Bonding in Alkali and Alkaline Earth Acetylacetonates

Infrared, ultraviolet, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies have been used to obtain quantitative data to establish the nature of bonding in alkali and alkaline earth acetylacetonates. Most of these acetylacetonates are salt-like; however the properties of lighter metal complexes reflect a covalent (“benzenoid”) character. Within a family the change from benzenoid to ionic character is quite abrupt, occurring between lithium and sodium compounds for the alkali metals, and between beryllium and calcium for the alkaline earths, with the magnesium compound being intermediate. The ionic compounds hydrolyze readily unless totally water-free environments are used. The claim of a more covalent structure for the hydrated form, as opposed to the non-hydrated form of a given acetylacetonate is not supported by the results of this study

Análise Genética da persistência da lactase nas populações menonita e euro-brasileira do sul do Brasil

Orientadora: Profª. Drª. Iara José Taborda de Messias-ReasonCo-orientadora: Drª. Angelica Beate Winter BoldtDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciencias da Saúde, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Interna. Defesa : Curitiba, 23/08/2012Bibliografia : fls. 80-97Resumo: A lactase, uma enzima ancorada na superfície dos enterócitos do intestino delgado, é responsável por clivar a lactose em componentes absorvíveis pelo intestino, a glicose e galactose. Esta enzima é essencial em recém-nascidos cuja fonte de nutrição exclusiva é o leite. A sua atividade diminui após o desmame na maioria das pessoas e, portanto, a lactase é expressa nestes indivíduos em pequena quantidade durante a vida adulta, condição chamada de hipolactasia primária ou lactase não-persistente. Entretanto, em algumas populações com uma longa história de pastoralismo e ordenha, polimorfismos foram identificados como responsáveis pela expressão elevada da lactase na vida adulta, o que caracteriza o fenótipo persistência da lactase. O polimorfimso -13910 C>T, localizado em um gene adjacente ao gene lactase (LCT), o MCM6, foi identificado como a causa da persistência da lactase em populações europeias. Entretanto, outras mutações já foram observadas em populações africanas e do Oriente Médio, como o -14010 G>C, presente inclusive na Angola, país de origem de afro-brasileiros. O objetivo desse estudo foi investigar a frequência dos polimorfismos LCT*-13910C>T e LCT*-14010 G>C nas populações menonita e euro-brasileira do sul do Brasil, bem como analisar associação entre a persistência da lactase e o hábito de ingerir leite e entre hipolactasia primária, sintomas de má-digestão da lactose e doenças gastrointestinais na população menonita. Para análise dos polimorfismos foi otimizado um método utilizando a técnica PCR-SSP e, para levantamento de dados na população menonita, foi aplicado um questionário. Incluiu-se 443 indivíduos das populações euro-brasileira e menonita, um grupo religioso que por muitas décadas viveu em colônias e com uma longa história de endogamia. Da população euro-brasileira avaliou-se 292 indivíduos, 150 (51,4%) do sexo feminino e 142 (48,6%) do sexo masculino; já da população menonita, 151 indivíduos, 78 (51,7%) do sexo feminino e 73 (48,3%) do sexo masculino. A idade entre os euro-brasileiros variou de 18 a 64, sendo que a média de idade foi de 36, enquanto que entre os menonita, de 18 a 89 anos, sendo que a média de idade foi de 43 anos. A frequência alélica de -13910T foi maior na população menonita (0,63) que na euro-brasileira (0,33), sendo que houve diferença significativa entre estes dois grupos (p T nesta população. A variante -14010 G>C não foi observada nestes dois grupos, porém, sugere-se que seja investigada em futuros estudos com afro-brasileiros. O polimorfismo -13910 C>T é indicado como marcador para testes genéticos para hipolactasia primária na população euro-brasileira, entretanto, mais estudos são necessários para validar este teste entre outros grupos étnicos do Brasil.Resumo: A lactase, uma enzima ancorada na superfície dos enterócitos do intestino delgado, é responsável por clivar a lactose em componentes absorvíveis pelo intestino, a glicose e galactose. Esta enzima é essencial em recém-nascidos cuja fonte de nutrição exclusiva é o leite. A sua atividade diminui após o desmame na maioria das pessoas e, portanto, a lactase é expressa nestes indivíduos em pequena quantidade durante a vida adulta, condição chamada de hipolactasia primária ou lactase não-persistente. Entretanto, em algumas populações com uma longa história de pastoralismo e ordenha, polimorfismos foram identificados como responsáveis pela expressão elevada da lactase na vida adulta, o que caracteriza o fenótipo persistência da lactase. O polimorfimso -13910 C>T, localizado em um gene adjacente ao gene lactase (LCT), o MCM6, foi identificado como a causa da persistência da lactase em populações europeias. Entretanto, outras mutações já foram observadas em populações africanas e do Oriente Médio, como o -14010 G>C, presente inclusive na Angola, país de origem de afro-brasileiros. O objetivo desse estudo foi investigar a frequência dos polimorfismos LCT*-13910C>T e LCT*-14010 G>C nas populações menonita e euro-brasileira do sul do Brasil, bem como analisar associação entre a persistência da lactase e o hábito de ingerir leite e entre hipolactasia primária, sintomas de má-digestão da lactose e doenças gastrointestinais na população menonita. Para análise dos polimorfismos foi otimizado um método utilizando a técnica PCR-SSP e, para levantamento de dados na população menonita, foi aplicado um questionário. Incluiu-se 443 indivíduos das populações euro-brasileira e menonita, um grupo religioso que por muitas décadas viveu em colônias e com uma longa história de endogamia. Da população euro-brasileira avaliou-se 292 indivíduos, 150 (51,4%) do sexo feminino e 142 (48,6%) do sexo masculino; já da população menonita, 151 indivíduos, 78 (51,7%) do sexo feminino e 73 (48,3%) do sexo masculino. A idade entre os euro-brasileiros variou de 18 a 64, sendo que a média de idade foi de 36, enquanto que entre os menonita, de 18 a 89 anos, sendo que a média de idade foi de 43 anos. A frequência alélica de -13910T foi maior na população menonita (0,63) que na euro-brasileira (0,33), sendo que houve diferença significativa entre estes dois grupos (p T nesta população. A variante -14010 G>C não foi observada nestes dois grupos, porém, sugere-se que seja investigada em futuros estudos com afro-brasileiros. O polimorfismo -13910 C>T é indicado como marcador para testes genéticos para hipolactasia primária na população euro-brasileira, entretanto, mais estudos são necessários para validar este teste entre outros grupos étnicos do Brasil.Abstract: Lactase, an enzyme anchored in the surface of bowel enterocytes, is responsible for the cleavage of lactose in glucose and galactose, which are absorbed by the intestine. This enzyme is essential for newborns, whose exclusive nutrition is milk. Its activity declines after weaning in most humans, who, therefore, express just a small quantity of lactase during adulthood (lactase non-persistence our adult-type hypolactasia). But, in some populations with a long history of pastoralism and milking, polymorphisms were identified as responsible for the phenotype lactase persistence, which means high lactase expression during adulthood. A polymorphism, -13910 C>T, located in an adjacent gene (MCM6) to the lactase gene (LCT), was identified as causative for lactase persistence in Europeans. Other mutations were further identified in other populations, for example the LCT*-14010 G>C within African groups, including groups in Angola, country from where many African-brazilians are from. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of the LCT*-13910 C>T and LCT*-14010 G>C polymorphisms in the Mennonite and the Euro-Brazilian populations in southern Brazil; to analyze the association between lactase persistence and the habit of milk drinking and between primary hypolactasia, symptoms of lactose intolerance and gastrointestinal diseases in the Mennonite population. A PCR-SSP based method was optimized for polymorphism analysis and data were collected from the Mennonites using a questionnaire. We included 443 individuals of the Euro-brazilian and the Mennonites populations. The Mennonites are a religious group, which lived for decades in colonies and with a long history of endogamy. We evaluated 292 individuals from the Euro-Brazilian group, including 150 (51.4%) females and 142 (48.6%) males, and 151 individuals from the Mennonite population, including 78 (51.7%) females and 73 (48.3%) males. The age between Euro-brazilians ranged between 18 to 64 years and the mean age was 36, while among the Mennonites the age ranged between 18 to 89 years and the mean age was 43. The -13910T allele frequency was much higher in the Mennonite population (0,63) than among the euro-Brazilians (0,33), and the difference between these two groups was significant (p T polymorphism in this population. The -14010 G>C variant was not observed in these two groups, we suggest, however, to consider this polymorphism in future studies with African-brazilians. The -13910 C>T polymorphism is indicated as a genetic test marker for adult-type hypolactasia in Euro-brazilians. More studies are needed though to validate this test among other ethnic groups in Brazil

Anthropometric, hemodynamic, metabolic, and renal responses during 5 days of food and water deprivation

Background: Although there is considerable research in the field of fasting and fluid restriction, little is known about the impact of food and water deprivation (FWD) on body circumferences and vital parameters. Methods: During 5 days of FWD in 10 healthy adults, hemodynamic, metabolic, and renal parameters, such as weight, 5 circumferences at neck, waist, hip, chest at axilla, chest at nipples, and 1 new oblique hip circumference were measured daily. For each circumference, new quotients of daily circumference-to-weight decrease were calculated. The set of employed parameters quantified and monitored dieting persons' compliance and efficacy of the method. Results: The values of blood pressure, heart rate, hemoglobin oxygen saturation, glucose, K(+), Na(+), Cl(-), urea, creatinine, and serum osmolality proved to be stable. The mean creatinine clearance increased up to 167%. The mean daily weight decrease (1,390 ± 60 g) demonstrated the effectiveness of FWD in weight reduction. The daily decrease of all measured circumferences and the values of the corresponding circumference-to-weight decrease quotients reflected considerable volume decrease in all measured body parts per day and kg of weight loss during FWD. Conclusion: The intervention of 5 FWD days in 10 healthy adults was found to be safe, decreased weight and all measured circumferences, and improved renal function considerably

Immersive augmented reality system for the training of pattern classification control with a myoelectric prosthesis

Background!#!Hand amputation can have a truly debilitating impact on the life of the affected person. A multifunctional myoelectric prosthesis controlled using pattern classification can be used to restore some of the lost motor abilities. However, learning to control an advanced prosthesis can be a challenging task, but virtual and augmented reality (AR) provide means to create an engaging and motivating training.!##!Methods!#!In this study, we present a novel training framework that integrates virtual elements within a real scene (AR) while allowing the view from the first-person perspective. The framework was evaluated in 13 able-bodied subjects and a limb-deficient person divided into intervention (IG) and control (CG) groups. The IG received training by performing simulated clothespin task and both groups conducted a pre- and posttest with a real prosthesis. When training with the AR, the subjects received visual feedback on the generated grasping force. The main outcome measure was the number of pins that were successfully transferred within 20 min (task duration), while the number of dropped and broken pins were also registered. The participants were asked to score the difficulty of the real task (posttest), fun-factor and motivation, as well as the utility of the feedback.!##!Results!#!The performance (median/interquartile range) consistently increased during the training sessions (4/3 to 22/4). While the results were similar for the two groups in the pretest, the performance improved in the posttest only in IG. In addition, the subjects in IG transferred significantly more pins (28/10.5 versus 14.5/11), and dropped (1/2.5 versus 3.5/2) and broke (5/3.8 versus 14.5/9) significantly fewer pins in the posttest compared to CG. The participants in IG assigned (mean ± std) significantly lower scores to the difficulty compared to CG (5.2 ± 1.9 versus 7.1 ± 0.9), and they highly rated the fun factor (8.7 ± 1.3) and usefulness of feedback (8.5 ± 1.7).!##!Conclusion!#!The results demonstrated that the proposed AR system allows for the transfer of skills from the simulated to the real task while providing a positive user experience. The present study demonstrates the effectiveness and flexibility of the proposed AR framework. Importantly, the developed system is open source and available for download and further development

Comparing single-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis against deuterium dilution to assess total body water.

Background/Objectives: In this study, we aimed to validate the accuracy of single-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (SF-BIA) at 50 kHz to assess total body water (TBW) against the reference technique deuterium dilution (D(2)O) and to explore if the simple clinical parameters extracellular fluid (ECF) composition and body shape explain individual differences between D(2)O and SF-BIA (Diff(BIA-D(2)O)). Subjects/Methods: We assessed TBW with D(2)O and SF-BIA in 26 women and 26 men without known disease or anomalous body shapes. In addition, we measured body shape with anthropometry and ECF composition (osmolality, albumin, glucose, urea, creatinine, sodium and potassium). Results: On group average, SF-BIA to predict TBW agreed well with D(2)O (SF-BIA, 39.8±10.1 l; D(2)O, 40.4±10.2 l; and Diff(BIA-D(2)O) -0.7 l). In four individuals ('outliers'; 15% of the study population), Diff(BIA-D(2)O) was high (-6.8 to +3.8 l). Diff(BIA-D(2)O) was associated with individual variations in body shape rather than ECF composition. Using gender-specific analysis, we found that individual variability of waist circumference in men and arm length in women significantly contributed to Diff(BIA-D(2)O). When removing the four 'outliers', these associations were lost. Conclusions: In the majority of our sample, BIA agreed well with D(2)O. Adjusting for individual variability in body shape by anthropometrical assessment could possibly improve the accuracy of SF-BIA for individuals who deviate from mean values with respect to body shape. However, further studies with higher subject numbers are needed to confirm our findings

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate: a useful, effective and safe clinical approach for targeted prevention and individualised treatment of neurological diseases

Neurodegenerative disorders show an increasing prevalence in a number of highly developed countries. Often, these diseases require life-long treatment mostly with drugs which are costly and mostly accompanied by more or less serious side-effects. Their heterogeneous manifestation, severity and outcome pose the need for individualised treatment options. There is an intensive search for new strategies not only for treating but also for preventing these diseases. Green tea and green tea extracts seem to be such a promising and safe alternative. However, data regarding the beneficial effects and possible underlying mechanism, specifically in clinical trials, are rare and rather controversial or non-conclusive. This review outlines the existing evidence from preclinical studies (cell and tissue cultures and animal models) and clinical trials regarding preventive and therapeutic effects of epigallcatechin-3-gallate in neurodegenerative diseases and considers antioxidative vs. pro-oxidative properties of the tea catechin important for dosage recommendations

Is metabolic flexibility altered in multiple sclerosis patients?

OBJECTIVES: Metabolic flexibility is defined as ability to adjust fuel oxidation to fuel availability. Multiple sclerosis (MS) results in reduced muscle strength and exercise intolerance. We tested the hypothesis that altered metabolic flexibility contributes to exercise intolerance in MS patients. METHODS: We studied 16 patients (all on glatiramer) and 16 matched healthy controls. Energy expenditure (EE), and carbohydrate (COX) and lipid oxidation (LOX) rates were determined by calorimetry, before and after an oral glucose load. We made measurements either at rest (canopy device) or during 40 min low-grade (0.5 W/kg) exercise (metabolic chamber). We also obtained plasma, and adipose tissue and skeletal muscle dialysate samples by microdialysis to study tissue-level metabolism under resting conditions. RESULTS: At rest, fasting and postprandial plasma glucose, insulin, and free fatty acid levels did not differ between patients and controls. Fasting and postprandial COX was higher and LOX lower in patients. In adipose, fasting and postprandial dialysate glucose, lactate, and glycerol levels were higher in patients vs. controls. In muscle, fasting and postprandial dialysate metabolite levels did not differ significantly between the groups. During exercise, EE did not differ between the groups. However, COX increased sharply over 20 min in patients, without reaching a steady state, followed by an immediate decrease within the next 20 min and fell even below basal levels after exercise in patients, compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: Glucose tolerance is not impaired in MS patients. At rest, there is no indication for metabolic inflexibility or mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle. The increased adipose tissue lipolytic activity might result from glatiramer treatment. Autonomic dysfunction might cause dysregulation of postprandial thermogenesis at rest and lipid mobilization during exercise