Universidad Austral de Chile

Diabetic Nephropathy is one of the most severe complications of Diabetes Mellitus and the main cause of end-stage kidney disease worldwide. Despite the therapies available to control blood glucose and blood pressure, many patients continue to suffer from progressive kidney damage. Chronic hyperglycemia is the main driver of changes observed in diabetes; however, it was recently discovered that inflammation and oxidative stress contribute to the development and progression of kidney damage. Therefore, it is important to search for new pharmacological therapies that stop the progression of DN. Sodium tungstate (NaW) is an effective short and long-term antidiabetic agent in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes models.

In this study, the effect of NaW on proinflammatory signalling pathways, proinflammatory proteins and fibrosis in the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetic rat model was analysed using histological analysis, western blotting and immunohistochemistry.

NaW treatment in diabetic rats normalize parameters such as glycemia, glucosuria, albuminuria/creatinuria, glomerular damage, and tubulointerstitial damage. NaW decreased the proinflammatory signaling pathway NF-κB, inflammatory markers (ICAM-1, MCP-1 and OPN), profibrotic pathways (TGFβ1/Smad2/3), reduced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (α -SMA), and decreased renal fibrosis (type IV collagen).

NaW could be an effective drug therapy for treating human diabetic nephropathy.

The expansion of the human population and the escalating use of chemical products pose a considerable threat to aquatic biodiversity. Consequently, there is an imperative need for the implementation of non-lethal, cost-effective, and easily deployable biomonitoring tools. In this context, fish and their behavior as biomarkers have gained prominence in monitoring of freshwater ecosystems. The aim of this study was to assess the state of art in the use of behavioral biomarkers in ecotoxicology, emphasizing their role as informative tools for global environmental monitoring. Through a systematic literature search, ninety-two articles focusing on the evaluation of behavioral changes in freshwater fish in response to pollution were identified. The most prevalent keywords were "behavior" (7%) and "zebrafish" (6%). Experiments were conducted in countries with expansive territories, such as the United States (18%) and Brazil (17%). Exotic species were primarily employed (58%), with Danio rerio (26%) being the most frequently studied species. Among pollutants, pesticides (32%) and medicines (25%) were the most frequently studied, while locomotion (38%) and social behaviors (18%) were the most frequently evaluated behaviors. Across these studies, authors consistently reported significant changes in the behavior of fish exposed to contaminants, including decreased swimming speed and compromised feeding efficiency. The review findings affirm that evaluating behavioral biomarkers in freshwater fish offers an informative, non-lethal, cost-effective, and easily implementable approach to understanding pollution impacts on freshwater ecosystems. Although few studies on behavioral biomarkers were available to date, the number has rapidly increased in recent years. Furthermore, a variety of novel approaches and study models are being included. Research into behavioral biomarkers is crucial for understanding and managing environmental risks in freshwater ecosystems. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to enhance our understanding of behavioral toxicity indicators, considering factors such as life stage, sex, and breeding season in the tested species.

This study aimed to determine dry matter intake, ruminal fermentation, health-related blood metabolites, and production responses of early-lactation dairy cows fed two inclusion levels (30 and 45 %) of low SMCO swedes in the diet.Twelve pregnant multiparous lactating Holstein-Friesian dairy cows (24.1 ± 0.72 kg milk/d, 540 ± 7.3 kg BW, and 142 ± 3.9 DIM at the start of the study) were used in this study.Cows were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments in a replicated 3 x3 Latin square design.The experiment lasted 63 d and was divided into three 21-d periods.Inclusion of swedes at 30 and 45 % in the diet had no effect on DMI, but increased milk, protein and fat yields, as well as CP concentration in milk.This was due to changes in VFA patterns with greater molar proportions of propionate and butyrate, as well as a greater utilization of dietary N that was converted to microbial N.No neg. effects on haematol. and biochem. blood parameters, except for increased BHB concentrationsFatty acids composition in milk was modified, with a greater proportion of saturated FA and lower n-3 FA.Overall, low SMCO swedes can be included up to 45 % in the diet of pasture fed dairy cows during winter.