Although bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) appear to be phenotypically and functionally similar to BM-MSCs from ...healthy sources
, the impact of COPD on MSC metabolism and mitochondrial function has not been evaluated. In this study, we aimed to comparatively characterize MSCs from healthy and emphysematous donors (H-MSCs and E-MSCs)
and to assess the therapeutic potential of these MSCs and their extracellular vesicles (H-EVs and E-EVs) in an
model of severe emphysema. For this purpose, C57BL/6 mice received intratracheal porcine pancreatic elastase once weekly for 4 weeks to induce emphysema; control animals received saline under the same protocol. Twenty-four hours after the last instillation, animals received saline, H-MSCs, E-MSCs, H-EVs, or E-EVs intravenously.
characterization demonstrated that E-MSCs present downregulation of anti-inflammatory (TSG-6, VEGF, TGF-β, and HGF) and anti-oxidant (CAT, SOD, Nrf2, and GSH) genes, and their EVs had larger median diameter and lower average concentration. Compared with H-MSC, E-MSC mitochondria also exhibited a higher respiration rate, were morphologically elongated, expressed less dynamin-related protein-1, and produced more superoxide. When co-cultured with alveolar macrophages, both H-MSCs and E-MSCs induced an increase in iNOS and arginase-1 levels, but only H-MSCs and their EVs were able to enhance IL-10 levels.
, emphysematous mice treated with E-MSCs or E-EVs demonstrated no amelioration in cardiorespiratory dysfunction. On the other hand, H-EVs, but not H-MSCs, were able to reduce the neutrophil count, the mean linear intercept, and IL-1β and TGF-β levels in lung tissue, as well as reduce pulmonary arterial hypertension and increase the right ventricular area in a murine model of elastase-induced severe emphysema. In conclusion, E-MSCs and E-EVs were unable to reverse cardiorespiratory dysfunction, whereas H-EVs administration was associated with a reduction in cardiovascular and respiratory damage in experimental severe emphysema.
Demonstrate brain perfusion changes due to neuronal activation after functional electrical stimulation (FES).
It was studied 14 patients with hemiplegia who were submitted to a program with FES ...during fourteen weeks. Brain perfusion SPECT was performed before and after FES therapy. These patients were further separated into 2 groups according to the hemiplegia cause: cranial trauma and major vascular insults. All SPECT images were analyzed using SPM.
There was a significant statistical difference between the two groups related to patient's ages and extent of hypoperfusion in the SPECT. Patients with cranial trauma had a reduction in the hypoperfused area and patients with major vascular insult had an increase in the hypoperfused area after FES therapy.
FES therapy can result in brain perfusion improvement in patients with brain lesions due to cranial trauma but probably not in patients with major vascular insults with large infarct area.
Com este trabalho objetivou-se verificar o efeito do ambiente sobre os índices fisiológicos, produção e qualidade do leite de cabras Parda Alpina, puras e mestiças, no semiárido paraibano, ...utilizando-se 27 cabras, nove puras, nove ¾ Parda Alpina e nove ½ Parda Alpina, distribuídas em delineamento inteiramente casualizado. As variáveis ambientais foram registradas através de data logger marca Hobo e os índices fisiológicos aferidos foram: temperatura retal, frequência respiratória, frequência cardíaca e temperatura superficial, nos horários das 8, 12 e 16 h. O leite foi avaliado através das características físico-químicas, contagem bacteriana total (CBT) e contagem de células somáticas (CCS). Os índices bioclimáticos apresentaram valores mais elevados entre as 12 e 15 h porém dentro da zona de conforto térmico para caprinos. Os índices fisiológicos, os parâmetros físico-químicos a CBT e CCS não apresentaram diferença significativa (p > 0,05) entre os grupos genéticos. Houve efeito significativo (p < 0,05) para produção diária de leite com maiores médias para o grupo ¾ Parda Alpina, sugerindo-se essa composição como a mais indicada para a exploração nas condições do trabalho.
Introduction
Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) are rare tumors and constitute only 1% of all tumors in adults. Indeed, due to their rarity, most cases in Brazil are not treated according to primary ...international guidelines.
Methods
This consensus addresses the treatment of STSs in the extremities. It was made by workgroups from Brazilian Societies of Surgical Oncology, Orthopaedics, Clinical Oncology, Pathology, Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, and Radiation Oncology. The workgroups based their arguments on the best level of evidence in the literature and recommendations were made according to diagnosis, staging, and treatment of STSs. A meeting was held with all the invited experts and the topics were presented individually with the definition of the degree of recommendation, based on the levels of evidence in the literature.
Results
Risk factors and epidemiology were described as well as the pathological aspects and imaging. All recommendations are described with the degree of recommendation and levels of evidence.
Conclusion
Recommendations based on the best literature regional aspects were made to guide professionals who treat STS. Separate consensus on specific treatments for retroperitoneal, visceral, trunk, head and neck sarcomas, and gastrointestinal stromal tumor, are not contemplated into this consensus.
Little attention has been paid to the possibility of transmission of Salmonella in intensive pig production systems through alternate methods, such as airborne or direct nose-to-nose contact. This ...experimental study tested the hypothesis of nose-to-nose transmission of Salmonella enterica serovars Typhimurium (Trial I) and Agona (Trial II) in weaned pigs using stainless steel/glass isolation cabinets. In each trial, cabinet 1 (control pigs) and cabinet 2 (sentinel pigs) were connected directly to the fan unit. Cabinet 3 (seeded pigs) was not directly linked to the fan, but was arranged to receive a constant unidirectional airflow from cabinet 2 (sentinel pigs) through a 10 cm diameter hole, which also allowed nose-to-nose contact between pigs housed in these two cabinets. Air was taken out of the system through ducts connecting cabinets 1 and 3 to the exhauster. Therefore, direct contact among seeded and sentinel pigs was allowed but possible aerial transference of contaminated particles between those cabinets was prevented. The system was opened 21 days post-inoculation and tissue samples were collected for bacteriological analysis. The recovery of nalidixic acid-resistant Salmonella Typhimurium from sentinel pigs corroborates the hypothesis of nose-to-nose transmission of that pathogen in pigs. However, serovar-related differences might exist regarding the nose-to-nose transmissibility of Salmonella in pigs, since Salmonella Agona was not detected in sentinel pigs (Trial II).
To compare the accuracy of SPM and visual analysis of brain SPECT in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE).
Interictal and ictal SPECTs of 22 patients with MTLE were performed. Visual ...analysis were performed in interictal (VISUAL(inter)) and ictal (VISUAL(ictal/inter)) studies. SPM analysis consisted of comparing interictal (SPM(inter)) and ictal SPECTs (SPM(ictal)) of each patient to control group and by comparing perfusion of temporal lobes in ictal and interictal studies among themselves (SPM(ictal/inter)).
For detection of the epileptogenic focus, the sensitivities were as follows: VISUAL(inter)=68%; VISUAL(ictal/inter)=100%; SPM(inter)=45%; SPM(ictal)=64% and SPM(ictal/inter)=77%. SPM was able to detect more areas of hyperperfusion and hypoperfusion.
SPM did not improve the sensitivity to detect epileptogenic focus. However, SPM detected different regions of hypoperfusion and hyperperfusion and is therefore a helpful tool for better understand pathophysiology of seizures in MTLE.
Neste artigo descrevemos os fundamentos da computação quântica adiabática, que consiste na interpolação de diferentes Hamiltonianos, desde um Hamiltoniano inicial, com autoestados e autoenergias ...conhecidos, até um Hamiltoniano final, onde é codificada a solução de um dado problema. Em particular, discutimos o método do annealing quântico, que é utilizado pela empresa canadense D-Wave, pioneira nessa área. Primeiramente apresentamos uma das demonstrações do teorema adiabático quântico e de uma condição de adiabaticidade para evolução de sistemas quânticos. Para exemplificar, descrevemos a implementação do algoritmo de Grover via computação quântica adiabática, discutindo os impactos da escolha da forma de interpolação dos Hamiltonianos inicial e final na complexidade do algoritmo. Em seguida, mostramos um algoritmo para o problema do caixeiro viajante executável na plataforma da D-Wave. Por fim, apresentamos aspectos físicos importantes da tecnologia dos computadores quânticos da D-Wave, expondo suas vantagens e desvantagens, além de descrever qualitativamente a engenharia de seu processador quântico.
In this paper we describe the fundamentals of the adiabatic quantum computing, which consists of the interpolation of different Hamiltonians, from an initial Hamiltonian, with known eigenstates and eigenenergies, to a final Hamiltonian, in which the solution to a given problem is encoded. In particular, we discuss the quantum annealing method, which is used by the Canadian company D-Wave, a pioneer in this area. Firstly, we present the proof of the quantum adiabatic theorem and an adiabaticity condition for the evolution of quantum systems. To exemplify, we describe the implementation of the Grover algorithm via adiabatic quantum computing, discussing the impacts of the choice of the interpolation form of the initial and final Hamiltonians on the complexity of the algorithm. In the following, we show an algorithm for the travelling salesman problem executable on the D-Wave platform. Finally, we present important physical aspects of D-Wave’s quantum computer technology, exposing its advantages and disadvantages, in addition to qualitatively describing the engineering of its quantum processor.
In this paper, we present and analyze a novel global database of
soil infiltration measurements, the Soil Water Infiltration Global (SWIG)
database. In total, 5023 infiltration curves were collected ...across all
continents in the SWIG database. These data were either provided and quality
checked by the scientists who performed the experiments or they were
digitized from published articles. Data from 54 different countries were
included in the database with major contributions from Iran, China, and the USA.
In addition to its extensive geographical coverage, the collected
infiltration curves cover research from 1976 to late 2017. Basic information
on measurement location and method, soil properties, and land use was
gathered along with the infiltration data, making the database valuable for
the development of pedotransfer functions (PTFs) for estimating soil hydraulic
properties, for the evaluation of infiltration measurement methods, and for
developing and validating infiltration models. Soil textural information
(clay, silt, and sand content) is available for 3842 out of 5023 infiltration
measurements (∼ 76%) covering nearly all soil USDA textural classes
except for the sandy clay and silt classes. Information on land use is
available for 76 % of the experimental sites with agricultural land use as
the dominant type (∼ 40%). We are convinced that the SWIG database
will allow for a better parameterization of the infiltration process in land
surface models and for testing infiltration models. All collected data and
related soil characteristics are provided online in
*.xlsx and *.csv formats for reference, and we add a disclaimer that the
database is for public domain use only and can be copied freely by
referencing it. Supplementary data are available at
https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.885492 (Rahmati et al., 2018). Data
quality assessment is strongly advised prior to any use of this database.
Finally, we would like to encourage scientists to extend and update the SWIG database
by uploading new data to it.
Posttransplant cell tracking, via stem cell labeling, is a crucial strategy for monitoring and maximizing benefits of cell-based therapies. The structures and functionalities of polysaccharides, ...proteins, and lipids allow their utilization in nanotechnology systems.
In the present study, we analyzed the potential benefit of curcumin-loaded nanoparticles (NPC) using Vero cells (in vitro) and NPC-labeled adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (NPC-ADMSCs) (in vivo) in myocardial infarction and sciatic nerve crush preclinical models. Thereafter, transplantation, histological examination, real time imaging, and assessment of tissue regeneration were done.
Transplanted NPC-ADMSCs were clearly identified and revealed potential benefit when used in cell tracking.
This approach may have broad applications in modeling labeled transplanted cells and in developing improved stem cell therapeutic strategies.
PDF
