El polimorfismo del promotor del gen de la leptina en la posición -2549 disminuye la leptina plasmática y aumenta el apetito de los voluntarios con peso normal

Introduction: Investigate whether polymorphism in the promoter region encoding leptin and leptin receptor gene, in normal weight individuals, affects hormonal and appetite responses to peanuts.Materials and methods: Appetite, anthropometric indices, body composition, physical activity, dietary intake and leptin, ghrelin and insulin levels were monitored. Polymorphism analyses were also carried out.Results: None of the treatments led to statistical differences in the analyzed hormones. No polymorphism was found for leptin receptor gene, while for leptin gene, 50% of the volunteers presented one polymorphic allele and 13% presented both polymorphic alleles. These last ones presented lower body fat mass, leptin and ghrelin plasma concentrations, and fullness rates. They also presented higher hunger, desire to eat, and desire to eat sweet and salty foods.Conclusions: Peanut did not affect appetite and presented no different hormonal responses, compared to other foods studied. Polymorphic allele carriers in both alleles presented higher probability to develop obesity. However, the magnitude of this probability could not be measured.Introducción: Identificar polimorfismos en la región promotora del gen del receptor de la leptina en los individuos con peso normal e investigar si este polimorfi smo afecta a las respuestas hormonales y el apetito tras la ingesta de cacahuetes o una mezcla de ingredientes con un aporte de macronutrientes semejante.Material y método: Se controló el apetito, los índices antropométricos, la composición corporal, la actividad física, la ingesta dietética y las concentraciones de leptina, grelina e insulina de todos los sujetos. Además, se llevaron a cabo los análisis de polimorfi smo.Resultados: Ninguno de los tratamientos dio lugar a una diferencia estadísticamente signifi cativa en las hormonas analizadas. No se encontró polimorfi smo del gen del receptor de leptina, pero para el gen de la leptina, el 50% de los voluntarios tenían un alelo polimórfi co y el 13%, dos. Estos presentaron menores índices de masa grasa corporal, concentraciones plasmáticas de leptina y grelina y tasas de plenitud gástrica. Asimismo, tenían más hambre, deseo de comer y deseo de comer algo dulce y salado.Conclusiones: Ingerir cacahuetes no afecta al apetito y no produce respuestas hormonales diferentes que con otros alimentos estudiados. Los portadores de alelos polimórficos en los dos alelos tuvieron mayor probabilidad de sufrir obesidad, aunque no ha sido posible evaluar su magnitud

Decolourisation of Remazol Brilliant Blue R via a novel Bjerkandera sp. strain

A novel strain of Bjerkandera sp. (B33/3), with particularly high decolourisation activities upon Poly R-478 and Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) dyes, was isolated. The role of the ligninolytic extracellular enzymes produced by this strain on decolourisation of RBBR was studied in some depth. The basis of decolourisation is an enzyme-mediated process, in which the main enzyme responsible is a recently described peroxidase with capacity for oxidation of manganese, as well as veratryl alcohol and 2,6-dimethoxyphenol in a manganese-independent reaction

Carnívoros (Mammalia, Carnivora) do Quaternário da Serra da Bodoquena, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil

A report on fossil remains of carnivores from the Quaternary of Serra da Bodoquena (Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil), recovered from two limestone flooded caves, is presented. A total of six species could be identified belonging to three carnivore families, namely Felidae (Smilodon populator, Panthera onca, Leopardus braccatus), Canidae (Protocyon troglodytes, Chrysocyon brachyurus) and Mustelidae (Pteronura brasiliensis), a mosaic of extinct and extant species presumably related to the Holo-Pleistocene fauna of the region. These findings support in part previous suggestions of a paleoecological scenario of open savannas rich in wetlands for the Quaternary environment of Serra da Bodoquena.Uma primeira apreciação relativa aos fragmentos fósseis de carnívoros do Quaternário da Serra da Bodoquena (Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil) é apresentada. A amostra analisada foi recuperada em duas cavernas submersas e, presumivelmente, representam depósitos de origem associada ao intervalo entre Pleistoceno inferior e o Holoceno. Esta hipótese é corroborada pela megafauna de mamíferos associada. Seis espécies puderam ser identificadas, compreendendo três famílias de Carnívora: Felidae (Smilodon populator, Panthera onca, Leopardus braccatus), Canidae (Protocyon troglodytes, Chrysocyon brachyurus) e Mustelidae (Pteronura brasiliensis), retratando, assim, um mosaico de espécies recentes e extintas da fauna de carnívoros que compõem a região. Estes achados suportam parcialmente sugestões anteriores de um cenário paleoecológico de savanas ricas em áreas úmidas para o Quaternário da Serra da Bodoquena

Combined effects of temperature and dietary lipid level on body composition, growth, and freshness profile in european seabass, dicentrarchus labrax

The effects of increasing temperature and dietary lipid level on the body composition, growth performance, and freshness profile of the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) were evaluated through a fish trial lasting 56 days. Findings demonstrated that fish reared at 24 °C presented a lower lipid level and a higher daily growth index than those reared at 20 °C. On the other hand, the sea bass condition index did not change among treatments. Additionally, sensory analysis (the Quality Index Method) and microbiological analysis revealed that fish reared at 24 °C showed better freshness conditions than those at 20 °C. Nevertheless, the dietary lipid level did not have any influence on fish freshness conditions. Therefore, our data suggest that the increase in temperature to 24 °C is beneficial for the growth and freshness profile of this particular species in aquaculture.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

PHYTOPLANKTON BIOMASS INCREASES IN A SILT-IMPACTED AREA IN AN AMAZONIAN FLOOD-PLAIN LAKE OVER 15 YEARS

Funding Information: We thank Mineração Rio do Norte S.A. and Limnologia/UFRJ for fieldwork support, Dr. Janet W. Reid (JWR Associates) for language revision, and Leonardo Preza Rodrigues for map charting. VLMH, JCN, FAE, RLB, and FR are partially supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Brazil, RLB, and FAE by FAPERJ, Brazil, and CGR financially supported by Sakari Alhopuro Foundation, Finland. Publisher Copyright: © 2022, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. All rights reserved.Tailings from bauxite mining in Porto Trombetas (Pará state, Central Amazonia, Brazil) was discharged (1979–1989) into Batata Lake affecting about 30% of its area. The lake belongs to a clear-water flood-plain system along the Trombetas River, a tributary of the Amazon River. Siltation is the main perceived factor impacting aquatic and flooded communities. Besides natural regeneration, a program to restore a section of igapó forest in the impacted area (IA) has been conducted since 1991. Decreased light is the main factor reducing total phytoplankton biomass (PhyBM) in IA. We hypothesized that PhyBM in IA increases over time because of the improvement of the underwater light conditions due to the natural regeneration and restoration. We sampled quarterly PhyBM and limnological variables (depth, transparency, temperature, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, suspended solids, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, and total phosphorus), over 15 years (2005–2019) at eight sampling sites in the two areas (N = 349). We also obtained daily climatic and hydrologic data. PhyBM was higher in NIA than in IA. The temporal trend in the annual mean of PhyBM increased significantly over time only in the IA, approximating the NIA values, confirming our general hypothesis. The increase of PhyBM in the IA was negatively related to the residual light attenuation caused by non-phytoplankton turbidity and to total phosphorus, and positively to air temperature and site depth (p < 0.05; Marginal r2 = 0.18; Conditional r2 = 0.29). Instead, in NIA, PhyBM was explained only by the increase in air temperature (p < 0.05; Marginal r2 = 0.15; Conditional r2 = 0.34). We concluded that the PhyBM in the IA positively responds to the synergy between increasing light availability, air temperature, and site depth, and decreasing total phosphorus concentrations, regardless of hydrologic phase.Peer reviewe

Evaluation of phthalazinone phosphodiesterase inhibitors with improved activity and selectivity against Trypanosoma cruzi

BACKGROUND: Chagas' disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, needs urgent alternative therapeutic options as the treatments currently available display severe limitations, mainly related to efficacy and toxicity. OBJECTIVES: As phosphodiesterases (PDEs) have been claimed as novel targets against T. cruzi, our aim was to evaluate the biological aspects of 12 new phthalazinone PDE inhibitors against different T. cruzi strains and parasite forms relevant for human infection. METHODS: In vitro trypanocidal activity of the inhibitors was assessed alone and in combination with benznidazole. Their effects on parasite ultrastructural and cAMP levels were determined. PDE mRNA levels from the different T. cruzi forms were measured by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. RESULTS: Five TcrPDEs were found to be expressed in all parasite stages. Four compounds displayed strong effects against intracellular amastigotes. Against bloodstream trypomastigotes (BTs), three were at least as potent as benznidazole. In vitro combination therapy with one of the most active inhibitors on both parasite forms (NPD-040) plus benznidazole demonstrated a quite synergistic profile (xΣ FICI = 0.58) against intracellular amastigotes but no interaction (xΣ FICI = 1.27) when BTs were assayed. BTs treated with NPD-040 presented disrupted Golgi apparatus, a swollen flagellar pocket and signs of autophagy. cAMP measurements of untreated parasites showed that amastigotes have higher ability to efflux this second messenger than BTs. NPD-001 and NPD-040 increase the intracellular cAMP content in both BTs and amastigotes, which is also released into the extracellular milieu. CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrate the potential of PDE inhibitors as anti-T. cruzi drug candidates

Facing polyamorous lives: translation and validation of the attitudes towards polyamory scale in a Portuguese sample

© 2018, © 2018 College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists. Consensual Non-Monogamies (CNMs) have been receiving the attention of academics, however attitudes towards polyamory (ATP) are still a new field of research. We aim at studying the reliability and validity of the ATP scale in a Portuguese sample. The present analysis utilized cross-sectional data from 609 volunteers that completed the online survey with a socio-demographic questionnaire; the ATP scale; the Modern Heterosexism subscale of the Multidimensional Scale of Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men; the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale; and the Willingness to Engage in Non-Monogamy Scale. After randomly splitting the sample (1:1) for cross-validation purposes, Exploratory (EFA) and Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted using Principal Axis Factoring (PAF) and Maximum Likelihood Estimation, respectively. Cronbach's alpha and item-total correlations were used to determine the internal consistency of the scale. Feasibility and acceptability were examined in terms of missing values, floor and ceiling effects. The ATP proved to be reliable (Cronbach’s alpha >.80). In the current study, the final structure of the scale, proved through CFA, included 6 items aggregated in a single factor. This final 6-item measure proved to have convergent, divergent and concurrent criterion validity. Implications for research in polyamory and CNMs are discussed

PCR colorimetric dot-blot assay and clinical pretest probability for diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Smear-Negative patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis (SNPTB) accounts for 30% of Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) cases reported annually in developing nations. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) may provide an alternative for the rapid detection of <it>Mycobacterium tuberculosis </it>(MTB); however little data are available regarding the clinical utility of PCR in SNPTB, in a setting with a high burden of TB/HIV co-infection.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To evaluate the performance of the PCR dot-blot in parallel with pretest probability (Clinical Suspicion) in patients suspected of having SNPTB, a prospective study of 213 individuals with clinical and radiological suspicion of SNPTB was carried out from May 2003 to May 2004, in a TB/HIV reference hospital. Respiratory specialists estimated the pretest probability of active disease into high, intermediate, low categories. Expectorated sputum was examined by direct microscopy (Ziehl-Neelsen staining), culture (Lowenstein Jensen) and PCR dot-blot. Gold standard was based on culture positivity combined with the clinical definition of PTB.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In smear-negative and HIV subjects, active PTB was diagnosed in 28.4% (43/151) and 42.2% (19/45), respectively. In the high, intermediate and low pretest probability categories active PTB was diagnosed in 67.4% (31/46), 24% (6/25), 7.5% (6/80), respectively. PCR had sensitivity of 65% (CI 95%: 50%–78%) and specificity of 83% (CI 95%: 75%–89%). There was no difference in the sensitivity of PCR in relation to HIV status. PCR sensitivity and specificity among non-previously TB treated and those treated in the past were, respectively: 69%, 43%, 85% and 80%. The high pretest probability, when used as a diagnostic test, had sensitivity of 72% (CI 95%:57%–84%) and specificity of 86% (CI 95%:78%–92%). Using the PCR dot-blot in parallel with high pretest probability as a diagnostic test, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were: 90%, 71%, 75%, and 88%, respectively. Among non-previously TB treated and HIV subjects, this approach had sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of 91%, 79%, 81%, 90%, and 90%, 65%, 72%, 88%, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>PCR dot-blot associated with a high clinical suspicion may provide an important contribution to the diagnosis of SNPTB mainly in patients that have not been previously treated attended at a TB/HIV reference hospital.</p