Obesity-induced diabetes is associated with low-grade inflammation in adipose tissue and macrophage infiltration of islets. We show that ablation of galectin-3 (Gal-3), a galactoside-binding lectin, ...accelerates high-fat diet-induced obesity and diabetes. Obese LGALS3(-/-) mice have increased body weight, amount of total visceral adipose tissue (VAT), fasting blood glucose and insulin levels, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and markers of systemic inflammation compared with diet-matched wild-type (WT) animals. VAT of obese LGALS3(-/-) mice exhibited increased incidence of type 1 T and NKT lymphocytes and proinflammatory CD11c(+)CD11b(+) macrophages and decreased CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells and M2 macrophages. Pronounced mononuclear cell infiltrate, increased expression of NLRP3 inflammasome and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in macrophages, and increased accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and receptor for AGE (RAGE) expression were present in pancreatic islets of obese LGALS3(-/-) animals accompanied with elevated phosphorylated nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 and mature caspase-1 protein expression in pancreatic tissue and VAT. In vitro stimulation of LGALS3(-/-) peritoneal macrophages with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and saturated fatty acid palmitate caused increased caspase-1-dependent IL-1β production and increased phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 compared with WT cells. Transfection of LGALS3(-/-) macrophages with NLRP3 small interfering RNA attenuated IL-1β production in response to palmitate and LPS plus palmitate. Obtained results suggest important protective roles for Gal-3 in obesity-induced inflammation and diabetes.
Backgroud
The presence of PCV3 genome has been detected in pigs affected by different clinical and pathological conditions as well as in healthy animals. Its presence has been reported in many ...countries of North and South America, Asia and Europe. However, there is no evidence of the presence and genetic characteristics of PCV3 in many European countries and especially the countries of the Balkan Peninsula.
Purpose
The major objective of this study was to investigate the presence and obtain further genetic characterization of PCV-3 in the pig populations in Serbia.
Methods
To demonstrate the presence of PCV-3 DNA a conventional PCR assay was performed. The samples where no PCR product was observed (n=32), were further tested with a real-time PCR assay. The six PCR samples that were strongly positive for PCV-3 were subjected to amplification and sequencing of their entire cap genes and complete viral genome.
Results
We report on the first identification, genetic diversity and potential association in pathogenesis of some systemic and respiratory swine diseases of PCV-3 in Serbia.
Conclusion
The results imply that PCV-3 circulates widely in the pig population and has a high similarity with previously reported isolates. Detected PCV-3 can be associated with some swine systemic and respiratory diseases but these associations are strongly influenced by the clinical or pathological condition of the animals. Our findings demonstrate that there are certain PCV-3 loads in pigs suffering from active PRRSV infection, Glässer’s disease, APP pleuropneumonia, pneumonic pasteurellosis and PRDC; however, the significance of this viral load, as well as the mechanism by which PCV-3 may act as a secondary agent in aggravating the severity during co-infections of these pathogens, requires further research.
This case study describes the presence of a deer ked (Lipoptena cervi, Linnaeus, 1758) in the Balkan chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica) from the area of the National Park „Sutjeska“, Bosnia and ...Herzegovina (B&H). This is the first finding of this ectoparasite in this animal species in B&H, which indicates that deer ked has significant adaptive abilities to different animal hosts.
The first finding of a deer ked in the Balkan Chamois – The new adaptation. Display omitted
•The first finding of deer ked in Balkan chamois in Bosnia and Herzegovina.•New adaptation in host strategy?•National park observation study.
Therapy of bacterial urinary tract infections (UTIs) and catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) is still a great challenge because of the resistance of bacteria to nowadays used ...antibiotics and encrustation of catheters. Bacterial cellulose (BC) as a biocompatible material with a high porosity allows incorporation of different materials in its three dimensional network structure. In this work a low molecular weight chitosan (Chi) polymer is incorporated in BC with different concentrations. Different characterization techniques are used to investigate structural and optical properties of these composites. Radical scavenging activity test shows moderate antioxidant activity of these biocompatible composites whereas
in vitro
release test shows that 13.3% of chitosan is released after 72 h. Antibacterial testing of BC-Chi composites conducted on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria causing UTIs and CAUTIs (
Escherichia coli
,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
,
Klebsiella pneumoniae
) and encrustation (
Proteus mirabilis
) show bactericidal effect. The morphology analysis of bacteria after the application of BC-Chi shows that they are flattened with a rough surface, with a tendency to agglomerate and with decreased length and width. All obtained results show that BC-Chi composites might be considered as potential biomedical agents in treatment of UTIs and CAUTIs and as a urinary catheter coating in encrustation prevention.
Bacterial cellulose-chitosan composite with antibacterial and moderate antioxidant activity for potential UTI/CAUTI treatment and catheter coating in encrustation prevention.
In this study, nanochitosan dots (ChiDs) were synthesized using gamma rays and encapsulated in bacterial cellulose (BC) polymer matrix for antibiofilm potential in photodynamic therapy. The ...composites were analyzed for structural changes using SEM, AFM, FTIR, XRD, EPR, and porosity measurements. Additionally, ChiD release was assessed. The results showed that the chemical composition remained unaltered, but ChiD agglomerates embedded in BC changed shape (1.5-2.5 µm). Bacterial cellulose fibers became deformed and interconnected, with increased surface roughness and porosity and decreased crystallinity. No singlet oxygen formation was observed, and the total amount of released ChiD was up to 16.10%. Antibiofilm activity was higher under green light, with reductions ranging from 48 to 57% under blue light and 78 to 85% under green light. Methicillin-resistant
was the most sensitive strain. The new photoactive composite hydrogels show promising potential for combating biofilm-related infections.
: We aimed to single out admission predictors of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and investigate the role of bioelectrical impedance (BIA) measurements in ...ARDS development.
: An observational, prospective cohort study was conducted on 407 consecutive COVID-19 patients hospitalized at the University Clinical Center Kragujevac between September 2021 and March 2022. Patients were followed during the hospitalization, and ARDS was observed as a primary endpoint. Body composition was assessed using the BMI, body fat percentage (BF%), and visceral fat (VF) via BIA. Within 24 h of admission, patients were sampled for blood gas and laboratory analysis.
: Patients with BMI above 30 kg/m
, very high BF%, and/or very high VF levels were at a significantly higher risk of developing ARDS compared to nonobese patients (OR: 4.568, 8.892, and 2.448, respectively). In addition, after performing multiple regression analysis, six admission predictors of ARDS were singled out: (1) very high BF (aOR 8.059), (2) SaO
< 87.5 (aOR 5.120), (3) IL-6 > 59.75 (aOR 4.089), (4) low lymphocyte count (aOR 2.880), (5) female sex (aOR 2.290), and (6) age < 68.5 (aOR 1.976).
: Obesity is an important risk factor for the clinical deterioration of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. BF%, assessed through BIA measuring, was the strongest independent predictor of ARDS in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Nowadays, it is a great challenge to develop new medicines for treating various infectious diseases. The treatment of these diseases is of utmost interest to further prevent the development of ...multi-drug resistance in different pathogens. Carbon quantum dots, as a new member of the carbon nanomaterials family, can potentially be used as a highly promising visible-light-triggered antibacterial agent. In this work, the results of antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of gamma-ray-irradiated carbon quantum dots are presented. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were synthesized from citric acid by a pyrolysis procedure and irradiated by gamma rays at different doses (25, 50, 100 and 200 kGy). Structure, chemical composition and optical properties were investigated by atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectrometry and photoluminescence. Structural analysis showed that CQDs have a spherical-like shape and dose-dependent average diameters and heights. Antibacterial tests showed that all irradiated dots had antibacterial activity but CQDs irradiated with dose of 100 kGy had antibacterial activity against all seven pathogen-reference bacterial strains. Gamma-ray-modified CQDs did not show any cytotoxicity toward human fetal-originated MRC-5 cells. Moreover, fluorescence microscopy showed excellent cellular uptake of CQDs irradiated with doses of 25 and 200 kGy into MRC-5 cells.
Background
Published data regarding the impact of obesity on COVID-19 outcomes are inconsistent. However, in most studies, body composition was assessed using body mass index (BMI) alone, thus ...neglecting the presence and distribution of adipose tissue. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the impact of body and visceral fat on COVID-19 outcomes.
Methods
Observational, prospective cohort study included 216 consecutive COVID-19 patients hospitalized at University Clinical Center Kragujevac (Serbia) from October to December 2021. Body composition was assessed using the BMI, body fat percentage (%BF), and visceral fat (VF)
via
bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). In addition to anthropometric measurements, variables in the research were socio-demographic and medical history data, as well as admission inflammatory biomarkers. Primary end-points were fatal outcomes and intensive care unit (ICU) admission.
Results
The overall prevalence of obesity was 39.3% according to BMI and 50.9% according to % BF, while 38.4% of patients had very high VF levels. After adjusting odds ratio values for cofounding variables and obesity-related conditions, all three anthropometric parameters were significant predictors of primary end-points. However, we note that % BF and VF, compared to BMI, were stronger predictors of both mortality (aOR 3.353, aOR 3.05, and aOR 2.387, respectively) and ICU admission adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 7.141, aOR 3.424, and aOR 3.133, respectively.
Conclusion
Obesity is linked with COVID-19 mortality and ICU admission, with BIA measurements being stronger predictors of outcome compared to BMI use alone.
Outage Analysis of Mixed FSO/WiMAX Link Zdravkovic, Nemanja; Petkovic, Milica I.; Djordjevic, Goran T. ...
IEEE photonics journal,
02/2016, Volume:
8, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
In this paper, we study the outage performance of a complex system consisting of a free-space optical (FSO)/radio-frequency (RF) link. Using radio over free-space optics technology, the FSO link ...carries Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) signals from a core network to a WiMAX base station, delivering traffic to multiple end RF users. A novel closed-form analytical expression for overall outage probability is derived when M-ary phase-shift keying (M-PSK) and M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM) are applied. The analysis is performed when the FSO link is under the influence of the Gamma-Gamma turbulence, path loss, and misalignment between the transmitter and receiver apertures, and the RF part is influenced by the Gamma-shadowed Nakagami-m multipath fading. To illustrate the usefulness of the derived expressions, we present some numerical results that enable us to estimate the effects of different transceiver and channel parameters on the outage probability. The results are used for optimizing the transmitter laser beam radius at the waist to achieve the minimal overall outage probability in the case of different conditions over the RF part. The numerical and simulation results show that multipath fading severity and shadowing spread over the RF part have a significant effect on the optimal value of the laser beam waist and can decrease the overall outage probability for several orders of magnitude.
•Pyrantel, morantel and bephenium induce dose-dependent contractions of the neuromuscular flaps of A. suum.•In A. suum, carvacrol 100 μM decreased the Emax of pyrantel, morantel and bephenium with ...EC50 ratio of 3.43, 2.95 and 2.47.•In A. suum, carvacrol 300 u M reduced the Emax of pyrantel, morantel and bephenium with EC50 ratio of 3.88, 3.19 and 4.83.•Carvacrol enhances the inhibitory effect of monepantel on contractions of A. suum.•In the high doses/concentrations, carvacrol can interact with nicotinic receptors in mammals.
The neuromuscular system of parasitic nematodes has proven to be an efficient pharmacological target for antihelmintics. Some of the most frequently used antiparasitic drugs are agonists or antagonists of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). The antinematodal mechanism of action of carvacrol involves the inhibition of parasite muscle contraction. We have examined the interaction of carvacrol with antinematodal drugs that are agonists of different subtypes of nAChRs and monepantel, which is a non-competitive antagonist of this receptor in A. suum. Additionally, we investigated the effect of carvacrol on the muscle type of nAChRs in the mammalian host. As orthosteric agonists of nAChR, pyrantel, morantel and befinijum lead to dose-dependent contractions of the neuromuscular preparation of Ascaris suum. Carvacrol 100 μM decreased the Emax of pyrantel, morantel and bephenium by 29%, 39% and 12 %, 39 % and 12 % respectively. The EC50 ratio was 3.43, 2.95 and 2.47 for pyrantel, morantel and bephinium, respectively. Carvacrol 300 u μM reduces the Emax of pyrantel, morantel and bephenium by 71%, 80% and 75 %, 80 % and 75 % respectively. The EC50 ratio for pyrantel, morantel and bephenium was 3.88, 3.19 and 4.83 respectively. Furthermore, carvacrol enhances the inhibitory effect of monepantel on A. suum contractions, which may have an effective clinical application. On the other hand, tested concentrations of carvacrol did not significantly affect the EFS-induced contractions of the rat diaphragm, indicating a lack of interaction with the postsynaptic nAChR at the muscle end plate in mammals, but the highest concentration (300 μM) caused a clear tetanic fade. Carvacrol exhibited a time and dose-dependent effect on the Rota-rod performances of rats with a high value of the ED50 (421.6 mg/kg). In our research, carvacrol dominantly exhibited characteristics of a non-competitive antagonist of nAChR in A. suum, and enhances the inhibitory effect of monepantel. The combination of monepantel and carvacrol may be clinically very effective, and the carvacrol molecule itself can be used as a promising platform for the development of new anthelmintic drugs.
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