Suitability of PLLA as piezoelectric substrates for tissue engineering evidenced by microscopy techniques

Since the discovery of the piezoelectric character of bone, the suitability of some piezoelectric materials have been studied for bone repair; they are thought to act like transducers converting the mechanical energy of skeletal deformation in electrical stimuli capable of controlling osteogenic growth. The mechanisms underlying this process are far from being understood and systematic studies at a local scale are required. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a unique way to observe phenomena at the nanoscale and liquid imaging provides a unique tool to assess biological phenomena at the nanoscale. So in this study, aiming at a better understanding of the role of piezoelectricity in the osteogenic growth, the interaction between a poled piezoelectric material, in this case poly (L-lactic) acid and an adhesion promoting protein, the fibronectin, and bone-like cells is evaluated by scanning probe microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). © Microscopy Society of America 2012.(undefined

The drying process of Sarcocornia perennis: impact on nutritional and physico-chemical properties

The Sarcocornia genus is an extreme salt-toler- ant plant that can be cultivated in saline habitats almost worldwide. To preserve Sarcocornia perennis, convective drying experiments were conducted and their effects on the physico-chemical properties and phenolic content of the plant were studied using conventional and vibrational spectroscopy techniques. The drying process of Sarcocor- nia perennis at temperatures of 40 C, 50 C, 60 C and 70 C revealed three periods of convective drying process with drying times ranging between 4.5 and 24.9 h, respectively to higher and lower temperatures. The heating- up period can be neglected as compared with the drying process, and the duration of constant rate period, as a percentage of the total drying time, ranged between 34 and 20% respectively at 40 C and 70 C. The Modified Page model was proposed to describe the drying process at the different temperatures. From a nutritional point of view, this halophyte plant may be considered as a good source of fibres, phenolic compounds and natural minerals, such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. The convec- tive drying, in the temperature range currently used, was found to preserve the colour, nutritional characteristics and phytochemical value of Sarcocornia perennis. These results were confirmed by FTIR-ATR and highlight the potential use of the dried plant in novel food products.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Soluções sustentáveis para a valorização de produtos naturais e resíduos industriais de origem vegetal

SOS Valor caracteriza extratos de folhas e flores de medronheiro (Arbutus unedo) e testa a sua capacidade de combater doenças neurológicas e efeito nematicidainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Contribution of ATXN2 intermediary polyQ expansions in a spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders

Objective: The aim of this study was to establish the frequency of ATXN2 polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion in large cohorts of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and to evaluate whether ATXN2 could act as a modifier gene in patients carrying the C9orf72 expansion. Methods: We screened a large cohort of French patients (1,144 ALS, 203 FTD, 168 FTD-ALS, and 109 PSP) for ATXN2 CAG repeat length. We included in our cohort 322 carriers of the C9orf72 expansion (202 ALS, 63 FTD, and 57 FTD-ALS). Results: We found a significant association with intermediate repeat size (≥29 CAG) in patients with ALS (both familial and sporadic) and, for the first time, in patients with familial FTD-ALS. Of interest, we found the co-occurrence of pathogenic C9orf72 expansion in 23.2% of ATXN2 intermediate-repeat carriers, all in the FTD-ALS and familial ALS subgroups. In the cohort of C9orf72 carriers, 3.1% of patients also carried an intermediate ATXN2 repeat length. ATXN2 repeat lengths in patients with PSP and FTD were found to be similar to the controls. Conclusions: ATXN2 intermediary repeat length is a strong risk factor for ALS and FTD-ALS. Furthermore, we propose that ATXN2 polyQ expansions could act as a strong modifier of the FTD phenotype in the presence of a C9orf72 repeat expansion, leading to the development of clinical signs featuring both FTD and ALS

Contribution of ATXN2 intermediary polyQ expansions in a spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to establish the frequency of ATXN2 polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion in large cohorts of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and to evaluate whether ATXN2 could act as a modifier gene in patients carrying the C9orf72 expansion. METHODS: We screened a large cohort of French patients (1,144 ALS, 203 FTD, 168 FTD-ALS, and 109 PSP) for ATXN2 CAG repeat length. We included in our cohort 322 carriers of the C9orf72 expansion (202 ALS, 63 FTD, and 57 FTD-ALS). RESULTS: We found a significant association with intermediate repeat size ( 6529 CAG) in patients with ALS (both familial and sporadic) and, for the first time, in patients with familial FTD-ALS. Of interest, we found the co-occurrence of pathogenic C9orf72 expansion in 23.2% of ATXN2 intermediate-repeat carriers, all in the FTD-ALS and familial ALS subgroups. In the cohort of C9orf72 carriers, 3.1% of patients also carried an intermediate ATXN2 repeat length. ATXN2 repeat lengths in patients with PSP and FTD were found to be similar to the controls. CONCLUSIONS: ATXN2 intermediary repeat length is a strong risk factor for ALS and FTD-ALS. Furthermore, we propose that ATXN2 polyQ expansions could act as a strong modifier of the FTD phenotype in the presence of a C9orf72 repeat expansion, leading to the development of clinical signs featuring both FTD and ALS

Conditions promoting effective very high gravity sugarcane juice fermentation

Abstract Background: Applying very high gravity (VHG) fermentation conditions to the sugarcane juice (SCJ) bioethanol industry would improve its environmental and economic sustainability without the need for major infrastructure changes or investments. It could enable a decrease in the consumption of biological and natural resources (cane/ land, water and energy) while maintaining acceptable production parameters. The present study attempts to demonstrate and characterise an efective industrially relevant SCJ-VHG fermentation process. Results: An industry-like SCJ-VHG bioethanol production process with 30 and 35 °Bx broth was employed to investigate the efects of both the yeast strain used and nitrogen source supplementation on process yield, process productivity, biomass viability, glycerol concentration and retention-associated gene expression. Process performance was shown to be variably afected by the diferent process conditions investigated. Highest process efciency, with a 17% (w/v) ethanol yield and only 0.2% (w/v) sugar remaining unfermented, was observed with the Saccharomyces cerevisiae industrial strain CAT-1 in 30 °Bx broth with urea supplementation. In addition, efcient retention of glycerol by the yeast strain was identifed as a requisite for better fermentation and was consistent with a higher expression of glycerol permease STL1 and channel FPS1. Urea was shown to promote the deregulation of STL1 expression, overcoming glucose repression. The consistency between Fps1-mediated ethanol secretion and ethanol in the extracellular media reinforces previous suggestions that ethanol might exit the cell through the Fps1 channel. Conclusions: This work brings solid evidence in favour of the utilisation of VHG conditions in SCJ fermentations, bringing it a step closer to industrial application. SCJ concentrated up to 30 °Bx maintains industrially relevant ethanol production yield and productivity, provided the broth is supplemented with a suitable nitrogen source and an appropriate industrial bioethanol-producing yeast strain is used. In addition, the work contributes to a better understanding of the VHG-SCJ process and the variable efects of process parameters on process efciency and yeast strain response. Keywords: Biofuel, Bioethanol, Sugarcane, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, CAT-1, Very high gravity, Process optimisation, Process sustainabilityB. Monteiro was supported by the Ph.D. Grant 2011/12185-0 from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo-FAPESP. P. Ferraz and M. Barroca are supported by the Doctoral Programme in Applied and Environmental Microbiology (DP-AEM) and the FCT by Ph.D. Grants PD/ BD/113814/2015 and PD/BD/113810/2015, respectively. T. Collins thanks the FCT for support through the Investigador FCT Programme (IF/01635/2014). T. Collins and C. Lucas are supported by the strategic programme UID/ BIA/04050/2013 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007569) funded by national funds through the FCT I.P. and the ERDF through COMPETE2020-Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI). P. Ferraz, T. Collins and C. Lucas were further funded by the project EcoAgriFood (NORTE-01- 0145-FEDER-000009), supported by the Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020) under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio