First Swedish case of fatal equine parasitic encephalitis by Halicephalobus gingivalis.

BACKGROUND: Halicephalobus gingivalis is a nematode with zoonotic potential which can cause fatal opportunistic infections in various mammals. The parasite has never been diagnosed in Sweden, in any species, prior to the presented case. CASE PRESENTATION: An imported 21-year-old Icelandic mare developed severe neurological signs. The horse was eventually euthanized and submitted for post-mortem examination where severe lesions in the kidneys were noted. Histopathology revealed the presence of H. gingivalis in both kidneys and the brain. Phylogenetic analysis of the parasite determined it to belong to Lineage 1. CONCLUSIONS: With the occurrence of H. gingivalis in Sweden, the disease should be added to the list of differential diagnoses in cases with acute onset of neurological disease in both horses and other mammals including humans.

Non-mosaic X monosomy (77,X) in a female dog with signs of virilization.

A 14-month-old female Miniature Poodle dog with an enlarged clitoris and asymmetry in the placement of the teats was subjected to clinical, histopathological, and genetic studies. Macroscopically, the uterus and fallopian tubes appeared normal, while both ovaries were diffusely altered. At histology, the ovarian parenchyma was almost completely effaced by a diffuse hyperplasia of theca cells with atretic primary follicles. Chromosome analysis showed pure (non-mosaic) X monosomy (77,X). This finding was confirmed by the highly sensitive droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) approach. Despite the observed virilization, molecular analysis did not show the presence of Y-linked genes (SRY, ZFY, and TSPY1) in the blood cells or ovary tissue. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of X monosomy in a dog associated with virilization.

Daily Treatment of Mice with Type 2 Diabetes with Adropin for Four Weeks Improves Glucolipid Profile, Reduces Hepatic Lipid Content and Restores Elevated Hepatic Enzymes in Serum.

Adropin is a peptide hormone encoded by Energy Homeostasis Associated gene. Adropin modulates energy homeostasis and metabolism of lipids and carbohydrates. There is growing evidence demonstrating that adropin enhances insulin sensitivity and lowers hyperlipidemia in obese mice. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of daily administration of adropin for four weeks in mice with experimentally induced type 2 diabetes (T2D). Adropin improved glucose control without modulating insulin sensitivity. Adropin reduced body weight, size of adipocytes, blood levels of triacylglycerol and cholesterol in T2D mice. T2D mice treated with adropin had lower liver mass, reduced hepatic content of triacylglycerol and cholesterol. Furthermore, adropin attenuated elevated blood levels of hepatic enzymes (ALT, AST, GGT and ALP) in T2D mice. In T2D mice, adropin increased the circulating adiponectin level. Adropin had no effects on circulating insulin and glucagon levels and did not alter pancreatic islets morphology. These results suggest that adropin improves glucose control, lipid metabolism and liver functions in T2D. In conjunction with reduced lipid content in hepatocytes, these results render adropin as an interesting candidate in therapy of T2D.

Ostarine-Induced Myogenic Differentiation in C2C12, L6, and Rat Muscles.

Ostarine (also known as enobosarm or Gtx-024) belongs to the selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs). It is a substance with an aryl-propionamide structure, classified as a non-steroidal compound that is not subjected to the typical steroid transformations of aromatization and reduction by α5 reductase. Despite ongoing research on ostarine, knowledge about it is still limited. Earlier studies indicated that ostarine may affect the metabolism of muscle tissue, but this mechanism has not been yet described. We aimed to investigate the effect of ostarine on the differentiation and metabolism of muscle. Using C2C12 and L6 cells, as well as muscles obtained from rats administered ostarine, we showed that ostarine stimulates C2C12 and L6 proliferation and cell viability and that this effect is mediated by androgen receptor (AR) and ERK1/2 kinase activation (p < 0.01). We also found that ostarine stimulates muscle cell differentiation by increasing myogenin, MyoD, and MyH expression in both types of cells (p < 0.01). Moreover, pharmacological blocking of AR inhibits the stimulatory effect of ostarine. We further demonstrated that 30 days of ostarine administration increases myogenin, MyoD, and MyH expression, as well as muscle mass, in rats (p < 0.01). Based on our research, we conclude that ostarine stimulates muscle tissue proliferation and differentiation via the androgen receptor.

30-Day spexin treatment of mice with diet-induced obesity (DIO) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) increases insulin sensitivity, improves liver functions and metabolic status.

Spexin (SPX) is a 14 aa peptide discovered in 2007 using bioinformatics methods. SPX inhibits food intake and regulates lipid, and carbohydrate metabolism. Here, we evaluate the ability of SPX at improving metabolic control and liver function in obese and type 2 diabetic animals. The effects of 30 days SPX treatment of mice with experimentally induced obesity (DIO) or type 2 diabetes (T2DM) on serum glucose and lipid levels, insulin sensitivity and hormonal profile (insulin, glucagon, adiponectin, leptin, TNF alpha, IL-6 and IL-1ß) are characterized. In addition, alterations of hepatic lipid and glycogen contents are evaluated. We report that SPX decreases body weight in healthy and DIO mice, and reduces lipid content in all three animal groups. SPX improves insulin sensitivity in DIO and T2DM animals. In addition, SPX modulates hormonal and metabolic profile by regulating the concentration of adiponectin (concentration increase) and leptin (concentration decrease) in the serum blood of DIO and T2DM mice. Lastly, SPX decreases lipid content as well as IL-6 and TNF-α protein levels in liver of DIO and T2DM mice, and reduces IL-6 and TNF-alpha concentrations in the serum derived from T2DM mice. Based on our results, we conclude that SPX could be involved in the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus and it can be further evaluated as a potential target for therapy of DIO and T2DM.

The Role of Peptide Hormones Discovered in the 21st Century in the Regulation of Adipose Tissue Functions.

Peptide hormones play a prominent role in controlling energy homeostasis and metabolism. They have been implicated in controlling appetite, the function of the gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems, energy expenditure, and reproduction. Furthermore, there is growing evidence indicating that peptide hormones and their receptors contribute to energy homeostasis regulation by interacting with white and brown adipose tissue. In this article, we review and discuss the literature addressing the role of selected peptide hormones discovered in the 21st century (adropin, apelin, elabela, irisin, kisspeptin, MOTS-c, phoenixin, spexin, and neuropeptides B and W) in controlling white and brown adipogenesis. Furthermore, we elaborate how these hormones control adipose tissue functions in vitro and in vivo.