It is well known that cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a major contributor of death in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as well in other rheumatic illness. In the last decades, there has been a ...growing development of different methodologies with the purpose of early detection of CVD.
The aim of this study is to correlate the usefulness of subclinical parameters of vascular aging and QRISK 3-2017 score for early detection of CVD in SLE.
Clinical assessment including systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) and systemic lupus international collaborating clinics / american college of rheumatology damage index (SLICC/ACR DI), laboratory measurements, carotid ultrasound examination, carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) measurement, carotid distention and diameter analysis, arterial stiffness measurement measured by tonometry and QRISK 3-2017 were done. All results were analyzed by SPSS 24 software.
We observed correlation between QRISK3 and mean cIMT (rs = 0.534, P < 0.001), PWV (rs = 0.474, P < 0.001), cfPWV (rs = 0.569, P < 0.001) and distensibility (rs = -0.420, P = 0.006). Consistent with above, SLE patients in middle and high risk QRISK 3-2017 showed increased arterial stiffness versus low risk group.
We encourage to the rheumatology community to assess cardiovascular risk in SLE patients with QRISK 3-2017 risk calculator as an alternative method at the outpatient clinic along a complete cardiovascular evaluation when appropriate.
The protozoan parasite
is exposed to reactive oxygen and nitric oxide species that have the potential to damage its genome.
harbors enzymes involved in DNA repair pathways like Base and Nucleotide ...Excision Repair. The majority of DNA repairs pathways converge in their final step in which a DNA ligase seals the DNA nicks. In contrast to other eukaryotes, the genome of
encodes only one DNA ligase (EhDNAligI), suggesting that this ligase is involved in both DNA replication and DNA repair. Therefore, the aim of this work was to characterize EhDNAligI, its ligation fidelity and its ability to ligate opposite DNA mismatches and oxidative DNA lesions, and to study its expression changes and localization during and after recovery from UV and H
O
treatment. We found that EhDNAligI is a high-fidelity DNA ligase on canonical substrates and is able to discriminate erroneous base-pairing opposite DNA lesions. EhDNAligI expression decreases after DNA damage induced by UV and H
O
treatments, but it was upregulated during recovery time. Upon oxidative DNA damage, EhDNAligI relocates into the nucleus where it co-localizes with EhPCNA and the 8-oxoG adduct. The appearance and disappearance of 8-oxoG during and after both treatments suggest that DNA damaged was efficiently repaired because the mainly NER and BER components are expressed in this parasite and some of them were modulated after DNA insults. All these data disclose the relevance of EhDNAligI as a specialized and unique ligase in
that may be involved in DNA repair of the 8-oxoG lesions.
Mucor circinelloides is an opportunistic human pathogen that is used to study mucormycosis, a rare but lethal infection in susceptible immunosuppressed patients. However, the virulence ...characteristics of this pathogen have not been fully elucidated. In this study, sporangiospores (spores) produced on YPG medium supplemented with native blood serum increased the virulence of M. circinelloides compared with spores produced on YPG supplemented with denatured blood serum or on YPG alone. The spores produced from YPG supplemented with native blood serum increased nematode death and led to significant increases in interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, macrophage inhibitory protein-2, and tumour necrosis factor α mRNA levels in liver and lung tissues from infected diabetic mice compared with those in tissues from animals infected with spores produced in the presence of YPG supplemented with denatured blood serum or of YPG alone. Moreover, spores produced from cultures supplemented with native blood serum showed increased germination rates and longer hyphae compared with other spores. The spores produced in YPG supplemented with native blood serum also enhanced resistance to stress factors and H2O2 and increased thermotolerance compared with spores produced under other conditions. In addition, spores produced in presence of blood serum increased the ability of the pathogen to survive in the presence of macrophages. Taken together, our results showed that these factors were important features for fungal virulence in humans and suggested that thermolabile components in the blood serum may induce M. circinelloides virulence.
•Spores from M. circinelloides produced on YPG supplemented with blood serum were evaluated.•These spores increased the virulence of M. circinelloides.•These spores also increased the expression of inflammatory cytokines in mice.•These spores increased pathogen survival in the presence of macrophages.•Thermolabile components in the blood serum may induce M. circinelloides virulence.
•The first spirostanic oxaziridine 18 was synthesized from diosgenin.•Derivatives 12 and 16 are valuable for subsequent modifications on the steroid core.•Cyclization of the isocyanate 15 precursor ...can be tuned to give mainly 16 or 17.•The stereochemistry of the oxaziridine 18 was established as β-configuration.•X-ray of compound 11a confirmed the preferred α-epoxy orientation at C-5 and C-6.
The synthesis of the first spirostanic oxaziridine 18 derived from diosgenin (9) is described, this novel compound is very interesting due to its potential utility in oxaziridine chemistry. Compound 18 was obtained through formation of the 5,6-secoteroid intermediate 12, which after four steps provided 6-azasteroid 16. Notably, depending on the reaction conditions used to carry out the cyclization of the isocyanate 15 to 6-azadiosgenin 16, formation of 16, as the main product, or of 6-azadiene 17 can be favored. Moreover, a mechanistic proposal for the formation of compound 16is discussed. The structures of the products were established by 1D and 2D NMR analysis and in the case of epoxy compound 11a, its structure with α orientation was confirmed by analysis X-ray.
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Simultaneously probing the electronic structure and morphology of materials at the nanometer or atomic scale while a chemical reaction proceeds is significant for understanding the underlying ...reaction mechanisms and optimizing a materials design. This is especially important in the study of nanoparticle catalysts, yet such experiments have rarely been achieved. Utilizing an environmental transmission electron microscope equipped with a differentially pumped gas cell, we are able to conduct nanoscopic imaging and electron energy loss spectroscopy in situ for cobalt catalysts under reaction conditions. Studies reveal quantitative correlation of the cobalt valence states with the particles’ nanoporous structures. The in situ experiments were performed on nanoporous cobalt particles coated with silica, while a 15 mTorr hydrogen environment was maintained at various temperatures (300–600 °C). When the nanoporous particles were reduced, the valence state changed from cobalt oxide to metallic cobalt and concurrent structural coarsening was observed. In situ mapping of the valence state and the corresponding nanoporous structures allows quantitative analysis necessary for understanding and improving the mass activity and lifetime of cobalt-based catalysts, for example, for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis that converts carbon monoxide and hydrogen into fuels, and uncovering the catalyst optimization mechanisms.
Cr-surface segregation is a main roadblock encumbering many magneto-biomedical applications of bimetallic M-Cr nanoalloys (where M = Fe, Co and Ni). To overcome this problem, we developed Ni95Cr5:Ag ...nanocomposite as a model system, consisting of non-interacting Ni95Cr5 nanoalloys (5 ± 1 nm) immersed in non-magnetic Ag matrix by controlled simultaneous co-sputtering of Ni95Cr5 and Ag. We employed Curie temperature (TC) as an indicator of phase purity check of these nanocomposites, which is estimated to be around the bulk Ni95Cr5 value of 320 K. This confirms prevention of Cr-segregation and also entails effective control of surface oxidation. Compared to Cr-segregated Ni95Cr5 nanoalloy films and nanoclusters, we did not observe any unwanted magnetic effects such as presence Cr-antiferromagnetic transition, large non-saturation, exchange bias behavior (if any) or uncompensated higher TC values. These nanocomposites films also lose their unique magnetic properties only at elevated temperatures beyond application requirements (≥800 K), either by showing Ni-type behavior or by a complete conversion into Ni/Cr-oxides in vacuum and air environment, respectively.
Background and aims - The Orchidaceae family is vulnerable, because of the destruction of their habitat, as well as the extraction of individuals from natural populations. This is the case of the ...genus Rhynchostele Rchb. f.; among the actions considered important
for appropriate conservation strategies for this genus is the generation of fundamental knowledge, such as on its reproductive biology. The objective of this work is to understand the mating system and reproductive success of Rhynchostele cervantesii, an endangered epiphytic orchid
endemic to Mexico.
Material and methods - Manual and open-pollination treatments were conducted during 2014 and 2015 in a cloud forest in Michoacan, Mexico. In each period, 30 to 40 randomly selected inflorescences were subjected to the following treatments: a) spontaneous-self-pollination,
b) emasculation, c) self-pollination, d) cross-pollination, and e) open-pollination. The developed fruits were counted and harvested, the viability of the seeds was determined, through the observation and evaluation of embryos using microscopy.
Key results - Significant
differences were recorded between the treatments in both 2014 and 2015, with higher fruit production in cross-pollination than in self-pollination and natural-pollination. There were significant differences in seed viability, with higher values for seeds from open-pollination and cross- pollination
and lower values for seeds from self-pollination.
Conclusions - Rhynchostele cervantesii is a species that requires pollinators for sexual reproduction because there is no fruit production with spontaneous-self-pollination. Under pollen limitation, the fruit
set of natural pollination was a lot lower than in cross-pollination although fruits were the same quality. R. cervantesii had a mixed mating system with a tendency to exogamy, presenting high values of female reproductive success compared to other tropical epiphytic orchid species
reported in the literature.
Omics sciences and new technologies to sequence full genomes provide valuable data that are revealed only after detailed bioinformatic analysis is performed. In this work, we analyzed the genomes of ...seven Mexican Anaplasma marginale strains and the data from a transcriptome analysis of the tick Rhipicephalus microplus. The aim of this analysis was to identify protein sequences with predicted features to be used as potential targets to control the bacteria or tick-vector transmission. We chose three amino acid sequences different to all proteins previously reported in A. marginale that have been used as potential vaccine candidates, and also, we report, for the first time, the presence of a peroxinectin protein sequence in the transcriptome of R. microplus, a protein associated with the immune response of ticks. The bioinformatics analyses revealed the presence of B-cell epitopes in all the amino acid sequences chosen, which opens the way for their likely use as single or arranged peptides to develop new strategies for the control and prevention of bovine anaplasmosis transmitted by ticks.
The objective is to study the evolution of different characteristics of a population through time. These response variables may be related for each experimental unit, and in addition, the ...observations for each response may as well be correlated with time, producing a complex correlation structure. The number of responses that can be observed is usually limited for budget, resources, or time reasons, and thus the selection of the most informative time points when data must be taken is quite convenient. This will be performed by using the optimal design of experiments techniques. Some analytical results will be shown, and the results will be applied to obtain the most convenient points when tests about two variables related with the capability of the resolution of mathematical problems in primary school students should be performed.
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