Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE EFFECT OF FISH OIL ON OXIDANT/ANTIOXIDANT STATUS IN DIABETIC RATS THROUGH THE REDUCTION OF ARACHIDONIC ACID IN THE CELL MEMBRANE

Background: Dietary omega-3 fatty acids directly affect arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism because they displace AA from membranes and compete with it for the enzymes that catalyze the biosynthesis of thromboxanes, prostaglandins and leukotrienes. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the role of fish oil supplementation in reducing the free radicals production through the reduction of arachidonic acid level in erythrocyte membrane in experimental diabetic rats. Methods: Forty eight male albino rats were used in this study and divided into four groups :control, fish oil, diabetic and treated groups. Fish oil and treated groups were administered fish oil in a dose of 1.2 ml /kg bw/day orally for 8 weeks. Urinary 8-hydroxyguanosine and erythrocyte membrane arachidonic acid were estimated by HPLC. Also, urinary isoprostanes and erythrocyte membrane superoxide dismutase were determined. Results: Our results indicated that hyperglycemia in diabetic rats significantly increased urinary 8-hydroxyguanosine and isoprostanes and erythrocyte membrane arachidonic acid, whereas, supplementation of fish oil significantly decreased these values in treated group. Conclusion: Fish oil supplementation has an important role in attenuating the elevation of arachidonic acid (omega-6) in cell membrane phospholipids resulting in a reduction in free radicals production.
Supplementation with Low Doses of a Cod Protein Hydrolysate on Glucose Regulation and Lipid Metabolism in Adults with Metabolic Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind Study

The risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus are increased in subjects with metabolic syndrome (MetS), and hydrolyzed fish protein may have favorable effects on metabolic health. Here, we investigated the effect of 8 weeks supplementation with 4 g of cod protein hydrolysate (CPH) on glucose metabolism, lipid profile and body composition in individuals with MetS in a double-blind, randomized intervention study with a parallel-group design. Subjects received a daily supplement of CPH (n = 15) or placebo (n = 15). Primary outcomes were serum fasting and postprandial glucose levels. Secondary outcomes were fasting and postprandial insulin and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), fasting lipid concentrations and body composition. No difference was observed between CPH and placebo for insulin, glucose or GLP-1 after 8 weeks intervention. Fasting triacylglycerol decreased in both the CPH group and placebo group, with no change between groups. Fasting total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased significantly within both groups from baseline to study end, but no difference was observed between the two groups. In conclusion, supplementing with a low dose of CPH in subjects with MetS for 8 weeks had no effect on fasting or postprandial levels of insulin, glucose or GLP-1, lipid profile or body composition.
Genetic progress and inbreeding for alternative nucleus breeding schemes for beef cattle

Alternative closed breeding schemes for beef cattle are analysed using stochastic computer simulation. Multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET) schemes are compared with conventional schemes (schemes without MOET) with an equal expected number of progeny born per year. Schemes are compared for genetic gain and inbreeding obtained after 25 years of selection. The trait considered, evaluated in both sexes, has an initial heritability of 0·35. Different population sizes and numbers of sires selected are evaluated. Current realistic parameters for embryo production are assumed in MOET schemes. After 25 years of selection, and with no control on inbreeding, cumulative genetic gains are about 50% higher in MOET schemes compared with conventional schemes. The benefit from MOET is mostly due to increased selection intensities in females. The rate of inbreeding increases by up to nearly 300% when MOET is used. This maximum percentage increase in inbreeding following the use of MOET can be reduced to about 100% when selection and mating strategies for controlling inbreeding are used. The effect of the number of sires used on the inbreeding obtained is more important than the effect of the size of the herd. In MOET schemes, increasing the number of sires selected by a factor of three, leads to reductions in inbreeding rates of 40%. When schemes of the same size are compared at similar acceptable inbreeding levels, MOET schemes give around 30% higher genetic progress than conventional schemes.
Chemical and Functional Properties of Oxidatively Modified Beef Heart Surimi Stored at 2 C

Beef heart surimi was prepared using 4 washing conditions: (1) sodium phosphate buffer alone, (2) buffer 1 NaCl, (3) buffer 1 propyl gallate, and (4) buffer 1 sodium tripolyphosphate. Surimi samples were stored at 2 8C and analyzed periodically for protein oxidation, emulsifying properties, and dynamic gelling characteristics. Degree of oxidation differed among washing treatments. Addition of propyl gallate and sodium tripolyphosphate inhibited lipid oxidation but did not prevent protein oxidation. Gel elasticity increased and emulsifying activity decreased for all surimi samples during storage, coinciding with myosin aggregation. Modification of beef heart
Component processes in free-viewing visual search: Insights from fixation-aligned pupillary response averaging

Pupil size changes during a visual search may reflect cognitive processes, such as effort and memory accumulation, but methodological confounds and the general lack of literature in this area leave the reliability of findings open to question. We used a novel synthesis of experimental methods and averaging techniques to explore how cognitive processing unfolds during free-viewing visual search for multiple targets. Twenty-seven participants completed 152 searches across two separate 1-hour sessions. The number of targets present (Targets: 0, 1, 2, and 3) in each trial was the main manipulation and the task was to “find all of the targets” and report the total via mouse-click at the end of the trial. Search time lasted for 10 seconds or until the participant purported to have found all of the targets, in which case they could terminate the search via keypress. Whole-trial pupil analysis revealed a significant effect of button pressing as well as a significant main effect of targets for trials that were not self-terminated via button press. Fixation-aligned pupil responses revealed transient modulations in pupil size following initial fixations on targets but not distractors and refixations on both targets and distractors. Owing to rigorous control over experimental confounds and a detailed analysis and correction of eye-movement-related measurement error, we confidently discuss these findings in terms of task-related processing and underlying brain activity.
Evolution of life‐history traits and mating strategy in males: a case study on two populations of a Drosophila parasitoid

Abiotic and biotic factors affect life-history traits and lead populations to exhibit different behavioural strategies. Due to the direct link between their behaviour and fitness, parasitoid females have often been used to test the theories explaining these differences. In male parasitoids, however, such investigations are vastly understudied, although their mating strategy directly determines their fitness. In this study, we compared the pattern of life history traits and the mating strategy of males in two populations of the Drosophila parasitoid Asobara tabida, exposed to different biotic and abiotic conditions, with the major difference being that one of them was recently exposed to strong competition with the dominant competitor Leptopilina boulardi after recent climate change, the other population being settled in a location where L. boulardi has not been recorded. The results showed that individuals of both populations have a different reproductive strategy: in one population, females produced a more female-biased sex ratio, while males accumulated more lipids during their larval development, invested more energy in reproduction and decreased their locomotor activity, suggesting a higher proportion of matings on their emergence patch, all of these factors being possibly linked to the new competition pressure. In both populations, mating without sperm transfer may persist for several days after males become sperm-depleted, and may be more frequent than mating with sperm transfer over their whole lifespan. This point is discussed from an evolutionary point of view.
Plant‐mediated effects of elevated ultraviolet‐B radiation on peat microbial communities of a subarctic mire

Elevated ultraviolet‐B (UVB) radiation has been reported to have few effects on plants but to alter the soil microbial community composition. However, the effects on soil microorganisms have to be mediated via plants, because direct radiation effects are only plausible on the uppermost millimeters of soil. Here, we assessed secondary effects of UVB on soil microbes. The responses in the dominant plant Eriophorum russeolum, peat pore water and microbial communities in the peat were recorded at a subarctic mire in the middle of the third growing season under field exposure simulating 20% depletion in the ozone layer. The UVB treatment significantly reduced the sucrose and the total soluble sugar (sucrose+glucose+fructose) concentration of the plant leaves while increasing the sucrose concentration in the belowground storage organ rhizome. The starch concentration of the leaves was also slightly reduced by elevated UVB. In the plant roots, carbohydrate concentrations remained unaffected but the total phenolics concentration increased under elevated UVB. We suggest that the simultaneously observed decrease in bacterial growth rate and the altered bacterial community composition are due to UVB‐induced changes in the plant photosynthate allocation and potential changes in root exudation. There were no effects of elevated UVB on microbial biomass, peat pore water or nutrient concentrations in the peat. The observed responses are in line with the previously reported lower ecosystem dark respiration under elevated UVB, and they signify that the changed plant tissue quality and lower bacterial activity are likely to reduce decomposition.
Karyologic and molecular analysis of Proechimys Allen, 1899 (Rodentia, Echimyidae) from the Amazon region

3, 6 ABSTRACT: Karyologic and molecular analyses were carried out in Proechimys quadruplicatus and two other Proechimys species from the northern bank of the Rio Negro, Brazil. Analyses of cytb DNA sequence data and karyologic attributes partially sustained the goeldii species group. Molecular analyses grouped the two Proechimys sp. A haplotypes here sequenced with other specimens from the Amazonian region of Brazil and Venezuela, suggesting that they belonged to a single taxon. The three specimens of Proechimys sp. B also formed a monophyletic group. Proechimys sp. A, Proechimys sp. B, and P. guyannensis were grouped by karyologic and/or molecular data indicating that they are very similar one another and belong to the same species group, the guyannensis group. Phylogeographic analyses showed a high geographic structuration in the Proechimys sp. A population and the presence of a median vector between haplotypes of different rivers suggested that the large Amazonian rivers are barrier to these population.
Effects of Salinity and Temperature on Survival and Reproduction of Boeckella hamata (Copepoda: Calanoida) from a Periodically Brackish Lake

The freshwater calanoid copepod, Boeckella hamata Brehm, occurs periodically in Lake Waihola, New Zealand, a shallow, tidally-influenced lake that experiences daily and seasonal fluctuations in salinity, and seasonal changes in temperature. To determine whether these environmental changes might contribute to the copepod's disappearance from the lake in summer, we tested the survival and egg production of B. hamata at a range of salinities (20-3000 mg l -1 Cl) and two temperatures (10°C, 20°C). Adults survived for 20 days or more only at salinities ≤ 1000 mg l -1 Cl; survival was higher at 10°C than at 20°C, and higher for females (86% at 10°C, 14% at 20°C) than males (43% at 10°C, 0% at 20°C). The mean total eggs produced per female in three successive clutches decreased with temperature from 20 eggs at 10°C to 15 at 20°C; egg production rates increased, however, as clutches were produced more frequently. Staged increases in salinity did not increase copepod survival, indicating that B. hamata adults cannot tolerate the magnitude, or rate, of seasonal fluctuations in salinity to which they are exposed in the lake, We conclude that the ability of B. hamata to tolerate warm, saline conditions influences its presence and role in brackish ecosystems.
Astilbin prevents concanavalin A‐induced liver injury by reducing TNF‐α production and T lymphocyte adhesion

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of astilbin on concanavalin A (Con A)‐induced hepatitis, a T cell‐dependent model of liver injury. Con A administration resulted in a severe liver injury in mice, with a strong increment in spleen cell adhesion and liver infiltration of T cells, as well as in tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α production. Against this liver injury, astilbin significantly inhibited the elevation in transaminase activity, reduced the TNF‐α production, and improved the histological changes, including inflammatory infiltration, hepatocyte necrosis and degeneration and Kupffer cell hyperplasia. In addition, astilbin inhibited the adhesion of spleen cells and purified T lymphocytes isolated from the liver‐injured mice to fibronectin, laminin and type IV collagen. Moreover, the adhesion of human Jurkat T cells to endothelial cell line ECV‐304 was also inhibited by astilbin. These results suggest that the improvement of the T cell‐mediated liver injury by astilbin may be related to the reduction in TNF‐α production and in T cell adhesion to extracellular matrices and endothelial cells.
Metabolism of arginine, proline, and ornithine in tissues of the squid, Illex illecebrosus

Interconversions of arginine, ornithine, and proline were studied in the squid Illex illecebrosus, by supplying tissue homogenates from kidney, digestive gland, heart, brain, gill, middle and outer mantle with 14C-labelled substrates. Production of 14CO2 and distribution of label in various intermediates were measured for each tissue. Activities of enzymes catalysing the interconversions were also assessed. 14CO2 production was highest in middle and outer mantle with arginine as substrate, in kidney with ornithine, and in heart with proline. Urease was absent from all tissues. All tissues utilised arginine at reasonable rates, the highest being observed in middle and outer mantle and digestive gland. In heart, γ-guanidinobutyrate was the main product of arginine metabolism. In all other tissues, ornithine was the first product. Kidney utilised ornithine at the fastest rate, while proline was utilised and oxidised best by heart and brain. The results suggest that the capacity of all tissues to metabolise a.
One-year sustained efficacy of erenumab in episodic migraine

Objective To assess efficacy and tolerability of 1-year erenumab treatment in patients with episodic migraine. Methods Patients were randomized (n = 955; 1:1:1) during the 24-week double-blind treatment phase (DBTP) to monthly subcutaneous placebo or erenumab 70 or 140 mg. At week 24, 845 patients were rerandomized (1:1) to erenumab 70 or 140 mg during the 28-week dose-blinded active-treatment phase (ATP). Monthly migraine days (MMD), achieving ≥50%, ≥75%, and 100% reduction in MMD, and safety/tolerability were assessed. Results Mean MMD at DBTP baseline was 8.3. At week 52, mean changes (SE) from pre-DBTP baseline/week 24 (pre-ATP baseline) in MMD were −4.2 (0.2)/−1.1 (0.2) (70 mg) and −4.6 (0.2)/−1.8 (0.2) (140 mg) irrespective of treatment during the DBTP. For patients reducing dose from 140 (DBTP) to 70 mg (ATP), change in MMD from week 24 to 52 was −0.1 (0.3), and for those increasing from 70 (DBTP) to 140 mg (ATP), −1.8 (0.3). At week 52, 61.0%, 38.5%, and 19.8% of patients on erenumab 70 mg, and 64.9%, 40.8%, and 21.2% on erenumab 140 mg, achieved ≥50%, ≥75%, and 100% reduction in MMD from DBTP baseline, respectively. Among erenumab-treated patients in DBTP who showed ≥50% reduction in MMD during the last 3 months of DBTP and completed ATP, 86% showed sustained responses at ≥50% during the last 3 months of ATP. Safety of erenumab in ATP was similar to DBTP; exposure-adjusted incidence rates of adverse events were similar for either dose. Conclusion Over 52 weeks, erenumab provided sustained efficacy in episodic migraine; the safety profiles were similar between erenumab dose groups in the presence of dose blinding. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT02456740. Classification of evidence Class II evidence that 52 weeks of treatment with erenumab 70 and 140 mg subcutaneously monthly results in sustained reductions in monthly migraine days and similar dose tolerability for patients with episodic migraine.
Hypertension and changes in cognitive function in a Mediterranean population

ABSTRACT Background: Severe cognitive decline is one of the major public health problems in developed countries. Finding modifiable risk factors could become essential to develop strategies to prevent or delay dementia progression and stop its rising incidence. Objective: Our aim was to investigate the association between hypertension and cognitive function and to assess whether better adherence to the Mediterranean diet may modify this association. Methods: A subsample of 764 participants from the ‘Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra’ (SUN) cohort older than 55 years was evaluated with the Spanish Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS-m) at two-time points, separated by 6 years. Multivariable-adjusted linear regression models were used to prospectively assess the association between hypertension –also according to adherence to the Mediterranean diet– and 6-y changes in cognitive function. Results: The adjusted between-group difference in the 6-year change of the TICS-m score between hypertensive participants and their non-hypertensive counterparts was −0.36 (95% CI −0.70, −0.02). This association was stronger among participants with a lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet [−0.62 (95% CI: −1.09, −0.15)] but the differences between hypertensive and non-hypertensive participants were no longer significant among participants with a higher baseline adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Conclusion: In this Mediterranean cohort, hypertension was inversely associated with cognitive function, but an attenuation of this detrimental association by a moderate/high adherence to the Mediterranean diet was suggested.
The Respiratory Response of Mytilus perna L. (Mollusca: Lamellibranchia) to Reduced Environmental Oxygen

9HE respiratory responses of marine invertebrates to decreased oxygen tension may be generalized (Nicol, 1960) by distinguishing between those animals "which maintain a steady respiratory state over a wide range of oxygen tensions and those in which the amount of oxygen consumed is directly dependent on the oxygen tension of the environment" (p. 161). Prosser and Brown (1961) have termed animals in these two categories "regulators" and "conformers," respectively. All the marine bivalves that have been
miR-96-5p regulated TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway and suppressed endometrial cell viability and migration via targeting TGFBR1

ABSTRACT We previously performed high throughput RNA-seq in paired eutopic and ectopic endometrial specimen of endometriosis patients, and validated the results by qRT-PCR in endometriosis endometrial tissues. MiR-96-5p was significantly downregulated in ectopic endometrial tissues compared to eutopic tissues. In order to identify the role of miR-96-5p in endometriosis and endometrial cells, and investigate the underlying mechanisms, the Ishikawa and End1/E6E7 cell lines were transfected with miR-96-5p mimics, miR-96-5p inhibitors or TGFBR1 siRNA. The expression of TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway components and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers were examined by qRT-PCR and western blot, and cell viability and migration were determined by CCK-8, transwell and wound healing assays, respectively. We discovered miR-96-5p to be significantly downregulated while TGFBR1 was distinctly up-regulated in endometriosis. Overexpression of miR-96-5p inhibited endometrial cells viability and migration, while inhibition of miR-96-5p had opposite effect. Furthermore, we confirmed TGFBR1 was a direct target of miR-96-5p. Overexpression of miR-96-5p could block the TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway via targeting TGFBR1 and reverse the TGF-β1 induced EMT in endometrial cell lines. In conclusion, we demonstrated that miR-96-5p interacted with TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway and blocked the TGF-β1 induced EMT in endometrial cells via directly targeting TGFBR1.
Erythrina gall wasp Quadrastichus erythrinae, yet another invasive pest new to India.

Invasions by alien species upset the balance of native ecosystems and many of them cause considerable economic loss. Free trade propelled by economic liberalization has intensified the movement of goods across frontiers and geographic barriers without much quarantine, enhancing chances of introduction of exotic pests into agroecosystems. The invaders proliferate in the absence of natural enemies in the new-found home. Recently introduced exotic pests, namely the coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari, serpentine leaf miner Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess), spiralling whitefly Aleurodicus dispersus Russell and the coconut eriophyid mite Aceria guerreronis Keifer have spread rapidly and established well in India and continue to inflict considerable economic loss despite concerted efforts to contain them. The Erythrina gall wasp Quadrastichus erythrinae Kim (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) was named and described only a year ago after being noticed as a serious pest of Erythrina in Singapore, Mauritius and Réunion. The pest is reported to damage five species of Erythrina in Taiwan by formation of gall-enlargement and malformation, leading to severe defoliation and even death of trees. Erythrina spp. (Fabaceae), popularly known as coral tree, are grown throughout the tropics as windbreak for soil and water conservation and for planting around homesteads. Erythrina stricta Roxb. , a quick-growing species with showy red flowers, is grown as a
First survey on ecological host range of aphid pathogenic fungi (Phylum Entomophthoromycota) in Tunisia

Summary. The natural occurrence of fungal pathogens of aphids and their ecological host range was investigated in Tunisia from 2009 to 2012. The survey focused on aphid infesting different crops and weeds and included 10 different aphid species. Samples were collected from eight agricultural crops sites belonging to three different bioclimatic zones. Four pathogens from the phylum Entomophthoromycota were found to occur naturally in Tunisian ecosystems: Pandora neoaphidis (Entomophthorales: Entomophthoraceae), Entomophthora planchoniana (Entomophthorales: Entomophthoraceae), Conidiobolus obscurus (Entomophthorales: Ancylistaceae) and Neozygites fresenii (Neozygitales: Neozygitaceae). The occurrence of entomophthoralean fungi depended on the sampling area, the bioclimatic zone, and aphid species. P. neoaphidis and E. planchoniana were the predominant pathogens infecting a wide range of aphid species whereas C. obscurus and N. fresenii were sporadically present on a limited number of aphid species. This study is the first survey on ecological host range of entomophthoralean fungi in Tunisia, and the first documentation of C. obscurus and N. fresenii to occur in Tunisia and Maghreb Region.