Evidences of microplastics in Hawassa Lake, Ethiopia: A first-hand report.

Investigation on freshwater MPs has increased gradually across the world, since they are main trajectory for the transportation of MPs from inland to ocean. The present study aims to identify the presence, distribution and the type of MPs in the lake Hawassa, Ethiopia. Twenty-five shoreline surface sediments were separated using ZnCl solution and was microphotographed using SEM and type of MP was identified using FTIR spectra.

Designing of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-based multi-epitope vaccine against SARS-CoV2: a reverse vaccinology approach.

SARS-CoV2 is a single-stranded RNA virus, gaining much attention after it out broke in China in December 2019. The virus rapidly spread to several countries around the world and caused severe respiratory illness to humans. Since the outbreak, researchers around the world have devoted maximum resources and effort to develop a potent vaccine that would offer protection to uninfected individuals against SARS-CoV2.

Mitochondrial dysfunction: A hidden trigger of autism?

Autism is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorder with no precise etiology. Deficits in cognitive functions uncover at early stages and are known to have an environmental and genetic basis. Since autism is multifaceted and also linked with other comorbidities associated with various organs, there is a possibility that there may be a fundamental cellular process responsible for this.

Assessment of groundwater quality and hydrogeochemistry of Manimuktha River basin, Tamil Nadu, India.

Groundwater quality assessment study was carried out around Manimuktha river basin, Tamil Nadu, India. Twenty six bore well samples were analyzed for geochemical variations and quality of groundwater. Four major hydrochemical facies (Ca-HCO(3), Na-Cl, Mixed CaNaHCO(3), and mixed CaMgCl) were identified using a Piper trilinear diagram.

Hydrogeochemistry and groundwater quality assessment of lower part of the Ponnaiyar River Basin, Cuddalore district, South India.

The Lower Ponnaiyar River Basin forms an important groundwater province in South India constituted by Tertiary formations dominated by sandstones and overlain by alluvium. The region enjoyed artesian conditions 50 years back but at present frequent failure of monsoon and over exploitation is threatening the aquifer. Further, extensive agricultural and industrial activities and urbanization has resulted in the increase in demand and contamination of the aquifer.

Clinical role of polyamine analysis: problem and promise.

Polyamines are ubiquitous cell components for growth. They play an important role in cell proliferation, cell growth and synthesis of protein and nucleic acids. Cells that are stimulated to reproduce demonstrated early increases in biosynthetic enzymes involved in polyamine synthesis and subsequent elevations in polyamine levels.

Altered plasma cytokines and total glutathione levels in parenterally fed critically ill trauma patients with adjuvant recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy.

Objectives: Glutathione (GSH) is a potent endogenous antioxidant that serves as one of the body's most important defenses against oxygen metabolites. Plasma levels of GSH are maintained primarily by a balance between secretion from the liver and degradation in the kidney. The ability to maintain and enhance tissue GSH may be of particular importance in controlling cytokine production in response to a stimulus like injury.

Release of proinflammatory cytokines by mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from critically ill multiple-trauma victims.

This study investigated the alterations in circulating proinflammatory cytokines and cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or phytohemagglutinin (PHA) after severe trauma. Plasma and PBMCs were collected from 17 severely injured trauma patients and 10 healthy subjects. Plasma was stored at -80 degrees C and analyzed for cytokines.

Substrate fuel kinetics in enterally fed trauma patients supplemented with ornithine alpha ketoglutarate.

Background: Ornithine-alpha-ketoglutarate (OKG) is a promising anticatabolic agent and the mechanisms of its potential use in trauma patients are not clearly understood.

Aim: To determine the altered whole-body protein, lipid and glucose substrate kinetics in trauma victims in the early flow-phase of injury when they were fed enterally with or without OKG.

Methods: Fourteen adult, multiple trauma patients who were highly catabolic and hypermetabolic were studied.

Proinflammatory cytokine production by mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in trauma patients fed immune-enhancing enteral diets.

Widespread metabolic changes associated with injury facilitate the delivery of nutrients to the immune system. The effect of specific nutrients administered by the enteral route on the immune response in trauma victims is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alpha], interleukin-1 beta [IL-1 beta], and interleukin-6 [IL-6]) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are influenced by the nature of the dietary fat in critically injured trauma victims.

Plasma leptin levels in trauma patients: effect of adjuvant recombinant human growth hormone in intravenously fed multiple trauma patients.

Background: Leptin, the newly discovered ob gene product, is synthesized primarily in adipose tissue and circulates to all parts of the body. Injury elicits significant metabolic changes, and it is not known how these changes affect the circulating leptin levels.

Methods: Plasma leptin levels were measured in postabsorptive normal subjects (n = 14, 5 men and 9 women) and severely injured (injury severity score [ISS], 34+/-2), hypermetabolic (resting energy expenditure [REE]/basal energy expenditure [BEE], 1.

Amelioration of the protein metabolic response in spermidine-supplemented trauma rats.

Polyamines are biologically active, small, positively charged ubiquitous compounds that play an important role in initiating adaptive changes in cell proliferation, cell growth, and synthesis of proteins and nucleic acids. The potential for exogenous dietary polyamine to significantly contribute to whole-body growth and health has not been explored. This study evaluates the efficacy of feeding a liquid diet supplemented with 0.

Nutritional and metabolic effects and significance of mild orotic aciduria during dietary supplementation with arginine or its organic salts after trauma injury in rats.

The effects of acute food deprivation and subsequent refeeding with isonitrogenous oral liquid diets supplemented with arginine (ARG), ARG alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG), or ARG alpha-ketoisocaproate (AKIC) were examined in a Sprague-Dawley rat trauma model (bilateral femur fracture). Both control and trauma rats were starved for 2 days and then pair-fed for 4 days with one of four liquid isonitrogenous diets: diet 1 was a basal casein-based diet, and diets 2, 3, and 4 were the basal diet in which 10% of the nitrogen was replaced by ARG, AKG, or AKIC nitrogen. Two days of starvation resulted in a 13% loss of body weight and also a 27% decrease in the excretion of orotic acid (OA) in control and trauma rats.

Reprioritization of liver protein synthesis resulting from recombinant human growth hormone supplementation in parenterally fed trauma patients: the effect of growth hormone on the acute-phase response.

Background: One of the major components of the metabolic response to severe trauma is the alteration in concentrations of a large number of plasma proteins referred to as acute-phase proteins (APP). The principle mediators of these liver-synthesized APP are mainly the cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha).

Methods: We have measured the plasma levels of IL-6, TNF alpha, and 20 APP in 24 adult, severely injured, hypermetabolic and highly catabolic patients with multiple injuries within 48-60 hours after injury, when they were receiving maintenance fluids without calories or nitrogen, and subsequently during 7 days of total parenteral nutrition with (n = 12) or without (n = 12) recombinant human growth hormone supplementation (rhGH, 0.

Integrated nutritional, hormonal, and metabolic effects of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) supplementation in trauma patients.

An anabolic stimulus is needed in addition to conventional nutritional support in the catabolic "flow" phase of severe trauma. One promising therapy appears to be rhGH infusion which has direct as well as hormonal mediated substrate effects. We investigated on a whole-body level, the basic metabolic effects of trauma within 48-60 h after injury in 20 severely injured (injury severity score [ISS] = 31 +/- 2), highly catabolic (N loss = 19 +/- 2 g/d), hypermetabolic (resting energy expenditure [REE] = 141 +/- 5% basal energy expenditure [BEE]), adult (age 46 +/- 5 y) multiple-trauma victims, before starting nutrition therapy and its modification after 1 wk of rhGH supplementation with TPN (1.

Arterial-jugular vein free amino acid levels in patients with head injuries: important role of glutamine in cerebral nitrogen metabolism.

Traumatic brain injury is the single largest contributor of trauma center deaths. Injury to the brain cannot be considered as an isolated event, affecting only this organ. Profound hypoglutaminemia commonly seen in patients with head injuries may be caused by the diminished release of glutamine from the brain to the systemic circulation.

Ornithine-alpha-ketoglutarate (OKG) supplementation is more effective than its component salts in traumatized rats.

Addition of an anabolic stimulus during nutritional support seems to be a reasonable adjunct to augment protein synthesis. Ornithine-alpha-ketoglutarate (OKG) has been used for this purpose in many pathological situations, but the mechanism of action is poorly understood. We have evaluated the relative metabolic efficacy of four isonitrogenous diets with or without the addition of alpha-ketoglutarate (alpha KG) or ornithine (ORN), in a rat trauma (bilateral femur fracture) model.

Adjuvant recombinant human growth hormone does not augment endogenous glucose production in total parenteral nutrition-fed multiple trauma patients.

Hyperglycemia and insulin resistance are well-known, consistent responses to severe injury. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism for the further exaggerated hyperglycemia due to adjuvant recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment in multiple trauma patients. We have measured in 20 adult severely injured, highly catabolic, hypermetabolic multiple trauma patients, the glucose kinetics (appearance, clearance, oxidation, and recycling) once in the basal state (study I), 48 to 60 hours after injury but before starting nutritional therapy, and again (study II) after 7 days of intravenous nutrition (1.

Metabolic changes in rats during a continuous infusion of recombinant interleukin-1.

The effects of recombinant interleukin-1 (IL-1), given as a continuous infusion for 6 days, on host responses were determined in rats. The development of fever, change in food intake and body weight, and key components of the acute-phase response in energy and protein metabolism were assessed. The effects of IL-1 were compared with those observed in a matched pair-fed group (semistarved), to distinguish the contribution from anorexia, and in a group that received IL-1 for 4 h acutely.

Altered brain and muscle amino-acid levels due to remote injury during glutamine supplementation.

Glutamine (GLN) has aroused considerable interest among clinicians and nutritionists after studies demonstrated conclusively profound GLN depletion during critical illness. Although the brain plays an important role in GLN metabolism, little is known concerning changes in cerebral handling of GLN following injury. We have evaluated in a rat trauma (bilateral femur fractures) model, the nutritional efficacy of GLN-rich diet and the remote injury-induced changes in amino-acid (AA) contents of brain and muscle tissues.

Plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 in acute trauma patients.

Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are a family of polypeptides that regulate cell growth. Their action and bioavailability are modified by binding proteins such as IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3). Plasma IGFBP-3 level was found to be growth hormone (GH)-dependent, which makes detection of IGFBP-3 useful in the evaluation of GH secretion.

Adjuvant recombinant human growth hormone stimulates insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 secretion in critically ill trauma patients.

The early catabolic phase of severe injury is associated with acute growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-30 deficiency. The metabolic half-life of circulating IGF-1 is prolonged by its binding to IGFBP-3. The role of this binding protein in nutritionally repleted multiple-injury patients has not been previously evaluated.

Efficacy of a mixture of medium-chain triglyceride (75%) and long-chain triglyceride (25%) fat emulsions in the nutritional management of multiple-trauma patients.

Ten severely injured patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit and who needed total parenteral nutrition (TPN) were randomly enrolled in a prospective double-blind study comparing two 20%-fat intravenous emulsions: one (MCT-LCT) containing a physical mixture of 75% medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) and 25% long-chain triglyceride (LCT) and another containing 100% LCT. TPN (30 kcal.kg-1.