Translational research into gut microbiota: new horizons on obesity treatment: updated 2014

Obesity is currently a pandemic of worldwide proportions affecting millions of people. Recent studies have proposed the hypothesis that mechanisms not directly related to the human genome could be involved in the genesis of obesity, due to the fact that, when a population undergoes the same nutritional stress, not all individuals present weight gain related to the diet or become hyperglycemic. The human intestine is colonized by millions of bacteria which form the intestinal flora, known as gut flora. Studies show that lean and overweight human may present a difference in the composition of their intestinal flora; these studies suggest that the intestinal flora could be involved in the development of obesity. Several mechanisms explain the correlation between intestinal flora and obesity. The intestinal flora would increase the energetic extraction of non-digestible polysaccharides. In addition, the lipopolysaccharide from intestinal flora bacteria could trigger a chronic sub-clinical inflammatory process, leading to obesity and diabetes. Another mechanism through which the intestinal flora could lead to obesity would be through the regulation of genes of the host involved in energy storage and expenditure. In the past five years data coming from different sources established causal effects between intestinal microbiota and obesity/insulin resistance, and it is clear that this area will open new avenues of therapeutic to obesity, insulin resistance and DM2.Obesity is currently a pandemic of worldwide proportions affecting millions of people. Recent studies have proposed the hypothesis that mechanisms not directly related to the human genome could be involved in the genesis of obesity, due to the fact that, when a population undergoes the same nutritional stress, not all individuals present weight gain related to the diet or become hyperglycemic. The human intestine is colonized by millions of bacteria which form the intestinal flora, known as gut flora. Studies show that lean and overweight human may present a difference in the composition of their intestinal flora; these studies suggest that the intestinal flora could be involved in the development of obesity. Several mechanisms explain the correlation between intestinal flora and obesity. The intestinal flora would increase the energetic extraction of non-digestible polysaccharides. In addition, the lipopolysaccharide from intestinal flora bacteria could trigger a chronic sub-clinical inflammatory process, leading to obesity and diabetes. Another mechanism through which the intestinal flora could lead to obesity would be through the regulation of genes of the host involved in energy storage and expenditure. In the past five years data coming from different sources established causal effects between intestinal microbiota and obesity/insulin resistance, and it is clear that this area will open new avenues of therapeutic to obesity, insulin resistance and DM259215416

Correlation between soil erodibility and satellite data on areas of current desertification: a case study in Senegal.

The purpose of the study is to verify whether some correlation exists between soil erodibility (i.e. K factor mentioned in RUSLE model) and data obtained from satellite images. This piece of work represents a first attempt towards a model that would predict the risk for soil erosion, from information contained in satellite images. Ouarchoch is a rural community in Ferlo Region, Senegal. It lies in a Sahelian typical arid zone and is affected by desertification processes. Ouarchoch site was the pilot area on which the test was performed. K factor was calculated by using soil textural data (sand, silt and clay) in the top (0 ? 5 cm) soil layer (data obtained from the web). Landsat7 satellite images represented different seasonal snapshots (?cool? dry season, warm dry season, rainy season, end of rainy season or beginning of dry season) of the same year, 2014. Calculation used Bands 1 to 7 and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The choice of data, calculation and analysis are detailed. Some positive moderate correlation exists between soil erodibility on the one hand, and NDVI index displayed during the dry season (images in January and May), as well as Band 5 radiations displayed at the beginning of the dry season (post-harvest, image in October) on the other hand

Influência da mastite subclínica bovina sobre as frações protéicas do leite.

Avaliou-se a influência da mastite subclínica bovina causada por Staphylococcus aureus sobre as frações protéicas do leite pela comparação entre quartos mamários doentes e sadios. O estudo foi realizado em propriedade leiteira com rebanho experimental de vacas holandesas e o diagnóstico da mastite subclínica foi previamente realizado pelo ?California Mastitis Test? (CMT). Determinou-se as frações de proteína total, proteína verdadeira, caseína, soroproteínas, nitrogênio não protéico e nitrogênio não caséico, além da contagem de células somáticas (CCS) do leite dos quartos mamários. Os animais selecionados foram distribuídos em dois grupos de acordo com o estágio de lactação e classificados em Grupo ?1?, composto por animais em estágio inicial de lactação compreendido entre os dez dias e os dois meses após o parto, e Grupo ?2?, formado por animais em estágio de lactação compreendido entre o início do terceiro mês após o parto até o nono mês de lactação. A CCS dos quartos infectados dos animais pertencentes a ambos os grupos foi superior à encontrada para os quartos sadios (P < 0,0001). O conteúdo de soroproteínas e de nitrogênio não caséico no leite de quartos mamários com mastite subclínica por S. aureus foi significativamente superior em animais acima dos 60 dias em lactação, quando comparados com quartos mamários sem mastite