. In vitro inhibition of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) by eugenol was found to be highest. Preliminary biophysical analysis and blind docking studies to understand eugenol-albumin interaction indicated eugenol to possess strong binding affinity for surface exposed lysines. However, binding of eugenol to bovine serum albumin (BSA) did not result in significant change in secondary structure of protein. In vivo diabetic mice model studies with eugenol showed reduction in blood glucose levels by 38% likely due to inhibition of α-glucosidase while insulin and glycated hemoglobin levels remain unchanged. Western blotting using anti-AGE antibody and mass spectrometry detected notably fewer AGE modified peptides upon eugenol treatment both in vivo and in vitro. Histopathological examination revealed comparatively lesser lesions in eugenol-treated mice. Thus, we propose eugenol has dual mode of action in combating diabetes; it lowers blood glucose by inhibiting α-glucosidase and prevents AGE formation by binding to ε-amine group on lysine, protecting it from glycation, offering potential use in diabetic management.
PHLPP1 regulates PINK1-parkin signalling and life span Chandra, Kanika; Swathi, M.; Keerthana, B. ...
Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular basis of disease,
August 2023, 2023-Aug, 2023-08-00, 20230801, Letnik:
1869, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Adaptability to intracellular or extracellular cues is essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis. Metabolic signals intricately control the morphology and functions of mitochondria by regulating ...bioenergetics and metabolism. Here, we describe the involvement of PHLPP1, a Ser/Thr phosphatase, in mitochondrial homeostasis. Microscopic analysis showed the enhanced globular structure of mitochondria in PHLPP1-depleted HEK 293T and C2C12 cells, while forced expression of PHLPP1 promoted mitochondrial tubularity. We show that PHLPP1 promoted pro-fusion markers MFN2 and p-DRP1Ser637 levels using over-expression and knockdown strategies. Contrastingly, PHLPP1 induced mitochondrial fragmentation by augmenting pro-fission markers, t-DRP1 and pDrp1Ser616 upon mitochondrial stress. At the molecular level, PHLPP1 interacted with and caused dephosphorylation of calcineurin, a p-DRP1Ser637 phosphatase, under basal conditions. Likewise, PHLPP1 dimerized with PINK1 under basal conditions. However, the interaction of PHLPP1 with both calcineurin and PINK1 was impaired upon CCCP and oligomycin-induced mitochondrial stress. Interestingly, upon mitochondrial membrane depolarization, PHLPP1 promoted PINK1 stabilization and parkin recruitment to mitochondria, and thereby activated the mitophagy machinery providing a molecular explanation for the dual effects of PHLPP1 on mitochondria under different conditions. Consistent with our in-vitro findings, depletion of phlp-2, ortholog of PHLPP1 in C. elegans, led to mitochondrial fission under basal conditions, extended the lifespan of the worms, and enhanced survival of worms subjected to paraquat-induced oxidative stress.
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•PHLPP1 deficiency results in mitochondrial fragmentation under basal condition.•PHLPP1 enhances PINK1 levels and the induction of mitophagic machinery during stress.•PHLPP1 promotes mitochondrial parkin recruitment during stress.•PHLPP1 depletion partially rescues mitochondria from stress.•phlp-2 loss augments C. elegans lifespan and protects them from oxidative stress.
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