Borage, calendula, cosmos, Johnny Jump up, and pansy flowers: volatiles, bioactive compounds, and sensory perception

The aim of the present work was to study the main volatile and bioactive compounds (monomeric anthocyanins, hydrolysable tannins, total flavonoids, and total reducing capacity) of five edible flowers: borage (Borage officinalis), calendula (Calendula arvensis), cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), Johnny Jump up (Viola tricolor), and pansies (Violaxwittrockiana), together with their sensory attributes. The sensory analysis (10 panelists) indicated different floral, fruity, and herbal odors and taste. From a total of 117 volatile compounds (SPME-GC-MS), esters were most abundant in borage, sesquiterpenes in calendula, and terpenes in cosmos, Johnny Jump up, and pansies. Some bioactive and volatile compounds influence the sensory perception. For example, the highest content of total monomeric anthocyanins (cosmos and pansies) was associated with the highest scores of colors intensity, while the floral and green fragrances detected in borage may be due to the presence of ethyl octanoate and 1-hexanol. Therefore, the presence of some volatiles and bioactive compounds affects the sensory perception of the flowers.The authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for the financial support provided by the research grant [SFRH/BD/95853/2013] and FCT/MEC for the financial support to QOPNA research Unit [FCT UID/QUI/00062/2013], through national funds and when applicable co-financed by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement, and to REQUIMTE through the Project [PEst/UID/ QUI/50006/2013]. The authors are also grateful to FCT (Portugal) and FEDER under Programme PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2013).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Protect Against Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Dysfunction in Huntington's Disease

Transcriptional deregulation and changes in mitochondrial bioenergetics, including pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) dysfunction, have been described in Huntington's disease (HD). We showed previously that the histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) trichostatin A and sodium butyrate (SB) ameliorate mitochondrial function in cells expressing mutant huntingtin. In this work, we investigated the effect of HDACIs on the regulation of PDH activity in striatal cells derived from HD knock-in mice and YAC128 mice. Mutant cells exhibited decreased PDH activity and increased PDH E1alpha phosphorylation/inactivation, accompanied by enhanced protein levels of PDH kinases 1 and 3 (PDK1 and PDK3). Exposure to dichloroacetate, an inhibitor of PDKs, increased mitochondrial respiration and decreased production of reactive oxygen species in mutant cells, emphasizing PDH as an interesting therapeutic target in HD. Treatment with SB and sodium phenylbutyrate, another HDACI, recovered cell viability and overall mitochondrial metabolism in mutant cells. Exposure to SB also suppressed hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1α) stabilization and decreased the transcription of the two most abundant PDK isoforms, PDK2 and PDK3, culminating in increased PDH activation in mutant cells. Concordantly, PDK3 knockdown improved mitochondrial function, emphasizing the role of PDK3 inactivation on the positive effects achieved by SB treatment. YAC128 mouse brain presented higher mRNA levels of PDK1-3 and PDH phosphorylation and decreased energy levels that were significantly ameliorated after SB treatment. Furthermore, enhanced motor learning and coordination were observed in SB-treated YAC128 mice. These results suggest that HDACIs, particularly SB, promote the activity of PDH in the HD brain, helping to counteract HD-related deficits in mitochondrial bioenergetics and motor function.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The present work provides a better understanding of mitochondrial dysfunction in Huntington's disease (HD) by showing that the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex is a promising therapeutic target. In particular, the histone deacetylase inhibitor sodium butyrate (SB) may indirectly (through reduced hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha stabilization) decrease the expression of the most abundant PDH kinase isoforms (e.g., PDK3), ameliorating PDH activity and mitochondrial metabolism and further affecting motor behavior in HD mice, thus constituting a promising agent for HD neuroprotective treatment.FCT, Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML), Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento (FLAD) Life Scienc

A case of paracoccidioidomycosis due to Paracoccidioides lutzii presenting sarcoid-like form

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a fungal disease caused by Paracoccidioides spp., which can cause a systemic granulomatous infection with tegumentary and visceral involvement. Sarcoid-like skin lesions are uncommon and can be misdiagnosed due to similarities with other granulomatous diseases. We report a case of a women presenting with erythematous infiltrated plaques on her face that was treated for leprosy and rosacea with no response and was later diagnosed with PCM, presenting positive serology for Paracoccidioides lutzii.Univ Fed Espirito Santo, Med Sch, BR-29043900 Vitoria, Espirito Santo, BrazilUniv Fed Espirito Santo, Div Infect Dis, BR-29043900 Vitoria, Espirito Santo, BrazilUniv Fed Espirito Santo, Odontol Clin, BR-29043900 Vitoria, Espirito Santo, BrazilUniv Fed Espirito Santo, Dept Pathol, BR-29043900 Vitoria, Espirito Santo, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, BR-04021001 Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, BR-04021001 Sao Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Generation and validation of genetic markers for the selection of carioca dry bean genotypes with the slow-darkening seed coat trait

Slow darkening (SD) is a trait that helps to maintain a brighter seed coat appearance in certain market classes of dry beans. The aim of this study was to generate new fluorescence-based markers and validate previously identified microsatellite markers for linkage to the SD trait in lines of the carioca market class. Four segregating populations were generated by Embrapa, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, from crosses between the SD cultivar BRSMG Madrepe´rola and the regular-darkening cultivars BRS Estilo, BRS Cometa, BRS Nota´vel and BRS Sublime. These populations were screened with the simple-sequence markers Pvsd- 1158 and PVM02TC116 and with a TaqManTM marker designed for the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) PvbHLHp12804. A KASP marker was also designed for the PvbHLHp12804 marker for testing on advanced carioca lines developed by the University of Saskatchewan. In the carioca lines developed by Embrapa, PVM02TC116 proved unsuitable for marker-assisted selection (MAS). Both the Pvsd-1158 and PvbHLHp12804 markers were found to be tightly linked to the gene responsible for the SD trait, with genetic distances calculated at 2.8 cM for Pvsd-1158 and 2.0 and 3.1 cM for PvbbHLHp12804, respectively. These markers presented more than 97% of selection efficiency. The genotypic scoring using the PvbHLHp12804 KASP marker was perfectly correlated with the phenotype in all lines of the University of Saskatchewan. The results of this study validates the use of Pvsd-1158 as a gel-based marker for SD in carioca beans. The new fluorescence-based SNP PvbHLHp12804 markers exhibited very tight linkage to SD in carioca and pinto bean lines. These markers will be ideal for MAS for the SD trait in these market classes

Large emissions from floodplain trees close the Amazon methane budget

Wetlands are the largest global source of atmospheric methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas. However, methane emission inventories from the Amazon floodplain, the largest natural geographic source of CH4 in the tropics, consistently underestimate the atmospheric burden of CH4 determined via remote sensing and inversion modelling, pointing to a major gap in our understanding of the contribution of these ecosystems to CH4 emissions. Here we report CH4 fluxes from the stems of 2,357 individual Amazonian floodplain trees from 13 locations across the central Amazon basin. We find that escape of soil gas through wetland trees is the dominant source of regional CH4 emissions. Methane fluxes from Amazon tree stems were up to 200 times larger than emissions reported for temperate wet forests6 and tropical peat swamp forests, representing the largest non-ebullitive wetland fluxes observed. Emissions from trees had an average stable carbon isotope value (δ13C) of −66.2 ± 6.4 per mil, consistent with a soil biogenic origin. We estimate that floodplain trees emit 15.1 ± 1.8 to 21.2 ± 2.5 teragrams of CH4 a year, in addition to the 20.5 ± 5.3 teragrams a year emitted regionally from other sources. Furthermore, we provide a ‘top-down’ regional estimate of CH4 emissions of 42.7 ± 5.6 teragrams of CH4 a year for the Amazon basin, based on regular vertical lower-troposphere CH4 profiles covering the period 2010–2013. We find close agreement between our ‘top-down’ and combined ‘bottom-up’ estimates, indicating that large CH4 emissions from trees adapted to permanent or seasonal inundation can account for the emission source that is required to close the Amazon CH4 budget. Our findings demonstrate the importance of tree stem surfaces in mediating approximately half of all wetland CH4 emissions in the Amazon floodplain, a region that represents up to one-third of the global wetland CH4 source when trees are combined with other emission sources

Influence of fluid ingestion on heart rate, cardiac autonomic modulation and blood pressure in response to physical exercise : a systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression

A systematic review was undertaken to investigate the involvement of hydration in heart rate (HR), HR variability (HRV) and diastolic (DBP) and systolic (SBP) blood pressure in response to exercise. Data synthesis: The EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, LILACS and Web of Science databases were searched. In total, 977 studies were recognized, but only 36 were included after final screening (33 studies in meta-analysis). This study includes randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs with subjects > 18 years old. The hydration group consumed water or isotonic drinks, while the control group did not ingest liquids. For the hydration protocol (before, during and after exercise), the HR values during the exercise were lower compared to the controls (−6.20 bpm, 95%CI: −8.69; −3.71). In the subgroup analysis, “water ingested before and during exercise” showed lower increases in HR during exercise (−6.20, 95%CI: 11.70 to −0.71), as did “water was ingested only during exercise” (−6.12, 95%CI: −9.35 to −2.89). Water intake during exercise only revealed a trend of avoiding greater increases in HR during exercise (−4,60, 95%CI: −9.41 to 0.22), although these values were not significantly different (p = 0.06) from those of the control. “Isotonic intake during exercise” showed lower HRs than the control (−7.23 bpm, 95% CI: −11.68 to −2.79). The HRV values following the exercise were higher in the hydration protocol (SMD = 0.48, 95%CI: 0.30 to 0.67). The values of the SBP were higher than those of the controls (2.25 mmHg, 95%CI: 0.08 to 4.42). Conclusions: Hydration-attenuated exercise-induced increases in HR during exercise, improved autonomic recovery via the acceleration of cardiac vagal modulation in response to exercise and caused a modest increase in SBP values, but did not exert effects on DBP following exercise

¿Confinar la experiencia escolar en una pantalla?

[Excerto] A educação escolar foi, historicamente, confinada numa sala de aula, a partir de uma tecnologia multissecular: o ensino em classe, capaz de ensinar a todos como se fossem um só, desenvolvido de maneira organizada nos colégios dos Jesuítas. O projeto de uma educação escolar em larga escala baseou-se nessa tecnologia e numa outra, ainda de mais vasto alcance: a imprensa de Gutenberg e o consequente livro impresso. Foi o que permitiu a Coménio (1976), na sua Didáctica Magna, prometer ensinar tudo a todos e em todos os lugares.Nossas escolas, ainda hoje, revelam um modelo organizacional não muito diferente daquele. Por um lado, a “forma escolar moderna” viria a permitir maior acesso à cultura letrada e, em certos períodos históricos, maior democratização da educação. Todavia, os inconvenientes de uma escola de massas, potencialmente mais democrática, que, contudo, privilegiou o modelo de organização industrial, e por vezes militar – massificando a educação escolar e impondo sofisticados instrumentos de controle sobre professores, alunos e suas famílias –, são bem-conhecidos. De Paulo Freire (1987) e suas críticas à educação bancária e à escola burocrática e opressora até Ivan Illich (1977) e sua defesa de uma sociedade sem escolas, para que a educação, como processo de convivencialidade e de humanização, pudesse ocorrer, são inúmeras as queixas contra uma escola que, frequentemente, serviu a propósitos de desumanização, alienação e controle sobre corpos e mentes. Illich acusou os professores de quererem transformar o mundo numa imensa sala de aula; ou seja, numa educação produtivista e em larga escala, que foi enclausurada numa sala, procurando, no entanto, generalizar esse modelo e expandi-lo universalmente, por meio da “maravilha tecnológica”. Com efeito, os processos, diversos e contraditórios, de digitalização da educação escolar, de escola virtual, de desmaterialização da sala de aula, de educação dita “a distância”, de cursos on-line, aí estão, presentes cada vez mais e com pujança, tendo, recentemente, beneficiado do estatuto de recurso emergencial no contexto pandémico da COVID-19. [...](undefined