Role of Zn2+ in restoration of nonprotein thiol content in the cells under chemical stress induced by triclocarban

We have proposed that intracellular Zn2+ release during oxidative stress is a trigger to restore cellular thiol content that is decreased by oxidative stress. Recently, we found that the incubation with triclocarban for 1 h decreased cellular thiol content and increased intracellular Zn2+ concentration. It was reminiscent of the possibility that the increase in intracellular Zn2+ concentration by triclocarban could become a trigger to restore the cellular content of nonprotein thiols. To test the possibility, we cytometrically examined the effects of prolonged incubation (3 h) with triclocarban on the cellular content of nonprotein thiols, presumably glutathione, by the use of 5-chloromethylfluorescein (5-CMF) diacetate, a fluorescent indicator of cellular nonprotein thiols, in rat thymocytes. The intensity of 5-CMF fluorescence after the 3 h incubation with 300 nM triclocarban was significantly higher than that after the 1 h incubation. In the presence of a chelator of intracellular Zn2+, such a significant difference was not observed. The results suggest that the increase in intracellular Zn2+ concentration by triclocarban is one of triggers to restore cellular content that is decreased by triclocarban

Abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue accumulation is positively correlated with hepatic steatosis in Sprague-Dawley rats

The precise roles of visceral (VAT) or subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) on hepatic fat accumulation have not been fully elucidated. In this report, we examined the correlation between VAT or SAT volume and severity of hepatic fat accumulation. In the present study, Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were fed a standard diet containing 10% fat or a high-fat diet containing 45% or 60% fat for 16 weeks. Abdominal VAT and SAT volume, as well as fat percentage of the liver were measured by computed tomography (CT). Hepatic triglyceride (TG) content and histopathological findings of hepatic steatosis were also examined. Abdominal SAT weight/body weight ratio was positively and strongly correlated with abdominal VAT weight/body weight ratio. Fat percentage of the liver by CT evaluation, hepatic TG content, and hepatic steatosis score by histopathological evaluation showed positive correlations with one another. Fat percentage of the liver by CT evaluation and hepatic TG content was positively correlated with both the abdominal VAT weight/body weight ratio and SAT weight/body weight ratio, respectively. Furthermore, hepatic TG content was negatively correlated with the abdominal VAT weight/SAT weight ratio. Our data suggest that abdominal SAT accumulation is positively correlated with hepatic steatosis in SD rats, rather than abdominal VAT accumulation. Further investigations are needed in order to clarify the precise mechanisms of SAT and VAT effects on the development of hepatic fat accumulation

Youth in Cidade Tiradentes: an exploratory study.

Esta dissertação busca conhecer as formas de vivência da juventude na Cidade Tiradentes a partir de olhares que perpassam as variadas dimensões de constituição do sujeito juvenil, sem localizar seu foco central nas instituições, que têm, em um novo cenário da condição juvenil, compartilhado sua exclusividade de esferas socializadoras e de referência identitária com outras formas de socialização e de construção de identidades. A metodologia utilizada valeu-se da aplicação de questionários e da realização de grupos focais com jovens residentes em Cidade Tiradentes, totalizando o levantamento das opiniões de 80 jovens. As falas discorreram sobre juventude, bairro, cotidiano, lazer, cultura, família, escola, amizade, trabalho, tráfico de drogas e projetos de futuro. A partir desses temas, foram identificadas questões que qualificam a construção de moratórias sociais muito específicas e que acompanham a pluralidade do conceito de juventude. A qualificação dessas moratórias mostra-se vinculada em grande medida às formas de percepção e de reação a julgamentos e a estigmas difundidos pela sociedade e freqüentemente absorvidos pelos jovens. Também se revelam como fatores condicionantes o usufruto do tempo livre; a ligação afetiva dos jovens com o distrito, sendo que aqueles que cresceram no local são muitas vezes aqueles que desejam permanecer; a questão do gênero, como propiciador ou limitador de práticas sociais e ocupação do espaço diferenciada; e a dimensão da moderação, caracterizando a possibilidade de liberdade que pode ser vivida e usufruída e que qualifica a condição juvenil na Cidade Tiradentes.This work aims to understand the living conditions and the experiences of youth in Cidade Tiradentes, a poor district in the periphery of Sao Paulo, Brazil. It will provide a general overview on the theme by analyzing speeches of young people who took part in discussion groups organized especially for this work. This paper\'s approach considered a wide range of aspects that contribute to the constitution of a young person. It thus avoided focusing only on institutions (which used to be the main socializing space and the main provider of identity references for youth, but has recently been sharing this role with other actors). The methodology of this work included questionnaires and discussion groups, gathering the opinion of 80 young Cidade Tiradentes dwellers. The speeches comprised a variety of themes, such as youth, neighborhood, daily activities, leisure, culture, family, school, friendship, work, drugs and projects for the future. Through the analisys of youth speeches, it was possible to identify several aspects that build social moratoriums for these audiences. These moratoriums are strongly related to perceptions and reactions about judgments and stigma disseminated by the media and society. In addition, other components guiding youth development were identified: the use of free time; the affectionate relationship with the district (those who grew up there were also those who did not intend to move out of the district); gender, which plays an important role in defining social practices and the use of space; and the dimension of moderation, which refers to ways of free living in this district that characterize youth condition in Cidade Tiradentes

Co-designing workshops on sustainable consumption and production in Southeast Asia: application of idea cards and structuring methods

Ensuring sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns is an important task for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 12 by 2030. To facilitate international and domestic collaboration toward regional SCP, we developed a collaborative workshop method to generate and structure ideas about consumption and production (CP) patterns and employed the procedures for emerging Southeast Asian countries at workshops in Japan and Thailand. The main focus was on Bangkok, and the goal was to identify the implications of SCP policies. The structuring of seventeen SCP patterns chosen from 525 CP patterns generated at the workshops helped to identify the important influential factors, policy interventions, and features of probable SCP patterns. The main conclusions were the following: (1) The viewpoints of consumers and providers are important for idea generation. The products and services, as well as the systems of CP patterns, should be targeted; (2) Transition, improvement of the quality of life, and digitalization are also key directions of SCP patterns in Bangkok; (3) Culture, infrastructure, and industry are major considerations for regional SCP policy; and (4) SCP policy instruments are broader than conventional environmental policy instruments, and expanding the scope of SCP policy should be discussed more widely, especially in Asian countries

Continuous monitoring using thermography can capture the heat oscillations maintaining body temperature in neonates

Abstract The body temperature of infants at equilibrium with their surroundings is balanced between heat production from metabolism and the transfer of heat to the environment. Total heat production is related to body size, which is closely related to metabolic rate and oxygen consumption. Body temperature control is a crucial aspect of neonatal medicine but we have often struggled with temperature measures. Contactless infrared thermography (IRT) is useful for vulnerable neonates and may be able to assess their spontaneous thermal metabolism. The present study focused on heat oscillations and their cause. IRT was used to measure the skin temperature every 15 s of neonates in an incubator. We analyzed the thermal data of 27 neonates (32 measurements), calculated the average temperature within specified regions, and extracted two frequency components—Components A and B—using the Savitzky–Golay method. Furthermore, we derived an equation describing the cycle—named cycle T—for maintaining body temperature according to body weight. A positive correlation was observed between cycle T and Component B (median [IQR]: 368 [300–506] s). This study sheds light on the physiological thermoregulatory function of newborns and will lead to improved temperature management methods for newborns, particularly premature, low-birth-weight infants

Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells Employing Heteropolyacids as Redox Mediators for Oxygen Reduction Reactions: Pt-Free Cathode Systems

In this study, the heteropolyacids of H_3+<i>x</i>PV_<i>x</i>MO_{12–<i>x</i>}O₄₀ (<i>x</i> = 0, 2, and 3) were applied as redox mediators for the oxygen reduction reaction in polymer electrolyte fuel cells, of which the cathode is free from the usage of noble metals such as Pt/C. In this system, the electrochemical reduction of heteropolyacid over the carbon cathode and the subsequent reoxidation of the partially reduced heteropolyacid by exposure to the dissolved oxygen in the regenerator are important processes for continuous power generation. Thus, the redox properties of catholytes containing these heteropolyacids were investigated in detail. The substitution quantity of V in the heteropolyacid affected the onset reduction potential as well as the reduction current density, resulting in a difference in cell performance. The chemical composition of heteropolyacid also had a significant impact on the reoxidation property. Among the three compounds, H₆PV₃Mo₉O₄₀ was the most suitable redox mediator. Furthermore, the pH of the catholyte was found to be the crucial factor in determining the reoxidation rate of partially reduced heteropolyacid as well as cell performance