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The Science of the Total Environment Jun 2024This study delves into the eco-endocrinological dynamics concerning the impact of dexamethasone (DXE) on the interrenal axis in juvenile carp, Cyprinus carpio. Through a...
This study delves into the eco-endocrinological dynamics concerning the impact of dexamethasone (DXE) on the interrenal axis in juvenile carp, Cyprinus carpio. Through a comprehensive analysis, we investigated the effects of DXE exposure on oxidative stress, biochemical biomarkers, gene expression, and bioaccumulation within the interrenal axis. Results revealed a concentration-dependent escalation of cellular oxidation biomarkers, including 1) hydroperoxides content (HPC), 2) lipid peroxidation level (LPX), and 3) protein carbonyl content (PCC), indicative of heightened oxidative stress. Concurrently, the activity of critical antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT), significantly increased, underscoring the organism's response to oxidative insult. Notable alterations were observed in biochemical biomarkers, particularly Gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, with GGT displaying a significant decrease with increasing DXE concentrations. Gene expression analysis revealed a significant upregulation of stress and inflammation response genes, as well as those associated with sensitivity to superoxide ion presence and calcium signaling, in response to DXE exposure. Furthermore, DXE demonstrated a concentration-dependent presence in interrenal tissue, with consistent bioconcentration factors observed across all concentrations tested. These findings shed light on the physiological and molecular responses of juvenile carp to DXE exposure, emphasizing the potential ecological implications of DXE contamination in aquatic environments. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for assessing the environmental impact of glucocorticoid pollutants and developing effective management strategies to mitigate their adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems.
Topics: Animals; Carps; Dexamethasone; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Oxidative Stress; Biomarkers; Lipid Peroxidation; Kidney
PubMed: 38703837
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172947 -
Clinical Rheumatology Jun 2024Our study was designed to investigate the reasons for starting the conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and the variables that impact the...
OBJECTIVE
Our study was designed to investigate the reasons for starting the conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and the variables that impact the response to DMARD treatment in oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients.
METHODS
Oligoarticular JIA patients (n = 187) were categorized into two groups: Group A consisted of patients who achieved remission with DMARD, and Group B comprised those who did not respond to DMARD therapy.
RESULTS
DMARDs were initiated for various reasons: 68 (36.4%) due to active disease despite nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (± intra-articular corticosteroid) treatment, 59 (31.6%) due to uveitis, 49 (26.2%) due to extended oligoarticular JIA, and 11 (5.9%) due to inflammatory bowel disease. One hundred twenty-three patients (65.8%) achieved remission with DMARDs (Group A), while 64 patients (34.2%) did not respond to DMARD therapy (Group B). In Group B, patients had higher C-reactive protein (CRP) levels as well as higher Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Disease Activity Scores-71 (JADAS-71) at diagnosis (both p < 0.001). Moreover, extended oligoarticular JIA subtype (p = 0.017) and involvement of small joints at diagnosis (p = 0.043) were more prevalent among these patients. Group A exhibited a higher frequency of antinuclear antibody positivity (p = 0.014). Elevated CRP levels (> 1.1 mg/dL) (OR 1.308, 95% CI 1.203-3.574; p < 0.001) and high JADAS-71 at diagnosis (> 15.8) (OR 1.659, 95% CI 1.179-2.941; p < 0.001) were associated with DMARD resistance.
CONCLUSION
Elevated CRP and high JADAS-71 at diagnosis were the main factors associated with DMARD resistance in oligoarticular JIA. Prospective long-term studies may help verify the role of these factors associated with DMARD resistance in oligoarticular JIA. Key Points • Conventional DMARDs were most commonly started due to active disease despite NSAID (± intra-articular corticosteroids). • Remission was achieved with DMARD in 65.8% of oligoarticular JIA patients. • Elevated CRP and high JADAS-71 at diagnosis were associated with DMARD resistance.
Topics: Humans; Arthritis, Juvenile; Antirheumatic Agents; Female; Male; Child; Child, Preschool; Drug Resistance; C-Reactive Protein; Remission Induction; Treatment Outcome; Adolescent; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Retrospective Studies; Severity of Illness Index; Adrenal Cortex Hormones
PubMed: 38683443
DOI: 10.1007/s10067-024-06925-4 -
Journal of Mathematical Biology Apr 2024Insect growth regulators (IGRs) have been developed as effective control measures against harmful insect pests to disrupt their normal development. This study is to...
Insect growth regulators (IGRs) have been developed as effective control measures against harmful insect pests to disrupt their normal development. This study is to propose a mathematical model to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of IGRs for pest management. The key features of the model include the temperature-dependent growth of insects and realistic impulsive IGRs releasing strategies. The impulsive releases are carefully modeled by counting the number of implements during an insect's temperature-dependent development duration, which introduces a surviving probability determined by a product of terms corresponding to each release. Dynamical behavior of the model is illustrated through dynamical system analysis and a threshold-type result is established in terms of the net reproduction number. Further numerical simulations are performed to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of IGRs to control populations of harmful insect pests. It is interesting to observe that the time-changing environment plays an important role in determining an optimal pest control scheme with appropriate release frequencies and time instants.
Topics: Animals; Insecta; Models, Biological; Computer Simulation; Pest Control, Biological; Mathematical Concepts; Juvenile Hormones; Temperature; Insect Control; Cost-Benefit Analysis
PubMed: 38679652
DOI: 10.1007/s00285-024-02091-y -
Scientific Reports Apr 2024Intestinal stem cells (ISCs) of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, offer an excellent genetic model to explore homeostatic roles of ISCs in animal physiology. Among...
Intestinal stem cells (ISCs) of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, offer an excellent genetic model to explore homeostatic roles of ISCs in animal physiology. Among available genetic tools, the escargot (esg)-GAL4 driver, expressing the yeast transcription factor gene, GAL4, under control of the esg gene promoter, has contributed significantly to ISC studies. This driver facilitates activation of genes of interest in proximity to a GAL4-binding element, Upstream Activating Sequence, in ISCs and progenitor enteroblasts (EBs). While esg-GAL4 has been considered an ISC/EB-specific driver, recent studies have shown that esg-GAL4 is also active in other tissues, such as neurons and ovaries. Therefore, the ISC/EB specificity of esg-GAL4 is questionable. In this study, we reveal esg-GAL4 expression in the corpus allatum (CA), responsible for juvenile hormone (JH) production. When driving the oncogenic gene, Ras, esg-GAL4 induces overgrowth in ISCs/EBs as reported, but also increases CA cell number and size. Consistent with this observation, animals alter expression of JH-response genes. Our data show that esg-GAL4-driven gene manipulation can systemically influence JH-mediated animal physiology, arguing for cautious use of esg-GAL4 as a "specific" ISC/EB driver to examine ISC/EB-mediated animal physiology.
Topics: Animals; Drosophila melanogaster; Drosophila Proteins; Stem Cells; Transcription Factors; Juvenile Hormones; Intestines; Gene Expression Regulation; Animals, Genetically Modified
PubMed: 38671036
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60269-2 -
Journal of the American Mosquito... Jun 2024The Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District (SLCMAD) detected a 20,000-fold resistance to Lysinibacillus sphaericus (Lsph) in Culex pipiens occurring in catch basins...
The Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District (SLCMAD) detected a 20,000-fold resistance to Lysinibacillus sphaericus (Lsph) in Culex pipiens occurring in catch basins of Salt Lake City during 2016. In response, SLCMAD suspended use of Lsph and rotated use of spinosyn and s-methoprene products for the next three years. At the end of the third year, Lsph was evaluated again and efficacy similar to susceptible colony strains. During the second year of Lsph use, technicians observed lack of control of larvae at some urban sites. Bioassays performed during 2021 showed recurrence of some resistance to Lsph to varying degrees across SLCMAD urban areas. The rapidity with which resistant phenotypes reemerged clarifies that SLCMAD cannot in the near future rely on repeated use of Lsph, even after suspending use for three years and using within-season product rotations. Prior reports in other research groups have found long-term selection to Lsph, as is the case at SLCMAD, to not regress in spite of halting use of the products. However, our findings offer some optimism that regression may be relatively quick. More operational review is needed, and future work should characterize resistance alleles in field populations. Collectively, there is a lack of concrete data supporting the prevailing assumptions from adjacent industries that were adopted into mosquito abatement. We provide this short note as additional guidance for mosquito and vector control districts weighing options to remediate Lsph resistance.
Topics: Animals; Culex; Utah; Mosquito Control; Larva; Bacillaceae; Macrolides; Methoprene; Insecticides; Drug Combinations
PubMed: 38660965
DOI: 10.2987/24-7172 -
Journal of Agricultural and Food... May 2024Insect growth regulators (IGRs) are important green insecticides that disrupt normal growth and development in insects to reduce the harm caused by pests to crops. The...
A Potential Multitarget Insect Growth Regulator Candidate: Design, Synthesis, and Biological Activity of Novel Acetamido Derivatives Containing Hexacyclic Pyrazole Carboxamides.
Insect growth regulators (IGRs) are important green insecticides that disrupt normal growth and development in insects to reduce the harm caused by pests to crops. The ecdysone receptor (EcR) and three chitinases ChtI, ChtII, and Chi-h are closely associated with the molting stage of insects. Thus, they are considered promising targets for the development of novel insecticides such as IGRs. Our previous work identified a dual-target compound , which could act simultaneously on both EcR and ChtI. In the present study, was first found to have inhibitory activities against ChtII and Chi-h, too. Subsequently, taking as a lead compound, 19 novel acetamido derivatives were rationally designed and synthesized by introducing an acetamido moiety into the amide bridge based on the flexibility of the binding cavities of with EcR and three chitinases. Then, their insecticidal activities against (), (), and () were carried out. The bioassay results revealed that most of these acetamido derivatives possessed moderate to good larvicidal activities against three lepidopteran pests. Especially, compound displayed excellent insecticidal activities against (LC, 93.32 mg/L), (LC, 114.79 mg/L), and (86.1% mortality at 500 mg/L), significantly better than that of . In addition, further protein validation and molecular docking demonstrated that could act simultaneously on EcR (17.7% binding activity at 8 mg/L), ChtI (69.2% inhibitory rate at 50 μM), ChtII (71.5% inhibitory rate at 50 μM), and Chi-h (73.9% inhibitory rate at 50 μM), indicating that is a potential lead candidate for novel multitarget IGRs. This work provides a promising starting point for the development of novel types of IGRs as pest management agents.
Topics: Animals; Insecticides; Drug Design; Spodoptera; Moths; Insect Proteins; Structure-Activity Relationship; Juvenile Hormones; Pyrazoles; Chitinases; Receptors, Steroid; Molecular Docking Simulation; Larva; Acetamides; Molecular Structure
PubMed: 38655868
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c00312 -
The Science of the Total Environment Jun 2024Bisphenol A (BPA) is related to neurological disorders involving mitochondrial dysfunction, while the mechanism remains elusive. Therefore, we explored it through in...
Bisphenol A (BPA) is related to neurological disorders involving mitochondrial dysfunction, while the mechanism remains elusive. Therefore, we explored it through in vitro and in vivo experiments. In vitro, hippocampal neurons derived from neonatal rats of different genders were exposed to 1-100 nM and 100 μM BPA, autophagy activator Rapa and inhibitor 3-MA for 7 d. The results suggested that even nanomolar BPA (1-100 nM) disturbed Ca homeostasis and damaged the integrity of mitochondrial cristae in neurons (p < 0.05). Furthermore, BPA increased the number of autophagic lysosomes, LC3II/LC3I ratio, and p62 expression, and decreased parkin expression (p < 0.05), suggesting that the entry of damaged mitochondria into autophagic pathway was prompted, while the autophagic degradation pathway was blocked. This further disrupts neuronal energy metabolism and promotes neuronal apoptosis. However, Rapa attenuated the adverse effects caused by BPA, while 3-MA exacerbated these reactions. In vivo, exposure of juvenile rats to 0.5, 50, 5000 μg/kg‧bw/day BPA during PND 7-21 markedly impaired the structure of hippocampal mitochondria, increased the number of autophagosomes, the rate of neuronal apoptosis, and the expression levels of pro-apoptotic proteins Cyt C, Bax, Bak1, and Caspase3, and decreased the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl2 (p < 0.05). Particularly, male rats are more sensitive to low-dose BPA than females. Overall, environmental-doses BPA can induce the imbalance of energy metabolism in hippocampal neurons via PINK1/parkin mitophagy, thereby inducing their apoptosis. Importantly, this study provides a theoretical basis for attenuating BPA-related neurological diseases.
Topics: Animals; Mitophagy; Phenols; Rats; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; Neurons; Apoptosis; Benzhydryl Compounds; Protein Kinases; Energy Metabolism; Male; Female; Mitochondria; Autophagy; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Hippocampus
PubMed: 38653419
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172655 -
Journal of Vector Borne Diseases Jan 2024Insect growth regulators (IGRs) are biological hormone analogue or mimics used as pesticides to inhibit the growth of larva during their molting and skin shedding. This...
BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES
Insect growth regulators (IGRs) are biological hormone analogue or mimics used as pesticides to inhibit the growth of larva during their molting and skin shedding. This study aimed to test the effect of IGRs on the eggs hatching and post-hatching inhibition of Aedes mosquitoes and understanding its effect in the mosquito breeding habitats for reduction in adult emergence.
METHODS
Experiments on the evaluation of three insect growth regulators (IGRs) for the control of different stages of Aedes aegypti was carried out during 2020-21. Each experiment consisted of four treatments viz., Pyriproxyfen, Novaluron, and Larvicol at 1.0 ppm and distilled water as a control. All experiments were carried out in completely randomized design (CRD) except eggs which were carried out in factorial design each with three replications.
RESULTS
All tested IGRs performed better in affecting eggs, larval and pupal stages of Ae. aegypti. Highest eggs hatching inhibition (80%) of fresh eggs occurred in Pyriproxyfen followed by Novaluron (66%) and lowest in Larvicol (62%). Eggs hatch inhibition of embryonated eggs was lower than fresh eggs. Pyriproxyfen caused 69%, Novaluron 59% and Larvicol 39% eggs hatch inhibition of embryonated eggs. Both Pyriproxyfen and Novaluron performed better in causing 98-100% larval mortality followed by Larvicol (39%). Larval development to pupal stage was completely prevented by both Pyriproxyfen and Novaluron. Although Larvicol resulted in lowest eggs hatch and larval inhibition but prevented pupae to emerge as adults. Results further showed 70-89% mortality of 3rd instar larvae of Ae. aegypti when exposed to Pyriproxyfen and Novaluron solutions after 30 days storage at lab. temperature (27±2°C), RH 70±5.
INTERPRETATION CONCLUSION
None of the IGRs was more effective at the pupal stage but showed carry-on activity of growth inhibition and mortality of the successive stages of development when used against eggs stages. Therefore, we recommend early application of IGRs at mosquito habitats during the beginning and onset of the season when very early stages of mosquitoes are available in the field.
Topics: Animals; Aedes; Juvenile Hormones; Larva; Mosquito Control; Pyridines; Phenylurea Compounds; Pupa; Female; Nitriles; Insecticides; Ovum
PubMed: 38648415
DOI: 10.4103/0972-9062.392257 -
Endocrinology Mar 2024We examined the effect of the puberty blocker, leuprolide acetate, on sex differences in juvenile rough-and-tumble play behavior and anxiety-like behavior in adolescent...
We examined the effect of the puberty blocker, leuprolide acetate, on sex differences in juvenile rough-and-tumble play behavior and anxiety-like behavior in adolescent male and female rats. We also evaluated leuprolide treatment on gonadal and pituitary hormone levels and activity-regulated cytoskeleton-protein messenger RNA levels within the adolescent amygdala, a region important both for rough-and-tumble play and anxiety-like behavior. Our findings suggest that leuprolide treatment lowered anxiety-like behavior during adolescent development, suggesting that the maturation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone systems may be linked to increased anxiety. These data provide a potential new model to understand the emergence of increased anxiety triggered around puberty. Leuprolide also reduced masculinized levels of rough-and-tumble play behavior, lowered follicle-stimulating hormone, and produced a consistent pattern of reducing or halting sex differences of hormone levels, including testosterone, growth hormone, thyrotropin, and corticosterone levels. Therefore, leuprolide treatment not only pauses sexual development of peripheral tissues, but also reduces sex differences in hormones, brain, and behavior, allowing for better harmonization of these systems following gender-affirming hormone treatment. These data contribute to the intended use of puberty blockers in stopping sex differences from developing further with the potential benefit of lowering anxiety-like behavior.
Topics: Animals; Leuprolide; Male; Female; Anxiety; Rats; Behavior, Animal; Sexual Maturation; Sex Characteristics; Amygdala; Corticosterone; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Testosterone
PubMed: 38597659
DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqae046 -
Zoological Science Feb 2024The Japanese spiny lobster lives on rocky shores and is mainly distributed along the Pacific coast around Japan. Due to the high demand for it, the development of...
The Japanese spiny lobster lives on rocky shores and is mainly distributed along the Pacific coast around Japan. Due to the high demand for it, the development of aquaculture systems and increasing its resource volume requires further expansive production. However, a major factor preventing the establishment of aquaculture technology for this lobster is the difficulty with rearing processes from larval to juvenile production. A recent study shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying larval development from the perspective of physiological functions of endocrine factors such as molting hormones. However, physiological studies of are still lacking. In decapod crustaceans, the X-organ/sinus gland complex is a well-known endocrine system that secretes the crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH)-superfamily peptides that regulate growth, molting, sexual maturation, reproduction, and change in body color. In this study, we identified two CHHs from the sinus glands of using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography in order to elucidate their physiological function for the first time.
Topics: Animals; Palinuridae; Japan; Invertebrate Hormones; Decapoda; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Arthropod Proteins
PubMed: 38587513
DOI: 10.2108/zs230041