Antioxidant properties of proanthocyanidins of Uncaria tomentosa bark decoction: a mechanism for anti-inflammatory activity

Decoctions prepared from the bark of Uncaria tomentosa (cat's claw) are widely used in the traditional Peruvian medicine for the treatment of several diseases, in particular as a potent anti-inflammatory agent. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to determine if the well-known anti-inflammatory activity of cat's claw decoction was related with its reactivity with the oxidant species generated in the inflammatory process and to establish a relationship between such antioxidant ability and its phenolic composition.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TH7-4F0850T-4/1/3219343cbe74d7f0377521c42991f33

Antioxidant properties of proanthocyanidins of Uncaria tomentosa bark decoction: a mechanism for anti-inflammatory activity

Decoctions prepared from the bark of Uncaria tomentosa (cat's claw) are widely used in the traditional Peruvian medicine for the treatment of several diseases, in particular as a potent anti-inflammatory agent. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to determine if the well-known anti-inflammatory activity of cat's claw decoction was related with its reactivity with the oxidant species generated in the inflammatory process and to establish a relationship between such antioxidant ability and its phenolic composition.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TH7-4F0850T-4/1/3219343cbe74d7f0377521c42991f33

Optimizing rearing and welfare in Senegalese sole (Solea senegalesensis) broodstock: effect of ambient light intensity and handling time on stress response

Broodstock rearing conditions and handling procedures should be optimized in aquaculture species in order to benefit fish welfare and guarantee optimal conditions for spawning. In teleosts, basal cortisol levels display daily rhythms, oscillating along the 24 h of the day. In this sense, handling fish at different moments of the day may lead to different stress responses. The present study aimed at investigating the optimal rearing conditions for Senegalese sole broodstock, considering ambient light intensity and handling time. The optimal light intensity (50, 100 or 200 lx) was investigated by measuring fish cortisol levels and monitoring locomotor activity rhythms under each intensity tested. Results showed a significant increase in cortisol levels of fish exposed to 200 lx, when compared to values obtained under 100 lx, accompanied by changes in locomotor activity rhythms in both tanks under study. These results suggested that 200 lx may be too high as light intensity for this species, whereas 100 lx seems to be more adequate. Also, daily rhythms of stress response were investigated in breeders from different origins (Wild and first generation, G1). Basal cortisol levels and cortisol stress response after an acute stressor (air exposure) were monitored at two distinct moments of the day (Mid-Light and Mid-Dark). Basal levels were higher during the day in the wild group, while G1 fish seemed to have lost the daily fluctuations in basal cortisol plasma levels, as well as their daily rhythms of locomotor activity. Both groups showed lower stress responses during night-time, an indication that this is an adequate period of the day to handle this species. Senegalese sole breeders born in captivity presented more pronounced stress responses when compared to wild fish, reflecting their different life history in terms of stress challenges.FP7/SME/2008/1; UID/Multi/04326/2019; DL 57/2016/CP1361/CT0007; DL 57/2016/CP1361/CT0033info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Weaning of Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) postlarvae to an inert diet with a co-feeding regime | Destete de postlarvas del lenguado senegalés (Solea senegalensis) a una dieta inerte utilizando un régimen de coalimentación

The objective of this study was to evaluate the weaning success of Senegalese sole, Solea senegalensis, postlarvae when cofed a compound diet, by means of the analysis of growth parameters (relative growth rate [RGR] and condition factor [K]), survival, protein and lipid content. Total ammonia in the rearing water was also measured. The experiment lasted for 46 days (36 to 82 days posthatching). One group was fed only with enriched Artemia sp. metanauplii (Artemia treatment), whereas in another group, the Artemia sp. metanauplii were gradually replaced by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) diet over a period of 39 days (ICES treatment). Postlarvae were sampled on rearing days 0, 9, 23, 30, 39 and 46 for growth and biochemical analysis. Water was sampled on rearing day 30 during a 24-h cycle in both treatments. Postlarvae from the ICES treatment were weaned, though by the end of the experiment the Artemia treatment exhibited significantly higher values for growth, RGR, K and survival rates (P <0.05). No significant differences were observed concerning total lipid content. Protein content was significantly higher for the Artemia treatment after 46 days of rearing (P < 0.05). The total ammonia nitrogen concentration in the water increased after each meal and remained below a harmless level for postlarvae.El objetivo de este estudio consistió en evaluar el éxito del destete de postlarvas del lenguado senegalés, Solea senegalensis, utilizando un régimen de coalimentación. El estudio se realizó mediante el análisis de parámetros de crecimiento (tasa de crecimiento relativa [RGR] y factor de condición [K]), supervivencia y contenido de proteínas y lípidos. La concentración del amonio total en el agua de cultivo también fue analizada. El experimento se realizó durante 46 días (de 36 a 82 días posteclosión). Un grupo de postlarvas se alimentó únicamente con metanauplios de Artemia sp. enriquecidos (tratamiento con Artemia), mientras que en otro grupo los metanauplius de Artemia sp. fueron gradualmente substituidos por la dieta del International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (tratamiento ICES) durante un periodo de 39 días. Las postlarvas se muestrearon durante los días 0, 9, 23, 30, 39 y 46 de cultivo para el estudio de crecimiento y el análisis bioquímico Las muestras de agua se tomaron el día 30 de cultivo durante un ciclo de 24 h en ambos tratamientos. Las postlarvas del tratamiento ICES fueron destetadas, aunque al final del experimento se registraron valores significativamente mayores en relación al crecimiento, RGR, K y tasas de supervivencia (P < 0.05) en el tratamiento con Artemia. No se observaron diferencias significativas en el contenido total de lípidos. El contenido de proteínas fue significativamente mayor en el tratamiento con Artemia a los 46 días de cultivo (P < 0.05). La concentracion de amonio total en el agua se incrementó después de cada toma de alimento pero se mantuvo por debajo del nivel tóxico para las postlarvas de peces marinos

Decapod crustaceans associated with the snakelock anemone Anemonia sulcata. Living there or just passing by?

The present work identifies the decapod crustaceans that associate with Anemonia sulcata on the southwestern Atlantic coast of Portugal and characterises their host use pattern. It determines whether the anemone is monopolised by any species, resulting in the exclusion of conspecifics or other decapods and, under laboratory conditions, it evaluates the degree of association between each species and A. sulcata. From all sampled anemones, 79% harboured at least I decapod crustacean, with the majority displaying either one or two specimens (32 and 24%, respectively). The most abundant species were the shrimp Periclimenes sagittifer and the crab Inochus pholangium (representing 36 and 3 1 % of collected specimens, respectively), which displayed lasting associations and were commonly recorded among the tentacles of the host. The species Eualus occultus, E. complex cranchii, Clibanarius erythropus, Maja brachydactyla, Pilummus hirtellus and Polybius (Necora) puber displayed short-term associations, were mainly present on the substratum near the base, and avoided the tentacles of A. sulcata. Periclimenes sagittifr and I. phalangium were only recorded alone or in heterosexual pairs, appearing to efficiently defend their host against conspecifics. The majority of recorded species only seem to temporarily associate with A. sulcata, in order to seek protection from predators when other shelters are unavailable.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

High-glucose feeding of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) larvae: effects on molecular and metabolic pathways

Nutritional programming has begun to arouse interest as a novel tool to alter specific metabolic pathways or functions in farmed animals. The aim of the present study was to explore the potential of early glucose stimuli to induce changes in nutrient metabolism of gilthead seabream. Nutritional conditioning was performed by delivering glucose-rich feed at three distinct recurrent periods of larval feeding regime: during first-feeding with rotifers (3 days after hatching, DAH) and mid-feeding with Artemia metanauplii (20DAH) and the beginning of inert diet feeding (30DAH), called the Recurrent treatment (REC). As opposed, the control treatment (CTRL) did not experience any glucose stimuli. At post-larval stage (from 50 to 60DAH), both treatments were challenged with a high-carbohydrate diet (50%). The immediate response to the early stimuli was assessed through gene expression of metabolic markers and by nutrient metabolism using [C-14] tracers. Each dietary stimulus induced metabolic changes on REC larvae, shown by altered expression of some genes, including those involved in glycolysis, and by a different pattern of glucose utilization. However, none of the molecular adaptations (except G6PDH gene) were persistent in the viscera and muscle of challenged post-larvae from REC group. In contrast, the glucose metabolism of challenged REC post-larvae revealed a shift towards a higher catabolism and lower glucose retention in tissues, compared to the CTRL group, suggesting an improvement of glucose oxidation pathways. In addition, the REC group showed a higher bio-conversion of glucose into lipids, indicating enhanced hepatic lipogenesis. The early stimuli did not affect the relative retention or use of amino acids or the growth and survival of challenged fish, up to 60DAH. In summary, although not substantiated at a molecular level, our data reveal that a recurrent high-glucose stimulus during larval stages affects the short-term modulation of pathways for glucose utilization in gilthead seabream. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Depression as the Middle- and Long-Term Impact for Pre-Symptomatic Testing of Late-Onset Neurodegenerative Disorders: La Depresión como el Indicador de Impacto Psicológico a la Media y Largo Plazo de la Prueba Pre-Sintomática para Enfermedades de Aparición Tardía - A Depressão como Indicador do Impacto Psicológico a Médio e Longo Prazo do Teste Pré-Sintomático de Doenças Neurodegenerativas de Início Tardio

http://sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/search.php?issn=1413-389XThis cross-sectional study investigated depression as the middle- (4 years) and long-term (7 and 10 years) psychological impact of pre-symptomatic testing (PST) for 3 autosomal dominant late-onset diseases: Huntington’s disease (HD), Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) and familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) TTR V30M. It included 203 subjects: 170 (83.7%) underwent the PST for FAP, 29 (14.3%) for HD and 4 (2%) for MJD. Of these 203, 73 were still asymptomatic carriers, 29 (14.5%) were symptomatic, 9 (4.5%) were FAP liver transplanted patients and 89 (44.5%) were non-carriers. Subjects were mainly women (58.1%) and married (66.5%). The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to evaluate depression. Scores were higher for symptomatic carriers and for those who have made one or more psychological support consultations over the years. For the formers, the mean scores pointed to mild depression. Asymptomatic carriers and non-carriers had similar scores but it was impossible to differentiate the psychological impact between the medium and long-term. For symptomatic carriers, there were significant differences between the middle- and long-term. The study indicates that depression occurs only when subjects had previously manifested the first symptoms of their neurologic disease.Este estudo transversal investigou a depressão como indicador do impacto psicológico do teste pré-sintomático (TPS) a médio (quatro anos) e longo prazo (de 7 a 10 anos) de doenças neurológicas de início tardio: a doença de Huntington (DH), doença de Machado-Joseph (DMJ) e polineuropatia amiloidótica familiar PAF (TTR V30M). 203 sujeitos participaram no estudo: 170 (83,7%) submetidos ao TPS para PAF, 29 (14,3%) para o DH e 4 (2%) para DMJ. Destes 203, 73 eram portadores assintomáticos, 29 (14,5%) já eram sintomáticos, 9 (4,5%) pacientes com PAF, já tinham realizado o transplante hepático e 89 (44,5%) eram não-portadores. A amostra era constituída maioritariamente por mulheres (58,1%) e por sujeitos casados (66,5%). Utilizou-se o Inventário da Depressão de Beck (BDI). Os scores mais elevados foram observados nos portadores sintomáticos e nos sujeitos que tinham realizado consultas de psicologia com scores indicadores de depressão leve. Os portadores assintomáticos e os não-portadores apresentaram médias semelhantes. Para os portadores sintomáticos, encontrámos diferenças signifi cativas entre o médio e o longo prazo. Este estudo conclui que a depressão pode ocorrer nos indivíduos que já manifestam os primeiros sintomas da respectiva doença neurológica.Este estudio transversal investigó la depresión a la media (4 años) y largo plazo (7 y 10 años) del impacto psicológico de la prueba pre-sintomática (PPS) para 3 enfermedades autosómicos, dominantes, de aparición tardía: la enfermedad de Huntington (EH), la enfermedad de Machado-Joseph (EMJ) y la polineuropatia amiloide familiare (PAF) o polineuropatia amiloide da transtiretina FAP (TTR V30M). Participaron 203 sujetos: 170 (83,7%) para PPS para PAF, 29 (14,3%) para EH y 4 (2%) para EMJ. De estos 203, 73 estaban todavía portador asintomático, 29 (14,5%) eran sintomáticos, 9 (4,5%) fueron PAF pacientes con trasplante hepático y 89 (44,5%) eran no-portadores. Eran en su mayoría mujeres (58,1%) y casados (66,5%). Se utilizó el Inventario de Depresión de Beck (IDB). Los puntajes fueron mayores para las portadoras sintomáticas y para aquellos que han hecho consultas de apoyo psicológico con puntuaciones medias de depresión leve. Los portadores asintomáticos y no portadores tuvieron puntajes similares. Para portadores sintomáticos, hubo diferencias signifi cativas entre el medio y largo plazo. Este estudio concluye que la depresión puede ocurrir en personas que ya muestran los primeros síntomas de la enfermedad neurológica.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pre-symptomatic testing for neurodegenerative disorders: Middle- to long-term psychopathological impact: Pruebas pre-sintomáticas de enfermedades neurodegenerativas: el impacto psicopatológico a largo plazo

http://sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/issn/0214-9915/Background. Over the past 20 years, studies have revealed that the communication of a pre-symptomatic test (PST) result for autosomal dominant late-onset diseases, such as Huntington's disease (HD), doesn’t cause psychological disturbance. This cross-sectional study investigated the middle- (4 years) to long-term (7 and 10 years) psychological impact in individuals who agreed to perform the pre-symptomatic testing for 3 autosomal dominant late-onset diseases: HD, Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) and familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP). Method: The study included 203 subjects: 170 (84%) agreed to make the PST for FAP, 29 (14%) for HD and 4 (2%) for MJD. Subjects were mostly women (58%) and married (67%). Three cutoffs points were considered: 4 years (middle-term) and 7 and 10 years (long-term) indicating the time after receiving the PST results. Results: results showed that women and widows (oldest) participants presented the highest mean values for almost all BSI dimensions and the highest mean values correspond to the obsessive-compulsive BSI dimensions. Concerning the nature of the disease, MJD participants presented the highest mean values. No differences were found concerning the PST test results while participants are still asymptomatic. Psychopathology was only present in symptomatic carriers. Conclusions: The onset of the disease seems to assume the trigger for the presence of psychological disturbance in the subjects, regardless the time that has elapsed since the PST result communication or the individual carrier/non-carrier condition.Antecedentes: el presente estudio transversal investigó el impacto psicopatológico a medio (4 años) y a largo plazo (7 y 10 años) de la prueba pre-sintomática (PPS) para tres enfermedades autosómicas dominantes de aparición tardía: enfermedad de Huntington EH, la enfermedad de Machado-Joseph (EMJ) y la polineuropatía amiloide familiar (PAF). Método: participaron 203 sujetos: 170 (84 %) realizaron el PPS para PAF, 29 (14 %) para EH y 4 (2 %) para EMJ. La muestra, en su mayoría, estuvo compuesta por mujeres (58 %) y por personas casadas (67 %). Fueron considerados como puntos de corte los 4, 7 y 10 años después de haber recibido el resultado de la PPS. Resultados: las mujeres y los viudos presentan las medias más altas. Los participantes con EMJ presentaron las medias más elevadas. No se encontraron diferencias significativas en lo concerniente a los resultados de PPS. La perturbación psicológica fue escasamente observada en los sujetos portadores que ya evidenciaban síntomas. Conclusiones: la aparición de los primeros síntomas parece constituir el detonante para la existencia de perturbaciones psicológicas, independientemente del intervalo de tiempo sucedido desde la comunicación de los resultados de la PPS o de la condición genética (portador/no portador).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mid- and long-term anxiety levels associated with presymptomatic testing of Huntington's disease, Machado-Joseph disease, and familial amyloid polyneuropathy

http://sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/search.php?issn=1809-452XOBJECTIVE: To study anxiety as a variable of the mid- and long-term psychological impact of pre-symptomatic testing for three autosomal dominant late-onset disorders - Huntington's disease (HD), Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) and familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) TTR V30M - in a Portuguese sample. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 203 participants: 170 (83.7%) underwent pre-symptomatic testing for FAP, 29 (14.3%) for HD, and 4 (2%) for MJD. Of the 203 participants, 73 (36.0%) were asymptomatic carriers, 29 (14.5%) were symptomatic carriers, 9 (4.5%) were diagnosed with FAP and had a liver transplant, and 89 (44.5%) were non-carriers. Most were women (58.1%) and married (66.5%). The anxiety variable was assessed using the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). RESULTS: The anxiety scores were higher for symptomatic carriers and for those who underwent psychological support consultations over the years. For symptomatic carriers, the mean scores were superior to 40 points, which reflects clinical anxiety. CONCLUSION: Although it was not possible to differentiate between the mid- and long-term psychological impacts, this study supports the conclusion that the proximity to the age of symptoms onset might be a trigger for anxiety.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Do dietary amino acid profiles affect performance of larval gilthead seabream?

Live preys commonly used in fish larval rearing seem to be imbalanced in terms of amino acids. Manipulation of their amino acid composition is di fficult, but the use of microencapsulated diets allows this manipulation. This study analysed the effect of amino acid supplementation, in order to compensate for dietary amino acid imbalances, on growth and survival of gilthead seabream ( Sparus aurata ) larvae