Latilactobacillus sakei strains protect crucian carp against Aeromonas hydrophila–induced intestinal injury in an oral challenge model

• Abnormal levels of serum acid phosphatase specifically of origin can provide the key to accurate diagnosis of cancer of the prostate. The presence of normal levels of total serum acid phosphatase cannot be considered sufficient evidence to rule out cancer, especially where there are other clinical signs of this disease. Where there is a questionable diagnosis of cancer, the administration of testosterone 50 mg. three times a week, may be followed by a significant rise in prostatic serum acid phosphatase level, by stimulation of the tumor growth. Five unsuspected cases of carcinoma of the prostate were diagnosed by abnormal serum acid phosphatase values among 233 males admitted to the hospital during a two-year period. A normal serum acid phosphatase level is equally important from a diagnostic standpoint.

Pre- and postejaculation serum acid phosphatase

Objective. To increase the effectiveness of the prevention of caries and non-carious dental lesions in patients with estrogen imbalance.Materials and methods. To quantify the density of the bone tissue of the jaws by the method of computed tomography of the structures, an X-ray attenuation scale, called the Hounsfield scale, was used. A Planmeca ProMax 3Ds cone beam computed tomograph was used. To process the results, Planmeca Romexis® software was used. To confirm the imbalance of estrogen, all patients underwent a study on the level of estrogen (estradiol) in the body. For an indirect study of the degree of osteoporosis (bone destruction), we determined the level of serum acid phosphatase. For the study, 3 groups of patients were selected: a comparison group (20 patients) – patients who had not received additional treatment, main group 1 (20 patients) – patients who underwent general therapy with complex calcium preparations, main group 2 (20 patients) – patients who underwent general therapy with complex preparations of calcium and aminobisphosphonates.Results. At the beginning of the study, all groups showed significant demineralization of bone tissue. After 6 months in thecomparison group, the Hounsfield index remained almost unchanged and amounted to 1497±63, which indicates the absence of dynamics in this group. In the main group 1, the Hounsfield index was 1571±44, which is only 5.28% better than the initial result. In the main group 2, the Hounsfield index was 1701±48, which is 13.05% more than the initial result. At the beginning of the study, all groups showed a significant increase in the level of acid phosphatase. So, the indicators in the comparison group, the main group 1, and in the main group 2 were 6.75±0.29, 6.81±0.56, 6.79±0.73, respectively (norm 0–5.5 IU/l). After 6 months of treatment in the comparison group, the level of acid phosphatase remained almost unchanged and amounted to 6.79±0.24, which indicates the absence of dynamics in this group. In the main group 1, the level of acid phosphatase was 4.93±0.26, which is only 27.6 % less than the initial result. In the main group 2, the level of acid phosphatase was 2.43±0.18, which is 64.2 % less than the initial result.Conclusions. The use of complex therapy using calcium phosphate preparations with vitamin D3 and aminobisphosphonates lasting 6 months increases bone mineralization by 13.05 %. The use of complex therapy using calcium phosphate preparations with vitamin D3 and aminobisphosphonates lasting 6 months reduces the activity of acid phosphatase by 64.2 %. The proposed treatment complex helps to reduce the destruction of bone tissue and stimulates the restoration of mineralization of bone tissue and hard tissues of teeth.Key words: tooth mineralization, osteoporosis, estrogen dysfunction, Hounsfield index.

The total and l-tartrate labile acid phosphatase were studied in 25 patients with carcinoma of prostate. The results were compared with the results from a control group. Serum acid phosphatase levels both in the control groups and in patients with prostatic cancer were lower than bone marrow acid phosphatase levels. This may be due to acid phosphatase released from blood cells during hemolysis. A positive correlation between serum and bone marrow acid phosphatase levels in patients with prostatic carcinoma was found. There was a significant rise in bone marrow acid phosphatase levels (above the normal range from the control group) in patients with advanced stage III and stage IV prostatic carcinoma with significantly increased serum levels. The levels of bone marrow acid phosphatase gave a supplementary diagnostic method in the diagnosis of prostatic carcinoma. A hypothesis that raised levels of bone marrow acid phosphatase are diagnostic of early metastasis from prostatic carcinoma is given.

The serum acid phosphatase (SAP) level is often valuable as an aid in establishing the diagnosis of prostatic carcinoma, but it is a poor substitute for a positive biopsy. The availability of semispecific tests like the SAP determination often prevent the logical progression of diagnostic events that are so often employed in establishing a diagnosis as serious as carcinoma. Certainly, a reasonable effort to obtain histologic proof of prostatic carcinoma is essential, particularly since the prostate is exceedingly available for biopsy, the morbidity and mortality are virtually nil, and the chance of success quite high. Systematic analysis of populations with prostatic carcinoma demonstrate that, in general, the more tumor tissue present, the more likely it is that the SAP level will be elevated. Woodard 34 and Fraley and Howard, 35 using a modification of the Bodansky 36 and Babson and Read 37 techniques, respectively, reported levels of activity in patients;

Classic Citations: Studies on Prostatic Cancer I. The Effect of Castration, of Estrogen and of Androgen Injection on Serum Phosphatases in Metastatic Carcinoma of the Prostate* by Charles Huggins and Clarence V. Hodges

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of simvastatin on the bone remolding markers in rats (experimental study). Materials and methods: The study involved 18 male Wistar rats, they were divided into three groups: Group I (n=6; control group), Group II (n=6; was administrated 7.5 mg/kg/ dexamethasone intra muscular for 2 months served as a model of osteoporosis [op]), Group III (n=6;was administered 7.5 mg/kg/ dexamethasone intra muscular for 2month and treated orally with 8mg/kg of simvastatin).After 8 weeks, serum acid phosphatase was determined for the three group. Results: The levels of serum acid phosphatase were notably elevated in the [op] group. Administration of simvastatin produced a significant decrease in the levels of serum acid phosphatase. Conclusion: simvastatin was able to decrease the rate of bone resorption in an animal model of osteoporosis induced by dexamethasone.

Dietary Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharide ameliorates the growth performance and innate immunity of juvenile crucian carp (Carassius auratus)

In a recent paper, Elstein et al (2000) described the course of haematological parameters and liver/spleen volume as assessed by ultrasound in 15 Gaucher patients after cessation of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). The authors concluded that patients can be withdrawn from therapy for circumscribed periods of time, i.e. several years. We would like to emphasize that more suitable parameters for therapeutic monitoring exist in Gaucher's disease, i.e. plasma chitotriosidase, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the blood levels of serum ferritin, acid phosphatase and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). These parameters allow a more precise clinical judgement of an impending exacerbation of the disease than blood cell counts and ultrasound alone. In a representative German patient population admitted for ERT between 1991 and 2000 (n = 69, mean age at initiation of therapy 46 years, men:women 37:32), only two patients, both non-splenectomized, completely discontinued therapy. One 23-year-old female patient had been on enzyme replacement therapy for 34 months with 40 IU of alglucerase (Ceredase®, Genzyme, Cambridge, MA, USA) per kg body weight (b.w.) every other week, and she discontinued therapy because of an excessive weight gain of > 20 kg since the advent of ERT. Her 15-year-old brother had 8 months of therapy with alglucerase (20 U/kg b.w. every other week) and discontinued therapy for personal reasons. Both patients were reviewed 24 months after discontinuation of ERT. At this time, the female patient complained of bone pain in both knees. Within this time period, the laboratory parameters of the female patient showed a decline of haemoglobin (Hb) and platelets, and a more pronounced increase of serum ACE, ferritin and acid phosphatase levels (Fig 1). The most sensitive blood parameter was plasma chitotriosidase (Hollak et al, 1994; Hollak & Aerts, 1997), which had increased more than threefold. MRI showed a deterioration of bone marrow findings in the female patient (Fig 2). Her brother's Hb decreased from 13·7 to 12·6 g/dl and the platelet levels dropped from 255 to 145 × 109/l. Serum acid phosphatase, ACE and serum ferritin increased from 4·5 to 8·3 U/l, from 89 to 154 U/l and from 54 to 163 μg/l respectively. Plasma chitotriosidase increased from 3373 to 11448 nmol/ml/h. MRI of this patient did not reveal Gaucher-associated bone marrow changes. In both patients, a reinstallation of ERT was recommended. Blood parameters in a 25-year-old female Gaucher patient who discontinued therapy for 24 months because of excessive weight gain. ACE, acid phosphatase and ferritin were determined from serum and chitotriosidase from blood plasma. MRI findings in the same Gaucher patient before (A) and after (B) a 24-month period of discontinuation of enzyme replacement therapy with alglucerase. T1-weighted images in coronal plane showed a typical bone manifestation of Gaucher's disease with an abnormal low signal intensity of both proximal and distal femora, whereas the femoral diaphyses appeared normal (A, white arrows). On follow-up, 2 years after cessation of therapy (B), the femoral diaphyses appeared with a decreased signal intensity (white arrows), indicating a deterioration of the disease. Bone infiltration is found in 70% of Gaucher patients (Rosenthal et al, 1995) and MRI can be used to pick up a deterioration of bone findings. Serum ACE, acid phosphatase and ferritin levels change much earlier and are more sensitive than other blood parameters such as Hb and platelet count (Niederau et al, 1994). Further, our findings show that plasma chitotriosidase can be used to detect early relapses of Gaucher's disease after cessation of ERT. Activation of macrophages is reflected by increased plasma chitotriosidase levels (Hollak & Aerts, 1997). Anaemia, thrombocytopenia and bone disease represent the manifest damage induced by macrophage activation. Gaucher-associated bone disease is reversible only to a limited extent. Clinical monitoring of the Gaucher patient by determination of plasma chitotriosidase and other ‘lysosome-related’ activity parameters must therefore be performed to detect an impending exacerbation of the disease. In our opinion, the purpose of ERT is to avoid irreversible organ damage by decreasing macrophage activation. There is little doubt that, after induction therapy with relatively high doses of the enzyme, stable chitotriosidase levels can be maintained with lower doses of the enzyme, but a complete cessation of therapy will inevitably endanger the patient. Currently, there is no alternative to continuous ERT in the symptomatic Gaucher patient.

Fish intestines and livers are usually considered as delicious and nutritious food in China. Acidic polysaccharides are important nutrients in these food of animal origin, but there is currently little information regarding their quantitative distributions. The present study demonstrated a method to quantify acidic polysaccharides simultaneously by analyzing their disaccharides produced from the acid hydrolysis using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. The recoveries for these acidic polysaccharides were all 97%-115% with relative standard deviation of 3.0%-9.0%. All of the acidic polysaccharides had good linearities. Then this method was applied to determine the composition of acidic polysaccharides in 5 edible fish livers and intestines. Besides well-known glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) including hyaluronic acid (HA), Chondroitin sulfate (CS), dermatan sulfate (DS) and heparin (HP), 4 novel acidic polysaccharides including 2 GAGs and 2 non-GAGs comprised of hexose-hexuronic acid repeating units were also found. CS and HP were the major acidic polysaccharides components in fish intestines and livers, respectively. The absolute amounts of acidic polysaccharides differed greatly in these fish tissues, but their proportions showed similarity in the same type of tissues. The present study demonstrated an effective method for acidic polysaccharides quantification, and revealed acidic polysaccharides compositions of edible fish livers and intestines.

Feed efficiency is an economically crucial trait for cultured animals, however, progress has been scarcely made in the genetic analyses of feed conversion efficiency (FCE) in fish because of the difficulties in measurement of trait phenotypes. In the present investigation, we present the first application of RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) combined with differentially expressed genes (DEGs) analysis for identification of functional determinants related to FCE at the gene level in an aquaculture fish, crucian carp (Carassius auratus). Brain tissues of six crucian carp with extreme FCE performances were subjected to transcriptome analysis. A total of 544,612 unigenes with a mean size of 644.38 bp were obtained from Low- and High-FCE groups, and 246 DEGs that may be involved in FCE traits were identified in these two groups. qPCR confirmed that genes previously identified as up- or down-regulated by RNA-Seq were effectively up- or down-regulated under the studied conditions. Thirteen key genes, whose functions are associated with metabolism (Dgkk, Mgst3 and Guk1b), signal transduction (Vdnccsa1b, Tgfα, Nr4a1 and Tacr2) and growth (Endog, Crebrtc2, Myh7, Myh1, Myh14 and Igfbp7) were identified according to GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) annotations. Our novel findings provide useful pathway information and candidate genes for future studies of genetic mechanisms underlying FCE in crucian carp.

Acid phosphatase activity was determined in serum, cultured fibroblasts, and peripheral blood lymphocytes of six splenectomized adult patients with non-neuropathic Gaucher disease in two Canadian families. Elevated levels of serum acid phosphatase activity (520-711% of normal) were found in four patients who also developed orthopedic complications associated with Gaucher disease, including intermittent bone pain, arthritis, collapse of femoral head, and pathological fractures. Serum acid phosphatase activity in two patients who do not have bone involvement were found to be within the normal range. Contrary to the serum enzyme, acid phosphatase activity in lymphocytes and cultured fibroblasts of all of the patients was within the normal range. Deficient glucocerebrosidase (7.5-15.5% of normal) and acid beta-glucosidase (13.8-27.8% of normal) activities were noted in all probands. Similarly, normal levels of fibroblast and lymphocyte acid phosphatase activity were found in Gaucher heterozygotes whose glucocerebrosidase activity was about 50% of normal. Acid polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and acid phosphatase activity staining of the patients' sera showed that the elevated acid phosphatase is isozyme type 5 osteoclastic origin. The apparent Michaelis constant, Km, of fibroblast glucocerebrosidase for the natural substrate was 0.6 +/- 0.1 mM for controls and 0.6 +/- 0.2 mM for the patients. These data suggest that the assay of serum acid phosphatase activity for the presumptive diagnosis of Gaucher disease is not completely reliable and that the elevated level of serum acid phosphatase in Gaucher disease is most likely a secondary phenomenon which may be indicative of bone involvement in some patients with this disorder. It also demonstrates the clinical heterogeneity of type 1 Gaucher disease, even among full sibs of the same heterozygous parents.

The administration of calcitonin (4 MRC units injected intraperitoneally daily for 42 days) caused hypocalcaemia, hypophosphataemia and a decrease in the serum acid phosphatase level in adult Indian palm squirrels, Funambulus pennanti. Hypocalcaemia and the decrease in the serum acid phosphatase level persisted up to 21 days but the hypophosphataemic effect continued throughout the experiment. The serum calcium level increased from day 28 up to day 35 and the serum acid phosphatase level reached the control level at 28 days. At the close of the experiment (42 days), both serum calcium and acid phosphatase levels were again decreased. Calcitonin-induced hypocalcaemia resulted in hypertrophy of calcitonin cells which were densely packed with secretory granules up to day 21 of the treatment. Thereafter they displayed both hypertrophy and hyperplasia till the end of the experiment. Some calcitonin cells showed degranulation after 35 and 42 days of treatment. Few lead-haematoxylin-positive calcitonin cells with collapsed membranes and pyknotic nuclei were also seen in the lumina of the thyroid follicles toweards the close of the experiment. Parathyroid chief cells showed hypertrophy from 21 to 35 days of the treatment. From day 28 to the close of the experiment they released their secretory product. After 42 days of experimental treatment a growth-promoting effect of calcitonin was observed (increase in body weight and femur weight.

Boosted growth performance, immunity, antioxidant capacity and disease resistance of crucian carp (Carassius auratus) by single or in combination dietary Bacillus subtilis and xylo-oligosaccharides

Serum acid phosphatase level and biochemical recurrence following radical prostatectomy for men with clinically localized prostate cancer