Regiospecific analysis of Mono and Diglycerides in Glycerolysis products by GC x GC TOF-MS.

Comprehensive bidimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOF-MS) was used for the characterization of regiospecific mono- and diglycerides (MG-DG) content in the glycerolysis products derived from five different lipids included lard (LA), sun flower seed oil (SF), corn oil (CO), butter (BU), and palm oil (PA). The combination of fast and high temperature non-orthogonal column set namely DB17ht (6 m × 0.10 mm × 0.10 μm) as the primary column and SLB-5 ms (60 cm × 0.10 mm × 0.10 μm) as the secondary column was applied in this work. System configuration involved high oven ramp temperature to obtain precise mass spectral identification and highest effluent’s resolution. 3-Monopalmitoyl-sn-glycerol (MG 3-C16) was the highest concentration in LA, BU and PA while monostearoyl-sn-glycerol (MG C18) in CO and 1,3-dilinoleol-rac-glycerol (DG C18:2c) in SF. Principal component analysis accounted 82% of variance using combination of PC1 and PC2. The presence of monostearoyl-sn-glycerol (MG C18), 3-Monopalmitoyl-sn-glycerol (MG 3-C16), 1,3-dilinoleol-rac-glycerol (DG C18:2c), 1,3-dipalmitoyl-glycerol (DG 1,3-C16), and 1,3-dielaidin (DG C18:1t) caused differentiation of the samples tested

Safeguarding pollinators and their values to human well-being

Wild and managed pollinators provide a wide range of benefits to society in terms of contributions to food security, farmer and beekeeper livelihoods, social and cultural values, as well as the maintenance of wider biodiversity and ecosystem stability. Pollinators face numerous threats, including changes in land-use and management intensity, climate change, pesticides and genetically modified crops, pollinator management and pathogens, and invasive alien species. There are well-documented declines in some wild and managed pollinators in several regions of the world. However, many effective policy and management responses can be implemented to safeguard pollinators and sustain pollination services

Lesões e desvios posturais na prática de futebol em jogadores jovens

O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a incidência de lesões, os principais desvios posturais e a possível associação entre lesões e desvios posturais em jogadores de futebol. Foram avaliados 21 voluntários do sexo masculino tendo entre 17 e 19 anos, jogadores de futebol de uma equipe profissional, que foram divididos em dois grupos: G1 formado por 15 jogadores que sofreram lesões relacionadas à prática de futebol; e G2 composto por 6 atletas que não tiveram lesões. Foram coletados dados sobre características antropométricas, posição de jogo, tempo de prática de futebol, freqüência de prática e histórico de lesões relacionadas à prática de futebol. O alinhamento postural foi verificado utilizando um protocolo específico para detectar alterações. Os resultados mostram alterações no alinhamento corporal em ambos os grupos. Os maiores desvios posturais encontrados foram assimetria das escápulas, no alinhamento horizontal da cabeça e no da pelve, em ambos os grupos. Considerando as lesões no G1, a mais comum foi no tornozelo (35%) e a segunda mais freqüente, no joelho (23%). Embora não tenha sido encontrada associação entre desvios posturais e ocorrência de lesões, a incidência de ambos é importante, sugerindo a necessidade de intervenções de prevenção na formação de jogadores de futebol.The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence of injuries, deviations in postural alignment, and possible associations between injuries and postural deviations in soccer players. Twenty-one male professional soccer players, aged 17 to 19 years old, were assessed as to anthropometric features, playing position, length and frequency of soccer practice, and history of injuries linked to soccer practicing. Athletes were divided into two groups: G1 made up by 15 players who had suffered soccer-related injuries; and G2 composed by 6 players with no such injuries. Postural alignment was assessed using a specific protocol. Both groups showed changes in body alignment; the greatest postural deviations found in both groups were scapulae asymmetry, head horizontal deviation and pelvis deviation. As to G1 injuries, the most common were in ankles (35%) and knees (23%). Though no association could be found between postural deviations and injuries, high incidence of both was found, thus suggesting the need to prevention programs in soccer players training

A Serological Survey of Infectious Disease in Yellowstone National Park’s Canid Community

BACKGROUND:Gray wolves (Canis lupus) were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park (YNP) after a >70 year absence, and as part of recovery efforts, the population has been closely monitored. In 1999 and 2005, pup survival was significantly reduced, suggestive of disease outbreaks. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:We analyzed sympatric wolf, coyote (Canis latrans), and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) serologic data from YNP, spanning 1991-2007, to identify long-term patterns of pathogen exposure, identify associated risk factors, and examine evidence for disease-induced mortality among wolves for which there were survival data. We found high, constant exposure to canine parvovirus (wolf seroprevalence: 100%; coyote: 94%), canine adenovirus-1 (wolf pups [0.5-0.9 yr]: 91%, adults [>or=1 yr]: 96%; coyote juveniles [0.5-1.5 yrs]: 18%, adults [>or=1.6 yrs]: 83%), and canine herpesvirus (wolf: 87%; coyote juveniles: 23%, young adults [1.6-4.9 yrs]: 51%, old adults [>or=5 yrs]: 87%) suggesting that these pathogens were enzootic within YNP wolves and coyotes. An average of 50% of wolves exhibited exposure to the protozoan parasite, Neospora caninum, although individuals' odds of exposure tended to increase with age and was temporally variable. Wolf, coyote, and fox exposure to canine distemper virus (CDV) was temporally variable, with evidence for distinct multi-host outbreaks in 1999 and 2005, and perhaps a smaller, isolated outbreak among wolves in the interior of YNP in 2002. The years of high wolf-pup mortality in 1999 and 2005 in the northern region of the park were correlated with peaks in CDV seroprevalence, suggesting that CDV contributed to the observed mortality. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:Of the pathogens we examined, none appear to jeopardize the long-term population of canids in YNP. However, CDV appears capable of causing short-term population declines. Additional information on how and where CDV is maintained and the frequency with which future epizootics might be expected might be useful for future management of the Northern Rocky Mountain wolf population

Health-related quality of life of patients following selected types of lumbar spinal surgery: A pilot study

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Proportions of CD4+ memory T cells are altered in individuals chronically infected with Schistosoma haematobium

Characterisation of protective helminth acquired immunity in humans or experimental models has focused on effector responses with little work conducted on memory responses. Here we show for the first time, that human helminth infection is associated with altered proportions of the CD4+ memory T cells, with an associated alteration of TH1 responses. The reduced CD4+ memory T cell proportions are associated with a significantly lower ratio of schistosome-specific IgE/IgG4 (marker for resistance to infection/re-infection) in uninfected older people. Helminth infection does not affect the CD8+ memory T cell pool. Furthermore, we show for the first time in a helminth infection that the CD4+ memory T cell proportions decline following curative anti-helminthic treatment despite increased CD4+ memory cell replication. Reduced accumulation of the CD4+ memory T cells in schistosome-infected people has implications for the development of natural or vaccine induced schistosome-specific protective immunity as well as for unrelated pathogens

The Extended Cleavage Specificity of Human Thrombin

Thrombin is one of the most extensively studied of all proteases. Its central role in the coagulation cascade as well as several other areas has been thoroughly documented. Despite this, its consensus cleavage site has never been determined in detail. Here we have determined its extended substrate recognition profile using phage-display technology. The consensus recognition sequence was identified as, P2-Pro, P1-Arg, P1′-Ser/Ala/Gly/Thr, P2′-not acidic and P3′-Arg. Our analysis also identifies an important role for a P3′-arginine in thrombin substrates lacking a P2-proline. In order to study kinetics of this cooperative or additive effect we developed a system for insertion of various pre-selected cleavable sequences in a linker region between two thioredoxin molecules. Using this system we show that mutations of P2-Pro and P3′-Arg lead to an approximate 20-fold and 14-fold reduction, respectively in the rate of cleavage. Mutating both Pro and Arg results in a drop in cleavage of 200–400 times, which highlights the importance of these two positions for maximal substrate cleavage. Interestingly, no natural substrates display the obtained consensus sequence but represent sequences that show only 1–30% of the optimal cleavage rate for thrombin. This clearly indicates that maximal cleavage, excluding the help of exosite interactions, is not always desired, which may instead cause problems with dysregulated coagulation. It is likely exosite cooperativity has a central role in determining the specificity and rate of cleavage of many of these in vivo substrates. Major effects on cleavage efficiency were also observed for residues as far away as 4 amino acids from the cleavage site. Insertion of an aspartic acid in position P4 resulted in a drop in cleavage by a factor of almost 20 times

Nanostructural Diversity of Synapses in the Mammalian Spinal Cord

This work for funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC; BB/M021793/1), RS MacDonald Charitable Trust, Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association UK (Miles/Apr18/863-791), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC; EP/P030017/1), Welcome Trust (202932/Z/16/Z), European Research Council (ERC; 695568) and the Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain.Functionally distinct synapses exhibit diverse and complex organisation at molecular and nanoscale levels. Synaptic diversity may be dependent on developmental stage, anatomical locus and the neural circuit within which synapses reside. Furthermore, astrocytes, which align with pre and post-synaptic structures to form “tripartite synapses”, can modulate neural circuits and impact on synaptic organisation. In this study, we aimed to determine which factors impact the diversity of excitatory synapses throughout the lumbar spinal cord. We used PSD95-eGFP mice, to visualise excitatory postsynaptic densities (PSDs) using high-resolution and super-resolution microscopy. We reveal a detailed and quantitative map of the features of excitatory synapses in the lumbar spinal cord, detailing synaptic diversity that is dependent on developmental stage, anatomical region and whether associated with VGLUT1 or VGLUT2 terminals. We report that PSDs are nanostructurally distinct between spinal laminae and across age groups. PSDs receiving VGLUT1 inputs also show enhanced nanostructural complexity compared with those receiving VGLUT2 inputs, suggesting pathway-specific diversity. Finally, we show that PSDs exhibit greater nanostructural complexity when part of tripartite synapses, and we provide evidence that astrocytic activation enhances PSD95 expression. Taken together, these results provide novel insights into the regulation and diversification of synapses across functionally distinct spinal regions and advance our general understanding of the ‘rules’ governing synaptic nanostructural organisation.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Understanding acute ankle ligamentous sprain injury in sports

This paper summarizes the current understanding on acute ankle sprain injury, which is the most common acute sport trauma, accounting for about 14% of all sport-related injuries. Among, 80% are ligamentous sprains caused by explosive inversion or supination. The injury motion often happens at the subtalar joint and tears the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) which possesses the lowest ultimate load among the lateral ligaments at the ankle. For extrinsic risk factors to ankle sprain injury, prescribing orthosis decreases the risk while increased exercise intensity in soccer raises the risk. For intrinsic factors, a foot size with increased width, an increased ankle eversion to inversion strength, plantarflexion strength and ratio between dorsiflexion and plantarflexion strength, and limb dominance could increase the ankle sprain injury risk. Players with a previous sprain history, players wearing shoes with air cells, players who do not stretch before exercising, players with inferior single leg balance, and overweight players are 4.9, 4.3, 2.6, 2.4 and 3.9 times more likely to sustain an ankle sprain injury. The aetiology of most ankle sprain injuries is incorrect foot positioning at landing – a medially-deviated vertical ground reaction force causes an explosive supination or inversion moment at the subtalar joint in a short time (about 50 ms). Another aetiology is the delayed reaction time of the peroneal muscles at the lateral aspect of the ankle (60–90 ms). The failure supination or inversion torque is about 41–45 Nm to cause ligamentous rupture in simulated spraining tests on cadaver. A previous case report revealed that the ankle joint reached 48 degrees inversion and 10 degrees internal rotation during an accidental grade I ankle ligamentous sprain injury during a dynamic cutting trial in laboratory. Diagnosis techniques and grading systems vary, but the management of ankle ligamentous sprain injury is mainly conservative. Immobilization should not be used as it results in joint stiffness, muscle atrophy and loss of proprioception. Traditional Chinese medicine such as herbs, massage and acupuncture were well applied in China in managing sports injuries, and was reported to be effective in relieving pain, reducing swelling and edema, and restoring normal ankle function. Finally, the best practice of sports medicine would be to prevent the injury. Different previous approaches, including designing prophylactice devices, introducing functional interventions, as well as change of games rules were highlighted. This paper allows the readers to catch up with the previous researches on ankle sprain injury, and facilitate the future research idea on sport-related ankle sprain injury