The production of livestock and poultry faces major challenges to meet the global demand for meat and dairy products and eggs due to a steady increase in the world’s population and the ban of ...antibiotics in animal production. This ban has forced animal nutritionists to seek for natural alternatives to antibiotics. In this context, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has received considerable attention in the last decade. It has been reported that feed supplementation with live yeast cells improve feed efficiency, enhance feed digestibility, increase animal performance, reduce the number of pathogenic bacteria, improve animal health and reduce the negative environmental impacts of livestock production. The current review sheds light on the effects of the use of live S. cerevisiae cells in the diets of nonruminant and pseudo‐ruminant’s animals and the mechanisms by which they exert its effects. This review work revealed that the addition of S. cerevisiae in poultry feed causes a phenomenon called competitive exclusion of pathogenic bacteria capable of causing disease adhere to the yeast surface, and so removing a large amount of harmful micro‐organisms and allowing the Animal defend more effectively, the production of antimicrobial agents, the balancing the gut microbiota and stimulation of host adaptive immune system and improving gut morphological structure, thus these benefits are reflected on the overall poultry health. In addition, in the presence of live S. cerevisiae cells, the immunity of rabbits was improved due to the high number of white blood cell. In addition, apparent digestibility of acid and neutral detergent fibre was improved in horses and rabbits. Saccharomyces cerevisiae in pig diets augment mucosal immunity by increasing IgM and IgA activity against pathogens, enhance intestinal development and function, adsorb mycotoxins, modulate gut microbiota and reduce postweaning diarrhoea.
Summary
The epidemiology of foot‐and‐mouth disease (FMD) in North Africa is complicated by the co‐circulation of endemic FMD viruses (FMDV), as well as sporadic incursions of exotic viral strains ...from the Middle East and Sub‐Saharan Africa. This report describes the molecular characterization of SAT 2 FMD viruses that have caused widespread field outbreaks of FMD in Egypt during February and March 2012. Phylogenetic analysis showed that viruses from these outbreaks fell into two distinct lineages within the SAT 2 topotype VII, which were distinct from a contemporary SAT 2 lineage of the same toptype from Libya. These were the first FMD outbreaks due to this serotype in Egypt since 1950 and required the development of a tailored real‐time reverse‐transcription PCR assay that can be used in the laboratory to distinguish FMD viruses of these lineages from other endemic FMD viruses that might be present in North Africa. These data highlight the ease by which FMDV can cross international boundaries and emphasize the importance of deploying systems to continuously monitor the global epidemiology of this disease.
This paper introduces and describes the radio and plasma wave investigation on the STEREO Mission: STEREO/WAVES or S/WAVES. The S/WAVES instrument includes a suite of state-of-the-art experiments ...that provide comprehensive measurements of the three components of the fluctuating electric field from a fraction of a hertz up to 16 MHz, plus a single frequency channel near 30 MHz. The instrument has a direction finding or goniopolarimetry capability to perform 3D localization and tracking of radio emissions associated with streams of energetic electrons and shock waves associated with Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). The scientific objectives include: (i) remote observation and measurement of radio waves excited by energetic particles throughout the 3D heliosphere that are associated with the CMEs and with solar flare phenomena, and (ii) in-situ measurement of the properties of CMEs and interplanetary shocks, such as their electron density and temperature and the associated plasma waves near 1 Astronomical Unit (AU). Two companion papers provide details on specific aspects of the S/WAVES instrument, namely the electric antenna system (Bale et al., Space Sci. Rev.,
2007
) and the direction finding technique (Cecconi et al., Space Sci. Rev.,
2007
).
Image-guided tumor ablation has become a well-established hallmark of local cancer therapy. The breadth of options available in this growing field increases the need for standardization of ...terminology and reporting criteria to facilitate effective communication of ideas and appropriate comparison among treatments that use different technologies, such as chemical (eg, ethanol or acetic acid) ablation, thermal therapies (eg, radiofrequency, laser, microwave, focused ultrasound, and cryoablation) and newer ablative modalities such as irreversible electroporation. This updated consensus document provides a framework that will facilitate the clearest communication among investigators regarding ablative technologies. An appropriate vehicle is proposed for reporting the various aspects of image-guided ablation therapy including classification of therapies, procedure terms, descriptors of imaging guidance, and terminology for imaging and pathologic findings. Methods are addressed for standardizing reporting of technique, follow-up, complications, and clinical results. As noted in the original document from 2003, adherence to the recommendations will improve the precision of communications in this field, leading to more accurate comparison of technologies and results, and ultimately to improved patient outcomes.
Summary
Besides the liver, rumen is one of the most important components of metabolism in ruminants. However, the microbes residing in the rumen are influenced by several complex factors such as ...diet, which result in fluctuations in the rumen pH. Rumen pH affects feed intake and feed digestibility, subsequently causing microbial shift in the individual members of microbial community residing in the foregut and hindgut. This in turn causes an increase in lipopolysaccharide concentration, among other factors, in the gut fluid and animal blood. Irrespective of diet fed to animals, Firmicutes would probably be the most dominant in high grain diet while Bacteroidetes are dominant in hay diet, and both have a relative abundance of about 80% or more at times. The shift in microbial population is not limited to adult ruminants alone but also occur in calves. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria were the most abundant in both hay and concentrate diet of newly weaned calves. Prolonged, depressed pH, causes subacute ruminal acidosis. This leads to compromise in the integrity of both foregut and hindgut of ruminants, eventually causing structural changes in the gut physiology. Furthermore, diet containing C‐12:0 and C‐14:0, which are medium‐chain fatty acids, were toxic to rumen protozoa. Phytochemical content in some plant residues when fed to animals also causes shift in microbial population. Therefore, foregut and hindgut pH stability is important for ruminant health and for optimal productivity.
Ferumoxytol (FMX) is an FDA-approved magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticle used to treat iron deficiency anemia that can also be used as an MR imaging agent in patients that can't receive gadolinium. ...Pharmacological ascorbate (P-AscH-; IV delivery; plasma levels ≈ 20 mM) has shown promise as an adjuvant to standard of care chemo-radiotherapy in glioblastoma (GBM). Since ascorbate toxicity mediated by H2O2 is enhanced by Fe redox cycling, the current study determined if ascorbate catalyzed the release of ferrous iron (Fe2+) from FMX for enhancing GBM responses to chemo-radiotherapy. Ascorbate interacted with Fe3O4 in FMX to produce redox-active Fe2+ while simultaneously generating increased H2O2 fluxes, that selectively enhanced GBM cell killing (relative to normal human astrocytes) as opposed to a more catalytically active Fe complex (EDTA-Fe3+) in an H2O2 – dependent manner. In vivo, FMX was able to improve GBM xenograft tumor control when combined with pharmacological ascorbate and chemoradiation in U251 tumors that were unresponsive to pharmacological ascorbate therapy. These data support the hypothesis that FMX combined with P-AscH- represents a novel combined modality therapeutic approach to enhance cancer cell selective chemoradiosentization in the management of glioblastoma.
Background
Allergic asthma is characterized by inflammation and airway remodeling. Bronchial epithelium is considered a key player in coordinating airway wall remodeling. In mild asthma, the ...epithelium is damaged and fails to proliferate and to repair, whereas in severe asthma, the epithelium is highly proliferative and thicker. This may be due to different regulatory mechanisms. The purpose of our study was to determine the role of miRNAs in regulating proliferation of bronchial epithelial cells obtained from severe asthmatic subjects in comparison with cells obtained from mild asthmatics and healthy controls.
Methods
Human bronchial epithelial cells (BEC) were isolated by bronchoscopy from bronchial biopsies of healthy donors and patients with mild and severe asthma. MiRNA expression was evaluated using the TaqMan low‐density arrays and qRT‐PCR. Transfection studies of bronchial epithelial cells were performed to determine the target genes. Cell proliferation was evaluated by BrdU incorporation test.
Results
MiR‐19a was upregulated in epithelia of severe asthmatic subjects compared with cells from mild asthmatics and healthy controls. Functional studies based on luciferase reporter and Western blot assays suggest that miR‐19a enhances cell proliferation of BEC in severe asthma through targeting TGF‐β receptor 2 mRNA. Moreover, repressed expression of miR‐19a increased SMAD3 phosphorylation through TGF‐β receptor 2 signaling and abrogated BEC proliferation.
Conclusion
Our study uncovers a new regulatory pathway involving miR‐19a that is critical to the severe phenotype of asthma and indicates that downregulating miR‐19a expression could be explored as a potential new therapy to modulate epithelium repair in asthma.
Summary
In ruminants, high fermentation capacity is necessary to develop more efficient ruminant production systems. Greater level of production depends on the ability of the microbial ecosystem to ...convert organic matter into precursors of milk and meat. This has led to increased interest by animal nutritionists, biochemists and microbiologists in evaluating different strategies to manipulate the rumen biota to improve animal performance, production efficiency and animal health. One of such strategies is the use of natural feed additives such as single‐celled fungi yeast. The main objectives of using yeasts as natural additives in ruminant diets include; (i) to prevent rumen microflora disorders, (ii) to improve and sustain higher production of milk and meat, (iii) to reduce rumen acidosis and bloat which adversely affect animal health and performance, (iv) to decrease the risk of ruminant‐associated human pathogens and (v) to reduce the excretion of nitrogenous‐based compounds, carbon dioxide and methane. Yeast, a natural feed additive, has the potential to enhance feed degradation by increasing the concentration of volatile fatty acids during fermentation processes. In addition, microbial growth in the rumen is enhanced in the presence of yeast leading to the delivery of a greater amount of microbial protein to the duodenum and high nitrogen retention. Single‐celled fungi yeast has demonstrated its ability to increase fibre digestibility and lower faecal output of organic matter due to improved digestion of organic matter, which subsequently improves animal productivity. Yeast also has the ability to alter the fermentation process in the rumen in a way that reduces methane formation. Furthermore, yeast inclusion in ruminant diets has been reported to decrease toxins absorption such as mycotoxins and promote epithelial cell integrity. This review article provides information on the impact of single‐celled fungi yeast as a feed supplement on ruminal microbiota and its function to improve the health and productive longevity of ruminants.
4- Nitrophenol (4-NP) is a top rated hazardous environmental pollutant and secondary explosive chemicals. For the sake of ecology and environment safety, the catalytic reduction and detection of 4-NP ...is highly important. In this work, ɤ-Fe2O3-nitrogen doped rGO (ɤ-Fe2O3–N-rGO) nanohydrogel was synthesized by green hydrothermal method. The morphology and phase purity of prepared ɤ-Fe2O3–N-rGO nanohydrogel were confirmed by various analytical (SEM, TEM, XRD, and XPS) and electrochemical techniques. The morphological structure of ɤ-Fe2O3–N-rGO nanohydrogel confirmed that the nanocrystals are well covered over the 2D N-rGO layer. Further, ɤ-Fe2O3–N-rGO nanohydrogel was applied for the catalytic reduction and electrochemical detection of ecotoxic 4-NP. A low cost, ɤ-Fe2O3–N-rGO nanohydrogel displayed an excellent catalytic activity, high recyclability (>5 cycles) and high conversion efficiency of 4-NP to 4-Aminophenol (4-AP). In addition, ɤ-Fe2O3–N-rGO nanohydrogel modified GCE displayed a wide linear sensing range (0.1–1000 μM), and a low detection limit (LOD) of 0.1 μM with excellent sensitivity, high selectivity (<1.2%) and good stability (>4 weeks). The developed sensor electrode shows the low reduction potential of −0.3 V and −0.60 V for the determination of 4-NP. The proposed ɤ-Fe2O3–N-rGO nanohydrogel is promising catalyst for the detection and removal of toxic aromatic nitro compounds in real site applications.
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•A low cost ɤ-Fe2O3–N-rGO nanohydrogel was prepared via hydrothermal method.•ɤ-Fe2O3–N-rGO nanohydrogel exhibits a tremendous catalytic removal of 4-NP.•ɤ-Fe2O3–N-rGO nanohydrogel exhibits high reduction efficiency more than 5 cycles.•Sensor electrode shows the low detection potential (−0.3 V), (−0.60 V) for 4-NP.