Volumetric capnography and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease staging

Spirometry is difficult for some COPD patient to perform. Volumetric capnography could be a second choice test to evaluate the severity of functional disturbances. The aim of this work is to test this hypothesis. A total number of 98 subjects were classified either as normal ex-smokers (N=14) or COPD patients. The latter were staged following GOLD recommendations. Spirometry and volumetric capnography recordings were obtained from each patient. Spirometry parameters, Bohr Dead Space (V(D)Bohr), Airways Dead Space from the pre-interface expirate corrected curve (V(D)aw), Phase III slope (Sl(III)) and Volume of alveolar ejection (V(AE)) were measured. Index of Ventilatory Efficiency (IVE), and Index of Airways Heterogeneity (IAH) were calculated as: IVE = V(AE)/(V(T) - V(D)aw) and IAH = 1-[(V(T)-V(D)Bohr)/(V(T) - V(D)aw)]. In ANOCOVA analysis IAH showed the greatest association with stage (F >40), with no significant covariant dependence on V(T). A receiver operating characteristics curve analysis showed values of the area under the curve greater than 0.9 for IAH and IVE at all stage levels, with a sensitivity = specificity value greater than 80%. We conclude that IAH and IVE can be used when spirometry cannot be reliably performed, as an alternative test to evaluate the degree of functional involvement in COPD patients

3D printed functional cookies fortified with Arthrospira platensis: Evaluation of its antioxidant potential and physical-chemical characterization

In the last few decades, consumers' growing attention to the close relationship between health and nutrition is emerging as a new trend, mostly regarding the incorporation of natural ingredients into food. Among those ingredients, microalgae are considered as innovative and promising compounds, rich in valuable nutrients and bioactive molecules. In the present work, 3D printed cookies were fortified with the microalga Arthrospira platensis aiming at developing a new functional food with antioxidant properties. A. platensis antioxidants were recovered using ultrasound-assisted extraction in hydroalcoholic solutions. Ethanol/water and biomass/solvent ratios were optimised through a Design of Experiments (DOE) approach, using the antioxidant activity (ORAC and ABTS) and total phenolic content (TPC) as response variables. The highest ORAC, ABTS and TPC values were observed in the extract obtained with 0% ethanol and 2.0% biomass; thus, this extract was chosen to be incorporated into a printable cookie dough. Three different incorporation approaches were followed: (1) dried biomass, (2) freeze-dried antioxidant extract and (3) antioxidant extract encapsulated into alginate microbeads to enhance the stability to heat, light, and oxygen during baking and further storage. All dough formulations presented shape fidelity with the 3D model. The cookies had aw values low enough to be microbiologically stable, and the texture remained constant after 30 days of storage. Moreover, the extract encapsulation promoted an improvement in the ORAC value and colour stability when compared to all other formulations, revealing the potential of A. platensis for the development of a functional 3D food-ink.This work was funded by the European Union INTERREG Atlantic Area Programme and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the project “Enhance Microalgae: High added-value industrial opportunities for microalgae in the Atlantic Area” (Ref. EAPA_338/2016).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

How additive manufacturing can boost the bioactivity of baked functional foods

The antioxidant activity of baked foods is of utmost interest when envisioning enhancing their health benefits. Incorporating functional ingredients is challenging since their bioactivity naturally declines during baking. In this study, 3D food printing and design of experiments are employed to clarify how the antioxidant activity of cookies enriched with encapsulated polyphenols can be maximized. A synergistic effect between encapsulation, time, temperature, number of layers, and infill of the printed cookies was observed on the moisture and antioxidant activity. Four-layer cookies with 30% infill provided the highest bioactivity and phenolic content if baked for 10 min and at 180 °C. The bioacitivity and total phenolic content improved by 115% and 173%, respectively, comparing to free extract cookies.Moreover, the proper combination of the design and baking variables allowed to vary the bioactivity of cooked cookies (moisture 35%) between 300 and 700 ?molTR/gdry. The additive manufacture of foods with interconnected pores could accelerate baking and browning, or reduce thermal degradation. This represents a potential approach to enhance the functional and healthy properties of cookies or other thermal treated bioactive food products.The research leading to these results has received funding from FODIAC – Food for Diabetes and Cognition, funded by European Union, under the call Marie Skłodowsk-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (Ref. H2020-MSCA-RISE-778388); PhD grantship from Fondazione di Piacenza e Vigevano (Doctoral School on the Agro-Food System, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore); Fondazione Cariplo through the project ReMarcForFood – Biotechnological strategies for the conversion of Winemaking by-products and their recycling into the food chain: development of new concepts of use, 2016-0740 grant.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Constraints on the structure and seasonal variations of Triton’s atmosphere from the 5 October 2017 stellar occultation and previous observations

J.M.O. acknowledges financial support from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the European Social Fund (ESF) through the PhD grant SFRH/BD/131700/2017. The work leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Community's H2020 2014-2021 ERC grant Agreement nffi 669416 "Lucky Star". We thank S. Para who supported some travels to observe the 5 October 2017 occultation. T.B. was supported for this research by an appointment to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Post-Doctoral Program at the Ames Research Center administered by Universities Space Research Association (USRA) through a contract with NASA. We acknowledge useful exchanges with Mark Gurwell on the ALMA CO observations. This work has made use of data from the European Space Agency (ESA) mission Gaia (https://www.cosmos.esa.int/gaia), processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC, https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/dpac/consortium).Funding for the DPAC has been provided by national institutions, in particular the institutions participating in the Gaia Multilateral Agreement. J.L.O., P.S.-S., N.M. and R.D. acknowledge financial support from the State Agency for Research of the Spanish MCIU through the "Center of Excellence Severo Ochoa" award to the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (SEV-2017-0709), they also acknowledge the financial support by the Spanish grant AYA-2017-84637-R and the Proyecto de Excelencia de la Junta de Andalucia J.A. 2012-FQM1776. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, under Grant Agreement no. 687378, as part of the project "Small Bodies Near and Far" (SBNAF). P.S.-S. acknowledges financial support by the Spanish grant AYA-RTI2018-098657-J-I00 "LEO-SBNAF". The work was partially based on observations made at the Laboratorio Nacional de Astrofisica (LNA), Itajuba-MG, Brazil. The following authors acknowledge the respective CNPq grants: F.B.-R. 309578/2017-5; R.V.-M. 304544/2017-5, 401903/2016-8; J.I.B.C. 308150/2016-3 and 305917/2019-6; M.A. 427700/20183, 310683/2017-3, 473002/2013-2. This study was financed in part by the Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior -Brasil (CAPES) -Finance Code 001 and the National Institute of Science and Technology of the e-Universe project (INCT do e-Universo, CNPq grant 465376/2014-2). G.B.R. acknowledges CAPES-FAPERJ/PAPDRJ grant E26/203.173/2016 and CAPES-PRINT/UNESP grant 88887.571156/2020-00, M.A. FAPERJ grant E26/111.488/2013 and A.R.G.Jr. FAPESP grant 2018/11239-8. B.E.M. thanks CNPq 150612/2020-6 and CAPES/Cofecub-394/2016-05 grants. Part of the photometric data used in this study were collected in the frame of the photometric observations with the robotic and remotely controlled telescope at the University of Athens Observatory (UOAO; Gazeas 2016). The 2.3 m Aristarchos telescope is operated on Helmos Observatory by the Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing of the National Observatory of Athens. Observations with the 2.3 m Aristarchos telescope were carried out under OPTICON programme. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 730890. This material reflects only the authors views and the Commission is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. The 1. 2m Kryoneri telescope is operated by the Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing of the National Observatory of Athens. The Astronomical Observatory of the Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley (OAVdA) is managed by the Fondazione Clement Fillietroz-ONLUS, which is supported by the Regional Government of the Aosta Valley, the Town Municipality of Nus and the "Unite des Communes valdotaines Mont-Emilius". The 0.81 m Main Telescope at the OAVdA was upgraded thanks to a Shoemaker NEO Grant 2013 from The Planetary Society. D.C. and J.M.C. acknowledge funds from a 2017 'Research and Education' grant from Fondazione CRT-Cassa di Risparmio di Torino. P.M. acknowledges support from the Portuguese Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia ref. PTDC/FISAST/29942/2017 through national funds and by FEDER through COMPETE 2020 (ref. POCI010145 FEDER007672). F.J. acknowledges Jean Luc Plouvier for his help. S.J.F. and C.A. would like to thank the UCL student support observers: Helen Dai, Elise Darragh-Ford, Ross Dobson, Max Hipperson, Edward Kerr-Dineen, Isaac Langley, Emese Meder, Roman Gerasimov, Javier Sanjuan, and Manasvee Saraf. We are grateful to the CAHA, OSN and La Hita Observatory staffs. This research is partially based on observations collected at Centro Astronomico HispanoAleman (CAHA) at Calar Alto, operated jointly by Junta de Andalucia and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (IAA-CSIC). This research was also partially based on observation carried out at the Observatorio de Sierra Nevada (OSN) operated by Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (CSIC). This article is also based on observations made with the Liverpool Telescope operated on the island of La Palma by Liverpool John Moores University in the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias with financial support from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council. Partially based on observations made with the Tx40 and Excalibur telescopes at the Observatorio Astrofisico de Javalambre in Teruel, a Spanish Infraestructura Cientifico-Tecnica Singular (ICTS) owned, managed and operated by the Centro de Estudios de Fisica del Cosmos de Aragon (CEFCA). Tx40 and Excalibur are funded with the Fondos de Inversiones de Teruel (FITE). A.R.R. would like to thank Gustavo Roman for the mechanical adaptation of the camera to the telescope to allow for the observation to be recorded. R.H., J.F.R., S.P.H. and A.S.L. have been supported by the Spanish projects AYA2015-65041P and PID2019-109467GB-100 (MINECO/FEDER, UE) and Grupos Gobierno Vasco IT1366-19. Our great thanks to Omar Hila and their collaborators in Atlas Golf Marrakech Observatory for providing access to the T60cm telescope. TRAPPIST is a project funded by the Belgian Fonds (National) de la Recherche Scientifique (F.R.S.-FNRS) under grant PDR T.0120.21. TRAPPIST-North is a project funded by the University of Liege, and performed in collaboration with Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakesh. E.J. is a FNRS Senior Research Associate.Context. A stellar occultation by Neptune's main satellite, Triton, was observed on 5 October 2017 from Europe, North Africa, and the USA. We derived 90 light curves from this event, 42 of which yielded a central flash detection. Aims. We aimed at constraining Triton's atmospheric structure and the seasonal variations of its atmospheric pressure since the Voyager 2 epoch (1989). We also derived the shape of the lower atmosphere from central flash analysis. Methods. We used Abel inversions and direct ray-tracing code to provide the density, pressure, and temperature profiles in the altitude range similar to 8 km to similar to 190 km, corresponding to pressure levels from 9 mu bar down to a few nanobars. Results. (i) A pressure of 1.18 +/- 0.03 mu bar is found at a reference radius of 1400 km (47 km altitude). (ii) A new analysis of the Voyager 2 radio science occultation shows that this is consistent with an extrapolation of pressure down to the surface pressure obtained in 1989. (iii) A survey of occultations obtained between 1989 and 2017 suggests that an enhancement in surface pressure as reported during the 1990s might be real, but debatable, due to very few high S/N light curves and data accessible for reanalysis. The volatile transport model analysed supports a moderate increase in surface pressure, with a maximum value around 2005-2015 no higher than 23 mu bar. The pressures observed in 1995-1997 and 2017 appear mutually inconsistent with the volatile transport model presented here. (iv) The central flash structure does not show evidence of an atmospheric distortion. We find an upper limit of 0.0011 for the apparent oblateness of the atmosphere near the 8 km altitude.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology SFRH/BD/131700/2017European Social Fund (ESF) SFRH/BD/131700/2017European Research Council under the European Community's H2020 2014-2021 ERC grant 669416Spanish Government SEV-2017-0709 AYA-2017-84637-R AYA-RTI2018-098657-J-I00Junta de Andalucia 2012-FQM1776European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, as part of the project "Small Bodies Near and Far" (SBNAF) 687378Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPQ)Fundacao de Apoio a Pesquisa do Distrito Federal (FAPDF) 309578/2017-5 304544/2017-5 401903/2016-8 308150/2016-3 305917/2019-6 427700/2018-3 310683/2017-3 473002/2013-2Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES) 001Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPQ) 465376/2014-2 CAPES-FAPERJ/PAPDRJ grant E26/203.173/2016 CAPES-PRINT/UNESP grant 88887.571156/2020-00Fundacao Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio De Janeiro (FAPERJ) E26/111.488/2013Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP) 2018/11239-8Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPQ) 150612/2020-6European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme 730890Regional Government of the Aosta ValleyTown Municipality of NusUnite des Communes valdotaines Mont-EmiliusPlanetary SocietyFondazione CRT-Cassa di Risparmio di TorinoPortuguese Foundation for Science and Technology PTDC/FISAST/29942/2017FEDER through COMPETE 2020 POCI010145 FEDER007672UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC)Fondos de Inversiones de Teruel (FITE)Spanish Government AYA2015-65041P PID2019-109467GB-100Grupos Gobierno Vasco IT1366-19Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique - FNRS PDR T.0120.21University of LiegeCAPES/Cofecub-394/2016-0

Pleiotropic alterations in gene expression in Latin American Fasciola hepatica isolates with different susceptibility to drugs

Background: Fasciola hepatica is the main agent of fasciolosis, a zoonotic disease affecting livestock worldwide, and an emerging food-borne disease in humans. Even when effective treatments are available, drugs are costly and can result in tolerance, liver damage and normally they do not prevent reinfection. Drug-resistant strains in livestock have been reported in various countries and, more worryingly, drug resistance in human cases has emerged in South America. The present study aims to characterize the transcriptome of two South American resistant isolates, the Cajamarca isolate from Peru, resistant to both triclabendazole and albendazole (TCBZR/ABZR) and the Rubino isolate from Uruguay, resistant to ABZ (TCBZS/ABZR), and compare them to a sensitive strain (Cenapa, Mexico, TCBZS/ABZS) to reveal putative molecular mechanisms leading to drug resistance. Results: We observed a major reduction in transcription in the Cajamarca TCBZR/ABZR isolate in comparison to the other isolates. While most of the differentially expressed genes are still unannotated, several trends could be detected. Specific reduction in the expression levels of cytoskeleton proteins was consistent with a role of tubulins as putative targets of triclabendazole (TCBZ). A marked reduction of adenylate cyclase might be underlying pleiotropic effects on diverse metabolic pathways of the parasite. Upregulation of GST mu isoforms suggests this detoxifying mechanism as one of the strategies associated with resistance. Conclusions: Our results stress the value of transcriptomic approaches as a means of providing novel insights to advance the understanding of drug mode of action and drug resistance. The results provide evidence for pleiotropic variations in drug-resistant isolates consistent with early observations of TCBZ and ABZ effects and recent proteomic findings

Ictiofauna de três praias da baía da Ribeira, Angra dos Reis, Rio de JanEiro

O presente trabalho objetiva descrever a composição, a distribuição, a abundância relativa e a riqueza das espécies de peixes que ocorrem em três praias da Baía da Ribeira, situada no município de Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro. Coletas mensais foram realizadas de dezembro de 1998 a janeiro de 2000 em três áreas: a área 1, localizada na praia da Aroeira, a nordeste da Baía da Ribeira; a área 2, localizada na praia do canal do Bracuí, a oeste; e a área 3, localizada na praia do Saco Piraquara de Fora, a sudoeste. Foram capturados 509 espécimes, compreendendo 17 famílias e 28 espécies. As abundâncias relativas das 6 espécies mais representativas por área de coleta foram: Atherinella brasiliensis com 47,9%, Oligoplites saurus com 12%, Diapterus rhombeus com 9,6%, Gerres aprion com 7,3%, Chirocentrodon bleekerianus com 4,1% e Sphoeroides testudineus com 3,7%. A área 1 apresentou maior abundância relativa com 62,9% do total; a área 2 com 30% e a área 3 com 7,1%. A maior riqueza específica foi observada na área 1 com 6,8, seguida da área 3 com 6,0 e da área 2 com 4,1.   ABSTRACT   Ichthyofauna of three beaches of  Ribeira’s bay, Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro The aim of this paper is to describe the composition, the distribution, the relative abundance and the fishes species wealth that occur in three beaches of Baía da Ribeira, situated in Angra dos Reis’ municipal district, Rio de Janeiro. Monthly collections were accomplished from December 1998 to January 2000 in three areas: the area 1, located in the Aroeira beach, the Baía da Ribeira northeast; the area 2, located in the channel beach of Bracuí, to the west; and the area 3, located in the beach of Saco Piraquara de Fora, the southwest. Five hundred and nine specimens were captured, with 17 families comprehending 28 species. The relative abundance of the six more representative species by the collection areas were: Atherinella brasiliensis with 47.9%, Oligoplites saurus with 12%, Diapterus rhombeus with 9.6%, Eucinostomus aprion with 7.3%, Chirocentrodon bleekerianus with 4.1% and Sphoeroides testudineus with 3.7%. The area 1 showed a larger relative abundance with 62.9% from the total; the area 2 with 30% and the area 3 with 7.1%. Fish-species richness was observed in the area 1 with 6.8, followed by the area 3 with 6.0 and by area 2 with 4.1. Key words: Community, fishes, beaches, bay

Nanoscale-confined Terahertz Polaritons in a van der Waals Crystal

Electromagnetic field confinement is crucial for nanophotonic technologies, since it allows for enhancing light-matter interactions, thus enabling light manipulation in deep sub-wavelength scales. In the terahertz (THz) spectral range, radiation confinement is conventionally achieved with specially designed metallic structures - such as antennas or nanoslits - with large footprints due to the rather long wavelengths of THz radiation. In this context, phonon polaritons - light coupled to lattice vibrations - in van der Waals (vdW) crystals have emerged as a promising solution for controlling light beyond the diffraction limit, as they feature extreme field confinements and low optical losses. However, experimental demonstration of nanoscale-confined phonon polaritons at THz frequencies has so far remained elusive. Here, we provide it by employing scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) combined with a free-electron laser (FEL) to reveal a range of low-loss polaritonic excitations at frequencies from 8 to 12 THz in the vdW semiconductor ${\alpha}-MoO_3$. We visualize THz polaritons with i) in-plane hyperbolic dispersion, ii) extreme nanoscale field confinement (below ${\lambda}_o/75$) and iii) long polariton lifetimes, with a lower limit of > 2 ps

Sialic Acid Glycobiology Unveils Trypanosoma cruzi Trypomastigote Membrane Physiology.

Trypanosoma cruzi, the flagellate protozoan agent of Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis, is unable to synthesize sialic acids de novo. Mucins and trans-sialidase (TS) are substrate and enzyme, respectively, of the glycobiological system that scavenges sialic acid from the host in a crucial interplay for T. cruzi life cycle. The acquisition of the sialyl residue allows the parasite to avoid lysis by serum factors and to interact with the host cell. A major drawback to studying the sialylation kinetics and turnover of the trypomastigote glycoconjugates is the difficulty to identify and follow the recently acquired sialyl residues. To tackle this issue, we followed an unnatural sugar approach as bioorthogonal chemical reporters, where the use of azidosialyl residues allowed identifying the acquired sugar. Advanced microscopy techniques, together with biochemical methods, were used to study the trypomastigote membrane from its glycobiological perspective. Main sialyl acceptors were identified as mucins by biochemical procedures and protein markers. Together with determining their shedding and turnover rates, we also report that several membrane proteins, including TS and its substrates, both glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins, are separately distributed on parasite surface and contained in different and highly stable membrane microdomains. Notably, labeling for α(1,3)Galactosyl residues only partially colocalize with sialylated mucins, indicating that two species of glycosylated mucins do exist, which are segregated at the parasite surface. Moreover, sialylated mucins were included in lipid-raft-domains, whereas TS molecules are not. The location of the surface-anchored TS resulted too far off as to be capable to sialylate mucins, a role played by the shed TS instead. Phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase-C activity is actually not present in trypomastigotes. Therefore, shedding of TS occurs via microvesicles instead of as a fully soluble form

Comportamento do Fluxo de co2 em dois Sítios Experimentais de Cultivo de Arroz

Comportamento do fluxo de CO 2 em dois sítiosexperimentais de cultivo de arro