Changes in saliva proteome in response to bread odour

It is widely recognized that smelling food results in a mouth-watering feeling and influences appetite. However, besides changes in volume, little is known about the effects that food odours have on the composition of saliva. The aim of the present study was to access the effects that smelling bread has on saliva proteome and to compare such effects with those of chewing and ingesting it. Besides a significant increase in saliva flow rate, together with a decrease in total protein concentration, bread odour induced changes in the proportion of different salivary proteins. The expression levels of two spots of cystatins and two spots of amylase increased due to olfactory stimulation, similar to what happened with bread mastication, suggesting that odour can allow anticipation of the type of food eaten and consequently the physiological oral changes necessary to that ingestion. An interesting finding was that bread odour increased the expression levels of several protein spots of immunoglobulin chains, which were decreased by both bread or rice mastication. This may be of clinical relevance since food olfactory stimulation of salivary immunoglobulins can be used to potentiate the oral immune function of saliva. Moreover, the effects of bread odour in the levels of salivary proteins, previously observed to be involved in oral food processing led to the hypothesis of an influence of this odour in the sensory perception of foods further ingested. Further studies are needed to elucidate this point, as well as whether the changes observed for bread odour are specific, or if different food odours lead to similar salivary proteome responses

Ergonomics in "remote work" activities: a workstation adaptation case study in Brazil

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic decreed by the outbreak of the new coronavirus culminated in the need to implement jobs in the homes of employees who had to adhere to the “remote work” style, due to social isolation actions in Brazil. Many of the employees started to work in the absence of adequate working conditions in their homes, impacting the three dimensions of ergonomics, i.e., physical, organizational and cognitive. The objective of this chapter is to report the adjustments made in a workplace after the change of modality from face-to-face (f2f) activities to “remote work” after the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, aiming to adopt actions aimed at ergonomics. The research was carried out with a professional in the area of Environmental and Sanitary Engineering who started remote work in March 2020. The work is of a qualitative nature, using photos to illustrate the changes occurring before and after the installation of the equipments and reports on strategies to improve working conditions in the “remote work”. The cost of physical adaptations was also computed. The most reported complaints collected by the professional were back pain, neck, forearm, wrist and eye pain, in addition to mental fatigue. The necessary equipment and furniture were acquired for the physical adaptation of the workspace. Issues of working hours, days off, means of communication were also addressed, but aspects of cognitive and organizational ergonomics must have the participation of the entire work group to achieve effective results. The accompaniment of a specialized technical professional would be important for the establishment of further assertive actions, seeking the productivity and quality of life of the employee.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Still a Host of Hosts for Wolbachia: Analysis of Recent Data Suggests That 40% of Terrestrial Arthropod Species Are Infected

Wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that manipulate the reproduction of their arthropod hosts in remarkable ways. They are predominantly transmitted vertically from mother to offspring but also occasionally horizontally between species. In doing so, they infect a huge range of arthropod species worldwide. Recently, a statistical analysis estimated the infection frequency of Wolbachia among arthropod hosts to be 66%. At the same time, the authors of this analysis highlighted some weaknesses of the underlying data and concluded that in order to improve the estimate, a larger number of individuals per species should be assayed and species be chosen more randomly. Here we apply the statistical approach to a more appropriate data set from a recent survey that tested both a broad range of species and a sufficient number of individuals per species. Indeed, we find a substantially different infection frequency: We now estimate the proportion of Wolbachia-infected species to be around 40% which is lower than the previous estimate but still points to a surprisingly high number of arthropods harboring the bacteria. Notwithstanding this difference, we confirm the previous result that, within a given species, typically most or only a few individuals are infected. Moreover, we extend our analysis to include several reproductive parasites other than Wolbachia that were also screened for in the aforementioned empirical survey. For these symbionts we find a large variation in estimated infection frequencies and corroborate the finding that Wolbachia are the most abundant endosymbionts among arthropod species

How equal is equality? Discussions about same-sex marriage in Portugal

In Portugal, public and political discussions about same-sex marriage have been going on since the 1990s. In 2010, same-sex marriage was legalized under intense dispute since it excludes same-sex couples from adoption and reproductive rights. During parliamentary debates, political parties and civil organizations linked to the Catholic Church resorted to conflicting ideas of ‘equality’ and ‘difference’ to advance their claims. In this article, we analyse the contents of petitions, bills and parliamentary proceedings concerning the legal recognition of same-sex unions, highlighting the presence of conflicting notions of equality linked to pervasive beliefs about the inadequacy of homo-erotic desire and practices

The genomes of two key bumblebee species with primitive eusocial organization

Background: The shift from solitary to social behavior is one of the major evolutionary transitions. Primitively eusocial bumblebees are uniquely placed to illuminate the evolution of highly eusocial insect societies. Bumblebees are also invaluable natural and agricultural pollinators, and there is widespread concern over recent population declines in some species. High-quality genomic data will inform key aspects of bumblebee biology, including susceptibility to implicated population viability threats. Results: We report the high quality draft genome sequences of Bombus terrestris and Bombus impatiens, two ecologically dominant bumblebees and widely utilized study species. Comparing these new genomes to those of the highly eusocial honeybee Apis mellifera and other Hymenoptera, we identify deeply conserved similarities, as well as novelties key to the biology of these organisms. Some honeybee genome features thought to underpin advanced eusociality are also present in bumblebees, indicating an earlier evolution in the bee lineage. Xenobiotic detoxification and immune genes are similarly depauperate in bumblebees and honeybees, and multiple categories of genes linked to social organization, including development and behavior, show high conservation. Key differences identified include a bias in bumblebee chemoreception towards gustation from olfaction, and striking differences in microRNAs, potentially responsible for gene regulation underlying social and other traits. Conclusions: These two bumblebee genomes provide a foundation for post-genomic research on these key pollinators and insect societies. Overall, gene repertoires suggest that the route to advanced eusociality in bees was mediated by many small changes in many genes and processes, and not by notable expansion or depauperation

Retinol Metabolism in the Mollusk Osilinus lineatus Indicates an Ancient Origin for Retinyl Ester Storage Capacity

Although retinoids have been reported to be present and active in vertebrates and invertebrates, the presence of mechanisms for retinoid storage in the form of retinyl esters, a key feature to maintain whole-organism retinoid homeostasis, have been considered to date a vertebrate innovation. Here we demonstrate for the first time the presence of retinol and retinyl esters in an invertebrate lophotrochozoan species, the gastropod mollusk Osilinus lineatus. Furthermore, through a pharmacological approach consisting of intramuscular injections of different retinoid precursors, we also demonstrate that the retinol esterification pathway is active in vivo in this species. Interestingly, retinol and retinyl esters were only detected in males, suggesting a gender-specific role for these compounds in the testis. Females, although lacking detectable levels of retinol or retinyl esters, also have the biochemical capacity to esterify retinol, but at a lower rate than males. The occurrence of retinyl ester storage capacity, together with the presence in males and females of active retinoids, i.e., retinoic acid isomers, indicates that O. lineatus has a well developed retinoid system. Hence, the present data strongly suggest that the capacity to maintain retinoid homeostasis has arisen earlier in Bilateria evolution than previously thought

miR-143 Overexpression Impairs Growth of Human Colon Carcinoma Xenografts in Mice with Induction of Apoptosis and Inhibition of Proliferation

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are aberrantly expressed in human cancer and involved in the (dys)regulation of cell survival, proliferation, differentiation and death. Specifically, miRNA-143 (miR-143) is down-regulated in human colon cancer. In the present study, we evaluated the role of miR-143 overexpression on the growth of human colon carcinoma cells xenografted in nude mice (immunodeficient mouse strain: N: NIH(s) II-nu/nu). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: HCT116 cells with stable miR-143 overexpression (Over-143) and control (Empty) cells were subcutaneously injected into the flanks of nude mice, and tumor growth was evaluated over time. Tumors arose ∼ 14 days after tumor cell implantation, and the experiment was ended at 40 days after implantation. miR-143 was confirmed to be significantly overexpressed in Over-143 versus Empty xenografts, by TaqMan® Real-time PCR (p<0.05). Importantly, Over-143 xenografts displayed slower tumor growth compared to Empty xenografts from 23 until 40 days in vivo (p<0.05), with final volumes of 928±338 and 2512±387 mm(3), respectively. Evaluation of apoptotic proteins showed that Over-143 versus Empty xenografts displayed reduced Bcl-2 levels, and increased caspase-3 activation and PARP cleavage (p<0.05). In addition, the incidence of apoptotic tumor cells, assessed by TUNEL, was increased in Over-143 versus Empty xenografts (p<0.01). Finally, Over-143 versus Empty xenografts displayed significantly reduced NF-κB activation and ERK5 levels and activation (p<0.05), as well as reduced proliferative index, evaluated by Ki-67 immunohistochemistry (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that reduced tumor volume in Over-143 versus Empty xenografts may result from increased apoptosis and decreased proliferation induced by miR-143. This reinforces the relevance of miR-143 in colon cancer, indicating an important role in the control of in vivo tumor progression, and suggesting that miR-143 may constitute a putative novel therapeutic tool for colon cancer treatment that warrants further investigation