Overuse of antimicrobials has greatly contributed to the increase in the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, a situation that hinders the control and treatment of infectious diseases. This is ...the case with urinary tract infections (UTIs), which represent a substantial percentage of worldwide public health problems, thus the need to look for alternatives for their control and treatment. Previous studies have shown the usefulness of autologous bacterial lysates as an alternative for the treatment and control of UTIs. However, a limitation is the high cost of producing individual immunogens. At the same time, an important aspect of vaccines is their immunogenic amplitude, which is the reason why they must be constituted of diverse antigenic components. In the case of UTIs, the etiology of the disease is associated with different bacteria, and even Escherichia coli, the main causal agent of the disease, is made up of several antigenic variants. In this work, we present results on the study of a bacterial lysate composed of 10 serotypes of Escherichia coli and by Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella aerogenes, Enterococcus faecalis, Proteus mirabilis, Citrobacter freundii, and Staphylococcus haemolyticus. The safety of the compound was tested on cells in culture and in an animal model, and its immunogenic capacity by analysing in vitro human and murine macrophages (cell line J774 A1). The results show that the polyvalent lysate did not cause damage to the cells in culture or alterations in the animal model used. The immunostimulatory activity assay showed that it activates the secretion of TNF-α and IL-6 in human macrophages and TNF-α in murine cells. The obtained results suggest that the polyvalent lysate evaluated can be an alternative for the treatment and control of chronic urinary tract infections, which will reduce the use of antimicrobials.
Vascular calcification (VC) is a common complication in patients with chronic kidney disease which increases their mortality. Although oxidative stress is involved in the onset and progression of ...this disorder, the specific role of some of the main redox regulators, such as catalase, the main scavenger of H2O2, remains unclear. In the present study, epigastric arteries of kidney transplant recipients, a rat model of VC, and an in vitro model of VC exhibiting catalase (Cts) overexpression were analysed. Pericalcified areas of human epigastric arteries had increased levels of catalase and cytoplasmic, rather than nuclear runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2). In the rat model, advanced aortic VC concurred with lower levels of the H2O2-scavenger glutathione peroxidase 3 compared to controls. In an early model of calcification using vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), Cts VSMCs showed the expected increase in total levels of RUNX2. However, Cts VMSCs also exhibited a lower percentage of the nucleus stained for RUNX2 in response to calcifying media. In this early model of VC, we did not observe a dysregulation of the mitochondrial redox state; instead, an increase in the general redox state was observed in the cytoplasm. These results highlight the complex role of antioxidant enzymes as catalase by regulation of RUNX2 subcellular location delaying the onset of VC.
Diets high in bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, have been used to mitigate metabolic syndrome (MetS). Polyphenols are a large group of naturally occurring bioactive compounds, classified into ...two main classes: non-flavonoids and flavonoids. Flavonoids are distributed in foods, such as fruits, vegetables, tea, red wine, and cocoa. Studies have already demonstrated the benefits of flavonoids on the cardiovascular and nervous systems, as well as cancer cells. The present review summarizes the results of clinical studies that evaluated the effects of flavonoids on the components of the MetS and associated complications when offered as supplements over the long term. The results show that flavonoids can significantly modulate several metabolic parameters, such as lipid profile, blood pressure, and blood glucose. Only theaflavin and catechin were unable to affect metabolic parameters. Moreover, only body weight and body mass index were unaltered. Thus, the evidence presented in this systematic review offers bases in support of a flavonoid supplementation, held for at least 3 weeks, as a strategy to improve several metabolic parameters and, consequently, reduce the risk of diseases associated with MetS. This fact becomes stronger due to the rare side effects reported with flavonoids.
Obesity results from an unbalance in the ingested and burned calories. Energy balance (EB) is critically regulated by the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) by promoting appetite or anorectic ...actions. Hypothalamic inflammation, driven by high activation of the microglia, has been reported as a key mechanism involved in the development of diet-induced obesity. Kaempferol (KF), a flavonoid-type polyphenol present in a large number of fruits and vegetables, was shown to regulate both energy metabolism and inflammation.
In this work, we studied the effects of both the central and peripheral treatment with KF on hypothalamic inflammation and EB regulation in mice with obesity.
Obese adult mice were chronically (40 days) treated with KF (0.5 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneally). During the treatment, body weight, food intake (FI), feed efficiency (FE), glucose tolerance, and insulin sensitivity were determined. Analysis of microglia activation in the ARC of the hypothalamus at the end of the treatment was also performed. Body weight, FI, and FE changes were also evaluated in response to 5µg KF, centrally administrated.
Chronic administration of KF decreased ∼43% of the density, and ∼30% of the ratio, of activated microglia in the arcuate nucleus. These changes were accompanied by body weight loss, decreased FE, reduced fasting blood glucose, and a tendency to improve insulin sensitivity. Finally, acute central administration of KF reproduced the effects on EB triggered by peripheral administration.
These findings suggest that KF might fight obesity by regulating central processes related to EB regulation and hypothalamic inflammation.
Obesity is the main challenge for public health systems. Functional foods have emerged as an alternative to the ineffectiveness of pharmacological therapies. However, it is necessary to investigate ...to find sources of raw material for its preparation. The aim of this work was to evaluate the functional effects of residual avocado seed in diet-induced obese mice. Animals were fed a high-fat diet supplemented with avocado seed (1.25%) for 6 weeks. Body weight, food intake, satiety, physical activity, and energy expenditure-involved gene expression were measured. Supplementation with avocado seed led to reduced body weight, delayed satiety, increased physical activity, and induced Dio2 and Adrb1 expression in hypothalamus and white adipose tissue, respectively. No changes in markers of hepatic injury were observed. In conclusion, avocado seed exerts functional effects on obese mice, by promoting energy expenditure, without toxicity effects, making it possible to use this by-product in the development of functional foods.
The aim of this paper is to describe a study of the anaerobic digestion of industrial citrus solid waste (ISCW) in both batch and semi-continuous modes for the production of bioenergy without the ...elimination of D-limonene. The study was conducted at the pilot plant level in an anaerobic reactor with a working volume of 220 L under mesophilic conditions of 35 ± 2 °C. Cattle manure (CM) was used as the inoculum. Three batches were studied. The first batch had a CM/ISCW ratio of 90/10, and Batches 2 and 3 had CM/ISCW ratios of 80/20 and 70/30, respectively. In the semi-continuous mode an OLR of approximately 8 g total chemical oxygen demand (COD)/Ld (4.43 gVS/Ld) was used. The results showed that 49%, 44%, and 60% of volatile solids were removed in the batch mode, and 35% was removed in the semi-continuous mode. In the batch mode, 0.322, 0.382, and 0.316 LCH4 were obtained at STP/gVSremoved. A total of 24.4 L/d (34% methane) was measured in the semi-continuous mode. Bioenergy potentials of 3.97, 5.66, and 8.79 kWh were obtained for the respective batches, and 0.09 kWh was calculated in the semi-continuous mode. The citrus industry could produce 37 GWh per season. A ton of processed oranges has a bioenergy potential of 162 kWh, which is equivalent to 49 kWh of available electricity ($3.90).
Sensing devices are increasingly being deployed to monitor the physical world around us. One class of application for which sensor data is pertinent is environmental decision support systems, e.g., ...flood emergency response. For these applications, the sensor readings need to be put in context by integrating them with other sources of data about the surrounding environment. Traditional systems for predicting and detecting floods rely on methods that need significant human resources. In this paper we describe a semantic sensor web architecture for integrating multiple heterogeneous datasets, including live and historic sensor data, databases, and map layers. The architecture provides mechanisms for discovering datasets, defining integrated views over them, continuously receiving data in real-time, and visualising on screen and interacting with the data. Our approach makes extensive use of web service standards for querying and accessing data, and semantic technologies to discover and integrate datasets. We demonstrate the use of our semantic sensor web architecture in the context of a flood response planning web application that uses data from sensor networks monitoring the sea-state around the coast of England.
Sensing devices are increasingly being deployed to monitor the physical world around us. One class of application for which sensor data is pertinent is environmental decision support systems, e.g. ...flood emergency response. However, in order to interpret the readings from the sensors, the data needs to be put in context through correlation with other sensor readings, sensor data histories, and stored data, as well as juxtaposing with maps and forecast models. In this paper we use a flood emergency response planning application to identify requirements for a semantic sensor web. We propose a generic service architecture to satisfy the requirements that uses semantic annotations to support well-informed interactions between the services. We present the SemSor-Grid4Env realisation of the architecture and illustrate its capabilities in the context of the example application.
Background: Streptococcus mutans is considered the primary bacterial species closely associated with the etiology of dental caries in humans. Recent studies suggest an association between caries and ...the genetic diversity of S. mutans.Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the genotypic diversity of S. mutans in schoolchildren, its stability in a one-year follow-up study, and its association with dental caries.Methods: We studied 25 schoolchildren. Representative S. mutans colonies were isolated from the dental plaque of each child, grown on mitis-salivarius-bacitracin agar, and inoculated in trypticase soy broth. We performed 16S rRNA gene PCR-RFLP analysis on S. mutans isolates. Dental caries in deciduous and permanent surfaces was scored according to the WHO criteria. After 12 months, the caries incidence, S. mutans count, and genotypic diversity were compared. We grouped samples to observe similarities using cluster analysis. A similarity coefficient of > 95% was considered for defining the genotypes.Results: At baseline, we proved the genotypic diversity of S. mutans with five different genotypes. Caries scores were higher in children with genotype A (dmfs 5.4 vs. 3.4). The genotypic diversity of S. mutans in the schoolchildren decreased after one year, with the predominance of genotype A (52% to 92%) that was also associated with high bacterial counts (P = 0.0063).Conclusions: This study supports that there are changes in the genotype of S. mutans over time, and the more cariogenic genotype is more stable than the others.
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