Intervertebral disc (IVD) herniation is characterized by annulus fibrosus failure (AF) in containing the nucleus pulposus (NP). IVD herniation involves cellular and extracellular matrix (ECM) ...alterations that have been associated with tissue fibrosis, although still poorly investigated.
Here, fibrotic alterations in human AF were evaluated, by characterizing the herniated ECM. Human AF samples (herniated lumbar IVD (n = 39, age 24-83) and scoliosis controls (n = 6, age 15-21)) were processed for transmission electron microscopy and histological/immunohistochemical analysis of fibrotic markers. Correlations between the fibrotic markers in AF ECM and the degree of NP containment (protused, contained and uncontained) and patients' age were conducted.
Our results demonstrate that with herniation progression, i.e. loss of NP containment, human AF presents less stained area of sulphated glycosaminoglycans and collagen I, being collagen I fibres thinner and disorganized. On the other hand, fibronectin stained area and percentage of α-smooth muscle actin+ cells increase in human AF, while matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP12) production and percentage of macrophages (CD68+ cells) remain constant. These structural and biochemical fibrotic alterations observed in human AF with herniation progression occur independently of the age.
The characterization of human AF here conducted evidence the presence of fibrosis in degenerated IVD, while highlighting the importance of considering the herniation progression stage, despite the patients' age, for a better understanding of the mechanisms behind AF failure and IVD herniation.
Adélie penguins are considered indicators of Antarctic ecosystems. Their populations have declined by more than 50% in the West Antarctic Peninsula, an area strongly affected by global warming, and ...that concentrates most of Antarctic krill harvesting. The use of high-resolution data to identify foraging areas regularly used by krill predators could provide valuable information for current discussions on the development of small-scale management and conservation measures for this region. We used information on the foraging trips of 57 individuals breeding in King George Island, tracked over 2019/2020, 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 breeding seasons during the chick-rearing stage, to identify their key foraging areas. Using an accelerometry-based latent behavioral analysis approach, we identified an area within 10 km of the colony consistently used by over 60% of the population throughout and between seasons. We also observed that almost 20% of the population uses the area near a seamount located 35 km from the colony for foraging, mainly during the late guarding phase when chick energy demands are highest or the effects of prey depletion might become more evident. The distances and duration of trips and the area explored increased as the season progressed and varied between seasons, consistent with annual differences in krill availability observed in the region. Foraging dives comprise roughly 40% of the dives performed during foraging trips, irrespective of the stage of the chick-rearing period, or the season analyzed. Our results emphasize the need to understand how variability in environmental conditions, prey availability, and energetic demands affect how predators use space, and the role that bathymetric features might play in providing reliable foraging grounds, for penguins, in a rapidly changing region.
•Magneto-impedance was measured in samples of Cu100-xMnxAu13.5 (x = 6.75 and 13.5).•Non-vanishing values for the magneto-impedance data were obtained for all values of T.•The transverse magnetic ...susceptibility showed a minimum near the freezing temperature.•The dynamics of the spin-glass phase was investigated in a short-time scale.•A model for the relaxation-time based on the critical slowing down was presented.
Magneto-impedance measurements (MI) were carried out on thin-films of Cu100-xMnxAu13.5 (x = 6.75 and 13.5). The sample with × = 6.75 (13.5) undergoes a phase transition to a spin-glass state below a glass temperature of about TG = 31 K (55 K). The MI measurements were carried out for temperatures (T) from 300 K down to 5 K in applied magnetic fields in the range of ± 3.5 kOe and for an ac electric current with frequency of 9.0 MHz. Short-range interaction and spin-fluctuations yielded non-vanishing values for the MI data for all values of T. The transverse magnetic permeability (μT) was obtained for both sample compositions demonstrating that MI is a suitable technique to study canonical spin-glasses in the MHz regime. Moreover, it was observed that the spin-fluctuations in very short time scale (∼10−7 s) are important down to the lowest temperature investigated of 5 K. The transverse magnetic susceptibility, μT, showed a minimum near the freezing temperature.
This study describes the association between meat tenderness and abundance of soluble muscle proteins in Nellore bulls (Bos indicus) using a proteomic approach. We evaluated shear force (SF) of ...Longissimus thoracis muscle 24 h after slaughter and selected three experimental groups of animals with moderately tender (TE; SF = 3.9 ± 0.7 kg), moderately tough (TO; SF = 5.6 ± 0.7 kg) and very tough meat (TO+; SF = 7.9 ± 1.4 kg). Proteome was investigated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) in combination with electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI–MS/MS). The metabolic proteins triosephosphate isomerase (TPI1) and phosphoglucomutase 1 (PGM1), the structural protein profilin 1 (PFN1), and cytosol aminopeptidase (LAP3) were up-regulated (P < 0.05) in the TE meat group when compared to the TO and TO+ groups. Actin structural proteins (ACTA1, ACTB, and ACTG1), the oxidative stress protein peroxiredoxin (PRDX6, PRDX2, PRDX1, and PARK7), heat shock protein isoforms, and co-chaperones (CDC37 and STIP1) were up-regulated (P < 0.05) in the TO and TO+ meat groups. In addition, we also identified proteins PFN1, LAP3, PRDX1, PRDX2, HSPD1, and ARHGDIA to be associated with beef tenderness. The results reported herein demonstrated that meat tenderness in Nellore cattle depends on the modulation and expression of a set of proteins involved in different biological pathways.
The manuscript entitled “Application of proteomic to investigate the different degrees of meat tenderness in Nellore breed” describes a classical proteomics work using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE), followed by mass spectrometry coupled to electrospray ionization ion trap (ESI-MS/MS) in order to understand the biochemical engineering involved in the process of meat tenderness. We evaluated shear force (SF) of Longissimus thoracis muscle samples of Nellore cattle (n = 90) and select three experimental groups of animals with moderately tender (TE; SF = 3.9 ± 0.7), moderately tough (TO; SF = 5.6 ± 0.7) and very tough meat (TO+; SF = 7.9 ± 1.4). The proteomic approach allowed observing that meat tenderness is influenced by structural proteins (ACTA1, ACTG1, ACTB, MYL1 and PFN1), co-chaperones (CDC37 and STIP1), heat shock proteins (HSP90AA1, HSP90AB1, HSPD1, HSPA1L, HSPA1A and HSPB1), regulatory protein (ARHGDIA), metabolic proteins (TPI1 and PGM1) and oxidative stress proteins (PRDX1, PRDX2, PRDX6, PARK7). Our results suggest that meat tenderness in Nellore depends on the modulation and expression of a set of proteins involved in different biological pathways.
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•Antioxidant proteins are up-regulated in moderately tough and very tough meat.•Co-chaperones and cellular regulatory are down-regulated in tough meat.•Protein HSPD1 are down-regulated in moderately tender and moderately tough meat.•Proteins PFN1, LAP3, TPI1, and PGM1 are up-regulated in meat with low SF values.•Moderately tough meat does not present an individual proteomic profile.
This study aimed to estimate the economic costs of excessive sodium consumption in terms of hospitalizations and outpatient procedures of medium and high complexity (OPMHC) for the Brazilian Unified ...Health System (SUS) and its states in 2019.
Ecological study.
This study used population attributable fractions (PAFs) of excessive sodium consumption estimated by the Global Burden of Disease study based on the theoretical minimum risk exposure level (3 g of sodium per day), the average population consumption, and relative risks of sodium–outcome pairs. PAFs were applied to the total costs of hospitalizations and OPMHC paid by SUS for each outcome obtained from the Outpatient and Hospital Information Systems. The costs per 10,000 inhabitants in all the Brazilian states were calculated and converted into international dollars (Int$), considering the purchasing parity power in the year 2019.
Excessive sodium consumption resulted in Int$ 98,882,386.36 (95% uncertainty interval: Int$ 3,398,343.53–312,065,319.80) in hospitalizations and OPMHC costs in Brazil in 2019. Males and the 55- to 69-year-old age group had the highest expenditures attributable to excessive sodium consumption. Cardiovascular diseases were the most significant contributors to the costs associated with the risk factor. Southern and southeastern states had the highest costs of diseases attributable to sodium.
Excessive sodium consumption has a significant economic burden on SUS, particularly among men and more developed states. This underscores the inequalities in socio-economic factors and access to health services throughout the country. Economic analyses at the subnational level can provide evidence for public policy planning to define the most appropriate actions for the population's sociodemographic reality.
Tunneling Enhancement of the Gas-Phase CH + CO2 Reaction at Low Temperature Nuñez-Reyes, Dianailys; Hickson, Kevin M; Loison, Jean-Christophe ...
The journal of physical chemistry. A, Molecules, spectroscopy, kinetics, environment, & general theory,
12/2020, Letnik:
124, Številka:
51
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The rates of numerous activated reactions between neutral species increase at low temperatures through quantum mechanical tunneling of light hydrogen atoms. Although tunneling processes involving ...molecules or heavy atoms are well known in the condensed phase, analogous gas-phase processes have never been demonstrated experimentally. Here, we studied the activated CH + CO2 → HCO + CO reaction in a supersonic flow reactor, measuring rate constants that increase rapidly below 100 K. Mechanistically, tunneling is shown to occur by CH insertion into the C–O bond, with rate calculations accurately reproducing the experimental values. To exclude the possibility of H-atom tunneling, CD was used in additional experiments and calculations. Surprisingly, the equivalent CD + CO2 reaction accelerates at low temperature as zero-point energy effects remove the barrier to product formation. In conclusion, heavy-particle tunneling effects might be responsible for the observed reactivity increase at lower temperatures for the CH + CO2 reaction, while the equivalent effect for the CD + CO2 reaction results instead from a submerged barrier with respect to reactants.
Nicotinic acid is an organic component with applications in different industrial processes. Separation, purification, and the development of new products based on this material depend on solid–liquid ...equilibrium data. The application of mathematical models is useful for the development of solution theories and process simulators. Excess thermodynamic properties are fundamental to evaluate the deviation from ideality present in a solution. Thus, the current work presents the study of solubility and excess solubility of nicotinic acid in binary liquid solutions formed by water + methanol and water + ethanol, covering the entire range of molar composition of the binary liquid mixture at temperatures ranging from 293.15 to 323.15 K. Equilibrium between solid and liquid phases was described by the PC-SAFT and CPA equations of state and the NRTL activity coefficient model. Regarding solubility, the existence of maximum and minimum points were observed indicating a possible solvation effect in both mixtures. Excess solubility calculations also indicate solutions with a high deviation from ideality. All models used have been able to successfully correlate the solubility results.
We aimed to estimate the protein requirements of pregnant Holstein × Gyr cows. Sixty-one Holstein × Gyr (HG) cows were used, with an average initial BW of 480 ± 10.1 kg and 5 ± 0.5 yrs of age. Cows ...were divided into 3 groups: pregnant (n = 43), non-pregnant (n = 12), and baseline (n = 6). Baseline animals were slaughtered before starting the experiment to estimate the initial body composition of the remaining animals. Pregnant and non-pregnant cows received 2 diets: maintenance and ad libitum. Pregnant cows were slaughtered at 139, 199, 241, and 268 gestation days (GD). First, we used data only from non-pregnant cows to determine the requirements for maintenance and growth in adult cows. The requirements of metabolizable protein for maintenance (MPm; g/EBW0.75/d) were estimated using a linear regression between the metabolizable protein intake (MPI, g/d) and average daily gain (g/d), and the MPm was defined as the intercept divided by the average BW0.75. Net protein requirements for gain (NPg; g/d) were estimated by the first derivative of the allometric equation between final crude protein (CP) in the body (kg) and the final EBW (kg). The efficiency of use of metabolizable protein for gain (k) was calculated from the regression between the retained protein (g/EBW0.75/d) and the MPI (g/EBW0.75/d), and k was the slope of this regression. The MPI was estimated by combining microbial protein synthesis (purine derivatives) with the digestible rumen undegradable protein (total protein intake minus RDP) × intestinal digestibility. Second, an exponential model was used to fit the protein accumulation in the gestational components in the function of GD. The first derivative of that model was considered the net requirement for gestation (NPgest). The efficiency of protein utilization for gestation (kgest) was calculated by the iterative method using the equation: Δ = MPI - (MPm + NPg/kg + NPgest/kgest). The iteration was performed aiming at a zero deviation between observed MPI and MP estimated by the requirements determined herein. We obtained a value of 3.88 g/EBW0.75/d for MPm. The estimation of NPg can be calculated according to the following equation: NPg = 0.716 × (EBWopen-0.308) × EBGcorrected, where EBWopen is the empty BW (kg) for non-pregnant animals and EBGcorrected is the empty body gain (kg/d) corrected for the gestational component. The k was determined as 0.347. The net protein requirements for gestation (NPgest) were determined as NPgest (g/d) = 0.0008722 × exp(0.01784 ×GD) × (calfweight/35). The efficiency of using metabolizable protein for gestation (kgest) was 0.625. It is important to highlight that different methods of MP estimates should not be mixed and that the proposed method requires the estimate of microbial protein (estimate it via urinary estimates) and might be a limitation for practical application. In conclusion, new studies should be conducted to validate our results and the methodology adopted to determine protein requirements for pregnancy in dairy cows. Due to the pattern of protein accumulation in the gestational components, we suggest that exponential model to describe protein requirements for pregnancy for dairy cows.
Elongation of very long-chain fatty acids (Elovl) proteins are critical players in the regulation of the length of a fatty acid. At present, eight members of the Elovl family (Elovl1–8), displaying a ...characteristic fatty acid substrate specificity, have been identified in vertebrates, including teleost fish. In general, Elovl1, Elovl3, Elovl6 and Elovl7 exhibit a substrate preference for saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, while Elovl2, Elovl4, Elovl5 and Elovl8 use polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) as substrates. PUFA elongases have received considerable attention in aquatic animals due to their involvement in the conversion of C18 PUFAs to long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA). Here, we identified the full repertoire of elovl genes in the tambaqui Colossoma macropomum genome. A detailed phylogenetic and synteny analysis suggests a conservation of these genes among teleosts. Furthermore, based on RNAseq gene expression data, we discovered a gender bias expression of elovl genes during sex differentiation of tambaqui, toward future males. Our findings suggest a role of Elovl enzymes and fatty acid metabolism in tambaqui sexual differentiation.
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•Eight members of the Elovl family have been identified in vertebrates.•The full repertoire of elovl genes in the Colossoma macropomum genome was identified•Phylogenetic and synteny suggests a conservation of these genes among teleosts.•RNAseq analysis shows a gender bias expression of elovl genes in tambaqui.
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