Summary
Green tea has been associated with positive effects in the treatment of obesity and other associated comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes. These benefits are thought to be related to the ...anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant effects of green tea and to the reduction in body fat percentage exhibited by its bioactive compounds. The predominant active compounds in green tea are flavonoid monomers known as catechins, in particular epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate, which is the most abundant and most effective catechin in metabolic care, particularly among obese patients. The objective of this review was to investigate the effects of green tea on body composition, oxidative stress, inflammation and insulin resistance, risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes in obese individuals and the mechanisms that underlie the modulatory actions of green tea compounds on these risk factors. Although green tea has therapeutic potential in the treatment of obese individuals, the findings of this review demonstrate the need for a greater number of studies to confirm the positive effects of green tea, especially regarding the modulation of obesity.
Two heterometallic photocatalysts were designed and probed for water reduction. Both (bpy)2RuIINiII(L1)(ClO4)2 (1) and (bpy)2RuIINiII(L2)2RuII(bpy)2(ClO4)2 (2) can generate the low‐valent precursor ...involved in hydride formation prior to dihydrogen generation. However, while the bimetallic RuIINiII (1) requires the presence of an external photosensitizer to trigger catalytic activity, the trimetallic RuIINiIIRuII (2) displays significant coupling between the catalytic and light‐harvesting units to promote intramolecular multielectron transfer and perform photocatalysis at the Ni center. A concerted experimental and theoretical effort proposes mechanisms to explain why 1 is unable to achieve self‐supported catalysis, while 2 is fully photocatalytic.
Two new heterometallic photocatalysts were probed for water reduction. While the bimetallic RuIINiII requires an external photosensitizer to be catalytic, the trinuclear heterometallic RuIINiIIRuII produces dihydrogen when irradiated with blue light. Mechanisms are proposed to account for these observations.
Advances in the understanding of leishmaniasis progression indicate that cellular interactions more complex than the Th1/Th2 paradigm define the course of infection. Th17 cells are a crucial ...modulator of adaptive immunity against
parasites acting mainly on neutrophil recruitment and playing a dual role at the site of infection. This review describes the roles of both these cell types in linking innate defense responses to the establishment of specific immunity. We focus on the Th17-neutrophil interaction as a crucial component of anti-
immunity, and the clinical evolution of cutaneous or visceral leishmaniasis. To date, information obtained through experimental models and patient evaluations suggests that the influence of the presence of interleukin (IL)-17 (the main cytokine produced by Th17 cells) and neutrophils during
infections is strictly dependent on the tissue (skin or liver/spleen) and parasite species. Also, the time at which neutrophils are recruited, and the persistence of IL-17 in the infection microenvironment, may also be significant. A clearer understanding of these interactions will enable better measurement of the influence of IL-17 and its regulators, and contribute to the identification of disease/resistance biomarkers.
Nutritional risk of European elderly DE MORAIS, C; OLIVEIRA, B; AFONSO, C ...
European journal of clinical nutrition,
11/2013, Letnik:
67, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The elderly constitute a population group with a high prevalence of non-communicable chronic diseases and high risk of malnutrition. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated to ...nutritional risk in free-living European elderly.
The sample included 644 European citizens, free living in the community, aged 65 years or more. The sample was quota controlled for age groups (65-74, ≥75 years), gender (male/female) and living circumstances (living alone/with others). Logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with nutritional risk.
Several variables regarding socio-demographic characteristics, food choice, health status and the satisfaction with food-related life were included in the analysis. According to the recoded score of the 'Determine your nutritional health' (NSI checklist), 53% of the elderly were at nutritional risk. Nutritional risk was more likely to occur in elderly who considered that it was more important to choose foods 'easy to chew'; with lower average number of fruit and vegetables (F&V) intake episodes and lower score for general health. It was also found in non-married participants; those that did not identify changes in their appetite; and those that felt changes in health status. In this sample, the lowest nutritional risk was found for body mass index (BMI) around 18.5 kg/m(2). Country of residence, gender and age were not found to have a significant effect on nutritional risk.
Attention should be drawn to the living circumstances, changes in appetite or health, the general heath perception, F&V intake, choice of foods easy to chew and having a low or high BMI.
In 1981, Dr. Reginald Greene and colleagues illustrated extensive pulmonary artery filling defects in patients with different severity of acute respiratory failure by bedside angiographic studies. ...More recently, perfusion distribution and regional lung ventilation can be assessed at bedside by noninvasive, radiation-free electrical impedance tomography (EIT). In this report, the authors present three patients intubated for acute hypoxic respiratory failure owing to coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The three patients had similar levels of oxygenation but different respiratory system compliance (Figure 1). EIT was used to determine regional ventilation and perfusion distribution. Cases 1, 2, and 3 were assessed after 2, 17, and 19 days of mechanical ventilation, respectively. All patients were assessed by computed tomography (CT) without contrast. Case 1 CT imaging shows peripheral and basilar ground-glass opacities, compatible with known COVID-19 pneumonia. Case 2 and case 3 CT images describe diffuse bilateral ground-glass opacities. Case 1 had threefold higher respiratory system compliance than case 3. In Case 1, EIT showed severe right-lung perfusion anomalies, homogenous ventilation, and a moderate decrease in respiratory compliance (40 ml/cm H2O). Clinical diagnosis of pulmonary embolism was suggested by a high D-dimer (∼5,000 ng/ml) and lower extremity dopplers showing deep venous thrombosis. Case 2 and case 3 showed a progressive decrease of respiratory compliance (as low as 11 ml/cm H2O in case 3), without major perfusion disturbances. This report shows that clinical information of the patient coupled with real-time noninvasive bedside EIT might be helpful to characterize the etiology of hypoxemia of patients with respiratory failure with COVID-19..
Polymer gel systems find applications in diverse areas, ranging from contact lenses to agriculture and oil production. In general, polyacrylamide (PAM) gels are produced by reaction with metallic ...(low temperatures) and organic (high temperatures) crosslinking agents. In this paper, given crescent environmental concerns, polyethyleneimine (PEI), an organic reactant, was chosen as the crosslinker of PAM, at 65 ºC. The effects of using a solution of water/glycerol as the solvent for preparing the gels and the addition of diethylenetriamine (DETA), a n-alkylamine, on the gelation kinetics and gel stability were evaluated. The data presented in this paper indicates that the solvent mixture provided a more controlled gelling behavior by means of delaying the gelation time. Also, diethylenetriamine acted both as an efficient anti-syneresis agent, improving gel stability, and by delaying the progress of gel’s strength.
Open industrial yards of granular materials can result in a large amount of particles emitted into the atmosphere due to wind erosion, offering risks to the environment and to the human health. It is ...important to estimate these emissions in order to manage dust control techniques and environmental polices requirements. There are several studies on particles emission from stockpiles surfaces, but there are few studies considering the re-emission that can occur from the regions around the stockpiles. Therefore, the present work aims to investigate the influence of the fluid flow complex structures near the ground region surrounding stockpiles and how they can influence the re-emission of particles. Experimental work using the oil-film technique and numerical simulations of the flow over one and two successive stockpiles oriented 30°, 60° and 90° to the incoming flow were performed. The results showed that a stockpile or successive stockpiles oriented 60° must be avoided in industrial sites as they promote high values of re-emitted mass around the piles. On the other hand, piles oriented 90° to the incoming flow showed the lowest re-emission potential for the surroundings. Finally, the gap between successive stockpiles showed insignificant influence on the emission estimates.
•We detected FSGS in 15 dipterocarps of 19 species across four forest sites.•GLS models are used to develop indirect operational indicators of FSGS.•Wood density and flower size offer useful ...indicators of FSGS.•We proposed simple guidelines to allow forest managers to account for FSGS.•There is an urge to implement forest management with species specific guidelines.
The lowland tropical forests of Southeast Asia are dominated by a single family of canopy and emergent trees, the Dipterocarpaceae. The seeds of dipterocarps are gravity or gyration dispersed. Short distance and limited seed dispersal via these mechanisms result in the aggregation of related individuals and strong fine-scale spatial genetic structure (FSGS). In logged and fragmented forests, where gene flow may be disrupted, tree species with strong FSGS are predicted to exhibit increased inbreeding, which consequently can erode genetic diversity, fitness and might limit the potential for natural regeneration of dipterocarps. Developing a set of indirect operational indicators for FSGS provides a solid basis for informing conservation and management of forest genetic resources in logged forests. Our main objective was to use an information theoretic approach to identify these indicators of FSGS in dipterocarps. We quantify FSGS in 19 dipterocarp species across four forest sites in Malaysian Borneo, India and the Seychelles. We detected FSGS in 15 (79%) of our study species, most of which displayed significant inbreeding. Our results suggest that wood density and flower size offer useful indicators of FSGS. We propose some simple guidelines to allow forest managers to account for FSGS when planning approaches to maintain genetically diverse stands in logged dipterocarp forests. The integration of improved understanding of genetic processes is essential for conserving forest tree genetic resources and ensuring the resilience of logged forests.
This article concerns with the existence and concentration of positive solutions for the following logarithmic elliptic equation
-
ϵ
2
Δ
u
+
V
(
x
)
u
=
u
log
u
2
,
in
R
N
,
u
∈
H
1
(
R
N
)
,
where
ϵ
...>
0
,
N
≥
3
and
V
is a continuous function with a global minimum. Using variational method developed by Szulkin (Ann Inst H Poincaré Anal Non Linéaire 3:77–109,
1986
) for functionals which are sum of a
C
1
functional with a convex lower semicontinuous functional, we prove, for small enough
ϵ
>
0
, the existence of positive solutions and concentration around of a minimum point of
V
, when
ϵ
approaches zero. We also study the cases when
V
is periodic or asymptotically periodic.
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