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The high overwinter mortalities in the honey bee population of Apis mellifera have been linked to immunocompromised individuals experiencing nutritional limitations. Larval nutrition plays a crucial role in determining the successful development of adults, making them more susceptible to bacterial diseases when undernourished. One of the main intracellular signalling pathways in the larval immune system against bacterial diseases is the Toll receptor signalling pathway, which activates antimicrobial peptides like defensin. Inadequate nutrition also disrupts the redox balance on A. mellifera individuals, with superoxide dismutase and catalase being the key components of their antioxidant system. Vitellogenin is associated with the mobilization of nutrients in early A. mellifera bee stages. Considering that Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the second most significant by‐product of the brewing industry, it may serve as a valuable raw material. We investigated the impact of feeding larvae with live S. cerevisiae cells on the relative expression of their main immune and antioxidant‐related genes. To assess gene expression, we conducted RT‐qPCR, using RNA extracted from ten larvae per treatment on the seventh day when the feeding trial concluded. Importantly, the presence of S. cerevisiae did not affect larval survival compared to the control group. However, the relative expression of immune‐related gene toll18W and antioxidant‐related gene sod in larvae fed with live S. cerevisiae cells was significantly higher than in larvae that were not fed with them. This suggests that the inclusion of S. cerevisiae in their diet may provide larvae with a nutritional advantage. Additionally, the vitellogenin (vg) gene expression increased in treated larvae compared to the control group, potentially facilitating their access to nutrients and, consequently, enhancing their ability to cope with nutritional stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to compare the endometrial gene expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), nodal growth differentiation factor (NODAL), prostaglandin‐endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), oestrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) and progesterone receptor (PGR) in repeat breeder cows (RBC) and non‐RBC during diestrus. Endometrial samples were collected by cytobrush technique and stored in RNA stabilizing solution at −20°C until RT‐qPCR analysis. Differences in endometrial mRNA expression of selected genes were assessed by ANOVA and simple (r) and the partial correlations (rp) among selected genes were performed. Results demonstrated that mRNA expression of EGFR and NODAL were higher in RBC than in non‐RBC (3 and 25‐fold change, p <.01 and p <.01, respectively), while the mRNA expression of PTGS2 was lower (1.56‐fold change, p <.01). Although there were no differences detected in the mRNA expression of ESR1 and PGR, there was a positive correlation between the expression of ESR1 and EGFR (0.84, p <.05) and a negative correlation between PGR and PTGS2 (−0.49, p <.05). In conclusion, the difference on the endometrial mRNA expression of the genes included in the study between RBC and non‐RBC indicates a deregulation of important mechanisms that are vital to establish a successful pregnancy. Thus, the present study provides useful insight as a base for future studies to elucidate the causes of RBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (pheo/pgl) are neuroendocrine tumours derived from chromaffin cells. Although mostly benign, up to 26% of pheo/pgl will undergo malignant transformation. Reliable histological signs to differentiate benign pheo/pgl from malignant tumours are currently lacking. Increased IGF-1 R expression has been shown during progression to metastatic phenotypes of several types of cancer. Objective To analyse the distribution and expression of the IGF-1 R in pheo/pgl of different genetic origin and degree of malignancy. Measurements We studied the expression of the IGF-1R protein by immunohistochemistry, in 40 primary tumours from patients with pheo/pgl from different genetic aetiology (11 of 29 metastatic/nonmetastatic diseases). Results We found a strong association between increased expression of IGF-1 R and malignant behaviour regardless of the age at diagnosis and the genetic aetiology. IGF-1 R labelling was mostly weak in primary tumours from patients with nonmetastatic pheo/pgl. Conversely, intense IGF-1 R labelling was predominant in cases of pheo/pgl with confirmed metastatic disease. The risk of metastases was 11·7 times higher if tumour IGF-1 R labelling was intense independently of age at diagnosis. The probability of remaining free of metastases was higher in patients with pheo/pgl scored weak for IGF-1 R at 60 months and more than twofold higher at 120 months of follow-up than in patients with intense IGF-1 R labelling in their primary tumours. Conclusions Our results strongly suggest that IGF-1 R is associated with malignancy in familial pheo/pgl and that IGF-1 R expression in the primary tumour might be a useful tool to detect those patients harbouring pheo/pgl who have an increased risk of metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]