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Veterinary Medicine and Science Jul 2023Thymus, bursa of Fabricius and spleen are the major lymphoid organs of avian species that plays a crucial role in their immunity. Though glucocorticoids are reportedly...
BACKGROUND
Thymus, bursa of Fabricius and spleen are the major lymphoid organs of avian species that plays a crucial role in their immunity. Though glucocorticoids are reportedly used as growth promoters, they also suppress the immune system.
OBJECTIVES
The objective of this study was to investigate the morphologic and morphometric adaptations in the lymphoid organs as well as the mortality rate in broilers in response to long-term treatment with dexamethasone (DEX).
METHODS
A total of 80 one-day-old broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were randomly divided into four homogenous groups (control - C and treatment groups - T1, T2, and T3). The treatment groups received DEX at the rate of 3, 5, and 7 mg/kg commercial feed. Samples, i.e. thymus, bursa of Fabricius, and spleen, were collected on 7, 14, 21, and 28 days of the experiment. Relative weight of the organs was calculated on each sampling day. The tissues were then processed and stained with haematoxylin and eosin stain for morphological and morphometric study.
RESULTS
The relative weight of lymphoid organs was found substantially (p < 0.05) less in the DEX-treated groups. Significant (p < 0.05) reduction in lobular size and the cortical-medullary ratio was observed in the thymus of the DEX-treated broilers. Follicular atrophy and massive depletion of lymphocytes were evident in the bursa of Fabricius. The mortality rate was also increased which was largely dependent on the dose and duration of DEX treatment.
CONCLUSIONS
The study results indicate that DEX treatment can alter the morphology and morphometry of lymphoid organs which might result in severe immunosuppression and increased mortality rate in broilers.
Topics: Animals; Chickens; Diet; Thymus Gland; Spleen; Dexamethasone
PubMed: 37067539
DOI: 10.1002/vms3.1139 -
Frontiers in Oncology 2021Metastatic tumor deposits in bone marrow elicit differential bone responses that vary with the type of malignancy. This results in either sclerotic, lytic, or mixed bone... (Review)
Review
Metastatic tumor deposits in bone marrow elicit differential bone responses that vary with the type of malignancy. This results in either sclerotic, lytic, or mixed bone lesions, which can change in morphology due to treatment effects and/or secondary bone remodeling. Hence, morphological imaging is regarded unsuitable for response assessment of bone metastases and in the current Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors 1.1 (RECIST1.1) guideline bone metastases are deemed unmeasurable. Nevertheless, the advent of functional and molecular imaging modalities such as whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) has improved the ability for follow-up of bone metastases, regardless of their morphology. Both these modalities not only have improved sensitivity for visual detection of bone lesions, but also allow for objective measurements of bone lesion characteristics. WB-MRI provides a global assessment of skeletal metastases and for a one-step "all-organ" approach of metastatic disease. Novel MRI techniques include diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) targeting highly cellular lesions, dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) for quantitative assessment of bone lesion vascularization, and multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) combining anatomical and functional sequences. Recommendations for a homogenization of MRI image acquisitions and generalizable response criteria have been developed. For PET, many metabolic and molecular radiotracers are available, some targeting tumor characteristics not confined to cancer type (e.g. F-FDG) while other targeted radiotracers target specific molecular characteristics, such as prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) ligands for prostate cancer. Supporting data on quantitative PET analysis regarding repeatability, reproducibility, and harmonization of PET/CT system performance is available. Bone metastases detected on PET and MRI can be quantitatively assessed using validated methodologies, both on a whole-body and individual lesion basis. Both have the advantage of covering not only bone lesions but visceral and nodal lesions as well. Hybrid imaging, combining PET with MRI, may provide complementary parameters on the morphologic, functional, metabolic and molecular level of bone metastases in one examination. For clinical implementation of measuring bone metastases in response assessment using WB-MRI and PET, current RECIST1.1 guidelines need to be adapted. This review summarizes available data and insights into imaging of bone metastases using MRI and PET.
PubMed: 34869009
DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.772530 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2022Rice () is a human staple food and serves as a model organism for genetic and molecular studies. Few studies have been conducted to determine the effects of...
Rice () is a human staple food and serves as a model organism for genetic and molecular studies. Few studies have been conducted to determine the effects of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) stress on rice. UV-B stress triggers morphological and physiological changes in plants. However, the underlying mechanisms governing these integrated responses are unknown. In this study, we conducted a proteomic response of rice leaves to UV-B stress using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and identified the selected proteins by mass spectrometry analysis. Four levels of daily biologically effective UV-B radiation intensities were imposed to determine changes in protein accumulation in response to UV-B stress: 0 (control), 5, 10, and 15 kJ m din two cultivars, i.e., IR6 and REX. To mimic the natural environment, we conducted this experiment in Sunlit Soil-Plant-Atmosphere-Research (SPAR) chambers. Among the identified proteins, 11% of differentially expressed proteins were found in both cultivars. In the Rex cultivar, only 45% of proteins are differentially expressed, while only 27.5% were expressed in IR6. The results indicate that REX is more affected by UV-B stress than IR6 cultivars. The identified protein TSJT1 (spot 16) in both cultivars plays a crucial role in plant growth and development during stress treatment. Additionally, we found that UV-B stress altered many antioxidant enzymes associated with redox homeostasis and cell defense response. Another enzyme, the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), has been identified as spot 15, which plays an essential role in glycolysis and cellular energy production. Another vital protein identified is glycosyl hydrolase (GH) as spot 9, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds in cell wall polymers and significantly affects cell wall architecture. Some identified proteins are related to photosynthesis, protein biosynthesis, signal transduction, and stress response. The findings of our study provide new insights into understanding how rice plants are tailored to UV-B stress modulating the expression of UV-B responsive proteins, which will help develop superior rice breeds in the future to combat UV-B stress. Data are available ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD032163.
PubMed: 36212327
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.871331 -
Biomedicines Jan 2023MRI is undoubtedly the cornerstone of brain tumor imaging, playing a key role in all phases of patient management, starting from diagnosis, through therapy planning, to... (Review)
Review
MRI is undoubtedly the cornerstone of brain tumor imaging, playing a key role in all phases of patient management, starting from diagnosis, through therapy planning, to treatment response and/or recurrence assessment. Currently, neuroimaging can describe morphologic and non-morphologic (functional, hemodynamic, metabolic, cellular, microstructural, and sometimes even genetic) characteristics of brain tumors, greatly contributing to diagnosis and follow-up. Knowing the technical aspects, strength and limits of each MR technique is crucial to correctly interpret MR brain studies and to address clinicians to the best treatment strategy. This article aimed to provide an overview of neuroimaging in the assessment of adult primary brain tumors. We started from the basilar role of conventional/morphological MR sequences, then analyzed, one by one, the non-morphological techniques, and finally highlighted future perspectives, such as radiomics and artificial intelligence.
PubMed: 36830900
DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11020364 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2023Rice ( L.) is one of the most significant staple foods worldwide. Carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals are just a few of the many nutrients found in... (Review)
Review
Rice ( L.) is one of the most significant staple foods worldwide. Carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals are just a few of the many nutrients found in domesticated rice. Ensuring high and constant rice production is vital to facilitating human food supplies, as over three billion people around the globe rely on rice as their primary source of dietary intake. However, the world's rice production and grain quality have drastically declined in recent years due to the challenges posed by global climate change and abiotic stress-related aspects, especially drought, heat, cold, salt, submergence, and heavy metal toxicity. Rice's reduced photosynthetic efficiency results from insufficient stomatal conductance and natural damage to thylakoids and chloroplasts brought on by abiotic stressor-induced chlorosis and leaf wilting. Abiotic stress in rice farming can also cause complications with redox homeostasis, membrane peroxidation, lower seed germination, a drop in fresh and dry weight, necrosis, and tissue damage. Frequent stomatal movements, leaf rolling, generation of reactive oxygen radicals (RORs), antioxidant enzymes, induction of stress-responsive enzymes and protein-repair mechanisms, production of osmolytes, development of ion transporters, detoxifications, etc., are recorded as potent morphological, biochemical and physiological responses of rice plants under adverse abiotic stress. To develop cultivars that can withstand multiple abiotic challenges, it is necessary to understand the molecular and physiological mechanisms that contribute to the deterioration of rice quality under multiple abiotic stresses. The present review highlights the strategic defense mechanisms rice plants adopt to combat abiotic stressors that substantially affect the fundamental morphological, biochemical, and physiological mechanisms.
PubMed: 38068585
DOI: 10.3390/plants12233948 -
ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering Dec 2022Peptidoglycan (PG), bacterial spores' major structural component in their cortex layers, was recently found to regulate the spore's water content and deform in response...
Peptidoglycan (PG), bacterial spores' major structural component in their cortex layers, was recently found to regulate the spore's water content and deform in response to relative humidity (RH) changes. Here, we report that the cortex PG dominates the spores' water-content-dependent morphological and mechanical properties. When exposed to an environment having RH varied between 10% and 90%, the spores and their cortex PG reversibly expand and contract by 30.7% and 43.2% in volume, which indicates that the cortex PG contributes to 67.3% of a spore's volume change. The spores' and cortex PG's significant volumetric changes also lead to changes in their Young's moduli from 5.7 and 9.0 GPa at 10% RH to 0.62 and 1.2 GPa at 90% RH, respectively. Interestingly, these significant changes in the spores' and cortex PG's morphological and mechanical properties are only caused by a minute amount of the cortex PG's water exchange that occupies 28.0% of the cortex PG's volume. The cortex PG's capability in sensing and responding to environmental RH and effectively changing its structures and properties could provide insight into spores' high desiccation resistance and dormancy mechanisms.
Topics: Bacillus subtilis; Peptidoglycan; Water; Spores, Bacterial
PubMed: 36442506
DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.2c01209 -
Molecular insights and omics-based understanding of plant-microbe interactions under drought stress.World Journal of Microbiology &... Dec 2023The detrimental effects of adverse environmental conditions are always challenging and remain a major concern for plant development and production worldwide. Plants deal... (Review)
Review
The detrimental effects of adverse environmental conditions are always challenging and remain a major concern for plant development and production worldwide. Plants deal with such constraints by physiological, biochemical, and morphological adaptations as well as acquiring mutual support of beneficial microorganisms. As many stress-responsive traits of plants are influenced by microbial activities, plants have developed a sophisticated interaction with microbes to cope with adverse environmental conditions. The production of numerous bioactive metabolites by rhizospheric, endo-, or epiphytic microorganisms can directly or indirectly alter the root system architecture, foliage production, and defense responses. Although plant-microbe interactions have been shown to improve nutrient uptake and stress resilience in plants, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. "Multi-omics" application supported by genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics has been quite useful to investigate and understand the biochemical, physiological, and molecular aspects of plant-microbe interactions under drought stress conditions. The present review explores various microbe-mediated mechanisms for drought stress resilience in plants. In addition, plant adaptation to drought stress is discussed, and insights into the latest molecular techniques and approaches available to improve drought-stress resilience are provided.
Topics: Droughts; Plant Development; Plants; Gene Expression Profiling; Phenotype; Stress, Physiological
PubMed: 38105277
DOI: 10.1007/s11274-023-03837-4 -
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces... Oct 2020We introduce the design and study of a hybrid electrospun membrane with a dedicated nanoscale structural hierarchy for controlled functions in the biomedical domain. The...
We introduce the design and study of a hybrid electrospun membrane with a dedicated nanoscale structural hierarchy for controlled functions in the biomedical domain. The hybrid system comprises submicrometer-sized internally self-assembled lipid nanoparticles (ISAsomes or mesosomes) embedded into the electrospun membrane with a nanofibrous polymer network. The internal structure of ISAsomes, studied by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and electron microscopy, demonstrated a spontaneous response to variations in the environmental conditions as they undergo a bicontinuous inverse cubic phase (cubosomes) in solution to a crystalline lamellar phase in the polymer membrane; nevertheless, this phase reorganization is reversible. As revealed by in situ SAXS measurements, if the membrane was put in contact with aqueous media, the cubic phase reappeared and submicrometer-sized cubosomes were released upon dissolution of the nanofibers. Furthermore, the hybrid membranes exhibited a specific anisotropic feature and morphological response under an external strain. While nanofibers were aligned under external strain in the microscale, the semicrystalline domains from the polymer phase were positioned perpendicular to the lamellae of the lipid phase in the nanoscale. The fabricated membranes and their spontaneous responses offer new strategies for the development of structure-controlled functions in electrospun nanofibers for biomedical applications, such as drug delivery or controlled interactions with biointerfaces.
PubMed: 32936649
DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c01487 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2021Soil saline-alkalization is expanding and becoming a serious threat to the initial establishment of plants in inland salt marshes on the Songnen Plain in Northeast...
Soil saline-alkalization is expanding and becoming a serious threat to the initial establishment of plants in inland salt marshes on the Songnen Plain in Northeast China. is a key wetland plant in this area, and its root tubers provide food for an endangered migratory Siberian crane (). However, the survival of this plant in many wetlands is threatened by increased soil saline-alkalization. The early establishment of populations under salt and alkaline stress conditions has not been well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the response and adaption of the seedling emergence and growth of to salt-alkaline mixed stress. In this study, root tubers were planted into saline-sodic soils with five pH levels (7.31-7.49, 8.48-8.59, 9.10-9.28, 10.07-10.19, and 10.66-10.73) and five salinity levels (40, 80, 120, 160, and 200 mmol⋅L). The emergence and growth metrics, as well as the underlying morphological and physiological traits in response to salt-alkaline stress were explored for 2-week-old seedlings. The seedling emergence, growth, and leaf and root traits showed distinct responses to the pH and salt gradients. Under the lower saline-alkaline condition (pH ≤ 9.10-9.28 and salinity ≤ 80 mmol⋅L), the seedling growth was substantially facilitated or not significantly altered. Salinity affected the seedlings more significantly than alkalinity did. In particular, among the salt ions, the Na concentration had predominantly negative effects on all the morphological and physiological traits of the seedlings. Seedling emergence was more tolerant to salinity and, based on its observed close relationships with pH and the alkaline ion CO , was highly alkalinity-dependent. Moreover, the leaf area and photosynthetic rate, as well as the root surface area and tip number mainly accounted for the response of the seedling biomass to salt-alkaline stress. This is evidence of the adaption of to saline-alkaline conditions largely due to the responses of its morphological and physiological traits. This study provides a mechanistic process-based understanding of the early seedling establishment of populations in response to increased soil saline-alkalization in natural wetlands.
PubMed: 33746992
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.567782 -
Theriogenology Jan 2020Male and female embryos are known to be different in developmental kinetics, metabolism, gene expression, and epigenetic patterns. Therefore, the objective of this study...
Male and female embryos are known to be different in developmental kinetics, metabolism, gene expression, and epigenetic patterns. Therefore, the objective of this study was to clarify whether the morphological criteria used to select embryos for cryopreservation lead to a deviation in the male:female ratio, and whether vitrification effects vary according to embryo sex. Initially, five sires were tested to evaluate the effect of the bull on embryo development, sex ratio, speed of development, and response to cryopreservation. Results showed that bulls affected (P < 0.05) embryo production, response to cryopreservation, and sex ratio. Then, one bull was selected, and used to produce embryos in vitro to characterize the responses of male and female embryos to vitrification. Results suggested that male and female embryos have the same morphological responses to vitrification, as no differences (P > 0.05) were observed between the two sexes in post-warming survival and re-expansion rates. However, their molecular responses as evaluated by gene expression (FOSL1, HSPB1, CASP3, CASP8, HSPA5, HSPA1A, G6PD, and PGK1) analysis indicated an effect of sex on vitrification; vitrified female embryos exhibited higher mRNA levels of HSPA1A, CASP3, and G6PD compared to their male counterparts. In conclusion, bulls affected embryo production, speed of development, sex ratio, and response to cryopreservation. Male and female embryos differed in their molecular responses to vitrification; and also, deviations in the male:female ratio when selecting embryos for cryopreservation were confirmed.
Topics: Animals; Blastocyst; Cattle; Cryopreservation; Embryo Culture Techniques; Embryonic Development; Female; Male; Sex Factors; Vitrification
PubMed: 31084918
DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2019.05.002