Two coastal sites in Gibraltar, Vanguard and Gorham's Caves, located at Governor's Beach on the eastern side of the Rock, are especially relevant to the study of Neanderthals. Vanguard Cave provides ...evidence of marine food supply (mollusks, seal, dolphin, and fish). Further evidence of marine mammal remains was also found in the occupation levels at Gorham's Cave associated with Upper Paleolithic and Mousterian technologies Finlayson C, et al. (2006) Nature 443:850-853. The stratigraphic sequence of Gibraltar sites allows us to compare behaviors and subsistence strategies of Neanderthals during the Middle Paleolithic observed at Vanguard and Gorham's Cave sites. This evidence suggests that such use of marine resources was not a rare behavior and represents focused visits to the coast and estuaries.
The electrical sensitivity of glass fiber/multiwall carbon nanotube/vinyl ester hierarchical composites containing a tailored electrically-percolated network to self-sense accumulation of structural ...damage when subjected to cyclic tensile loading-unloading is investigated. The hierarchical composites were designed to contain two architectures differentiated by the location of the multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), viz. MWCNTs deposited on the fibers and MWCNTs dispersed within the matrix. The changes in electrical resistance of the hierarchical composites are associated to their structural damage and correlated to acoustic emissions. The results show that such tailored hierarchical composites are able to self-sense damage onset and accumulation upon tensile loading-unloading cycles by means of their electrical response, and that the electrical response depends on the MWCNT location.
Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) has a crucial role in growth hormone (GH) secretion, but little is known about its production by adipocytes and its involvement in adipocyte metabolism.
To ...determine whether GHRH and its receptor (GHRH-R) are present in human adipocytes and to study their levels in obesity. Also, to analyze the effects of GHRH on human adipocyte differentiation and lipolysis.
GHRH/GHRH-R and GH/GH-R mRNA expression levels were analyzed in human mature adipocytes from non-obese and morbidly obese subjects. Human mesenchymal stem cells (HMSC) were differentiated to adipocytes with GHRH (10
-10
M). Adipocyte differentiation, lipolysis and gene expression were measured and the effect of GH-R silencing was determined.
Mature adipocytes from morbidly obese subjects showed a higher expression of GHRH and GH-R, and a lower expression of GHRH-R and GH than non-obese subjects (P<0.05). A total of 10
-10
M GHRH induced an inhibition of lipid accumulation and PPAR-γ expression (P<0.05), and an increase in glycerol release and HSL expression (P<0.05) in human differentiated adipocytes. A total of 10
-10
M GHRH decreased GHRH-R expression in human differentiated adipocytes (P<0.05). A total of 10
-10
M GHRH increased GH and GH-R expression in human differentiated adipocytes (P<0.05). The effects of GHRH at 10
M on adipocyte differentiation and lipolysis were blocked when GH-R expression was silenced.
GHRH and GHRH-R are expressed in human adipocytes and are negatively associated. GHRH at low doses may exert an anti-obesity effect by inhibiting HMSC differentiation in adipocytes and by increasing adipocyte lipolysis in an autocrine or paracrine pathway. These effects are mediated by GH and GH-R.
We used continuous flow micro-devices as bioreactors for the production of a glycosylated pharmaceutical product (a monoclonal antibody). We cultured CHO cells on the surface of PMMA/PDMS ...micro-channels that had been textured by micromachining and coated with fibronectin. Three different micro-channel geometries (a wavy channel, a zigzag channel, and a series of donut-shape reservoirs) were tested in a continuous flow regime in the range of 3 to 6 μL min(-1). Both the geometry of the micro-device and the flow rate had a significant effect on cell adhesion, cell proliferation, and monoclonal antibody production. The most efficient configuration was a series of donut-shaped reservoirs, which yielded mAb concentrations of 7.2 mg L(-1) at residence times lower than one minute and steady-state productivities above 9 mg mL(-1) min(-1). These rates are at about 3 orders of magnitude higher than those observed in suspended-cell stirred tank fed-batch bioreactors.
The presence of ghrelin and its receptor, growth hormone (GH) secretagogue receptor, in the hypothalamus and pituitary, and its ability to stimulate GH release in vivo and in vitro, strongly support ...a significant role for this peptide in the control of somatotroph function. We previously demonstrated that ghrelin elicits GH secretion directly in somatotrophs by activating two major signalling cascades, which involve inositol phosphate and cAMP. In as much as nitric oxide (NO) and its mediator cGMP have been recently shown to contribute substantially to the response of somatotrophs to key regulatory hormones, including GH‐releasing hormone, somatostatin and leptin, we investigated the possible role of this signalling pathway in ghrelin‐induced GH release in vitro. Accordingly, cultures of pituitary cells from prepuberal female pigs were challenged with ghrelin (10−8 m, 30 min) in the absence or presence of activators or blockers of key steps of the NO synthase (NOS)/NO/guanylate cyclase (GC)/cGMP route and GH secretion was measured. Two distinct activators of the NO route, S‐nitroso‐N‐acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) (5 × 10−4 m) and l‐arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (l‐AME) (10−3 m), comparably stimulated GH secretion when applied alone. The presence of l‐AME enhanced ghrelin‐stimulated GH secretion, whereas SNAP did not alter its effect. Conversely, two different NOS/NO pathway inhibitors, Nw‐nitro‐l‐arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (10−5 m) or haemoglobin (20 μg/ml), similarly blocked ghrelin‐induced (but not basal) GH release, thus indicating that NO contributes critically to ghrelin action in somatotrophs. Moreover, incubation with a permeable cGMP analogue, 8‐Br‐cGMP (10−8 m) stimulated GH secretion, but did not modify the stimulatory action of ghrelin, suggesting that cGMP could mediate the action of NO. Indeed, inhibition of GC by 10 μm LY‐53,583 did not alter basal GH secretion but abolished the GH‐releasing action of ghrelin. Taken together, our results provide novel evidence indicating that ghrelin requires activation of the NOS/NO route, and its subsequent GC/cGMP signal transduction pathway, as necessary steps to induce GH secretion from somatotrophs.
Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to determine optimum extraction conditions for yield, gelling temperature, melting temperature and apparent viscosity of native agar from the red alga
...Hydropuntia cornea. Two independent variables were selected during extraction, temperature (80, 90 and 100
°C) and time (2, 3 and 4
h). The extraction procedure using 100
°C and 3
h produced the greatest yield (43.3%), the greatest gelling temperature (32
°C) and the greatest melting temperature (78
°C). The extraction using 65
°C and 4
h produced the optimum statistical apparent viscosity (80.73
cPs), though agar yield under these conditions had low quality for industrial purposes. Temperature and time do not affect melting temperature, but do play an important role in gelling temperature. From the independent variables studied, extraction temperature is most important in producing an increase in yield, and time is the only variable that contributes significantly to increasing viscosity. Most of the physicochemical properties found in the native agar from
H. cornea extracted at 100
°C/3
h were similar to commercial samples. These findings suggest the feasibility of using this colloid in spreads and soft-texture food products.
Background and aims: As interleukin-6 (IL-6) has an important role in general metabolism with high circulating levels in obesity and other associated diseases, the factors regulating its synthesis ...and release have been considered possible therapeutic targets and have recently been studied. We examined the influence of three different diets, each having a different fatty acid composition--saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated (coconut oil, olive oil and sunflower oil diets), on IL-6 release from rat adipocytes, and the interaction between diet and other regulatory factors of IL-6 release, such as epinephrine. Methods: A group of rats was assigned to one of the three different diets, each with a significantly different concentration of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Samples were taken from the omental adipose tissue for measurement of the triacylglycerol fatty acid composition of the tissues and for adipocyte isolation. IL-6 release from adipocytes was measured in vitro, under nonstimulated conditions and also with two concentrations of epinephrine in the medium. Results: Animals fed with the olive oil diet showed lower values of IL-6 release with and without epinephrine stimulation. IL-6 release from adipocytes varied according to the diet, but not according to epinephrine dose. However, a significant interaction was found between the epinephrine dose and the diet in IL-6 release regulation. Conclusions: IL-6 release from adipocytes was markedly regulated by the dietary fatty acid composition, even under epinephrine stimulation, with lower values of IL-6 release in the olive oil diet. The study also showed that epinephrine regulation of IL-6 release was related to the diet.
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The introduction of biocompatible coatings onto nanoparticle surfaces can be synthetically challenging. In this work, calcium phosphate (brushite, CaHPO4⋅2H2O), iron oxide (hematite, ...α-Fe2O3), zinc oxide (ZnO), and CaHPO4@ZnO and α-Fe2O3@ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized and treated with the biocompatible, biodegradable, polysaccharide inulin {(2R,3S,4S,5R)-2-(2R,3S,4S,5R)-3,4-dihydroxy-2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)oxolan-2-yloxymethyl-5-(hydroxymethyl)oxolane-2,3,4-triol} under mild conditions. The products were fully characterized by Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), differential thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TGA/DTA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). Surface interactions among hematite and brushite with inulin are weak, but coating the nanoparticle surface with ZnO increased the affinity toward the polysaccharide. Inulin adsorption on the nanoparticle surface was confirmed by thermal and spectroscopic analyses. The nanoparticles had diameters ranging from 50 to 80nm, with nearly spherical morphology. The nanoparticles sizes, stability and solubility in water could make them useful as components for enriched foods.
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