The bile duct ligated rat : a relevant model to study muscle mass loss in cirrhosis

Muscle mass loss and hepatic encephalopathy (complex neuropsychiatric disorder) are serious complications of chronic liver disease (cirrhosis) which impact negatively on clinical outcome and quality of life and increase mortality. Liver disease leads to hyperammonemia and ammonia toxicity is believed to play a major role in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy. However, the effects of ammonia are not brain-specific and therefore may also affect other organs and tissues including muscle. The precise pathophysiological mechanisms underlying muscle wasting in chronic liver disease remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we characterized body composition as well as muscle protein synthesis in cirrhotic rats with hepatic encephalopathy using the 6-week bile duct ligation (BDL) model which recapitulates the main features of cirrhosis. Compared to sham-operated control animals, BDL rats display significant decreased gain in body weight, altered body composition, decreased gastrocnemius muscle mass and circumference as well as altered muscle morphology. Muscle protein synthesis was also significantly reduced in BDL rats compared to control animals. These findings demonstrate that the 6-week BDL experimental rat is a relevant model to study liver disease-induced muscle mass loss

lcc: an R package to estimate the concordance correlation, Pearson correlation and accuracy over time

Background and Objective: Observational studies and experiments in medicine, pharmacology and agronomy are often concerned with assessing whether different methods/raters produce similar values over the time when measuring a quantitative variable. This article aims to describe the statistical package lcc, for are, that can be used to estimate the extent of agreement between two (or more) methods over the time, and illustrate the developed methodology using three real examples. Methods: The longitudinal concordance correlation, longitudinal Pearson correlation, and longitudinal accuracy functions can be estimated based on fixed effects and variance components of the mixed-effects regression model. Inference is made through bootstrap confidence intervals and diagnostic can be done via plots, and statistical tests. Results: The main features of the package are estimation and inference about the extent of agreement using numerical and graphical summaries. Moreover, our approach accommodates both balanced and unbalanced experimental designs or observational studies, and allows for different within-group error structures, while allowing for the inclusion of covariates in the linear predictor to control systematic variations in the response. All examples show that our methodology is flexible and can be applied to many different data types. Conclusions: The lcc package, available on the CRAN repository, proved to be a useful tool to describe the agreement between two or more methods over time, allowing the detection of changes in the extent of agreement. The inclusion of different structures for the variance-covariance matrices of random effects and residuals makes the package flexible for working with different types of databases

Aerodinamics of vibro-fluidized beds: a review

Application of mechanical vibration to aid fluidization and to improve heat, mass and momentum transfer are usual processes in agricultural industry and it has found nowadays extensive applications in particle processing of materials difficult-to-fluidized. Equations and experimental data found in literature for the aerodynamics characteristics of vibro-fluidized beds are presented and discussed, emphasizing the vibration effect in the bed.Aplicações da vibração mecânica com o intuito de facilitar a fluidização e aumentar as transferências de calor, massa e quantidade de movimento são processos comumente utilizados nas agroindústrias, que atualmente encontram suas aplicações no processamento de partículas difíceis de fluidizar. Equações e dados experimentais encontrados na literatura das características aerodinâmicas de leitos vibrofluidizados são apresentados e discutidos, ressaltando o efeito da vibração no leito.856869Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report

Objectives: Ayahuasca (AYA), a natural psychedelic brew prepared from Amazonian plants and rich in dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and harmine, causes effects of subjective well-being and may therefore have antidepressant actions. This study sought to evaluate the effects of a single dose of AYA in six volunteers with a current depressive episode. Methods: Open-label trial conducted in an inpatient psychiatric unit. Results: Statistically significant reductions of up to 82% in depressive scores were observed between baseline and 1, 7, and 21 days after AYA administration, as measured on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), and the Anxious-Depression subscale of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). AYA administration resulted in nonsignificant changes in Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) scores and in the thinking disorder subscale of the BPRS, suggesting that AYA does not induce episodes of mania and/or hypomania in patients with mood disorders and that modifications in thought content, which could indicate psychedelic effects, are not essential for mood improvement. Conclusions: These results suggest that AYA has fast-acting anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in patients with a depressive disorder

Proteome of the phytopathogen Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri: a global expression profile

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Citrus canker is a disease caused by <it>Xantomonas citri </it>subsp.<it>citri (Xac)</it>, and has emerged as one of the major threats to the worldwide citrus crop because it affects all commercial citrus varieties, decreases the production and quality of the fruits and can spread rapidly in citrus growing areas. In this work, the first proteome of <it>Xac </it>was analyzed using two methodologies, two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D LC) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In order to gain insight into the metabolism of <it>Xac</it>, cells were grown on two different media (<b>NB </b>- Nutrient Broth and <b>TSE </b>- Tryptone Sucrose broth enriched with glutamic acid), and proteins were proteolyzed with trypsin and examined by 2D LC-MS/MS. Approximately 39% of all predicted proteins by annotation of <it>Xac </it>were identified with their component peptides unambiguously assigned to tandem mass spectra. The proteins, about 1,100, were distributed in all annotated functional categories.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This is the first proteomic reference map for the most aggressive strain of <it>Xanthomonas </it>pathogen of all orange varieties. The compilation of metabolic pathways involved with bacterial growth showed that <it>Xac </it>expresses a complete central and intermediary metabolism, replication, transcription and translation machineries and regulation factors, distinct membrane transporters (ABC, MFS and pumps) and receptors (MCP, TonB dependent and metabolites acquisition), two-component systems (sensor and regulatory components) and response regulators. These data corroborate the growth curve <it>in vitro </it>and are the first reports indicating that many of these genome annotated genes are translated into operative in <it>Xac</it>. This proteomic analysis also provided information regarding the influence of culture medium on growth and protein expression of <it>Xac</it>.</p

Chitosan-magnetite nanocomposite as a sensing platform to bendiocarb determination

A novel platform for carbamate-based pesticide quantification using a chitosan/magnetic iron oxide (Chit-Fe3O4) nanocomposite as a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modifier is shown for an analytical methodology for determination of bendiocarb (BND). The BND oxidation signal using GCE/Chit-Fe3O4 compared with bare GCE was catalyzed, showing a 37.5% of current increase with the peak potential towards less positive values, showing method's increased sensitivity and selectivity. Using square-wave voltammetry (SWV), calibration curves for BND determination were obtained (n = 3), and calculated detection and quantification limits values were 2.09 × 10-6 mol L-1 (466.99 ppb) and 6.97 × 10-6 mol L-1 (1555.91 ppb), respectively. The proposed electroanalytical methodology was successfully applied for BND quantification in natural raw waters without any sample pretreatment, proving that the GCE/Chit-Fe3O4 modified electrode showed great potential for BND determination in complex samples. ᅟ Graphical abstract.The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding provided by the following Brazilian agencies: CNPq-INCT (proc. 573925/2008-9 and 573548/2008-0), CAPES/Funcap (2133/2012/proc. 23038.007973/2012-90 and PNE-0112-00048.01.00/16), CNPq (proc. 400223/2014-7, 303596/2014-7, 302801/2014-6 and 408790/2016-4), PRONEM/FUNCAP/CNPq (PNE-0112-00048.01.00/16) and PRONEX/Funcap (proc. PR2-0101-00030.01.00/15). The Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) and the FEDER, under Programme PT2020 (Project UID/QUI/50006/2013) and the project Qualidade e Segurança Alimentar- uma abordagem (nano) tecnológica (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000011) are also acknowledged for the financial funding. R.M.F. and J.C.D. acknowledge the financial support by Fondecyt 3170240 and Basal Program for Centers of Excellence, Grant FB0807 CEDENNA, CONICYT. C.P.S. thanks CAPES-PNPD for her grant.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Metallochlorophylls of magnesium, copper and zinc: evaluation of the influence of the first coordination sphere on their solvatochromism and aggregation properties

In this study the role of different metal centers (magnesium, zinc and copper) on the enhancement of the hydrophilic character of metallochlorophylls, was evaluated. The solvatochromism as well as the aggregation process for these compounds in water/ethanol mixtures at different volume ratios were evaluated using Fluorescence, and Resonant Light Scattering (RLS) measurements, aiming to characterize the behavior of these compounds. Independently on the studied metallochlorophyll, the presence of at least 60% of water results in a considerable increase in the fluorescence emission, probably a direct consequence of a lower aggregation of these compounds, which is confirmed by the results from RLS measurements. Additionally, the results suggest that magnesium and zinc chlorophyll should be promising phototherapeutic agents for Photodynamic Therapy.No presente estudo, o papel de diferentes centros metálicos (magnésio, zinco e cobre) sobre o caráter hidrofílico de metaloclorofilas foi avaliado. O solvatocromismo, assim como o processo de agregação para esses compostos, em misturas água/etanol foram avaliados usando medidas de fluorescência e de espalhamento de luz ressonante (ELR), visando caracterizar o comportamento desses compostos. Independente da metaloclorofila estudada, a presença de ao menos 60% de água resulta em incremento considerável na emissão de fluorescência apresentada por esses compostos. Isso, provavelmente, é uma conseqüência direta de uma menor agregação, o que é confirmado pelos resultados de ELR. Adicionalmente, os resultados sugerem que as clorofilas de magnésio e de zinco devem ser promissores agentes fototerapêuticos para emprego em Terapia Fotodinâmica.FAPESPFundação AraucáriaFAPEMIGCNPqNanobra

High sensitivity measurements of the CMB power spectrum with the extended Very Small Array

We present deep Ka-band ($\nu \approx 33$ GHz) observations of the CMB made with the extended Very Small Array (VSA). This configuration produces a naturally weighted synthesized FWHM beamwidth of $\sim 11$ arcmin which covers an $\ell$-range of 300 to 1500. On these scales, foreground extragalactic sources can be a major source of contamination to the CMB anisotropy. This problem has been alleviated by identifying sources at 15 GHz with the Ryle Telescope and then monitoring these sources at 33 GHz using a single baseline interferometer co-located with the VSA. Sources with flux densities \gtsim 20 mJy at 33 GHz are subtracted from the data. In addition, we calculate a statistical correction for the small residual contribution from weaker sources that are below the detection limit of the survey. The CMB power spectrum corrected for Galactic foregrounds and extragalactic point sources is presented. A total $\ell$-range of 150-1500 is achieved by combining the complete extended array data with earlier VSA data in a compact configuration. Our resolution of $\Delta \ell \approx 60$ allows the first 3 acoustic peaks to be clearly delineated. The is achieved by using mosaiced observations in 7 regions covering a total area of 82 sq. degrees. There is good agreement with WMAP data up to $\ell=700$ where WMAP data run out of resolution. For higher $\ell$-values out to $\ell = 1500$, the agreement in power spectrum amplitudes with other experiments is also very good despite differences in frequency and observing technique.Comment: 16 pages. Accepted in MNRAS (minor revisions

Proteomics-based identification of differentially abundant proteins reveals adaptation mechanisms of Xanthomonas citri subsp citri during Citrus sinensis infection

Background: Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xac) is the causal agent of citrus canker. A proteomic analysis under in planta infectious and non-infectious conditions was conducted in order to increase our knowledge about the adaptive process of Xac during infection. Results: For that, a 2D-based proteomic analysis of Xac at 1, 3 and 5 days after inoculation, in comparison to Xac growth in NB media was carried out and followed by MALDI-TOF-TOF identification of 124 unique differentially abundant proteins. Among them, 79 correspond to up-regulated proteins in at least one of the three stages of infection. Our results indicate an important role of proteins related to biofilm synthesis, lipopolysaccharides biosynthesis, and iron uptake and metabolism as possible modulators of plant innate immunity, and revealed an intricate network of proteins involved in reactive oxygen species adaptation during Plants'Oxidative Burst response. We also identified proteins previously unknown to be involved in Xac-Citrus interaction, including the hypothetical protein XAC3981. A mutant strain for this gene has proved to be non-pathogenic in respect to classical symptoms of citrus canker induced in compatible plants. Conclusions: This is the first time that a protein repertoire is shown to be active and working in an integrated manner during the infection process in a compatible host, pointing to an elaborate mechanism for adaptation of Xac once inside the plant.Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao PauloFundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas GeraisBIGA grant-CAPESUniv Fed Ouro Preto, Inst Ciencias Exatas & Biol, Dept Ciencias Biol DECBI, Ouro Preto, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Ouro Preto, Nucleo Pesquisas Ciencias Biol NUPEB, Ouro Preto, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Inst Quim, Dept Bioquim DBq, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniv Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Dept Tecnol, Fac Ciencias Agr & Vet Jaboticabal, Jaboticabal, SP, BrazilUniv Estadual Campinas, UNICAMP, Inst Quim, Campinas, SP, BrazilUniv Sao Paulo, Inst Quim, Dept Bioquim, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Ciencias Biol, Diadema, SP, BrazilVirginia Tech, Biocomplex Inst, Blacksburg, VA USAUniv Sao Paulo, Inst Quim, Dept Bioquim, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Ciencias Biol, Diadema, SP, BrazilCAPESFAPESP: 04/02006-7Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais: CBB-APQ-04425-10BIGA grant-CAPES: 3385/2013Web of Scienc