Nitric Oxide Regulates Neurogenesis in the Hippocampus following Seizures

Hippocampal neurogenesis is changed by brain injury. When neuroinflammation accompanies injury, activation of resident microglial cells promotes the release of inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen/nitrogen species like nitric oxide (NO). In these conditions, NO promotes proliferation of neural stem cells (NSC) in the hippocampus. However, little is known about the role of NO in the survival and differentiation of newborn cells in the injured dentate gyrus. Here we investigated the role of NO following seizures in the regulation of proliferation, migration, differentiation, and survival of NSC in the hippocampus using the kainic acid (KA) induced seizuremouse model. We show that NO increased the proliferation of NSC and the number of neuroblasts following seizures but was detrimental to the survival of newborn neurons. NO was also required for the maintenance of long-term neuroinflammation. Taken together, our data show that NO positively contributes to the initial stages of neurogenesis following seizures but compromises survival of newborn neurons.Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal); COMPETE; FEDER [PTDC/SAU-NEU/102612/2008, PTDC/NEU-OSD/0473/2012, PEst-C/SAU/LA0001/2013-2014, PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013-2014]; FCT, Portugal [SFRH/BPD/78901/2011, SFRH/BD/77903/2011

Phytochemical composition and biological activities of Geranium robertianum L.: a review

Abstract After a period of a certain indifference, in which synthetic compounds were favored, the interest in the study of the biological properties of plants and the active principles responsible for their therapeutic properties has been growing remarkably. Geranium robertianum L., commonly known as Herb Robert or Red Robin, is a spontaneous, herbaceous plant that has been used for a long time in folk medicine of several countries and in herbalism’s practice for the treatment of a variety of ailments. Herein, we present a comprehensive review on the phytochemical characterization and the biological activities of this species, which, accompanying the remarkable increase of its use in herbal medicine, has been disclosed in the literature mainly in the last decade. The phytochemical characterization of G. robertianum has been focused mostly on the investigation of solid-liquid extracts of the plant, with special emphasis on phenolic compounds, particularly flavonoids. Studies concerning the essential oils of this species are still scarce but the number of identified compounds is high. The chemistry of G. robertianum is clearly dominated by phenolic constituents, the most studied classes of compounds being tannins, flavonoids and phenolic acids. The confirmation of the antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperglycaemic and cytotoxic activities of G. robertianum, closely related to the high content of phenolic compounds, has come to corroborate in some extent the recognized beneficial proprieties of this medicinal plant.This work is supported by national funds by FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project UID/AGR/04033/2013. V.C. Graça thanks to FCT for a PhD grant (SFRH/BD/52542/2014)

Bioactivity of the Geranium Genus: a Comprehensive Review

Background: Plants from the Geranium genus, which comprises about 400 species, have been used since ancient times in the practice of traditional medicines throughout the world. Therefore, herbal preparations based on Geranium species have found wide usage for the treatment of a variety of ailments. The aim of this work is to present a review, as comprehensive as possible, of the studies concerning different biological activities of Geranium species. Methods: Relevant data were obtained through systematic computer searches from major reputed scientific databases, particularly Web of Science and Scopus. Occasionally, information issued in primary sources not covered by these databases was also included provided published as peer-reviewed literature. This review covers the literature disclosed till the end of 2018. Results: Accompanying the increasing interest in herbal medicines in general, the evaluation of the biological properties of medicinal plants from the Geranium genus has been addressed thoroughly, mostly over the last two decades. Geranium species are endowed with a number of different biological activities. Herein, we present a survey of the results of the studies concerning these different biological activities. Conclusion: Most studies found in the literature effectively contribute to scientifically validate the beneficial properties of Geranium plants claimed by traditional medicines and medical herbalism and demonstrate that many of them possess evident therapeutic properties.This work was supported by European Investment Funds by FEDER/COMPETE/POCI - Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Programme, under Project POCI-01-0145- FEDER-006958 and National Funds by FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the projects UID/AGR/00690/2013 (CIMO) and UID/QUI/00616/2013 (CQ-VR). V.C. Graça thanks FCT for her grant (SFRH/BD/52542/2014). The authors are also grateful to Interreg España-Portugal for financial support through the project 0377_Iberphenol_6_E.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Temporal and spatial variations of atmospheric radiocarbon in the Mexico City metropolitan area

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.-- et al.Proceedings of the 1st International Radiocarbon in the Environment Conference 18–22 August 2014, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK).The Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) produces a complex mixture of gases and aerosols from diverse sources, including burning of fossil fuels, biomass, and wastes, with a significant biogenic contribution. We present the first results of ongoing projects to study temporal and spatial variations of 14CO2 in the area. Temporal variations reconstructed from tree rings of Taxodium mucronatum indicate a considerable radiocarbon depletion, in accordance to the vast amount of fossil fuels burnt inside Mexico Valley, with values between 62 and 246‰ lower than background values for the 1962–1968 period, and lower by 51–88‰ for the 1983–2010 period. The lower dilution found for the last decades might indicate an increase in enriched 14CO2 sources. Results from the spatial distribution, as revealed from integrated CO2 samples and grasses from six points within the MCMA collected during the 2013 dry season, show variations between sites and sample types. For integrated CO2 samples, values range from 35.6‰ to 54.0‰, and for grasses between –86.8‰ and 40.7‰. For three of the sampling points, the grasses are significantly depleted, by up to ~133‰, as compared to the corresponding integrated CO2 sample. This may result from differences in the carbon assimilation period and exposure to different CO2 sources. Higher-than-background Δ14C values were found for all integrated CO2 samples, presumably resulting from 14C-enriched CO2 derived from forest fires in the mountains during the sampling period. Results obtained so far confirm the complexity of the 14C cycle in the MCMA.This research is funded by DGAPA-UNAM through project PAPIIT-IN106113. Scholarships from CONACyT for AMJ and AMR and from Instituto de Geología and DGAPA-UNAM for AGS are gratefully acknowledged.Peer Reviewe

Biodegradation of textile azo dyes by Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Instituto de Biotecnologia e Química Fina / Universidade do Minho (IBQF/UM) - Praxis XXI, Praxis XXI 2/2.1/QUI/44/94, Praxis XXI/BD/9120/96

A study of commercially available complementary foods for infants and young children under 36 months

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Effectiveness of intensive physiotherapy for gait improvement in stroke: systematic review

Introduction: Stroke is one of the leading causes of functional disability worldwide. Approximately 80% of post-stroke subjects have motor changes. Improvement of gait pattern is one of the main objectives of physiotherapists intervention in these cases. The real challenge in the recovery of gait after stroke is to understand how the remaining neural networks can be modified, to be able to provide response strategies that compensate for the function of the affected structures. There is evidence that intensive training, including physiotherapy, positively influences neuroplasticity, improving mobility, pattern and gait velocity in post-stroke recovery. Objectives: Review and analyze in a systematic way the experimental studies (RCT) that evaluate the effects of Intensive Physiotherapy on gait improvement in poststroke subjects. Methodology: Were only included all RCT performed in humans, without any specific age, that had a clinical diagnosis of stroke at any stage of evolution, with sensorimotor deficits and functional gait changes. The databases used were: Pubmed, PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database) and CENTRAL (Cochrane Center Register of Controlled Trials). Results: After the application of the criteria, there were 4 final studies that were included in the systematic review. 3 of the studies obtained a score of 8 on the PEDro scale and 1 obtained a score of 4. The fact that there is clinical and methodological heterogeneity in the studies evaluated, supports the realization of the current systematic narrative review, without meta-analysis. Discussion: Although the results obtained in the 4 studies are promising, it is important to note that the significant improvements that have been found, should be carefully considered since pilot studies with small samples, such as these, are not designed to test differences between groups, in terms of the effectiveness of the intervention applied. Conclusion: Intensive Physiotherapy seems to be safe and applicable in post-stroke subjects and there are indications that it is effective in improving gait, namely speed, travelled distance and spatiotemporal parameters. However, there is a need to develop more RCTs with larger samples and that evaluate the longterm resultsN/

Patterns of enzymatic activity of cell wall-modifying enzymes during growth and ripening of apples

Fruit softening is thought to result from extensive cellwall modifications that occur during ripening. These modifications are the result, at least in part, of the activity of members of cell wall-modifying enzymes from the same families involved in the cell wall loosening which promote tissue extension and growth. In this work, the activities of a set of pectolytic and non-pectolytic cell wall-modifying enzymes, namely polygalacturonase (PG; endo-and exo-acting), pectin methylesterase (PME), pectate lyase (PL), b-galactosidase (b-Gal), a-l-arabinofuranosidase (AFase), endo-1,4-b-glucanase (EGase), xyloglucan endotransglycosylase (XET) and expansin, were monitored during growth and ripening of ‘Mondial Gala’ apple (Malus×domestica Borkh.) fruit. After optimisation of extraction protocols and standard activity assays, activity could be detected in all the assays, except for endo-PG. The overall results suggest that fruit growth and ripening are possibly coordinated by members of the same families of cell wall-modifying enzymes, although different isoforms may be involved in distinct developmental processes. Based on the trend of total activity measured in vitro using equal amounts of protein per developmental stage, the role of EGase seems to be more prominent during growth than during ripening, and XET activity is most important only after the fruit stopped growing and is maintained throughout ripening. b-Gal and AFase activities increased after harvest as the fruit became over-ripe. On the other hand, exo-PG, PL and expansin activities increase from that in unripe fruit to fruit at harvest but are maintained at similar levels thereafter, throughout the over-ripe stages. The patterns of activity observed are discussed in relation to published information about ripening of apples and to results reported using other species

Aminosquaraines as potential photodynamic agents: Synthesis and evaluation of in vitro cytotoxicity

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd The synthesis of several aminosquaraine cationic dyes displaying strong absorption within the so-called phototherapeutic window (650–850 nm) is described. Their cytotoxicity, under dark and illuminated conditions, was tested against several human tumor cell lines (breast, lung, cervical and hepatocellular carcinomas) and non-tumor porcine liver primary cells. All compounds showed to inhibit the growth of the tumor cells upon irradiation more than in the absence of light, in more or less extension, clearly exhibiting photodynamic activity. The photosensitizing ability against some cell lines, together with the low toxicity for the non-tumor primary PLP2 cells displayed by some of the compounds synthetized, turns them into potential candidates as photosensitizers for PDT.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and FEDER for CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2013) and CQ-VR (UID/QUI/00616/2013) financial support.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio