Improvement of antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of soy isoflavones extracts bioconverted with ?-glucosidase / Melhoria da atividade antioxidante e antimicrobiana de extratos de isoflavonas de soja bioconvertidos com ?-glucosidase

Soybean is largely produced in Brazil being one of the main Brazilian Agricultural crop, achieving 223 million tons produced in 2017. The consumption of soy products increased in recent years due to the association with healthy benefits in oxidative stress and chronic diseases. The researches have been pointing that the isoflavones presenting in soy are the responsible compounds for alleviating these symptoms. The main purpose of this work were use of ?-glucosidase enzyme to convert glucoside isoflavones to aglycone form in isoflavone soy extract, and then evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity against some pathogens. The isoflavones were obtained according to Aguiar (2004) with modifications. The soy flour (65 mesh) was defatted with hexane (1:10 w/v) and the extraction of isoflavones was performed using 80% aqueous methanol solution under 100 rpm stirring for 1 hour at room temperature. The mixture was then filtrated, and the supernatant recovered. The extract was used for the bioconversion of glycosyl isoflavones from soy into aglycones isoflavones using ?-glucosidase enzyme. According to recent researches the aglycon form has greater absorption by organism and higher antioxidant activity than the glucoside form. According the results all antioxidant methods presented higher activity to bioconverted extract. The bioconverted extract (1060.73 mg Trolox equivalent) presented near 9 times superior antioxidant activity measured by DPPH method than raw extract (123.21 mg Trolox equivalent).  The Total phenolic content presented similar behavior being higher to bioconverted extract than in raw extract. The antimicrobial activity of the isoflavones extracts raw and bioconverted against S. aureus, C. albicans and E. coli were higher than 1600 ?g/mL in the range studied 0.78 to 1600 ?g/mL

Variability in the efficacy of a standardized antenatal steroid treatment is not due to maternal or fetal plasma drug levels. Evidence from a sheep model of pregnancy.

Background Antenatal steroids (ANS) are standard of care for women judged to be at imminent risk of preterm delivery. Worldwide, there is significant variation in ANS dosing strategy, selection for treatment criteria, and agent choice. This, combined with very limited optimization of ANS use per se means that treatment efficacy is highly variable and the rate of respiratory distress syndrome is decreased perhaps as little as 40%. In some cases, ANS use is associated with limited benefit and potential harm. Objective We hypothesized that individual differences in maternal and fetal steroid exposure would contribute to observed variability in ANS treatment efficacy. Using a chronically catheterized sheep model of pregnancy, we aimed to explore the relationship between materno-fetal steroid exposure and ANS treatment efficacy as determined by functional lung maturation in preterm lambs undergoing ventilation. Methods Ewes carrying a single fetus had surgery to catheterize a fetal and maternal jugular vein at 119 days’ gestation. Animals recovered for 24h before being randomized to either: i) a single maternal intramuscular injection (IM) of 2ml saline (Negative Control Group, n=10); or ii) a single maternal IM of 0.25mg/kg betamethasone phosphate + acetate (ANS Group, n=20). Serial maternal and fetal plasma samples were collected from each animal over 48h before fetuses were delivered and ventilated for 30 minutes. Total and free plasma betamethasone concentration was measured by mass spectrometry. Fetal lung tissue was collected for analysis using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results One animal of the Control Group and one animal from the ANS Group had did not complete their treatment protocol and were removed from analyses. Animals in the ANS Group were divided into a Responder (n=12/19) Sub-Group and a Non-Responder Sub-Group (n=7/19) using a cut-off of a PaCO2 at 30 minutes ventilation within 2SD of the mean value from saline-treated Negative Control Group animals. While ANS improved fetal lung maturation in the undivided ANS group, and in the Responder Sub-Group both physiologically (blood gas and ventilation related data) and biochemically (mRNA expression related to fetal lung maturation), these values were not improved relative to saline-treated Control Group animals in the ANS Non-Responder Sub-Group. Interestingly, no differences in betamethasone distribution, clearance, or protein binding were identified between the ANS Responder and Non-Responder Sub-Groups. Conclusion This study correlated individual materno-fetal steroid exposures with preterm lung maturation as determined by pulmonary ventilation. Herein, approximately 40% of preterm lambs exposed to antenatal steroids had lung maturation not significantly different to saline-treated Control Group animals. These non-responsive animals received maternal and fetal betamethasone exposures identical to animals that had a significant improvement in functional lung maturation. These data suggest that the efficacy of ANS therapy is not solely determined by materno-fetal drug levels, and that individual fetal or maternal factors may play a role in determining treatment outcomes in response to glucocorticoid-driven signaling

Beyond the target area: an integrative view of tDCS-induced motor cortex modulation in patients and athletes

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive technique used to modulate neural tissue. Neuromodulation apparently improves cognitive functions in several neurologic diseases treatment and sports performance. In this study, we present a comprehensive, integrative review of tDCS for motor rehabilitation and motor learning in healthy individuals, athletes and multiple neurologic and neuropsychiatric conditions. We also report on neuromodulation mechanisms, main applications, current knowledge including areas such as language, embodied cognition, functional and social aspects, and future directions. We present the use and perspectives of new developments in tDCS technology, namely high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) which promises to overcome one of the main tDCS limitation (i.e., low focality) and its application for neurological disease, pain relief, and motor learning/rehabilitation. Finally, we provided information regarding the Transcutaneous Spinal Direct Current Stimulation (tsDCS) in clinical applications, Cerebellar tDCS (ctDCS) and its influence on motor learning, and TMS combined with electroencephalography (EEG) as a tool to evaluate tDCS effects on brain function

Equation of state and phonon frequency calculations of diamond at high pressures

The pressure-volume relationship and the zone-center optical phonon frequency of cubic diamond at pressures up to 600 GPa have been calculated based on Density Functional Theory within the Local Density Approximation and the Generalized Gradient Approximation. Three different approaches, viz. a pseudopotential method applied in the basis of plane waves, an all-electron method relying on Augmented Plane Waves plus Local Orbitals, and an intermediate approach implemented in the basis of Projector Augmented Waves have been used. All these methods and approximations yield consistent results for the pressure derivative of the bulk modulus and the volume dependence of the mode Grueneisen parameter of diamond. The results are at variance with recent precise measurements up to 140 GPa. Possible implications for the experimental pressure determination based on the ruby luminescence method are discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Josephson current in s-wave superconductor / Sr_2RuO_4 junctions

The Josephson current between an s-wave and a spin-triplet superconductor Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ (SRO) is studied theoretically. In spin-singlet / spin-triplet superconductor junctions, there is no Josephson current proportional to $\sin \phi$ in the absence of the spin-flip scattering near junction interfaces, where $\phi$ is a phase-difference across junctions. Thus a dominant term of the Josephson current is proportional to $\sin 2\phi$ . The spin-orbit scattering at the interfaces gives rise to the Josephson current proportional to $\cos\phi$, which is a direct consequence of the chiral paring symmetry in SRO

Atmospheric effects on extensive air showers observed with the Surface Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory

Atmospheric parameters, such as pressure (P), temperature (T) and density, affect the development of extensive air showers initiated by energetic cosmic rays. We have studied the impact of atmospheric variations on extensive air showers by means of the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The rate of events shows a ~10% seasonal modulation and ~2% diurnal one. We find that the observed behaviour is explained by a model including the effects associated with the variations of pressure and density. The former affects the longitudinal development of air showers while the latter influences the Moliere radius and hence the lateral distribution of the shower particles. The model is validated with full simulations of extensive air showers using atmospheric profiles measured at the site of the Pierre Auger Observatory.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Astroparticle Physic

The exposure of the hybrid detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Pierre Auger Observatory is a detector for ultra-high energy cosmic rays. It consists of a surface array to measure secondary particles at ground level and a fluorescence detector to measure the development of air showers in the atmosphere above the array. The "hybrid" detection mode combines the information from the two subsystems. We describe the determination of the hybrid exposure for events observed by the fluorescence telescopes in coincidence with at least one water-Cherenkov detector of the surface array. A detailed knowledge of the time dependence of the detection operations is crucial for an accurate evaluation of the exposure. We discuss the relevance of monitoring data collected during operations, such as the status of the fluorescence detector, background light and atmospheric conditions, that are used in both simulation and reconstruction.Comment: Paper accepted by Astroparticle Physic

The Fluorescence Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Pierre Auger Observatory is a hybrid detector for ultra-high energy cosmic rays. It combines a surface array to measure secondary particles at ground level together with a fluorescence detector to measure the development of air showers in the atmosphere above the array. The fluorescence detector comprises 24 large telescopes specialized for measuring the nitrogen fluorescence caused by charged particles of cosmic ray air showers. In this paper we describe the components of the fluorescence detector including its optical system, the design of the camera, the electronics, and the systems for relative and absolute calibration. We also discuss the operation and the monitoring of the detector. Finally, we evaluate the detector performance and precision of shower reconstructions.Comment: 53 pages. Submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section