Galactomannans are polysaccharides obtained from legume seed extraction. They present a chemical structure consisting of D-mannose chains linked by glycosidic bonds and galactose branches. The main ...focus lies in their use as thickeners in the food industry, aimed at improving the dielectric properties of food during heating processes within the radiofrequency and microwave ranges. In this work, the prepared galactomannan samples were electrically analyzed through impedance spectroscopy, which is a powerful physical technique. From the experimental measurements, the dielectric permittivity and loss tangent of the galactomannan solutions were analyzed and the electrical modulus formalism was used to study the dielectric relaxations. Crude galactomannans exhibited higher values of permittivity, conductivity, and losses compared to purified galactomannans. Increasing ethanol concentration in galactomannan purification causes an increase in the permittivity and conductivity of galactomannan solutions. In a 1% solution, at 1 kHz, the permittivity increased from 378.56 to 538.09, while in the 2% solution, this increase was from 656.22 to 1103.24. Regarding the conductivity, at the same frequency, the increase was from 1.6 × 10−3 to 3.3 × 10−3 Ω−1m−1 and from 2.9 × 10−3 to 5.5 × 10−3 Ω−1m−1, respectively. The rise of the ethanol concentration in galactomannan purification led to a decrease in the relaxation time, from 448.56 to 159.15 μs and from 224.81 to 89.50 μs in the solution with 1 and 2%, respectively. The results suggest that galactomannan from Adenanthera pavonina L. has potential for use in the food industry.
Thioredoxin plays an essential role in bacterial antioxidant machinery and virulence; however, its regulatory actions in the host are less well understood. Reduced human Trx activates transient ...receptor potential canonical 5 (TRPC5) in inflammation, but there is no evidence of whether these receptors mediate bacterial thioredoxin effects in the host. Importantly, TRPC5 can form functional complexes with other subunits such as TRPC4. Herein, E. coli-derived thioredoxin induced mortality in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) injected mice, accompanied by reduction of leukocyte accumulation, regulation of cytokine release into the peritoneum, and impairment of peritoneal macrophage-mediated phagocytosis. Dual TRPC4/TRPC5 blockade by ML204 increased mortality and hypothermia in thioredoxin-treated LPS mice but preserved macrophage’s ability to phagocytose. TRPC5 deletion did not alter body temperature but promoted additional accumulation of peritoneal leukocytes and inflammatory mediator release in thioredoxin-administered LPS mice. Thioredoxin diminished macrophage-mediated phagocytosis in wild-type but not TRPC5 knockout animals. TRPC5 ablation did not affect LPS-induced responses. However, ML204 caused mortality associated with exacerbated hypothermia and decreased peritoneal leukocyte numbers and cytokines in LPS-injected mice. These results suggest that bacterial thioredoxin effects under LPS stimuli are mediated by TRPC4 and TRPC5, shedding light on the additional mechanisms of bacterial virulence and on the pathophysiological roles of these receptors.
Considering the potential role of miRNAs as biomarkers and their interaction with both nuclear and mitochondrial genes, we investigated the miRNA expression profile in type 1 diabetes (T1DM) ...patients, including the pathways in which they are involved considering both nuclear and mitochondrial functions.
We analyzed samples of T1DM patients and control individuals (normal glucose tolerance) by high throughput miRNA sequencing (miRNome). Next, five miRNAs -
,
,
,
and
were validated by RT-qPCR. The identification of target genes was extracted from miRTarBase and mitoXplorer database. We also performed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and miRNAs that had an AUC > 0.85 were considered potential biomarkers.
Overall, 41 miRNAs were differentially expressed in T1DM patients compared to control.
had the highest number of predicted target genes and was associated with several pathways, including insulin signaling and apoptosis. 34.1% (14/41) of the differentially expressed miRNAs also targeted mitochondrial genes, and 80.5% (33/41) of them targeted nuclear genes involved in the mitochondrial metabolism. All five validated miRNAs were upregulated in T1DM. Among them,
showed AUC>0.85, being suggested as potential biomarker to T1DM.
Our results demonstrated 41 DE miRNAs that had a great accuracy in discriminating T1DM and control group. Furthermore, we demonstrate the influence of these miRNAs on numerous metabolic pathways, including mitochondrial metabolism.
and
were highlighted in our results, possibly acting on nuclear and mitochondrial dysfunction and, subsequently, T1DM dysregulation.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a painful inflammatory disease of the joints which affects a considerable proportion of the world population, mostly women. If not adequately treated, RA patients can ...become permanently disabled. Importantly, not all the patients respond to the available anti-rheumatic therapies, which also present diverse side effects. In this context, monitoring of treatment response is pivotal to avoid unnecessary side effects and costs towards an ineffective therapy. Herein, we performed a pilot study to investigate the potential use of flow cytometry and attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy as measures to identify responders and non-responders to leflunomide, a disease-modifying drug used in the treatment of RA patients. The evaluation of peripheral blood CD62L
polymorphonuclear cell numbers and ATR-FTIR vibrational modes in plasma were able to discriminate responders to leflunomide (LFN) three-months after therapy has started. Overall, the results indicate that both flow cytometry and ATR-FTIR can potentially be employed as additional measures to monitor early treatment response to LFN in RA patients.
Plant-derived products have played a fundamental role in the development of new therapeutic agents. This study aimed to analyze antimicrobial, antibiofilm, cytotoxicity and antiproliferative ...potentials of the extract and fractions from leaves of
, a plant from the Apocynaceae family. After harvesting,
leaves were macerated and a hydroalcoholic extract (HDHE) and fractions were prepared. Antimicrobial tests, such as agar-diffusion, Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimal Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) were carried out against several bacterial species.
,
and
were inhibited by at least one extract or fraction in the agar-diffusion assay (inhibition halos from 12 mm to 30 mm). However, the lowest MIC value was found for HDHE against
. In addition, HDHE and its fractions were able to inhibit biofilm formation at sub-inhibitory concentrations (780 µg/mL and 1.56 µg/mL). As the best activities were found for HDHE, we selected it for further assays. HDHE was able to increase ciprofloxacin (CIP) activity against
, displaying synergistic (initial concentration CIP + HDHE: 2 µg/mL + 600 µg/mL and 2.5 µg/mL + 500 µg/mL) and additive effects (CIP + HDHE: 3 µg/mL + 400 µg/mL). This action seems to be associated with the alteration in bacterial membrane permeability induced by HDHE (as seen by propidium iodide labeling). This extract was non-toxic for red blood cell or human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Additionally, it inhibited the lipopolysaccharide-induced proliferation of PBMCs. The following compounds were detected in HDHE using HPLC-ESI-MS analysis: plumieride, plumericin or isoplumericin, rutin, quercetin and derivatives, and chlorogenic acid. Based on these results we suggest that compounds from
have antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities against
and display low cytotoxicity and anti-proliferative action in PBMC stimulated with lipopolysaccharide.
Strong solar flare events can occur even during the decay phase of the solar cycle. During these events concurrent increases in the X‐ray and Enhanced UV (EUV) fluxes and solar radio bursts (SRBs) ...can be observed. The SRBs cover a large range of frequencies including the L band, giving rise to signal fades in the GNSS carrier‐to‐noise ratio and fluctuations in its amplitude and phase. The increases in the X‐ray, UV, and EUV fluxes cause increase in the ionospheric D, E, and F region electron densities. The aim of this work is to analyze the effects in the GNSS signal, in the ionosphere and in the magnetic field H component of the X9.3 and X1.3 solar flares that occurred on 06 and 07 September 2017, respectively. Data from a network of six GNSS receivers, two magnetometers, and four Digisondes are used in the analysis. Fades of about 5 and 10 dB were observed in the signals of GNSS L1 and L2/L5 frequencies, respectively. Significant positioning errors, were observed for the strongest X9.3 flare. A sudden increase in Total Electron Content with the rates of 2.5–5.0 TECU/min was observed. An increase in the E layer density gave origin to an increase in the Equatorial Electrojet intensity, whose signatures were observed in the H component of two magnetometers. Another observed effect was the ionospheric D region density increase that caused disruption in the Digisonde signal. As a consequence of the described effects, GNSS receivers may fail to produce accurate navigation solution.
Key Points
Effects in the GNSS signal, in the ionosphere and in the magnetic field H component of the September 2017 X9.3 and X1.3 solar flares
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•The W/O emulsions prepared with heavy oil showed high stability.•The type of electrolyte influences the stability and homogeneity of W/O emulsions.•Emulsions W/O prepared with ...formation water showed higher average DSD.
Water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions are present in applications from well drilling to refining and cause diverse problems. The present paper details the results of a study of the stability and homogeneity of W/O emulsions of a heavy oil using the optical microscopy technique. The W/O emulsions used previously dehydrated heavy oil with the addition of increasing volumes of 10, 20, 30, 35 and 40% w/v of deionized water and formation water, under mechanical stirring at 2500, 5000, 10,000 and 15,000 rpm. Moreover, a saturated sodium chloride solution was added to the oil in the contents at 10, 20 and 30% w/v under stirring at 5000 rpm, in order to verify the influence of the electrolyte type on the stability of the emulsions. The W/O emulsions were subjected to a gravitational separation test to verify stability and photomicrographs of the emulsions were analyzed to evaluate the homogeneity and the droplet size distribution (DSD). The results showed that the prepared emulsions were stable and homogeneous even after aging for 30 days and after being subjected to heating. This stability may be related to the high content of resins and asphaltenes in the studied oil. The emulsions prepared with formation water showed higher DSD values than those prepared with saturated NaCl solution and deionized water. This distinction of droplet sizes can be related to the presence of ions of different charges in the formation water.
This study assessed whether caffeine mouth rinsing affects 10-km run performance and vertical jump in recreational runners.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study was conducted. Ten ...well-trained volunteers performed two trials, following caffeine or placebo mouth rinse, separated by seven days. Immediately before the 10-km run, a 10-second mouth rinse with either 300 mg of caffeine (1.2%) or microcrystalline cellulose (placebo) diluted in 25 mL of water was performed. Pre- and post-exercise, participants performed a vertical jump test. A Garmin Forerunner® GPS, was used to measure 10-km running time and an 11-point Borg scale was used post-exercise to measure ratings of perceived exertion. Blood samples were also collected during the visit in the laboratory in the afternoon period to classify individuals according to their CYP1A2 genotype. Vertical jump performance was evaluated using a force plate.
Nine runners (90%) were CC homozygotes and one (10%) was an AC heterozygote for CYP1A2. There was no difference in 10-km time-trial performance (Placebo: 47.07 ± 5.18 vs. CAF: 47.45 ± 6.34 min, p = 0.89), ratings of perceived exertion (Placebo: 17 ± 1 vs. CAF: 16 ± 2, p = 0.34) or vertical jump power (Placebo, Pre: 4.5 ± 0.6 W•kg-1 and Post: 4.5 ± 0.7 W•kg-1; CAF: Pre: 4.4 ± 0.7 W•kg-1 and Post: 4.4 ± 0.8 W•kg-1, d = 0.21, p = 0.66) between trials.
Acute caffeine mouth rinsing (1.2%) did not improve 10-km performance and showed similar null effects on vertical jump performance in CYP1A2 C-allele carriers.
This paper presents a hybrid solution (software and hardware) integrating the computer and the Kinect sensor. The proposed solution, named GoNet v2, is an instrument for the dynamic and automatic ...evaluation of biomechanical rehabilitation processes. Experimental tests to evaluate the range of motion of body joints, especially for elbow flexion, elbow extension, shoulder abduction, shoulder flexion, radial deviation, and ulnar deviation, are presented and discussed. We also presented the exergamers for rehabilitation tests, based on Kabat diagonal and squatting. Ten healthy individuals were evaluated using the GoNet v2 and the universal goniometer, and twelve professionals evaluated the instrument through a survey. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to analyze the reproducibility, and for the accuracy analysis the errors were compared using the mean of the worst cases with movement. Regarding intraexaminer and inter-examiner reproducibility, high ICC values were found for the range of flexion/extension of the shoulder, abduction of the shoulder, and ulnar deviation, thus showing its optimum precision. According to the evaluation of the specialists, the GoNet v2 gave better results for the flexion/extension of the shoulder (3.61%) and elbow (3.17%), and also the abduction (2.11%) of the shoulder compared with the goniometer. The results showed that the GoNet v2 had a high reproducibility, except for radial deviation. The accuracy results were good for the abduction measurements of the shoulder and the flexion/extension measurements of the elbow and shoulder.
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