3,319 research outputs found
Conjugated linoleic acid reduces permeability and fluidity of adipose plasma membranes from obese Zucker rats
NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. July 2010; 398 (2): 199-204.Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a dietary fatty acid frequently used as a body fat reducing agent whose effects upon cell membranes and cellular function remain unknown. Obese Zucker rats were fed atherogenic diets containing saturated fats of vegetable or animal origin with or without 1% CLA, as a mixture of cis(c)9,trans(t)11 and t10,c12 isomers. Plasma membrane vesicles obtained from visceral adi- pose tissue were used to assess the effectiveness of dietary fat and CLA membrane incorporation and its outcome on fluidity and permeability to water and glycerol. A significant decrease in adipose membrane fluidity was correlated with the changes observed in permeability, which seem to be caused by the incor- poration of the t10,c12 CLA isomer into membrane phospholipids. These results indicate that CLA supple- mentation in obese Zucker rats fed saturated and cholesterol rich diets reduces the fluidity and permeability of adipose membranes, therefore not supporting CLA as a body fat reducing agent through membrane fluidification in obese fat consumers
Renormalization group trajectories from resonance factorized S-matrices
We propose and investigate a large class of models possessing resonance
factorized S-matrices. The associated Casimir energy describes a rich pattern
of renormalization group trajectories related to flows in the coset models
based on the simply laced Lie Algebras. From a simplest resonance S-matrix,
satisfying the ``-property'', we predict new flows in non-unitary
minimal models.Comment: (7 pages) (no figures included
Vortex guide under a Lorentz force.
In the present work we study the effect that the metallic quality of the contacts by which an external current is applied, has onthe magnetic properties of a superconducting sample. We analyze the magnetization, magnetic susceptibility, Cooper pair density as appliedmagnetic field function. The contacts are simulated using th
Distance between linear varieties in ℝn. application of an (in)equality by (fan-todd) beesack
The closest point of a linear variety to an external point is found by
using the equality case of an Ostrowski’s type inequality. This point is
given in a closed form as the quotient of a formal and a scalar Gram
determinant. Then the best approximation pair of points onto two
linear varieties is obtained, besides its characterization.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Biosensors for On-Farm Diagnosis of Mastitis
Bovine mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland caused by a multitude of pathogens with devastating consequences for the dairy industry. Global annual losses are estimated to be around €30 bn and are caused by significant milk losses, poor milk quality, culling of chronically infected animals, and occasional deaths. Moreover, mastitis management routinely implies the administration of antibiotics to treat and prevent the disease which poses serious risks regarding the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Conventional diagnostic methods based on somatic cell counts (SCC) and plate-culture techniques are accurate in identifying the disease, the respective infectious agents and antibiotic resistant phenotypes. However, pressure exists to develop less lengthy approaches, capable of providing on-site information concerning the infection, and in this way, guide, and hasten the most adequate treatment. Biosensors are analytical tools that convert the presence of biological compounds into an electric signal. Benefitting from high signal-to-noise ratios and fast response times, when properly tuned, they can detect the presence of specific cells and cell markers with high sensitivity. In combination with microfluidics, they provide the means for development of automated and portable diagnostic devices. Still, while biosensors are growing at a fast pace in human diagnostics, applications for the veterinary market, and specifically, for the diagnosis of mastitis remain limited. This review highlights current approaches for mastitis diagnosis and describes the latest outcomes in biosensors and lab-on-chip devices with the potential to become real alternatives to standard practices. Focus is given to those technologies that, in a near future, will enable for an on-farm diagnosis of mastitisinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Antioxidant potential of two red seaweeds from the Brazilian coasts
In this work, in vitro antioxidant activity of two Brazilian red seaweeds, Gracilaria birdiae and Gracilaria cornea, was
characterized. The total phenolic content, the radical-scavenging activity and the antioxidant activity were determined in two solvent
extracts of the algae. Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC MS/MS) allowed identification of important antioxidant
compounds. The ethanol extract of G. birdiae was found to have the highest value of total phenolic content: 1.13 mg of gallic acid equiv
(GAE)/g of extract.The radical-scavenging activity of G. birdiae and G. cornea extracts has been evaluated at different extract concentrations;
the IC50 values of ethanolic extracts of G. cornea and G. birdiae were 0.77 and 0.76mgmL 1, respectively, while formethanolic extracts, the
IC50 values of G. cornea and G. birdiae were 0.86 and 0.76mgmL 1, respectively. The antioxidant activities of these two seaweeds’ extracts as
assessed by the ß-carotene linoleic acid assay were equally high, achieving values of ß-carotene oxidation inhibition of up to 40%. Finally,
in the methanolic extracts, LC MS/MS allowed identification in both algae of two important antioxidants: apigenin and gallic acid.B.W.S.S. is the recipient of a fellowship from the Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES, Brazil) M.A.C. and J.T.M. are recipients of fellowships from the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) (SFRH/BD/23897/2005 and SFRH/BD/32566/2006, respectively)
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