Atrophy, oxidative switching and ultrastructural defects in skeletal muscle of the ataxia telangiectasia mouse model

Ataxia telangiectasia is a rare, multi system disease caused by ATM kinase deficiency. Atm-knockout mice recapitulate premature aging, immunodeficiency, cancer predisposition, growth retardation and motor defects, but not cerebellar neurodegeneration and ataxia. We explored whether Atm loss is responsible for skeletal muscle defects by investigating myofiber morphology, oxidative/glycolytic activity, myocyte ultrastructural architecture and neuromuscular junctions. Atm-knockout mice showed reduced muscle and fiber size. Atrophy, protein synthesis impairment and a switch from glycolytic to oxidative fibers were detected, along with an increase of in expression of slow and fast myosin types (Myh7, and Myh2 and Myh4, respectively) in tibialis anterior and solei muscles isolated from Atm-knockout mice. Transmission electron microscopy of tibialis anterior revealed misalignments of Z-lines and sarcomeres and mitochondria abnormalities that were associated with an increase in reactive oxygen species. Moreover, neuromuscular junctions appeared larger and more complex than those in Atm wild-type mice, but with preserved presynaptic terminals. In conclusion, we report for the first time that Atm-knockout mice have clear morphological skeletal muscle defects that will be relevant for the investigation of the oxidative stress response, motor alteration and the interplay with peripheral nervous system in ataxia telangiectasia

Non-ionic aqueous micellar extraction of trypsin inhibitors and isoflavones from soybean meal: process optimization

Simultaneous extraction of trypsin inhibitors and soy isoflavones from soybean meal was investigated using the non-destructive phytochemical extraction process, namely aqueous micellar system. The ethoxylated aliphatic alcohols Genapol X-080, Tergitol 15-S-7, and Tergitol 15-S-9, all non-toxic and biodegradable surfactants, were assessed as potential extractants. A Box-Behnken multifactorial design with the application of the Derringer desirability was used to determine the conditions that maximized the trypsin inhibitors and isoflavone extraction while minimizing the protein extraction. The optimum condition of 5% m/m of surfactant in 50 mM aqueous sodium citrate solution pH 4.5, at 45 °C for 45 min, was established for the three surfactants. The novel methodology would allow the extraction of the main soybean antinutritional factors, trypsin inhibitors, and the valuable isoflavones, preserving the nutritional quality of the treated material. This represents a sustainable alternative methodology for industrial purposes due to its low cost, biodegradability, non-toxicity, and easy scaling up.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Production of soy protein concentrate with the recovery of bioactive compounds: from destruction to valorization

This work aimed to develop a novel methodology based on aqueous micellar systems (AMS), for producing soy protein concentrates (SPC) from soybean flour and recovering high-valuable bioactive compounds as by-products. Ethoxylated aliphatic alcohols Tergitol 15-S-7 and Tergitol 15-S-9, non-toxic and biodegradable surfactants, were selected to form the AMS. The methodology consisted of an extractive stage of soybean flour with AMS, which rendered both a pellet, i.e., the SPC, and a supernatant containing the extracted bioactive compounds. The latter was further heated above the cloud point temperature, thus resulting in a biphasic system formed by a micelle-rich phase (MP) and an aqueous phase (AP). Obtained SPC showed a noticeable loss (∼90%) of trypsin inhibitor activity, a total protein content close to 60%, soluble protein amounts varying from 19% to 34%, and remarkable released (by simulated digestion) antioxidant and antihypertensive activities. Those indicators are similar to or even better than those corresponding to SPC from the classical acid-extraction method. The AMS also exhibited an enhanced efficiency for extracting antinutrients such as non-digestible oligosaccharides, trypsin inhibitors, and lectins mostly recovered at the AP and separated from isoflavones, which were concentrated and isolated at the MP. The recovery of all the mentioned bioactive compounds, whether beneficial or undesirable, broadens their uses in research, food, and pharmacological fields. This successful performance, simplicity, scalability, and sustainability make the proposed AMS-based extraction a powerful tool for processing plant derivatives and valorizing their by-products.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Aqueous micellar two-phase system as an alternative method to selectively remove soy antinutritional factors

In this work, different antinutritional factors (trypsin inhibitors, isoflavones and raffinose family oligosaccharides) were selectively removed from soy flour by using aqueous micellar two-phase systems (AMTPS). The effects of independent variables including temperature (30–60 °C), time (10–40 min) and solid to liquid ratio (0.025–0.050 g/L) on the extraction of each antinutritional factor were analyzed using a full factorial design. As general tendency, temperature and time were the most significant parameters (p < 0.05). The best condition for the selective recovery (97% of isoflavones at top phase, and more than 50% of the rest of ANFs at bottom phase) were 5 g/L of Genapol X-080, 0.2 moL/L of sodium citrate pH 5.00, 30 °C, 40 min and 0.050 g/L. Besides, in vitro gastrointestinal digestions assays demonstrated that the treated soy flour improved its protein digestibility. The findings of this work represent the introduction of a novel methodology to selectively remove soy antinutritional factors.Fil: Haidar, Carla Nahir. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Coscueta, Ezequiel Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Cordisco, Estefanía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Nerli, Bibiana Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Pellegrini Malpiedi, Luciana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario; Argentin

Biosurfactants produced by Pseudomonas syringae pv tabaci: A versatile mixture with interesting emulsifying properties

In recent years, worldwide awareness about environmental concerns has led to an extensive searching for products of natural origin. Biosurfactants (BS), are an attractive alternative to the chemical counterparts. In these sense, this works evaluate for the first time the emulsifying and surface activity of biosurfactants produced by P. syringae pv. tabaci. Chemical characterization revealed that the produced BS extract mostly consisted in a mixture of syringopeptins and arthrofactins. Besides, this sample was able to reduce water surface tension up to 36.89 mN/m. This activity was improved by modifying conditions of pH, temperature and salinity. For instance, the surface tension was reduced up to 29 mN/m when using NaCl 5 % w/w. The BS also exhibited a high emulsifying activity, this being comparable or even superior to that of commercial bioemulsifiers such xanthan, tara and guar gums. A notorious emulsification index, close to 90 %, was exhibited by BS in coconut oil/water mixtures. Moreover, emulsifying activity resulted to be little affected by different operational conditions, thus retaining about 80 % of its emulsificant index in presence of 20 % w/w of NaCl at 80 °C. These findings are indicative of the BS promising properties and its potential as additive in a variety of industrial applications.Fil: Haidar, Carla Nahir. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Pereira, Matheus M.. Universidade Tiradentes; BrasilFil: Lima, Álvaro S.. Universidade Tiradentes; BrasilFil: Nerli, Bibiana Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Pellegrini Malpiedi, Luciana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario; Argentin

Capacidades das instituições municipais de Proteção e Defesa Civil no Brasil: desafios e perspectivas

Há vários desafios para a atuação dos órgãos de Proteção e Defesa Civil no Brasil. Procuramos traçar um panorama destes órgãos através de questionários direcionados aos seus agentes, e, também, identificar perspectivas de ações baseadas na legislação e nas diretrizes de gestão de risco de desastres no país. Verificamos que os agentes entendem ações relacionadas aos desastres socioambientais como sua principal atribuição, priorizando ações preventivas. Dificuldades comumente verificadas, como falta de equipamentos, instalações físicas precárias e baixa remuneração, não foram apontadas na pesquisa como os principais obstáculos para a realização dos trabalhos. Destaca-se, entretanto, a falta de apoio institucional, mencionada em 23,2% das respostas. O maior e mais importante desafio, entretanto, é a interação com a comunidade, crucial para o bom funcionamento da Defesa Civil

Early exposure to distinct sources of lipids affects differently the development and hepatic inflammatory profiles of 21-day-old rat offspring

Introduction: Maternal diet composition of fatty acids during pregnancy and lactation seems to modify the fetal programming, epigenetic pattern and offspring phenotype. Aim: Herein, we investigated the effects of maternal consumption of normal-fat diets with distinct lipid sources during pregnancy and lactation on the somatic development and proinflammatory status of 21-day-old rat offspring. Materials and Methods: On the first day of pregnancy, female Wistar rats were divided into four groups as follows: soybean oil (M-SO), lard (M-L), hydrogenated vegetable fat (M-HVF) and fish oil (M-FO). Diets were maintained during pregnancy and lactation. Male offspring constituted the SO, L, HVF and FO groups. Pups were weighed and measured weekly. Lipopolysaccharide serum concentration was determined. Tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 in the liver were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Liver gene expressions were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Protein expressions in the liver were analyzed by Western blotting. Results: We observed an increase in body weight and adiposity in L and HVF groups. Moreover, HVF group showed an increase in the toll-like receptor 4 mRNA levels, IL10R alpha and phosphorylated form of I kappa B kinase (IKKp-IKK alpha+beta) protein expression. The FO group presented a decrease in body weight, relative weight of retroperitoneal adipose tissue, ADIPOR2 gene expression, lipopolysaccharide and p-IKK alpha+beta and phosphorylated form of nuclear transcription factor kappa B (NF kappa B) p50 (p-NF kappa B p50) protein expression. Conclusion: Summarily, whereas maternal intake of normal-fat diets based on L and HVF appear to affect the somatic development negatively, only early exposure to HVF impairs the pups' proinflammatory status. In contrast, maternal diets based on FO during pregnancy and lactation have been more beneficial to the adiposity and toll-like receptor 4 signaling pathway of the 21-day-old rat offspring, particularly when compared to L or HVF diets.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fed Univ Sao Paulo UNIFESP, PhD Program Interdisciplinar Hlth Sci, Santos, SP, BrazilFed Univ Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Discipline Nutr Physiol, Dept Physiol, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilFed Univ Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Inst Hlth & Soc, Dept Biosci, Santos, SP, BrazilFed Univ Sao Paulo UNIFESP, PhD Program Interdisciplinar Hlth Sci, Santos, SP, BrazilFed Univ Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Discipline Nutr Physiol, Dept Physiol, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilFed Univ Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Inst Hlth & Soc, Dept Biosci, Santos, SP, BrazilFAPESP: 2014/10683-0Web of Scienc

UNDERSTANDING OF DISASTERS RISKS BY BRAZILIAN STUDENTS

We aimed to evaluate children and teenagers´ understanding about disasters, from a group of people that has not experienced a disaster. This evaluation is expected to serve as a reference for disaster prevention, because  it provides beliefs and expectations about disasters, from a public who live in or near risk areas. Students with ages from 10 to 21 years were invited to answer a survey to characterize their beliefs about disaster and disaster prevention. Even though there are many risk areas in their municipality (Campos do Jordão, SP), most of the students do not recognize the risk of natural disasters as part of their reality. Considering that the interviewees were receptive to meetings and discussions with the municipality´s institution of civil defense, we recommend that they make together an evacuation planning for the imminence of a disaster, based on the community´s needs and limitations. It is also advisable that the civil defense plan special measures for post-disaster care. We also recommend a partnership among community, civil defense and local schools to create awareness and preparedness activities.Este trabalho traz como motivação a compreensão do imaginário infantil e adolescente entre um público que, em sua maioria, não vivenciou um desastre, apesar de morar em áreas de risco. A investigação revela o perfil de um grupo importante, caracterizando-se como um significativo ponto de partida para trabalhos de educação e prevenção de desastres, uma vez que oferece como base a análise de crenças e expectativas relacionadas aos desastres. Para caracterizar este perfil, foram aplicados questionários semi-estruturados a alunos de ensino fundamental e médio de escolas públicas localizadas próximas a áreas de risco em Campos do Jordão (SP). Apesar da presença de várias áreas de risco no município, a maioria dos entrevistados não reconhece este risco como parte de sua realidade. É importante que o órgão de Defesa Civil (DC), juntamente com as comunidades envolvidas, elabore um planejamento especial de ações de evacuação para este grupo vulnerável na iminência de um desastre e também medidas diferenciadas de atendimento pós-impacto. Os entrevistados mostraram-se receptivos a possíveis ações da DC e a discussões gerais sobre o tema desastres. Recomendamos uma parceria entre as escolas e a DC local para atividades de educação e planejamento