Prospecting environmental mycobacteria: combined molecular approaches reveal unprecedented diversity

Background: Environmental mycobacteria (EM) include species commonly found in various terrestrial and aquatic environments, encompassing animal and human pathogens in addition to saprophytes. Approximately 150 EM species can be separated into fast and slow growers based on sequence and copy number differences of their 16S rRNA genes. Cultivation methods are not appropriate for diversity studies; few studies have investigated EM diversity in soil despite their importance as potential reservoirs of pathogens and their hypothesized role in masking or blocking M. bovis BCG vaccine. Methods: We report here the development, optimization and validation of molecular assays targeting the 16S rRNA gene to assess diversity and prevalence of fast and slow growing EM in representative soils from semi tropical and temperate areas. New primer sets were designed also to target uniquely slow growing mycobacteria and used with PCR-DGGE, tag-encoded Titanium amplicon pyrosequencing and quantitative PCR. Results: PCR-DGGE and pyrosequencing provided a consensus of EM diversity; for example, a high abundance of pyrosequencing reads and DGGE bands corresponded to M. moriokaense, M. colombiense and M. riyadhense. As expected pyrosequencing provided more comprehensive information; additional prevalent species included M. chlorophenolicum, M. neglectum, M. gordonae, M. aemonae. Prevalence of the total Mycobacterium genus in the soil samples ranged from 2.3×107 to 2.7×108 gene targets g−1; slow growers prevalence from 2.9×105 to 1.2×107 cells g−1. Conclusions: This combined molecular approach enabled an unprecedented qualitative and quantitative assessment of EM across soil samples. Good concordance was found between methods and the bioinformatics analysis was validated by random resampling. Sequences from most pathogenic groups associated with slow growth were identified in extenso in all soils tested with a specific assay, allowing to unmask them from the Mycobacterium whole genus, in which, as minority members, they would have remained undetected

Phenolic and furanic compounds of Portuguese chestnut and French, American and Portuguese oak wood chips

Botanical species used on aging process must be wisely and judiciously chosen, and for this selection, a basic knowledge of the chemical composition of woods is warranted. Aiming to contribute to extend the knowledge of the chemical composition of several wood species useful for enological purposes, we have focused our studies on Portuguese chestnut and French, American and Portuguese oak chips. The profile of low molecular weight phenolic composition of these chips was achieved, using an optimized extraction method based on pressurized liquid extraction, followed by the quantification of phenolic acids, phenolic aldehydes and furanic derivatives by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-DAD). The identification of those compounds was also confirmed by LC-DAD/ESI-MS. This study allowed the determination of the low molecular phenolic composition of Portuguese chestnut and French, American and Portuguese oak wood. According to our results, the influence of the botanical species seems to be more relevant than the geographic origin of the wood species

Exercise training restores hypertension-induced changes in the elastic tissue of the thoracic aorta.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Pharmacological antihypertensive therapies decrease both wall hypertrophy and collagen, but are unable to diminish the elastic content in the thoracic aorta. We investigated the effects of exercise training on aortic structure and function. METHODS: Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive rats (WKY), submitted to low-intensity training (T) or kept sedentary (S), were subjected to haemodynamic analyses. The thoracic aorta was processed for real-time PCR, light (morphometric/stereological evaluations) and electron microscopy. RESULTS: SHR(S) versus WKY(S) exhibited a higher heart rate, pressure and pulse pressure, increased α-actin, elastin and collagen mRNA expression, augmented wall volume and cross-sectional area (marked elastin/collagen content). In the SHR, training reduced pressure and heart rate, with slight reduction in pulse pressure. SHR(T) aortas exhibited small morphometric changes, reduced α-actin, elastin and collagen mRNA expression, normalization of increased elastic content, reduction in collagen/connective tissue and a decrease in smooth muscle cell volume (p < 0.05 for all comparisons). SHR(T) aortas showed improved circumferential orientation of smooth muscle cells and prevention of rupture/duplication of internal elastic lamina. No effects were observed in trained WKY aortas. CONCLUSIONS: Training effectively corrects elastic, collagen and smooth muscle content in SHR aortas. These changes, by reducing aortic pulsatility, facilitate a buffering function and reduce the cardiovascular risk

Exercise training restores hypertension-induced changes in the elastic tissue of the thoracic aorta.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Pharmacological antihypertensive therapies decrease both wall hypertrophy and collagen, but are unable to diminish the elastic content in the thoracic aorta. We investigated the effects of exercise training on aortic structure and function. METHODS: Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive rats (WKY), submitted to low-intensity training (T) or kept sedentary (S), were subjected to haemodynamic analyses. The thoracic aorta was processed for real-time PCR, light (morphometric/stereological evaluations) and electron microscopy. RESULTS: SHR(S) versus WKY(S) exhibited a higher heart rate, pressure and pulse pressure, increased α-actin, elastin and collagen mRNA expression, augmented wall volume and cross-sectional area (marked elastin/collagen content). In the SHR, training reduced pressure and heart rate, with slight reduction in pulse pressure. SHR(T) aortas exhibited small morphometric changes, reduced α-actin, elastin and collagen mRNA expression, normalization of increased elastic content, reduction in collagen/connective tissue and a decrease in smooth muscle cell volume (p < 0.05 for all comparisons). SHR(T) aortas showed improved circumferential orientation of smooth muscle cells and prevention of rupture/duplication of internal elastic lamina. No effects were observed in trained WKY aortas. CONCLUSIONS: Training effectively corrects elastic, collagen and smooth muscle content in SHR aortas. These changes, by reducing aortic pulsatility, facilitate a buffering function and reduce the cardiovascular risk

Fator de impacto e pós-graduação stricto sensu em alimentos, nutrição e ciência e tecnologia de alimentos Impact factor and stricto sensu post graduation in foods, nutrition and science and food technology

Com o objetivo de analisar a relação entre o fator de impacto de publicações e o conceito da Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior para os programas de pós-graduação stricto sensu envolvidos com Alimentos e Nutrição, foram selecionados 39 programas do triênio 2001-2003, de 4 Comitês (Agrárias, Alimentos, Medicina II e Nutrição e Zootecnia). Apesar de a publicação científica ser muito valorizada, sua aplicação na conceituação de programas é limitada. Uma correlação muito pobre (r²= 0,0611) entre o conceito atribuído ao programa e a média anual de fator de impacto por docente, por programa, foi encontrada. Por outro lado, 48,6% dos artigos produzidos no triênio 2001-2003 por esses programas foram enviados para periódicos não indexados pelo Institute of Scientific Information. Houve, nos programas de pós-graduação analisados neste período, 1149 (51%) trabalhos publicados em 231 revistas não indexadas na base Institute of Scientific Information, e 1216 (49%) trabalhos publicados em 331 periódicos indexados no Institute of Scientific Information. Esses dados sugerem a necessidade de aprimorar a avaliação da produção intelectual na área de Alimentos e Nutrição, no sentido de ajustar as medidas de produção para reconhecer as particularidades da produção científica dessa área. É preciso, também, desenvolver mecanismos de inclusão da medida de fator de impacto de publicações nacionais.<br>Aiming to analyze the relationship between the impact factor of publications and the concept of graduate nutrition and food programs, 39 programs were selected from the years 2001-2003 from 4 Committees (Agrarian, Foods, Medicine II and Nutrition and Zootechny). Even though scientific publications are highly valued, their application in the conceptualization of programs is very limited. A very poor correlation (r²= 0.0611) between the concept given to the program and the annual mean of the impact factor per professor per program was found. On the other hand, 48.6% of the articles produced from 2001 to 2003 by these programs were sent to journals that are unindexed by the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI). Among the graduate programs analyzed in this period, there were 1149 (51%) published in 231 journals not indexed by the Institute of Scientific Information and 1216 (49%) studies published in 331 journals indexed by the Institute of Scientific Information. These data suggest that there is a need to improve the intellectual production in the area of Food and Nutrition in the sense of adjusting the measures of production in order to recognize the particularities of scientific production in this area. It is also necessary to develop mechanisms to include the measurement of the impact factor in national publications