Improved myocardial perfusion in chronic diabetic mice by the up-regulation of pLKB1 and AMPK signaling

Previous studies related impaired myocardial microcirculation in diabetes to oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction. Thus, this study was aimed to determine the effect of up-regulating pAMPK-pAKT signaling on coronary microvascular reactivity in the isolated heart of diabetic mice. We measured coronary resistance in wild-type and streptozotocin (STZ)-treated mice, during perfusion pressure changes. Glucose, insulin, and adiponectin levels in plasma and superoxide formation, NOx levels and heme oxygenase (HO) activity in myocardial tissue were determined. In addition, the expression of HO-1, 3-nitrotyrosine, pLKB1, pAMPK, pAKT, and peNOS proteins in control and diabetic hearts were measured. Coronary response to changes in perfusion pressure diverged from control in a time-dependent manner following STZ administration. The responses observed at 28 weeks of diabetes (the maximum time examined) were mimicked by L-NAME administration to control animals and were associated with a decrease in serum adiponectin and myocardial pLKB1, pAMPK, pAKT, and pGSK-3 expression. Cobalt protoporphyrin treatment to induce HO-1 expression reversed the microvascular reactivity seen in diabetes towards that of controls. Up-regulation of HO-1 was associated with an increase in adiponectin, pLKB1, pAKT, pAMPK, pGSK-3, and peNOS levels and a decrease in myocardial superoxide and 3-nitrotyrosine levels. In the present study we describe the time course of microvascular functional changes during the development of diabetes and the existence of a unique relationship between the levels of serum adiponectin, pLKB1, pAKT, and pAMPK activation in diabetic hearts. The restoration of microvascular function suggests a new therapeutic approach to even advanced cardiac microvascular derangement in diabetes

Antitumoral effects of attenuated Listeria monocytogenes in a genetically engineered mouse model of melanoma

Attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Lmat-LLO) represents a valuable anticancer vaccine and drug delivery platform. Here we show that in vitro Lmat-LLO causes ROS production and, in turn, apoptotic killing of a wide variety of melanoma cells, irrespectively of their stage, mutational status, sensitivity to BRAF inhibitors or degree of stemness. We also show that, when administered in the therapeutic setting to Braf/Pten genetically engineered mice, Lmat-LLO causes a strong decrease in the size and volume of primary melanoma tumors, as well as a reduction of the metastatic burden. At the molecular level, we confirm that the anti-melanoma activity exerted in vivo by Lmat-LLO depends also on its ability to potentiate the immune response of the organism against the infected tumor. Our data pave the way to the preclinical testing of listeria-based immunotherapeutic strategies against metastatic melanoma, using a genetically engineered mouse rather than xenograft models

A GNR e as Operações de Apoio à Paz: Legitimidade e limites de actuação

O presente trabalho de investigação aplicada está subordinado ao tema: ―A GNR e as Operações de Apoio à Paz: Legitimidade e Limites de Actuação‖. As operações de apoio à paz são uma realidade do mundo actual e a participação da GNR nestas operações tem sido uma constante. Neste sentido, a legitimidade desta participação tem sido ao longo dos anos questionada, tese esta que é debatida neste trabalho. Para além da legitimidade, são também aqui debatidos quais são os limites de actuação desta força militar em operações deste tipo. Neste contexto, desenvolve-se um estudo através da pergunta de partida: "De que forma a participação nas OAP é importante para a GNR? E para o País?." Os principais objectivos do trabalho são responder às perguntas supra mencionadas, verificar a legitimidade da participação da GNR neste tipo de operações, compreender o conceito das regras de empenhamento e a sua criação e, finalmente , identificar a importância destas regras para a decisão de um comandante. O trabalho iniciou-se com uma fase exploratória, procedendo-se em seguida à pesquisa com particular incidência em livros, legislação e textos relacionados com o tema, tendo sido tam bém utilizada a internet como fontes de informação sobre as operações de apoio à paz. A investigação de campo baseou-se na análise de conteúdo das entrevistas efectuadas, o que permitiu responder às perguntas de investigação através da verificação das hipó teses formuladas. Após a análise dos dados, conclui-se que a GNR tem legitimidade para participar nestas operações, o que está contemplado na sua lei orgânica, e que, em simultâneo, estas participações revelam elevada importância não só para a GNR como para o País. No entanto, para que exista uma melhor preparação das forças que executam estas missões será necessário que o novo Centro de Treino e Aprontamento para Forças de Missões Internacionais entre em funcionamento com uma estrutura diferente da planeada. O presente trabalho foi realizado entre Janeiro e Março de 2009.Abstract This investigation project was developed under the theme: ―The GNR (Portuguese Republican National Guard) and the Peace Operations: Legitimacy and Action Limits. The peace-support operations are a reality in our contemporary world and the GNR's participation in these operations has been a constant. Considering this, the legitimacy of such participations has been questioned over the years, fact that led to the thesis discussed along this work. In addition to legitimacy, the limits of military force in such operations are also debated. In this context, this project was based on two former question s: "What is the meaning of the GNR participation in the peace operations? And for the country?". The main goals of the project are answering the questions above, confirming the legitimacy of GNR's participation in such operations, understanding the rules of engagement and its creation and, at last, identifying the rules importance for a commander’s decision. The project began with an exploratory phase, followed by a research work supported by books, legislation and texts on the subject as well as the Internet as sources of information on peace-support operations. The field research was developed by analysing the conducted interviews, which allowed the research to answer the questions while checking the assumptions previously made. After analyzing the data, it is concluded that the GNR is entitled to participate in these operations, which is included in its organic law, and, simultaneously, these actions reveal high importance not only for the GNR but for the country also. Nevertheless, in order to get a better preparation of the forces that will carry out these missions, changes in structure and functioning of the new Training Centre are needed. This work was developed from January to March 2009

Adaptation of pineal expressed teleost exo-rod opsin to non-image forming photoreception through enhanced Meta II decay

Photoreception by vertebrates enables both image-forming vision and non-image-forming responses such as circadian photoentrainment. Over the recent years, distinct non-rod non-cone photopigments have been found to support circadian photoreception in diverse species. By allowing specialization to this sensory task a selective advantage is implied, but the nature of that specialization remains elusive. We have used the presence of distinct rod opsin genes specialized to either image-forming (retinal rod opsin) or non-image-forming (pineal exo-rod opsin) photoreception in ray-finned fish (Actinopterygii) to gain a unique insight into this problem. A comparison of biochemical features for these paralogous opsins in two model teleosts, Fugu pufferfish (Takifugu rubripes) and zebrafish (Danio rerio), reveals striking differences. While spectral sensitivity is largely unaltered by specialization to the pineal environment, in other aspects exo-rod opsins exhibit a behavior that is quite distinct from the cardinal features of the rod opsin family. While they display a similar thermal stability, they show a greater than tenfold reduction in the lifetime of the signaling active Meta II photoproduct. We show that these features reflect structural changes in retinal association domains of helices 3 and 5 but, interestingly, not at either of the two residues known to define these characteristics in cone opsins. Our findings suggest that the requirements of non-image-forming photoreception have lead exo-rod opsin to adopt a characteristic that seemingly favors efficient bleach recovery but not at the expense of absolute sensitivity

Proton-Coupled Electron-Transfer Mechanism for the Radical Scavenging Activity of Cardiovascular Drug Dipyridamole

Dipyridamole (DIP) is a well-known pharmaceutical drug used as a coronary vasodilator and anti-platelet agent in clinics for treating several cardiovascular diseases. Primarily, the therapeutic effects of the drug are attributed to its antioxidant potency. In this research, we aim to declare the unknown antioxidant mechanism of DIP as well as its potent chain-breaking antioxidant activity in polar aqueous medium inside the cells, using different experimental methods and theoretical quantum calculations. Data demonstrated the higher antioxidant capacity of DIP against ROS and free radicals in polar cell's interior. DIP is capable of generating long living and noninvasive DIP• radicals in oxidant condition that leads to an effective “chain-breaking antioxidant” activity. Quantum computational data indicated that DIP antioxidant has more favorable ionization potential than trolox which means DIP has higher antioxidant activity. Also, data showed that the direct hydrogen-transfer is not a favorable process to construct DIP• because of high barrier energy, though electron-transfer process can more easily to produce DIP•+ with the lowest barrier energy. Altogether, the electron donating potency of DIP to reduce ferric ion, having the low anodic oxidation peak potential, producing long lived stable DIP• radicals and protecting myoblast cells from oxidation, proposed the excellent “chain-breaking antioxidant” potency via electron-transfer mechanism of this vasodilator DIP drug in polar aqueous medium

Brain hemodynamic intermediate phenotype links Vitamin B12 to cognitive profile of healthy and mild cognitive impaired subjects

Vitamin B12, folate, and homocysteine are implicated in pivotal neurodegenerative mechanisms and partake in elders' mental decline. Findings on the association between vitamin-related biochemistry and cognitive abilities suggest that the structural and functional properties of the brain may represent an intermediate biomarker linking vitamin concentrations to cognition. Despite this, no previous study directly investigated whether vitamin B12, folate, and homocysteine levels are sufficient to explain individual neuropsychological profiles or, alternatively, whether the activity of brain regions modulated by these compounds better predicts cognition in elders. Here, we measured the relationship between vitamin blood concentrations, scores at seventeen neuropsychological tests, and brain activity of sixty-five elders spanning from normal to Mild Cognitive Impairment. We then evaluated whether task-related brain responses represent an intermediate phenotype, providing a better prediction of subjects' neuropsychological scores, as compared to the one obtained considering blood biochemistry only. We found that the hemodynamic activity of the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex was positively associated (p value < 0 05 cluster corrected) with vitamin B12 concentrations, suggesting that elders with higher B12 levels had a more pronounced recruitment of this salience network region. Crucially, the activity of this area significantly predicted subjects' visual search and attention abilities (p value = 0 0023), whereas B12 levels per se failed to do so. Our results demonstrate that the relationship between blood biochemistry and elders' cognitive abilities is revealed when brain activity is included into the equation, thus highlighting the role of brain imaging as intermediate phenotype.Vitamin B12, folate, and homocysteine are implicated in pivotal neurodegenerative mechanisms and partake in elders' mental decline. Findings on the association between vitamin-related biochemistry and cognitive abilities suggest that the structural and functional properties of the brain may represent an intermediate biomarker linking vitamin concentrations to cognition. Despite this, no previous study directly investigated whether vitamin B12, folate, and homocysteine levels are sufficient to explain individual neuropsychological profiles or, alternatively, whether the activity of brain regions modulated by these compounds better predicts cognition in elders. Here, we measured the relationship between vitamin blood concentrations, scores at seventeen neuropsychological tests, and brain activity of sixty-five elders spanning from normal to Mild Cognitive Impairment. We then evaluated whether task-related brain responses represent an intermediate phenotype, providing a better prediction of subjects' neuropsychological scores, as compared to the one obtained considering blood biochemistry only. We found that the hemodynamic activity of the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex was positively associated (p value < 0 05 cluster corrected) with vitamin B12 concentrations, suggesting that elders with higher B12 levels had a more pronounced recruitment of this salience network region. Crucially, the activity of this area significantly predicted subjects' visual search and attention abilities (p value = 0 0023), whereas B12 levels per se failed to do so. Our results demonstrate that the relationship between blood biochemistry and elders' cognitive abilities is revealed when brain activity is included into the equation, thus highlighting the role of brain imaging as intermediate phenotype

Randomized trial on the effects of a combined physical/cognitive training in aged MCI subjects: the Train the Brain study

Age-related cognitive impairment and dementia are an increasing societal burden. Epidemiological studies indicate that lifestyle factors, e.g. physical, cognitive and social activities, correlate with reduced dementia risk; moreover, positive effects on cognition of physical/cognitive training have been found in cognitively unimpaired elders. Less is known about effectiveness and action mechanisms of physical/cognitive training in elders already suffering from Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a population at high risk for dementia. We assessed in 113 MCI subjects aged 65-89 years, the efficacy of combined physical-cognitive training on cognitive decline, Gray Matter (GM) volume loss and Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) in hippocampus and parahippocampal areas, and on brain-blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) activity elicited by a cognitive task, measured by ADAS-Cog scale, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) and fMRI, respectively, before and after 7 months of training vs. usual life. Cognitive status significantly decreased in MCI-no training and significantly increased in MCI-training subjects; training increased parahippocampal CBF, but no effect on GM volume loss was evident; BOLD activity increase, indicative of neural efficiency decline, was found only in MCI-no training subjects. These results show that a non pharmacological, multicomponent intervention improves cognitive status and indicators of brain health in MCI subjects

Hippocampal cerebral blood flow depends on systemic endothelial function in individuals with mild cognitive impairment : the Train the Brain-Mind the vessel study

Background: Dementia has been recently viewed as a predominantly vascular disorder. Indeed, reduced brain NO availability causes increased β-amyloid deposition by several mechanisms, including hypoperfusion. Purpose: To investigate whether a relationship exists between cerebral blood flow in the hippocampal and parahippocampal regions (crucial areas for memory and processing of non-verbal / spatial information) and systemic endothelial function in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a subclinical condition predisposing to dementia. Methods: Cerebral blood flow in the hippocampus and parahippocampus (CBF-hipp and CBF-parahipp) were evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (arterial spin labeling, GE HDxt 1.5 T Signa Neuro-optimized System). Systemic endothelial function was evaluated by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in the brachial artery. Results: Complete data about CBF and FMD at enrollment were available for 66 individuals with MCI and 32 without (non-MCI). The two groups were matched for age (75±5 vs 74±5 years respectively, p=0.22), sex (men 45,5% vs 50%, p=0.18) and mean BP (96±10 vs 97±9 mmHg, p=0.41). FMD was significantly lower in MCI than in non-MCI (2.93±2.18 vs 3.74±2.03%, p=0.02); CBF-hipp (64.3±9.43 vs 69.5±7.03 ml/100 gr/min), p=0.002) and CBF-parahipp (66.3±8.02 vs 70.0±8.12 ml/100 gr/min, p=0.002) were significantly lower in MCI as well. Among MCI, FMD was significantly correlated with CBF-parahipp (r=0.26, p=0.03) and CBF-hipp (r=0.32, p=0.009). In a multiple regression model, including age, sex, mean BP, BMI, brachial artery diameter as confounders, FMD remained an independent determinant of CBF-parahipp (beta=0.93, r2=0.063, p=0.04). A similar finding was obtained with CBF-hipp (beta=1.31, r2=0.089, p=0.01). Nor CBF-parahipp (r=-0.13, p=0.48) neither CBF-hipp (r=0.05, p=0.80) were correlated with FMD in non-MCI group. Conclusions: An independent association between hippocampal and parahippocampal CBF and systemic endothelial function is present in individuals with MCI. Acknowledgement/Funding: The study was funded by a grant from Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Pis

The Frequency of Dust Lanes in Edge-on Spiral Galaxies Identified by Galaxy Zoo in KiDS Imaging of GAMA Targets

Dust lanes bisect the plane of a typical edge-on spiral galaxy as a dark optical absorption feature. Their appearance is linked to the gravitational stability of spiral disks; the fraction of edge-on galaxies that displays a dust lane is a direct indicator of the typical vertical balance between gravity and turbulence: a balance struck between the energy input from star formation and the gravitational pull into the plane of the disk. Based on morphological classifications by the Galaxy Zoo project on the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS) imaging data in the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) fields, we explore the relation of dust lanes to the galaxy characteristics, most of which were determined using the Magphys spectral energy distribution fitting tool: stellar mass, total and specific star formation rates, and several parameters describing the cold dust component. We find that the fraction of dust lanes does depend on the stellar mass of the galaxy; they start to appear at M* ~ 109 M ⊙. A dust lane also strongly implies a dust mass of at least 105 M ⊙, but otherwise does not correlate with cold dust mass parameters of the Magphys spectral energy distribution analysis, nor is there a link with the star formation rate, specific or total. Dust lane identification does not depend on disk ellipticity (disk thickness) or Sérsic profile but correlates with bulge morphology; a round bulge favors dust lane votes. The central component along the line of sight that produces the dust lane is not associated with either one of the components fit by Magphys, the cold diffuse component or the localized, heated component in H ii regions, but a mix of these two