Programming Skeletal Muscle Metabolic Flexibility in Offspring of Male Rats in Response to Maternal Consumption of Slow Digesting Carbohydrates during Pregnancy

Skeletal muscle plays a relevant role in metabolic flexibility and fuel usage and the associated muscle metabolic inflexibility due to high-fat diets contributing to obesity and type 2 diabetes. Previous research from our group indicates that a high-fat and rapid-digesting carbohydrate diet during pregnancy promotes an excessive adipogenesis and also increases the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the offspring. This effect can be counteracted by diets containing carbohydrates with similar glycemic load but lower digestion rates. To address the role of the skeletal muscle in these experimental settings, pregnant rats were fed high-fat diets containing carbohydrates with similar glycemic load but different digestion rates, a high fat containing rapid-digesting carbohydrates diet (HF/RD diet) or a high fat containing slow-digesting carbohydrates diet (HF/SD diet). After weaning, male offspring were fed a standard diet for 3 weeks (weaning) or 10 weeks (adolescence) and the impact of the maternal HF/RD and HF/SD diets on the metabolism, signaling pathways and muscle transcriptome was analyzed. The HF/SD offspring displayed better muscle features compared with the HF/RD group, showing a higher muscle mass, myosin content and differentiation markers that translated into a greater grip strength. In the HF/SD group, metabolic changes such as a higher expression of fatty acids (FAT/CD36) and glucose (GLUT4) transporters, an enhanced glycogen content, as well as changes in regulatory enzymes such as muscle pyruvate kinase and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 were found, supporting an increased muscle metabolic flexibility and improved muscle performance. The analysis of signaling pathways was consistent with a better insulin sensitivity in the muscle of the HF/SD group. Furthermore, increased expression of genes involved in pathways leading to muscle differentiation, muscle mass regulation, extracellular matrix content and insulin sensitivity were detected in the HF/SD group when compared with HF/RD animals. In the HF/SD group, the upregulation of the ElaV1/HuR gene could be one of the main regulators in the positive effects of the diet in early programming on the offspring. The long-lasting programming effects of the HF/SD diet during pregnancy may depend on a coordinated gene regulation, modulation of signaling pathways and metabolic flexibility that lead to an improved muscle functionality. The dietary early programming associated to HF/SD diet has synergic and positive crosstalk effects in several tissues, mainly muscle, liver and adipose tissue, contributing to maintain the whole body homeostasis in the offspring.European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013

A Reduced Order Model for the Design of Oxy-Coal Combustion Systems

Oxy-coal combustion is one of the more promising technologies currently under development for addressing the issues associated with greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants. Oxy-coal combustion involves combusting the coal fuel in mixtures of pure oxygen and recycled flue gas (RFG) consisting of mainly carbon dioxide (CO2). As a consequence, many researchers and power plant designers have turned to CFD simulations for the study and design of new oxy-coal combustion power plants, as well as refitting existing air-coal combustion facilities to oxy-coal combustion operations. While CFD is a powerful tool that can provide a vast amount of information, the simulations themselves can be quite expensive in terms of computational resources and time investment. As a remedy, a reduced order model (ROM) for oxy-coal combustion has been developed to supplement the CFD simulations. With this model, it is possible to quickly estimate the average outlet temperature of combustion flue gases given a known set of mass flow rates of fuel and oxidant entering the power plant boiler as well as determine the required reactor inlet mass flow rates for a desired outlet temperature. Several cases have been examined with this model. The results compare quite favorably to full CFD simulation results

Synthesis, phase composition, Mossbauer and magnetic characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles

The present work describes the synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles by thermal decomposition of Fe-precursors in argon and vacuum environments with control over particle size distribution, phase composition and the resulting magnetic properties. The Rietveld analysis of X-ray diffraction data revealed the crystallinity as well the single-phase of g-Fe2O3 nanoparticles prepared under vacuum, whereas the argon environment leads to the formation of multi-phase composition of g-Fe2O3/Fe3O4 (90%) and wustite (10%). Synchrotron X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) indicates that the predominant phase in both the samples is g-Fe2O3, which is subsequently verified from the Mo¨ssbauerspectra. DC magnetic measurements indicate behavior typical of a superparamagnetic system validated by Mo¨ssbauer analysis. However, further investigation of ac susceptibility by typical Ne´el?Arrhenius andVogel Fulcher magnetic models suggests an influence of interparticle interactions on the overall magnetic behavior of the system.Instituto de Física La Plat

A containerized service for clustering and categorization of weather records in the cloud

This paper presents a containerized service for clustering and categorization of weather records in the cloud. This service considers a scheme of microservices and containers for organizations and end-users to manage/process weather records from the acquisition, passing through the prepossessing and processing stages, to the exhibition of results. In this service, a specialized crawler acquires records that are delivered to a microservice of distributed categorization of weather records, which performs clustering of acquired data (the temperature and precipitation) by spatiotemporal parameters. The clusters found are exhibited in a map by a geoportal where statistic microservice also produce results regression graphs on-the-fly. To evaluate the feasibility of this service, a case study based on 33 years of daily records captured by the Mexican weather station network (EMAS-CONAGUA) has been conducted. Lessons learned in this study about the performance of record acquisition, clustering processing, and mapping exhibition are described in this paper. Examples of utilization of this service revealed that end-users can analyze weather parameters in an efficient, flexible and automatic manner.This work was partially supported by the sectoral fund of research, technological development and innovation in space activities of the Mexican National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) and the Mexican Space Agency (AEM), project No.262891

Konvencionalna i funkcionalna procjena sjemena mužjaka mliječnih koza

Evaluating the reproductive indicators in sheep breeding in Colombia, particularly males, is essential to achieve optimal production parameters. This study aimed to evaluate the semen quality of male goats through both conventional and functional seminal analysis. Semen samples from eight goats were collected and conventional (volume, appearance, colour, motility, vigour, and morphology) and functional (plasma membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential, DNA integrity, lipid peroxidation, and reactive oxygen species production) seminal parameters were evaluated. The results showed an average scrotal circumference of 25.69 cm, seminal volume of 0.51 mL, and concentration of 1936 x 106 sperm/mL. The average individual motility was 63.37%, vigour was four, and the percentage of abnormalities was 7.75%. Individual motility was correlated with the mitochondrial membrane potential (r=0.840, P=0.009) and reactive oxygen species production (r=-0.91, P=0.001). The average of cells with high mitochondrial membrane potential was 52.94%, while 39.29% were necrotic cells, the DNA fragmentation index average was 12.5%, reactive oxygen species production was 38.68%, lipoperoxidation analysis was 7.33% on average, and the integrity of the membrane was 54.77%. The results establish the parameters for the semen from Antioquia goats and confirm that goat semen is of good quality and could be used during artificial insemination programs.Procjena reproduktivnih indikatora u stadima koza u Kolumbiji fokusirana je na mužjake i od osnovne je važnosti za postizanje optimalnih produktivnih parametara. Cilj je ove studije bio ocijeniti kvalitetu sjemena jaraca kroz konvencionalnu i funkcionalnu analizu sjemena. Prikupljeni su uzorci sjemena osam jaraca te su procijenjeni konvencionalni (volumen, izgled, boja, pokretljivost, vitalnost i morfologija) i funkcionalni (integritet stanične membrane, potencijal mitohondrijske membrane, integritet DNK, peroksidacija lipida i proizvodnja reaktivnih spojeva kisika) parametri. Rezultati su pokazali prosječni opseg skrotuma od 25,69 cm, 0,51 mL za volumen sjemena, 1936 x 106 spermija/mL za koncentraciju. Prosječna pojedinačna pokretljivost bila je 63,37 %, vitalnost je bila četiri, a postotak abnormalnosti bio je 7,75 %. Pojedinačna pokretljivost povezana je s potencijalom mitohondrijske membrane (r=0,840, P=0,009) i proizvodnjom reaktivnih spojeva kisika (r=-0,91, P=0,001). Prosjek stanica s visokim potencijalom mitohondrijske membrane bio je 52,94 %, dok je bilo 39,29 % nekrotičnih stanica, prosječni indeks fragmentacije DNK bio je 12,5 %, proizvodnja reaktivnih spojeva kisika bila je 38,68 %, analiza lipoperoksidacije bila je u prosjeku 7,33 %, a integritet membrane 54,77 %. Rezultati utvrđuju parametre za sjeme antioquia koza i potvrđuje da sjeme jaraca predstavlja dobru kvalitetu i moglo bi se koristiti u programima umjetne oplodnje

Sugar content and nutritional quality of child orientated ready to eat cereals and yoghurts in the UK and Latin America; does food policy matter?

Ready to eat breakfast cereals (REBCs) and yoghurts provide important nutrients to children’s diets, but concerns about their high sugar content exist. Food reformulation could contribute to sugar reduction, but policies across countries are not uniform. We aimed to compare the sugar content and nutritional quality of child-orientated REBCs and yoghurts in Latin American countries with the UK. In a cross-sectional study, nutritional information, marketing strategies, and claims were collected from the food labels and packaging of products available in Guatemala, Mexico, Ecuador and the UK. Nutritional quality was assessed using the UK Ofcom Nutrient Profiling System. In total, 262 products were analysed (59% REBCs/41% yoghurts). REBCs in the UK had a lower sugar content (mean ± SD) (24.6 ± 6.4) than products in Ecuador (34.6 ± 10.8; p < 0.001), Mexico (32.6 ± 7.6; p = 0.001) and Guatemala (31.5 ± 8.3; p = 0.001). Across countries, there were no differences in the sugar content of yoghurts. A large proportion (83%) of REBCs and 33% of yoghurts were classified as “less healthy”. In conclusion, the sugar content of REBCs in Latin America is higher than those of the UK, which could be attributed to the UK voluntary sugar reduction programme. Sugar reformulation policies are required in Guatemala, Mexico and Ecuador

Phenoloxidase activity acts as a mosquito innate immune response against infection with semliki forest virus

Several components of the mosquito immune system including the RNA interference (RNAi), JAK/STAT, Toll and IMD pathways have previously been implicated in controlling arbovirus infections. In contrast, the role of the phenoloxidase (PO) cascade in mosquito antiviral immunity is unknown. Here we show that conditioned medium from the Aedes albopictus-derived U4.4 cell line contains a functional PO cascade, which is activated by the bacterium Escherichia coli and the arbovirus Semliki Forest virus (SFV) (Togaviridae; Alphavirus). Production of recombinant SFV expressing the PO cascade inhibitor Egf1.0 blocked PO activity in U4.4 cell- conditioned medium, which resulted in enhanced spread of SFV. Infection of adult female Aedes aegypti by feeding mosquitoes a bloodmeal containing Egf1.0-expressing SFV increased virus replication and mosquito mortality. Collectively, these results suggest the PO cascade of mosquitoes plays an important role in immune defence against arboviruses

Metabolic and Functional Profile of Premenopausal Women With Metabolic Syndrome After Training With Elastics as Compared to Free Weights

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of a strength training program (STP) using free weights (FW) versus elastic tubing (ET) in 62 premenopausal, sedentary women diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (MS). Participants were randomly assigned to the FW or ET experimental group (EG) or a control group whose members remained sedentary. Members of each EG followed their assigned STP for 12 weeks, and biomarkers (BMs) related to MS and motor function (MF) parameters were evaluated. Both EGs showed a significant reduction in C-reactive protein level and a positive trend in the other BMs. Almost all MF parameters increased significantly in both EGs. No positive changes were found in the CG. These results indicate that the implementation of an STP, with either FW or ET, improves both metabolic health and MF and should be considered part of the basic approach to health care in women

Multidrug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis treatment regimens and patient outcomes: an individual patient data meta-analysis of 9,153 patients.

Treatment of multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is lengthy, toxic, expensive, and has generally poor outcomes. We undertook an individual patient data meta-analysis to assess the impact on outcomes of the type, number, and duration of drugs used to treat MDR-TB

Manganese oxide-based catalysts for toluene oxidation

Four different catalysts based on manganese oxide were prepared: a perovskite (LaMnO3), via sol-gel method; Mn2O3, rapid method and an Octahedral Molecular Sieve (OMS-2) by two different preparation methods, via solid state (OMSs) and hydrothermal method (OMSh). The physicochemical properties of these catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption–desorption at −196 °C, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TGA/DTA), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and temperature-programmed reduction with hydrogen (H2-TPR). Their catalytic performances were evaluated in the catalytic oxidation of toluene. Three consecutive catalytic cycles were performed for each catalyst in order to reach steady state performances. In order to assess the stability of the catalysts under reaction conditions, the catalytic performances were studied upon long term experiments running for 24 h at 25% of toluene conversion. For comparison purposes, the catalytic activity of the present manganese oxide catalysts was compared with that of typical industrial catalysts such as a commercial Pd/Al2O3 catalyst containing 0.78% Pd. The crystalline features detected in the XRD patterns, are well-consistent with the formation of the desired structures. Based on their specific surface area and their low-temperature reducibility, the catalysts were ranked as follows: OMSs > Mn2O3 > OMSh > LaMnO3. This trend was in good agreement with the performances observed in the catalytic removal of toluene. A kinetic model was proposed and a good agreement was obtained upon fitting with the experimental data.Se prepararon cuatro catalizadores diferentes a base de óxido de manganeso : una perovskita (LaMnO 3 ), por el método sol-gel; Mn 2 O 3 , método rápido y Tamiz Molecular Octaédrico (OMS-2) por dos métodos de preparación diferentes, vía estado sólido (OMS s ) e hidrotermal (OMS h ). Las propiedades fisicoquímicas de estos catalizadores se caracterizaron por difracción de rayos X (XRD), adsorción-desorción de N 2 a −196 °C, análisis termogravimétrico y térmico diferencial (TGA/DTA), espectroscopia de emisión óptica de plasma acoplado inductivamente (ICP-OES) y reducción a temperatura programada con hidrógeno (H 2-TPR). Sus actuaciones catalíticas se evaluaron en la oxidación catalítica de tolueno. Se realizaron tres ciclos catalíticos consecutivos para cada catalizador con el fin de alcanzar rendimientos de estado estable. Para evaluar la estabilidad de los catalizadores en las condiciones de reacción, se estudiaron los rendimientos catalíticos en experimentos a largo plazo durante 24 h al 25 % de conversión de tolueno. Con fines comparativos, la actividad catalítica de los presentes catalizadores de óxido de manganeso se comparó con la de los catalizadores industriales típicos, como el Pd/Al 2 O 3 comercial.catalizador que contiene 0,78% Pd. Las características cristalinas detectadas en los patrones XRD son consistentes con la formación de las estructuras deseadas. Según su área de superficie específica y su reducibilidad a baja temperatura, los catalizadores se clasificaron de la siguiente manera: OMS s > Mn 2 O 3 > OMS h > LaMnO 3 . Esta tendencia estaba en buen acuerdo con los rendimientos observados en la eliminación catalítica de tolueno. Se propuso un modelo cinético y se obtuvo un buen acuerdo al ajustar con los datos experimentales