Xylopic acid (XA), a diterpene kaurene and the major active ingredient of the African spice Xylopia aethiopica (Annonaceae), is reported to possess anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Here, ...we investigated the therapeutic potential of XA for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a debilitating autoimmune inflammatory disease characterized by joint damage, in the complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis model in rats. We synthesized bioinspired reconstituted high-density lipoprotein (rHDL) nanoparticles loaded with purified XA crystals (rHDL/XA) that passively accumulate in inflamed joints of CFA-induced arthritic rats. Treatment with rHDL/XA minimized mononuclear cell infiltration of CFA-induced arthritic sites and ameliorated disease burden. Metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses revealed that the major molecular pathways perturbed following CFA-induced arthritis correlated with amino acid and lipid metabolism, which were restored to normal states by rHDL/XA treatment. This work demonstrates the anti-RA potential of XA in a nanoformulation and uncovers its underlying therapeutic mechanisms at the transcript and metabolite levels.
The effect of photoperiod on growth and survival in early life was determined in the tropical batch spawning atherinopsid, pike silverside Chirostoma estor. The results demonstrate high sensitivity ...of newly hatched C. estor to photoperiod treatments up to 90 days post hatch shown by improved growth in mass (43%) under continuous illumination. This is accompanied by increased fat deposition, which suggests a critical interaction between different photoperiod‐mediated mechanisms. A thorough understanding of these mechanisms can help to optimize the development of aquaculture of C. estor and similar species.
Soil solution chemistry may be responsible for the solubility and subsequent losses of DOC and DON from terrestrial ecosystems. The objective of this research was to determine whether there was a ...significant difference in recoverable soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC), organic nitrogen (DON), and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) extracted with cold and hot water, 10mM CaCl2, 2M KCl and 0.5M K2SO4 in four long-term agricultural tillage and cropping management systems and whether the type of extractant, tillage or cropping regime was responsible for decoupling the relationship between DOC and DON. The recovery of DOC and DON from soils was highly dependent upon the method of extraction. 10mM CaCl2 recovered the least DOC, which ranged from 49 to 139μgg−1, while 0.5M K2SO4 recovered the most DOC and ranged from 176 to 290μgg−1. Hot water extracted significantly greater DON than any of the other extractants among all cropping and tillage systems. The relationship between DON and DOC was strong and significant in hot and cold water extracts (R2=0.94 and 0.55 respectively), but their relationship was decoupled with chemical extractants and a continuous cropping.
► DOC and DON relationship is decoupled when chemical extractants are used. ► Continuous cropping decouples DOC and DON relationship. ► Cropping is more important than tillage for ammonium-N recovery. ► Nitrate-N pool is larger than ammonium-N and DON pool.
Metals are subject to internal subcellular compartmentalization, altering their bioavailability. Thus, subcellular metal assessments are crucial in biomonitoring efforts. Metal distribution in three ...subcellular fractions (insoluble - ISF, thermolabile - TLF and thermostable - TSF) were determined by ICP-MS in Steno bredanensis specimens from Southeastern Brazil. Associations between metals, metallothionein (MT) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were also investigated. Differential metal-detoxification mechanisms were observed. MT detoxification was mostly noted for As, Cd, and Pb, while Cu, Cr, Hg, Ni, Se and Ti displayed lower MT-associations. Fe, Zn and Se, on the other hand, were poorly associated to MT, and mostly present in the ISF, indicating low bioavailability. This is the first report on subcellular Sn and Ti distribution in cetaceans and the first in this species in Brazil. Potential protective roles of essential metals against toxic elements are postulated. This study indicates that important biochemical detoxification information is obtained through subcellular fraction analyses in marine mammals.
•Subcellular metal distribution in Steno bredanensis organs was assessed.•Metallothionein (MT) detoxification was mostly observed for As, Cd, and Pb.•Fe, Zn and Sn were mostly insoluble and poorly associated to MT.•This is the first report on Sn and Ti subcellular distribution in a cetacean.•Potential protective effects of Zn and Se against Cd and Pb in liver are discussed.
Risk taking decisions related to the unpredictability of resource availability (risk‐sensitive foraging theory) have typically been explained by behavioral ecology and psychology approaches. However, ...little attention has been given to the physiological condition of animals as a factor that can influence the direction of foraging preferences. We evaluated the role of steroid hormones testosterone (T) and corticosterone (CORT) on the foraging preferences expressed by white‐eared hummingbirds Hylocharis leucotis in a risk‐sensitivity experiment. We recorded choices made by male individuals to floral arrays with constant and variable rewards (sugar concentration), and associated these with steroid hormone levels quantified at the start of the experiments. We found that males with higher T levels behave as risk‐prone foragers as they perform more visits to flower arrays with variable rewards. Interestingly, CORT levels were similar regardless whether individuals visited both types of array. According to our results, T seems to influence the foraging preferences of male hummingbirds. Individuals with higher levels of this hormone, made more rapid, frequent visits to flowers with variable rewards, and behave consistently as risk‐prone foragers, compared to males with low T levels. These are exciting avenues for future work, particularly considering recent evidence that individuals may exhibit behavioral differences, denoting an apparent personality, which may be associated with phisiological condition influencing how they respond behaviorally to environmental variation.
This multiagency report developed by the Interagency Collaboration for Genomics for Food and Feed Safety provides an overview of the use of and transition to whole genome sequencing (WGS) technology ...for detection and characterization of pathogens transmitted commonly by food and for identification of their sources. We describe foodborne pathogen analysis, investigation, and harmonization efforts among the following federal agencies: National Institutes of Health; Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Agricultural Research Service, and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. We describe single nucleotide polymorphism, core-genome, and whole genome multilocus sequence typing data analysis methods as used in the PulseNet (CDC) and GenomeTrakr (FDA) networks, underscoring the complementary nature of the results for linking genetically related foodborne pathogens during outbreak investigations while allowing flexibility to meet the specific needs of Interagency Collaboration partners. We highlight how we apply WGS to pathogen characterization (virulence and antimicrobial resistance profiles) and source attribution efforts and increase transparency by making the sequences and other data publicly available through the National Center for Biotechnology Information. We also highlight the impact of current trends in the use of culture-independent diagnostic tests for human diagnostic testing on analytical approaches related to food safety and what is next for the use of WGS in the area of food safety.
Knowledge of the physical, physiological and mechanical properties of fruits is important for its later harvest handling. The physical properties of peach fruit cv. Diamante harvested at ...physiological maturity stage were evaluated, obtaining the following values: sphericity (0.98), density (0.998 g cm super(-3)), bulk density (0.61 g cm super(-3)), porosity (0.38), and packing coefficient (0.70). The respiration rate and mechanical properties (compression load, strain and apparent elasticity modulus) of the peach fruit during storage at room temperature, as a function of its maturity stage (green, middle yellow and yellow) were also evaluated. Middle yellow fruits exhibited higher respiration rate than those corresponding to green and yellow ones. The peach fruit tissue showed anisotropic behavior, varying its mechanical properties with the orientation (tangential or radial) of the compressive load. The mechanical properties of peach exhibited a strong dependence on the degree of maturity at harvest and the rate of senescence progression.
The aim of this work is to show the effect of the electrolyte chemical nature on the formation of self-organized TiO
2
nanotubes (TNT) arrays synthesized via anodic oxidation, when using a Ti ...cathode. The synthesis was performed in situ in a potentiostatic cell provided with an anode and a cathode (both Ti substrates pretreated) under constant hydrodynamic conditions and different anodizing times, temperatures and electrical potentials. Ti electrodes were immersed in 300 mL of each of an inorganic and organic electrolyte. Then, a thermal treatment varying the temperature and the heating rate in each case was applied to convert the amorphous TiO
2
to crystalline TiO
2
. TNT were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). FESEM showed the formation of nanotubular structures perpendicular to Ti substrate with average inner diameters of 84 and 57 nm for TNT synthesized in the electrolytes with different nature tested (inorganic and organic), and labeled hereafter as TNT-I and TNT-O, respectively. EDS spectra from different zones of the substrate confirmed the presence of Ti (~ 34.2%) and O (~ 66%) on the surface of the TNT. The anatase (~ 86%) and rutile (~ 14%) crystalline phases were detected via XRD in both cases. AFM provided information about the topographic profile of TNT and the roughness of the substrates. Thus, the use of a semiconductor cathode allowed the successful synthesis of the TNT and the electrolyte chemical nature was found to influence its morphology, dimensions and formation mechanism.
The T2K experiment studies oscillations of an off-axis muon neutrino beam between the J-PARC accelerator complex and the Super-Kamiokande detector. Special emphasis is placed on measuring the mixing ...angle theta sub(13) by observing v sub(e) appearance via the sub-dominant v sub( mu ) arrow right v sub(e) oscillation and searching for CP violation in the lepton sector. The experiment includes a sophisticated, off-axis, near detector, the ND280, situated 280 m downstream of the neutrino production target in order to measure the properties of the neutrino beam and to understand better neutrino interactions at the energy scale below a few GeV. The data collected with the ND280 are used to study charged- and neutral-current neutrino interaction rates and kinematics prior to oscillation, in order to reduce uncertainties in the oscillation measurements by the far detector. A key element of the near detector is the ND280 electromagnetic calorimeter (ECal), consisting of active scintillator bars sandwiched between lead sheets and read out with multi-pixel photon counters (MPPCs). The ECal is vital to the reconstruction of neutral particles, and the identification of charged particle species. The ECal surrounds the Pi-0 detector (PemptysetD) and the tracking region of the ND280, and is enclosed in the former UA1/NOMAD dipole magnet. This paper describes the design, construction and assembly of the ECal, as well as the materials from which it is composed. The electronic and data acquisition (DAQ) systems are discussed, and performance of the ECal modules, as deduced from measurements with particle beams, cosmic rays, the calibration system, and T2K data, is described.
Summary
Campylobacter fetus is an opportunistic pathogen which causes bacteremia and other invasive infections in immunocompromised patients who have been exposed to livestock or ingested animal ...products (uncooked meat or unpasteurized milk). The present report describes a C. fetus infection in a healthy adult (immunocompetent) who returned from a visit to the Ecuadorian Amazonia and who did not report exposure to the typical sources of infection.
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