Free Radicals and Biomarkers Related to the Diagnosis of Cardiorenal Syndrome

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Working Group has postulated the cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) as an interaction between the kidneys and the cardiovascular system in which therapy to relieve congestive heart failure (HF) symptoms is limited by the further worsening renal function. CRS is classified from type I to V, taking into account the progression of the symptoms in terms of mechanisms, clinical conditions, and biomarkers. Experimental and clinical studies have shown the kidney as both a trigger and a target to sympathetic nervous system (SNS) overactivity. Renal damage and ischemia, activation of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS), and dysfunction of nitric oxide (NO) system are associated with kidney adrenergic activation. Indeed, the imbalances of RAAS and/or SNS share an important common process in CRS: the activation and production of free radicals, especially reactive oxygen species (ROS). The present chapter addresses connections of the free radicals as potential biomarkers as the imbalances in the RAAS and the SNS are developed. Understanding the involvement of free radicals in CRS may bring knowledge to design studies in order to develop accurate pharmacological interventions

Adaptation and development pathways for different types of farmers

One of the greatest challenges humanity faces is feeding the world's human population in a sustainable, nutritious, equitable and ethical way under a changing climate. Urgent transformations are needed that allow farmers to adapt and develop while also being climate resilient and contributing minimal emissions. This paper identifies several illustrative adaptation and development pathways, recognising the variety of starting points of different types of farmers and the ways their activities intersect with global trends, such as population growth, climate change, rapid urbanisation dietary changes, competing land uses and the emergence of new technologies. The feasibility of some pathways depends on factors such as farm size and land consolidation. For other pathways, particular infrastructure, technology, access to credit and market access or collective action are required. The most viable pathway for some farmers may be to exit agriculture altogether, which itself requires careful management and planning. While technology offers hope and opportunity, as a disruptor, it also risks maladaptations and can create tradeoffs and exacerbate inequalities, especially in the context of an uncertain future. For both the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2015 Paris Agreement to be achieved, a mix of levers that combine policy, technology, education and awareness-raising, dietary shifts and financial/economic mechanisms is required, attending to multiple time dimensions, to assist farmers along different pathways. Vulnerable groups such as women and the youth must not be left behind. Overall, strong good governance is needed at multiple levels, combining top-down and bottom-up processes

Investigation of mass and energy coupling between soot particles and gas species in modelling counterflow diffusion flames

A numerical model is developed aiming at investigating soot formation in ethylene counterflow diffusion flames at atmospheric pressure. In order to assess modeling limitations the mass and energy coupling between soot solid particles and gas-phase species are investigated in detail. A semi-empirical two equation model based on acetylene as the soot precursor is chosen for predicting soot mass fraction and number density. For the solid-phase the model describes particle nucleation, surface growth and oxidation. For the gas-phase a detailed kinetic mechanism is considered. Additionally, the effect of considering gas and soot radiation heat losses is evaluated in the optically thin limit approximation. The results show that for soot volume fractions higher than a certain threshold value the formation of the solid particles begins to significantly influence the gas-phase composition and temperature. The results also show that the inclusion of radiant heat losses decreases this influence. Keywords: Combustion, Soot model, Coupling effect, Counterflow flame

Identification of a new mtDNA mutation (14724G>A) associated with mitochondrial leukoencephalopathy

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2007 Mar 23;354(4):937-41. Epub 2007 Jan 23. Identification of a new mtDNA mutation (14724G>A) associated with mitochondrial leukoencephalopathy. Pereira C, Nogueira C, Barbot C, Tessa A, Soares C, Fattori F, Guimarães A, Santorelli FM, Vilarinho L. Instituto de Genética Médica Jacinto de Magalhães, Praça Pedro Nunes, 88, 4099-028 Porto, Portugal. Abstract We report a novel 14724G>A mutation in the mitochondrial tRNA glutamic acid gene in a 4-year-old boy with myopathy and leukoencephalopathy. A muscle biopsy showed cytochrome c oxidase-negative ragged-red fibers and biochemical analysis of the respiratory chain enzymes in muscle homogenate revealed partial complex I and complex IV deficiencies. The mutation, which affects the dihydrouridine arm at a conserved site, was nearly homoplasmic in muscle and heteroplasmic in blood DNA of the proband, but it was absent in peripheral leukocytes from the asymptomatic mother, sister, and two maternal aunts, suggesting that it arose de novo. This report proposes to look for variants in the mitochondrial genome when dealing with otherwise undetermined leukodystrophies of childhood. PMID: 17266923 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE

Temperature-responsive nanomagnetic logic gates for cellular hyperthermia

While a continuous monitoring of temperature at the micro- and nano-scales is clearly of interest in many contexts, in many others a yes or no answer to the question "did the system locally exceed a certain temperature threshold?" can be more accurate and useful. This is the case of hard-to-detect events, such as those where temperature fluctuations above a defined threshold are shorter than the typical integration time of micro/nanothermometers and systems where fluctuations are rare events in a wide time frame. Herein we present the synthesis of iron selenide magnetic nanoplatelets and their use as non-volatile logic gates recording the near infrared (NIR) dose that triggers a temperature increase above a critical temperature around 42 °C in prostate cancer cell cultures. This use is based on the bistable behavior shown by the nanoplatelets below a magnetic phase transition at a tunable temperature T C and on their photothermal response under NIR light. The obtained results indicate that the synthesized nanomagnets may be employed in the future as both local heaters and temperature monitoring tools in a wide range of contexts involving systems which, as cells, are temperature-sensitive around the tunable T C

Ingestive behaviour and performance of feedlot lambs fed saccharine sorghum and corn silages

This study evaluated the ingestive behaviour and performance of feedlot lambs fed saccharine sorghum and corn silages. Ten animals were randomly selected from a group of 32 uncastrated male Suffolk lambs. The four treatments consisted of diets with 50% of silage made from forage sorghum (BD 1615), two varieties of saccharine sorghum (BRS 506 and BRS 511), and corn (BRS 2223). Ingestive behaviour was observed by a scan sampling method using seven strategically positioned video cameras so as not to interfere with the usual animal behaviour. The animals were observed for three 48-hour periods at 15-day intervals, with a total of 144 hours of observation. Video recordings were then examined to identify the time spent in ruminating, eating, drinking water and idling. Times spent feeding or drinking water were not significantly affected by the treatments. Animals fed forage sorghum silage had higher neutral detergent fibre (NDF) intake (0.41 kg of NDF), thus spent more time ruminating (342 min/day). Rumination time was similar for the BD 1615 and BRS 506 silages and was 85 min/day greater than for the BRS 511 and BRS 2223 silages, which were similar. Average daily gain was greater for BRS 2223 (275 g/day) than for BRS 506 and BRS 511 silages, which were similar (196 g/day). Ingestive behaviour for BRS 511 was similar to that observed for BRS 2223. Ingestive behaviour for BRS 506 was similar to that observed for BD 1615. Average daily gain was related to intake and ruminating efficiency. Keywords: eating, idling, roughage, rumination, sheep (Ovis aires

Integrated approach on heat transfer and inactivation kinetics of microorganisms on the surface of foods during heat treatments: Software development

The objective of this work was to create a software application (Bugdeath 1.0) for the simulation of inactivation kinetics of microorganisms on the surface of foods, during dry and wet pasteurisation treatments. The program was developed under the Real Basic 5.2 application, and it is a user-friendly tool. It integrates heat transfer phenomena and microbial inactivation under constant and time-varying temperature conditions. On the basis of the selection of a heating regime of the medium, the program predicts the food surface temperature and the change in microbial load during the process. Input data and simulated values can be visualised in graphics or data tables. Printing, exporting and saving file options are also available. Bugdeath 1.0 includes also a useful database of foods (beef and potato) and related thermal properties, microorganisms (Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes) and corresponding inactivation kinetic parameters. This software can be coupled to an apparatus developed under the scope of the European Project BUGDEATH (QLRT-2001-01415), which was conceived to provide repeatable surface temperature-time treatments on food samples. The program has also a great potential for research and industrial applications