In vitro maturation impacts cumulus–oocyte complex metabolism and stress in cattle

FAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOThe influence of in vitro maturation (IVM) in oocytes is still not totally understood. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of IVM on the metabolism and homeostasis of bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes. In the present study, we demonstrated1546881893FAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO2014/21034-32014/03281-32014/22887-02013/08135-22012/50533-2306978/2014-8The authors would like to thank the staff and students at the LMMD, Marcos Chiaratti, Gustavo Duarte, Marcel Nakashima, Hélio Alves Martins Júnior, José Luis Paz Jara, Patricia Kubo Fontes and Augusto de Castro Netto for their assistance with the sample

Insecticidal Action Of Annona Coriacea Lectin Against The Flour Moth Anagasta Kuehniella And The Rice Moth Corcyra Cephalonica (lepidoptera: Pyralidae).

Annona coriacea lectin (ACLEC) was tested for insecticidal activity against larvae of two pyralid moths, Anagasta kuehniella and Corcyra cephalonica. ACLEC produced approximately 50% mortality and mass loss in A. kuehniella larvae when incorporated into an artificial diet at levels of 1.5% and 1.0% (w/w), respectively. In contrast, the inclusion of up to 2% ACLEC in the diet did not significantly decrease the survival or weight of C. cephalonica larvae. The nutritional indices for A. kuehniella and C. cephalonica suggested that ACLEC had a multi-mechanistic mode of action and was an antifeedant for both insects. The toxicity in A. kuehniella apparently resulted from a change in the gut membrane environment and consequent disruption of digestive enzyme recycling mechanisms. Affinity chromatography showed that ACLEC bound to midgut proteins of A. kuehniella and C. cephalonica. However, the 14 kDa subunit of ACLEC was not digested by midgut proteases of A. kuehniella, but was degraded by the corresponding C. cephalonica proteases within a few hours. These findings suggest the possibility of using ACLEC to engineer crop plants.146406-1

Biomass and lipid characterization of microalgae genera botryococcus, chlorella, and desmodesmus aiming high-value fatty acid production

Microalgae have been largely considered for biofuel production; however, further research focusing on its wide potential also in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries is still scarce. It is a promising raw material for several bioproducts, due to high growth rate, CO2 biofixation, and nutrient assimilation from wastewater and does not require large areas for cultivation compared to conventional crops. This study characterized six microalgae (Chlorella sp., C. vulgaris, Desmodesmus sp., D. brasiliensis, Botryococcus braunii, and B. terribilis) regarding growth parameters, total protein, carbohydrate, lipid, ash, and chlorophyll contents. The focus was lipid composition; thus, detailed results of fatty acid profile and polar lipid identification in total lipids are presented. The highest biomass productivity (42.6 mg L−1 day−1) and third highest lipid content (21.9%) were achieved by C. vulgaris, with 23.0% α-linolenic and 5.6% γ-linolenic in total fatty acids. Both are of interest for food and pharmaceutical industries and a vegan alternative to currently consumed fish oil. B. braunii showed higher lipid accumulation, oleic acid as the major fatty acid, but significantly low growth rate. B. terribilis presented intense lipid accumulation, at intra- and extracellular levels, but a high percentage of lipids should be hydrocarbons. Lipid and biomass characterization identified different bioproducts and high-value food additives that could be explored to establish a multi-product biorefinery instead of focusing exclusively on biodiesel production, which has been extensively studied but is not economic competitive in the current marketCONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP166844/2017-92014/10064-9; 2015/20630-

Assessing melatonin and its oxidative metabolites amounts in biological fluid and culture medium by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS)

The introduction of precise analytical technologies in the biological area is needed to increase the knowledge of the fundamental processes occurring in the animal and human domain. The objective of this study was to develop a highly sensitive and selective method based on liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) using electrospray ionization for the simultaneous detection and quantification of melatonin (MEL) and its metabolites, 6-hydroxymelatonin (6-HMEL), N-2-acetyl-N-1-formyl-5-methoxykynuramine (AFMK) and N-1-acetyl-5-metoxykynuramine (AMK). Using this methodology, we have studied the role of melatonin and its metabolites in the mammalian embryo in vitro production system, which is fundamental due to the antioxidant and signaling roles of these compounds. Samples comprised of bovine follicular fluid (FF) and tissue culture medium (TCM 199). The optimized procedure uses liquid-liquid extraction with MS monitoring via selective reaction monitoring (SRM). Low limits of detection/quantification were obtained, 3/10 pg mL(-1) for MEL, AFMK and AMK and 30/100 pg mL(-1) for 6-HMEL, respectively using deuterated melatonin (MEL-d(4)) as the internal standard (IS). Validation and correlation coefficients were higher than 0.999 and recoveries were 80-108%. Precision was evaluated as repeatability and intermediate precision with relative standard deviation values <3.55%. The method has been successfully applied to the analysis of pooled FF and TCM 199 samples and results suggest that MEL and its metabolites are involved in oocyte maturation and that their proper quantitation is essential to monitor and study their role in such a process.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Health-related quality of life in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus in the different geographical regions of Brazil : data from the Brazilian Type 1 Diabetes Study Group

Background: In type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) management, enhancing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is as important as good metabolic control and prevention of secondary complications. This study aims to evaluate possible regional differences in HRQoL, demographic features and clinical characteristics of patients with T1DM in Brazil, a country of continental proportions, as well as investigate which variables could influence the HRQoL of these individuals and contribute to these regional disparities. Methods: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional, multicenter study performed by the Brazilian Type 1 Diabetes Study Group (BrazDiab1SG), by analyzing EuroQol scores from 3005 participants with T1DM, in 28 public clinics, among all geographical regions of Brazil. Data on demography, economic status, chronic complications, glycemic control and lipid profile were also collected. Results: We have found that the North-Northeast region presents a higher index in the assessment of the overall health status (EQ-VAS) compared to the Southeast (74.6 ± 30 and 70.4 ± 19, respectively; p < 0.05). In addition, North- Northeast presented a lower frequency of self-reported anxiety-depression compared to all regions of the country (North-Northeast: 1.53 ± 0.6; Southeast: 1.65 ± 0.7; South: 1.72 ± 0.7; Midwest: 1.67 ± 0.7; p < 0.05). These findings could not be entirely explained by the HbA1c levels or the other variables examined. Conclusions: Our study points to the existence of additional factors not yet evaluated that could be determinant in the HRQoL of people with T1DM and contribute to these regional disparities

Health-related quality of life in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus in the different geographical regions of Brazil : data from the Brazilian Type 1 Diabetes Study Group

Background: In type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) management, enhancing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is as important as good metabolic control and prevention of secondary complications. This study aims to evaluate possible regional differences in HRQoL, demographic features and clinical characteristics of patients with T1DM in Brazil, a country of continental proportions, as well as investigate which variables could influence the HRQoL of these individuals and contribute to these regional disparities. Methods: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional, multicenter study performed by the Brazilian Type 1 Diabetes Study Group (BrazDiab1SG), by analyzing EuroQol scores from 3005 participants with T1DM, in 28 public clinics, among all geographical regions of Brazil. Data on demography, economic status, chronic complications, glycemic control and lipid profile were also collected. Results: We have found that the North-Northeast region presents a higher index in the assessment of the overall health status (EQ-VAS) compared to the Southeast (74.6 ± 30 and 70.4 ± 19, respectively; p < 0.05). In addition, North- Northeast presented a lower frequency of self-reported anxiety-depression compared to all regions of the country (North-Northeast: 1.53 ± 0.6; Southeast: 1.65 ± 0.7; South: 1.72 ± 0.7; Midwest: 1.67 ± 0.7; p < 0.05). These findings could not be entirely explained by the HbA1c levels or the other variables examined. Conclusions: Our study points to the existence of additional factors not yet evaluated that could be determinant in the HRQoL of people with T1DM and contribute to these regional disparities