The algae Ulva lactuca and Gracilaria parvispora are abundant in the Gulf of California, rich in nutrients, and may be used as a source of protein in balanced diets for shrimp. This study tests ...whether their meal, as a partial inclusion in diets for juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei, is feasible. Percentages of inclusion were 5, 10, and 15 %. Results showed that final weight, weight gain, and specific growth rate varied significantly among diets (P < 0.05). There were significant differences in growth among the trials of amount of inclusion of meal when using U. lactuca (P < 0.05), and no significant differences among the trials when using G. parvispora (P > 0.05). In general, better results were obtained when using G. parvispora compared with U. lactuca. When compared to the control diet (without inclusion), diets that included 10 and 15 % U. lactuca meal yielded a significantly lower growth (P < 0.05), but no significant differences were detected when using U. lactuca 5 % meal (P > 0.05), suggesting the feasibility of inclusion to this limited percentage. No significant differences were detected between the control and the three treatments with G. parvispora, suggesting the possibility of using higher percentages of inclusion. We conclude that both seaweeds may be used as a component in preparing feed for juvenile L. vannamei.
Plants and fungi use light and other signals to regulate development, growth, and metabolism. The fruiting bodies of the fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus are single cells that react to environmental ...cues, including light, but the mechanisms are largely unknown 1. The related fungus Mucor circinelloides is an opportunistic human pathogen that changes its mode of growth upon receipt of signals from the environment to facilitate pathogenesis 2. Understanding how these organisms respond to environmental cues should provide insights into the mechanisms of sensory perception and signal transduction by a single eukaryotic cell, and their role in pathogenesis. We sequenced the genomes of P. blakesleeanus and M. circinelloides and show that they have been shaped by an extensive genome duplication or, most likely, a whole-genome duplication (WGD), which is rarely observed in fungi 3–6. We show that the genome duplication has expanded gene families, including those involved in signal transduction, and that duplicated genes have specialized, as evidenced by differences in their regulation by light. The transcriptional response to light varies with the developmental stage and is still observed in a photoreceptor mutant of P. blakesleeanus. A phototropic mutant of P. blakesleeanus with a heterozygous mutation in the photoreceptor gene madA demonstrates that photosensor dosage is important for the magnitude of signal transduction. We conclude that the genome duplication provided the means to improve signal transduction for enhanced perception of environmental signals. Our results will help to understand the role of genome dynamics in the evolution of sensory perception in eukaryotes.
•We sequenced the genomes of fungi Mucor circinelloides and Phycomyces blakesleeanus•Extensive genomic duplications increased the number of genes for signal transduction•After duplication, genes specialized their transcriptional regulation by light•Genome duplications provided new components to improve sensory perception in fungi
Fungi use light and other signals to regulate development, but the mechanisms and origin are largely unknown. Corrochano et al. have found that a group of fungi has acquired new components for signal transduction pathways after extensive genomic duplication. The expanded gene repertoire allows an enhanced perception of environmental signals.
Corticosteroids are routinely given to children undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in an attempt to ameliorate the inflammatory response. Their use is still controversial ...and the decision to administer the intervention can vary by centre and/or by individual doctors within that centre.
This review is designed to assess the benefits and harms of prophylactic corticosteroids in children between birth and 18 years of age undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB.
We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase and Conference Proceedings Citation Index-Science in June 2020. We also searched four clinical trials registers and conducted backward and forward citation searching of relevant articles.
We included studies of prophylactic administration of corticosteroids, including single and multiple doses, and all types of corticosteroids administered via any route and at any time-point in the perioperative period. We excluded studies if steroids were administered therapeutically. We included individually randomised controlled trials (RCTs), with two or more groups (e.g. multi-drug or dose comparisons with a control group) but not 'head-to-head' trials without a placebo or a group that did not receive corticosteroids. We included studies in children, from birth up to 18 years of age, including preterm infants, undergoing cardiac surgery with the use of CPB. We also excluded studies in patients undergoing heart or lung transplantation, or both; studies in patients already receiving corticosteroids; in patients with abnormalities of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; and in patients given steroids at the time of cardiac surgery for indications other than cardiac surgery.
We used the Covidence systematic review manager to extract and manage data for the review. Two review authors independently assessed studies for inclusion, extracted data, and assessed risks of bias. We resolved disagreements by consensus or by consultation with a third review author. We assessed the certainty of evidence with GRADE.
We found 3748 studies, of which 888 were duplicate records. Two studies had the same clinical trial registration number, but reported different populations and interventions. We therefore included them as separate studies. We screened titles and abstracts of 2868 records and reviewed full text reports for 84 studies to determine eligibility. We extracted data for 13 studies. Pooled analyses are based on eight studies. We reported the remaining five studies narratively due to zero events for both intervention and placebo in the outcomes of interest. Therefore, the final meta-analysis included eight studies with a combined population of 478 participants. There was a low or unclear risk of bias across the domains. There was moderate certainty of evidence that corticosteroids do not change the risk of in-hospital mortality (five RCTs; 313 participants; risk ratio (RR) 0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.33 to 2.07) for children undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB. There was high certainty of evidence that corticosteroids reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation (six RCTs; 421 participants; mean difference (MD) 11.37 hours lower, 95% CI -20.29 to -2.45) after the surgery. There was high-certainty evidence that the intervention probably made little to no difference to the length of postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) stay (six RCTs; 421 participants; MD 0.28 days lower, 95% CI -0.79 to 0.24) and moderate-certainty evidence that the intervention probably made little to no difference to the length of the postoperative hospital stay (one RCT; 176 participants; mean length of stay 22 days; MD -0.70 days, 95% CI -2.62 to 1.22). There was moderate certainty of evidence for no effect of the intervention on all-cause mortality at the longest follow-up (five RCTs; 313 participants; RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.33 to 2.07) or cardiovascular mortality at the longest follow-up (three RCTs; 109 participants; RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.07 to 2.46). There was low certainty of evidence that corticosteroids probably make little to no difference to children separating from CPB (one RCT; 40 participants; RR 0.20, 95% CI 0.01 to 3.92). We were unable to report information regarding adverse events of the intervention due to the heterogeneity of reporting of outcomes. We downgraded the certainty of evidence for several reasons, including imprecision due to small sample sizes, a single study providing data for an individual outcome, the inclusion of both appreciable benefit and harm in the confidence interval, and publication bias.
Corticosteroids probably do not change the risk of mortality for children having heart surgery using CPB at any time point. They probably reduce the duration of postoperative ventilation in this context, but have little or no effect on the total length of postoperative ICU stay or total postoperative hospital stay. There was inconsistency in the adverse event outcomes reported which, consequently, could not be pooled. It is therefore impossible to provide any implications and policy-makers will be unable to make any recommendations for practice without evidence about adverse effects. The review highlighted the need for well-conducted RCTs powered for clinical outcomes to confirm or refute the effect of corticosteroids versus placebo in children having cardiac surgery with CPB. A core outcome set for adverse event reporting in the paediatric major surgery and intensive care setting is required.
The aim of the current study was to investigate the oral antidiabetic activity of six structurally related flavonoids: flavone (
1), 3-hydroxyflavone (
2), 6-hydroxyflavone (
3), 7-hydroxyflavone (
...4), chrysin (
5) and quercetin (
6). Normoglycemic and STZ-nicotinamide diabetic rats were treated with these flavonoids (50
mg/kg) and the hypoglycemic and antidiabetic effects in acute and sub acute (five days of treatment) experiments were determined. Compounds
1,
5 and
6 were found most active in both experiments in comparison with control group (
p
<
0.05). After five days of administration to STZ-nicotinamide diabetic rats, flavonoids induced a significantly diminishing of total cholesterol, TG and LDL and an augment of HDL compared with the control group (
p
<
0.05). The
in vitro inhibitory activity of the compounds against 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) was also evaluated. Quercetin, the most active compound, was docked into the crystal structure of 11β-HSD1. Docking results indicate potential hydrogen bond interactions with hydroxyl groups of catalytic amino acid residues.
Normoglycemic and STZ-nicotinamide induced diabetic rats were treated with flavone (
1), 3-hydroxyflavone (
2), 6-hydroxyflavone (
3), 7-hydroxyflavone (
4), chrysin (
5) and quercetin (
6) (50
mg/kg). Compounds
1,
5 and
6 were found most active in both experiments in comparison with control group (
p
<
0.05).
Display omitted
N-(6-Substituted-1,3-benzothiazol-2-yl)benzenesulfonamide derivatives
1–
8 were synthesized and evaluated for their in vivo antidiabetic activity in a non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus rat ...model. Several compounds synthesized showed significant lowering of plasma glucose level in this model. As a possible mode of action, the compounds were in vitro evaluated as 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) inhibitors. The most active compounds (
3 and
4) were docked into the crystal structure of 11β-HSD1. Docking results indicate potential hydrogen bond interactions with catalytic amino acid residues.
The aim of the current study was to investigate the oral antidiabetic activity of six structurally related flavonoids: flavone (1), 3-hydroxyflavone (2), 6-hydroxyflavone (3), 7-hydroxyflavone (4), ...chrysin (5) and quercetin (6). Normoglycemic and STZ-nicotinamide diabetic rats were treated with these flavonoids (50 mg/kg) and the hypoglycemic and antidiabetic effects in acute and sub acute (five days of treatment) experiments were determined. Compounds 1, 5 and 6 were found most active in both experiments in comparison with control group (p<0.05). After five days of administration to STZ-nicotinamide diabetic rats, flavonoids induced a significantly diminishing of total cholesterol, TG and LDL and an augment of HDL compared with the control group (p<0.05). The in vitro inhibitory activity of the compounds against 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1) was also evaluated. Quercetin, the most active compound, was docked into the crystal structure of 11beta-HSD1. Docking results indicate potential hydrogen bond interactions with hydroxyl groups of catalytic amino acid residues.
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