Rhodnius prolixus not only has served as a model organism for the study of insect physiology, but also is a major vector of Chagas disease, an illness that affects approximately seven million people ...worldwide. We sequenced the genome of R. prolixus, generated assembled sequences covering 95% of the genome (∼ 702 Mb), including 15,456 putative protein-coding genes, and completed comprehensive genomic analyses of this obligate blood-feeding insect. Although immune-deficiency (IMD)-mediated immune responses were observed, R. prolixus putatively lacks key components of the IMD pathway, suggesting a reorganization of the canonical immune signaling network. Although both Toll and IMD effectors controlled intestinal microbiota, neither affected Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas disease, implying the existence of evasion or tolerance mechanisms. R. prolixus has experienced an extensive loss of selenoprotein genes, with its repertoire reduced to only two proteins, one of which is a selenocysteine-based glutathione peroxidase, the first found in insects. The genome contained actively transcribed, horizontally transferred genes from Wolbachia sp., which showed evidence of codon use evolution toward the insect use pattern. Comparative protein analyses revealed many lineage-specific expansions and putative gene absences in R. prolixus, including tandem expansions of genes related to chemoreception, feeding, and digestion that possibly contributed to the evolution of a blood-feeding lifestyle. The genome assembly and these associated analyses provide critical information on the physiology and evolution of this important vector species and should be instrumental for the development of innovative disease control methods.
MyD88 is the main adaptor molecule for TLR and IL-1R family members. Here, we demonstrated that T-cell intrinsic MyD88 signaling is required for proliferation, protection from apoptosis and ...expression of activation/memory genes during infection with the intracellular parasite
, as evidenced by transcriptome and cytometry analyses in mixed bone-marrow (BM) chimeras. The lack of direct IL-18R signaling in T cells, but not of IL-1R, phenocopied the absence of the MyD88 pathway, indicating that IL-18R is a critical MyD88-upstream pathway involved in the establishment of the Th1 response against an
infection, a presently controvert subject. Accordingly,
mice display lower levels of Th1 cells and are highly susceptible to infection, but can be rescued from mortality by the adoptive transfer of WT CD4
T cells. Our findings establish the T-cell intrinsic IL-18R/MyD88 pathway as a crucial element for induction of cognate Th1 responses against an important human pathogen.
Some species of fish can be induced to swim under optimal conditions aiming to improve their growth performance and welfare. This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of induced sustained ...swimming on the growth performance, metabolic parameters standard metabolic rate (SMR), maximum metabolic rate (MMR), absolute aerobic scope (AAS), and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), external morphology, skeletal muscle fiber characteristics and distribution of juvenile gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), as well as immune and metabolic markers. Fish with a body mass of 26.89 ± 0.26 g and a total length of 12.27 ± 0.04 cm were induced to swim continuously at 1.1 body lengths s−1 (S group) or maintained under minimal water flow with fish displaying spontaneous swimming activity (C group) for 13 weeks. The water current in the S group was maintained at a similar level and by the end of the trial; the swimming speed was 0.8 body lengths s−1. Long-term induced swimming activity had no significant effect on the growth rate, feed efficiency, or red and white muscle cross-sectional area, fiber diameter, and density. However, swimming significantly changed the body shape of gilthead seabream, with the S group having shallower bodies, more pronounced nuchal humps, flatter abdomens, and larger caudal fins compared with the C group. SMR, MMR, AAS, and EPOC were similar in both experimental groups. Hematocrit and plasma lactate levels were significantly higher in the S group, whereas plasma glucose, protease, and anti-protease activities were not different between both groups. Despite the lack of changes in growth performance, feed efficiency, skeletal muscle morphological traits, and metabolic rates, induced swimming changed the body shape of seabream, and increased the oxygen-carrying capacity and plasma lactate levels.
•Swimming changed the body shape, resulting in a more streamlined seabream.•Hematocrit values were increased in swimming fish, suggesting a higher oxygen-carrying capacity.•Higher plasma lactate levels in swimming fish due to an enhanced muscle release.•Growth performance and feed efficiency were unaffected by swimming.•Skeletal muscle fiber characteristics and metabolic rates were unchanged with swimming.
This study evaluated the effect of the core substrate type (dentin and composite resin) on the retention of crowns made of yttrium oxide stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP), submitted ...to three inner surface conditionings. For this purpose, 72 freshly extracted molars were embedded in acrylic resin, perpendicular to the long axis, and prepared for full crowns: 36 specimens had crown preparations in dentin; the remaining 36 teeth had the crowns removed, and crown preparations were reconstructed with composite resin plus fiber posts with dimensions identical to the prepared dentin. The preparations were impressed using addition silicone, and 72 Y-TZP copings for the tensile test were produced. Cementation was performed with a dual-cured cement containing phosphate monomers. For cementation, the crown preparation (dentin or resin) was conditioned with the adhesive system, and the ceramic was subjected to one of three surface treatments: isopropyl alcohol, tribochemical silica coating, or thin low-fusing glassy porcelain layer application plus silanization. After 24 hours, all specimens were submitted to thermocycling (6000 cycles) and placed in a special tensile testing device in a universal testing machine to determine failure loads. The failure modes of all samples were analyzed under a stereomicroscope. Two-way analysis of variance showed that the surface treatment and substrate type (α=0.05) affected the tensile retention results. The dentin substrate presented the highest tensile retention values, regardless of the surface treatment. When the substrate was resin, the tribochemical silica coating and low-fusing glaze application plus silanization groups showed the higher retention values.
Managing electrical conductivity levels is one of the fundamentals required to obtain greater production and better quality of vegetables. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ...electrical conductivity of the nutrient solution on the kohlrabi crop cultivated in semi-hydroponic system. A randomized block design was used with five treatments associated with the electrical conductivity of the nutrient solution (1.31, 1.71, 2.37, 2.98, and 3.75 dS m.sup.-1) and four replications. The plants were harvested 78 days after transplanting and evaluated for growth, production, and postharvest quality. Nutrient solution with electrical conductivity (EC) of 1.31 dS m.sup.-1 promotes greater production of purple kohlrabi. The increase in EC reduced linearly most of the analyzed variables (leaf area, fresh mass of leaves, bulb and shoot, dry mass of leaves and total, bulb volume and firmness), with more significant losses for the bulb fresh mass (50.54%) and bulb volume (57.37%) variables. The use of nutrient solution with EC between 2.3 and 2.9 dS m.sup.-1 increased the vitamin C content and the titratable acidity. Key words: Brassica oleracea Gongylodes Group, mineral nutrition, hydroponic cultivation O manejo dos niveis de condutividade eletrica e um dos fundamentos necessarios para se obter maior producao e melhor qualidade de hortalicas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da condutividade eletrica da solucao nutritiva na cultura da couve-rabano cultivada em sistema semi-hidroponico. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados com cinco tratamentos associados a condutividade eletrica da solucao nutritiva (1,31; 1,71; 2,37; 2,98 e 3,75 dS m.sup.-1) e quatro repeticoes. As plantas foram colhidas 78 dias apos o transplante e avaliadas quanto ao crescimento, producao e qualidade pos-colheita. Solucao nutritiva com condutividade eletrica (CE) de 1,31 dS m.sup.-1 proporciona maior producao de couve-rabano roxa. O aumento da CE reduziu linearmente a maioria das variaveis analisadas (area foliar, massa fresca de folhas, bulbos e parte aerea, massa seca de folhas e totais, volume e firmeza de bulbos), com perdas mais expressivas para as variaveis massa fresca de bulbos (50,54%) e volume de bulbos (57,37%). A utilizacao de solucao nutritiva com CE entre 2,3 e 2,9 dS m.sup.-1 aumentou o teor de vitamina C e a acidez titulavel. Palavras-chave: Brassica oleracea Gongylodes Group, nutricao mineral, cultivo hidroponico
The antimalarial activity of peroxides most likely originates from their interaction with iron(II) species located inside the malaria parasite, which forms destructive radical species through a ...Fenton‐like mechanism. This article reports the first evaluation of the in vitro antimalarial activity of three peroxides of the class 1,2‐dioxetanes against Plasmodium falciparum; the results reveal that the studied 3‐methoxy‐1,2‐dioxetanes display significant antimalarial activity, at a similar level as artemisinin and also that their reactivity toward iron(II) correlate linearly with their antimalarial activity.
The antimalarial activity of 3‐methoxy‐1,2‐dioxetanes was determined, and is at a similar level as artemisinin; also, their reactivity towards iron(II) correlate linearly with their antimalarial activity.
To evaluate the effects of radiation therapy on deciduous teeth.
The enamel and dentin microhardness (n = 12) was evaluated at 3 depths, both before (control) and after each 10 Gy of irradiation and ...up to a dose of 60 Gy. The morphology was evaluated via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) (n = 8). The data were analyzed using a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's test (α = 5%).
The enamel microhardness, as a whole, increased (p < 0.05) after a dose of 60 Gy (211.4 KH), mostly in the superficial enamel. There was a significant difference between the values of nonirradiated dentin microhardness (28.9 KH) compared with dentin that was irradiated with doses of 10 Gy (23.8 KH), 20 Gy (25.6 KH), 30 Gy (24.8 KH), and 40 Gy (25.7 KH) (p < 0.05). There was no difference between nonirradiated dentin and dentin irradiated with 60 Gy (p > 0.05). The highest mean value of microhardness (29.9 KH) (p < 0.05) was found in the middle dentin. The groups that were irradiated with doses of 30 and 60 Gy exhibited greater surface changes in their enamel and dentin compared with the nonirradiated groups for all regions, exhibiting an amorphous surface upon increase of the irradiation doses.
The enamel microhardness increased at a dose of 60 Gy, whereas the value of the dentin microhardness did not change. A progressive disruption of enamel and dentin morphology was found with the increased radiation dose.
Abstract
The understanding of the natural history of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and temporal trajectories of in vivo molecular mechanisms requires longitudinal approaches. A behavioral and multimodal ...imaging study was performed at 4/8/12 and 16 months of age in a triple transgenic mouse model of AD (3xTg-AD). Behavioral assessment included the open field and novel object recognition tests. Molecular characterization evaluated hippocampal levels of amyloid β (Aβ) and hyperphosphorylated tau. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) included assessment of hippocampal structural integrity, blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability and neurospectroscopy to determine levels of the endogenous neuroprotector taurine. Longitudinal brain amyloid accumulation was assessed using 11C Pittsburgh compound B positron emission tomography (PET), and neuroinflammation/microglia activation was investigated using 11C-PK1195. We found altered locomotor activity at months 4/8 and 16 months and recognition memory impairment at all time points. Substantial early reduction of hippocampal volume started at month 4 and progressed over 8/12 and 16 months. Hippocampal taurine levels were significantly decreased in the hippocampus at months 4/8 and 16. No differences were found for amyloid and neuroinflammation with PET, and BBB was disrupted only at month 16. In summary, 3xTg-AD mice showed exploratory and recognition memory impairments, early hippocampal structural loss, increased Aβ and hyperphosphorylated tau and decreased levels of taurine. In sum, the 3xTg-AD animal model mimics pathological and neurobehavioral features of AD, with early-onset recognition memory loss and MRI-documented hippocampal damage. The early-onset profile suggests temporal windows and opportunities for therapeutic intervention, targeting endogenous neuroprotectors such as taurine.
Automated graphical user interface (GUI) tests can reduce manual testing activities and increase test frequency. This motivates the conversion of manual test cases into automated GUI tests. However, ...it is not clear whether such automation is cost-effective given that GUI automation scripts add to the code base and demand maintenance as a system evolves. In this paper, we introduce a method for estimating maintenance cost and Return on Investment (ROI) for Automated GUI Testing (AGT). The method utilizes the existing source code change history and has the potential to be used for the evaluation of other testing or quality assurance automation technologies. We evaluate the method for a real-world, industrial software system and compare two fundamentally different AGT frameworks, namely Selenium and EyeAutomate, to estimate and compare their ROI. We also report on their defect-finding capabilities and usability. The quantitative data is complemented by interviews with employees at the company the study has been conducted at. The method was successfully applied, and estimated maintenance cost and ROI for both frameworks are reported. Overall, the study supports earlier results showing that implementation time is the leading cost for introducing AGT. The findings further suggest that, while EyeAutomate tests are significantly faster to implement, Selenium tests require more of a programming background but less maintenance.
•The acute effects of NIV on cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cognitive functions in COPD are unknown.•One hour of NIV reversibly reduced CBF in healthy controls and non-hypercapnic stable COPD.•It was ...associated with improvements in the executive function in healthy volunteers, but not in COPD.•Future investigations are needed to evaluate the long-term effects of NIV on CBF and cognitive functions in COPD.
Investigate the acute effects of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) on cerebral blood flow (CBF) and on cognitive functions in COPD.
Nine non-hypercapnic stable COPD and twelve healthy controls were enrolled. CBF (transcranial Doppler), cognitive tests and cardiorespiratory response were performed at baseline, during one hour of NIV and after 30 min.
Both groups had an increase in tidal volume and reduction in respiratory rate during NIV, but only controls showed PaCO2 reductions (41.2 ± 4.6 to 36.5 ± 7.3 in controls vs. 40.9 ± 4.5 to 42.9 ± 5.9 in COPD). During NIV CBF was significantly reduced in healthy controls and COPD, although this effect was less pronounced in the latter. At the same time, healthy controls demonstrated an improvement in cognitive executive function compared to COPD in the Trail Making Test part B (90.5 vs. 180s; respectively).
NIV application for one hour reversibly reduced CBF in healthy controls and non-hypercapnic stable COPD patients, despite no significant reductions of the PaCO2 in the latter group. It was associated with minor cognitive improvements in the executive function in healthy volunteers, but not in COPD.
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