Outlook threat at the future climate changes on livestock resources

Food availability is the most important issue that takes the priority places in the policies of all countries all over the world. Recently, more attention has been paid to livestock because of their ability to produce meat and milk, as well as it has a significant source of income for small holders and an economic contributor to the gross domestic product. Climate changes induced physiological stress, which is one of the complex factors making livestock management and husbandry challenging in many geographical locations in the world. Increased body temperature or heat stress will cause production losses in livestock and impact on their ability to maintain normal function. There is considerable research evidence that showed significant decline in animal performance when subjected to heat stress. Heat stress inflicts heavy economic losses on livestock production. The effects of heat stress is evident in feed consumption, production efficiency in terms of milk yield or weight gain per unit of feed energy, growth rate, and reproductive efficiency. The aim of this article is to discuss increasing food production to ensure food security for nearly 8 billion people, without causing further environmental damage that can be achieved by transforming systems and adopting sustainable livestock practices within a changing climate.

Cue-induced cocaine craving enhances psychosocial stress and vice versa in chronic cocaine users

There is evidence that stress and craving contribute to the development, maintenance, and relapse in cocaine use disorder. Previous research has shown altered physiological responses to psychosocial stress as well as increased vegetative responding to substance-related cues in chronic cocaine users (CU). However, how psychosocial stress and cue-induced craving interact in relation to the physiological response of CU is largely unknown. Therefore, we investigated the interaction between acute psychosocial stress and cocaine-cue-related reactivity in 47 CU and 38 controls. Participants were randomly exposed first to a video-based cocaine-cue paradigm and second to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) or vice versa in a crossed and balanced design to investigate possible mutually augmenting effects of both stressors on the physiological stress response. Plasma cortisol, ACTH, and noradrenaline as well as subjective stress and craving were assessed repeatedly over the course of the experimental procedure. Growth models and discontinuous growth models were used to estimate the responses during the cocaine-cue paradigm and TSST. Overall, both groups did not differ in their endocrinological responses to the TSST but CU displayed lower ACTH levels at baseline. The TSST did not elevate craving in CU. However, if the cocaine-cue video was shown first, CU displayed an enhanced cortisol response to the subsequent TSST. Cocaine-cues robustly evoked craving in CU but no stress response, while cue-induced craving was intensified after the TSST. Taken together, CU did not show an altered acute stress response during the TSST but stress and craving together seem to have mutually augmenting effects on their stress response.

Effects of Plant Communities on Human Physiological Recovery and Emotional Reactions: A Comparative Onsite Survey and Photo Elicitation Study

We investigated the effects on humans, in terms of skin conductance levels (SCLs) and positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS) scores, of plant communities that differed in their vegetation structure (single-layer woodland, tree-shrub-grass composite woodland, tree-grass composite woodland, and single-layer grassland) through two perceptual methods: onsite surveying and photo elicitation. The results showed that (1) the choice of perception method significantly impacted the PANAS scores of the participants but had no influence on the SCL and (2) viewing a single-layer grassland reduced the SCL (representing the physiological stress level) and improved the positive affect score. The recovery effects for the four vegetation communities were ranked in the order of single-layer grassland > tree-shrub-grass composite woodland > single-layer woodland > tree-grass composite woodland. (3) Gender and professional background significantly impacted the plant community perception methods and landscape experience, and negative affect scores were lower for male participants than for female participants. Participants without backgrounds in landscape design exhibited higher positive affect scores under photo elicitation. Based on the conclusions drawn above, the onsite survey is preferable between the two perception methods. It is recommended that in future landscape designs, combinations of plant community types should be reasonably matched through onsite perception. These research results can provide a scientific basis for the future design of landscapes based on perception experience.

Mussels repair shell damage despite limitations imposed by ocean acidification

Bivalves frequently withstand shell boring attempts by predatory gastropods that result in shell damage that must be quickly repaired to ensure survival. While the processes that underlie larval shell development have been extensively studied within the context of ocean acidification (OA), it remains unclear whether shell repair is impaired by elevated pCO2. To better understand the stereotypical shell repair process, we monitored mussels (Mytilus edulis) with sublethal shell damage within both field and laboratory conditions to characterize the deposition rate, mineral composition, and structural integrity of repaired shell. These results were then compared with a laboratory experiment wherein mussels (Mytilus trossulus) repaired shell damage in one of seven pCO2 treatments (400–2500 µatm). Shell repair proceeded through four distinct stages; shell damage was first covered with an organic film, then mineralized over the course of weeks, acquiring the appearance of nacre after 8 weeks. OA did not impact the ability of mussels to close drill holes, nor the strength or density of the repaired shell after 10-weeks, as measured through mechanical testing and µCT analysis. However, as mussels progressed through each repair stage, significant interactions between pCO2, the length of exposure to treatment conditions, and the strength, inorganic content, and physiological condition of mussels within OA treatments were observed. These results suggest that, while OA may not prevent mussels from repairing shell damage, sustained exposure to elevated pCO2 may induce physiological stress responses that impose energetic constraints on the shell repair process.

Dynamics of camel and human hemoglobin revealed by molecular simulations

Hemoglobin is one of the most widely studied proteins genetically, biochemically, and structurally. It is an oxygen carrying tetrameric protein that imparts the characteristic red color to blood. Each chain of hemoglobin harbors a heme group embedded in a hydrophobic pocket. Several studies have investigated structural variations present in mammalian hemoglobin and their functional implications. However, camel hemoglobin has not been thoroughly explored, especially from a structural perspective. Importantly, very little is known about how the heme group interacts with hemoglobin under varying conditions of osmolarity and temperature. Several experimental studies have indicated that the tense (T) state is more stable than the relaxed (R) state of hemoglobin under normal physiological conditions. Despite the fact that R state is less stable than the T state, no extensive structural dynamics studies have been performed to investigate global quaternary transitions of R state hemoglobin under normal physiological conditions. To evaluate this, several 500 ns all-atom molecular dynamics simulations were performed to get a deeper understanding of how camel hemoglobin behaves under stress, which it is normally exposed to, when compared to human hemoglobin. Notably, camel hemoglobin was more stable under physiological stress when compared to human hemoglobin. Additionally, when compared to camel hemoglobin, cofactor-binding regions of hemoglobin also exhibited more fluctuations in human hemoglobin under the conditions studied. Several differences were observed between the residues of camel and human hemoglobin that interacted with heme. Importantly, distal residues His58 of α hemoglobin and His63 of β hemoglobin formed more sustained interactions, especially at higher temperatures, in camel hemoglobin. These residues are important for oxygen binding to hemoglobin. Thus, this work provides insights into how camel and human hemoglobin differ in their interactions under stress.

Intravital microscopic observation of the microvasculature during hemodialysis in healthy rats

Hemodialysis (HD) provides life-saving treatment for kidney failure. Patient mortality is extremely high, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) being the leading cause of death. This results from both a high underlying burden of cardiovascular disease, as well as additional physiological stress from the HD procedure itself. Clinical observations indicate that HD is associated with microvascular dysfunction (MD), underlining the need for a fundamental pathophysiological assessment of the microcirculatory consequences of HD. We therefore successfully developed an experimental small animal model, that allows for a simultaneous real-time assessment of the microvasculature. Using in-house built ultra-low surface area dialyzers and miniaturized extracorporeal circuit, we successfully dialyzed male Wistar Kyoto rats and combined this with a simultaneous intravital microscopic observation of the EDL microvasculature. Our results show that even in healthy animals, a euvolemic HD procedure can induce a significant systemic hemodynamic disturbance and induce disruption of microvascular perfusion (as evidence by a reduction in the proportion of the observed microcirculation receiving blood flow). This study, using a new small animal hemodialysis model, has allowed direct demonstration that microvascular blood flow in tissue in skeletal muscle is acutely reduced during HD, potentially in concert with other microvascular beds. It shows that preclinical small animal models can be used to further investigate HD-induced ischemic organ injury and allow rapid throughput of putative interventions directed at reducing HD-induced multi-organ ischemic injury.

The effect of exercise on cytokines: implications for musculoskeletal health: a narrative review

The physiological effects of physical exercise are ubiquitously reported as beneficial to the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems. Exercise is widely promoted by medical professionals to aid both physical and emotional wellbeing; however, mechanisms through which this is achieved are less well understood. Despite numerous beneficial attributes, certain types of exercise can inflict significant significant physiological stress. Several studies document a key relationship between exercise and immune activation. Activation of the innate immune system occurs in response to exercise and it is proposed this is largely mediated by cytokine signalling. Cytokines are typically classified according to their inflammatory properties and evidence has shown that cytokines expressed in response to exercise are diverse and may act to propagate, modulate or mitigate inflammation in musculoskeletal health. The review summarizes the existing literature on the relationship between exercise and the immune system with emphasis on how exercise-induced cytokine expression modulates inflammation and the immune response.

Effects of Kangaroo Mother Care in the NICU on the Physiological Stress Parameters of Premature Infants: A Meta-Analysis of RCTs

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the randomised controlled trials that explored the effect of kangaroo mother care on physiological stress parameters of premature infants. Methods: Two independent researchers performed a systematic review of indexed studies in PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane and Scopus. We included data from randomized controlled trials measuring the effects of kangaroo care compared to standard incubator care on physiological stress outcomes, defined as oxygen saturation, body temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate. The PRISMA model was used to conduct data extraction. We performed a narrative synthesis of all studies and a meta-analysis when data were available from multiple studies that compared the same physiological parameters with the kangaroo method as an intervention and controls and used the same outcome measures. Results: Twelve studies were eligible for inclusion in this meta-analysis. According to statistical analysis, the mean respiratory rate of preterm infants receiving KMC was lower than that of infants receiving standard incubator care (MD, −3.50; 95% CI, −5.17 to −1.83; p < 0.00001). Infants who received kangaroo mother care had a higher mean heart rate, oxygen saturation and temperature, although these results were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Current evidence suggests that kangaroo care in the neonatal intensive care unit setting is a safe method that may have a significant effect on some of the physiological parameters of stress in preterm infants. However, due to clinical heterogeneity, further studies are needed to assess the effects of physiological stress in the neonatal intensive care unit on the development of preterm infants.

Experiences of Conscious Patients Undergoing Tracheal Intubation; A Qualitative Study

Background: Tracheal intubation is a life-saving action in situations such as respiratory failure. However, this therapeutic approach may produce a series of side effects and physiological stress, such as pain, insomnia, anxiety, fear, etc. Methods: The present study is a qualitative research with a content analysis method conducted for a period of two years. This study's required information has been collected using non-structured face-to-face interviews with 22 patients hospitalized in emergency and intensive care units. The data were analyzed using open coding and MAXQDA 12. Results: Findings from the interviews' were divided into two main categories of mental and physical experiences. Mental experiences are divided into 12 sub-categories and physical experiences into 7 sub-categories, each of them is also divided into further categories. Inability to speak is the most frequent complaint of patients in this study. The pain was the most common physical complaint of patients, mostly due to pain in the organs and pain due to blood sampling. Conclusion: Despite special training of medical staff in emergency and intensive care units to take care of patients and to obviate their special needs, it is observing that some patients under certain conditions such as intubation still face many unmet needs.

Intermittent administration of peracetic acid is a mild environmental stressor that elicits mucosal and systemic adaptive responses from Atlantic salmon post-smolts

Background Fish encounter oxidative stress several times during their lifetime, and it has a pervasive influence on their health and welfare. One of the triggers of oxidative stress in fish farming is the use of oxidative disinfectants to improve rearing conditions, especially in production systems employing recirculation technology. Here we report the physiological and morphological adaptive responses of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) post-smolts to intermittent exposure to a potent oxidative agent peracetic acid (PAA). Fish reared in semi-commercial scale brackish water recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) were exposed to 1 ppm PAA every 3 days over 6 weeks. Mucosal and systemic responses were profiled before exposure, 22 and 45 days during the intermittent PAA administration. Results Oxidative stress was likely triggered as plasma antioxidant capacity increased significantly during the exposure period. Adaptive stress response to the periodic oxidant challenge was likewise demonstrated in the changes in plasma glucose and lactate levels. PAA-induced alterations in the transcription of antioxidants, cytokines, heat shock proteins and mucin genes showed a tissue-specific pattern: downregulation was observed in the gills and olfactory rosette, upregulation occurred in the skin, and no substantial changes in the liver. Further, PAA exposure resulted in histological changes in key mucosal organs (i.e. olfactory rosette, skin and gills); pathological alterations were predominant in the gills where cases of epithelial lifting, hypertrophy and clubbing were prevalent. In addition, intermittent PAA administration resulted in an apparent overproduction of mucus in the nasal mucosa. Lastly, PAA did not dramatically alter the ability of salmon to mount a physiological stress response in the presence of a secondary stressor, though some subtle interference was documented in the kinetics and magnitude of plasma cortisol and glucose response post-stress. Conclusions The present study collectively demonstrated that intermittent oxidant exposure was a mild environmental stressor that salmon could mount strong adaptive responses at systemic and mucosal levels. The results will be valuable in optimising the rearing conditions of post-smolts in RAS, especially in adopting water treatment strategies that do not considerably interfere with fish health and welfare.