In this article, we shed light on the debate about the financial performance of socially responsible investment (SRI) mutual funds by separately analyzing the contributions of before-fee performance ...and fees to SRI funds' performance, and by investigating the role played by fund management companies in the determination of those variables. We apply the matching estimator methodology to obtain our results and find that in the period 1997–2005, US SRI funds had better beforeand after-fee performance than conventional funds with similar characteristics. The differences, however, are driven exclusively by SRI funds run by management companies specialized in SRI. While these funds significantly outperform similar conventional funds, funds run by companies not specialized in SRI underperform their matched conventional funds. We find no significant differences in fees between SRI and conventional funds except in one case: SRI funds are cheaper than conventional funds run by the same management company.
Acute liver injury was induced in male BALB/c mice by coadministering isoniazid and rifampicin. In this work, the effects of resveratrol (1) were investigated in the hepatotoxicity caused by ...isoniazid–rifampicin in mice. Compound 1 was administered 30 min prior to isoniazid–rifampicin. Serum biochemical tests, liver histopathological examination, oxidative stress, myeloperoxidase activity, cytokine production (TNF-α, IL-12p70, and IL-10), and mRNA expression of SIRT1–7 and PPAR-γ/PGC1-α were evaluated. The administration of 1 significantly decreased aspartate transaminase and alanine aminotransferase levels, myeloperoxidase activity, and cytokine levels. Furthermore, 1 reverted the decrease of catalase and glutathione activities and ameliorated the histopathological alterations associated with antituberculosis drugs. Modulation of SIRT1 and PPAR-γ/PGC1-α expression is likely involved in the protective effects of 1. The results presented herein show that 1 was able to largely prevent the hepatotoxicity induced by isoniazid and rifampicin in mice, mainly by modulating SIRT1 mRNA expression.
The increasing prevalence of obesity brings forward its importance as a risk factor for cancer development, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract. Obesity may trigger cancer development through ...several mechanisms, where metabolic deregulation of adipokines can modulate multiple oncogenic molecular pathways. Leptin and adiponectin are the most well-studied adipokines, and their imbalance can trigger different tumorigenic responses. Both epidemiologic and experimental studies have associated leptin with increased cancer risk and cell responsiveness in carcinogenesis and tumor invasion. On the other hand, adiponectin is reported to elicit the opposite effect. In addition to circulating or tissue adipokine levels, adiponectin, and leptin receptors or genetic polymorphisms may also play a role in cancer development. Moreover, adiponectin and leptin modulation offer valuable therapeutic approaches. We will review the links underpinning obesity and cancer development and focus on discussing the pathophysiological roles of leptin and adiponectin.
Gut microbiome disruptions may lead to adverse effects on wildlife fitness and viability, thus maintaining host microbiota biodiversity needs to become an integral part of wildlife conservation. The ...highly-endangered callitrichid golden lion tamarin (GLT-Leontopithecus rosalia) is a rare conservation success, but allochthonous callitrichid marmosets (Callithrix) serve as principle ecological GLT threats. However, incorporation of microbiome approaches to GLT conservation is impeded by limited gut microbiome studies of Brazilian primates. Here, we carried out analysis of gut metagenomic pools from 114 individuals of wild and captive GLTs and marmosets. More specifically, we analyzed the bacterial component of ultra filtered samples originally collected as part of a virome profiling study. The major findings of this study are consistent with previous studies in showing that Bifidobacterium, a bacterial species important for the metabolism of tree gums consumed by callitrichids, is an important component of the callitrichid gut microbiome - although GTLs and marmosets were enriched for different species of Bifidobacterium. Additionally, the composition of GLT and marmoset gut microbiota is sensitive to host environmental factors. Overall, our data expand baseline gut microbiome data for callitrichids to allow for the development of new tools to improve their management and conservation.
The executive and legislative branches of Brazilian government have either proposed or taken a variety of initiatives that threaten biodiversity and ecosystems. Opposition by the scientific community ...has largely been ignored by decision-makers. In this short essay, we present recent examples of harmful policies that have great potential to erode biodiversity, and we suggest ways to communicate scientific knowledge to decision- makers. If the current gap between conservation science and policies is not filled, the country will threaten the maintenance of its natural capital and, consequently, the sustainability of essential societal activities in the long term.
The gut-liver axis plays a pivotal role in maintaining body homeostasis. Disruption of the gut-liver axis is linked to a multitude of diseases, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic ...liver disease (MASLD). Probiotic strains from the Lactobacillaceae family are commonly used to mitigate experimental MASLD. Over the years, numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of these probiotics, often focusing on the outcome of liver disease. This review aims to further understand MASLD as a systemic metabolic dysfunction and to highlight the effects of probiotics on multi-organ axis, including organs such as the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, muscle, adipose tissue, and the immune system. We specifically discuss evidence on how supplementation with Lactobacillaceae strains may alleviate MASLD by not only restoring liver health but also by modulating the physiology of other organ systems.
HFD-induced alteration is counteracted by Lactobacillaceae supplementation. Display omitted
Hepatocytes work in highly structured, repetitive hepatic lobules. Blood flow across the radial axis of the lobule generates oxygen, nutrient, and hormone gradients, which result in zoned spatial ...variability and functional diversity. This large heterogeneity suggests that hepatocytes in different lobule zones may have distinct gene expression profiles, metabolic features, regenerative capacity, and susceptibility to damage. Here, we describe the principles of liver zonation, introduce metabolomic approaches to study the spatial heterogeneity of the liver, and highlight the possibility of exploring the spatial metabolic profile, leading to a deeper understanding of the tissue metabolic organization. Spatial metabolomics can also reveal intercellular heterogeneity and its contribution to liver disease. These approaches facilitate the global characterization of liver metabolic function with high spatial resolution along physiological and pathological time scales. This review summarizes the state of the art for spatially resolved metabolomic analysis and the challenges that hinder the achievement of metabolome coverage at the single-cell level. We also discuss several major contributions to the understanding of liver spatial metabolism and conclude with our opinion on the future developments and applications of these exciting new technologies.
Abstract In the present study, we analyzed the role of purinergic P2X7 receptor in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and host interaction mechanisms in vitro and in vivo. For experimental ...procedures, a macrophage murine cell line RAW 264.7, and male Swiss, wild-type C57BL/6 and P2X7 receptor knockout (P2X7R−/− ) mice were used throughout this study. We have demonstrated that treatment of RAW 264.7 cells with ATP (3 and 5 mM) resulted in a statistically significant reduction of M. tuberculosis -colony-forming units. The purinergic P2X7 receptor expression was found significantly augmented in the lungs of mice infected with M. tuberculosis H37Rv. Infected wild-type mice showed a marked increase in the spleen weight, in comparison to non-infected animals. Furthermore, M. tuberculosis -infected P2X7R−/− mice showed an increase of M. tuberculosis burden in lung tissue, when compared to infected wild-type mice. In P2X7R−/− spleens, we observed a significant decrease in the populations of Treg (CD4+ Foxp3+ ), T cells (CD4+ , CD8+ CD25+ and CD4+ CD25+ ), dendritic cells (CD11c+ ) and B220+ cells. However, a significant increase in CD11b+ cells was observed in P2X7R−/− mice, when compared to wild-type animals. In the lungs, P2X7R−/− M. tuberculosis -infected mice exhibited pulmonary infiltrates containing an increase of Treg cells (CD4+ Foxp3+ ), T cells (CD4+ and CD8+ ) and a decrease in the B220+ cells, when compared with wild-type M. tuberculosis -infected mice. The findings observed in the present study provide novel evidence on the role of P2X7 receptors in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis.
Introduced species have the potential to become invasive and jeopardize entire ecosystems. The success of species establishing viable populations outside their original extent depends primarily on ...favorable climatic conditions in the invasive ranges. Species distribution modeling (SDM) can thus be used to estimate potential habitat suitability for populations of invasive species. Here we review the status of six amphibian species with invasive populations in Brazil (four domestic species and two imported species). We (i) modeled the current habitat suitability and future potential distribution of these six focal species, (ii) reported on the disease status of Eleutherodactylus johnstonei and Phyllodytes luteolus, and (iii) quantified the acoustic overlap of P. luteolus and Leptodactylus labyrinthicus with three co-occurring native species. Our models indicated that all six invasive species could potentially expand their ranges in Brazil within the next few decades. In addition, our SDMs predicted important expansions in available habitat for 2 out of 6 invasive species under future (2100) climatic conditions. We detected high acoustic niche overlap between invasive and native amphibian species, underscoring that acoustic interference might reduce mating success in local frogs. Despite the American bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus being recognized as a potential reservoir for the frog-killing fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in Brazil, we did not detect Bd in the recently introduced population of E. johnstonei and P. luteolus in the State of São Paulo. We emphasize that the number of invasive amphibian species in Brazil is increasing exponentially, highlighting the urgent need to monitor and control these populations and decrease potential impacts on the locally biodiverse wildlife.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The covariation among financial asset returns is often a key ingredient used in the construction of optimal portfolios. Estimating covariances from data, however, is challenging due to the potential ...influence of estimation error, specially in high-dimensional problems, which can impact negatively the performance of the resulting portfolios. We address this question by putting forward a simple approach to disentangle the role of variance and covariance information in the case of mean-variance efficient portfolios. Specifically, mean-variance portfolios can be represented as a two-fund rule: one fund is a fully invested portfolio that depends on diagonal covariance elements, whereas the other is a long-short, self financed portfolio associated with the presence of non-zero off-diagonal covariance elements. We characterize the contribution of each of these two components to the overall performance in terms of out-of-sample returns, risk, risk-adjusted returns and turnover. Finally, we provide an empirical illustration of the proposed portfolio decomposition using both simulated and real market data.
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