Long-term dietary supplementation with plant-derived omega-3 fatty acid improves outcome in experimental ischemic stroke.

Background And Aims: Early revascularization -the gold standard therapy for ischemic stroke- is often withheld in the elderly population due to high risk of complications. Thus, safe and effective preventive and therapeutic options are needed. The plant-derived omega-3-fatty-acid alpha-linolenic-acid (ALA) has emerged as a novel cardiovascular-protective agent.

Whole-brain mapping of amylin-induced neuronal activity in receptor activity-modifying protein 1/3 knockout mice.

The pancreatic hormone amylin plays a central role in regulating energy homeostasis and glycaemic control by stimulating satiation and reducing food reward, making amylin receptor agonists attractive for the treatment of metabolic diseases. Amylin receptors consist of heterodimerized complexes of the calcitonin receptor and receptor-activity modifying proteins subtype 1-3 (RAMP1-3). Neuronal activation in response to amylin dosing has been well characterized, but only in selected regions expressing high levels of RAMPs.

Serum insulin-like growth factor-1 concentrations in healthy cats before and after weight gain and weight loss.

Background: Measurement of serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 is used to diagnose acromegaly in cats.

Hypothesis: Changes of body weight do not affect serum concentrations of IGF-1 in cats.

Animals: Ten healthy purpose-bred cats.

Decreased incidence, virus transmission capacity, and severity of COVID-19 at altitude on the American continent.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in North, Central, and South America has become the epicenter of the current pandemic. We have suggested previously that the infection rate of this virus might be lower in people living at high altitude (over 2,500 m) compared to that in the lowlands. Based on data from official sources, we performed a new epidemiological analysis of the development of the pandemic in 23 countries on the American continent as of May 23, 2020.

Astrocyte-specific hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) does not disrupt the endothelial barrier during hypoxia in vitro.

Background: Astrocytes (AC) are essential for brain homeostasis. Much data suggests that AC support and protect the vascular endothelium, but increasing evidence indicates that during injury conditions they may lose their supportive role resulting in endothelial cell activation and BBB disturbance. Understanding the triggers that flip this switch would provide invaluable information for designing new targets to modulate the brain vascular compartment.

Design and Testing of Efficient Mucus-Penetrating Nanogels-Pitfalls of Preclinical Testing and Lessons Learned.

Mucosal surfaces pose a challenging environment for efficient drug delivery. Various delivery strategies such as nanoparticles have been employed so far; yet, still yielding limited success. To address the need of efficient transmucosal drug delivery, this report presents the synthesis of novel disulfide-containing dendritic polyglycerol (dPG)-based nanogels and their preclinical testing.

A 3D Dynamic In Vitro Model of Inflammatory Tendon Disease.

Three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures combining multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), tendon extracellular matrix scaffolds, and mechanical stimulation by a bioreactor have been used to induce tenogenic differentiation in vitro. Yet, these conditions alone do not mimic the environment of acute inflammatory tendon disease adequately, thus the results of such studies are not representatives for tendon regeneration after acute injury. In this chapter, we describe two different approaches to introduce inflammatory stimuli, comprising co-culture with leukocytes and supplementation with the cytokines IL-1 β and TNF-α.

Lysophosphatidic Acid-Activated Calcium Signaling Is Elevated in Red Cells from Sickle Cell Disease Patients.

(1) Background: It is known that sickle cells contain a higher amount of Ca compared to healthy red blood cells (RBCs). The increased Ca is associated with the most severe symptom of sickle cell disease (SCD), the vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC). The Ca entry pathway received the name of P but its molecular identity remains only partly resolved.

Establishment of a novel probe-based RT-qPCR approach for detection and quantification of tight junctions reveals age-related changes in the gut barriers of broiler chickens.

Tight junctions (TJs) play a dominant role in gut barrier formation, therefore, resolving the structures of TJs in any animal species is crucial but of major importance in fast growing broilers. They are regulated in molecular composition, ultrastructure and function by intracellular proteins and the cytoskeleton. TJ proteins are classified according to their function into barrier-forming, scaffolding and pore-forming types with deductible consequences for permeability.

Dysregulation of gastrointestinal RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end products) expression in dogs with chronic inflammatory enteropathy.

The pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory enteropathies (CIE) in dogs involves dysregulated innate immune responses. The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), a pattern recognition receptor, plays a role in chronic inflammation. Abrogation of proinflammatory RAGE signaling by ligand binding (e.

Combined macromolecule biomaterials together with fluid shear stress promote the osteogenic differentiation capacity of equine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Background: Combination of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and biomaterials is a rapidly growing approach in regenerative medicine particularly for chronic degenerative disorders including osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. The present study examined the effect of biomaterial scaffolds on equine adipose-derived MSC morphology, viability, adherence, migration, and osteogenic differentiation.

Methods: MSCs were cultivated in conjunction with collagen CultiSpher-S Microcarrier (MC), nanocomposite xerogels B30 and combined B30 with strontium (B30Str) biomaterials in osteogenic differentiation medium either under static or mechanical fluid shear stress (FSS) culture conditions.

Overexpression of the MSK1 Kinase in Patients With Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction and Its Confirmed Role in a Murine Model.

Background: Chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) and its obstructive form, the obliterative bronchiolitis (OB), are the main long-term complications related to high mortality rate postlung transplantation. CLAD treatment lacks a significant success in survival. Here, we investigated a new strategy through inhibition of the proinflammatory mitogen- and stress-activated kinase 1 (MSK1) kinase.

Butyrate Protects Porcine Colon Epithelium from Hypoxia-Induced Damage on a Functional Level.

The large intestinal epithelium is confronted with the necessity to adapt quickly to varying levels of oxygenation. In contrast to other tissues, it meets this requirement successfully and remains unharmed during (limited) hypoxic periods. The large intestine is also the site of bacterial fermentation producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFA).

Erythropoietin Stimulates GABAergic Maturation in the Mouse Hippocampus.

Several neurodevelopmental disabilities are strongly associated with alterations in GABAergic transmission, and therapies to stimulate its normal development are lacking. Erythropoietin (EPO) is clinically used in neonatology to mitigate acute brain injury, and to stimulate neuronal maturation. Yet it remains unclear whether EPO can stimulate maturation of the GABAergic system.

Metabolic Signatures of -Infected HCT-8 Cells and Impact of Selected Metabolic Inhibitors on Infection under Physioxia and Hyperoxia.

is an apicomplexan zoonotic parasite recognized as the second leading-cause of diarrhoea-induced mortality in children. In contrast to other apicomplexans, has minimalistic metabolic capacities which are almost exclusively based on glycolysis. Consequently, is highly dependent on its host cell metabolism.

Functional Changes of the Community of Microbes With Ni-Dependent Enzyme Genes Accompany Adaptation of the Ruminal Microbiome to Urea-Supplemented Diets.

Urea is an inexpensive non-protein nitrogen source commonly supplemented to the diets of ruminants. It is cleaved to ammonia by bacterial ureases, which require Ni as a catalyst for ureolysis. The key event in the changes of the ruminal microbiome after urea supplementation remains unknown.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine-A potential cardiac biomarker in horses.

Introduction/objectives: Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is a cardiac biomarker in humans, symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) a renal biomarker in humans, cats, and dogs. The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate if measuring serum ADMA and SDMA concentrations via ELISA allows detection of cardiac disease in horses in a routine laboratory setting. In this context, reference values in horses were established.

Menthol stimulates calcium absorption in the rumen but not in the jejunum of sheep.

Stimulation of Ca absorption can counteract hypocalcemia at the onset of lactation. The plant bioactive lipid compound (PBLC) menthol is an agonist for nonselective cation channels of the transient receptor potential (TRP) family. It acutely stimulated Ca absorption in ruminal epithelia of nonadapted animals ex vivo and caused higher plasma Ca concentrations in cows and sheep in vivo.

Gardos channelopathy: functional analysis of a novel KCNN4 variant.

We show that the novel variant p.S314P is a gain-of-function mutation but is less severe than the previously reported p.R352H variant.

Ionotropic glutamate receptors in platelets: opposing effects and a unifying hypothesis.

Ionotropic glutamate receptors include -amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPAR), kainate receptors (KAR), and -methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR). All function as cation channels; AMPAR and KAR are more permeable to sodium and NMDAR to calcium ions. Compared to the brain, receptor assemblies in platelets are unusual, suggesting distinctive functionalities.

Butyrate Permeation across the Isolated Ovine Reticulum Epithelium.

We hypothesized that, due to the high pH of this compartment, the reticulum epithelium displays particular features in the transport of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Ovine reticulum epithelium was incubated in Ussing chambers using a bicarbonate-free buffer solution containing butyrate (20 mmol L). p-hydroxymercuribenzoic acid (pHMB), 5-(N-Ethyl-N-isopropyl)amiloride (EIPA), or ouabain were added to the buffer solution as inhibitors of monocarboxylate transporters, sodium-proton-exchangers, or the Na/K-ATPase, respectively.

Mesenchymal stem cells promote pancreatic β-cell regeneration through downregulation of FoxO1 pathway.

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are non-haematopoietic, fibroblast-like multipotent stromal cells. In the injured pancreas, these cells are assumed to secrete growth factors and immunomodulatory molecules, which facilitate the regeneration of pre-existing β-cells. However, when MSC are delivered intravenously, their majority is entrapped in the lungs and does not reach the pancreas.