Mitochondrial dysfunction promoted by Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide as a possible link between cardiovascular disease and periodontitis

Oxidative stress is one of the factors that could explain the pathophysiological mechanism of inflammatory conditions that occur in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and periodontitis. Such inflammatory response is often evoked by specific bacteria, as the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Porphyromonas gingivalis is a key factor in this process. The aim of this research was to study the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from periodontitis patients and to evaluate the influence of LPS on fibroblasts to better understand the pathophysiology of periodontitis and its relationship with CVD. PBMCs from patients showed lower CoQ10 levels and citrate synthase activity, together with high levels of ROS production. LPS-treated fibroblasts provoked increased oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction by a decrease in mitochondrial protein expression, mitochondrial mass, and mitochondrial membrane potential. Our study supports the hypothesis that LPS-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction could be at the origin of oxidative stress in periodontal patients. Abnormal PBMC performance may promote oxidative stress and alter cytokine homeostasis. In conclusion, mitochondrial dysfunction could represent a possible link to understanding the interrelationships between two prominent inflammatory diseases: periodontitis and CV

Xps Study of the Oxidation State of Uranium Dioxide

In this article we report an investigation of the oxidation state of uranium dioxide using X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and by comparing to results obtained in previous studies. We find that uranium dioxide in powder appears to share its six valence electrons with the oxygen atoms to form crystalline UO3

Gain in Stochastic Resonance: Precise Numerics versus Linear Response Theory beyond the Two-Mode Approximation

In the context of the phenomenon of Stochastic Resonance (SR) we study the correlation function, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the ratio of output over input SNR, i.e. the gain, which is associated to the nonlinear response of a bistable system driven by time-periodic forces and white Gaussian noise. These quantifiers for SR are evaluated using the techniques of Linear Response Theory (LRT) beyond the usually employed two-mode approximation scheme. We analytically demonstrate within such an extended LRT description that the gain can indeed not exceed unity. We implement an efficient algorithm, based on work by Greenside and Helfand (detailed in the Appendix), to integrate the driven Langevin equation over a wide range of parameter values. The predictions of LRT are carefully tested against the results obtained from numerical solutions of the corresponding Langevin equation over a wide range of parameter values. We further present an accurate procedure to evaluate the distinct contributions of the coherent and incoherent parts of the correlation function to the SNR and the gain. As a main result we show for subthreshold driving that both, the correlation function and the SNR can deviate substantially from the predictions of LRT and yet, the gain can be either larger or smaller than unity. In particular, we find that the gain can exceed unity in the strongly nonlinear regime which is characterized by weak noise and very slow multifrequency subthreshold input signals with a small duty cycle. This latter result is in agreement with recent analogue simulation results by Gingl et al. in Refs. [18, 19].Comment: 22 pages, 5 eps figures, submitted to PR

Confused health and nutrition claims in food marketing to children could adversely affect food choice and increase risk of obesity

Objectives: To investigate the nutritional quality of foods marketed to children in the UK and to explore the use of health and nutrition claims. Design: This cross-sectional study was carried out in a wide range of UK food retailers. Products marketed to children above the age of 1 year containing any of a range of child friendly themes (i.e. cartoons, toys and promotions), and terms suggesting a nutritious or healthy attribute such as ‘one of 5-a-day’, on product packaging were identified both in stores and online. Information on sugar, salt and fat content, as well as health and nutrition claims, was recorded. The Ofcom nutrient profiling model (NPM) was used to assess if products were healthy. Results: Three hundred and thirty-two products, including breakfast cereals, fruit snacks, fruit-based drinks, dairy products and ready meals, were sampled. The use of cartoon characters (91.6%), nutrition claims (41.6%) and health claims (19.6%) was a common marketing technique. The one of 5-a-day claim was also common (41.6%), but 75.4% (103) of products which made this claim were made up of less than 80 g of fruit and vegetables. Sugar content (mean±SD per 100 g) was high in fruit snacks (48.4±16.2 g), cereal bars (28.9±7.5 g) and cereals (22.9±8.0 g). Overall, 41.0% of the products were classified as less healthy according to the Ofcom NPM. Conclusion: A large proportion of products marketed to children through product packaging are less healthy, and claims used on product packaging are confusing. Uniform guidance would avoid confusion on nutritional quality of many popular foods

Evolución y análisis filogenético de las comunidades microbianas desarrolladas como respuesta al aumento de los niveles de fenantreno en un suelo contaminado por PAHs

Trabajo presentado al citado Congreso que tuvo lugar del 21-24, de septiembre, 2009, en Almería, España.Las comunidades microbianas de los suelos contaminados con hidrocarburos aromáticos poli cíclicos (PAHs) presentan gran biodiversidad. Esta biodiversidad puede relacionarse con la respuesta a niveles elevados de PAHs. En este trabajo se presenta el estudio y la caracterización de las comunidades microbianas de un suelo contaminado principalmente con hidrocarburos aromáticos poli cíclicos (5LO), mediante técnicas basadas en ADN y técnicas de cultivo. Se ha estudiado la evolución de las comunidades como respuesta al aumento de la concentración de fenantreno.Peer reviewe

LACTANCIA MATERNA Y RELACIÓN MATERNO FILIAL EN MADRES ADOLESCENTES

  When we ask ourselves: Why the high rate of teenage pregnancy? Why the rise in child malnutrition? Why is infant mortality so high? In a causal search, we consider various factors that may influence the onset of these health problems affecting the child population and of Venezuelan adolescents, affecting their quality of life. One of the main causal factors is the transgression of breastfeeding being given to the infants and toddlers and its abandonment. This article underlines the importance of exclusive breastfeeding as a biological function essential for humans in their first years of existence, and to visualize the importance of breastfeeding for adolescent mothers and the value of mother-child relationship. On the other hand, there is the need to provide support and guidance to this group of adolescent mothers and in this way achieve a full and harmonious development of motherhood, which stresses the importance of child care in its variables: Breastfeeding and nutrition, disease prevention, guaranteeing proper growth and development, and also the importance of proper bonding and maternal role performance by the teen mother.  Cuando reflexionamos ¿por qué el alto índice de embarazo en adolescentes? ¿por qué el aumento de la desnutrición Infantil?, ¿por qué la mortalidad infantil es tan elevada?, en la búsqueda causal, llegamos a considerar diversos factores que pueden influir en la aparición de estos problemas de salud que afectan a la población infantil y a las/los adolescentes venezolanos, que afectan a su calidad de vida. Uno de los principales factores causales es la trasgresión alimentaría a que son objeto los lactantes y niños pequeños y el abandono de la Lactancia Materna. El presente ensayo destaca la importancia de la alimentación materna exclusiva como función biológica esencial para el ser humano en sus primeros años de existencia humana, así como el visualizar la importancia del amamantamiento en las madres adolescentes y el valor de la relación materno filial. Por otra parte se plantea la necesidad de proporcionar apoyo y orientación a este grupo de madres adolescentes para de esta manera lograr un desarrollo pleno y armonioso de la maternidad, donde se destaque la importancia del cuidado del niño en sus variables: Lactancia Materna y Nutrición, prevención de enfermedades, garantizándoles un correcto crecimiento y desarrollo; así como también la importancia del vínculo afectivo y el correcto desempeño del rol materno por parte de la madre adolescente

The shaky foundations of simulating single-cell RNA sequencing data

BACKGROUND: With the emergence of hundreds of single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets, the number of computational tools to analyze aspects of the generated data has grown rapidly. As a result, there is a recurring need to demonstrate whether newly developed methods are truly performant-on their own as well as in comparison to existing tools. Benchmark studies aim to consolidate the space of available methods for a given task and often use simulated data that provide a ground truth for evaluations, thus demanding a high quality standard results credible and transferable to real data. RESULTS: Here, we evaluated methods for synthetic scRNA-seq data generation in their ability to mimic experimental data. Besides comparing gene- and cell-level quality control summaries in both one- and two-dimensional settings, we further quantified these at the batch- and cluster-level. Secondly, we investigate the effect of simulators on clustering and batch correction method comparisons, and, thirdly, which and to what extent quality control summaries can capture reference-simulation similarity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that most simulators are unable to accommodate complex designs without introducing artificial effects, they yield over-optimistic performance of integration and potentially unreliable ranking of clustering methods, and it is generally unknown which summaries are important to ensure effective simulation-based method comparisons

Chronic Elevation of Liver Enzymes in Acute Intermittent Porphyria Initially Misdiagnosed as Autoimmune Hepatitis

Autoimmune hepatitis is a disease characterized by an elevation of liver enzymes, as well as specific autoantibodies. It is more common in women than men. We describe a 32-year-old woman with elevated transaminases, autoantibodies, and a liver biopsy result suggestive of autoimmune hepatitis. The indicated treatment was administered without showing a satisfactory response. The patient had a family history of acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) so we decided to begin treatment with hematin, achieving a complete remission of the symptoms. Acute intermittent porphyria is a rare condition characterized by neurovisceral symptoms, abdominal pain being the most common of them. The disease has a higher prevalence among young women and certain European countries such as Sweden, Great Britain, and Spain. A correct diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential because patients affected by AIP must have a strict followup due to the fatal outcome of the outbreaks

Studying the behavior of diuron in soil-water system. Use of cyclodextrins for soil remediation

Con el objetivo de estudiar el comportamiento del herbicida Diurón en el sistema suelo-agua, se realizaron ensayos de adsorción- desorción y de lixiviación en columnas de suelos. Para la adsorción del herbicida diurón en los suelos con propiedades físico-químicas diferentes, las variables significativas fueron la materia orgánica (MO), óxidos amorfos totales y la fracción arcilla. La desorción de los suelos presentó histéresis en todos los casos, aunque una histéresis positiva cuando se extrajo con Ca (NO3)2 y una histéresis negativa cuando se utilizó ciclodextrina (HPBCD). El porcentaje de diurón eluido en las columnas de suelos seleccionados alcanzó casi el 83,1% en un suelo arenoso con contenido en MO <1%, por el contrario, en el suelo con mayor contenido en MO, la cantidad eluida del herbicida fue sólo del 6,65%.In order to study the behavior of the herbicide Diuron in the soil-water system, adsorption- desorption tests and leaching in soil columns were performed. For the adsorption of diuron in soils with different physicochemical properties, significant variables were the organic matter (OM), total amorphous oxides and clay fraction. Soil desorption hysteresis was observed in all cases a positive hysteresis when extracted with Ca(NO3)2 and a negative hysteresis when cyclodextrin (HPBCD) was used. The percentage of diuron eluted from sore columns reached almost 83.1% in a sandy soil with OM <1%; on the contrary, in a soil with higher OM content, the amount of the herbicide eluted was 6.65%