1. The objective of this study was to determine muscle structure and gene expression in pectoralis major (p. major) muscle of broilers in response to deep pectoral myopathy (DPM) induction.
2. A ...total of 160 chickens from slow- and fast-growing broilers were raised under same conditions. Half of the broilers from each strain were encouraged to wing flap when they reached 2800 g body weight. Pectoralis minor (p. minor) muscle of the broilers was inspected for the occurrence of DPM and p. major samples were collected from broilers with or without DPM. The muscle fibre area and number, capillary number and the signalling pathways of vascular development (vascular endothelial growth factor A, VEGFA) and muscle contraction regulation (actin alpha 1, ACTA1; myosin light chain kinase 2, MYLK2 and ATPase Ca
+2
transporting gene 1, ATP2A1) were studied in p. major muscle.
3. DPM induction increased fibre area of p. major muscle with a greater rate in the slow-growing strain compared with fast-growing line. Although the capillary number was higher in slow-growing compared with fast-growing broilers, in the case of DPM induction, the number of capillaries was similar between strains.
4. Expression of VEGFA, MYLK2 and ATP2A1 was greater in slow- than in fast-growing broilers. DPM induction increased expression of ACTA1, VEGFA and ATP2A1 in p. major muscle of broilers from both strains; however, MYLK2 expression was downregulated.
5. Changes in capillary density and expression of VEGFA found in the p. major muscle of broilers with DPM suggest increased blood flow to increase oxygen availability. The upregulation of ATP2A1 by DPM induction could be attributable to alterations in calcium ion transportation from the cytoplasm into the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
6. The results are evidence of changes in muscle structure and gene expression pathways in p. major muscle of broilers with DPM.
Background: Chronic liver disease may be reversed through treatment, and it is crucial to have a definitive diagnosis of liver fibrosis for this treatment. Aims: In this study, we aimed to determine ...whether regression of liver fibrosis in naive patients undergoing strong antiviral therapy is reflected in noninvasive tests. Materials and Methods: We systematically reviewed and monitored medical records of patients with chronic hepatitis B who underwent liver biopsy for patient qualification. We selected patients with a liver fibrosis score of two or more who had not previously received antiviral treatment. We used previously described formulas to compute the indirect indicators of fibrosis for the patients and noted the values of Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio (AAR), age-platelet index (API), fibrosis index-based 4 factor (FIB-4), AST-platelet ratio index (APRI), mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet count (PLT). Results: We found a significant difference between the three measurements for APRI, AAR and FIB-4 scores and MPV and PLT distributions in patients who were administered entecavir and tenofovir (Friedman P < 0.05). In the post-hoc binary comparison for both entecavir and tenofovir, we found significant differences between the baseline measurements and the 3rd- and 5th-year measurements in terms of APRI, AAR, FIB-4, MPV, and PLT. Conclusion: Liver biopsy is considered the gold standard for the treatment and follow-up of hepatitis B but may not be appropriate in all cases. Non-invasive tests may be effective in monitoring antiviral therapy. We demonstrated that non-invasive tests improved with antiviral therapy, which may be a reflection of treatment-regression in liver histopathology.
1. Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of slaughter weight on the incidence and intensity of deep pectoral myopathy (DPM) of M. pectoralis minor (p. minor muscle) in commercial ...conditions in Turkey and to evaluate the impact of DPM on meat quality traits of pectoralis major (p. major) muscle in broilers.
2. In Experiment 1, a total of 116 250 carcasses from 59 Ross-308 broiler flocks, classified according to slaughter weight as 2.0-2.2, 2.2-2.4, 2.4-2.6 and >2.6 kg, were evaluated for occurrence of DPM. In Experiment 2, p. major samples from unaffected broilers and each DPM stage were evaluated for meat quality, oxidant and antioxidant properties, nutritional value and fatty acid profile. DPM was characterised as 1: muscles with coagulative necrosis, 2: muscles with fibrous tissue texture and pink to plumb and 3: muscles with green necrotic area.
3. The average incidence of DPM was found to be 0.73% in Experiment 1 and independent of slaughter weight.
4. In Experiment 2, p. major muscle of broilers with DPM 1 and 2 had higher pH values with higher redness and drip loss. All DPM stages resulted in an increase in lipid content and malondialdehyde activity and lowered ash content of p. major muscle compared with unaffected birds. DPM 2 increased superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities in M. p. major. The p. major of broilers with DPM had lower content of C18:2 conjugated linoleic and C20:3n-6 fatty acids than those of unaffected broilers. Lower Δ6 desaturase and thiosterase activities and 18:2n-6 to 18:3n-3 ratio were observed for all DPM stages compared to unaffected.
5. It was concluded that these changes obtained in p. major muscle of broilers with DPM might indicate biochemical characteristics of muscle degenerations.
Our aim was to evaluate the association between gestational diabetes mellitus and sonographically measured fetal epicardial fat thickness between 24-28 weeks' gestation. This was a cross-sectional ...study that included 40 pregnancies with gestational diabetes mellitus, matched with 40 normal pregnancies with similar maternal age, body-mass index, gestational age, fetal gender, and fetal abdominal circumference on ultrasound. Fetal epicardial fat thickness was measured and recorded during ultrasonography at 24-28 weeks of gestation. Maternal evaluation included measurement of maternal epicardial fat thickness, using echocardiography. Fetal and maternal epicardial fat thickness values were compared across the groups. Ultrasound views of fetal epicardial fat thickness were evaluated independently by 3 perinatology fellows to determine inter- and intra-observer variability. Partial and intraclass correlation analyses were used. Fetal and maternal epicardial fat thickness measurements were moderately correlated (r=0.63). Mean fetal and maternal epicardial fat thickness values were higher in gestational diabetes mellitus pregnancies (p=0.004 and p<0.0001, respectively) compared to controls. Fetal epicardial fat thickness was positively correlated (r=0.43) with postchallenge 2-h glucose values. Inter- and intra-observer agreement was high, demonstrated by strong correlations (r=0.99 and r=0.99, respectively) across fetal epicardial fat thickness measurements of the examiners. Fetuses from gestational diabetes mellitus pregnancies have significantly higher fetal and maternal epicardial fat thickness values compared to nongestational diabetes mellitus pregnancies. Fetal epicardial fat thickness obtained during second trimester fetal anatomy ultrasound may potentially be a reliable indicator for gestational diabetes mellitus. However, clinical validation studies are needed.
Melamine contamination is a recent public health problem emerging globally. Present study aimed to detect the rate of melamine presence in human milk in a cohort study and to evaluate any possible ...differences in maternal–infant pair characteristics such as breastfeeding status, crying and sleep problems of infants, maternal postpartum depression, maternal–infant bonding, infant and maternal anthropometry, and maternal complete blood count caused by the melamine exposure. Mothers of infants born in Şanlıurfa were invited to participate in ‘Urfa Child Cohort Survey’. Overall, two breast milk samples were taken between 5 days and 15 days postpartum and between 4 weeks and 10 weeks. Randox Food’s InfiniPlex array was used to analyse the presence of melamine. Melamine was detected in 32.2% and 24.4% of the first and the second milk samples; 16.7% of mothers had two positive samples. z Scores for birth weight and z scores for height for age were detected to be significantly lower in cases with two positive samples compared to cases with negative samples. Mean maternal white blood cells counts were found to be lower in cases with repeated melamine contact. Melamine might have a detrimental effect on birth weight, infant height and maternal blood count. Further studies should be done to detect environmental contamination in different regions and countries.
In this work 2-(bis(cyanomethyl)amino)-2-oxoethyl methacrylate (CMA2OEM) molecule has been characterized theoretically. First, the potential energy surface has been calculated to find the lowest ...energy state of the molecule. After the most stable state of the molecule, Mulliken atomic charge and nonlinear-optical properties were investigated. Also in the study, binding poses of CMA2OEM molecule and anti-apoptotic proteins, such as BCL-2, BCL-w, MCL-1, AKT1 and BRAF were investigated. The molecular docking results showed that the most stable complex was obtained with this molecule and BRAF protein. The molecular docking results showed that the most stable complex was obtained with this molecule and serine/threonine-protein kinase protein. This study suggested that molecular docking approach may be a potential tool to identify the hydrogen bond interactions in order to treat a disease. Finally, this new ligand could pave the way to experimental studies.
: Coronavirus disease is a highly contagious disease caused by systemic acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 with high mortality rates. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum D-dimer ...levels and tomography findings at the time of admission in patients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study included 94 patients, 48 women (51%) and 46 men (49%), diagnosed by PCR method. Patients without any suspicious findings on thorax tomography and having oxygen saturation above 90% at the time of presentation were included as the first group. Patients with suspicious tomography findings but having oxygen saturation above 90% were designed as the second group, and patients with both suspicious tomography findings for COVID-19 and low oxygen saturation levels (<90%) at the time of admission were taken as the third group. Patients with oxygen desaturation were significantly older than the patients with normal oxygen saturations (P = 0.001). Patients with thorax tomography findings were having significantly higher D-dimer levels (P = 0.001). Patients with oxygen desaturation were having significantly higher D-dimer levels than the patients with normal oxygen saturations (P = 0.001). There was a significant negative correlation between oxygen saturation and D-dimer levels in all patients with and without tomography findings (r = -0.301, P = 0.016). Similarly, there was a significant positive correlation between the oxygen saturation and the lymphocyte count (r = 0.300, P < 0.017). Thorax tomography and D-dimer levels significantly correlate in patients with suspected COVID-19 admission. It should be kept in mind that patients with low oxygen saturation and high D-dimer levels may have serious lung involvement.
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