Maternal obesity is associated with large‐for‐gestational‐age (LGA) neonates and programming of obesity‐related cardiovascular disease in the offspring, however, the mechanisms that lead to the later ...are unclear. Presently, interpretations of NO‐dependent changes in vascular function in LGA newborn from obese mothers are conflicting. Adiponectin improves endothelial function by increasing eNOS activity and NO production. We propose that LGAs from obese mothers present a diminished vascular response to adiponectin; thus, affecting eNOS and AMPK activation. Chorionic arteries, umbilical cord and primary cultures of umbilical artery endothelial cells (HUAEC) were collected at term (>38 weeks) from uncomplicated singleton pregnancies of LGA and adequate‐for‐gestational (AGA) newborn. Vascular reactivity of chorionic plate arteries was assessed by wire myography. mRNA expression of adiponectin receptors 1 (AdipoR1) and AdipoR2 in HUAEC was determined by qPCR. Protein expression of AdipoR1, AdipoR2, AMPK, phospho‐AMPKαThr172, eNOS, and phospho‐eNOSSer1177 after stimulation with AdipoRon was determined by Western Blot. Maximal adiponectin‐induced chorionic artery relaxation in LGAs was diminished compared to control. In vitro studies showed no differences in expression of AdipoRs, total AMPK and, eNOS activation between groups; however, higher expression of total eNOS and AMPK activation in HUAEC of LGA relative to AGAs were observed. LGA HUAEC showed diminished NO production and eNOS activity compared to AGA in response to AdipoRon but no changes in AMPK activation. Placental endothelium of LGAs shows a diminished vascular response to adiponectin. Moreover, eNOS activation and adiponectin‐dependent NO production is lower in HUAEC of LGA from obese mothers, indicating they present dysfuncional placental‐endothelial responses.
Feto‐placental arteries from Large for Gestational Age (LGA) neonates present lower adiponectin‐induced relaxation and their umbilical arteries endothelium a lesser NO production/eNOS activity in response to AdipoRon.
Atmospheric CO2 concentrations strongly influence the exchange of energy, water and carbon between the atmosphere and the terrestrial biosphere. The CO2 available to plants can be highly variable ...given the stochastic nature of the phenomena involved in its dynamics. However, most terrestrial ecosystem models consider CO2 concentration as a quasi-deterministic variable or use measurements taken from heights above the canopy where CO2 is usually well mixed. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate if a stochastic treatment of CO2 concentrations leads to different predictions of carbon assimilation (An) and transpiration (T) compared to a strictly deterministic approach, as well as the use of CO2 measurements from different heights. To address this goal, we used a set of observations taken in forests from the ICOS network and the ATTO research site. We applied the exponential smoothing method to decompose the time series into their trend, seasonal and stochastic (residual) components. We found that the residual component of CO2 (rCO2) follows a Laplace probability density function and its stochastic magnitude is inversely proportional to the height above the ground. To quantify the degree to which predictions of An and T would be affected by stochastic effects, we ran simulations considering the different components of the time series and Farquhar’s and Penman–Monteith’s models. We found significant differences in the predictions of An and T for diverse heights, with larger An (T) fluxes closer (farther) to the ground. Still, this effect is mainly due to the deterministic component that increases with decreasing height. The stochastic component tends to reduce (increase) An (T) compared to the deterministic approach. However, the difference between approaches is not large enough to compensate for the deterministic effect, suggesting that there is no merit for the consideration of rCO2 in future simulations as long as measurements taken inside the canopy are used.
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•The residual component of CO2 follows a Laplace probability density function.•The stochastic magnitude of CO2 is inversely proportional to height above the ground.•Climate, vegetation and local processes drive the stochastic component of CO2.•Deterministic components accurately describe the CO2 impact on water and C fluxes.•Using CO2 measurements taken high in the atmosphere can lead to inaccurate C fluxes.
ABSTRACT
Background:
Deleterious long‐term effects in the offspring from women with pregravid obesity have been described; however, the evidence supporting early metabolic and inflammatory markers in ...the offspring at birth and gender differences are conflicting.
Objective:
The present study aimed to compare cord blood adipokines and cytokines concentrations and anthropometric characteristics of the offspring of women with maternal obesity (MO) and normal‐weight mothers (NWM). Also, maternal and neonatal variables on the association of maternal body mass index (BMI) with cord blood adipokines were evaluated.
Methods:
A cross‐sectional analysis of a subsample of mother–child dyads participating in a cohort study (n = 221) was assessed. Anthropometrics, cord blood adipokines (leptin and adiponectin) and cytokines (interleukin IL‐1β, IL‐4, IL‐10, IL‐12 p40, IL‐12p70, IL‐13, and tumor necrosis factor α) concentrations in the offspring of normal‐weight women (BMI >18.5 and <24.9 kg/m2) and women with pregravid obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m2) without comorbidities was performed.
Results:
Offspring from mothers with obesity had higher birth weight, a higher proportion of large for gestational age, higher ponderal index, and heavier placentae than offspring from normal‐weight mothers (P < 0.05). Within the offspring from women with obesity, males had significantly higher weight, length, the proportion of large‐for‐gestational‐age newborns, higher weight for length ratio. Males had more efficient placentas than females (P < 0.05). Higher adiponectin and leptin in both sexes and higher leptin in female offspring of mothers with obesity after adjusting for birth size (P < 0.05) were found. Higher IL‐12p40 in the offspring of women with MO with no other differences in other cytokines among groups were evidenced.
Conclusions:
Maternal obesity associates with a higher concentration of adiponectin and leptin in their offspring at birth. There is a relevant effect on anthropometrics in male offspring and on leptin in female newborn. Further studies need to evaluate the extension of these effects in postnatal life.
Trail identification number:
NCT02903134
Plant-microbe symbiosis is pervasive in the Earth's ecosystems and dates back to the early land colonisation by plants. Mutualistic partnership with rhizobia bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi promotes ...plant nutrition, growth and diversity, impacting important ecosystem functions. However, how the global behaviour and dynamical properties of an ecosystem are modified by plant-microbe symbiosis is still unclear. To tackle this theoretical question, we resorted to the Daisyworld as a toy model of the global ecosystem. We redesigned the original model to allow accounting for seed production, spreading, germination, and seedling development to mature seed-producing plants to describe how symbiotic and non-symbiotic daisy species differ in these key processes. Using the steady-state and bifurcation analysis of this model, we demonstrate that symbiosis with microbes broadens the habitability range of the Daisyworld by enhancing plant growth and/or facilitating plant access to otherwise uninhabitable nutrient-poor regions.
Microbial biosurfactants are low-molecular-weight surface-active compounds of high industrial interest owing to their chemical properties and stability under several environmental conditions. The ...chemistry of a biosurfactant and its production cost are defined by the selection of the producer microorganism, type of substrate, and purification strategy. Recently, biosurfactants have been applied to solve or contribute to solving some environmental problems, with this being their main field of application. The most referenced studies are based on the bioremediation of contaminated soils with recalcitrant pollutants, such as hydrocarbons or heavy metals. In the case of heavy metals, biosurfactants function as chelating agents owing to their binding capacity. However, the mechanism by which biosurfactants typically act in an environmental field is focused on their ability to reduce the surface tension, thus facilitating the emulsification and solubilization of certain pollutants (in-situ biostimulation and/or bioaugmentation). Moreover, despite the low toxicity of biosurfactants, they can also act as biocidal agents at certain doses, mainly at higher concentrations than their critical micellar concentration. More recently, biosurfactant production using alternative substrates, such as several types of organic waste and solid-state fermentation, has increased its applicability and research interest in a circular economy context. In this review, the most recent research publications on the use of biosurfactants in environmental applications as an alternative to conventional chemical surfactants are summarized and analyzed. Novel strategies using biosurfactants as agricultural and biocidal agents are also presented in this paper.
The response of terrestrial ecosystems to increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations is controversial and not yet fully understood, with previous large‐scale forest manipulation experiments exhibiting ...contrasting responses. Although there is consensus that increased CO2 has a relevant effect on instantaneous processes such as photosynthesis and transpiration, there are large uncertainties regarding the fate of extra assimilated carbon in ecosystems. Filling this research gap is challenging because tracing the movement of new carbon across ecosystem compartments involves the study of multiple processes occurring over a wide range of timescales, from hours to millennia. We posit that a comprehensive quantification of the effect of increased CO2 must answer two interconnected questions: How much and for how long is newly assimilated carbon stored in ecosystems? Therefore, we propose that the transit time distribution of carbon is the key concept needed to effectively address these questions. Here, we show how the transit time distribution of carbon can be used to assess the fate of newly assimilated carbon and the timescales at which it is cycled in ecosystems. We use as an example a transit time distribution obtained from a tropical forest and show that most of the 60% of fixed carbon is respired in less than 1 year; therefore, we infer that under increased CO2, most of the new carbon would follow a similar fate unless increased CO2 would cause changes in the rates at which carbon is cycled and transferred among ecosystem compartments. We call for a more frequent adoption of the transit time concept in studies seeking to quantify the ecosystem response to increased CO2.
Terrestrial ecosystems remove CO2 from the atmosphere via photosynthesis and convert it into biomass and soil organic matter. This carbon is returned to the atmosphere via decomposition and respiration, processes that depend on climatic conditions, microbial community structure and function, and nutrient availability. When ecosystems are exposed to increased CO2, the photosynthesis rate increases, but it is not clear how much carbon remains in the system and for how long. The transit time concept can be used to assess the fate of newly assimilated carbon and the timescales at which it is cycled in ecosystems. Modified after Steiner (2008).
The microorganisms intended for use as probiotics in aquaculture should exert antimicrobial activity and be regarded as safe not only for the aquatic hosts but also for their surrounding environments ...and humans. The objective of this work was to investigate the antimicrobial/bacteriocin activity against fish pathogens, the antibiotic susceptibility, and the prevalence of virulence factors and detrimental enzymatic activities in 99 Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) (59 enterococci and 40 non-enterococci) isolated from aquatic animals regarded as human food.
These LAB displayed a broad antimicrobial/bacteriocin activity against the main Gram-positive and Gram-negative fish pathogens. However, particular safety concerns based on antibiotic resistance and virulence factors were identified in the genus Enterococcus (86%) (Enterococcus faecalis, 100%; E. faecium, 79%). Antibiotic resistance was also found in the genera Weissella (60%), Pediococcus (44%), Lactobacillus (33%), but not in leuconostocs and lactococci. Antibiotic resistance genes were found in 7.5% of the non-enterococci, including the genera Pediococcus (12.5%) and Weissella (6.7%). One strain of both Pediococcus pentosaceus and Weissella cibaria carried the erythromycin resistance gene mef(A/E), and another two P. pentosaceus strains harboured lnu(A) conferring resistance to lincosamides. Gelatinase activity was found in E. faecalis and E. faecium (71 and 11%, respectively), while a low number of E. faecalis (5%) and none E. faecium exerted hemolytic activity. None enterococci and non-enterococci showed bile deconjugation and mucin degradation abilities, or other detrimental enzymatic activities.
To our knowledge, this is the first description of mef(A/E) in the genera Pediococcus and Weissella, and lnu(A) in the genus Pediococcus. The in vitro subtractive screening presented in this work constitutes a valuable strategy for the large-scale preliminary selection of putatively safe LAB intended for use as probiotics in aquaculture.
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•Wheet feed hydrolysate can serve as both hydrophilic carbon and nitrogen source.•At TN concentrations <1.5 g/L production and growth presented a linear relationship.•0.31 g/L TN from ...wheat feed hydrolysate led to 60 g/L diacetylated lactonic C18:1.•Sophorolipid gravimetrical quantification should be complemented with HPLC analysis.•Biomass hydrolysates composition influences sophorolipid congeners profile.
To explore a sustainable sophorolipid production, several hydrolysates from agricultural byproducts, such as wheat feed, rapeseed meal, coconut waste and palm waste were used as nitrogen sources. The four hydrolysates overperformed the controls after 168 h of fermentation using Starmerella bombicola ATCC 22214. Wheat feed and coconut waste hydrolysates were the most promising feedstocks presenting a linear relationship between yeast growth and diacetylated lactonic C18:1 production at total nitrogen concentrations below 1.5 g/L (R2 = 0.90 and 0.83, respectively). At 0.31 g/L total nitrogen, wheat feed hydrolysate achieved the highest production, yielding 72.20 ± 1.53 g/L of sophorolipid crude extract and 60.05 ± 0.56 g/L of diacetylated lactonic C18:1 at shake flask scale with productivities of 0.43 and 0.36 g/L/h, respectively. Results were confirmed in a 2-L bioreactor increasing 15 % diacetylated lactonic C18:1 production. Moreover, wheat feed hydrolysate supplemented only with a hydrophobic carbon source was able to produce mainly diacetylated lactonic C18:1 congener (88.5 % wt.), suggesting that the composition of the hydrolysate significantly influences the congeners profile. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into agricultural byproduct hydrolysates as potential nitrogen feedstocks for sophorolipid production and their further application on industrial biotechnology.
The development of mucosal vaccines against pathogens is currently a highly explored area of research in both humans and animals. This is due to the fact that mucosal vaccines have the potential to ...best elicit protective responses at these mucosal surfaces, which represent the frontline of host defense, thus blocking the pathogen at its initial replication sites. However, in order to provide an efficient long-lasting protection, these mucosal vaccines have to be capable of eliciting an adequate systemic immune response in addition to local responses. In aquaculture, the need for mucosal vaccines has further practical implications, as these vaccines would avoid the individual manipulation of fish out of the water, being beneficial from both an economic and animal welfare point of view. However, how B and T cells are organized in teleost fish within these mucosal sites and how they respond to mucosally delivered antigens varies greatly when compared to mammals. For this reason, it is important to establish which mucosally delivered antigens have the capacity to induce strong and long-lasting B and T cell responses. Hence, in this review, we have summarized what is currently known regarding the adaptive immune mechanisms that are induced both locally and systemically in fish after mucosal immunization through different routes of administration including oral and nasal vaccination, anal intubation and immersion vaccination. Finally, based on the data presented, we discuss how mucosal vaccination strategies could be improved to reach significant protection levels in these species.
Immunoglobulin D (IgD) is an ancient antibody with dual membrane-bound and fluid-phase antigen receptor functions. The biology of secreted IgD remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that teleost ...IgD+IgM− plasmablasts constitute a major lymphocyte population in some mucosal surfaces, including the gut mucosa. Remarkably, secreted IgD binds to gut commensal bacteria, which in turn stimulate IgD gene transcription in gut B cells. Accordingly, secreted IgD from gut as well as gill mucosae, but not the spleen, show a V(D)J gene configuration consistent with microbiota-driven clonal expansion and diversification, including mild somatic hypermutation. By showing that secreted IgD establishes a mutualistic relationship with commensals, our findings suggest that secreted IgD may play an evolutionary conserved role in mucosal homeostasis.
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•IgD+IgM− B cells constitute the main non-IgT B cell subset in rainbow trout guts•Gut IgD responses establish a two-way interaction with the local microbiota•Mucosal but not splenic IgD undergoes clonal expansion and diversification•Despite the lack of germinal centers, mucosal IgD is mildly mutated in rainbow trout
Perdiguero et al. show that IgD+IgM− plasmablasts constitute a major lymphocyte population in the teleost intestine, as in gills. In these two tissues, IgD molecular signatures reflect a clonal expansion not detected in the spleen. Finally, secreted IgD in the intestine establishes a two-way interaction with the local microbiota.
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