Biological implications of differential expression of mitochondrial-shaping proteins in Parkinson’s disease

It has long been accepted that mitochondrial function and morphology is affected in Parkinson’s disease, and that mitochondrial function can be directly related to its morphology. So far, mitochondrial morphological alterations studies, in the context of this neurodegenerative disease, have been performed through microscopic methodologies. The goal of the present work is to address if the modifications in the mitochondrial-shaping proteins occurring in this disorder have implications in other cellular pathways, which might constitute important pathways for the disease progression. To do so, we conducted a novel approach through a thorough exploration of the available proteomics-based studies in the context of Parkinson’s disease. The analysis provided insight into the altered biological pathways affected by changes in the expression of mitochondrial-shaping proteins via different bioinformatic tools. Unexpectedly, we observed that the mitochondrial-shaping proteins altered in the context of Parkinson’s disease are, in the vast majority, related to the organization of the mitochondrial cristae. Conversely, in the studies that have resorted to microscopy-based techniques, the most widely reported alteration in the context of this disorder is mitochondria fragmentation. Cristae membrane organization is pivotal for mitochondrial ATP production, and changes in their morphology have a direct impact on the organization and function of the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes. To understand which biological processes are affected by the alteration of these proteins we analyzed the binding partners of the mitochondrial-shaping proteins that were found altered in Parkinson’s disease. We showed that the binding partners fall into seven different cellular components, which include mitochondria, proteasome, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER), amongst others. It is noteworthy that, by evaluating the biological process in which these modified proteins are involved, we showed that they are related to the production and metabolism of ATP, immune response, cytoskeleton alteration, and oxidative stress, amongst others. In summary, with our bioinformatics approach using the data on the modified proteins in Parkinson’s disease patients, we were able to relate the alteration of mitochondrial-shaping proteins to modifications of crucial cellular pathways affected in this disease.This work was financed by FEDER—Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020—Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/ Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação in the framework of the projects “Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences” (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274), iBiMED (UID/BIM/04501/2013) and UnIC (UID/IC/00051/2013) research units, the COST ACTION CA15203, and the Investigator Grant to Rui Vitorino (IF/00286/2015). Ana Freitas acknowledges FCT for her Ph.D. scholarship (SFRH/BD/111423/2015), as does Sofia C. Guimaraes (SFRH/BPD/122920/2016), and Miguel Aroso (SFRH/BPD/123261/2016). Sara Rocha was founded by the project Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000008 -Porto Neurosciences and Neurologic Disease Research Initiative at I3S, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER)”

Modeling of polar clusters in disordered perovskites: The S-K model with tunneling

The polar clusters generated by random non-central impurities in quantum paraelectrics determine to a great extent the complex dielectric behaviour observed in systems like SCT, KTN or KTL. The competition between a quantum paraelectric phase and an impurity-driven ferroelectric or glass phase depends on the concentration and on the nature of the interaction between clusters. This work presents a simple model in which each cluster is represented by a quantum two level system involving an effective Ising dipolar moment and a tunneling energy A. The interactions between clusters are taken into account by following the guide-lines of the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model for spin glasses. General expressions for the polarization (P) and the Edwards-Anderson order parameter (q) are given and the phase diagram involving temperature, the normalized mean interaction energy J0/J and tunneling energy A/J0 is built.This work was partially supported by Projecto Praxis XXI/2/2.1/FIS/26/9

Cork extractives exhibit thermo-oxidative protection properties in polypropylene-cork composites and as direct additives for polypropylene

The thermo-oxidative stability of polypropylene (PP) in composites containing 15 wt.% of cork and the performance of selected cork extracts as stabilizing additives for PP was evaluated by Oxidation Induction Time (OIT) and by Oxidation Onset Temperature (OOT). The results showed that cork increases the OIT of PP in the composite and it was identified that the cork extractives fraction is responsible for such behavior. Selected cork extracts with high antioxidant capacity (determined by dpph radical scavenging and oxygen reactive absorbance capacity assays) were compounded by extrusion with PP in 0.5 and 1.5 wt.%. It was found that the ethanol extract is the most effective as thermo-oxidative stabilizer for PP. At the loading level of 1.5%, the OIT increases from 3.8 (neat PP) to 29.7 min at 200 Â°C and from 1.2 (neat PP) to 9.0 min at 220 Â°C. The OOT also increases from 216 Â°C (neat PP) to 247 Â°C. Mechanical tests, performed on PP loaded with the cork extracts, showed that the presence of these extracts has no significant effect on the polymer mechanical performance. The results demonstrate the suitability of cork as a source of thermo-oxidative stabilizing additives for the formulation of polyolefins, and enable the exploitation of new routes of cork valorization.The authors are grateful to Amorim Cork Composites for providing the cork powder raw material. Ivo Aroso and Emanuel Fernandes are grateful for financial support of FCT through grants SFRH/BD/42273/2007 and SFRH/BPD/96197/2013, respectively. Funding was also granted from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no REGPOT-CT2012-316331-POLARIS and from Project "Novel smart and biomimetic materials for innovative regenerative medicine approaches (Ref.: RL1-ABMR-NORTE-01-0124-FEDER-000016)" co-financed by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

Functionalized cork-polymer composites (CPC) by reactive extrusion using suberin and lignin from cork as coupling agents

High density polyethylene (HDPE) and cork powder were compounded in a co-rotating twin-screw extruder to obtain cork-polymer composites (CPC) with improved properties. Benzoyl peroxide (BPO) was used as initiator agent, and suberin or lignin isolated from cork enhanced filler-matrix bonding and promoted mechanical reinforcement with environmental benefits. The novel composites were characterised in terms of dimensional stability, evolution of morphology, thermal and mechanical properties and their performance was compared with that of composites containing polyethylene-grafted maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) as coupling agent. As expected, composites with coupling agent present higher mechanical properties, lower water uptake and thickness swelling variation. Suberin acts as plasticizer with antioxidant benefits, while lignin works as a coupling agent, improving tensile modulus and maximum strength. Increasing lignin content does not improve the mechanical properties but improves thermal stability.The work was performed within the project of Corticeira Amorim S.G.P.S. on the development of new products based in/with cork. The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support, through the COMPETE/QREN/EU funding program in the project with acronym NovelComp (QREN FCOMP-01-0202-FEDER-003107). The authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and POPH/FSE for the doctoral Grants to E.M.F. (SFRH/BD/71561/2010) and I.M.A. (SFRH/BD/42273/2007)

Effect of abutment angulation in the retention and durability of three overdenture attachment systems: An in vitro study

PURPOSE. This in vitro study investigated and compared the durability and retention of three types of attachments. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Three commercially available attachments were investigated: Clix (R), Dalbo-Plus (R) and Locator (R). In total, 72 samples of these attachments were placed in the acrylic resin forms and subjected to mechanical testing (5400 cycles of insertion and removal) over the respective ball or Locator abutments immersed in artificial saliva at pH 7 and 37 degrees C. The abutments were placed at angulations of 0 degrees, 10 degrees and 20 degrees. The retention force was recorded at the beginning and after 540, 1080, 2160, 3240, 4320 and 5400 insertion-removal cycles. RESULTS. The results revealed that there were significant differences in the average values of the insertion/removal force due to angulation (F ((2.48)) = 343619, P<.05) and the type of attachment (F ((7.48)) = 23.220, P<.05). CONCLUSION. Greater angulation of the abutments was found to influence the retention capacity of the attachments, and the fatigue test simulating 5 years of denture insertion and removal did not produce wear in the metal abutments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Water and carbon dioxide: green solvents for the extraction of collagen/gelatin from marine sponges

"Publication Date (Web): December 23, 2014"Marine sponges are extremely rich in natural products and are considered a promising biological resource. The major objective of this work is to couple a green extraction process with a natural origin raw material to obtain sponge origin collagen/gelatin for biomedical applications. Marine sponge collagen has unique physicochemical properties, but its application is hindered by the lack of availability due to inefficient extraction methodologies. Traditional extraction methods are time consuming as they involve several operating steps and large amounts of solvents. In this work, we propose a new extraction methodology under mild operating conditions in which water is acidified with carbon dioxide (CO2) to promote the extraction of collagen/gelatin from different marine sponge species. An extraction yield of approximately 50% of collagen/gelatin was achieved. The results of Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), circular dichroism (CD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) spectra suggest a mixture of collagen/gelatin with high purity, and the analysis of the amino acid composition has shown similarities with collagen from other marine sources. Additionally, in vitro cytotoxicity studies did not demonstrate any toxicity effects for three of the extracts.The authors are grateful for financial support of FCT through Grant EXP/QEQ:EPS/0745/2012, SWIMS (Subcritical Water Isolation of compounds from Marine Sponges). The funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement numbers REGPOT-CT2012-316331-POLARIS and KBBE-2010-266033 (project SPECIAL), as well as from ERDF under the project "Novel smart and biomimetic materials for innovative regenerative medicine approaches" RLI-ABMR-NORTE-01-0124-FEDER-000016), cofinanced by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (ON.2,O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) are also gratefully ackowledged. The authors are also truly thankfull to Prof. Micha flan (Tel Aviv University, Israel), Dr. Ronald Osinga (Porifarma, The Netherlands), Dr. Antonio Sara and Dr. Martina Milanese (Studio Associato GAIA, Italy), and Dr. Joana Xavier (University of Azores) for the kind offer of marine sponges samples

Surface modification of silica-based marine sponge bioceramics induce hydroxyapatite formation

Marine biomaterials are a new emerging area of research with significant applications. Recently, researchers are dedicating considerable attention to marine-sponge biomaterials for various applications. We have focused on the potential of biosilica from Petrosia ficidormis for novel biomedical/industrial applications. A bioceramic structure from this sponge was obtained after calcination at 750ºC for 6 hours in a furnace. The morphological characteristics of the 3D architecture were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro-computed tomography revealing a highly porous and interconnected structure. The skeleton of Petrosia ficidormis is a siliceous matrix composed of SiO2, which does not present inherent bioactivity. Induction of bioactivity was attained by subjecting the bioceramics structure to an alkaline treatment (KOH 2M) and acidic treatment (HCl 2M) for 1 and 3 hours. In vitro bioactivity of the bioceramics structure was evaluated in simulated body fluid (SBF), after 7 and 14 days. Observation of the structures by SEM, coupled with spectroscopic elemental analysis (EDS), has shown that the surface morphology presented a calcium-phosphate CaP coating, similar to hydroxyapatite (HA). The determination of the Ca/P ratio, together with the evaluation of the characteristic peaks of HA by infra-red spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, have proven the existence of HA. In vitro biological performance of the structures was evaluated using an osteoblast cell line andthe acidic treatment has shown to be the most effective treatment. Cells were seeded on the bioceramics structures and their morphology, viability and growth was evaluated by SEM, MTS assay and DNA quantification, respectively, demonstrating that cells are able to grow and colonize the bioceramic structures.Alexandre Barros is grateful for financial support of FCT through Grant EXP/QEQ-EPS/0745/2012, SWIMS - Subcritical Water Isolation of compounds from Marine Sponges. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant REGPOT-CT2012-316331-POLARIS and under Grant no KBBE-2010-266033 (project SPECIAL). Funding from the project "Novel smart and biomimetic materials for innovative regenerative medicine approaches" RL1-ABMR-NORTE-01-0124-FEDER-000016) cofinanced by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) is also acknowledged

Cork extracts reduce UV-mediated DNA fragmentation and cell death

Accepted ManuscriptUV radiation is known to induce the premature aging of human skin and to contribute to the occurrence of different skin cancers. High doses of UVA (able to penetrate through the epidermis into the dermis) and/or UVB radiation (only affecting the epidermis) leads to cellular oxidative damage compromising the recovery of the normal functions of the cells. This cellular damage is mainly driven by the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that alter the redox status of the intracellular milieu, affecting the cellular metabolic activity, leading to DNA damage, apoptosis and, consequently, to a drastic decrease in the number of live cells, compromising the function of the skin. A series of polyphenolic fractions were extracted from the outer bark (cork) of Quercus suber L., and tested for their capacity to reduce the cellular damage promoted by the ROS produced during UV exposure. This was evaluated after exposing L929 fibroblasts to UV radiation in the presence and absence of the cork extracts. In all the cases the extracts at the concentration of 75μg/ml demonstrated the capacity to preserve cell metabolic activity and their typical morphology, as well as, to avoid DNA fragmentation after exposure to UV radiation. We were also able to correlate these findings with the intracellular reduction of ROS species and the presence of higher proportions of castalagin and vescalagin in the extracts. Our data proves that cork is a relevant source of antioxidant compounds able to act in the cellular environment, protecting cells against oxidation, reducing the number of ROS species and limiting the negative impact of UV radiation. These extracts can be further exploited in the preparation of anti-UV formulations for skin protection.The authors are grateful to Amorim Cork Composites for providing the cork powder raw material and for the financing by the COMPETE/QREN/EU funding program through the project with acronym BioActiveCork (QREN FCOMP-01-0202-FEDER-005455). Ivo M. Aroso and Mariana T. Cerqueira acknowledge the financial support of FCT through the grants SFRH/BD/42273/2007 and SFRH/BPD/96611/2013, respectively. Funding was also granted from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. REGPOT-CT2012-316331-POLARIS and from project "Novel smart and biomimetic materials for innovative regenerative medicine approaches (Ref.: RL1-ABMR-NORTE-01-0124-FEDER-000016)" co-financed by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (ON.2 and "O Novo Norte"), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as appropriate

Improvement on the mechanical properties of cork composites using suberin as coupling agent through a reactive extrusion process

New functionalized composite structures were prepared using low-density polyethylene (LDPE), cork powder and different suberins extracted from cork and birch outer bark as coupling agents to promote interfacial adhesion. The compounding was performed under reactive extrusion and samples processed by compression moulding. The morphology of the functionalized composites showed good adhesion between cork and the polymeric phase. The mechanical results confirm that the addition of suberin acts as coupling agent improving the strength and leads to cork-polymer composite materials with improved strain and lower modulus. When the suberin was added to the composition a slight increase on the composite density occurred. The new cork-polymer composites demonstrated that this technological approach is industrially appealing.QREN FCOMP-01-0202-FEDER-003107 finance support on the project ”NovelComp”.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).European project FP6 of Wacheup: New concepts for upgrading pulp and cork mill waste streams to value-added chemicals.Corticeira Amorim S.G.P.S. on the development of new products based in/with cork and for the supply of cork materials