Glucocorticoids contribute to metabolic and liver impairments induced by lactation overnutrition in male adult rats.

Introduction: Lactation overnutrition is a programming agent of energy metabolism, and litter size reduction leads to the early development of obesity, which persists until adulthood. Liver metabolism is disrupted by obesity, and increased levels of circulating glucocorticoids are pointed as a possible mediator for the obesity development, since bilateral adrenalectomy (ADX) can reduce obesity in different models of obesity. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of glucocorticoids on metabolic changes and liver lipogenesis and insulin pathway induced by lactation overnutrition. For this, on the postnatal day 3 (PND), 3 pups (small litter-SL) or 10 pups (normal litter-NL) were kept with each dam. On PND 60, male Wistar rats underwent bilateral adrenalectomy (ADX) or fictitious surgery (sham), and half of ADX animals received corticosterone (CORT- 25 mg/L) diluted in the drinking fluid. On PND 74, the animals were euthanized by decapitation for trunk blood collection, and liver dissection and storage. Results and Discussion: SL rats presented increased corticosterone, free fatty acids, total and LDL-cholesterol plasma levels, without changes in triglycerides (TG) and HDL-cholesterol. The SL group also showed increased content of liver TG, and expression of fatty acid synthase (FASN), but decreased expression of PI3Kp110 in the liver, compared to NL rats. In the SL group, the ADX decreased plasma levels of corticosterone, FFA, TG and HDL cholesterol, liver TG, and liver expression of FASN, and IRS2, compared to sham animals. In SL animals, CORT treatment increased plasma levels of TG and HDL cholesterol, liver TG, and expression of FASN, IRS1, and IRS2, compared with the ADX group. In summary, the ADX attenuated plasma and liver changes observed after lactation overnutrition, and CORT treatment could reverse most ADX-induced effects. Thus, increased circulating glucocorticoids are likely to play a pivotal role in liver and plasma impairments induced by lactation overnutrition in male rats.

Lactation overnutrition-induced obesity impairs effects of exogenous corticosterone on energy homeostasis and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in male rats.

AIMS: Litter size reduction on the first days of life results in increased body weight and adiposity, with higher levels of circulating glucocorticoids. Obese rodents are more sensitive to the anabolic effects of glucocorticoids and less responsive to glucocorticoids feedback on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This study aimed to evaluate effects of the treatment with corticosterone on metabolic responses and HPA axis in adult male rats reared in small litters. MAIN METHODS: From postnatal day (PND) 60 to 88, adult male rats of normal (NL- 10 pups/dam) and small (SL- 3 pups/dam) litters received oral treatment with Corticosterone (CORT-15 mg/L) in the drinking water or no treatment, composing the four experimental groups (NL-water; NL-CORT; SL-water and SL-CORT), for the evaluation of energy homeostasis and HPA axis. KEY FINDINGS: Male rats of SL-water group presented on PND88: glucose intolerance, higher adiposity, plasma triglycerides, free fatty acids, total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and corticosterone. SL-water animals showed increased mRNA of corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) in the pituitary, with decreased mRNA expression of PVN mineralocorticoid receptor. NL-CORT animals presented glucose intolerance, increased body weight, food intake, total and LDL cholesterol. Glucocorticoid treatment reduced corticosterone levels and adrenal cortex thickness in NL group, associated with increased mRNA of PVN CRH and pituitary POMC, without effects on SL animals. SIGNIFICANCE: Lactation overnutrition promotes hyperreactivity of HPA axis and reduces the responsiveness to glucocorticoids effects on energy balance and negative feedback of HPA axis in adult male rats.

A minimal monitoring approach for the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection (ACTG A5360 [MINMON]): a phase 4, open-label, single-arm trial.

BACKGROUND: Despite widespread availability of direct-acting antivirals including generic formulations, limited progress has been made in the global adoption of hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment. Barriers to treatment scale-up include availability and access to diagnostic and monitoring tests, health-care infrastructure, and requirement for frequent visits during treatment. METHODS: ACTG A5360 was a phase 4, open-label, single-arm trial across 38 sites in Brazil, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, and the USA. Key inclusion criteria were age of 18 years or older, evidence of active HCV infection (HCV RNA >1000 IU/mL) and HCV treatment-naive; patients with compensated cirrhosis and HIV/HCV co-infection were included but their enrolment was capped. All participants received a fixed dose combination of oral sofosbuvir (400 mg) and velpatasvir (100 mg) once daily for 12 weeks. The minimal monitoring (MINMON) approach consisted of four components: (1) there was no pre-treatment genotyping; (2) the entire treatment course (84 tablets) was dispensed at entry; (3) there were no scheduled visits or laboratory monitoring; and (4) there were two points of remote contact, at week 4 for adherence and week 22, to schedule outcome assessment at week 24 (-2 weeks to +4 weeks). Participants who missed the week 24 window could return for a visit to assess treatment response any time before week 72. Unplanned visits for any reason were permissible before the week 24 visit. The primary efficacy outcome was sustained virological response (SVR), defined as HCV RNA less than the lower limit of quantification measured at least 22 weeks post-treatment initiation; the primary safety outcome was serious adverse events. The primary efficacy analysis included all participants who initiated treatment, using a missing=failure approach. The primary safety analysis included all participants who initiated treatment and had at least one post-treatment assessment. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03512210. FINDINGS: Between Oct 22, 2018, and July 19, 2019, 400 participants were enrolled across all 38 sites; 399 initiated treatment. At the SVR assessment visit, 355 (89%) of 397 participants reported taking 100% of the trial medication during the 12-week treatment period; two patients did not have any follow-up visits after the entry visit and were excluded from the safety analyses. Overall, 379 of the 399 who initiated treatment had an SVR (95·0%, 95% CI 92·4-96·7). 14 (4%) of 397 participants reported serious adverse events between treatment initiation and week 28; none were treatment related or led to treatment discontinuation or death. 15 (4%) of 399 participants had unplanned visits; none were related to treatment. INTERPRETATION: In this diverse global population of people with HCV, the MINMON approach with sofosbuvir-velpatasvir treatment was safe and achieved SVR comparable to standard monitoring observed in real-world data. Coupled with innovative case finding strategies, this strategy could be crucial to the global HCV elimination agenda. FUNDING: US National Institutes of Health and Gilead Sciences.

The Effect of Goethites on the Polymerization of Glycine and Alanine Under Prebiotic Chemistry Conditions.

After pre concentration of monomers, polymerization is the second most important step for molecular evolution. The formation of peptides is an important issue for prebiotic chemistry and consequently for the origin of life. In this work, goethite was synthesized by two different routes, named goethite-I and goethite-II. Although both samples are goethite, Far-FT-IR spectroscopy and EPR spectroscopy showed differences between them, and these differences had an effect on the polymerization of glycine and alanine. For the amino acid polymerization, three protocols were used, that resembled prebiotic Earth conditions: a) amino acid plus goethite were mixed and heated at 90 °C for 10 days in solid state, b) a wet impregnation of the amino acid in the goethite, with subsequent heating at 90 °C for 10 days in solid state, and c) 10 wet/dry cycles each one for 24 h at 90 °C. Experiments with glycine plus goethite-II, using protocols B and C, produced only Gly-Gly. In addition, for the C protocol the amount of Gly-Gly synthesized was 3 times higher than the amount of Ala-Ala. Goethite-I presented a decrease in the EPR signal, when it was submitted to the protocols with and without amino acids. It is probable the decrease in the intensity of the EPR signal was due to a decrease in the imperfections of the mineral. For all protocols the mixture of alanine plus goethite-I or goethite-II produced c(Ala-Ala). However, for wet/dry cycles, protocol C presented higher yields (p < 0.05). In addition, Ala-Ala was produced using protocols A and C. The c(Ala-Ala) formation fitted a zero-order kinetic equation model. The surface areas of goethite-I and goethite-II were 35 m2 g-1 and 37 m2 g-1, respectively. Thermal analysis indicated that the mineral changes the thermal behavior of the amino acids. The main reactions for the thermal decomposition of glycine were deamination and dehydration and for alanine was deamination.

Unexpected Thiocyanate Adsorption onto Ferrihydrite Under Prebiotic Chemistry Conditions.

The most crucial role played by minerals was in the preconcentration of biomolecules or precursors of biomolecules in prebiotic seas. If this step had not occurred, molecular evolution would not have occurred. Thiocyanate is an important molecule in the formation of biomolecules as well as a catalyst for prebiotic reactions. The adsorption of thiocyanate onto ferrihydrite was carried out under pH and ion composition conditions in seawater that resembled those of prebiotic Earth. The seawater used in this work had high Mg2+, Ca2+ and SO42- concentrations. The most important result of this work was that ferrihydrite adsorbed thiocyanateata pH value (7.2 ± 0.2) that usually does not adsorb thiocyanate. The high adsorptivity of Mg2+, Ca2+ and SO42-onto ferrihydrite showed that seawater ions can act as carriers of thiocyanate to the ferrihydrite surface, creating a huge outer-sphere complex. Kinetic adsorption and isotherm experiments showed the best fit for the pseudo-second-order model and an activation energy of 23.8 kJ mol-1forthe Langmuir-Freundlich model, respectively. Thermodynamic data showed positive ΔG values, which apparently contradict the adsorption isotherm data and kinetic data that was obtained. The adsorption of thiocyanate onto ferrihydrite could be explained by coupling with the exergonic SO42- adsorption onto ferrihydrite. The FTIR spectra showed no difference between the C≡N stretching peaks of adsorbed thiocyanate and free thiocyanate, corroborating the formation of an outer-sphere complex. All the results demonstrated the importance of the artificial seawater composition for the adsorption of thiocyanate and for understanding prebiotic chemistry.

Interaction between glyphosate and montmorillonite in the presence of artificial seawater.

Glyphosate (N- (phosphonomethyl) glycine) is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. In the literature, there are several studies describing the interaction between glyphosate and clay minerals. However, there is a lack of data of this interaction in marine environments. In this research, we examined the adsorption of glyphosate onto montmorillonite in the presence of artificial seawater. Mössbauer data showed that the interaction of the phosphonate group of glyphosate with Fe2+ of montmorillonite prevents its oxidation to Fe3+. X-ray diffractograms showed that glyphosate adsorption takes place only onto the montmorillonite surface and not in its interlayers. Infrared spectroscopy data demonstrate that the interaction between glyphosate and montmorillonite could be through the amino group. FT-IR spectra of aqueous solutions of salts of seawater showed that Ca2+ interacts with glyphosate of the phosphonate group, thus causing an increase in its adsorption onto montmorillonite. However, glyphosate dissolved in 0.50 mol L-1 NaCl and 0.034 mol L-1MgCl2 solutions showed the lowest adsorption onto montmorillonite. In addition, the adsorption of glyphosate onto montmorillonite decreased when the NaCl concentration increased. The results fitted the Sips isotherm model, probably because the Ca2+ interacts with glyphosate, making the adsorption process more homogeneous. Thus, n values for Freundlich and Sips isotherm models decreased with an increase in ionic strength. Glyphosate and ions of artificial seawater increased the pHpzc of montmorillonite.

A morphological, reproductive, and molt phenology database for 379 bird species from the Colombian Tropical Andes.

The Colombian Tropical Andes are one of the regions with highest bird diversity on Earth. However, information on bird morphology, reproductive phenology, and molt is particularly scarce in this region. Also, this region is heavily impacted by deforestation, and it is vulnerable to climate change. Hence, providing baseline information on life history and morphological traits will be essential to support future research on functional diversity, climate change effects, conservation, evolution, and phenology. To fill this gap, we have compiled information on bird distribution, morphology, molt, and reproductive phenology at 52 localities of the Department of Caldas, covering an elevation range between 148 and 3845 m. This compilation comprises a wide range of habitats, including native forests, forestry plantations, croplands, and paramo. Our database presents information for 3,398 records belonging to 379 bird species (representing 23 orders, 53 families, and 258 genera). From those records, 2,843 correspond to information collected in the field between 2008 and 2019, and the remaining 555 records correspond to specimens deposited in the Natural History Museum of the Caldas University, collected between 1969 and 2014. We measured nine morphological traits from all specimens: total culmen, gape, bill width, bill depth, tarsus, wing length, tail length, total length, and mass. We also have reproductive condition information for 257 species and molt information available for 378 species. The information contained in this data set represents ~20% of the Colombian avifauna and ~11% of the bird species richness in South America. This data set is released for non-commercial use only. Credits should be given to this paper (i.e., proper citation), and the products generated with this database should be shared under the same license terms (CC BY-NC-SA).

A Genetic Risk Score for the Estimation of Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) are the most frequent bariatric surgery procedures worldwide. In this prospective study, we examined the association of a genetic risk score (GRS) with loss of excess weight after bariatric surgery. METHODS: A total of forty-seven morbidly obese Greek patients who underwent SG (81%) or RYGB were recruited, followed up for 2 years and genotyped. Weight loss after surgery was reported as the percentage of excess weight that was lost (%EWL) at 12 and 24 months after surgery. A GRS was constructed based on previously BMI- and WHR-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were found significantly correlated with weight loss after bariatric surgery in our population. The level of post-surgery %EWL after 12 and 24 months was estimated through two multiple linear regression models that considered the effects of relevant genetic risk variants. RESULTS: The first proposed model suggested that the predictor variables of GRS, age, and BMI had a significant effect on %EWL12m. GRS was significantly associated with %EWL12m, indicating a 4.618% decrease of %EWL12m per score unit. The second model indicated a positive correlation between %EWL24m and %EWL12m, suggesting that while post-surgery weight loss increased during the first 12 months, an increase was expected in the next 12 months as well. GRS was also significantly associated with %EWL24m, indicating approximately 3% decrease of %EWL24m per score unit. CONCLUSION: GRS can be used in the future together with other preoperative parameters in order to predict the outcome of bariatric surgery.

Interference of goethite in the effects of glyphosate and Roundup® on ZFL cell line.

Goethite (α-FeOOH) brings important perspectives in environmental remediation, as, due to its physicochemical properties, this iron oxide can adsorb a wide variety of compounds, including glyphosate. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of goethite nanoparticles (NPs), glyphosate (Gly), Roundup® (Rd), and co-exposures (Gly + NPs and Rd + NPs) on zebrafish liver cell line (ZFL). ZFL cells were exposed to NPs (1, 10, and 100 mg L-1), Gly (3.6 mg L-1), Rd (10 mg L-1), and co-exposures (Gly + NPs and Rd + NPs), or only to saline for 1, 6, and 12 h. Cell viability was assessed by Trypan blue, MTT, and neutral red assays. The generation of reactive oxygen species and total antioxidant capacity were also determined, while genotoxicity was quantified by the comet assay. Both NPs and Rd in isolation produced cytotoxic effects at 6 h and genotoxic effects at 1 and 6 h. Rd + NPs resulted in synergistic effects, intensifying the toxicity. Cells exposed to Gly did not present toxic effects and Gly + NPs resulted in the suppression of toxic effects observed for NPs. The presence of other components in Roundup® seems to favor its toxicity compared to the active ingredient. In conclusion, according to the in vitro model, the concentrations used were not safe for the ZFL lineage.

Can maternal treatment with metformin during gestation and lactation cause metabolic and cardiovascular disorders in rat offspring?

Objective: The aim was to evaluate if maternal treatment with metformin (MET) during pregnancy and lactation could be safe for metabolic and cardiovascular parameters of adult male and female offspring.Materials and methods: Wistar female rats were treated with MET (293 mg/kg/d) or tap water, by gavage during gestation (METG or CTRG) or gestation and lactation (METGL or CTRGL).Results: At 75 days of life, male and female MET offspring presented similar blood pressure when compared with their CTR. The heart rate of female METGL was higher than in the CTRGL. The insulin sensitivity, basal glycaemia, body weight, Lee index of obesity, plasmatic concentration of triglycerides, total cholesterol and fat acid of male and female MET were similar to CTR groups. Lower fat pad deposition was observed in female METG and METGL.Conclusion: MET exposure during gestational and lactation does not program cardiovascular and metabolic alterations in adult offspring life.

Adenine Adsorbed onto Montmorillonite Exposed to Ionizing Radiation: Essays on Prebiotic Chemistry.

Most adsorption and radiolysis experiments related to prebiotic chemistry studies are performed in distilled water or sodium chloride solutions. However, distilled water and sodium chloride solutions do not represent the composition of the primitive seas of Earth. In this work, an artificial seawater with ion abundances Mg2+ > Ca2+ >> Na+ ≈ K+ and SO42- >> Cl- was used, one that is different from the average composition of seawater today. This artificial seawater is named seawater 4.0 Ga, since it better represents the composition of the major constituents of seawater of primitive Earth. The radiolysis of adenine adsorbed onto montmorillonite was studied. The most important result is that adenine is adsorbed onto montmorillonite, when it is dissolved in artificial seawater 4.0 Ga, and the clay protects adenine against gamma radiation decomposition. However, desorption of adenine from montmorillonite was possible only with 0.10 mol L-1 of KOH. This result indicates that adenine was strongly bonded to montmorillonite. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that NH2 group and electrostatic interactions, between negatively charged montmorillonite and positively charged adenine, are responsible for adsorption of adenine onto montmorillonite. In addition, X-ray diffractograms showed that adenine enters in the interlayer space of montmorillonite.

Energy balance and CO2 emission in mechanized biomass harvesting in pine stands under thinning.

Biomass is an important component of the Brazilian energy matrix, with a potential contribution of co-products from thinned forests. The aim of this work was to evaluate the energy balance and CO2 potential emission in mechanized biomass harvesting operations in Pinus taeda stands at 9 and 10 years-old and under thinning, searching to support the use of co-product biomass from thinning as a renewable energy source. Thinning was carried out through cut-to-length harvesting method, in which large logs for sawmill and small logs for energy were produced. In addition, tops, needles, barks, and branches were considered as co-products. The balance between consumed energy and emitted CO2 by machines for thinning in relationship to the energy and CO2 in thinned biomass was estimated. Thus, dry matter, energy potential, and CO2 potential emission were evaluated and compared considering thinning stand ages as treatments. Mechanized thinning consumes a large energy and produces CO2, however, the energy consumed by machines is lower than 1% of the estimated energy potential in thinned biomass, while the CO2 emission is lower than 0.5% of the biomass. Therefore, the use of co-product biomass of thinning is an important way to mitigate greenhouse gas emission.

Top 10 evidence-based recommendations from the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases for the Choosing Wisely Project.

The Choosing Wisely Initiative aims to collect statements from medical societies all over the world on medical interventions that result in no benefit to patients, with the potential to cause harm. In this article we present the views of the Diagnostic Laboratory Group at the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases (SBI). Ten experts from SBI were asked to list 10 diagnostic tests that were perceived as unnecessary in the field of infectious diseases. After voting for the more relevant topics, a questionnaire was sent to all SBI members, in order to select for the most important items. A total of 482 votes were obtained, and the top 10 results are shown in this manuscript. The Choosing Wisely statements of SBI should facilitate clinical practice by optimizing the use of diagnostic resources in the field of infectious diseases.

Sex differences in glucocorticoids-induced anabolic effects in rats.

Glucocorticoids (GC) increase food intake and body weight in humans and rodents and chronic stress and GC treatment-induced enhancement of the plasma concentration of GC lead to obesity and metabolic changes. In response to hypercaloric treatment, males were shown to be more susceptible to obesity than females, demonstrating that sex differences may affect energy homeostasis. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of prolonged (28 days) treatment with dexamethasone or corticosterone on food intake and body weight gain in intact rats, both male and female. Also examined were Lee index, weights and area of adipocytes of retroperitoneal and perigonadal+perirenal adipose tissues, glucose tolerance test (GTT) and plasma concentrations of free fatty acids, cholesterol and triglycerides. Treatment with dexamethasone was able to increase body weight, food intake, area of adipocytes and weight of retroperitoneal adipose tissue in males. Prolonged treatment with corticosterone also stimulated body weight gain and food intake in males. In addition, it induced an increase in the area of adipocytes and weight of perirenal+perigonadal adipose tissue and higher glycemia after GTT in these animals, without changes on Lee index and plasma parameters after both GC treatments. No parameter was changed by dexamethasone or corticosterone treatment in female rats. Thus, it can be concluded that male rats are more susceptible to the anabolic effects of glucocorticoids than female rats, and these responses can be due to the protective effects of circulating estrogens in females, and/or the difference between males and females in the expression/activity of corticosteroids receptors.

Solid adenine and seawater salts exposed to gamma radiation: An FT-IR and EPR spectroscopy analysis for prebiotic chemistry.

Solids of adenine obtained from distilled water and seawater lyophilized solutions were γ irradiated at a 94.52 kGy dose. Results indicate that pure solid adenine had a low degradation rate, likewise the solid containing seawater salts. However, EPR spectroscopy analysis suggests a high interaction of the radiation with seawater salts, by radical formation in sulfate ions. These outcomes are of interest for prebiotic chemistry, since ions could have played important roles in chemical evolution. In addition, Martian soil is rich in sulphate salts, thus these salts could protected organic molecules being degraded by γ-radiation.

The effect of pH and ionic strength on the adsorption of glyphosate onto ferrihydrite.

Although, glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine) is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world, its interaction with poorly crystalline iron oxides, such as ferrihydrite, is not well studied. In this research, we examined the adsorption of glyphosate onto ferrihydrite using infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR), adsorption kinetic models and adsorption isotherm models. The effect of pH and sodium chloride concentration on the adsorption of glyphosate onto ferrihydrite as well as the effect of extractors (CaCl2 0.010 mol L-1 and Mehlich) on the desorption of glyphosate were also evaluated. There are two important findings described in this work. First, 84% of adsorbed glyphosate strongly interacted to ferrihydrite as an inner-sphere complex and phosphate and amine groups are involved in this interaction. Second, an increase of sodium chloride salt concentration increased the adsorption of glyphosate onto ferrihydrite. The non-linear Langmuir model and pseudo second order model showed a good agreement of theoretical limit of glyphosate adsorbed onto ferrihydrite, 54.88 µg mg-1 and 48.8 µg mg-1, respectively. The adsorption of glyphosate onto ferrihydrite decreased when the pH increased. Under the conditions used in this work, EPR spectra did not show dissolution of ferrihydrite. Surface area, pore volume and pHpzc of ferrihydrite decreased after adsorption of glyphosate.

WITHDRAWN: Sex differences in glucocorticoids-induced anabolic effects on energy balance.

This article has been withdrawn: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy). This article has been withdrawn at the request of the editor and publisher. The publisher regrets that an error occurred which led to the premature publication of this paper. This error bears no reflection on the article or its authors. The publisher apologizes to the authors and the readers for this unfortunate error.

Iodixanol supplementation during sperm cryopreservation improves protamine level and reduces reactive oxygen species of canine sperm.

The objective of this study was to analyze the protective effects of iodixanol on dog spermatozoa during cryopreservation. The optimal concentration of iodixanol, 1.5%, was determined using fresh spermatozoa and was applied in the following experiments. The 1.5% iodixanol group showed significantly increased sperm motility from that in the control (p ＜ 0.05). Lower mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) modulator (ROMO1) and pro-apoptotic gene (BAX) expressions, together with higher expressions of protamine-2 (PRM2), protamine-3 (PRM3), anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL2), and sperm acrosome associated-3 (SPACA3) genes were detected in the iodixanol-treated group. In addition, decreased protamine deficiency and cryocapacitation were observed in the treatment group. Our results show that supplementation with 1.5% iodixanol is ideal for reducing production of ROS and preventing detrimental effects during the canine sperm cryopreservation process, effects manifested as increased motility and reduced cryocapacitation in frozen-thawed spermatozoa.

Estradiol protects against ovariectomy-induced susceptibility to the anabolic effects of glucocorticoids in rats.

Glucocorticoids increase appetite and body weight gain in rats and ovariectomy (OVX) induces obesity, while estrogen (E) replacement attenuates OVX-induced changes. It is known that animals with obesity are more responsive to glucocorticoids anabolic effects than lean ones. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of ovariectomy and the protective role of estradiol on the responses induced by prolonged treatment with corticosterone or dexamethasone on energy homeostasis. For this, female Wistar rats subjected to SHAM or OVX surgery, composing the SHAM, OVX, and OVX + E groups, received water/ETOH or corticosterone (15 mg/l) and water or dexamethasone (0.5 µg/l) as drinking fluid for 28 days. The OVX + E group, since the first day, was daily treated with estradiol (10 µg/0.2 ml/rat SC). OVX induced enhancement of body weight gain, food intake, area of the adipocytes and weight of retroperitoneal adipose tissue, plasma cholesterol and glucose intolerance, with reduction on uterus weight. In OVX animals, treatment with glucocorticoids induced increases on body weight gain, food intake, weight of retroperitoneal adipose tissue, area of adipocytes of retroperitoneal and perigonadal + perirenal fat depots, plasma triglycerides (corticosterone), and glycemic response after GTT (dexamethasone), with minor effects on SHAM group. Estradiol treatment to OVX rats prevented these effects induced by glucocorticoids, in addition to decrease body weight gain, fat accumulation and glucose intolerance, and to increase weight of uterus, triglycerides and free fatty acids plasma levels. These data demonstrate that protection against glucocorticoids-induced anabolic responses in females is eliminated by ovariectomy and estradiol can prevent these responses.

Iodixanol supplementation during sperm cryopreservation improves protamine level and reduces reactive oxygen species of canine sperm

The objective of this study was to analyze the protective effects of iodixanol on dog spermatozoa during cryopreservation. The optimal concentration of iodixanol, 1.5%, was determined using fresh spermatozoa and was applied in the following experiments. The 1.5% iodixanol group showed significantly increased sperm motility from that in the control (p < 0.05). Lower mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) modulator (ROMO1) and pro-apoptotic gene (BAX) expressions, together with higher expressions of protamine-2 (PRM2), protamine-3 (PRM3), anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL2), and sperm acrosome associated-3 (SPACA3) genes were detected in the iodixanol-treated group. In addition, decreased protamine deficiency and cryocapacitation were observed in the treatment group. Our results show that supplementation with 1.5% iodixanol is ideal for reducing production of ROS and preventing detrimental effects during the canine sperm cryopreservation process, effects manifested as increased motility and reduced cryocapacitation in frozen-thawed spermatozoa.