Time-dependent viscometry study of endoglucanase action on xyloglucan: A real-time approach

AbstractHydrolysis of xyloglucan from Tamarindus indica and Hymenaea courbaril seeds with endoglucanase (EGII), which randomly breaks the (1→4)-linked β-glycosidic bonds of the polymer chain, was monitored in real time using time-dependent viscometry analysis (TDV). For both samples there was a decrease in the intrinsic viscosity ([η]), viscosity average molar mass (Mv), radius de gyration (Rg) and persistence length (Lp) immediately after the addition of the enzyme. It was observed the formation of oligosaccharides and oligomers composed of ∼2 units, up to 140min. Galactose-containing side chains two positions away from the non-substituted glucose, modulated the action of EGII, and the complete hydrolysis of the XG oligomers occurred after 24h. The results demonstrate for the first time the real-time degradation of xyloglucan as well the macromolecular and oligosaccharide composition during the EGII hydrolysis process

Influence of O and C co-implantation on the lattice site of Er in GaN

The lattice location of low-dose implanted Er in GaN, GaN:O, and GaN:C was investigated using the emission channeling technique. The conversion electrons emitted by the probe isotope $^{167m}$Er give direct evidence that the majority (~90%) of Er atoms are located on substitutional Ga sites for all samples. Annealing up to 900 °C does not change these fractions, although it reduces the Er root-mean-square (rms) displacements. The only visible effect of oxygen or carbon doping is a small increase in the rms displacements with respect to the undoped sample

Seroprevalence of rodent-borne viruses in Afro-descendent communities in Brazil

During the Brazilian slavery period, many African migrants were brought to the American continent. Historically, some of these migrants escaped from the Brazilian gold mines and farms to which they had been brought and settled in remote valleys and this was the main mode of resistance to the slavery system. These runaway-slave descendant communities are called quilombos, a group with distinct ethnic identity, specific behavioral habits, including geographic isolation and conservative practices. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of rodent-borne viruses in two Afro-descendent communities from Mato Grosso do Sul State, Midwestern Brazil. A total of 319 individuals from rural and urban quilombola communities were enrolled. Twelve (3.76%) had anti-rodent-borne virus IgG antibodies. Seven (2.19%) were anti-mammarenavirus reactive and nine (2.82%) had anti-orthohantavirus antibodies. The literature includes limited data on the health status of quilombola communities, but all the studies emphasize the disparity of attention of local healthcare personnel to these communities compared to the general population. The findings of this study highlight the vulnerability and the precarious health conditions of quilombola groups, especially those living in rural areas and thus, point to the need of preventive measures to improve access to healthcare for this ethnic group

The Effects of Resistance Training Volume on Skeletal Muscle Proteome

International Journal of Exercise Science 10(7): 1051-1066, 2017. Studies are conflicting to whether low volume resistance training (RT) is as effective as high-volume RT protocols with respect to promoting morphological and molecular adaptations. Thus, the aim of the present study was to compare, using a climbing a vertical ladder, the effects of 8 weeks, 3 times per week, resistance training with 4 sets (RT4), resistance training with 8 sets (RT8) and without resistance training control (CON) on gastrocnemius muscle proteome using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and cross sectional area (CSA) of rats. Fifty-two proteins were identified by LC-MS/MS, with 39 in common between the three groups, two in common between RT8 and CON, one in common between RT8 and RT4, four exclusive in the CON, one in the RT8, and four in the RT4. The RT8 group had a reduced abundance of 12 proteins, mostly involved in muscle protein synthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle, anti-oxidant defense, and oxygen transport. Otherwise one protein involved with energy transduction as compared with CON group showed high abundance. There was no qualitative protein abundance difference between RT4 and CON groups. These results revealed that high volume RT induced undesirable disturbances on skeletal muscle proteins, while lower volume RT resulted in similar gains in skeletal muscle hypertrophy without impairment of proteome. The CSA was significantly higher in RT8 group when compared to RT4 group, which was significantly higher than CON group. However, no differences were found between trained groups when the gastrocnemius CSA were normalized by the total body weight

Exposure to trauma-relevant pictures is associated with tachycardia in victims who had experienced an intense peritraumatic defensive response : the tonic immobility.

Tonic immobility is an involuntary, last-ditch defensive reaction characterized by physical inactivity in a context of inescapable threat that has been described in many species, including humans. The occurrence of this defensive response is a predictor of the severity of psychiatric disorders and may be considered as an index of an intense reaction to a traumatic event. Here, we investigated whether the retrospective reports of peritraumatic tonic immobility reaction in participants exposed to a traumatic event would modify their cardiac responses to pictures related to their trauma. Using a questionnaire of life-threating events, we selected students who experienced violent crime as their most intense trauma and students who had never experienced a violent crime trauma, but experienced other traumatic events. All participants completed a questionnaire that estimated the intensity of tonic immobility during their most intense trauma. Electrocardiographic recordings were collected during exposure to pictures. Participants viewed emotional pictures (human attack with guns) and neutral pictures. These emotional stimuli were selected to be trauma-relevant to the violent crime group and non trauma-relevant to the no violent crime trauma group. Violent crime group showed a positive correlation between heart rate changes after viewing trauma-related pictures and tonic immobility scores. We observed that low tonic immobility scores were associated with bradycardia and high scores with tachycardia in response to trauma-relevant pictures. For the no violent crime group, no significant correlation was detected. These results suggest that the relevance of the stimuli and the magnitude of the defensive response during a previous trauma event were important factors triggering more intense defensive responses

PROSPECÇÃO TECNOLÓGICA DE FITOTERÁPICO (Euphorbia Tirucalli L.) UTILIZADO NO TRATAMENTO DE NEOPLASIAS E OUTRAS DOENÇAS

Atualmente a demanda por medicamentos à base de plantas medicinais é crescente. O uso de fitoterápicos vem aumentando em países em desenvolvimento, bem como em países desenvolvidos, como uma forma adicional para tratar e prevenir doenças. Dentre a diversidade da flora brasileira com potencial terapêutico, pode-se destacar a Euphorbia tirucalli L., sendo uma das plantas medicinais indicada para ser registrada como medicamento fitoterápico no Brasil. Estudos com esse fitoterápico vêm sendo realizado visando sua aplicação no tratamento do câncer, sendo que algumas pesquisas já mostram resultados satisfatórios. O Brasil, seguido da China, apresenta o maior número de patentes depositadas envolvendo essa espécie. Entretanto, considerando a nossa biodiversidade e a herança cultura indígena, no que diz respeito ao uso de plantas medicinais, os resultados ainda não são satisfatórios

Differences in risk factors for incident and recurrent preterm birth: a population-based linkage of 3.5 million births from the CIDACS birth cohort.

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth (PTB) is a syndrome resulting from a complex list of underlying causes and factors, and whether these risk factors differ in the context of prior PTB history is less understood. The aim of this study was to explore whether PTB risk factors in a second pregnancy were different in women with versus without previous PTB. METHODS: We conducted a population-based cohort study using data from the birth cohort of the Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS) for the period 2001 to 2015. We used longitudinal transition models with multivariate logistic regression to investigate whether risk factors varied between incident and recurrent PTB. RESULTS: A total of 3,528,050 live births from 1,764,025 multiparous women were analyzed. We identified different risk factors (Pdifference <0.05) between incident and recurrent PTB. The following were associated with an increased chance for PTB incidence, but not recurrent: household overcrowding (OR 1.09), maternal race/ethnicity [(Black/mixed-OR 1.04) and (indigenous-OR 1.34)], young maternal age (14 to 19 years-OR 1.16), and cesarean delivery (OR 1.09). The following were associated with both incident and recurrent PTB, respectively: single marital status (OR 0.85 vs 0.90), reduced number of prenatal visits [(no visit-OR 2.56 vs OR 2.16) and (1 to 3 visits-OR 2.44 vs OR 2.24)], short interbirth interval [(12 to 23 months-OR 1.04 vs OR 1.22) and (<12 months, OR 1.89, 95 vs OR 2.58)], and advanced maternal age (35-49 years-OR 1.42 vs OR 1.45). For most risk factors, the point estimates were higher for incident PTB than recurrent PTB. CONCLUSIONS: The risk factors for PTB in the second pregnancy differed according to women's first pregnancy PTB status. The findings give the basis for the development of specific prevention strategies for PTB in a subsequent pregnancy