scholarly journals Evaluation of Inner Exposure of Horses to Zearalenone (ZEN), Deoxynivalenol (DON) and Their Metabolites in Relation to Colic and Health-Related Clinical-Chemical Traits

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 588
Author(s):  
Sven Dänicke ◽  
Janine Saltzmann ◽  
Wendy Liermann ◽  
Maren Glatter ◽  
Liane Hüther ◽  
...  

Mycotoxin contaminated feed has been associated with colic of horses caused by intestinal disorders. Whether such disease conditions alter the intestinal toxin metabolism and transfer across a compromised mucosal barrier is unknown. A screening approach was used to relate blood residue levels of DON, ZEN and their metabolites to the status of the horses (sick vs. healthy). A total of 55 clinically healthy horses from 6 different farms with varying feeding background served as control for sick horses (N = 102) hospitalized due to colic. ZEN, alpha-zearalenol (ZEL), beta-ZEL and DON were detectable in peripheral blood as indicators for the inner exposure with significant farm effects for alpha- and beta-ZEL. However, the levels in sick horses were similar to all farms. Moreover, the proportion of beta-ZEL of all detected ZEN metabolites as an indicator for the degree of metabolism of ZEN was not different for sick horses but differed amongst the control farms. Although the incidence of DON in blood was generally low and not significantly different amongst healthy and sick horses, the positive samples were nearly exclusively found in sick horses suggesting either a higher toxin transfer, an association of DON with the development of colic or a different feeding background.

10.2196/14826 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. e14826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuzhi Wang ◽  
Zhuoxin Wang ◽  
Weiwei Sun ◽  
Xiumu Yang ◽  
Zhiwei Bian ◽  
...  

Background As representatives of health information communication platforms accessed through mobile phones and mobile terminals, health-related WeChat public accounts (HWPAs) have a large consumer base in the Chinese-speaking world. However, there is still a lack of general understanding of the status quo of HWPAs and the quality of the articles they release. Objective The aims of this study were to assess the conformity of HWPAs to the Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode) and to evaluate the suitability of articles disseminated by HWPAs. Methods The survey was conducted from April 23 to May 5, 2019. Based on the monthly (March 1-31, 2019) WeChat Index provided by Qingbo Big Data, the top 100 HWPAs were examined to evaluate their HONcode compliance. The first four articles published by each HWPA on the survey dates were selected as samples to evaluate their suitability. All materials were assessed by three raters. The materials were assessed using the HONcode checklist and the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) score sheet. Data analysis was performed with SPSS version 17.0 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA) and Excel version 2013 (Microsoft Inc, Washington DC, USA). Results A total of 93 HWPAs and 210 of their released articles were included in this study. For six of the eight principles, the 93 HWPAs nearly consistently did not meet the requirements of the HONcode. The HWPAs certified by Tencent Corporation (66/93, 71%) were generally slightly superior to those without such certification (27/93, 29%) in terms of compliance with HONcode principles. The mean SAM score for the 210 articles was 67.72 (SD 10.930), which indicated “adequate” suitability. There was no significant difference between the SAM scores of the articles published by certified and uncertified HWPAs (P=.07), except in the literacy requirements dimension (tdf=97=–2.418, P=.02). Conclusions The HWPAs had low HONcode conformity. Although the suitability of health information released by HWPAs was at a moderate level, there were still problems identified, such as difficulty in tracing information sources, excessive implicit advertisements, and irregular usage of charts. In addition, the low approval requirements of HWPAs were not conducive to improvement of their service quality.


2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 286-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Matveeva ◽  
L Kovalevska ◽  
I Kholodnyuk ◽  
T Ivanivskaya ◽  
E Kashuba

Aim: To study the status of the tumor growth factor beta (TGFB) pathway in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells and to uncover molecular details underlying CLL cell genesis. Objects and Methods: The study was conducted on peripheral blood samples of patients with CLL using the following methods: RNA isolation, analysis of expression of transcription factors using RT2 profiler assay, bioinformatics analysis of publicly available data bases on expression. Results: We have shown that the TGFB — SMAD canonical pathway is not active in CLL cells. SMAD-responsive genes, such as BCL2L1 (BCL-XL), CCND2 (Cyclin D2), and MYC, are down-regulated in CLL cells compared with peripheral blood B cells of healthy donors. Conclusions: The TGFB-mediated signaling is not active in CLL cells due to low (or absent) expression of SMAD1, -4, -5, -9, and ATF-3. Expression and phosphorylation status of SMAD2 and -3 should be further elucidated in the future studies.


2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-125
Author(s):  
Dongwon Seo ◽  
Hee-Bok Park ◽  
Nuri Choi ◽  
Shil Jin ◽  
Kang-Nyeong Heo ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelnaser Zalan ◽  
Ahmad Sheikh-Muhammad ◽  
Mohammad Khatib ◽  
Rajech Sharkia

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is considered one of the main causes of mortality, morbidity, and health care expenditures. Effectively treating this disease is of crucial importance and imposes a global challenge. The incidence of Type 2 DM (T2DM) is rapidly rising in both developing and developed countries. The Arab community in Israel is a distinct ethnic group with unique characteristics. Recently, this community has undergone major changes in its lifestyle, adopting the Westernized one, which could have caused an increase in the T2DM incidence rate. Objective: This review aims to shed light on various studies undertaken to explore the prevalence of diabetes and determine its current status in the Arab society of Israel, resting on previous and current data. It is presented to highlight the status of diabetes globally and to focus on its current situation in the Arab society of Israel, attempting to forecast its direction in the upcoming decade. Methods: Data were obtained from our previous comprehensive socio-economic and health cross-sectional surveys for successive periods from 2004 to 2017. These surveys were conducted on the Arab society of Israel by the Galilee Society. Results: Our results showed a progressive increase in the prevalence of T2DM from 3.4% to 7.6% in the Arab society of Israel. This trend is expected to continue rising in the coming decade, and based on our predictions, may exceed 12% in 2030. Conclusion: Substantial and practical health-related actions must be initiated to prevent an increasing number of adults from developing diabetes and its complications.


Blood ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 90 (12) ◽  
pp. 4865-4875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan J. Young ◽  
Wendy L. Marston ◽  
Mark Dessing ◽  
Lisbeth Dudler ◽  
Wayne R. Hein

Abstract The continual recirculation of lymphocytes between the blood, tissues, and lymph is essential for the coordination and dissemination of immune responses. We have compared the functional and phenotypic properties of lymphocytes isolated from blood and lymph, the two major migratory populations. Lymph-borne lymphocytes migrated readily into the lymphatic recirculation pathway, but greater than one third of all peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) were excluded from the lymphatic circuit and showed an enhanced migration to the spleen. Phenotypic analysis showed that most non-recirculating PBLs were B cells. The migration competence of B cells correlated with the surface expression of CD21 and L-selectin; recirculating B cells expressed both of these molecules, whereas non-recirculating B cells lacked both antigens. These results establish that blood contains distinct pools of lymphocytes that differ in their recirculation competence. Clearly, blood sampling is not an efficient method to directly measure the status of the recirculating immune system, and implies important constraints and restrictions in the interpretation of experimental or clinical data that include phenotypic and quantitative analyses of blood lymphocytes.


Scientifica ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Mohammed Al-Hariri ◽  
Bander Aldhafery

Background. Hypertension (HTN) and osteoporosis (OP) are common diseases that adversely affect the health-related quality of life among the elderly. However, there is a scarcity of literature on the association between HTN and OP. Objective. The aims of this study were to investigate the association between HTN and antihypertensive drugs (AHT), with bone mineral density (BMD) T-scores, as well as to determine the status of bone quality in Saudi Arabia. Method. A retrospective study was conducted at King Fahd Hospital of the University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia, during 2016 to 2018. BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). T-score values were used for the diagnosis of osteoporosis. HTN diagnosis and medications, laboratory, and radiology results were collected from the hospital record system. Results. Out of 1332 extracted profiles, 1103 (82.8%) were females. Based on the T-score, the majority of patients either had osteopenia (41.1%) or was osteoporotic (27.8%). The present study found that there is a significant increase in serum lipids and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the osteoporotic group when compared with normal and osteopenia groups. Furthermore, it was found that ALP and Ca levels were significant predictors for OP. Pearson’s correlation test revealed a significant negative correlation between HTN and BMD T-score. However, the study reported a nonsignificant association between AHT and BMD T-score. Conclusion. We conclude that controlling both HTN and dyslipidemia might improve bone health. Every osteoporotic patient should be screened for dyslipidemia. Early detection and appropriate management for OP are highly recommended in Saudi Arabia, especially amongst the high-risk group.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rolf D. J. Nestby

Prunus padus L. (bird cherry) belongs to the Racemosa group in subgenus Padus in the genus Prunus L. It is a hardy invasive species, which makes it valuable for securing slopes, and for eco-design. It is a good solitary park tree with early flowering of white flowers in racemes, which have a pleasant smell. However, it may be attacked by cherry-oat aphid, and the small ermine moth, which may weave giant webs over the whole tree, which demonstrates the important role of P. padus in the food web of forest ecosystems. The species is in balance with these pests, other herbivores and diseases throughout Europe and Asia. Another threat is the competition against the invasive P. serotina, but it seems that P. padus is not strongly threatened, though they compete for the same habitats. Moreover, human interference of forest community ecology is probably the greatest threat. The tree is not only winter hardy; it can also survive hot summers and tolerate a wide variety of soil types. It may form dense thickets due to the regeneration of branches bent to the ground and basal shoots, and may be invasive. These characteristics are important in determining the ecological niche of P. padus, which involves the position of the species within an ecosystem, comprising both its habitat requirements and the functional role. It is also important that P. padus has effective dispersal of pollen and seeds. This, together with the previously noted characteristics and the fact that the tree can cope well with climate change, define it as a not threatened species. However, the ssp. borealis is threatened and national level monitoring is required. Prunus padus has been exploited by farmers and rural population, but is less used today. However, it is still used for making syrup, jam and liquor. Moreover, the wood is valuable for wood carving and making cabinets. All tissues are valuable as sources of powerful natural antioxidants. However, the interest in the P. padus fruit and other tissues is overshadowed by the interest in other wild species of edible and human health-related berries. Moreover, the tree is used in horticulture as an ornamental in gardens and parks, values that deserve a new focus.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingdi Zhang ◽  
Xiaojing Zhao ◽  
Yunjuan Zhu ◽  
Jingjing Ma ◽  
Haiqin Ma ◽  
...  

Bifico is a probiotic mixture containing Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Enterococcus. Studies support that Bifico has a protective effect in experimental colitis (IL-10-deficient and TNBS) models and in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the mechanism underlying the protective effects of this mixture of probiotic bacteria remains incompletely clear. Here, we investigated the effect of Bifico on intestinal inflammation. In an in vivo experiment, dextran sulfate sodium was used to induce colitis. Bifico treatment significantly attenuated the severity of colitis in this model. Bifico increased the expression of tight junction proteins (TJs). In addition, Bifico increased the number of Tregs, but reduced the number of total CD4+ T cells in the peripheral blood. Furthermore, the expression of colonic CD4 protein was decreased while the level of forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) was upregulated. These results suggested that Bifico exerts beneficial effects on experimental colitis by increasing the expressions of TJs, upregulating the number of Tregs, and reducing the total CD4+ T cell number in both colon and peripheral blood. The intestinal damage in the pretreated + treated-Bifico-colitis group was more severe than that in only the pretreated-Bifico-colitis group. This suggested that Bifico might aggravate intestinal damage when the mucosal barrier is impaired.


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