Magnetic field dynamic strategies for the improved control of the angiogenic effect of mesenchymal stromal cells

project PTDC/EDM-EDM/30828/2017 SFRH/BD/114043/2015 co-financed by the ERDF under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POVI-01-0145-FEDER-007265), as well as from POR Lisboa 2020 grant PRECISE (Project N. 16394). Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.This work shows the ability to remotely control the paracrine performance of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in producing an angiogenesis key molecule, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A), by modulation of an external magnetic field. This work compares for the first time the application of static and dynamic magnetic fields in angiogenesis in vitro model, exploring the effect of magnetic field intensity and dynamic regimes on the VEGF-A secretion potential of MSCs. Tissue scaffolds of gelatin doped with iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) were used as a platform for MSC proliferation. Dynamic magnetic field regimes were imposed by cyclic variation of the magnetic field intensity in different frequencies. The effect of the magnetic field intensity on cell behavior showed that higher intensity of 0.45 T was associated with increased cell death and a poor angiogenic effect. It was observed that static and dynamic magnetic stimulation with higher frequencies led to improved angiogenic performance on endothelial cells in comparison with a lower frequency regime. This work showed the possibility to control VEGF-A secretion by MSCs through modulation of the magnetic field, offering attractive perspectives of a non-invasive therapeutic option for several diseases by revascularizing damaged tissues or inhibiting metastasis formation during cancer progression.publishersversionpublishe

In Campylobacter jejuni, a new type of chaperone receives heme from ferrochelatase

Funding Information: JZ is a recipient of the MSCA-IF-2019 Individual Fellowship H2020-WF-02-2019, 101003441. FS acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program (grant agreement 803768). This work was also financially supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal) through PTDC/BIA-BQM/28642/2017 grant (LS), the MOSTMICRO-ITQB R&D Unit (UIDB/04612/2020 and UIDP/04612/2020), and the LS4FUTURE Associated Laboratory (LA/P/0087/2020). Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2023 Zamarreño Beas, Videira, Karavaeva, Lourenço, Almeida, Sousa and Saraiva.Intracellular heme formation and trafficking are fundamental processes in living organisms. Bacteria and archaea utilize three biogenesis pathways to produce iron protoporphyrin IX (heme b) that diverge after the formation of the common intermediate uroporphyrinogen III (uro’gen III). In this study, we identify and provide a detailed characterization of the enzymes involved in the transformation of uro’gen III into heme in Campylobacter jejuni, demonstrating that this bacterium utilizes the protoporphyrin-dependent (PPD) pathway. In general, limited knowledge exists regarding the mechanisms by which heme b reaches its target proteins after this final step. Specifically, the chaperones necessary for trafficking heme to prevent the cytotoxic effects associated with free heme remain largely unidentified. In C. jejuni, we identified a protein named CgdH2 that binds heme with a dissociation constant of 4.9 ± 1.0 µM, and this binding is impaired upon mutation of residues histidine 45 and 133. We demonstrate that C. jejuni CgdH2 establishes protein–protein interactions with ferrochelatase, suggesting its role in facilitating heme transfer from ferrochelatase to CgdH2. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis reveals that C. jejuni CgdH2 is evolutionarily distinct from the currently known chaperones. Therefore, CgdH2 is the first protein identified as an acceptor of intracellularly formed heme, expanding our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying heme trafficking within bacterial cells.publishersversionpublishe

Induction of somatic embryogenesis as an example of stress-related plant reactions

In this review, we address the role of stress as one of the principal causes for a cell or tissue to change its pre-existing somatic program, reprogramming itself to express the embryogenic pathway. The focus of this paper is the effect of different stress conditions on the induction phase of plant somatic embryogenesis, as well as the development of embryogenic competence as a result of the applied stresses. We also present a variety of data that link plant somatic embryogenesis, DNA methylation and oxidative stress response

Phenotypic categorization of putative pathogenic CNVs in a population of Autism Spectrum Disorder patients

All individuals in this study signed an informed consent.This work was supported by the fellowships SFRH/BPD/74739/2010 to ICC, SFRH/BPD/64281/2009 to CC and SFRH/BD/79081/2011 to BO from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal)

Influence of hormonal replacement therapy in lipid peroxidation levels of postmenopausal women with different cardiovascular capacity

It has been suggested that exercise has a positive impact on the prevention and progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD). One of the main mechanisms is through the modification of lipoprotein levels and the risk of its oxidation, especially LDL lipoproteins. After menopause, women experience an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease. In contrast, women receiving hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) seem to be protected. The aim of this study was to infer how HRT affect lipid peroxidation levels in postmenopausal women with different levels of aerobic fitness. Design & Method: Sixty four women participate in this study, 32 of them receive HRT (group with HRT – GWHRT) (average age¼55.9 years, average weight¼ 66.9 kg and average high¼156.0 cm) and the remained 32 women didn’t receive HRT (group without HRT – GWOHRT) (average age¼61.0 years, average weight¼ 67.6 kg and average high¼154.3 cm). Total cholesterol (mg dL71), HDL-cholesterol (mg dL71), LDL-cholesterol (mg dL71) and triglycerides levels (mg dL71) have been analyzed in serum obtained from a blood sample collected after 8 hours of fasting, and measured in Dr. Lange LP20 according to the specific manufacturer instructions. Serum MDA concentration (ng L71) was determined by spectrophotometric method. Aerobic capacity (VO2max ml kg71 min71) was assessed according to an adaptation of Bruce protocol. Differences between groups were tested through Student t-test. A Spearman correlation was performed in order to test variables associations. Significance level was established at 5%.Results: Our results have found differences between groups in age (t¼3.018; p50.01), in VO2max (t¼73.774; p50.01) and in serum MDA concentration (t¼6.750; p50.01). The GWHRT were younger, had a higher VO2max (31.38 for GWHRT and 26.19 for GWOHRT), and had lower levels of serum MDA concentration (0.29 for GWHRT and 0.73 for GWOHRT) comparatively with those women from the GWOHRT. However, our results failed to find any differences between groups regarding serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol or BMI. In this study, serum MDA concentration didn’t correlate with higher levels of lipid profile, as we might have expected, but correlate inversely with HRT (r¼7.726, p¼.00) and with VO2max (r¼7.287, p¼.02). Conclusion: Our results suggest that HRT should exert an antioxidant protective effect against lipid peroxidation, as well as exercise perhaps through the stimulation of antioxidant capacity

Manifestation of three-body forces in three-body Bethe-Salpeter and light-front equations

Bethe-Salpeter and light-front bound state equations for three scalar particles interacting by scalar exchange-bosons are solved in ladder truncation. In contrast to two-body systems, the three-body binding energies obtained in these two approaches differ significantly from each other: the ladder kernel in light-front dynamics underbinds by approximately a factor of two compared to the ladder Bethe-Salpeter equation. By taking into account three-body forces in the light-front approach, generated by two exchange-bosons in flight, we find that most of this difference disappears; for small exchange masses, the obtained binding energies coincide with each other.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures, submitted in Few-Body System

Comparison of rally times and action effectiveness between professional volleyball and school sub-19

Este estudo teve como objetivo comparar os tempos de rally e o padrão de complexos e de ações realizados no voleibol profissional e escolar sub-19. Foram avaliados um jogo de voleibol masculino e feminino da Superliga Brasileira (voleibol profissional) e um jogo de uma equipa dos Jogos dos Institutos Federais (voleibol escolar sub-19) por meio do software Adobe®Premiere®Pro e analisou-se os tempos de rallies e seus intervalos, a percentagem (%) da densidade, os tipos e números de complexos e das ações nos rallies, além do ponto obtido no rally. Nos jogos de voleibol escolar sub-19 e feminino exibiram maiores tempo de rally e % da densidade, reduzindo o tempo de recuperação. No jogo de voleibol escolar sub-19 realizou-se um maior número de complexos no rally que o profissional. Os complexos com 3 e 1 ações foram os mais executados e exibiram maior ocorrência de pontos. O escalão dos sub-19 mostrou uma maior ocorrência de pontos por meio de erros de fundamentos (bloqueio, defesa e ataque), já nos jogos profissionais ocorreram mais pontos de ataque. Erros de serviço na superliga masculina foram mais relevantes que nas demais categorias. Conclui-se que o voleibol escolar sub-19 difere do profissional nos tempos de rallies e padrões dos complexos e ações, devido à menor experiência no desporto.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Functional marker development from AOX genes requires deep phenotyping and individualized diagnosis

The development of new ‘deep phenotyping’ techniques for functional markers (FM) development on alternative oxidase (AOX) gene sequences are expected to greatly increase the efficiency of association studies between the candidate FM sequences and the desired phenotype. However, it is critical to perform these studies in the appropriate target tissue/cell at the correct time point. AOX genes, due to their diversity and with differential methylation marks, are likely also subjected to such interplay between sequence and regulatory mechanisms. Polymorphisms in coding sequences may directly affect protein function, but expression regulatory switches are more abundant in non-coding regions. Transgenic technology continues to contribute to crop improvement programme, if efforts are directed more towards FM-assisted plant breeding. Hence, AOX can be put into best use if a dual approach involving genetic transformation and conventional plant breeding go hand in hand

DNA Dosimetry Assessment for Sunscreen Genotoxic Photoprotection

Background: Due to the increase of solar ultraviolet radiation (UV) incidence over the last few decades, the use of sunscreen has been widely adopted for skin protection. However, considering the high efficiency of sunlight-induced DNA lesions, it is critical to improve upon the current approaches that are used to evaluate protection factors. An alternative approach to evaluate the photoprotection provided by sunscreens against daily UV radiation-induced DNA damage is provided by the systematic use of a DNA dosimeter. Methodology/Principal Findings: The Sun Protection Factor for DNA (DNA-SPF) is calculated by using specific DNA repair enzymes, and it is defined as the capacity for inhibiting the generation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) and oxidised DNA bases compared with unprotected control samples. Five different commercial brands of sunscreen were initially evaluated, and further studies extended the analysis to include 17 other products representing various formulations and Sun Protection Factors (SPF). Overall, all of the commercial brands of SPF 30 sunscreens provided sufficient protection against simulated sunlight genotoxicity. In addition, this DNA biosensor was useful for rapidly screening the biological protection properties of the various sunscreen formulations. Conclusions/Significance: The application of the DNA dosimeter is demonstrated as an alternative, complementary, and reliable method for the quantification of sunscreen photoprotection at the level of DNA damage.Natura Inovacao e Tecnologia de Produtos LTDA (Sao Paulo, Brazil)Natura Inovacao e Tecnologia de Produtos LTDA (Sao Paulo, Brazil)FAPESP (Sao Paulo, Brazil)FAPESP (Sao Paulo, Brazil)CNPq (Brasilia, Brazil)CNPq (Brasilia, Brazil)Natura Inovacao e Tecnologia de Produtos LTDANatura Inovacao e Tecnologia de Produtos LTD

Clay content drives carbon stocks in soils under a plantation of Eucalyptus saligna Labill. in southern Brazil

Soil carbon accumulation is largely dependent on net primary productivity. To our knowledge, there have been no studies investigating the dynamics of carbon accumulation in weathered subtropical soils, especially in managed eucalyptus plantations. We quantified the seasonal input of leaf litter, the leaf decomposition rate and soil carbon stocks in an commercial plantation of Eucalyptus saligna Labill. in southern Brazil. Our goal was to evaluate, through multiple linear regression, the influence that certain chemical characteristics of litter, as well as chemical and physical characteristics of soil, have on carbon accumulation in soil organic matter fractions. Variables related to the chemical composition of litter were not associated with the soil carbon stock in the particulate and mineral fractions. However, certain soil characteristics were significantly associated with the carbon stock in both fractions. The concentrations of nutrients associated with plant growth and productivity, such as phosphorus, sulfur, copper and zinc, were associated with variations in the labile carbon pool (particulate fraction). Clay content was strongly associated with the carbon stock in the mineral fraction. The carbon accumulation and stabilization in weathered subtropical Ultisol seems to be mainly associated with the intrinsic characteristics of the soil, particularly clay content, rather than with the quantity, chemical composition or decomposition rate of the litter