Physicochemical characterization and fatty acid content of ‘venadillo’ (Swietenia humilis Zucc.) seed oil

Physicochemical properties of Swietenia humilis Zucc seed oils were determined along with its fatty acid composition, by using gas-liquid chromatography. The oil content found in the germ portion of the seeds was 45.38%. From physicochemical oil evaluations, an oil density of 0.9099 mg∙ml-1 at 28°C; a refraction index of 1.4740 at 20°C; a saponification index of 159.55 mg KOH∙g-1; a peroxide index of 0.739 meq O2∙kg-1, and 0.367% free fatty acid content were shown. From chromatographic oil evaluations, eight fatty acids were identified showing palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0), oleic (C18:1 cis-9), linoleic (C18:2 cis-9,12), and linolenic (C18:3 cis-9,12,15) as the most predominant. The percentage of saturated, monounsatured and polyunsatured fatty acids were at 18.45, 29.27 and 47.50%, respectively. These results show that ‘venadillo’ oil has a high content of essential fatty acids, mainly linoleic and linolenic. Therefore, this oil shows promissory uses as nutritional component to reduce the cholesterol and triglyceride levels in blood, mostly from patients with higher cardiovascular disease risks.Key words: Oil, α-linolenic acid, linoleic acid, oilseeds, Swietenia humilis

Quantification of Leishmania infantum DNA in females, eggs and larvae of Rhipicephalus sanguineus

<p/> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Leishmania infantum </it>is a widespread parasite that affects dogs and humans worldwide. It is transmitted primarily by phlebotomine sand flies, but recently there has been much discussion on the role of the brown dog tick, <it>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</it>, as a potential vector for this protozoan. Recent laboratory and field investigations have contributed to this hypothesis, but a proof of the vector capacity of <it>R. sanguineus </it>has yet to be provided. Following a recent study suggesting that <it>L. infantum </it>passes transovarially from the female tick to her progeny the current study provides new evidence of the transovarial transmission of <it>L. infantum </it>in <it>R. sanguineus</it>.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Engorged females of <it>R. sanguineus </it>were collected from the environment in a dog shelter of southern Italy, where canine leishmaniosis is endemic. In the laboratory, 97 females that successfully laid eggs, their eggs and the originated larvae were subjected to DNA extraction and then tested by a TaqMan-based real time PCR targeting a fragment of the kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) of <it>L. infantum</it>.</p> <p>Results and conclusions</p> <p><it>L. infantum </it>kDNA was detected in engorged females, their eggs and originating larvae, with a parasite load ranging from 1.8 × 10^-4to 10.0 × 10⁰. Certainly, the current study provides further evidence on the passage of <it>L. infantum </it>from <it>R. sanguineus </it>females to their offspring. The observation of promastigote forms in larvae is necessary to definitively confirm this hypothesis, which would raise interesting questions about the possible role of ticks in the maintenance of <it>L. infantum </it>infection among dogs in certain areas.</p

Integrating pressure sensor control into semi-solid extrusion 3D printing to optimize medicine manufacturing

Semi-solid extrusion (SSE) is a three-dimensional printing (3DP) process that involves the extrusion of a gel or paste-like material via a syringe-based printhead to create the desired object. In pharmaceuticals, SSE 3DP has already been used to manufacture formulations for human clinical studies. To further support its clinical adoption, the use of a pressure sensor may provide information on the printability of the feedstock material in situ and under the exact printing conditions for quality control purposes. This study aimed to integrate a pressure sensor in an SSE pharmaceutical 3D printer for both material characterization and as a process analytical technology (PAT) to monitor the printing process. In this study, three materials of different consistency were tested (soft vaseline, gel-like mass and paste-like mass) under 12 different conditions, by changing flow rate, temperature, or nozzle diameter. The use of a pressure sensor allowed, for the first time, the characterization of rheological properties of the inks, which exhibited temperature-dependent, plastic and viscoelastic behaviours. Controlling critical material attributes and 3D printing process parameters may allow a quality by design (QbD) approach to facilitate a high-fidelity 3D printing process critical for the future of personalized medicine

Applications of Laboratory Technology in the Evaluation of the Risk of Rabies Transmissions by Biting Dogs and Cats

While rabies is not a common disease in domestic animal species of the United States, potential exposures to rabies in the form of bites are very common and increasing. A nationwide study conducted among general hospitals shows that 1 percent of emergency room visits are for animal bites, of which 80-90 percent are inflicted by the dog (Callaham 1980). This figure is conservative, as the study did not include pediatric hospitals, the bite of victims that progress only to a physician\u27s office, or those that receive no medical care at all. In Missouri alone, this study would infer about 1500 dog bites per year reaching only the general hospital. The number of dog and other animal bites across the country is unknown but may safely be assumed to be staggering in magnitude

The Dynamics of the Pulmonary Microbiome During Mechanical Ventilation in the Intensive Care Unit and the Association with Occurrence of Pneumonia

RATIONALE: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most common nosocomial infections in patients admitted to the ICU. The adapted island model predicts several changes in the respiratory microbiome during intubation and mechanical ventilation. OBJECTIVES: We hypothesised that mechanical ventilation and antibiotic administration decrease the diversity of the respiratory microbiome and that these changes are more profound in patients who develop VAP. METHODS: Intubated and mechanically ventilated ICU-patients were included. Tracheal aspirates were obtained three times a week. 16S rRNA gene sequencing with the Roche 454 platform was used to measure the composition of the respiratory microbiome. Associations were tested with linear mixed model analysis and principal coordinate analysis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: 111 tracheal aspirates were obtained from 35 patients; 11 had VAP, 18 did not have VAP. Six additional patients developed pneumonia within the first 48 hours after intubation. Duration of mechanical ventilation was associated with a decrease in α diversity (Shannon index; fixed-effect regression coefficient (β): -0.03 (95% CI -0.05 to -0.005)), but the administration of antibiotic therapy was not (fixed-effect β: 0.06; 95% CI -0.17 to 0.30). There was a significant difference in change of β diversity between patients who developed VAP and control patients for Bray-Curtis distances (p=0.03) and for Manhattan distances (p=0.04). Burkholderia, Bacillales and, to a lesser extent, Pseudomonadales positively correlated with the change in β diversity. CONCLUSION: Mechanical ventilation, but not antibiotic administration, was associated with changes in the respiratory microbiome. Dysbiosis of microbial communities in the respiratory tract was most profound in patients who developed VAP.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Reviewing, indicating, and counting books for modern research evaluation systems

In this chapter, we focus on the specialists who have helped to improve the conditions for book assessments in research evaluation exercises, with empirically based data and insights supporting their greater integration. Our review highlights the research carried out by four types of expert communities, referred to as the monitors, the subject classifiers, the indexers and the indicator constructionists. Many challenges lie ahead for scholars affiliated with these communities, particularly the latter three. By acknowledging their unique, yet interrelated roles, we show where the greatest potential is for both quantitative and qualitative indicator advancements in book-inclusive evaluation systems.Comment: Forthcoming in Glanzel, W., Moed, H.F., Schmoch U., Thelwall, M. (2018). Springer Handbook of Science and Technology Indicators. Springer Some corrections made in subsection 'Publisher prestige or quality

MTN-001: Randomized Pharmacokinetic Cross-Over Study Comparing Tenofovir Vaginal Gel and Oral Tablets in Vaginal Tissue and Other Compartments

Background: Oral and vaginal preparations of tenofovir as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have demonstrated variable efficacy in men and women prompting assessment of variation in drug concentration as an explanation. Knowledge of tenofovir concentration and its active form, tenofovir diphosphate, at the putative vaginal and rectal site of action and its relationship to concentrations at multiple other anatomic locations may provide key information for both interpreting PrEP study outcomes and planning future PrEP drug development. Objective: MTN-001 was designed to directly compare oral to vaginal steady-state tenofovir pharmacokinetics in blood, vaginal tissue, and vaginal and rectal fluid in a paired cross-over design. Methods and Findings: We enrolled 144 HIV-uninfected women at 4 US and 3 African clinical research sites in an open label, 3-period crossover study of three different daily tenofovir regimens, each for 6 weeks (oral 300 mg tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, vaginal 1% tenofovir gel [40 mg], or both). Serum concentrations after vaginal dosing were 56-fold lower than after oral dosing (p<0.001). Vaginal tissue tenofovir diphosphate was quantifiable in ≥90% of women with vaginal dosing and only 19% of women with oral dosing. Vaginal tissue tenofovir diphosphate was ≥130-fold higher with vaginal compared to oral dosing (p<0.001). Rectal fluid tenofovir concentrations in vaginal dosing periods were higher than concentrations measured in the oral only dosing period (p<0.03). Conclusions: Compared to oral dosing, vaginal dosing achieved much lower serum concentrations and much higher vaginal tissue concentrations. Even allowing for 100-fold concentration differences due to poor adherence or less frequent prescribed dosing, vaginal dosing of tenofovir should provide higher active site concentrations and theoretically greater PrEP efficacy than oral dosing; randomized topical dosing PrEP trials to the contrary indicates that factors beyond tenofovir's antiviral effect substantially influence PrEP efficacy. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00592124

A MIQE-Compliant Real-Time PCR Assay for Aspergillus Detection

PMCID: PMC3393739This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Studies of copper trafficking in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease by positron emission tomography: comparison of Cu-64 acetate and (64)CuGTSM

Alzheimer's disease can involve brain copper dyshomeostasis. We aimed to determine the effect of AD-like pathology on 64Cu trafficking in mice, using positron emission tomography (PET imaging), during 24 hours after intravenous administration of ionic 64Cu (Cu(II) acetate) and 64Cu-GTSM (GTSMH2 = glyoxalbis(thiosemicarbazone)). Copper trafficking was evaluated in 6–8-month-old and 13–15 month-old TASTPM transgenic and wild-type mice, by imaging 0–30 min and 24–25 h after intravenous administration of 64Cu tracer. Regional 64Cu distribution in brains was compared by ex vivo autoradiography to that of amyloid-β plaque. 64Cu-acetate showed uptake in, and excretion through, liver and kidneys. There was minimal uptake in other tissues by 30 minutes, and little further change after 24 h. Radioactivity within brain was focussed in and around the ventricles and was significantly greater in younger mice. 64CuGTSM was taken up in all tissues by 30 min, remaining high in brain but clearing substantially from other tissues by 24 h. Distribution in brain was not localised to specific regions. TASTPM mice showed no major changes in global or regional 64Cu brain uptake compared to wildtype after administration of 64Cu acetate (unlike 64Cu-GTSM) but efflux of 64Cu from brain by 24 h was slightly greater in 6–8 month-old TASTPM mice than in wildtype controls. Changes in copper trafficking associated with Alzheimer's-like pathology after administration of ionic 64Cu are minor compared to those observed after administration of 64Cu-GTSM. PET imaging with 64Cu could help understand changes in brain copper dynamics in AD and underpin new clinical diagnostic imaging methods