TRYPANOSOMA VIVAX IN NIGERIAN GOATS: EFFECT OF CHEMOTHERAPY OF SERUM CONSTITUENTS OF RED SOKOTO BUCKS

The effect of trypanosome infection on serum protein and electrolyte levels was studied in Red Sokoto goats inoculated with Trypanosoma vivax and treated, during the course of the infection, with Berenil (diminazene aceturate), Samorin (isometamidium chloride) and Novidiurh (homidium chloride). During the infection total protein, albumin and albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio decreased significantly (P<0.05) while the globulin fraction and calcium increased progressively. Chloride concentration was elevated by the third week post infection and, despite treat met, by the sixth week. Untreated animals died within five to six weeks of patent infection showing terminal hypoproteinemia of 23.6% Treatment abolished trypanosomaemia within 48 hours and reversed the effect of the infection by the second or third week post drug administration. There were slight but insignificant differences in the levels of the parameters monitored in the different drug-treated groups However, four weeks post treatment pre infection levels of total protein and albumin, were not achieved by Berenil nor was therapy associated with modulation of the calcium and chloride concentrations to pre infection levels

Electrophoretic α1-globulin for screening of α1-antitrypsin deficient variants

BackgroundAvailable screening procedures for the detection of α1-antitrypsin-deficient (AATD) mutations have suboptimal cost-effectiveness ratios. The aim in this study was to evaluate and compare the viability of a composite approach, primarily based on the α1-globulin fraction, in identifying AAT genetic analysis eligible patients against standard screening procedures, based on clinically compatible profiling and circulating AAT < 1 g/L.MethodsA total of 21,094 subjects were screened for AATD and deemed eligible when meeting one of these criteria: α1-globulin ≤2.6%; α1-globulin 2.6%–2.9% and AST: >37 U/L and ALT: > 78 U/L; α1-globulin %: 2.9–4.6% and AST: >37 U/L and ALT: >78 U/L and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) >34 mm/h and C-reactive protein (CRP) >3 mg/L. Subjects were genotyped for the AAT gene mutation. Detection rates, including those of the rarest variants, were compared with results from standard clinical screenings. Siblings of mutated subjects were included in the study, and their results compared.ResultsEighty-two subjects were identified. Among these, 51.2% were found to carry some Pi*M variant versus 15.9% who were clinically screened. The detection rates of the screening, including relatives, were: 50.5% for the proposed algorithm and 18.9% for the clinically-based screening. Pi*M variant prevalence in the screened population was in line with previous studies. Interestingly, 46% of subjects with Pi*M variants had an AAT plasma level above the 1 g/L threshold.ConclusionsA composite algorithm primarily based on the α1-globulin fraction could effectively identify carriers of Pi*M gene mutation. This approach, not requiring clinical evaluation or AAT serum determination, seems suitable for clinical and epidemiological purposes.

Mechanical characteristics of buckwheat noodles made with blue-green alga, ishi-kurage (Nostoc commune Vauch.)

The present study was conducted to clarify the effect of a kind of blue-green algae, i.e., ishi-kurage , on the mechanical characteristics of buckwheat noodles. Mechanical analysis of buckwheat noodles with ishi-kurage showed that incorporation of ishi-kurage into buckwheat noodles enhanced breaking stress and energy. Sensory evaluation with human panels showed that buckwheat noodles with ishi-kurage were more preferred when compared with noodles without ishi-kurage. On the other hand, incorporation of ishi-kurage into buckwheat noodles enhanced decreased solubility of the albumin plus globulin fraction. The present study finding suggests that the endogenous protein may be an important factor responsible for the mechanical characteristic of buckwheat noodles with ishi-kurage.

Globulin fraction and albumin: globulin ratio as a predictor of mortality in a South African multiple myeloma cohort

Multiple myeloma, a hematological malignancy typified by the clonal expansion of bone marrow plasma cells, contributes to one percent of all malignancies worldwide. Despite myeloma only contributing to 10% of all hematological malignancies, it carries significant morbidity owing to its heterogenous presentation from orthopedic manifestations to renal sequelae. Patients with the disease can be risk stratified into high risk categories by the presence of various cytogenetic and other laboratory measures, albeit expensive. The albumin:globulin ratio and its inverse the globulin:albumin ratio is proposed as a means of predicting survival in this group of patients as a cheaper and more accessible marker of disease.

The influence of vitamin E and C feeding on protein content and ratios of its fractions in broiler chickens serum

Protein content and the ratio of its fractions were investigated in the serum of broiler chickens during the growing period with the addition of vitamins E and C to their ration. The investigations were performed in one of the farms in Lviv region on four groups of 100 broiler chickens in each, starting from 1- to 41-day-olds. Chickens in the control group received a standard ration, the first experimental diet with tocopherol acetate, the second experimental – ascorbic acid, and the third – a complex of these vitamins. Poultry research were conducted at different ages: 27-, 34-, and 41-day-olds. The content of common protein was determined in blood serum – biuret method and the range of soluble proteins – by vertical electrophoresis in plates of 7.5 % polyacrylamide gel. Conducted research have shown that the use of tocopherol acetate and ascorbic acid supplements to compound feed of broiler chickens caused a rise in serum total protein content. However, these changes were more pronounced in chickens with the combined use of vitamins E and C in all search periods (P < 0.05–0.01), and also in 11-day-old broilers (P < 0.05), who used ascorbic acid supplement. In the search of the ratio of protein fractions was ascertained an increase in the content of γ-globulin fraction in chickens from the search groups regarding controls at 11 and 27 days of age. Herewith the differences were likely to be in broiler chickens, who used the tocopherol acetate supplement. Instead, 11-day-old chicks in this group had a lower b-globulin fraction (P < 0.05). However, in the serum of chickens from the experimental groups regarding control at 41 days of age a significantly higher content of the α-globulin fraction was registered. In general, the results of the searches showed that additional introduction of tocopherol acetate and ascorbic acid to chickens ration has a stimulating influence on the processes of protein biosynthesis and immune function in the organism of chickens in the process of their growth. This influence was more expressed in chickens with the combined use of vitamins E and C.

Influence of dietary supplement on the biochemical indicators of pigs’ blood during nursery

It has been established that biologically active substances must be used at certain periods in the life of piglets and in certain dosages. The use of a probiotic based on bacteria of the Bacillus of the B. subtillus and B. amyloliquefaciens bacilli strains at a rate of 20 g per head from the 8th to the 28th and from the 35th to 90th days of life caused “overpopulation” of the body of young animals with bacteria. It led to the inhibition of biochemical blood parameters. This consisted in a decrease in the total amount of protein and γ-globulin fraction, and in an increase in the level of glucose in the blood of piglets by 2.1 and 2.6 mmol/L. Therefore, it led to a violation of protein and carbohydrate metabolism. Using a probiotic at the rate of 5 g per 1 head from the 8th to the 15th day, 10 g from the 24th to the 28th and from the 35th to the 90th day of life allowed improving the redox processes of the body.

STUDY OF TUMOR-ASSOCIATED MARKERS AND SOME BIOCHEMICAL INDICATORS IN MELANOCYTIC SKIN FORMATIONS

Objective. The purpose of the paper is to study and compare the level of tumor-associated proteins CD44 and S100, indicators of protein and lipid metabolism in melanocytic skin tumors. Materials and Methods. The authors examined 100 samples of 10 % homogenates of skin melanoma tissue, nevi, perifocal zone and resection line. CD44 and S100 levels were determined by enzyme immunoassay using standard test systems on a TECAN analyzer (Austria). The levels of total protein, cholesterol, triglycerides were determined on a ChemWell biochemical analyzer (USA). Results. A sharp increase in S100B level was detected in melanoma tissues, 28 times as high as in the samples of healthy tissue and nevi, as well as a significant, but less evident increase in the CD44 level, which was also observed in nevi tissue. The ratio of albumin and gamma globulins in melanoma and nevi tissues was 3–6 times lower if compared with healthy tissue, and the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in melanoma were only a little higher than in healthy tissues and nevi. A more than double increase in the γ globulin fraction in melanoma tumor tissue with a decrease in albumin level and the absence of changes in other globulins, as well as a moderate but statistically significant increase in the γ globulin fraction in nevus tissue suggest that the tumor-associated S100B and CD44 markers belong to the γ-globulin fraction. Conclusion. The highly specific increase in S100B level in the supernatant of melanoma tissue homogenates, as well as a less specific increase in CD44 combined with the γ-globulin fraction dominance, suggest that such a correlation is an adverse prognostic sign of tumor progression, which may be important while choosing personalized treatment strategies. Keywords: skin melanoma, nevi, CD44 and S100 tumor-associated markers, tumor tissue homogenates, protein fractions, cholesterol, triglycerides. Цель. Изучить в сравнительном аспекте уровень опухолеспецифических белков CD44 и S100, показателей белкового и липидного обмена в меланоцитарных новообразованиях кожи. Материалы и методы. Объектом исследования были 100 образцов 10 % гомогенатов ткани меланомы кожи, невусов, перифокальной зоны и линии резекции. Уровень CD44, S100 определяли методами иммуноферментного анализа с использованием стандартных тест-систем на анализаторе TECAN (Австрия). Содержание общего белка, холестерина, триглицеридов устанавливали на биохимическом анализаторе ChemWell (США). Результаты. В тканях меланомы выявлено резкое увеличение уровня S100B, в 28 раз превышающего его значение в образцах здоровой ткани и невусов, а также достоверное, но менее выраженное увеличение уровня CD44, которое также наблюдалось в ткани невусов. Соотношение альбуминов и гамма-глобулинов в ткани меланомы и невусов было снижено в 3–6 раз по сравнению со здоровой тканью, а содержание холестерина и триглицеридов в меланоме незначительно превышало их содержание в здоровых тканях и невусах. Более чем двукратное увеличение фракции γ-глобулинов в опухолевой ткани меланомы на фоне снижения уровня альбуминов и отсутствия изменений других глобулинов, а также умеренное, но статистически значимое увеличение фракции γ-глобулинов в ткани невусов позволяют предположить, что изученные нами в качестве онкомаркеров белки S100В и CD44 относятся к фракции γ-глобулинов. Выводы. Высокоспецифичное повышение уровня S100B в надосадочной жидкости гомогенатов ткани меланомы, а также менее специфичное увеличение CD44 в сочетании с доминированием фракции γ-глобулинов позволяют предположить, что подобное соотношение факторов является прогностически неблагоприятным признаком опухолевой прогрессии, что может быть важным при выборе персонализированной тактики лечения. Ключевые слова: меланома кожи, невусы, опухолеспецифические маркеры CD44 и S100, гомогенаты ткани опухоли, белковые фракции, холестерин, триглицериды.