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Scientific Reports Apr 2024The American cockroach, Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus, 1758) (Blattodea: Blattidae), is one of the most common pests that thrive in diverse environments and carries...
The American cockroach, Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus, 1758) (Blattodea: Blattidae), is one of the most common pests that thrive in diverse environments and carries various pathogens, causing critical threats to public health and the ecosystem. We thus report in this study the first observation of decapitated American cockroaches as a result of infestation with scuttle fly parasitoids. Interestingly, behavioral alterations in the form of zombification-like behavior could be observed in cockroaches reared in the laboratory before being decapitated, implying that the insect targets cockroach heads. To identify this parasitoid, cockroaches' corpora were isolated in jars, and apodous larvae were observed. Larvae developed into small coarctate pupae, and adults emerged. The scuttle flies were collected and exhibited tiny black, brown, to yellowish bodies. The fly was initially identified based on its morphological properties as a member of the order Diptera, family Phoridae. To provide further insights into the morphological attributes of the phorid species, the fly was examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and then identified as Megaselia scalaris accordingly. SEM analysis revealed the distinctive structure of M. scalaris concerning the head, mouth parts, and legs. Specifically, the mouth parts include the labrum, labellum, rostrum, and maxillary palps. Although further investigations are still required to understand the complicated relationships between M. scalaris and American cockroaches, our findings provide a prominent step in the control of American cockroaches using M. scalaris as an efficient biological control agent.
Topics: Animals; Periplaneta; Diptera; Pest Control, Biological; Larva; Pupa
PubMed: 38684676
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59547-w -
Plant Physiology May 2024Far-red radiation affects many plant processes, including reproductive organ abortion. Our research aimed to determine the role of apical dominance in far-red...
Far-red radiation affects many plant processes, including reproductive organ abortion. Our research aimed to determine the role of apical dominance in far-red light-induced flower and fruit abortion in sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). We conducted several climate room experiments where plants were grown under white- or red-rich LED light, with or without additional far-red light. Additional far-red light enhanced apical dominance: it increased auxin levels in the apices of dominant shoots, and caused a greater difference in internode length and apical auxin levels between dominant and subordinate shoots. Additional far-red light stimulated fruit abortion in intact plants but not in decapitated plants, suggesting a crucial role of shoot apices in this effect. However, reducing basipetal auxin transport in the stems with N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid did not influence far-red light-stimulated fruit abortion, although auxin levels in the stem were largely reduced. Applying the synthetic auxin 1-naphthaleneacetic acid on decapitated apices did not influence fruit abortion. However, applying the auxin biosynthesis inhibitor yucasin to shoot apices reduced fruit abortion regardless of the light conditions, accompanied by slight shoot growth retardation. These findings suggest that the basipetal auxin stream does not mediate far-red light-stimulated fruit abortion. Far-red light-stimulated fruit abortion was associated with reduced sucrose accumulation and lower invertase activities in flowers. We suggest that under additional far-red light conditions, increased auxin levels in shoot apices promote fruit abortion probably through enhanced competition for assimilates between apices and flowers, which limits assimilate import into flowers.
Topics: Capsicum; Flowers; Fruit; Light; Indoleacetic Acids; Red Light
PubMed: 38366641
DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiae088 -
Journal of Neurological Surgery. Part... Mar 2024Increased intraocular pressure (IOP) likely secondary to an activated oculo-trigeminal reflex network is an important issue following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)....
BACKGROUND
Increased intraocular pressure (IOP) likely secondary to an activated oculo-trigeminal reflex network is an important issue following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The relationship between the IOP and trigeminal ganglion (TGG) following experimental SAH was investigated in this study.
METHODS
Twenty-three rabbits were used in this study. Five rabbits ( = 5) were used as the control group, another 5 as the sham group ( = 5), and the remaining 13 ( = 13) as the study group. The study group was further divided into two groups of animals with mild ( = 6) and severe ( = 7) TGG degeneration. The IOP values were recorded. After 2 weeks, the animals were decapitated. The mean degenerated neuron density of TGGs was estimated by stereological methods and analyzed statistically.
RESULTS
The average IOP values were 11.85, 14.12, and 21.45 mm Hg in the control ( = 5), sham ( = 5), and study ( = 13) groups, respectively. The mean degenerated neuron density was 34, 237, and 3,165 mm in the control, sham, and study groups, respectively.
CONCLUSION
According to the findings of this study, the experimental SAH leads to changes in IOP by affecting the TGG. By predicting and preventing IOP elevation in the setting of SAH, our findings will shed light on secondary sequelae such as glaucoma and irreversible blindness.
Topics: Animals; Rabbits; Disease Models, Animal; Intraocular Pressure; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage; Trigeminal Ganglion; Nerve Degeneration
PubMed: 36878468
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1760433 -
The International Journal of... Apr 2024Freud's very brief 1922 paper on the beheading of Medusa by Perseus wisely concludes with a call for a further examination of the sources of the legend. A now widespread...
Freud's very brief 1922 paper on the beheading of Medusa by Perseus wisely concludes with a call for a further examination of the sources of the legend. A now widespread interpretation of this legend is based (often without acknowledgement) on an addition to traditions concerning Medusa made in Ovid's . It is argued here that this Ovidian innovation has often been misinterpreted, and that a more careful reading of supports neither a widely alleged exclusively vengeful portrayal of Medusa, nor Freud's portrayal of Medusa's decapitation as a pitiable and terrible symbol of castration. Instead, Ovid's complex treatments of myths involving Medusa, Minerva and Perseus present parallels with Kleinian insights into phantasy attacks on fecundity, and into imagined revivals of dead or damaged inside babies. Thus the "displacement upwards" of the fearful castrated maternal genital envisioned in Freud's "Medusa's Head" must stand beside a quite different "displacement upwards" of the life-giving maternal genital. Indeed, tradition holds that Medusa's beheading gives rise to the birth of vigorous twins. Together with allied details, this aligns Ovid's masterwork with theories that modify or displace the so-called "sexual phallic monism" that some believe taints Freud's theories of gender development.
Topics: Humans; Freudian Theory; History, 20th Century; Psychoanalytic Interpretation; Psychoanalysis; Female
PubMed: 38655646
DOI: 10.1080/00207578.2023.2255888 -
Sheng Li Xue Bao : [Acta Physiologica... Aug 2023The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of glutamate and its ionotropic receptor agonists on the response to acute hypoxia in rat carotid body in vitro....
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of glutamate and its ionotropic receptor agonists on the response to acute hypoxia in rat carotid body in vitro. Briefly, after SD rats were anesthetized and decapitated, the bilateral carotid bifurcations were rapidly isolated. Then bifurcation was placed into a recording chamber perfused with 95% O-5% CO saturated Kreb's solution. The carotid body-sinus nerve complex was dissected, and the carotid sinus nerve discharge was recorded using a suction electrode. To detect the response of carotid body to acute hypoxia, the chamber was perfused with 5% O-5% CO-90% N saturated Kreb's solution for a period of 100 s at an interval of 15 min. To observe the effect of glutamate, ionotropic α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor agonist AMPA or N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor agonist NMDA on the response to acute hypoxia in rat carotid body, the chamber was perfused with 5% O-5% CO-90% N saturated Kreb's solution containing the corresponding reagent. The results showed that glutamate (20 μmol/L), AMPA (5 μmol/L) or NMDA (10 μmol/L) inhibited the acute hypoxia-induced enhancement of carotid sinus nerve activity, and these inhibitory effects were dose-dependent. In summary, the activation of glutamate ionotropic receptors appears to exert an inhibitory effect on the response to acute hypoxia in carotid body of rats.
Topics: Rats; Animals; Glutamic Acid; alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid; N-Methylaspartate; Carotid Body; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Carbon Dioxide; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; Receptors, AMPA; Hypoxia
PubMed: 37583041
DOI: No ID Found -
American Journal of Perinatology Jul 2024Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has immunomodulatory, antithrombotic, cardiovascular, antimicrobial, and antineoplastic effects. In this study, we aimed to investigate the...
OBJECTIVE
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has immunomodulatory, antithrombotic, cardiovascular, antimicrobial, and antineoplastic effects. In this study, we aimed to investigate the antiapoptotic and immunomodulator effects of intraperitoneal HCQ on hypoxic-ischemic (HI) injury in newborn rats.
STUDY DESIGN
Wistar albino rats, 7 to 10 days old, were randomly divided into three groups: hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) group, HIE treated with HCQ group, and Sham group. Left common carotid artery ligation and hypoxia model were performed in HIE and HCQ groups. The HCQ group was treated with 80 mg/kg intraperitoneal HCQ every 24 hours for 3 days, while Sham and HIE groups were given physiological saline. After 72 hours, rats were decapitated and brain tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, TUNEL, and IL-1β for histopathological grading and neuronal cell injury.
RESULTS
Neuronal apoptosis was statistically lower in all neuroanatomical areas in the HCQ group compared with the HIE group. IL-1β-stained areas were similar in both HCQ and HIE groups but significantly higher compared with the Sham group. Histopathological grading scores were found to be lower in the HCQ group on the left parietal cortex and hippocampus region.
CONCLUSION
In this study, we have shown for the first time that HCQ treatment decreased apoptosis in HI newborn rat model in both hemispheres. HCQ may be a promising adjuvant therapy in neonatal HIE.
KEY POINTS
· HCQ decreased neuronal apoptosis in the ischemic penumbra of the rat brain.. · HCQ attenuates hypoxia-ischemia-induced brain injury in neonatal rats.. · HCQ has no anti-inflammatory effect on HI injury..
Topics: Animals; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain; Hydroxychloroquine; Animals, Newborn; Rats, Wistar; Rats; Apoptosis; Interleukin-1beta; Brain; Neuroprotective Agents; Disease Models, Animal; Hippocampus; Neurons
PubMed: 35292947
DOI: 10.1055/a-1798-2003 -
BMC Neurology Dec 2023Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a chronic, progressive condition associated with permanent disabilities, particularly cognitive impairments. Glial scar formation...
OBJECTIVE
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a chronic, progressive condition associated with permanent disabilities, particularly cognitive impairments. Glial scar formation following TBI is considered a contributing factor to these persistent disabilities. Currently, limited research exists on pharmacological interventions targeting glial scar prevention that require a standard weight drop TBI model for glial scar formation. Since there is no established standard TBI model for glial scar formation, this study aims to validate and modify the height of the weight drop model to identify glial scar formation and cognitive impairments.
METHODS
Fifteen male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham, WD1, and WD2 groups. The weight drop model with a 10 g load was applied to the right exposed brain of the rats from a height of 5 cm (WD1) and 10 cm (WD2) using a modified Feeney's weight drop device. Cognitive impairments were confirmed using the novel object recognition (NOR) test with ethovision software on day 15. Subsequently, the rats were decapitated on day 16, and GFAP immunohistochemical staining was performed to confirm the presence of glial scarring.
RESULTS
The WD1 and WD2 groups exhibited a significant increase in glial scar formation compared to the sham group, with the WD2 group resulting in even more pronounced glial scar formation. Only the WD2 model caused statistically significant cognitive damage. The negative correlation coefficient indicates that an increase in GFAP + cells will decrease the cognitive function.
CONCLUSION
Modification of the height of the weight drop model, by dropping a weight of 10 g from a height of 10 cm (WD2 group) onto the right brain exposed of the rat has been proven to induce the formation of a glial scar and cognitive impairment.
Topics: Rats; Male; Animals; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Gliosis; Brain Injuries, Traumatic; Chronic Disease; Cognitive Dysfunction; Disease Models, Animal
PubMed: 38102565
DOI: 10.1186/s12883-023-03494-y -
The International Journal of... Jun 2024The vagal, stellate, and cardiac ganglia cells changes following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) may occur. This study aimed to investigate if there is any relation...
New experimental finding of dangerous autonomic ganglia changes in cardiac injury following subarachnoid hemorrhage; a reciprocal culprit-victim relationship between the brain and heart.
OBJECTIVE
The vagal, stellate, and cardiac ganglia cells changes following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) may occur. This study aimed to investigate if there is any relation between vagal network/stellate ganglion and intrinsic cardiac ganglia insult following SAH.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Twenty-six rabbits were used in this study. Animals were randomly divided as control (GI, = 5); SHAM 0.75 cc of saline-injected ( = 5) and study with autologous 1.5 cc blood injection into their cisterna magna(GIII, = 15). All animals were followed for three weeks and then decapitated. Their motor vagal nucleus, nodose, stellate, and intracardiac ganglion cells were estimated by stereological methods and compared statistically.
RESULTS
Numerical documents of heart-respiratory rates, vagal nerve- ICG, and stellate neuron densities as follows: 276 ± 32/min-22 ± 3/min-10.643 ± 1.129/mm-4 ± 1/mm-12 ± 3/mm and 2 ± 1/cm in the control group; 221 ± 22/min-16 ± 4/min-8.699 ± 976/mm-24 ± 9/mm-103 ± 32/mm and 11 ± 3/cm in the SHAM group; and 191 ± 23/min-17 ± 4/min-9.719 ± 932/mm-124 ± 31/mm-1.542 ± 162/mm and 32 ± 9/cm in the SAH (study) group. The animals with burned neuro-cardiac web had more neurons of stellate ganglia and a less normal neuron density of nodose ganglia ( < 0.005).
CONCLUSION
Sypathico-parasympathetic imbalance induced vagal nerve-ICG disruption following SAH could be named as Burned Neurocardiac Web syndrome in contrast to broken heart because ICG/parasympathetic network degeneration could not be detected in classic broken heart syndrome. It was noted that cardiac ganglion degeneration is more prominent in animals' severe degenerated neuron density of nodose ganglia. We concluded that the cardiac ganglia network knitted with vagal-sympathetic-somatosensitive fibers has an important in heart function following SAH. The neurodegeneration of the cardiac may occur in SAH, and cause sudden death.Graphical abstract[Formula: see text].
Topics: Animals; Rabbits; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage; Vagus Nerve; Nodose Ganglion; Brain; Ganglia, Autonomic; Disease Models, Animal
PubMed: 35658782
DOI: 10.1080/00207454.2022.2086128 -
Metabolic Brain Disease Jun 2024The nature of brain redox metabolism in health, aging, and disease remains to be fully established. Reversible oxidations, to disulfide bonds, of closely spaced...
The nature of brain redox metabolism in health, aging, and disease remains to be fully established. Reversible oxidations, to disulfide bonds, of closely spaced (vicinal) protein thiols underlie the catalytic maintenance of redox homeostasis by redoxin enzymes, including thioredoxin peroxidases (peroxiredoxins), and have been implicated in redox buffering and regulation. We propose that non-peroxidase proteins containing vicinal thiols that are responsive to physiological redox perturbations may serve as intrinsic probes of brain redox metabolism. Using redox phenylarsine oxide (PAO)-affinity chromatography, we report that PAO-binding vicinal thiols on creatine kinase B and alpha-enolase from healthy rat brains were preferentially oxidized compared to other selected proteins, including neuron-specific (gamma) enolase, under conditions designed to trap in vivo protein thiol redox states. Moreover, measures of the extents of oxidations of vicinal thiols on total protein, and on creatine kinase B and alpha-enolase, showed that vicinal thiol-linked redox states were stable over the lifespan of rats and revealed a transient reductive shift in these redox couples following decapitation-induced global ischemia. Finally, formation of disulfide-linked complexes between peroxiredoxin-2 and brain proteins was demonstrated on redox blots, supporting a link between protein vicinal thiol redox states and the peroxidase activities of peroxiredoxins. The implications of these findings with respect to underappreciated aspects of brain redox metabolism in health, aging, and ischemia are discussed.
PubMed: 38848024
DOI: 10.1007/s11011-024-01370-3 -
Pharmaceutics Jul 2023Djeya1 (RKLAFRYRRIKELYNSYR) is a very effective cell penetrating peptide (CPP) that mimics the α5 helix of the highly conserved Eya domain (ED) of eyes absent (Eya)...
Djeya1 (RKLAFRYRRIKELYNSYR) is a very effective cell penetrating peptide (CPP) that mimics the α5 helix of the highly conserved Eya domain (ED) of eyes absent (Eya) proteins. The objective of this study was to bioengineer analogues of Djeya1 that, following effective translocation into planarian tissues, would reduce the ability of neoblasts (totipotent stem cells) and their progeny to regenerate the anterior pole in decapitated . As a strategy to increase the propensity for helix formation, molecular bioengineering of Djeya1 was achieved by the mono-substitution of the helicogenic aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) at three species-variable sites: 10, 13, and 16. CD analyses indicated that Djeya1 is highly helical, and that Aib-substitution had subtle influences upon the secondary structures of bioengineered analogues. Aib-substituted Djeya1 analogues are highly efficient CPPs, devoid of influence upon cell viability or proliferation. All three peptides increase the migration of PC-3 cells, a prostate cancer line that expresses high concentrations of Eya. Two peptides, [Aib]Djeya1 and [Aib]Djeya1, are bioportides which delay planarian head regeneration. As neoblasts are the only cell population capable of division in planaria, these data indicate that bioportide technologies could be utilised to directly manipulate other stem cells in situ, thus negating any requirement for genetic manipulation.
PubMed: 37631231
DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15082018