Mirosław Kucharski

Background: It was hypothesized that short statin treatment would shift adipose expression, plasma and adipose tissue concentrations of adipokines and cytokines. Methods: Effects of a statin administration on adipokines (leptin, resistin and visfatin), adipose inflammatory cytokines [interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factorα (TNFα)] were examined in young pigs of both lean and fat breeds. Results: Expression of resistin was increased while that of visfatin was decreased in visceral adipose tissue and, to a lesser extent, in epicardial adipose tissue. In young pigs treated with statin, there were increases in the plasma concentrations of leptin, resistin and TNFα. There were also decreases in the plasma concentrations of visfatin, cortisol, Met-enkephalin and endothelin-1. Concentrations of leptin in both epicardial and visceral adipose tissue were reduced in statin-treated pigs. There were marked differences between the epicardial and visceral adipose tissue. Concentrations of leptin were reduced with statin treatment in visceral adipose tissue irrespective of whether they were lean or fat breeds of pigs. Statin treatment was associated with increased concentrations of TNFα in epicardial adipose tissue and of IL-6 in visceral adipose tissue in both lean and fat breeds of pigs. Conclusions: It is concluded that statins cause shifts in the expression and/or concentrations of both adipokines and inflammatory cytokines in adipose tissue.

Background/Objectives: Fish eggs activated with UV-irradiated spermatozoa and exposed to the High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) shock to inhibit first cell cleavage develop as gynogenetic Doubled Haploids (DHs) that are fully homozygous individuals. Due to the expression of the recessive genes and side effects of the gamete treatment, survival of fish DHs is rather low, and most of the mitotic gynogenotes die before hatching. Nevertheless, as maternal gene products provided during oogenesis control the initial steps of embryonic development in fish, a maternal effect on the survival of gynogenotes needs to be also considered to affect efficiency of gynogenesis. Thus, the objective of this research was to apply an RNA-seq approach to discriminate transcriptional differences between rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) eggs with varied abilities to develop after gynogenetic activation. Methods: Gynogenetic development of rainbow trout was induced in eggs originated from eight females. Maternal RNA was isolated and sequenced using RNA-Seq approach. Survival rates of gynogenotes and transcriptome profiles of eggs from different females were compared. Results: RNA-seq analysis revealed substantial transcriptional differences between eggs originated from different females, and a significant correlation between the ability of the eggs for gynogenesis and their transcriptomic profiles was observed. Genes whose expression was altered in eggs with the increased survival of DHs were mostly associated (GO BP) with the following biological processes: development, cell differentiation, cell migration and protein transport. Some of the genes are involved in the oocyte maturation (RASL11b), apoptosis (CASPASE 6, PGAM5) and early embryogenesis, including maternal to zygotic transition (GATA2). Conclusions: Inter-individual variation of the transcription of maternal genes correlated with the competence of eggs for gynogenesis suggest that at least part of the mortality of the rainbow trout DHs appear before activation of zygotic genome and expression of the lethal recessive traits.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is abundant in the Cannabis sativa plant and exhibits complex immunomodulatory, anxiolytic, antioxidant, and antiepileptic properties. Several studies suggest that CBD could be used for different purposes in alcohol use disorder (AUD) and alcohol-related injuries to the brain and the liver. In this study, we focused on analyzing transcriptional alterations in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) cell line challenged simultaneously with ethanol and CBD as an ethanol-protective agent. We aimed to expose the genes and pathways responsible for at least some of the CBD effects in those cells that can be related to the AUD. Transcriptome analysis was performed using HDFs cell line that expresses both cannabinoid receptors and can metabolize ethanol through alcohol dehydrogenase activity. Fibroblasts are also responsible for the progression of liver fibrosis, a common comorbidity in AUD. With the use of a cellular test, we found that CBD at the lowest applied concentration (0.75 μM) was able to stimulate depressed metabolism and reduce the level of apoptosis of cells treated with different concentrations of ethanol to the level observed in the control cells. Similar observations were made at the transcriptome level, in which cells treated with ethanol and CBD had similar expression profiles to the control cells. CBD also affects several genes connected with extracellular matrix formation (especially its collagen constituent), which can have potential implications for, e.g., fibrosis process.

From the moment the SARS-CoV-2 virus was identified in December 2019, the COVID-19 disease spread around the world, causing an increase in hospitalisations and deaths. From the beginning of the pandemic, scientists tried to determine the major cause that led to patient deaths. In this paper, the background to creating a research model was diagnostic problems related to early assessment of the degree of damage to the lungs in patients with COVID-19. The study group comprised patients hospitalised in one of the temporary COVID hospitals. Patients admitted to the hospital had confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2. At the moment of admittance, arterial blood was taken and the relevant parameters noted. The results of physical examinations, the use of oxygen therapy and later test results were compared with the condition of the patients in later computed tomography images and descriptions. The point of reference for determining the severity of the patient’s condition in the computer imagery was set for a mild condition as consisting of a percentage of total lung parenchyma surface area affected no greater than 30%, an average condition of between 30% and 70%, and a severe condition as greater than 70% of the lung parenchyma surface area affected. Patients in a mild clinical condition most frequently had mild lung damage on the CT image, similarly to patients in an average clinical condition. Patients in a serious clinical condition most often had average levels of damage on the CT image. On the basis of the collected data, it can be said that at the moment of admittance, BNP, PE and HCO₃⁻ levels, selected due to the form of lung damage, on computed tomography differed from one another in a statistically significant manner (p < 0.05). Patients can qualify for an appropriate group according to the severity of COVID-19 on the basis of a physical examination and applied oxygen therapy. Patients can qualify for an appropriate group according to the severity of COVID-19 on the basis of BNP, HCO₃ and BE parameters obtained from arterial blood.

Cumulus cell (CC) expansion is pivotal for oocyte maturation, during which CCs release factors that initiate paracrine signaling within the follicular fluid (FF). The FF is abundant in extracellular vesicles (EVs) that facilitate intercellular communication. Although bovine and murine EVs can control cumulus expansion, these effects have not been observed in equines. This study aimed to assess the impact of FF-derived EVs (ffEVs) on equine CC expansion, viability, and transcriptome. Cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) that underwent in vitro maturation (IVM) in the presence (200 µg protein/mL) or absence (control) of ffEVs were assessed for cumulus expansion and viability. CCs were isolated after 12 h of IVM, followed by RNA extraction, cDNA library generation, and subsequent transcriptome analysis using next-generation sequencing. Confocal microscopy images illustrated the internalization of labeled ffEVs by CCs. Supplementation with ffEVs significantly enhanced cumulus expansion in both compacted (Cp, p < 0.0001) and expanded (Ex, p < 0.05) COCs, while viability increased in Cp groups (p < 0.01), but decreased in Ex groups (p < 0.05), compared to the controls. Although transcriptome analysis revealed a subtle effect on CC RNA profiles, differentially expressed genes encompassed processes (e.g., MAPK and Wnt signaling) potentially crucial for cumulus properties and, consequently, oocyte maturation.

The present study was undertaken to analyse the genetic variation in coding sequences, splicing sites and regulatory sequences of FABP4, PPARγ and SCD genes in five breeds of sheep raised in Poland with different purposes: meat (Suffolk, Ile de France), dairy/prolific (Olkuska sheep, Kołuda) and primitive breeds (Polish Mountain Sheep). To identify genetic variability HRM-PCR, sequencing and PCR-RFLP method were used. Determining the genetic structure of the mentioned genes revealed six SNPs: FABP4 – c.73 + 13A>T and c.348 + 85G>A, PPARγ – c.391 – 66C>T (c.481 – 66C>T) and c.529 + 27G>C (c.619 + 27G>C), SCD – c.*945G>A and c.*1116A>G. For the c.*1116A>G SNP, a potential association with specific sheep body type and breeding purpose was found. In turn, the substitution c.*945G>A located in the regulatory region of the 3'-UTR of the Ovis aries SCD gene was identified for the first time. Based on the relationship demonstrated between sheep body constitution and productive type (dairy, meat) and the polymorphism of the SCD gene, further research is needed. The correlation between c.*1116A>G polymorphism and growth rate, slaughter and carcass value as well as meat quality of lambs needs to be studied in more detail. Such studies may lead to more effective selection processes in sheep breeding in the future.