CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS GRAFTING PATIENTS: GLYCEROPHOSPHOLIPIDS PROFILE, GENES EXPRESSION AND INFLAMMATORY STATUS STUDY

Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels including both diseases of the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle (coronary heart disease) and damages of heart muscle and valves due to different factors, such as streptococcal bacteria which cause rheumatic heart disease. Build-up of fat deposits on the inner walls of the blood vessels (atherosclerotic plaques) that supply the heart is one of the main factor of coronary heart disease. Atherosclerosis is a well known inflammatory condition in which the artery wall thickens due to the accumulation of fatty materials, mainly cholesterol, caused by the accumulation of macrophage white blood cells and promoted by low-density lipoproteins. Various anatomic, physiological and behavioral risk factors for atherosclerosis, such as obesity, are known. Body fat is stored in various depots; fat stored subcutaneously reach around 85% of total and the remaining 10% is stored in the viscera area. Fat is also localized in other different depots and is known as pericardial, epicardial, intracellular, buccal and ectopic fat. It has been recognized that the correlation between CVDs and increased body weight/obesity is more linked to body fat distribution rather than to the total amount of body fat. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) might function as a lipid-storing depot, as an endocrine organ secreting hormones and as an inflammatory tissue secreting cytokines and chemokines. Due to its proximity to the adventitia of the coronary arteries and myocardium it is possible that it could play a role in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis (CAD). During era of genomic, trascriptomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, lipids composition is highly studied to better understand the lipid molecular profile in different diseases. Goal of our study is monitoring lipid alteration in biological samples obtained from CAD patients to better understand lipid involvement in cardiovascular disease and found potential biomarkers involved in this pathology. Patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) showed a decrease concentration in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) compared to patients undergoing valvular replacement and utilized as negative-CAD controls. PUFA/saturated fatty acid (SFA) ratio was statistically lower in CABG patient compared to valvular patients. Percentage of oleic acid (18:1) was higher in CABG compared to valvular replacement patients while percentage of linoleic (18:2) was lower. No significant differences have been observed relative to other lipids between CABG and valvular patients. Lipid analysis was quantified by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) in positive ion mod. Glycerophospholipid analysis revealed lower levels of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylserine (PS) in CABG patients compared to valvular patients. Lower statistically significant lipid concentration was visible in CABG compared to valvular for PC species, such as PC 36:2, 34:3, 36:3, 36:4, 38:4, 40:4, 36:5, 38:5, 38:6 and 40:6. Similarly lipid composition for PE species was for PE 34:1, 36:1, 36:2, 36:3, 36:4, 38:4, 40:4, 38:5, 40:5 and 40:6 statistically lower in CABG compared to valvular. While for PS class only one lipid specie, PS 36:1 was statistically lower in CABG compared to valvular. Epicardial tissue lipid species analysis, also after subdivision for BMI, waist, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), showed a decrease of lipid classes of PC, PE and PS in CABG patients compared to valvular patient. Obesity is a pre-disease condition that induces pathological angiogenesis and impaired vascular functions. These changes lead to the outset, development and progression of many diseases such as, cancer, CVD, diabetic complication and chronic inflammation. Transcriptomic data from epicardial tissue, showed an up- or down-regulation of genes involved in angiogenesis, both pro- and anti-genetic, such as matrix metalloproteinase 2 and 9 (MMP-2 and MMP-9), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth factors (FGF), angiogenin (ANG) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP). MMP-2 and MMP-9 were highly expressed in CABG compared to valvular (129 and 73 folds respectively). The same was observed for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), VEGFA, FGF-2, hypoxia-inducible factors-1 (HIF-1) and TIMP-1. For these genes fold increase values were 170.55, 34.25, 28, 46.3, and 138.74 respectively. Otherwise, ANG and endostatin (COL18A-1) genes had lower expression in CABG compared to valvular (-13.41 and -5.2 folds respectively). Trascriptomic data showed, for gene involved in adipocyte differentiation, that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma; -5.8 folds ), delta-like 1 homolog (DLK; -36.08 folds), adiponectin (adipoQ; -19.19 folds), activin A receptor, type I (ACVR1; -45.37 folds), fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4; -33.58 folds), cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein 1 (CEBP; -25.20 folds), lipin 1 (LPIN1; -42,94 folds), lipoprotein lipase (LPL; -18.86 folds) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PCK1; -44.95) were down regulate in CABG compared to valvular. While leptin (LEP; 27 folds), GATA binding protein 2 (7.7 folds), GATA binding protein 3 (75 folds) uncoupling protein (UCP-1; 112.05, UCP-2; 246.35 and UCP-3; 43.29 folds), complement factor D preproprotein (CFD; 47.88 folds), proteoglycan 4 (PRG4; 142.26 folds), solute carrier family 2 (facilitated glucose transporter), member 4 (SLC2a4; -22.24 folds), Glyceraldehyde 3 phosphate dehydrogenase 1 (GAPDH; 46.44 folds), resistin (RETN; 152.36 folds) and mesoderm specific transcript homolog (MEST; 71.77 folds) were highly expressed in CABG compared to valvular. A great increase in the expression of all of the genes evaluated was observed in CABG compared to valvular patients. Decrease in PC species and reductions in percentage of PUFA are associated whit CVDs, a down or up expression of studied genes also are connected with heart disease. Our data therefore emphasize a possible greater involvement of lipids in patients with CABG compared to valvular patients

Detecting and quantifying a massive invasion of floating aquatic plants in the Río de la Plata turbid waters using high spatial resolution ocean color imagery

The massive development of floating plants in floodplain lakes and wetlands in the upper Middle Paraná river in the La Plata basin is environmentally and socioeconomically important. Every year aquatic plant detachments drift downstream arriving in small amounts to the Río de la Plata, but huge temporary invasions have been observed every 10 or 15 years associated to massive floods. From late December 2015, heavy rains driven by a strong El Niño increased river levels, provoking a large temporary invasion of aquatic plants from January to May 2016. This event caused significant disruption of human activities via clogging of drinking water intakes in the estuary, blocking of ports and marinas and introducing dangerous animals from faraway wetlands into the city. In this study, we developed a scheme to map floating vegetation in turbid waters using high-resolution imagery, like Sentinel-2/SMI (MultiSpectral Imager), Landsat-8/OLI (Operational Land Imager), and Aqua/MODIS (MODerate resolution Imager Spectroradiometer)-250 m. A combination of the Floating Algal Index (that make use of the strong signal in the NIR part of the spectrum), plus conditions set on the RED band (to avoid misclassifying highly turbid waters) and on the CIE La*b* color space coordinates (to confirm the visually "green" pixels as floating vegetation) were used. A time-series of multisensor high resolution imagery was analyzed to study the temporal variability, covered area and distribution of the unusual floating macroalgae invasion that started in January 2016 in the Río de la Plata estuary.Fil: Dogliotti, Ana Inés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Gossn, Juan Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Vanhellemont, Quinten. Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut Voor Natuurwetenschappen; BélgicaFil: Ruddick, Kevin G.. Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut Voor Natuurwetenschappen; Bélgic

AMP-activated protein kinase - not just an energy sensor

Orthologues of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) occur in essentially all eukaryotes as heterotrimeric complexes comprising catalytic α subunits and regulatory β and γ subunits. The canonical role of AMPK is as an energy sensor, monitoring levels of the nucleotides AMP, ADP, and ATP that bind competitively to the γ subunit. Once activated, AMPK acts to restore energy homeostasis by switching on alternate ATP-generating catabolic pathways while switching off ATP-consuming anabolic pathways. However, its ancestral role in unicellular eukaryotes may have been in sensing of glucose rather than energy. In this article, we discuss a few interesting recent developments in the AMPK field. Firstly, we review recent findings on the canonical pathway by which AMPK is regulated by adenine nucleotides. Secondly, AMPK is now known to be activated in mammalian cells by glucose starvation by a mechanism that occurs in the absence of changes in adenine nucleotides, involving the formation of complexes with Axin and LKB1 on the surface of the lysosome. Thirdly, in addition to containing the nucleotide-binding sites on the γ subunits, AMPK heterotrimers contain a site for binding of allosteric activators termed the allosteric drug and metabolite (ADaM) site. A large number of synthetic activators, some of which show promise as hypoglycaemic agents in pre-clinical studies, have now been shown to bind there. Fourthly, some kinase inhibitors paradoxically activate AMPK, including one (SU6656) that binds in the catalytic site. Finally, although downstream targets originally identified for AMPK were mainly concerned with metabolism, recently identified targets have roles in such diverse areas as mitochondrial fission, integrity of epithelial cell layers, and angiogenesis

Agroecology in large scale farming:A research agenda

Agroecology promises a third way between common global agriculture tradeoffs such as food production and nature conservation, environmental sustainability and ecosystem services. However, most successful examples of mainstreaming agroecology come from smallholder, family agriculture, that represents only about 30% of the world agricultural area. Mainstreaming agroecology among large scale farmers is urgently needed, but it requires addressing specific questions in research, technology and policy development to support sustainable transitions. Here we take stock of the existing knowledge on some key aspects necessary to support agroecological transitions in large scale farming, considering two contrasting starting points: highly subsidized and heavily taxed agricultural contexts, represented here by the examples of Western Europe and temperate South America. We summarize existing knowledge and gaps around service crops, arthropod-mediated functions, landscape and watershed regulation, graze-based livestock, nature-inclusive landscapes, and policy mechanisms to support transitions. We propose a research agenda for agroecology in large scale farming organized in five domains: (i) Breeding for diversity, (ii) Scalable complexity, (iii) Managing cycles beyond fields and farms, (iv) Sharing the cultivated landscape, and (v) Co-innovation with farmers, value chains and policy makers. Agroecology may result in a renewed impetus in large scale farming, to attract the youth, foster clean technological innovation, and to promote a new generation of large-scale farmers that take pride in contributing to feeding the world while serving the planet and its people

The role of inflammation in patients with intraductal mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas and in those with pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Background: There are very few data regarding inflammation in patients with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) of the pancreas. Aim: To evaluate the circulating concentrations of placental growth factor (PlGF), transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-\u3b1), transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-\u3b21), tumour necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNF-R1) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in patients with IPMNs and in those with pancreatic adenocarcinomas. Patients and Methods: Sixty-nine patients were enrolled: 23 (33.3%) had IPMNs and 46 (66.7%) had histologically confirmed pancreatic adenocarcinomas. Thirteen healthy subjects were also studied. PlGF, TGF-\u3b1, TGF-\u3b21, TNF-R1 and MMP-2 were determined using commercially available kits. Results: TNF-R1 (p=0.003) was the only protein significantly different among the three groups. Conclusion: Serum TNF-R1 was elevated in patients with IPMNs and in those with pancreatic adenocarcinomas, suggesting a high apoptotic activity in both groups of patients studied

A SWIR based algorithm to retrieve total suspended matter in extremely turbid waters

In ocean colour remote sensing, the use of Near Infra Red (NIR) spectral bands for the retrieval of Total Suspended Matter (TSM) concentration in turbid and highly turbid waters has proven to be successful. In extremely turbid waters (TSMN 100 mgL−1) however, these bands are less sensitive to increases in TSM. Here it is proposed to use Short Wave Infra Red (SWIR) spectral bands between 1000 and 1300 nm for these extreme cases. This SWIR spectral region is subdivided into two regions, SWIR-I (1000 nm to 1200 nm) and SWIR-II (1200 nm to 1300 nm) which correspond to local minima in the pure water absorption spectrum. For both spectral regions the water reflectance signal was measured in situ with an ASD spectrometer in three different extremely turbid estuarine sites: Scheldt (Belgium), Gironde (France), and Río de la Plata (Argentina), along with the TSMconcentration.A measurable water reflectance was observed for all sites in SWIR-I, while in the SWIR-II region the signal was not significant compared to the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of current Ocean Colour (OC) sensors. For the spectral band at 1020 nm (present in Ocean and Land Colour Instrument ? OLCI, onboard Sentinel-3) and at 1071 nm, an empirical single band TSM algorithm is defined which is valid for both the Gironde and Scheldt estuarine sites. This means that a single algorithm can be applied for both sites without expensive recalibration.The relationship between TSM and SWIR reflectance at 1020 and 1071 nm is linear and did not show any saturation for the concentrations measured here (up to 1400 mg L−1), while saturation was observed for the NIR wavelengths, as expected. Hence, for extremely turbid waters it is advised to switch from NIR to SWIR-I wavelengths to estimate TSM concentration. This was demonstrated for an airborne hyperspectral dataset (Airborne Prism Experiment, APEX) from the Gironde estuary having several spectral bands in the SWIR-I. The empirical single band SWIR TSM algorithm was applied to the atmospherically corrected scene providing a TSM concentration map of the Gironde from mouth to more upstream with concentrations expected in this region ranging from a few to several hundreds mg L−1. These results, i.e. the existence of a single relationship for the Scheldt and Gironde, not showing any decrease of sensitivity, highlights the importance of having SWIR bands in future ocean colour sensors for studying extremely turbid rivers, coastal areas and estuaries in the world. A further implication of these results is that there is a TSMlimit for application of atmospheric correction algorithms which assume zero SWIR marine reflectance. That limit is defined here as function of wavelength and sensor noise level.Fil: Knaeps, E.. Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO); BélgicaFil: Ruddick, K. G.. Flemish Institute for Technological Research ; BélgicaFil: Doxaran, D.. Laboratoire d; FranciaFil: Dogliotti, Ana Inés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Nechad, B.. Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences (RBINS); BélgicaFil: Raymaekers, D.. Flemish Institute for Technological Research; BélgicaFil: Sterckx, S.. Flemish Institute for Technological Research; Bélgic

Low heart-type fatty acid binding protein level during aging may protect down syndrome people against atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND: Aging is considered an important independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. Down syndrome people (DS) display an accelerated aging process compared to healthy subjects, anyway they are relatively resistant to developing atherosclerosis. The mechanisms involved in such protective effect are not well known. Since heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) is a protein involved in the transport of fatty acids and it has been recently correlated with the presence of atherosclerosis, we aimed to measure H-FABP level both in DS and in healthy subjects during aging to evaluate the association between this molecule, aging and atherosclerosis. FINDINGS: We quantified plasmatic H-FABP level in three groups of male DS and age-matched healthy subjects (children, age 2-14\u2009years; adults, age 20-50\u2009years; elderly, > 60\u2009years) using a biochip array analyzer. We observed that aging is associated with increased H-FABP level in healthy subjects but not in DS which display both the same protein level in the different ages of life and have also lower level compared to their age-matched healthy subjects. CONCLUSION: Reduced H-FABP level during aging in DS may play a protective role against atherosclerosis. The potential involvement of H-FABP in the relationship between aging, atherosclerosis and development of coronary artery disease needs further investigations

Using the automated HYPERNETS hyperspectral system for multi-mission satellite ocean colour validation in the Río de la Plata, accounting for different spatial resolutions

Validation of water reflectance using in situ data is essential to ensure the quality of ocean colour satellite-derived products useful for water quality monitoring, like turbidity and chlorophyll-a concentration. Since December 2021, the HYPERNETS automated hyperspectral system has been collecting data in the optically complex and highly turbid waters of the Río de la Plata, an ideal scenario for testing atmospheric correction algorithms’ performance. The site, located 60 km south of Buenos Aires (Argentina), is described in relation to the water reflectance spectral features and variability using high spatial resolution imagery and a methodology is proposed to objectively select a sensor-specific location of a reference pixel for satellite validation. Six months of data is used to evaluate surface water reflectance operational products from multi-spectral systems like Landsat 8&9/OLI (L89/OLI), Sentinel-2/MSI (S2/MSI) & Sentinel-3/OLCI (S3/OLCI), and PlanetScope SuperDoves (PS/SD), and also non standard products for Aqua/MODIS (Aqua/MODIS) and SNPP&JPSS1/VIIRS (SJ/VIIRS) missions. Moreover, the standard surface water reflectance product from the hyperspectral PRISMA mission could also be evaluated. The matchups show general good results when in situ measurements are compared to L2 standard products of high spatial resolution sensors that use land-based atmospheric correction approach, if sun glint contamination is avoided. Low mean relative percentage difference was found for S2/MSI (2.45%) and L89/OLI (−3.52%), but higher for PS/SD (30.7%). In turn, S3/OLCI medium resolution also showed low mean relative differences (2.31%), while SJ/VIIRS and Aqua/MODIS showed larger and negative differences (−16.35 for SJ/VIIRS and −35.6% for Aqua/MODIS) which showed a clear increase towards the shortest blue bands. The results show the great potential of the HYPERNETS automated system to provide high quality and quantity of data for validation of satellite data at all visible and near infrared (VNIR, 400–900 nm) wavelengths in a multi-mission perspective