Delayed intramural duodenal hematoma after a simple diagnostic endoscopic ultrasonography fine-needle aspiration procedure

A 65-year-old man was evaluated for a difficult-to-characterize pancreatic head mass in the setting of idiopathic chronic pancreatitis. He had no other relevant medical history and was not taking any anticoagulant or antiplatelet treatment. Endoscopic ultrasonography fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) failed to reveal neoplasm cells. A linear array echoendoscope (Olympus GF-UCT140, Center Valley, PA) was advanced up to the duodenal bulb, from which the head of the pancreas was visualized. After ensuring a vessel-free access to the pancreatic parenchyma, the FNA was performed using a 22G needle (Slimline 22G Handle Needle; Boston Scientific, Marlborough, MA) with a total of 3 passes (Figure 1). Three weeks after this procedure, the patient was admitted for hematemesis preceded by vomiting. On admission, his general physical examination was unremarkable except for jaundice. His blood tests showed no anemia; his platelet count, prothrombin time, amylase, and liver enzymes were within normal range, but his total bilirubin level was elevated (7.4 mg/dL). Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed Mallory-Weiss tears, an evident extrinsic compression of the knee, and the second portion of the duodenum, which could not be passed by the endoscope. The investigation by computed tomography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography led to the diagnosis of an 11-cm intramural duodenal hematoma (IDH), leading to both gastric outlet and main biliary duct obstruction (Figure 2). The case was successfully managed with nasogastric decompression and exclusive parenteral feeding. Symptoms improved within 15 days, and cholestasis progressively disappeared.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cell wall surface properties and flocculence of a Kluyveromyces marxianus strain

Yeast flocculation is under genetic control and is described as a cell wall interaction. This characteristic of yeast cells has been traditionally used in industrial fermentation processes. The surface characteristics of the cell walls are expected to be a determinant factor in the aggregation mechanism. Results confirming this have been reported for Saccharomyces strains. It is important to extend these studies to other genera. Among them, due to its potential industrial interest, Kluyveromyces strains must be considered. In this work are reported results relating cell wall surface properties (hydrophobicity and electrophoretic mobility) with the flocculation ability of a strain of Kluyveromyces marxianus. The effect of proteolytic enzymes, pH, salts and sugars on flocculation was also studied. The results obtained clearly demonstrate that cell wall hydrophobicity is a major determinant in the flocculation ability of the Kluyveromyces marxianus cells.Junta Nacional de Investigação Científica e Tecnológica (JNICT

Comparative analysis of carbon monoxide tolerance among Thermoanaerobacter species

An anaerobic thermophilic strain (strain PCO) was isolated from a syngas-converting enrichment culture. Syngas components cannot be used by strain PCO, but the new strain is very tolerant to carbon monoxide (pCO = 1.7 × 105 Pa, 100% CO). 16S rRNA gene analysis and DNA-DNA hybridization revealed that strain PCO is a strain of Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus. The physiology of strain PCO and other Thermoanaerobacter species was compared, focusing on their tolerance to carbon monoxide. T. thermohydrosulfuricus, T. brockii subsp. finnii, T. pseudethanolicus, and T. wiegelii were exposed to increased CO concentrations in the headspace, while growth, glucose consumption and product formation were monitored. Remarkably, glucose conversion rates by Thermoanaerobacter species were not affected by CO. All the tested strains fermented glucose to mainly lactate, ethanol, acetate, and hydrogen, but final product concentrations differed. In the presence of CO, ethanol production was generally less affected, but H2 production decreased with increasing CO partial pressure. This study highlights the CO resistance of Thermoanaerobacter species.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684)FCT and European Social Fund (POPH-QREN) through postdoc grant SFRH/BPD/104837/2014ERC grant (project 323009) and a Gravitation grant (project 024.002.002) of the Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Netherlands Science Foundation (NWO

Structural basis of proton-coupled potassium transport in the KUP family

Potassium homeostasis is vital for all organisms, but is challenging in single-celled organisms like bacteria and yeast and immobile organisms like plants that constantly need to adapt to changing external conditions. KUP transporters facilitate potassium uptake by the co-transport of protons. Here, we uncover the molecular basis for transport in this widely distributed family. We identify the potassium importer KimA from Bacillus subtilis as a member of the KUP family, demonstrate that it functions as a K+/H+ symporter and report a 3.7 Å cryo-EM structure of the KimA homodimer in an inward-occluded, trans-inhibited conformation. By introducing point mutations, we identify key residues for potassium and proton binding, which are conserved among other KUP proteins

Synthesis and characterization of sensitive hydrogels based on semi- interpenetrated networks of poly 2-ethyl-(2-pyrrolidone) methacrylate and hyaluronic acid

Sensitive hydrogels attract interest due to their soft wet appearance and shape response to environmental variations. The synthesis and characterization of semi-interpenetrated hydrogels obtained by radical-induced polymerization of 2-ethyl-(2-pyrrolidone)methacrylate (EPM) in the presence of different concentrations of hyaluronic acid (HA) using N,N′-methylene-bisacrylamide or triethylene glycol dimethacrylate as crosslinker, followed by freeze-drying, are described. Polymeric systems were characterized by NMR, FTIR, SEM, TGA, and DMA. PEPMHA hydrogels' mechanical properties and swelling were found to be intimately related to HA concentration and crosslinker. The swelling response was assessed for temperature and pH variation in order to study the behavior of the hydrogels. We found that the presence of HA in PEPM polymeric systems induced a sensitivity to pH variation rather than temperature. Finally, the biocompatibility profile of the hydrogels was evaluated, using mesenchymal stem cells. Cell adhesion and proliferation results revealed the non-cytotoxicity of the systems. We estimate that PEPMHA hydrogels can be used for applications in tissue engineering and for the controlled release of bioactive compounds.Contract grant sponsor: Marie Curie Early Stage Training Alea Jacta Est; contract grant number: MEST-CT-2004-8104The authors thank David Gomez, Sofia Caridade, and Justyna Chojnacka for their technical support and BIOIBERICA for the supply of hyaluronic acid. This work was carried out under the scope of the European NoE EXPERTISSUES, projects MAT 2007-63355, PTDC/QUI/68804/2006 (FCT), CIBER-BBN and Plan-E 2009-0144. In the memory of Prof. Roberto Sastre

Thrombophilic risk factors for retinal vein occlusion

The aim is to study risk factors for retinal vein occlusion (RVO), such as thrombophilic and cardiovascular risk factors (CRF). A retrospective consecutive case series of 60 patients with RVO was made, tested for CRF, hyperhomocysteinemia, lupic anticoagulant, antiphospholipid antibody and 5 gene variants: factor V (FV) Leiden (G1691A), factor II (PT G20210A), 5,1-methylenetetra-hydrofolate reductase (MTHFR; 677 C > T and 1298 A > C), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1; 4 G/5 G). More than 1 CRF were present in 36 patients (60%), which had a significantly higher mean age at diagnosis (66.7 ± 12.9 versus 59.5 ± 13.7 with ≤1 CRF, [t(57) = -2.05, p = 0.045, d = 0.54). Patients with thermolabile MTHFR forms with decreased enzyme activity (T677T or C677T/A1298C) had a significant lower mean age [57.6 ± 15.1; t (58) = 3.32; p = 0.002; d = 0.846] than patients with normal MTHFR enzyme activity (68.5 ± 10.2). Regarding CRF and thermolabile forms of MTHFR, the mean age at diagnosis could be significantly predicted [F(2,56) = 7.18; p = 0.002] by the equation: 64.8 - 10.3 × (thermolabile MTHFR) - 5.31 × ( ≤ 1CRF). Screening of MTHFR polymorphisms may be useful in younger RVO patients, particularly when multiple CRF are absent.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Biosignals events detection. A Morphological Signal independent Approach

This study presents a signal-independent algorithm, which detects significant events in a biosignal, withoutprevious knowledge or specific pre-processing steps. From a morphological analysis, the algorithm computesthe instants when the most significant standard deviation discontinuities occur. An iterative optimization stepis then applied. This assures that a minimal error is achieved when modeling the signal segments (betweenthe detected instants) with a polynomial regression. The detection scale can be modified by an optional inputscale factor. An objective algorithm performance evaluation procedure was designed, and applied on twotypes of synthetic signals, for which the events instants were previously known. An overall mean error of20.32 ( 16.01) samples between the detected and the real events show the high accuracy of the proposedalgorithm. The algorithm was also applied on accelerometry and electromyography raw signals collected indifferent experimental scenarios. The fact that this approach does not require any previous knowledge and thegood level of accuracy represents a relevant contribution in events detection and biosignal analysis

Evolution of C, D and S-type cystatins in mammals: An extensive gene duplication in primates

Cystatins are a family of inhibitors of cysteine peptidases that comprises the salivary cystatins (D and S-type cystatins) and cystatin C. These cystatins are encoded by a multigene family (CST3, CST5, CST4, CST1 and CST2) organized in tandem in the human genome. Their presence and functional importance in human saliva has been reported, however the distribution of these proteins in other mammals is still unclear. Here, we performed a proteomic analysis of the saliva of several mammals and studied the evolution of this multigene family. The proteomic analysis detected S-type cystatins (S, SA, and SN) in human saliva and cystatin D in rat saliva. The evolutionary analysis showed that the cystatin C encoding gene is present in species of the most representative mammalian groups, i.e. Artiodactyla, Rodentia, Lagomorpha, Carnivora and Primates. On the other hand, D and S-type cystatins are mainly retrieved from Primates, and especially the evolution of S-type cystatins seems to be a dynamic process as seen in Pongo abelii genome where several copies of CST1-like gene (cystatin SN) were found. In Rodents, a group of cystatins previously identified as D and S has also evolved. Despite the high divergence of the amino acid sequence, their position in the phylogenetic tree and their genome organization suggests a common origin with those of the Primates. These results suggest that the D and S type cystatins have emerged before the mammalian radiation and were retained only in Primates and Rodents. Although the mechanisms driving the evolution of cystatins are unknown, it seems to be a dynamic process with several gene duplications evolving according to the birth-and-death model of evolution. The factors that led to the appearance of a group of saliva-specific cystatins in Primates and its rapid evolution remain undetermined, but may be associated with an adaptive advantage.The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) supported the doctoral fellowship of Ana Pinheiro (SFRH/BD/71252/2010). Joana Abrantes is supported by an FCT Investigator grant (IF/01396/2013). This work was partially funded by FEDER (Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional) funds through the Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade (COMPETE program; FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-028286) and Portuguese national funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia; research project PTDC/BIA-ANM/3963/2012) – Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional (QREN) funds from the European Social Fund and Portuguese Ministério da Educação e Ciência. This work was also supported by OE Funds – State budget through the FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology under the project FCT-ANR/BIA-BIC/0043/2012 and by “Genomics Applied To Genetic Resources” cofinanced by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme 2007/2013 (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).Peer Reviewe

Respiratory versatility in Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774 – a proteomic approach

Poster presented at the Bacterial Electron Transfer Processes and their Regulation Meeting, European Federation of Biotechnology Microbial Physiology Section, 15-18 March 2015, Vimeiro, Portugal

Microencapsulation of essential oils: a review

Essential oils (EOs) are complex mixtures of volatile compounds extracted from different parts of plants by different methods. There is a large diversity of these natural substances with varying properties that lead to their common use in several areas. The agrochemical, pharmaceutical, medical, food, and textile industry, as well as cosmetic and hygiene applications are some of the areas where EOs are widely included. To overcome the limitation of EOs being highly volatile and reactive, microencapsulation has become one of the preferred methods to retain and control these compounds. This review explores the techniques for extracting essential oils from aromatic plant matter. Microencapsulation strategies and the available technologies are also reviewed, along with an in-depth overview of the current research and application of microencapsulated EOs.roject ReleaseME-POCI-01-0247-FEDER-033268, for their research grants from the Agência Nacional de Inovação, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (COMPETE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement. Juliana F. Marques and Marta A. Forte are grateful to the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) of Portugal for their Ph.D. grants, SFRH/BD/112868/2015 and PD/BD/128491/2017, respectively. The authors also acknowledge the funding from FCT/PIDDAC through the Strategic Funds project reference UIDB/04650/2020-2023. This research was funded by the project Repel+: New solutions for mosquito repellence as an application for malaria control (project number 47036) from the Agência Nacional de Inovação, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (COMPETE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement