Neonatal events, such as androgenization and postnatal overfeeding, modify the response to ghrelin

It is currently accepted that ambient, non-genetic factors influence perinatal development and evoke structural and functional changes that may persist throughout life. Overfeeding and androgenization after birth are two of these key factors that could result in “metabolic imprinting” of neuronal circuits early in life and, thereby, increase the body weight homeostatic “set point”, stimulate appetite and result in obesity. Our aim was to determine the influence of these obesogenic factors on the response to ghrelin. We observed the expected orexigenic effect of ghrelin regardless of the nutritional or hormonal manipulations to which the animals were subjected to at early postnatal development and this effect remained intact at later stages of development. In fact, ghrelin responses increased significantly when the animals were subjected to one of the two manipulations, but not when both were combined. An increased response to ghrelin could explain the obese phenotype displayed by individuals with modified perinatal environment.This work has been supported by grants from Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia (CD: BFU2011-29102) and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBER) de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn). CIBERobn is an initiative of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) of Spain which is supported by FEDER funds. The research leading to these results has also received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme under the following grant: CD: FP7/2007-2013: n° 245009: NeuroFASTS

Hyperspectral Imaging for the Detection of Bitter Almonds in Sweet Almond Batches

A common fraud in the sweet almond industry is the presence of bitter almonds in commercial batches. The presence of bitter almonds not only causes unpleasant flavours but also problems in the commercialisation and toxicity for consumers. Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) has been proved to be suitable for the rapid and non-destructive quality evaluation in foods as it integrates the spectral and spatial dimensions. Thus, we aimed to study the feasibility of using an HSI system to identify single bitter almond kernels in commercial sweet almond batches. For this purpose, sweet and bitter almond batches, as well as different mixtures, were analysed in bulk using an HSI system which works in the spectral range 946.6–1648.0 nm. Qualitative models were developed using Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) to differentiate between sweet and bitter almonds, obtaining a classification success of over the 99%. Furthermore, data reduction, as a function of the most relevant wavelengths (VIP scores), was applied to evaluate its performance. Then, the pixel-by-pixel validation of the mixtures was carried out, identifying correctly between 61–85% of the adulterations, depending on the group of mixtures and the cultivar analysed. The results confirm that HSI, without VIP scores data reduction, can be considered a promising approach for classifying the bitterness of almonds analysed in bulk, enabling identifying individual bitter almonds inside sweet almond batches. However, a more complex mathematical analysis is necessary before its implementation in the processing lines

Contribución al conocimiento de la flora de Andalucía: citas novedosas e interesantes de la provincia de Almería

Contribution to the knowledge about Andalusian flora: new and interesting cites of the Almería province.Palabras clave. Corología, Isla de Alborán, sureste ibérico, xenófitas.Key words. Corology, Alborán Island, South-Eastern Iberian Peninsula, xenophytes

Antibacterial films of silver nanoparticles embedded into carboxymethylcellulose/chitosan multilayers on nanoporous silicon: A layer-by-layer assembly approach comparing dip and spin coating

The design and engineering of antibacterial materials are key for preventing bacterial adherence and proliferation in biomedical and household instruments. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and chitosan (CHI) are broad-spectrum antibacterial materials with different properties whose combined application is currently under optimization. This study proposes the formation of antibacterial films with AgNPs embedded in carboxymethylcellulose/chitosan multilayers by the layer-by-layer (LbL) method. The films were deposited onto nanoporous silicon (nPSi), an ideal platform for bioengineering applications due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and bioresorbability. We focused on two alternative multilayer deposition processes: cyclic dip coating (CDC) and cyclic spin coating (CSC). The physicochemical properties of the films were the subject of microscopic, microstructural, and surface–interface analyses. The antibacterial activity of each film was investigated against Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) bacteria strains as model microorganisms. According to the findings, the CDC technique produced multilayer films with higher antibacterial activity for both bacteria compared to the CSC method. Bacteria adhesion inhibition was observed from only three cycles. The developed AgNPs–multilayer composite film offers advantageous antibacterial properties for biomedical applicationsPID2020-112770RB-C2

IAA : Información y actualidad astronómica (30)

Sumario : Habitabilidad en el Universo.-- El imán de la Vía Láctea.-- El estudio del Universo frío.-- DECONSTRUCCIÓN Y otros ENSAYOS. Johannes Kepler.-- EL “MOBY DICK” DE... Matilde Fernández (IAA-CSIC).-- HISTORIAS DE ASTRONOMÍA. La noche de Noli.-- ACTUALIDAD.-- ENTRE BASTIDORES.-- CIENCIA: PILARES E INCERTIDUMBRES : Núcleos activos de galaxias.-- ACTIVIDADES IAA.N

Apoptotic microtubules delimit an active caspase free area in the cellular cortex during the execution phase of apoptosis

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.Apoptotic microtubule network (AMN) is organized during apoptosis, forming a cortical structure beneath plasma membrane, which has an important role in preserving cell morphology and plasma membrane permeability. The aim of this study was to examine the role of AMN in maintaining plasma membrane integrity during the execution phase of apoptosis. We demonstrated in camptothecin-induced apoptosis in H460 cells that AMN delimits an active caspase free area beneath plasma membrane that permits the preservation of cellular cortex and transmembrane proteins. AMN depolymerization in apoptotic cells by a short exposure to colchicine allowed active caspases to reach the cellular cortex and cleave many key proteins involved in plasma membrane structural support, cell adhesion and ionic homeostasis. Cleavage of cellular cortex and plasma membrane proteins, such as α-spectrin, paxilin, focal adhesion kinase (FAK), E-cadherin and integrin subunit β4 was associated with cell collapse and cell detachment. Otherwise, cleavage-mediated inactivation of calcium ATPase pump (PMCA-4) and Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX) involved in cell calcium extrusion resulted in calcium overload. Furthermore, cleavage of Na(+)/K(+) pump subunit β was associated with altered sodium homeostasis. Cleavage of cell cortex and plasma membrane proteins in apoptotic cells after AMN depolymerization increased plasma permeability, ionic imbalance and bioenergetic collapse, leading apoptotic cells to secondary necrosis. The essential role of caspase-mediated cleavage in this process was demonstrated because the concomitant addition of colchicine that induces AMN depolymerization and the pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD avoided the cleavage of cortical and plasma membrane proteins and prevented apoptotic cells to undergo secondary necrosis. Furthermore, the presence of AMN was also critical for proper phosphatidylserine externalization and apoptotic cell clearance by macrophages. These results indicate that AMN is essential to preserve an active caspase free area in the cellular cortex of apoptotic cells that allows plasma membrane integrity during the execution phase of apoptosis.This work was supported by FIS PI10/00543 grant, FIS EC08/00076 grant, Ministerio de Sanidad, Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER-Unión Europea), SAS 111242 grant, Servicio Andaluz de Salud Junta de Andalucía, Proyecto de Investigación de Excelencia de la Junta de Andalucía CTS-5725, and by AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial).Peer reviewe

Role of neurokinin B in the control of female puberty and Its modulation by metabolic status

[Abstract] Human genetic studies have revealed that neurokinin B (NKB) and its receptor, neurokinin-3 receptor (NK3R), are essential elements for normal reproduction; however, the precise role of NKB–NK3R signaling in the initiation of puberty remains unknown. We investigated here the regulation of Tac2 and Tacr3 mRNAs (encoding NKB and NK3R, respectively) in female rats and demonstrated that their hypothalamic expression is increased along postnatal maturation. At puberty, both genes were widely expressed throughout the brain, including the lateral hypothalamic area and the arcuate nucleus (ARC)/medial basal hypothalamus, where the expression of Tacr3 increased across pubertal transition. We showed that central administration of senktide (NK3R agonist) induced luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion in prepubertal and peripubertal females. Conversely, chronic infusion of an NK3R antagonist during puberty moderately delayed the timing of vaginal opening (VO) and tended to decrease LH levels. The expression of NKB and its receptor was sensitive to changes in metabolic status during puberty, as reflected by a reduction in Tacr3 (and, to a lesser extent, Tac2) expression in the ARC after a 48 h fast. Yet, acute LH responses to senktide in pubertal females were preserved, if not augmented, under fasting conditions, suggesting sensitization of the NKB–NK3R–gonadotropin-releasing hormone signaling pathway under metabolic distress. Moreover, repeated administration of senktide to female rats with pubertal arrest due to chronic undernutrition rescued VO (in ∼50% of animals) and potently elicited LH release. Altogether, our observations suggest that NKB–NK3R signaling plays a role in pubertal maturation and that its alterations may contribute to pubertal disorders linked to metabolic stress and negative energy balance.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación; BFU 2008-00984Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación; BFU 2011-25021Andalucía. Junta, P08-CVI-0060

Mitochondrial dysfunction and mitophagy activation in blood mononuclear cells of fibromyalgia patients: implications in the pathogenesis of the disease

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.[Introduction]: Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome with unknown etiology. Recent studies have shown some evidence demonstrating that oxidative stress may have a role in the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia. However, it is still not clear whether oxidative stress is the cause or the effect of the abnormalities documented in fibromyalgia. Furthermore, the role of mitochondria in the redox imbalance reported in fibromyalgia also is controversial. We undertook this study to investigate the role of mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and mitophagy in fibromyalgia. [Methods]: We studied 20 patients (2 male, 18 female patients) from the database of the Sevillian Fibromyalgia Association and 10 healthy controls. We evaluated mitochondrial function in blood mononuclear cells from fibromyalgia patients measuring, coenzyme Q10 levels with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and mitochondrial membrane potential with flow cytometry. Oxidative stress was determined by measuring mitochondrial superoxide production with MitoSOX™ and lipid peroxidation in blood mononuclear cells and plasma from fibromyalgia patients. Autophagy activation was evaluated by quantifying the fluorescence intensity of LysoTracker™ Red staining of blood mononuclear cells. Mitophagy was confirmed by measuring citrate synthase activity and electron microscopy examination of blood mononuclear cells. [Results]: We found reduced levels of coenzyme Q10, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, increased levels of mitochondrial superoxide in blood mononuclear cells, and increased levels of lipid peroxidation in both blood mononuclear cells and plasma from fibromyalgia patients. Mitochondrial dysfunction was also associated with increased expression of autophagic genes and the elimination of dysfunctional mitochondria with mitophagy. [Conclusions]: These findings may support the role of oxidative stress and mitophagy in the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia.This work was supported by grants FIS PI080500 and FIS EC08/00076, Ministerio de Sanidad, Spain. The authors dedicate this manuscript to FM patients and AFIBROSE (Asociación de Fibromialgia de Sevilla) for their unconditional help.Peer Reviewe

Assessment of BCG and inactivated Mycobacterium bovis vaccines in an experimental tuberculosis infection model in sheep

Animal tuberculosis (TB) is a complex animal health problem that causes disruption to trade and significant economic losses. TB involves a multi-host system where sheep, traditionally considered a rare host of this infection, have been recently included. The aims of this study were to develop an experimental TB infection model in sheep with a Mycobacterium caprae field strain isolated from a tuberculous diseased ewe, and to use this to evaluate the safety and efficacy of two vaccines against TB in sheep, the live-attenuated M. bovis BCG vaccine (Danish strain) and a heat-inactivated M. bovis (HIMB) vaccine. Methods: Eighteen 2 month-old lambs were experimentally challenged with M. caprae by the endotracheal route (1.5 × 10 CFU). They were separated per treatment group into parenterally vaccinated with a live BCG Danish strain vaccine (n = 6), orally vaccinated with a suspension of HIMB (n = 6) and unvaccinated controls (n = 6). Clinical, immunological, pathological and bacteriological parameters of infection were measured. Results: All lambs were successfully infected and developed gross TB lesions in the respiratory system. The BCG vaccine conferred considerable protection against experimental TB in lambs, as measured by a reduction of the gross lesion volumes and bacterial load. However, HIMB vaccinated animals did not show protection. Conclusions: This study proposes a reliable new experimental model for a better understanding of tuberculosis in sheep. BCG vaccination offers an effective prospect for controlling the disease. Moreover alternative doses and/or routes of administration should be considered to evaluate the efficacy of the HIMB vaccine candidate

Direct oral anticoagulants in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and atrial fibrillation.

Background: Chronic anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) is recommended in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and atrial fibrillation (AF). Direct oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are an alternative to VKAs but there are limited data to support their use in HCM. We sought to describe the pattern of use, thromboembolic events, bleeding and quality of life in patients with HCM and AF treated with NOACs. Methods: Data from patients treated with NOACs (n=99) and VKA (n=433) at 9 inherited cardiac diseases units were retrospectively collected. Annual rates of embolic events, serious bleeding and death were analysed and compared. Quality of life and treatment satisfaction were evaluated with SF-36 and SAFUCA questionnaires in 80 NOAC-treated and 57 VKA-treated patients. Results: After median follow-up of 63 months (IQR:26–109), thromboembolic events (TIA/stroke and peripheral embolism) occurred in 10% of patients on oral anticoagulation. Major/clinically relevant bleeding occurred in 3.8% and the global mortality rate was 23.3%. Thromboembolic event rate was 0.62 per 100 patient-years in the NOAC group vs. 1.59 in the VKA group [subhazard ratio (SHR) 0.32;95%CI:0.04– 2.45;p=0.27]. Major/clinically relevant bleeding occurred in 0.62 per 100 person-years in the NOAC group vs. 0.60 in the VKA group (SHR 1.28;95%CI 0.18–9.30;p=0.85). Quality of life scores were similar in both groups; however, NOAC-treated patients achieved higher scores in the SAFUCA. Conclusions: HCM patients with AF on NOACs showed similar embolic and bleeding rates to those on VKA. Although quality of life was similar in both groups, the NOAC group reported higher treatment satisfaction.pre-print929 K