Exercise is associated with a reduction in gestational diabetes mellitus

Purpose The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a maternal exercise program (land/aquatic activities, both aerobic and muscular conditioning) in preventing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods Three hundred and forty-two pregnant women from Spain (age, 33.24 ± 4.3 yr) without obstetric contraindications were recruited for a clinical randomized controlled trial. The intervention group (IG, n = 101) exercised for 60 and 50 min on land and in water, respectively, three times per week. The control group (n = 156) received usual standard care. Results The prevalence of GDM was reduced in the IG group (IG, 1%, n = 1, vs control group, 8.8%, n = 13 (χ21 = 6.84, P = 0.009)) with a significant risk estimate (odds ratio = 0.103; 95% confidence interval, 0.013-0.803). Conclusion The exercise program performed during pregnancy reduced the prevalence of GDM by preserving glucose tolerance

Local translation in nervous system pathologies

[EN] Dendrites and axons can extend dozens to hundreds of centimeters away from the cell body so that a single neuron can sense and respond to thousands of stimuli. Thus, for an accurate function of dendrites and axons the neuronal proteome needs to be asymmetrically distributed within neurons. Protein asymmetry can be achieved by the transport of the protein itself or the transport of the mRNA that is then translated at target sites in neuronal processes. The latter transport mechanism implies local translation of localized mRNAs. The role of local translation in nervous system (NS) development and maintenance is well established, but recently there is growing evidence that this mechanism and its deregulation are also relevant in NS pathologies, including neurodegenerative diseases. For instance, upon pathological signals diseaserelated proteins can be locally synthesized in dendrites and axons. Locally synthesized proteins can exert their effects at or close to the site of translation, or they can be delivered to distal compartments like the nucleus and induce transcriptional responses that lead to neurodegeneration, nerve regeneration and other cell-wide responses. Relevant key players in the process of local protein synthesis are RNA binding proteins (RBPs), responsible for mRNA transport to neurites. Several neurological and neurodegenerative disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or spinal motor atrophy, are characterized by mutations in genes encoding for RBPs and consequently mRNA localization and local translation are impaired. In other diseases changes in the local mRNA repertoire and altered local protein synthesis have been reported. In this review, we will discuss how deregulation of localized translation at different levels can contribute to the development and progression of nervous system pathologies.This work was partially funded by grants awarded to JB (MICINN grants SAF2016-76347-R, RYC-2016-19837, and PID2019-110721RB-I00; The Alzheimer’s Association grants AARG-19-618303 and AARG-19-618303-RAPID). MG and AC are GV fellows; MB-U is a UPV/EHU fellow

Vibrational lifetimes of hydrogen on lead films: An ab initio molecular dynamics with electronic friction (AIMDEF) study

Using density functional theory and Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics with Electronic Friction (AIMDEF), we study the adsorption and dissipative vibrational dynamics of hydrogen atoms chemisorbed on free-standing lead films of increasing thickness. Lead films are known for their oscillatory behaviour of certain properties with increasing thickness, e.g., energy and electron spillout change in discontinuous manner, due to quantum size effects [G. Materzanini, P. Saalfrank, and P. J. D. Lindan, Phys. Rev. B 63, 235405 (2001)]. Here, we demonstrate that oscillatory features arise also for hydrogen when chemisorbed on lead films. Besides stationary properties of the adsorbate, we concentrate on finite vibrational lifetimes of H-surface vibrations. As shown by AIMDEF, the damping via vibration-electron hole pair coupling dominates clearly over the vibration-phonon channel, in particular for high-frequency modes. Vibrational relaxation times are a characteristic function of layer thickness due to the oscillating behaviour of the embedding surface electronic density. Implications derived from AIMDEF for frictional many-atom dynamics, and physisorbed species will also be given.He acknowledges support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) through project Sa 547/8-2. J.I.J., M.A., M.B., and R.D.M. acknowledge the Basque Departamento de Educación, Universidades e Investigación, the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU (Grant No. IT-756-13) and the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Grant No. FIS2013-48286-C2-2-P).Peer Reviewe

Clinical value of diascopy and other non-invasive techniques on differential diagnosis algorithms of oral pigmentations: a systematic review

Objectives: To determine the diagnostic value of diascopy and other non-invasive clinical aids on recent differential diagnosis algorithms of oral mucosal pigmentations affecting subjects of any age. Material and Methods: Data Sources: this systematic review was conducted by searching PubMed, Scopus, Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source and the Cochrane Library (2000-2015); Study Selection: two reviewers independently selected all types of English articles describing differential diagnosis algorithms of oral pigmentations and checked the references of finally included papers; Data Extraction: one reviewer performed the data extraction and quality assessment based on previously defined fields while the other reviewer checked their validity. Results: Data Synthesis: eight narrative reviews and one single case report met the inclusion criteria. Diascopy was used on six algorithms (66.67%) and X-ray was included once (11.11%; 44.44% with text mentions); these were considered helpful tools in the diagnosis of intravascular and exogenous pigmentations, respectively. Surface rubbing was described once in the text (11.11%). Conclusions: Diascopy was the most applied method followed by X-ray and surface rubbing. The limited scope of these procedures only makes them useful when a positive result is obtained, turning biopsy into the most recommended technique when diagnosis cannot be established on clinical grounds alon

Influence of the van der Waals interaction in the dissociation dynamics of N2 on W(110) from first principles

Under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.Using ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) calculations, we investigate the role of the van der Waals (vdW) interaction in the dissociative adsorption of N2 on W(110). Hitherto, existing classical dynamics calculations performed on six-dimensional potential energy surfaces based on density functional theory (DFT), and the semi-local PW91 and RPBE [Hammer et al. Phys. Rev. B 59, 7413 (1999)] exchange-correlation functionals were unable to fully describe the dependence of the initial sticking coefficient on the molecular beam incidence conditions as found in experiments. N2 dissociation on W(110) was shown to be very sensitive not only to short molecule-surface distances but also to large distances where the vdW interaction, not included in semilocal-DFT, should dominate. In this work, we perform a systematic study on the dissociative adsorption using a selection of existing non-local functionals that include the vdW interaction (vdW-functionals). Clearly, the inclusion of the non-local correlation term contributes in all cases to correct the unrealistic energy barriers that were identified in the RPBE at large molecule-surface distances. Among the tested vdW-functionals, the original vdW-DF by Dion et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 246401 (2004)] and the ulterior vdW-DF2 give also an adequate description of the N2 adsorption energy and energy barrier at the transition state, i.e., of the properties that are commonly used to verify the quality of any exchange-correlation functional. However, the results of our AIMD calculations, which are performed at different incidence conditions and hence extensively probe the multi-configurational potential energy surface of the system, do not seem as satisfactory as the preliminary static analysis suggested. When comparing the obtained dissociation probabilities with existing experimental data, none of the used vdW-functionals seems to provide altogether an adequate description of the N2/W(110) interaction at short and large distances.The authors acknowledge financial support by the Gobierno Vasco-UPV/EHU project IT756-13 and the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Grant No. FIS2013-48286-C02-02-P).Peer Reviewe

Is spillover relevant for hydrogen adsorption and storage in porous carbons doped with palladium nanoparticles?

Producción CientíficaExperiments have shown that the efficiency of nanoporous carbons to store hydrogen becomes enhanced by doping the material with metallic nanoparticles. In particular, doping with palladium has been used with success. The hypothesis to justify the enhancement has been that the Pd nanoparticles dissociate the hydrogen molecules and then the hydrogen atoms spill over the carbon substrate, where the hydrogen is retained. To test this hypothesis we have performed ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of the deposition of molecular hydrogen on Pd nanoparticles (Pd6 and Pd13) supported on graphene, which is a good model for the wall of a carbon nanopore. Three channels have been identified in the simulations: bouncing off the molecule, molecular adsorption, and dissociation of the molecule in two H atoms. The relative percentage of those channels is sensitive to the size of the Pd particle. Dissociation occurs more frequently on Pd13 and it generally takes place on the lateral regions of the Pd particles. However, in our simulations, we have not found a single case of H atoms or H2 molecules spilling over the carbon substrate. We have also tested the situation when several H atoms are preadsorbed on the Pd6 and Pd13 particles and found that not a single dissociation event occurs on these H-saturated nanoparticles. These results lead us to cast strong doubts on the validity of the spillover mechanism for explaining the enhancement of hydrogen adsorption on porous carbons doped with transition metal nanoparticles.Junta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación – Ref. VA050U14

Dominance of phage particles carrying antibiotic resistance genes in the viromes of retail food sources

The growth of antibiotic resistance has stimulated interest in understanding the mechanisms by which antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) are mobilized. Among them, studies analyzing the presence of ARGs in the viral fraction of environmental, food and human samples, and reporting bacteriophages as vehicles of ARG transmission, have been the focus of increasing research. However, it has been argued that in these studies the abundance of phages carrying ARGs has been overestimated due to experimental contamination with non-packaged bacterial DNA or other elements such as outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). This study aims to shed light on the extent to which phages, OMVs or contaminating non-packaged DNA contribute as carriers of ARGs in the viromes. The viral fractions of three types of food (chicken, fish, and mussels) were selected as sources of ARG-carrying phage particles, whose ability to infect and propagate in an Escherichia coli host was confirmed after isolation. The ARG-containing fraction was further purified by CsCl density gradient centrifugation and, after removal of DNA outside the capsids, ARGs inside the particles were confirmed. The purified fraction was stained with SYBR Gold, which allowed the visualization of phage capsids attached to and infecting E. coli cells. Phages with Myoviridae and Siphoviridae morphology were observed by electron microscopy. The proteins in the purified fraction belonged predominantly to phages (71.8% in fish, 52.9% in mussels, 78.7% in chicken sample 1, and 64.1% in chicken sample 2), mainly corresponding to tail, capsid, and other structural proteins, whereas membrane proteins, expected to be abundant if OMVs were present, accounted for only 3.8–21.4% of the protein content. The predominance of phage particles in the viromes supports the reliability of the protocols used in this study and in recent findings on the abundance of ARG-carrying phage particles.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (PID2020-113355GB-I00), the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and the European regional fund (ERF). The study was partially supported by the Generalitat de Catalunya (2017SGR170). PB-P has a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (BES-2017-081296), SM-C has a grant from Colciencias (Republic of Colombia) and LR-R is lecturer of the Serra-Hunter program, Generalitat de Catalunya. MDR-B has a Margarita Salas fellowship from the Spanish Ministerio de Universidades

Infectious phage particles packaging antibiotic resistance genes found in meat products and chicken feces

Bacteriophages can package part of their host's genetic material, including antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), contributing to a rapid dissemination of resistances among bacteria. Phage particles containing ARGs were evaluated in meat, pork, beef and chicken minced meat, and ham and mortadella, purchased in local retailer. Ten ARGs (blaTEM, blaCTX-M-1, blaCTX-M-9, blaOXA-48, blaVIM, qnrA, qnrS, mecA, armA and sul1) were analyzed by qPCR in the phage DNA fraction. The genes were quantified, before and after propagation experiments in Escherichia coli, to evaluate the ability of ARG-carrying phage particles to infect and propagate in a bacterial host. According to microbiological parameters, all samples were acceptable for consumption. ARGs were detected in most of the samples after particle propagation indicating that at least part of the isolated phage particles were infectious, being sul1the most abundant ARG in all the matrices followed by β-lactamase genes. ARGs were also found in the phage DNA fraction of thirty-seven archive chicken cecal samples, confirming chicken fecal microbiota as an important ARG reservoir and the plausible origin of the particles found in meat. Phages are vehicles for gene transmission in meat that should not be underestimated as a risk factor in the global crisis of antibiotic resistance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Infectious phage particles packaging antibiotic resistance genes found in meat products and chicken feces

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Innovación y Ciencia (AGL2016-75536-P), the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and the European regional fund (ERF), the Generalitat de Catalunya (2017SGR170) and the Centre de Referència en Biotecnologia (XeRBa). CERCA Programme from the Generalitat de Catalunya is also acknowledged. M.B.-J. has a grant from COLCIENCIAS (Republic of Colombia). P.B.-P. has a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (BES-2017-081296). L.R.-R. is supported by the Beatriu de Pinos postdoctoral programme of the Government of Catalonia's Secretariat for Universities and Research of the Ministry of Economy and Knowledge.Bacteriophages can package part of their host's genetic material, including antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), contributing to a rapid dissemination of resistances among bacteria. Phage particles containing ARGs were evaluated in meat, pork, beef and chicken minced meat, and ham and mortadella, purchased in local retailer. Ten ARGs (bla, bla, bla, bla, bla, qnrA, qnrS, mecA, armA and sul1) were analyzed by qPCR in the phage DNA fraction. The genes were quantified, before and after propagation experiments in Escherichia coli, to evaluate the ability of ARG-carrying phage particles to infect and propagate in a bacterial host. According to microbiological parameters, all samples were acceptable for consumption. ARGs were detected in most of the samples after particle propagation indicating that at least part of the isolated phage particles were infectious, being sul1the most abundant ARG in all the matrices followed by β-lactamase genes. ARGs were also found in the phage DNA fraction of thirty-seven archive chicken cecal samples, confirming chicken fecal microbiota as an important ARG reservoir and the plausible origin of the particles found in meat. Phages are vehicles for gene transmission in meat that should not be underestimated as a risk factor in the global crisis of antibiotic resistance

Life-long environmental enrichment counteracts spatial learning, reference and working memory deficits in middle-aged rats subjected to perinatal asphyxia

Continuous environmental stimulation induced by exposure to enriched environment (EE) has yielded cognitive benefits in different models of brain injury. Perinatal asphyxia results from a lack of oxygen supply to the fetus and is associated with long lasting neurological deficits. However, the effects of EE in middle aged rats suffering perinatal asphyxia are unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess whether life long exposure to EE could counteract the cognitive and behavioral alterations in middle aged asphyctic rats. Experimental groups consisted of rats born vaginally (CTL), by cesarean section (C+), or by C+ following 19 min of asphyxia at birth (PA). At weaning, rats were assigned to standard (SE) or enriched environment (EE) for 18 months. During the last month of housing, animals were submitted to a behavioral test battery including Elevated Plus Maze, Open Field, Novel Object Recognition and Morris water maze (MWM). Results showed that middle aged asphyctic rats, reared in SE, exhibited an impaired performance in the spatial reference and working memory versions of the MWM. EE was able to counteract these cognitive impairments. Moreover, EE improved the spatial learning performance of middle aged CTL and C+ rats. On the other hand, all groups reared in SE did not differ in locomotor activity and anxiety levels, while EE reduced locomotion and anxiety, regardless of birth condition. Recognition memory was altered neither by birth condition nor by housing environment. These results support the importance of environmental stimulation across the lifespan to prevent cognitive deficits induced by perinatal asphyxia.Fil: Galeano, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquimicas de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas (i); ArgentinaFil: Blanco, Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquimicas de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Málaga; España. Universidad de Malaga; EspañaFil: Logica Tornatore, Tamara Maite Ayelén. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas (i); ArgentinaFil: Romero, Juan Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas (i); ArgentinaFil: Holubiec, Mariana Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas (i); ArgentinaFil: Rodríguez de Fonseca, Fernando. Universidad de Malaga; EspañaFil: Capani, Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas (i); Argentin