Lissencephaly in Shih Tzu dogs Rodríguez-Sánchez, Diego Noé; Pinto, Giovana Boff Araujo; Thomé, Edval Fernando ...
Acta veterinaria scandinavica,
06/2020, Letnik:
62, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Abstract
Background
Lissencephaly is a brain malformation characterized by smooth and thickened cerebral surface, which may result in structural epilepsy. Lissencephaly is not common in veterinary ...medicine. Here, we characterize the first cases of lissencephaly in four Shih Tzu dogs, including clinical presentations and findings of magnetic resonance imaging of lissencephaly and several concomitant brain malformations.
Case presentation
Early-onset acute signs of forebrain abnormalities were observed in all dogs, which were mainly cluster seizures and behavioral alterations. Based on neurological examination, the findings were consistent with symmetrical and bilateral forebrain lesions. Metabolic disorders and inflammatory diseases were excluded. Magnetic resonance imaging for three dogs showed diffuse neocortical agyria and thickened gray matter while one dog had mixed agyria and pachygyria. Other features, such as internal hydrocephalus, supracollicular fluid accumulation, and corpus callosum hypoplasia, were detected concomitantly. Antiepileptic drugs effectively controlled cluster seizures, however, sporadic isolated seizures and signs of forebrain abnormalities, such as behavioral alterations, central blindness, and strabismus persisted.
Conclusions
Lissencephaly should be considered an important differential diagnosis in Shih Tzu dogs presenting with early-onset signs of forebrain abnormalities, including cluster seizures and behavioral alterations. Magnetic resonance imaging was appropriate for
ante
-
mortem
diagnosis of lissencephaly and associated cerebral anomalies.
Axonal isoforms of myosin-I Lund, Linda M.; Machado, Victor M.; McQuarrie, Irvine G.
Biochemical and biophysical research communications,
05/2005, Letnik:
330, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
We have examined spinal motor neurons in Sprague–Dawley rats to further characterize a mechanoenzyme, myosin-Iγ (
myr4), which is found in high concentration during axon tract formation in neonates. ...We raised an antibody to
myr4 and made riboprobes for in situ hybridization.
Myr4 mRNA was abundant in spinal cord motor neurons (particularly during axon regrowth). Nerves undergoing Wallerian degeneration (from a crush 7 days earlier) showed anti-
myr4 labeling of the axolemma and SER—after microtubules, neurofilaments, and F-actin had already been degraded—which is consistent with a described lipid-binding domain in the tail region of myosin-Is. Newly synthesized
myr4 was carried in axons by the slow component (SC) of axonal transport at 1–8
mm/day, whereas, none was carried by the fast component (FC). We conclude that SC delivers
myr4 to the cytoplasmic surfaces of stationary axonal membranes (SER and axolemma). This positioning would anchor the tail domain of
myr4 and leave the catalytic head domain free to interact with F-actin.
The effect of surface pre-treatment on the electrochemical response of boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes is reported. Initially, several examples from published works illustrate the dramatic ...changes observed when a cathodic polarisation is applied before measurements instead of the classically adopted anodic treatment. In particular, electroanalytical determinations of pesticides in pure and contaminated waters could only be possible after holding the BDD electrode at −3.0
V versus Ag/AgCl for 30
min. Cyclic voltammetry of well-known reversible systems such as K
4Fe(CN)
6 and ferrocene in aqueous solutions rendered the expected behaviour after the cathodic pre-treatment while for the usual anodic treatment considerable distortions were recorded. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy carried out in the presence and in the absence of the mentioned electroactive species confirmed the previously observed differences. Nyquist plots showed that in both cases the resistance associated to a high-frequency element diminishes from over 300 to about 4
Ω
cm
2 when a cathodic pre-treatment replaces the anodic pre-treatment. Moreover, Mott–Schottky plots in the absence of electroactive species revealed that the flat-band potential decreases by ca. 250
mV when measurements are carried out after the cathodic pre-treatment. All these effects could be explained in terms of the presence of a discontinuous passive layer on the BDD surface but they still require further studies for a definite conclusion.
Er-doped SnO2 thin films are produced by a combined technique where films are deposited by resistive evaporation from a precursor powder obtained by sol-gel. Films are deposited on different ...substrates and analyzed concerning the electrical conduction on different directions. The film conductivity (parallel to the surface) changed significantly when exposed to light, even though the photon energies are below the SnO2 bandgap energy (InGaN LED, 2.75 eV). The SnO2 films present distinct trapping characteristics when exposed to oxygen or carbon monoxide, in agreement with the behavior of metallic oxides, suggesting that surface defects act as adsorption sites. The photo-excitation is rather lower for a GaAs/SnO2 heterostructure sample where the GaAs layer is deposited by sputtering, since the direction of polarization (through the interface barrier, perpendicular to the sample surface) does not lead to significant increase in the sample current. When the bottom layer is a GaAs crystal wafer, the current magnitude increases drastically under the InGaN LED excitation. The results reported here contribute to the understanding of electrical transport and the influence of gas adsorption on evaporated SnO2 films deposited in diverse configurations on distinct substrates, and contributes to gas sensing applications.
•Investigation of photo-induced electrical transport under gas influence in SnO2.•Influence of Er3+ surface ions on adsorption of charged oxygen species.•Photo-induced room temperature effects on gas adsorption in heterostructures.
In a nanotechnological approach we have investigated the use of natural lipids in the preparation of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC). Three different NLC composed of copaiba oil and beeswax, ...sweet almond oil and shea butter, and sesame oil and cocoa butter as structural matrices were optimized using factorial analysis; Pluronic® 68 and lidocaine (LDC) were used as the colloidal stabilizer and model encapsulated drug, respectively. The optimal formulations were characterized by different techniques (IR-ATR, DSC, and TEM), and their safety and efficacy were also tested. These nanocarriers were able to upload high amounts of the anesthetic with a sustained in vitro release profile for 24h. The physicochemical stability in terms of size (nm), PDI, zeta potential (mV), pH, nanoparticle concentration (particles/mL), and visual inspection was followed during 12months of storage at 25°C. The formulations exhibited excellent structural properties and stability. They proved to be nontoxic in vitro (cell viability tests with Balb/c 3T3 fibroblasts) and significantly improved the in vivo effects of LDC, over the heart rate of zebra fish larvae and in the blockage of sciatic nerve in mice. The results from this study support that the proper combination of natural excipients is promising in DDS, taking advantage of the biocompatibility, low cost, and diversity of lipids.
Illustrative representation of a NLC prepared with natural lipids. Three different optimized NLC systems for lidocaine delivery were prepared, using copaiba oil and beeswax, sweet almond oil and shea butter, or sesame oil and cocoa butter as the lipid matrix, plus Pluronic® 68 as surfactant. The systems were evaluated from pre-formulation to in vivo studies and the most prominent results are highlighted. Display omitted
Administration of convalescent plasma may serve as an adjunct to supportive treatment to prevent COVID-19 progression and death. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 2 volumes of ...intravenous convalescent plasma (CP) with high antibody titers for the treatment of severe cases of COVID-19.
We conducted a Bayesian, randomized, open-label, multicenter, controlled clinical trial in 7 Brazilian hospitals. Adults admitted to hospital with positive RT-PCR for SARS-CoV2, within 10 days of the symptom onset, were eligible. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to receive standard of care (SoC) alone, or in combination with 200 mL (150–300 mL) of CP (Low-volume), or 400 mL (300–600 mL) of CP (High-volume); infusion had to be performed within 24 h of randomization. Randomization was centralized, stratified by center. The primary outcome was the time until clinical improvement up to day 28, measured by the WHO ten-point scale, assessed in the intention-to-treat population. Interim and terminal analyses were performed in a Bayesian framework. Trial registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04415086.
Between June 2, 2020, and November 18, 2020, 129 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to SoC (n = 42), Low-volume (n = 43) or High-volume (n = 44) CP. Donors presented a median titer of neutralizing antibodies of 1:320 (interquartile range, 1:160 to 1:1088). No evidence of any benefit of convalescent plasma was observed, with Bayesian estimate of 28-day clinical improvement of 72.7% (95%CI, 58.8 to 84.7) in the SoC versus 64.1% (95%ci, 53.8 to 73.7) in the pooled experimental groups (mean difference of -8.7%, 95%CI, -24.6 to 8.2). There was one case of cutaneous mild allergic reaction related to plasma transfusion and one case of suspected transfusion-related acute lung injury but deemed not to be related to convalescent plasma infusion.
In this prospective, randomized trial of adult hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19, convalescent plasma was not associated with clinical benefits.
Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo.
Offspring born to obese and diabetic mothers are prone to metabolic diseases, a phenotype that has been linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in oocytes. In ...addition, metabolic diseases impact the architecture and function of mitochondria-ER contact sites (MERCs), changes which associate with mitofusin 2 (MFN2) repression in muscle, liver and hypothalamic neurons. MFN2 is a potent modulator of mitochondrial metabolism and insulin signaling, with a key role in mitochondrial dynamics and tethering with the ER. Here, we investigated whether offspring born to mice with MFN2-deficient oocytes are prone to obesity and diabetes. Deletion of Mfn2 in oocytes resulted in a profound transcriptomic change, with evidence of impaired mitochondrial and ER function. Moreover, offspring born to females with oocyte-specific deletion of Mfn2 presented increased weight gain and glucose intolerance. This abnormal phenotype was linked to decreased insulinemia and defective insulin signaling, but not mitochondrial and ER defects in offspring liver and skeletal muscle. In conclusion, this study suggests a link between disrupted mitochondrial/ER function in oocytes and increased risk of metabolic diseases in the progeny. Future studies should determine whether MERC architecture and function are altered in oocytes from obese females, which might contribute toward transgenerational transmission of metabolic diseases.
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