Magnetic nanomaterials based on sustainable biopolymers for circular bioeconomy

The present thesis is focused on the development of biocompatible nanostructured materials with magnetic properties, combining biopolymers of algae orgin (e.g., alginate), plant origin (e.g., pectin,cellulose, pectin) and animal origin (e.g., chitosan). The main idea was to design magnetic materials with different morphology (beads, microfibers, films and capsules) and study their biocompatability,reusability and magnetic properties for posterior use in future and environmental applications

The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics' resources: focus on curated databases

The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (www.isb-sib.ch) provides world-class bioinformatics databases, software tools, services and training to the international life science community in academia and industry. These solutions allow life scientists to turn the exponentially growing amount of data into knowledge. Here, we provide an overview of SIB's resources and competence areas, with a strong focus on curated databases and SIB's most popular and widely used resources. In particular, SIB's Bioinformatics resource portal ExPASy features over 150 resources, including UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot, ENZYME, PROSITE, neXtProt, STRING, UniCarbKB, SugarBindDB, SwissRegulon, EPD, arrayMap, Bgee, SWISS-MODEL Repository, OMA, OrthoDB and other databases, which are briefly described in this article

Controlling the structure and photocatalytic properties of three - dimensional aerogels obtained by simultaneous reduction and self-assembly of BiOI/GO aqueous colloidal dispersions

Water pollution affects all living habitats, since it is the most basic element that sustains all life forms and, as an exceptional solvent, it readily makes any compound available for living cells, either nutrients or noxious substances. Elimination of molecular contaminants from water quality is one of the most challenging technical problems that conventional treatments like flocculation and filtration fail short to defeat. Particulate photocatalysts, used to degrade contaminants, have the main drawback of their recovery from the water matrices. The inclusion of photocatalytic nanoparticles (NPs) into a large supporting framework, is presented as an innovative approach aiming to ensure a facile separation from water. To this end, three-dimensional (3D) aerogels with photocatalytic properties were prepared by a simple and scalable method based on the reduction - induced self-assembly of graphene oxide (GO) in the presence of BiOI nanoparticles (NPs). With the help of ascorbic acid, as a green reducing agent, partial reduction of GO into reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and self-assembly of both kinds of nanostructures into a porous monolith was achieved. BiOI doped RGO aerogels were further stabilized and morphologically controlled using poly (ethylene glycol) as stabilizer. The photocatalytic performance of these aerogels was evaluated by following the discoloration of methylene blue (MB) solution, under visible light irradiation, showing that structure and dispersion degree of NPs to be fundamental variables. Hence, this methodology is proposed to produce hybrid aerogels with controlled morphology and photocatalytic performance that has the potential to be used in water cleaning procedures.Fil: Puig, Julieta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: De Castro Alves, Lisandra. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela; EspañaFil: García Acevedo, Pelayo. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela; EspañaFil: Arnosa Prieto, Angela. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela; EspañaFil: Yañez Villar, Susana. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela; EspañaFil: Teijeiro Valiño, Carmen. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela; EspañaFil: piñeiro, yolanda. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela; EspañaFil: Hoppe, Cristina Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Rivas, Jose. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela; Españ

A neurociência e a educação : como nosso cérebro aprende?

III Curso de atualização de professores da educação infantil, ensino fundamental e médio, realizado na UFOP, pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas e Mestrado Profissional em Ensino de Ciências. 2016.Qual é o objetivo do ensino? O que é aprendizagem? Como se aprende algo novo? Onde se localizam nossas memórias? Segundo o neurocientista Ivan Izquierdo, a memória é a aquisição, formação, conservação e evocação de informações. Esta aquisição de novos conhecimentos é também chamada de aprendizagem, pois só se retém na memória o conteúdo que foi aprendido. Aprendizagem, portanto, é um processo complexo que envolve a formação de novas memórias. A educação, por meio do processo ensino e aprendizagem, tem como objetivo o grande desenvolvimento pessoal, adequando o aprendiz ao meio no qual ele está inserido. Educar é proporcionar oportunidades e orientação para aprendizagem, para aquisição de novos comportamentos. Segundo Hipócrates, grande filósofo grego, pai da Medicina, no século IX A.C., o homem deveria saber que de nenhum outro lugar, mas do encéfalo vem a alegria, o pesar, adquirimos sabedoria e conhecimento, enxergamos, ouvimos e sabemos. Neste relato, Hipócrates evidencia que a aprendizagem depende do encéfalo. Muito tempo depois das afirmações de Hipócrates, o conceito de que o comportamento humano estaria diretamente ligado ao encéfalo foi intensamente investigado e publicado na década de 90, a chamada “Década do Cérebro”, quando diversas pesquisas científicas se destinaram intensamente ao estudo deste órgão. Estudar o encéfalo, portanto, é se dedicar ao estudo da parte do corpo humano responsável pela aprendizagem. É neste substrato biológico, o encéfalo, que se faz a aprendizagem. De acordo com a grande professora Leonor Guerra, desde o nascimento, o ser humano aprende algo novo todos os dias. É por meio da interação entre as pessoas, e com o meio ambiente, que se dá a aquisição de novos conhecimentos e a partir disso, podemos modificar os comportamentos que adquirimos ao longo de nossas vidas. Quando se aprende, novas habilidades e conhecimentos são demonstradas, ganha-se competências para realizar novos feitos que serão relevantes para a sobrevivência, seja essa sobrevivência a busca da saúde e bem estar ou a realização profissional e pessoal. Aprender é uma característica intrínseca do ser humano

Blood coagulation abnormalities in multibacillary leprosy patients

<div><p>Background</p><p>Leprosy is a chronic dermato-neurological disease caused by <i>Mycobacterium leprae</i> infection. In 2016, more than 200,000 new cases of leprosy were detected around the world, representing the most frequent cause of infectious irreversible deformities and disabilities.</p><p>Principal findings</p><p>In the present work, we demonstrate a consistent procoagulant profile on 40 reactional and non-reactional multibacillary leprosy patients. A retrospective analysis in search of signs of coagulation abnormalities among 638 leprosy patients identified 35 leprosy patients (5.48%) which displayed a characteristic lipid-like clot formed between blood clot and serum during serum harvesting, herein named ‘leprosum clot’. Most of these patients (n = 16, 45.7%) belonged to the lepromatous leprosy pole of the disease. In addition, formation of the leprosum clot was directly correlated with increased plasma levels of soluble tissue factor and von Willebrand factor. High performance thin layer chromatography demonstrated a high content of neutral lipids in the leprosum clot, and proteomic analysis demonstrated that the leprosum clot presented in these patients is highly enriched in fibrin. Remarkably, differential 2D-proteomics analysis between leprosum clots and control clots identified two proteins present only in leprosy patients clots: complement component 3 and 4 and inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor family heavy chain-related protein (IHRP). In agreement with those observations we demonstrated that <i>M</i>. <i>leprae</i> induces hepatocytes release of IHRP <i>in vitro</i>.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>We demonstrated that leprosy MB patients develop a procoagulant status due to high levels of plasmatic fibrinogen, anti-cardiolipin antibodies, von Willebrand factor and soluble tissue factor. We propose that some of these components, fibrinogen for example, presents potential as predictive biomarkers of leprosy reactions, generating tools for earlier diagnosis and treatment of these events.</p></div

Complement component 4 (C4) and inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor protein (IHRP) production are induced by <i>M</i>. <i>leprae</i>.

<p>IHRP and C4 were determined in multibacillary leprosy patient serum presenting the leprosum clot (during LC). We also performed the same analysis in previously harvested serum, varying from weeks to months, from the same group of patients before the occurrence of the leprosum clot (before LC). IHRP (A) and C4 (B) are more abundant in leprosy patient sera than healthy controls. Although <i>M</i>. <i>leprae</i> fail to induce C4 synthesis and release by human hepatocytes <i>in vitro</i> (C); we successfully mimetized the phenomenon <i>in vitro</i> observing strong IHRP induction in our model (D). * indicates p<0.05, and ** indicates p<0.001.</p

Correlation between the leprosum clot and pro-coagulant factors.

<p>Pro-coagulant factors were determined in multibacillary leprosy patient serum presenting the leprosum clot (during LC). We also performed the same analysis in previously harvested serum, varying from weeks to months, from the same group of patients before the occurrence of the leprosum clot (before LC). Levels of anti-cardiolipin IgM (A), soluble tissue factor (B) and von Willebrand factor (C) were determined in serum from 35 leprosy outpatients (11 female, 24 male; mean age, 48 years; range, 10–71 years). 1AU indicates the 1 μg/mL signal of affinity chromatography purified anti-cardiolipin IgM. * indicates p<0.01, ** indicates p<0.005 and *** indicates p<0.001 with ANOVA.</p

Multibacillary leprosy patients present prolonged coagulation time in both coagulation pathways.

<p>Coagulation times were determined on plasma from 50 non-leprosy patients (Controls), 9 non-reactional multibacillary patients (MB-NR) and 15 multibacillary erythema nodosum leprosum patients (MB-ENL). A) Activated partial thromboplastin time test (aPPT); B) prothrombin time test (PT). MB-NR group are composed by 10LL and 1 BL patients. MB-ENL group are composed by 13 LL and 1 BL individuals. Neither of them presented the leprosum clot during serum harvesting. All patients’ details are listed in <a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0006214#pntd.0006214.s001" target="_blank">S1 Table</a>. *** indicate p<0.0001 with ANOVA.</p

Multibacillary leprosy patients present a procoagulant phenotype.

<p>Coagulation parameters were determined on plasma from 50 non-leprosy patients (Controls), 9 non-reactional multibacillary leprosy patients (MB-NR) and 15 multibacillary erythema nodosum leprosum patients (MB-ENL). A) Fibrinogen and B) d-dimer plasma concentrations were determined. C) Platelet counting showed no alteration among samples. MB-NR group are composed by 10LL and 1 BL patients. MB-ENL group are composed by 13 LL and 1 BL individuals. * indicate p<0.01 and *** indicate p<0.0001 with ANOVA.</p

Protein-protein interaction network constructed by STRING 10.

<p>(A) Protein differential identification by 2DE in control (CC) and leprosy clots (LC). Pixel intensity value in PPM for each protein. Black bars represent proteins exclusively identified in CC: TPM4 (tropomyosin alpha-4), TMO (tyrosine 3-monooxygenase) KNG1 (kininogen 1), and orange bars represent proteins identified only in LC: C4A (complement component 4A) and IHRP (inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor family heavy chain-related protein). (C) Confidence view based on the Gene Ontology enrichment to biological processes related to blood coagulation (p = 1.469⁻³); (B) Evidence view showing all detected proteins in both clots by different line colors representing the types of association evidence (only associations with p = 1.98⁻¹³ are shown); (C) and inflammatory response (p = 6.369⁻⁴). Stronger associations are represented by thicker lines. IHRP is represented by a small sphere, indicating that there is no crystallographic data about its structure. Proteins highlighted by black rings were exclusively detected in control clots, and proteins highlighted by orange rings were exclusively detected in leprosy clots.</p