Here we describe a new class of CPL switches based on oxophilic interactions between chiral sulfoxide-containing ortho-phenylene ethynylene (o-OPE) foldamers and cationic metals. These systems ...represent a unique case combining high glum values (up to 0.7 × 10-2) and high quantum yields in both folded ON and unfolded OFF CPL states.
Background. The LOTCA (Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment) battery is a cognitive screening test which is widely used in occupational health. However, no work has been found that ...explores its use in addiction treatment. Objectives of Study. To explore the convergent validity of LOTCA with neuropsychological tests that assess related cerebral functional areas. Methods. The LOTCA, along with a battery of neuropsychological tests, was administered to a sample of 48 subjects who start a treatment by substance or gambling addictions. Findings. A correlational pattern was observed of a considerable magnitude between the effects of the LOTCA scales and those of some neuropsychological tests, but not with others. There is barely any convergence in measures with memory and executive function tests. Relevance to Clinical Practice. There is a lack of research applying test of occupational assessment to populations of patients treated by addictive behaviors. The LOTCA seems to be a reliable and valid test for preliminary screening of function in certain cognitive areas, easy, and quick to use (around 30 minutes). However, it must be supplemented with other tests for a full and ecological assessment of patients. Limitations. An incident, small-size sample. Recommendations for Further Research. New studies are needed to explore the applicability, diagnostic validity, and whole psychometric quality of the test in addiction-related treatment.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
The large economic costs of full-blown lockdowns in response to COVID-19 outbreaks, coupled with heterogeneous mortality rates across age groups, led to question non-discriminatory containment ...measures. In this paper we provide an assessment of the targeted approach to containment. We propose a SIR-macro model that allows for heterogeneous agents in terms of mortality rates and contact rates, and in which the government optimally bans people from working. We find that under a targeted policy, the optimal containment reaches a larger portion of the population than under a blanket policy and is held in place for longer. Compared to a blanket policy, a targeted approach results in a smaller death count. Yet, it is not a panacea: the recession is larger under such approach as the containment policy applies to a larger fraction of people, remains in place for longer, and herd immunity is achieved later. Moreover, we find that increased interactions between low- and high-risk individuals effectively reduce the benefits of a targeted approach to containment.
Colony defense by social wasps includes aggressive behavior and camouflage with a high diversity of adaptation of their nests to the environment, including substrate choice. The objective of this ...study was to present new data on nesting and colony defense by the Neotropical social wasps Metapolybia cingulata and Metapolybia docilis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Field observations were made on January 4th and 5th, 2022 at the State Park of Iguaçu, state of Paraná, Brazil, on M. cingulata and M. docilis nests and information on nesting of these wasps obtained in 2014 at the Pandeiros River Wildlife Refuge (REVIS), and in 2012 at the Rio Doce State Park, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The types of substrates used by M. cingulata and M. docilis reinforce the importance of nest camouflage as a defense strategy for their colonies. The selection of nesting sites by these species was very variable.
Eight new complexes containing the versatile multidentate ligand 5-pyrimidyl-tetrazolate (pmtz), namely Cu(mu(3)-pmtz)(n) (1), Pd(2)(mu-pmtz)(2)Cl(2) (2), Ni(pmtz)(en)(2)Cl x 2 H(2)O (3), ...Cu(tren)(pmtz)(ClO(4)) (4), Co(2)(tren)(2)(mu-pmtz)(mu-O(2))(ClO(4))(3) x 3 H(2)O (5), Fe(2)(pmtz)(4)(H(2)O)(2)(mu-O) x 5 H(2)O (6), (UO(2))(4)(mu-pmtz)(2)(mu-OH)(2)(mu(3)-O)(2)(H(2)O)(4) x 6 H(2)O (7) and Dy(2)(pmtz)(4)(mu-pmtz)(H(2)O)(6)(pmtz) x 6 H(2)O (8), have been prepared by either conventional solution or hydrothermal techniques and characterised by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Those compounds prepared under hydrothermal conditions ((1), (2), (7) and (8)) exhibit chelating/bridging coordination modes that connect two or three metal ions generating polynuclear species. Thus, compound is a 2D polymer where the ligand exhibits a new chelating/bridging kappa(2)N(1),N(7):kappaN(2):kappaN(3) coordination mode, whereas complexes (2) and (7) are dinuclear and tetranuclear species, respectively, in which the ligand displays a kappa(2)N(1),N(7):kappaN(2) coordination mode. The increase of the metal size favours the adoption of the kappa(2)N(1),N(7):kappa(2)N(4),N(11) bis(chelating)bridging mode. This is the case of compound (8) that contains bulky Dy(III) metal ions. Despite the large size of the UO(2+) metal ion, the pmtz ligand in (7) does not adopt the expected bis(chelating)bridging mode because the uranyl cation hydrolyzes to the highly stable bis(mu(3)-oxo) tetranuclear unit. Conventional mild solution conditions lead to complexes containing monodentate or chelating coordination modes. Thus, compounds (3) and (6) are mononuclear and mu-oxo dinuclear species, respectively, which contain kappa(2)N(1),N(7) chelating pmtz ligands. Compound (4) is mononuclear with the ligand acting in a new monodentate form through the N(1) atom of the tetrazolato ring, whereas (5) is a dinuclear complex where pmtz adopts a new exo-bidentate N(2),N(3) bridging coordination mode. Variable-temperature magnetic measurements of (6) indicate that the oxo-bridge mediates a very strong antiferromagnetic interaction between the iron(III) ions with a J = -222.7 cm(-1). Luminescence measurements show that the pmtz ligands act as "antenna" for energy absorption and transfer to the uranyl emissive state.
Seed oil (Pp-oil) of Plukenetia polyadenia is used by native people of the Brazilian Amazon against arthritis and rheumatism, spreading it on the arms and legs to reduce the pain and inflammation. ...Pp-oil was obtained by pressing dried seeds at room temperature to give a 47.0% yield of oil. It was then subjected to fatty acid composition analysis. The principal fatty acids were linoleic acid (46.5%), α-linolenic acid (34.4%) and oleic acid (13.9%). Then, it was evaluated for its antinociceptive activity in mice, using the acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing, hot plate and formalin test models. Additionally, its toxicity was determined. The Pp-oil proved to have no toxicological effects, showing dose-dependent antinociceptive effect under chemical stimulation. At oral doses of 25-100 mg/kg, Pp-oil significantly reduced the abdominal writhes in the writhing test. A higher oral dose of 200 mg/kg did not induce alterations in the latency time of the hot plate test when compared to the control, suggesting an analgesic activity of peripheral origin. At oral doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg, the Pp-oil significantly reduced the second phase of the algic stimulus in the formalin test. In addition, the antinociception of Pp-oil was reversed by naloxone in the evaluation of its mechanism of action. Therefore, the Pp-oil proved to be safe at very high doses and to show significant analgesic properties. The role of Pp-oil is still being investigated with respect the mechanism of action, but the results suggest that opiod receptors could be involved in the antinociception action observed for the oil of P. polyadenia.
Taking an afternoon nap (siesta) is a common habit. A number of studies have shown an increased cardiovascular mortality in habitual nappers. Afternoon nappers have anthropometric characteristics ...similar to those of patients with sleep apnea. Nappers appear to suffer from more sleep apnea, which could contribute to cardiovascular disorders. Our aim was therefore to determine the association between sleep apnea and napping, as well as to analyze the relationship of sleep apnea and napping with hypertension.
Case-control study.
Residents in the town of Caceres (Spain) with a population of 100,000 inhabitants.
Four hundred five individuals were initially selected (186 nappers and 219 nonnappers).
Telephone interviews were conducted to contact habitual nappers and nonnappers. Out of the total population selected, 90 nappers and 88 nonnappers completed the study protocol (personal interview and polysomnography).
The nappers had a higher frequency of sleep apnea at the 3 cutoff points studied (apnea and hypopnea index > or = 5, > or = 10, > or = 15). The adjusted odds ratio was between 2.8 (confidence interval, 1.3-5.8) and 5.5 (confidence interval, 2.3-13). Napping was associated with hypertension in the univariate analysis (odds ratio: 2.1; confidence interval, 1.1-4), but this association disappeared once sleep apnea was included as a covariate in the multivariate modeling (odds ratio dropped to 1.1).
Our findings suggest that napping could be regarded as a marker of sleep apnea, which could account for the cardiovascular diseases observed in nappers. Given that napping is common and that sleep apnea is treatable, more attention should be focused on this population.
Abstract
Many metabolites are generated in one step of a biochemical pathway and consumed in a subsequent step. Such metabolic intermediates are often reactive molecules which, if allowed to freely ...diffuse in the intracellular milieu, could lead to undesirable side reactions and even become toxic to the cell. Therefore, metabolic intermediates are often protected as protein-bound species and directly transferred between enzyme active sites in multi-functional enzymes, multi-enzyme complexes, and metabolons. Sequestration of reactive metabolic intermediates thus contributes to metabolic efficiency. It is not known, however, whether this evolutionary adaptation can be relaxed in response to challenges to organismal survival. Here, we report evolutionary repair experiments on Escherichia coli cells in which an enzyme crucial for the biosynthesis of proline has been deleted. The deletion makes cells unable to grow in a culture medium lacking proline. Remarkably, however, cell growth is efficiently restored by many single mutations (12 at least) in the gene of glutamine synthetase. The mutations cause the leakage to the intracellular milieu of a highly reactive phosphorylated intermediate common to the biosynthetic pathways of glutamine and proline. This intermediate is generally assumed to exist only as a protein-bound species. Nevertheless, its diffusion upon mutation-induced leakage enables a new route to proline biosynthesis. Our results support that leakage of sequestered metabolic intermediates can readily occur and contribute to organismal adaptation in some scenarios. Enhanced availability of reactive molecules may enable the generation of new biochemical pathways and the potential of mutation-induced leakage in metabolic engineering is noted.
Purpose Hemorrhagic cystitis is an important dose limiting side effect of ifosfamide based cancer chemotherapy. Despite chemoprophylaxis inflammation can still be found in cystoscopy guided biopsies. ...Previous studies confirmed the role of TNF-α and IL-1β. We evaluated the protective effect of the IL-1R antagonist anakinra and the anti-TNF-α antibody infliximab in experimental ifosfamide induced hemorrhagic cystitis. Materials and Methods Hemorrhagic cystitis was induced by an injection of ifosfamide (400 mg/kg intraperitoneally) in Swiss wild-type C57Bl/6, IL-1R–/– , TNFR1–/– or TNFR1/R2–/– mice. Mice were treated 30 minutes before ifosfamide with anakinra (100 mg/kg intraperitoneally), infliximab (5 mg/kg intraperitoneally) or vehicle. Visceral nociception was evaluated after hemorrhagic cystitis induction. At 12 hours the animals were sacrificed. Bladders were harvested to assess bladder wet weight, vascular permeability, macroscopic and microscopic findings, muscle contractility, and for cystometrography. Inflammatory cell infiltration was assessed by myeloperoxidase assay and flow cytometry. Results Anakinra attenuated hemorrhage, edema, neutrophil infiltration, visceral hyperalgesia and bladder dysfunction. IL-1R–/– mice also showed milder hemorrhagic cystitis. Infliximab inhibited bladder edema and visceral hyperalgesia without preventing hemorrhage, bladder dysfunction, neutrophils or accumulation. Additionally, the lack of TNFR1 decreased bladder edema but not cell infiltration whereas concomitant deficiency of TNFR1 and TNFR2 resulted in worse hemorrhagic cystitis. Conclusions Anakinra is effective for preventing experimentally ifosfamide induced hemorrhagic cystitis. It seems that neutrophil and macrophage infiltration in this circumstance depends on IL-1 signaling through IL1R. Possibly TNFR2 has a protective role in hemorrhagic cystitis.
Background and aims
: Studies that have attempted to address the influence of exercise programs on muscle strength have usually analyzed single exercise training types. They have not often addressed ...multicomponent exercise interventions that combine strength, flexibility, balance and aerobic training. The aim of the present study was to assess and compare improvements in muscle strength induced by 24 weeks of two training regimens in elderly adults aged 65–82 years.
Methods
: Participants underwent a multicomponent exercise program (ME, n=25, 69.4±4.1 yrs) or combined ME plus resistance training (CE, n=24, 68.7±4.2 yrs). Maximum strength of knee extensors (KE) and flexors (KF) was measured at 60°/s and 180°/s with an isokinetic dynamometer before and 12 and 24 weeks after the training programs.
Results
: The CE group showed a significant increase in maximum voluntary knee extensors (22.3%, p<0.001) and knee flexors (29.6%, p<0.001) at 180°/s in the non-dominant leg, in knee extensor torque at 60°/s in the dominant (6.7%, p=0.023) and non-dominant leg (17.3%, p<0.001) and in knee flexor torque at 60°/s in dominant (16.4%, p=0.020) and non-dominant leg (24.2%, p<0.001). No significant changes were observed in the ME group after 24 weeks of training.
Conclusions
: The present study indicates that twice-weekly ME has a limited effect on isokinetic muscle strength. Our results also emphasize that adding moderate intensity resistance exercise twice a week to a ME protocol is sufficient to induce higher and significant strength improvements in healthy older subjects.
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