Incorporation of a Dietary Omega 3 Fatty Acid Impairs Murine Macrophage Responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis

by creating an immunosuppressive environment. We hypothesized that incorporation of n-3 PUFA suppresses activation of macrophage antimycobacterial responses and favors bacterial growth, in part, by modulating the IFNγ-mediated signaling pathway.. The fatty acid composition of macrophage membranes was modified significantly by DHA treatment. DHA-treated macrophages were less effective in controlling intracellular mycobacteria and showed impaired oxidative metabolism and reduced phagolysosome maturation. Incorporation of DHA resulted in defective macrophage activation, as characterized by reduced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-6 and MCP-1), and lower expression of co-stimulatory molecules (CD40 and CD86). DHA treatment impaired STAT1 phosphorylation and colocalization of the IFNγ receptor with lipid rafts, without affecting surface expression of IFNγ receptor. in response to activation by IFNγ, by modulation of IFNγ receptor signaling and function, suggesting that n-3 PUFA-enriched diets may have a detrimental effect on host immunity to tuberculosis

Modelling a Historic Oil-Tank Fire Allows an Estimation of the Sensitivity of the Infrared Receptors in Pyrophilous Melanophila Beetles

Pyrophilous jewel beetles of the genus Melanophila approach forest fires and there is considerable evidence that these beetles can detect fires from great distances of more than 60 km. Because Melanophila beetles are equipped with infrared receptors and are also attracted by hot surfaces it can be concluded that these infrared receptors are used for fire detection

A potential mechanism for fumonisin B(1)-mediated hepatocarcinogenisis: cyclin D1 stabilization associated with activation of Akt and inhibition of GSK-3beta activity.

GesondheidswetenskappeMolekul�re Biologie & MensgenetikaPlease help us populate SUNScholar with the post print version of this article. It can be e-mailed to: [email protected]

A linhaça (Linum usitatissimum) como fonte de ácido α-linolênico na formação da bainha de mielina Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) as a source of α-linolenic acid in the development of the myelin sheath

A linhaça (Linum usitatissimum) é uma semente oleaginosa que tem sido estudada por seus efeitos benéficos à saúde. É considerada um alimento funcional, pelo fato de ser uma fonte natural de fitoquímicos, e por conter o ácido graxo &#945;-linolênico (C18:3 n-3), que pode ser metabolicamente convertido nos ácidos docosaexahenóico (C22:6 n-3) e eicosapentaenóico (C20:5 n-3), sendo o primeiro essencial para o desenvolvimento do sistema nervoso central. Durante o crescimento do cérebro, há uma grande incorporação do ácido docosaexahenóico, que tem papel importante na formação de suas membranas celulares. Diante disto, esta comunicação visa a abordar os prováveis mecanismos pelos quais o ácido docosaexahenóico, proveniente do ácido &#945;-linolênico presente abundantemente na semente de linhaça, interfere na formação da bainha de mielina, assim como relatar a técnica mais adequada para visualização desta bainha.<br>Flaxseed is an oily seed that has been studied for its beneficial health effects. It is considered a functional food because it is a natural source of phytochemicals and contain the fatty acid &#945;-linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3) that can be metabolically converted into docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6 n-3) and eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5 n-3). The former is essential for the development of the central nervous system. During brain growth, there is a great incorporation of docosahexaenoic acid which plays in important role in the formation of cell membranes. This communication intended to address the likely mechanisms by which docosahexaenoic acid originating from &#945;-linolenic acid, present in abundance in flaxseed, interferes in the formation of the myelin sheath and report the best method to see this structure

Insight in schizophrenia:associations with empathy

<p>Many people with schizophrenia (50-80 %) demonstrate impaired insight, something which has been associated with a poorer outcome. Two types of empathy can be distinguished: affective empathy via shared emotions and cognitive empathy, also referred to as Theory of Mind (ToM). ToM can be subdivided into cognitive ToM (knowledge about beliefs of other people via perspective taking) and affective ToM (knowledge about other people's emotions via perspective taking). Recent studies show a relationship between Theory of Mind (ToM) and insight. However, the relationship between affective empathy and insight in schizophrenia was not examined previously. This was the aim of the present study. We expected that affective empathy would show a stronger relationship with insight than both cognitive and affective ToM. We assessed forty-six patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and fifty-three healthy controls were assessed with a test battery consisting of tests of social cognition (a self-rating scale for affective empathy, a ToM task assessing both cognitive and affective ToM, and two tests of emotion perception), verbal memory, executive functioning, psychomotor speed, and intelligence. Insight was assessed with item G12 of the PANSS-interview. A regression equation showed that affective empathy made the strongest unique contribution to insight, followed closely by affective ToM. Together, they explained 45 % of the variance in insight. None of the other independent variables made a unique contribution to the prediction of insight. Both affective ToM and affective empathy are associated with insight in schizophrenia. Being able to take empathize with other peoples feeling at both the affective and cognitive level may enhance insight in schizophrenia.</p>