Adenocarcinoma Produtor de Mucina Primário do Apêndice: relato de caso e revisão da literatura

Os autores descrevem caso clínico de paciente com diagnóstico de adenocarcinoma primário de apêndice e revisão bibliográfica, dando ênfase aos aspectos clínicos, terapêuticos e prognósticos

Busca de inibidores da enzima glicossomal gliceraldeído 3-fosfato desidrogenase de Trypanosoma cruzi

The inhibitory activity of crude extracts of Meliaceae and Rutaceae plants on glycosomal glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gGAPDH) enzyme from Trypanosoma cruzi was evaluated at 100 μg/mL. Forty-six extracts were tested and fifteen of them showed significant inhibitory activity (IA % > 50). The majority of the assayed extracts of Meliaceae plants (Cedrela fissilis, Cipadessa fruticosa and Trichilia ramalhoi) showed high ability to inhibit the enzymatic activity. The fractionation of the hexane extract from branches of C. fruticosa led to the isolation of three flavonoids: flavone, 7-methoxyflavone and 3',4',5',5,7-pentamethoxyflavone. The two last compounds showed high ability to inhibit the gGAPDH activity. Therefore, the assayed Meliaceae species could be considered as a promising source of lead compounds against Chagas' disease.Nesse trabalho foi avaliada a atividade inibitória sobre a enzima glicossomal gliceraldeído-3-fosfato desidrogenase de T. cruzi (gGAPDH) de extratos vegetais oriundos de plantas das famílias Meliaceae e Rutaceae, na concentração de 100 μg/mL. Foram testados 46 extratos, dos quais 15 apresentaram atividade inibitória significativa (% AI > 50). A maioria dos extratos de plantas da família Meliaceae (Cedrela fissilis, Cipadessa fruticosa e Trichilia ramalhoi) apresentou grande potencial em inibir a atividade enzimática. O fracionamento do extrato hexânico dos galhos de C. fruticosa permitiu o isolamento de três flavonóides: flavona, 7-metoxiflavona e 3',4',5',5,7-pentametoxiflavona. Os dois últimos foram ativos na inibição da atividade de gGAPDH. Desta forma, as três espécies de Meliaceae testadas podem ser consideradas promissoras na busca de compostos protótipos para o controle da doença de Chagas.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Ensino Superior (CAPES)FINEP - Financiadora de Estudos e Projeto

Metabolite profile of Nectandra oppositifolia Nees & Mart. and assessment of antitrypanosomal activity of bioactive compounds through efficiency analyses

EtOH extracts from the leaves and twigs of Nectandra oppositifolia Nees & Mart. shown activity against amastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi. These extracts were subjected to successive liquid-liquid partitioning to afford bioactive CH2Cl2 fractions. UHPLC-TOF-HRMS/MS and molecular networking were used to obtain an overview of the phytochemical composition of these active fractions. Aiming to isolate the active compounds, both CH2Cl2 fractions were subjected to fractionation using medium pressure chromatography combined with semi-preparative HPLC-UV. Using this approach, twelve compounds (1-12) were isolated and identified by NMR and HRMS analysis. Several isolated compounds displayed activity against the amastigote forms of T. cruzi, especially ethyl protocatechuate (7) with EC50 value of 18.1 μM, similar to positive control benznidazole (18.7 μM). Considering the potential of compound 7, protocatechuic acid and its respective methyl (7a), n-propyl (7b), n-butyl (7c), n-pentyl (7d), and n-hexyl (7e) esters were tested. Regarding antitrypanosomal activity, protocatechuic acid and compound 7a were inactive, while 7b-7e exhibited EC50 values from 20.4 to 11.7 μM, without cytotoxicity to mammalian cells. These results suggest that lipophilicity and molecular complexity play an important role in the activity while efficiency analysis indicates that the natural compound 7 is a promising prototype for further modifications to obtain compounds effective against the intracellular forms of T. cruzi

Using argument notation to engineer biological simulations with increased confidence

The application of computational and mathematical modelling to explore the mechanics of biological systems is becoming prevalent. To significantly impact biological research, notably in developing novel therapeutics, it is critical that the model adequately represents the captured system. Confidence in adopting in silico approaches can be improved by applying a structured argumentation approach, alongside model development and results analysis. We propose an approach based on argumentation from safety-critical systems engineering, where a system is subjected to a stringent analysis of compliance against identified criteria. We show its use in examining the biological information upon which a model is based, identifying model strengths, highlighting areas requiring additional biological experimentation and providing documentation to support model publication. We demonstrate our use of structured argumentation in the development of a model of lymphoid tissue formation, specifically Peyer's Patches. The argumentation structure is captured using Artoo (www.york.ac.uk/ycil/software/artoo), our Web-based tool for constructing fitness-for-purpose arguments, using a notation based on the safety-critical goal structuring notation. We show how argumentation helps in making the design and structured analysis of a model transparent, capturing the reasoning behind the inclusion or exclusion of each biological feature and recording assumptions, as well as pointing to evidence supporting model-derived conclusions

Marine biotechnology in Brazil : recent developments and its potential for innovation

Marine biotechnology is an emerging field in Brazil and includes the exploration of marine microbial products, aquaculture, omics, isolation of biologically active compounds, identification of biosynthetic gene clusters from symbiotic microorganisms, investigation of invertebrate diseases caused by potentially pathogenic marine microbes, and development of antifouling compounds. Furthermore, the field also encompasses description of new biological niches, current threats, preservation strategies as well as its biotechnological potential. Finally, it is important to depict some of the major approaches and tools being employed to such end. To address the challenges of marine biotechnology, the Brazilian government, through the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation, and Communication, has established the National Research Network in Marine Biotechnology (BiotecMar) (www.biotecmar.sage.coppe.ufrj.br). Its main objective is to harness marine biodiversity and develop the marine bioeconomy through innovative research

Exosomes secreted by cardiomyocytes subjected to ischaemia promote cardiac angiogenesis

Funding Information: This work was supported by European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through the Operational Program for Competitiveness Factors (COMPETE) [HealthyAging2020 CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000012-N2323, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016385, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007440 to CNC.IBILI, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274 to i3S/INEB and NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012 to T.L.L.]; national funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) [PTDC/SAU-ORG/119296/2010, PTDC/ NEU-OSD/0312/2012, PESTC/ SAU/UI3282/2013-2014, MITP-TB/ECE/0013/ 2013, FCT-UID/NEU/04539/2013], PD/BD/52294/2013 to T.M.R.R., SFRH/ BD/85556/2012 (co-financed by QREN) to V.C.S]; Lisboa Portugal Regional Operational Programme (LISBOA 2020) and Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement; and by INFARMED Autoridade Nacional do Medicamento e Produtos de Saúde, I.P. [FIS-FIS-2015-01_CCV_20150630-157]. Publisher Copyright: © 2017 The Author.Aims Myocardial infarction (MI) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and results from an obstruction in the blood supply to a region of the heart. In an attempt to replenish oxygen and nutrients to the deprived area, affected cells release signals to promote the development of new vessels and confer protection against MI. However, the mechanisms underlying the growth of new vessels in an ischaemic scenario remain poorly understood. Here, we show that cardiomyocytes subjected to ischaemia release exosomes that elicit an angiogenic response of endothelial cells (ECs). Methods and results Exosomes secreted by H9c2 myocardial cells and primary cardiomyocytes, cultured either in control or ischaemic conditions were isolated and added to ECs. We show that ischaemic exosomes, in comparison with control exosomes, confer protection against oxidative-induced lesion, promote proliferation, and sprouting of ECs, stimulate the formation of capillary-like structures and strengthen adhesion complexes and barrier properties. Moreover, ischaemic exosomes display higher levels of metalloproteases (MMP) and promote the secretion of MMP by ECs. We demonstrate that miR-222 and miR-143, the relatively most abundant miRs in ischaemic exosomes, partially recapitulate the angiogenic effect of exosomes. Additionally, we show that ischaemic exosomes stimulate the formation of new functional vessels in vivo using in ovo and Matrigel plug assays. Finally, we demonstrate that intramyocardial delivery of ischaemic exosomes improves neovascularization following MI. Conclusions This study establishes that exosomes secreted by cardiomyocytes under ischaemic conditions promote heart angiogenesis, which may pave the way towards the development of add-on therapies to enhance myocardial blood supply.publishersversionpublishe

Distribution of alien tetrapods in the Iberian Peninsula

We present a dataset that assembles occurrence records of alien tetrapods (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) in the Iberian Peninsula, a coherent biogeographically unit where introductions of alien species have occurred for millennia. These data have important potential applications for ecological research and management, including the assessment of invasion risks, formulation of preventive and management plans, and research at the biological community level on alien species. This dataset summarizes inventories and data sources on the taxonomy and distribution of alien tetrapods in the Iberia Peninsula, comprising known locations from published literature, expert knowledge and citizen science platforms. An expert-based assessment process allowed the identification of unreliable records (misclassification or natural dispersion from native range), and the classification of species according to their status of reproduction in the wild. Distributional data was harmonized into a common area unit, the 10 × 10 km Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) system (n = 6,152 cells). The year of observation and/or year of publication were also assigned to the records. In total, we assembled 35,940 unique distribution records (UTM × species × Year) for 253 species (6 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 218 birds and 13 mammals), spanning between 1912 and 2020. The species with highest number of distribution records were the Mediterranean painted frog Discoglossus pictus (n = 59 UTM), the pond slider Trachemys scripta (n = 471), the common waxbill Estrilda astrild (n = 1,275) and the house mouse Mus musculus (n = 4,043), for amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, respectively. Most alien species recorded are native to Africa (33%), followed by South America (21%), Asia (19%), North America (12%) and Oceania (10%). Thirty-six species are classified by IUCN as threatened in their native range, namely 2 Critically Endangered (CR), 6 Endangered (EN), 8 Vulnerable (VU), and 20 species Near Threatened (NT). Species maps are provided in DataSet1, as well R code and GIS layers to update them as new records are obtained.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fungal and fungal-like diversity in marine sediments from the maritime Antarctic assessed using DNA metabarcoding

We assessed the fungal and fungal-like sequence diversity present in marine sediments obtained in the vicinity of the South Shetland Islands (Southern Ocean) using DNA metabarcoding through high-throughput sequencing (HTS). A total of 193,436 DNA reads were detected in sediment obtained from three locations: Walker Bay (Livingston Island) at 52 m depth (48,112 reads), Whalers Bay (Deception Island) at 151 m (104,704) and English Strait at 404 m (40,620). The DNA sequence reads were assigned to 133 distinct fungal amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) representing the phyla Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Mortierellomycota, Chytridiomycota, Glomeromycota, Monoblepharomycota, Mucoromycota and Rozellomycota and the fungal-like Straminopila. Thelebolus balaustiformis, Pseudogymnoascus sp., Fungi sp. 1, Ciliophora sp., Agaricomycetes sp. and Chaetoceros sp. were the dominant assigned taxa. Thirty-eight fungal ASVs could only be assigned to higher taxonomic levels, and may represent taxa not currently included in the available databases or represent new taxa and/or new records for Antarctica. The total fungal community displayed high indices of diversity, richness and moderate to low dominance. However, diversity and taxa distribution varied across the three sampling sites. In Walker Bay, unidentified fungi were dominant in the sequence assemblage. Whalers Bay sediment was dominated by Antarctic endemic and cold-adapted taxa. Sediment from English Strait was dominated by Ciliophora sp. and Chaetoceros sp. These fungal assemblages were dominated by saprotrophic, plant and animal pathogenic and symbiotic taxa. The detection of an apparently rich and diverse fungal community in these marine sediments reinforces the need for further studies to characterize their richness, functional ecology and potential biotechnological applications

A high fat diet during adolescence in male rats negatively programs reproductive and metabolic function which is partially ameliorated by exercise

An interaction between obesity, impaired glucose metabolism and sperm function in adults has been observed but it is not known whether exposure to a diet high in fat during the peri-pubertal period can have longstanding programmed effects on reproductive function and gonadal structure. This study examined metabolic and reproductive function in obese rats programmed by exposure to a high fat (HF) diet during adolescence. The effect of physical training (Ex) in ameliorating this phenotype was also assessed. Thirty-day-old male Wistar rats were fed a HF diet (35% lard w/w) for 30 days then subsequently fed a normal fat diet (NF) for a 40-day recovery period. Control animals were fed a NF diet throughout life. At 70 days of life, animals started a low frequency moderate exercise training that lasted 30 days. Control animals remained sedentary (Se). At 100 days of life, biometric, metabolic and reproductive parameters were evaluated. Animals exposed to HF diet showed greater body weight, glucose intolerance, increased fat tissue deposition, reduced VO 2max and reduced energy expenditure. Consumption of the HF diet led to an increase in the number of abnormal seminiferous tubule and a reduction in seminiferous epithelium height and seminiferous tubular diameter, which was reversed by moderate exercise. Compared with the NF-Se group, a high fat diet decreased the number of seminiferous tubules in stages VII-VIII and the NF-Ex group showed an increase in stages XI-XIII. HF-Se and NF-Ex animals showed a decreased number of spermatozoa in the cauda epididymis compared with animals from the NF-Se group. Animals exposed to both treatments (HF and Ex) were similar to all the other groups, thus these alterations induced by HF or Ex alone were partially prevented. Physical training reduced fat pad deposition and restored altered reproductive parameters. HF diet consumption during the peri-pubertal period induces long-term changes on metabolism and the reproductive system, but moderate and low frequency physical training is able to recover adipose tissue deposition and reproductive system alterations induced by high fat diet. This study highlights the importance of a balanced diet and continued physical activity during adolescence, with regard to metabolic and reproductive health