Organic farming in northeast of Portugal: effects of soil fertility management on DM yield and nutrients composition of pastures

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of six types of soil fertility management: no fertiliser (NF), lime inputs (Ca), mineral fertilisation combined with hming (CaP (lime and phosphorous), CaPB (lime, phosphorous and boron), manure (M), and manure+lime+mineral fertilisation (MCaPB), and two types of pasture (unsown and sown) on DM yield, botanical composition and nutrients content of pasture during two years of study. DM yield was significantly increased when plots were fertilised with manure (M and MCaPB), which also improved the proportion of legumes, mainly in the sown pasture

Protein kinase C phosphorylates AMP-activated protein kinase α1 Ser487

The key metabolic regulator, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is reported to be downregulated in metabolic disorders, but the mechanisms are poorly characterised. Recent studies have identified phosphorylation of the AMPKα1/α2 catalytic subunit isoforms at Ser487/491 respectively as an inhibitory regulation mechanism. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) stimulates AMPK and protein kinase B (Akt) in cultured human endothelial cells. As Akt has been demonstrated to be an AMPKα1 Ser487 kinase, the effect of VEGF on inhibitory AMPK phosphorylation in cultured primary human endothelial cells was examined. Stimulation of endothelial cells with VEGF rapidly increased AMPKα1 Ser487 phosphorylation in an Akt-independent manner, without altering AMPKα2 Ser491 phosphorylation. In contrast, VEGF-stimulated AMPKα1 Ser487 phosphorylation was sensitive to inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC) and PKC activation using phorbol esters or overexpression of PKC stimulated AMPKα1 Ser487 phosphorylation. Purified PKC and Akt both phosphorylated AMPKα1 Ser487 in vitro with similar efficiency. PKC activation was associated with reduced AMPK activity, as inhibition of PKC increased AMPK activity and phorbol esters inhibited AMPK, an effect lost in cells expressing mutant AMPKα1 Ser487Ala. Consistent with a pathophysiological role for this modification, AMPKα1 Ser487 phosphorylation was inversely correlated with insulin sensitivity in human muscle. These data indicate a novel regulatory role of PKC to inhibit AMPKα1 in human cells. As PKC activation is associated with insulin resistance and obesity, PKC may underlie the reduced AMPK activity reported in response to overnutrition in insulin-resistant metabolic and vascular tissues

Predictors of Visceral Leishmaniasis Relapse in HIV-Infected Patients: A Systematic Review

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most serious form of an insect-transmitted parasitic disease prevalent in 70 countries. The disease is caused by species of the L. donovani complex found in different geographical regions. These parasites have substantially different clinical, drug susceptibility and epidemiological characteristics. According to data from the World Health Organization, the areas where HIV-Leishmania co-infection is distributed are extensive. HIV infection increases the risk of developing VL, reduces the likelihood of a therapeutic response, and greatly increases the probability of relapse. A better understanding of the factors promoting relapses is essential; therefore we performed a systematic review of articles involving all articles assessing the predictors of VL relapse in HIV-infected individuals older than 14 years of age. Out of 178 relevant articles, 18 met the inclusion criteria and in total, data from 1017 patients were analyzed. We identified previous episodes of VL relapse, CD4+ lymphocyte count fewer than 100 cells/mL at VL diagnosis, and the absence of an increase in CD4+ counts at follow-up as major factors associated with VL relapse. Knowledge of relapse predictors can help to identify patients with different degrees of risk, facilitate and direct prophylaxis choices, and aid in patient counseling

A double homozygous mutation in the POMT1 gene involving exon skipping gives rise to Walker-Warburg syndrome in two Spanish gypsy families

Carta al editor.-- El pdf es la versión post-print sin figuras.-- et al.This work was supported by the Spanish Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias’ grant PI06/0378.Peer Reviewe

Synthesis and characterization of electroactive films deposited from aniline dimers

The electrochemical oxidation of the aniline dimers 2-aminodiphenylamine (2-adpa) and 4-aminodiphenylamine (4-adpa) has been performed in strongly acidic medium on platinum, graphite, and indium tin oxide electrodes. The resulting films have been characterized by a number of electrochemical, microscopic, and spectroscopic techniques in order to gain some insight on their respective chemical structures. Both poly(2-adpa) and poly(4-adpa) are electroactive species which differ significantly one from another. It was found that aged poly(4-adpa)displayed electrochemical, morphologic and spectroscopic characteristics similar to those shown by polyaniline. On the contrary, poly(2-adpa) is really a mixture of three oligomerization products. The two main oligomers contain both open-ring and cycled phenazine centers, although their chemical structures seem to differ in the cap-end of the chain growth. The third oligomer is a minor product which seems a highly symmetric macrocycle involving several 2-adpa molecules.This work has been cofinanced by the European Commission (ERDF funds) and the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Cultura (MAT2004-01479). University of Alicante assisted in meeting the publication costs of this article

Clinical features and molecular characterization of a patient with muscle-eye-brain disease: A novel mutation in the POMGNT1 gene

Muscle-eye-brain disease is a congenital muscular dystrophy characterized by structural brain and eye defects. Here, we describe a 12-year-old boy with partial agenesis of corpus callosum, ventriculomegaly, flattened brain stem, diffuse pachygyria, blindness, profound cognitive deficiencies, and generalized muscle weakness, yet without a clear dystrophic pattern on muscle biopsy. There was no glycosylation of α-dystroglycan and the genetic screening revealed a novel truncating mutation, c.1545delC (p.Tyr516Thrfs*21), and a previously identified missense mutation, c.1469G>A (p.Cys490Tyr), in the protein O-mannose beta-1,2-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase 1 (POMGNT1) gene. These findings broaden the clinical spectrum of muscle-eye-brain disease to include pronounced hypotonia with severe brain and eye malformations, yet with mild histopathologic changes in the muscle specimen, despite the absence of glycosylated α-dystroglycan.Peer Reviewe

Two new patients bearing mutations in the fukutin gene confirm the relevance of this gene in Walker-Warburg syndrome

Instituto de Salud Carlos III (España)et al.Walker-Warburg syndrome (WWS) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by congenital muscular dystrophy, brain malformations and structural abnormalities of the eye. We have studied two WWS patients born to non-consanguineous parents, and in both cases, we identified mutations in the fukutin gene responsible for this syndrome. One of the patients carries a homozygous-single nucleotide insertion that produces a frameshift, being this the first time that this insertion has been described in homozygosis and causing a WWS phenotype. The other patient carries two novel mutations, one being a point mutation that produces an amino acid substitution, while the other is a deletion in the 3'UTR that affects the polyadenylation signal of the fukutin gene. This deletion would probably result in the complete loss of the fukutin transcripts from this allele. This is the first time a mutation localized outside of the fukutin coding region has been identified as a cause of WWS.This work was supported by grants from the Spanish Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (SAF03-01619) and Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (PI02/0715).Peer Reviewe

FOTOTRANS Study. Multicentre study on the validity of Fototest under clinical practice conditions

Objective: Fototest is a short simple test, applicable to illiterate subjects and not influenced by educational level. The purpose of this study is to assess its validity for cognitive impairment (CI) and dementia (DEM) under routine clinical practice conditions. Material and methods: A cross-sectional, multicentre and naturalistic study conducted in General Neurology clinics. The subjects were over 60 years old, with a previously established diagnosis of no cognitive impairment (NoCI), cognitive impairment without dementia (CInoDEM), or dementia (DEM). The discriminant validity was assessed using the area under the ROC curve (AUC), sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp), and probability coefficients. Partial correlations were calculated, adjusted for age, sex and education level with Eurotest, verbal fluency test (VFT) and Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) score to evaluate the concurrent and construct validity. Results: Nineteen neurologists included a total of 589 subjects: 361 NoCI, 106 CINoDEM and 122 DEM. The discriminant value was better for DEM (AUC 0.94 ± 0.02) than for CI (0.86 ± 0.02). For DEM the best cut-off point was 26/27 (Sn = 0.88 [95% CI, 0.93-0.97], Sp = 0.87 [95% CI, 0.84–0.90]); and for CI, 28/29 (Sn = 0.71 [95% CI, 0.65–0.77], Sp = 0.84 [95% CI, 0.80–0.88]). Fototest showed a high and significant correlation with Eurotest (r = 0.70 ± 0.02), VFT (r = 0.68 ± 0.02) and the GDS score (r = −0.77 ± 0.02). Conclusion: The Fototest showed adequate validity for CI and DEM in general neurology clinics in an extensive and wide geographical area. Resumen: Objetivo: El Fototest es un test breve, fácil, aplicable a analfabetos y no influido por el nivel educativo. El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar su validez para deterioro cognitivo (DC) y demencia (DEM) en condiciones de práctica clínica habitual. Material y métodos: Estudio transversal multicéntrico y naturalístico realizado en consultas de neurología general. Se incluyó a sujetos mayores de 60 años con diagnóstico previamente establecido de no deterioro cognitivo (NoDC), deterioro cognitivo sin demencia (DCsD) o demencia (DEM). La validez discriminativa se evaluó mediante el área bajo la curva ROC (aROC), sensibilidad (S), especificidad (E) y cocientes de probabilidad. Se calcularon correlaciones parciales ajustadas por edad, sexo y nivel educativo con Eurotest, fluidez verbal semántica (FVS) y el estadio GDS para evaluar la validez concurrente y de constructo. Resultados: Diecinueve neurólogos incluyeron a un total de 589 sujetos: 361 NoDC, 106 DCsD y 122 DEM. La validez discriminativa es mejor para DEM (aROC 0,94 ± 0,02) que para DC (0,86 ± 0,02). Para DEM el mejor punto de corte es 26/27 (S = 0,88 [IC del 95%, 0,93-0,97], E = 0,87 [IC del 95%, 0,84-0,90]), y para DC, 28/29 (S = 0,71 [IC del 95%, 0,65-0,77], E = 0,84 [IC del 95%, 0,80-0,88]). El Fototest muestra una alta y significativa correlación con el Eurotest (r = 0,70 ± 0,02), la FVS (r = 0,68 ± 0,02) y el estadio GDS (r = –0,77 ± 0,02). Conclusión: El Fototest muestra una adecuada validez para DC y DEM, en consultas generales de neurología de un extenso y variado ámbito geográfico. Keywords: Screening test, Short cognitive test, Fototest, Cognitive impairment, Dementia, Palabras clave: Test de cribado, Test cognitivo breve, Fototest, Deterioro cognitivo, Demenci