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1.
Talanta ; 281: 126878, 2025 Jan 01.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39276570

RESUMEN

This contribution describes the development of a simple, fast, cost-effective, and sensitive impedimetric immunosensor for quantifying bovine tuberculosis (TB) in bovine serum samples. The construction of the immunosensor involved immobilizing the purified protein derivative (PPD) of M. bovis onto a screen-printed electrode that was modified with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and a polypyrrole (pPy) film synthesized electrochemically. The immunosensor exhibited a linear range from 0.5 µg mL-1 to 100 µg mL-1 and achieved a limit of detection (LD) of 100 ng mL-1 for the detection of anti-M. bovis antibody. The recovery percentages obtained in bovine serum samples were excellent, ranging between 98 % and 103 %. This device presents several advantages over alternative methods for determining TB in bovine serum samples. These include direct, in situ measurement without the need for pre-treatment, utilization of small volumes, thus avoiding harmful solvents and expensive reagents, and portability. In addition, the immunosensor exhibits both physical and chemical stability, retaining effectiveness even after 30 days of modification. This allows simultaneous incubations and facilitates large-scale detection. Hence, this immunosensor presents itself as a promising diagnostic tool for detecting anti-M. bovis antibodies in bovine serum. It serves as a viable alternative to tuberculin and ELISA tests.


Asunto(s)
Técnicas Biosensibles , Técnicas Electroquímicas , Oro , Nanopartículas del Metal , Tuberculosis Bovina , Animales , Bovinos , Tuberculosis Bovina/diagnóstico , Tuberculosis Bovina/sangre , Tuberculosis Bovina/inmunología , Oro/química , Técnicas Electroquímicas/métodos , Inmunoensayo/métodos , Técnicas Biosensibles/métodos , Nanopartículas del Metal/química , Mycobacterium bovis/inmunología , Polímeros/química , Pirroles/química , Electrodos , Límite de Detección , Anticuerpos Antibacterianos/sangre , Anticuerpos Antibacterianos/inmunología
2.
Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol ; 327(6): G727-G732, 2024 Dec 01.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39378307

RESUMEN

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a degenerative disease that causes a progressive decline in memory and thinking skills. Over the past few years, diverse studies have shown that there is no single cause of AD; instead, it has been reported that factors such as genetics, lifestyle, and environment contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. In this sense, it has been shown that obesity during middle age is one of the most prominent modifiable risk factors for AD. Of the multiple potential mechanisms linking obesity and AD, the gut microbiota (GM) has gained increasing attention in recent years. However, the underlying mechanisms that connect the GM with the process of neurodegeneration remain unclear. Through this narrative review, we present a comprehensive understanding of how alterations in the GM of people with obesity may result in systemic inflammation and affect pathways related to the pathogenesis of AD. We conclude with an analysis of the relationship between GM and insulin resistance, a risk factor for AD that is highly prevalent in people with obesity. Understanding the crosstalk between obesity, GM, and the pathogenesis of AD will help to design new strategies aimed at preventing neurodegeneration.


Asunto(s)
Enfermedad de Alzheimer , Microbioma Gastrointestinal , Obesidad , Enfermedad de Alzheimer/microbiología , Humanos , Microbioma Gastrointestinal/fisiología , Obesidad/microbiología , Obesidad/complicaciones , Resistencia a la Insulina/fisiología , Animales , Factores de Riesgo , Eje Cerebro-Intestino/fisiología , Inflamación/microbiología
3.
An Acad Bras Cienc ; 96(suppl 1): e20230616, 2024.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39292103

RESUMEN

Cardiovascular diseases, resulting from the deposition of clots in blood vessels, are the leading cause of death worldwide. Fibrinolytic enzymatic activity can catalyze blood clot degradation. Findings show that 36 fungal isolates recovered from Caatinga soils have the potential to produce fibrinolytic protease under submerged conditions. About 58 % of the isolates displayed fibrinolytic activity above 100 U/mL, with Mucor subtilissimus UCP 1262 being the most active. The protease was biochemically and biophysically characterized, showing that the enzyme had a high affinity for SAApNA substrate and was significantly inhibited by fluoride methyl phenyl sulfonyl-C7H7FO2S, suggesting that it is a chymotrypsin-like serine protease. The highest enzyme activity was detected at pH 5.0 and 28 °C. This fibrinolytic protease's far-UV circular dichroism (CD) showed that its secondary structure was primarily α-helical. The purified fibrinolytic enzyme may represent a novel therapeutic agent for treating thrombosis. At temperatures above 65 °C, the enzyme lost all its secondary structure. Its melting temperature was 58.1 °C, the denaturation enthalpy 85.1 kcal/mol, and the denaturation entropy 0.26 kcal/K∙mol.


Asunto(s)
Mucor , Mucor/enzimología , Concentración de Iones de Hidrógeno , Dicroismo Circular , Microbiología del Suelo , Péptido Hidrolasas/química , Péptido Hidrolasas/aislamiento & purificación , Péptido Hidrolasas/metabolismo , Temperatura , Fibrinolíticos/química , Fibrinólisis
4.
Mol Biol Evol ; 41(10)2024 Oct 04.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39241178

RESUMEN

It has been proposed that the phenotypic differences in cognitive abilities between humans and our closest living relatives, chimpanzees, are largely due to changes in the regulation of neurodevelopmental genes. We have previously found that the neurodevelopmental transcription factor gene NPAS3 accumulates the largest number of human accelerated regions (HARs), suggesting it may play some role in the phenotypic evolution of the human nervous system. In this work, we performed a comparative functional analysis of NPAS3-HAR202 using enhancer reporter assays in transgenic zebrafish and mice. We found that the Homo sapiens HAR202 ortholog failed to drive reporter expression to the zebrafish nervous system, in high contrast to the strong expression displayed by the rest of the vertebrate ortholog sequences tested. Remarkably, the HAR202 ortholog from archaic humans (Neanderthals/Denisovans) also displayed a pan-vertebrate expression pattern, despite the fact that archaic and modern humans have only one nucleotide substitution. Moreover, similar results were found when comparing enhancer activity in transgenic mice, where we observed a loss of activity of the modern human version in the mouse developing brain. To investigate the functional importance of HAR202, we generated mice lacking HAR202 and found a remarkable decrease of Npas3 expression in the forebrain during development. Our results place HAR202 as one of the very few examples of a neurodevelopmental transcriptional enhancer displaying functional evolution in the brain as a result of a fast molecular evolutionary process that specifically occurred in the human lineage.


Asunto(s)
Factores de Transcripción con Motivo Hélice-Asa-Hélice Básico , Elementos de Facilitación Genéticos , Proteínas del Tejido Nervioso , Prosencéfalo , Pez Cebra , Animales , Humanos , Prosencéfalo/metabolismo , Proteínas del Tejido Nervioso/genética , Proteínas del Tejido Nervioso/metabolismo , Factores de Transcripción con Motivo Hélice-Asa-Hélice Básico/genética , Factores de Transcripción con Motivo Hélice-Asa-Hélice Básico/metabolismo , Ratones , Pez Cebra/genética , Evolución Molecular , Ratones Transgénicos , Regulación del Desarrollo de la Expresión Génica
5.
PLoS One ; 19(7): e0306552, 2024.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38976689

RESUMEN

The present study aimed to investigate the influence of ripening on the physicochemical, microbiological aspects, and fatty acid profile of Artisanal Coalho Cheeses and to detect if there are peptides with bioactive potential in their composition. Artisanal Coalho Cheese samples were kindly provided by a dairy farm located in Brazil in the Rio Grande do Norte state. A completely randomized design was adopted, with four maturation periods (0, 30, 45, and 60 days). Physicochemical traits (pH, total solids, moisture, non-fat solids, fat in total solids, protein, ash, fatty acid profile) and microbiological characterization (Salmonella sp, Listeria monocytogenes, total and thermotolerant coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus) were analyzed on cheese samples. Additionally, assays were performed for antioxidant and antihypertensive bioactivity through ACE and antimicrobial inhibition of the peptides extracted from the samples. There was a linear increase in total solids and ash content and a decrease in moisture content with increasing maturation time. The matured cheese samples had a lower pH than fresh Artisanal Coalho Cheese. Twenty-seven fatty acids were identified in the cheeses: 15 saturated, 07 monounsaturated, and 05 polyunsaturated, with a linear reduction of essential fatty acids (n6 and n3) during maturation. The microbiological quality of the cheeses was satisfactory, with an absence of undesirable bacteria in 92% of the cheese samples. Water-soluble peptide fractions from all periods tested showed antioxidant and antihypertensive potential with ACE control, and the maturation process potentiated these capacities, with a decline in these activities observed at 60 days. The antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria increased with maturation, reaching better results until 60 days. The maturation process on wooden planks in the periods of 30, 45, and 60 days allows the production of Artisanal Coalho Cheese of an innovative character, safe to consumers from the microbiological point of view, with differentiated physicochemical and functional characteristics and good quality of lipid fraction compared to fresh cheese, enabling the addition of value to the dairy chain.


Asunto(s)
Queso , Ácidos Grasos , Queso/análisis , Queso/microbiología , Ácidos Grasos/análisis , Péptidos/análisis , Antioxidantes/análisis , Antioxidantes/farmacología , Factores de Tiempo , Listeria monocytogenes/efectos de los fármacos , Listeria monocytogenes/crecimiento & desarrollo
6.
J Biomater Sci Polym Ed ; 35(14): 2170-2203, 2024 Oct.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38913549

RESUMEN

A key strategy in enhancing the efficacy of collagen-based hydrogels involves incorporating polysaccharides, which have shown great promise for wound healing. In this study, semi-interpenetrating polymeric network (semi-IPN) hydrogels comprised of collagen (Col) with the macrocyclic oligosaccharide ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) (20-80 wt.%) were synthesised. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the successful fabrication of these Col/ß-CD hydrogels, evidenced by the presence of characteristic absorption bands, including the urea bond band at ∼1740 cm-1, related with collagen crosslinking. Higher ß-CD content was associated with increased crosslinking, higher swelling, and faster gelation. The ß-CD content directly influenced the morphology and semi-crystallinity. All Col/ß-CD hydrogels displayed superabsorbent properties, enhanced thermal stability, and exhibited slow degradation rates. Mechanical properties were significantly improved with contents higher than ß-CD 40 wt.%. These hydrogels inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli bacteria and facilitated the controlled release of agents, such as malachite green, methylene blue, and ketorolac. The chemical composition of the Col/ß-CD hydrogels did not induce cytotoxic effects on monocytes and fibroblast cells. Instead, they actively promoted cellular metabolic activity, encouraging cell growth and proliferation. Moreover, cell signalling modulation was observed, leading to changes in the expression of TNF-α and IL-10 cytokines. In summary, the results of this research indicate that these novel hydrogels possess multifunctional characteristics, including biocompatibility, super-swelling capacity, good thermal, hydrolytic, and enzymatic degradation resistance, antibacterial activity, inflammation modulation, and the ability to be used for controlled delivery of therapeutic agents, indicating high potential for application in advanced wound dressings.


Asunto(s)
Antibacterianos , Vendajes , Colágeno , Preparaciones de Acción Retardada , Liberación de Fármacos , Escherichia coli , Hidrogeles , beta-Ciclodextrinas , Hidrogeles/química , Hidrogeles/farmacología , beta-Ciclodextrinas/química , Antibacterianos/farmacología , Antibacterianos/química , Preparaciones de Acción Retardada/química , Colágeno/química , Escherichia coli/efectos de los fármacos , Humanos , Cicatrización de Heridas/efectos de los fármacos , Inflamación/tratamiento farmacológico , Animales , Ratones
7.
Sci Adv ; 10(26): eadl1049, 2024 Jun 28.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38924416

RESUMEN

A long-standing goal of evolutionary biology is to decode how changes in gene regulatory networks contribute to human-specific traits. Human accelerated regions (HARs) are prime candidates for driving gene regulatory modifications in human development. The RBFOX1 locus is densely populated with HARs, providing a set of potential regulatory elements that could have changed its expression in the human lineage. Here, we examined the role of RBFOX1-HARs using transgenic zebrafish reporter assays and identified 15 transcriptional enhancers that are active in the developing nervous system, 9 of which displayed differential activity between the human and chimpanzee sequences. The engineered loss of two selected RBFOX1-HARs in knockout mouse models modified Rbfox1 expression at specific developmental stages and tissues in the brain, influencing the expression and splicing of a high number of Rbfox1 target genes. Our results provided insight into the spatial and temporal changes in gene expression driven by RBFOX1-HARs.


Asunto(s)
Elementos de Facilitación Genéticos , Evolución Molecular , Factores de Empalme de ARN , Animales , Humanos , Ratones , Animales Modificados Genéticamente , Regulación del Desarrollo de la Expresión Génica , Redes Reguladoras de Genes , Sitios Genéticos , Ratones Noqueados , Pan troglodytes/genética , Factores de Empalme de ARN/genética , Factores de Empalme de ARN/metabolismo , Pez Cebra/genética
8.
Health Expect ; 27(3): e14054, 2024 06.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38877659

RESUMEN

INTRODUCTION: Public and patient involvement can provide crucial insights to optimise research by enhancing relevance and appropriateness of studies. The World Health Organization (WHO) engaged in an inclusive process to ensure that both technical experts and women had a voice in defining the research gaps and needs to increase or reintroduce the use of assisted vaginal birth (AVB) in settings where this intervention is needed but unavailable or underused. METHODS: We describe the methods and outcomes of online workshops led by WHO to obtain women representatives' perspectives about AVB research gaps and needs. RESULTS: After technical experts created a list of research questions based on various evidence syntheses, WHO organised four online workshops with 31 women's representatives from 27 mostly low- and middle-income (LMIC) countries. Women rated the importance and priority of the research questions proposed by the technical experts, improving and broadening some of them, added new questions, and voiced their main concerns and views about AVB. Women helped to put the research questions into context in their communities, highlighted neglected factors/dimensions that influence practices and affect women's experience during labour and childbirth, underscored less salient consequences of AVB, and highlighted the main concerns of women about research on AVB. The consolidated vision of technical experts and women's representatives resulted in a technical brief published by WHO. The technical brief is expected to stimulate global research and action closely aligned with women's priorities. CONCLUSIONS: We describe a successful experience of engaging women, mostly from LMICs, in the identification of research gaps and needs to reintroduce AVB use. This process contributed to better aligning research questions with women's views, concerns, and priorities. Given the scarcity of reports about engaging women from LMICs to optimise research, this successful experience can serve as an inspiration for future work. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Women representatives were involved at every stage of the workshops described in full in this manuscript.


Asunto(s)
Organización Mundial de la Salud , Humanos , Femenino , Embarazo , Países en Desarrollo , Adulto , Participación del Paciente
9.
Front Cell Dev Biol ; 12: 1365705, 2024.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38572484

RESUMEN

The establishment of the embryonic dorsoventral axis in Xenopus occurs when the radial symmetry around the egg's animal-vegetal axis is broken to give rise to the typical symmetry of Bilaterians. We have previously shown that the Notch1 protein is ventrally enriched during early embryogenesis in Xenopus laevis and zebrafish and exerts ventralizing activity through ß-Catenin destabilization and the positive regulation of ventral center genes in X. laevis. These findings led us to further investigate when these asymmetries arise. In this work, we show that the asymmetrical distribution of Notch1 protein and mRNA precedes cortical rotation and even fertilization in X. laevis. Moreover, we found that in unfertilized eggs transcripts encoded by the ventralizing gene bmp4 are also asymmetrically distributed in the animal hemisphere and notch1 transcripts accumulate consistently on the same side of the eccentric maturation point. Strikingly, a Notch1 asymmetry orthogonal to the animal-vegetal axis appears during X. laevis oogenesis. Thus, we show for the first time a maternal bias in the distribution of molecules that are later involved in ventral patterning during embryonic axialization, strongly supporting the hypothesis of a dorsoventral prepattern or intrinsic bilaterality of Xenopus eggs before fertilization.

10.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 121(18): e2322692121, 2024 Apr 30.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38652744

RESUMEN

Food intake and energy balance are tightly regulated by a group of hypothalamic arcuate neurons expressing the proopiomelanocortin (POMC) gene. In mammals, arcuate-specific POMC expression is driven by two cis-acting transcriptional enhancers known as nPE1 and nPE2. Because mutant mice lacking these two enhancers still showed hypothalamic Pomc mRNA, we searched for additional elements contributing to arcuate Pomc expression. By combining molecular evolution with reporter gene expression in transgenic zebrafish and mice, here, we identified a mammalian arcuate-specific Pomc enhancer that we named nPE3, carrying several binding sites also present in nPE1 and nPE2 for transcription factors known to activate neuronal Pomc expression, such as ISL1, NKX2.1, and ERα. We found that nPE3 originated in the lineage leading to placental mammals and remained under purifying selection in all mammalian orders, although it was lost in Simiiformes (monkeys, apes, and humans) following a unique segmental deletion event. Interestingly, ablation of nPE3 from the mouse genome led to a drastic reduction (>70%) in hypothalamic Pomc mRNA during development and only moderate (<33%) in adult mice. Comparison between double (nPE1 and nPE2) and triple (nPE1, nPE2, and nPE3) enhancer mutants revealed the relative contribution of nPE3 to hypothalamic Pomc expression and its importance in the control of food intake and adiposity in male and female mice. Altogether, these results demonstrate that nPE3 integrates a tripartite cluster of partially redundant enhancers that originated upon a triple convergent evolutionary process in mammals and that is critical for hypothalamic Pomc expression and body weight homeostasis.


Asunto(s)
Peso Corporal , Ingestión de Alimentos , Elementos de Facilitación Genéticos , Hipotálamo , Proopiomelanocortina , Pez Cebra , Animales , Proopiomelanocortina/metabolismo , Proopiomelanocortina/genética , Ratones , Hipotálamo/metabolismo , Ingestión de Alimentos/genética , Ingestión de Alimentos/fisiología , Pez Cebra/genética , Pez Cebra/metabolismo , Femenino , Masculino , Ratones Transgénicos , Humanos , Factores de Transcripción/metabolismo , Factores de Transcripción/genética , Mamíferos/metabolismo , Mamíferos/genética
11.
An. Fac. Med. (Perú) ; 85(1): 66-69, ene.-mar. 2024. graf
Artículo en Español | LILACS-Express | LILACS | ID: biblio-1556803

RESUMEN

RESUMEN Los tumores neuroendocrinos generalmente se originan en el tracto digestivo o páncreas, desarrollando metástasis hepática a lo largo de su evolución. La presencia de un tumor neuroendocrino primario de hígado es motivo de controversia y de muy escasa casuística. Presentamos el caso de un tumor neuroendocrino primario de hígado confirmado por estudio anatomo-patológico e imágenes. La paciente fue sometida a dos resecciones hepáticas mayores, preservando sólo el segmento IV.


ABSTRACT Neuroendocrine tumors generally originate in the digestive tract or pancreas, developing liver metastases throughout their evolution. The presence of a primary neuroendocrine tumor of the liver is still controversial and there are very few cases. We present a case of a primary neuroendocrine tumor of the liver confirmed by anatomo-pathological study and images. The patient underwent two major liver resections, lastly preserving only segment IV.

12.
Prep Biochem Biotechnol ; 54(4): 545-552, 2024 Apr.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37667995

RESUMEN

Mushrooms are a source of primary and secondary metabolites. Little is known about the most suitable conditions for production of mushrooms by submerged fermentation. This article reports antioxidant and cytotoxic assays, in addition to quantitatively evaluating the content of proteases with fibrinolytic action in the crude extracts of two species of edible mushrooms produced in different formulations, as well as evaluating the recovery of these enzymes by aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS). The mushrooms Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus eryngii, at concentration of 100 µg/mL, displayed inhibition of DPPH and ABTS radicals below 50%. In the cytotoxicity test, the cells human fibroblast cell lines (MRC-5) showed cell viability greater than 80%. Concerning fibrinolytic activity, P. eryngii presented 226.47 ± 7.26 U/mL, therefore being more efficient than P. ostreatus (71.5 ± 0.56 U/mL). In the recovery of the P. eryngii extract by ATPS, the fibrinolytic protease was partitioned in the salt phase (30.25 U/mL). The molecular mass of the proteases was between 75 and 100 kDa. These results prove the low cytotoxicity of the extracts produced and that fermentation in supplemented malt broth favored the excretion of fibrinolytic proteases compared to the other evaluated media.


Asunto(s)
Agaricales , Antineoplásicos , Pleurotus , Humanos , Antioxidantes/química , Pleurotus/química , Péptido Hidrolasas/metabolismo , Agaricales/química , Endopeptidasas/metabolismo , Antineoplásicos/metabolismo
13.
An Acad Bras Cienc ; 95(suppl 1): e20220552, 2023.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37585969

RESUMEN

A fibrinolytic enzyme from the microalga Dunaliella tertiolecta was produced under mixotrophic conditions using different corn steep liquor (CSL) concentrations ( 0 ≤ CLS ≤ 0.75%), purified using a combination of salting out and ion-exchange chromatography, and then biochemical characterized. Cultivation of this microalga using 0.5% CSL led to the highest maximum cell concentration (1.960±0.010 mg L-1) and cell productivity (0.140g L-1 day-1), besides a high fibrinolytic activity of the extract obtained by the homogenization method (102 ±1 U mL-1). The enzyme extracted from the microalgal biomass was 5-fold purified with a 20% yield and was found to have a specific activity of 670 U mg-1. The enzyme, whose molecular weight determined by fibrin zymography was 10 kDa, was shown to be stable at pH 3.0-9.0 and up to 70°C with optimal pH and temperature values of 8.0 and 50°C, respectively. When compared to other fibrinolytic enzymes, this protease stood out for its high fibrinolytic activity, which was enhanced by Fe2+, inhibited by Zn2+, Cu2+, Mg2+, and Ca2+, and strongly inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, suggesting that it belongs to the serine metalloprotease family. Moreover, thanks to its thermal stability, the enzyme may be easily preserved and activated under high-temperature conditions.


Asunto(s)
Microalgas , Zea mays , Análisis Costo-Beneficio , Fibrina , Concentración de Iones de Hidrógeno , Temperatura
14.
Mol Biol Evol ; 40(7)2023 07 05.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37247388

RESUMEN

The genetic bases underlying the evolution of morphological and functional innovations of the mammalian inner ear are poorly understood. Gene regulatory regions are thought to play an important role in the evolution of form and function. To uncover crucial hearing genes whose regulatory machinery evolved specifically in mammalian lineages, we mapped accelerated noncoding elements (ANCEs) in inner ear transcription factor (TF) genes and found that PKNOX2 harbors the largest number of ANCEs within its transcriptional unit. Using reporter gene expression assays in transgenic zebrafish, we determined that four PKNOX2-ANCEs drive differential expression patterns when compared with ortholog sequences from close outgroup species. Because the functional role of PKNOX2 in cochlear hair cells has not been previously investigated, we decided to study Pknox2 null mice generated by CRISPR/Cas9 technology. We found that Pknox2-/- mice exhibit reduced distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds at high frequencies together with an increase in peak 1 amplitude, consistent with a higher number of inner hair cells (IHCs)-auditory nerve synapsis observed at the cochlear basal region. A comparative cochlear transcriptomic analysis of Pknox2-/- and Pknox2+/+ mice revealed that key auditory genes are under Pknox2 control. Hence, we report that PKNOX2 plays a critical role in cochlear sensitivity at higher frequencies and that its transcriptional regulation underwent lineage-specific evolution in mammals. Our results provide novel insights about the contribution of PKNOX2 to normal auditory function and to the evolution of high-frequency hearing in mammals.


Asunto(s)
Factores de Transcripción , Pez Cebra , Animales , Ratones , Cóclea/metabolismo , Audición , Mamíferos/genética , Ratones Noqueados , Factores de Transcripción/genética , Factores de Transcripción/metabolismo
15.
Front Mol Neurosci ; 16: 1104585, 2023.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36873109

RESUMEN

Evidence suggests that there may be racial differences in risk factors associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD). We used whole-genome sequencing analysis and identified a novel combination of three pathogenic variants in the heterozygous state (UNC93A: rs7739897 and WDR27: rs61740334; rs3800544) in a Peruvian family with a strong clinical history of ADRD. Notably, the combination of these variants was present in two generations of affected individuals but absent in healthy members of the family. In silico and in vitro studies have provided insights into the pathogenicity of these variants. These studies predict that the loss of function of the mutant UNC93A and WDR27 proteins induced dramatic changes in the global transcriptomic signature of brain cells, including neurons, astrocytes, and especially pericytes and vascular smooth muscle cells, indicating that the combination of these three variants may affect the neurovascular unit. In addition, known key molecular pathways associated with dementia spectrum disorders were enriched in brain cells with low levels of UNC93A and WDR27. Our findings have thus identified a genetic risk factor for familial dementia in a Peruvian family with an Amerindian ancestral background.

16.
Clin Nutr ESPEN ; 54: 300-303, 2023 04.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36963877

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency has been observed in individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS). This study evaluated the effects of vitamin D supplementation in patients with MetS and vitamin D deficiency. METHODS: Vitamin D3 supplementation was performed in patients with MetS and 25(OH)D levels ≤20 ng/mL arranged in two phases. The first phase corresponded to 50,000 IU/week for eight weeks, and the second phase was 7000 IU/week for twelve weeks. RESULTS: The 20-week intervention resulted in an increment of 14.3 ng/mL of 25(OH)D. HbA1c showed a reduction of 0.69% (95% CI [-1.16, -0.21], p = 0.005); however, the triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, and waist circumference were not responsive to supplementation. CONCLUSION: Vitamin D3 supplementation did not favor the MetS components.


Asunto(s)
Síndrome Metabólico , Deficiencia de Vitamina D , Humanos , Síndrome Metabólico/tratamiento farmacológico , Colecalciferol/uso terapéutico , Vitamina D/uso terapéutico , Proyectos Piloto , Deficiencia de Vitamina D/complicaciones , Deficiencia de Vitamina D/tratamiento farmacológico , Suplementos Dietéticos
17.
Biophys Rep (N Y) ; 2(1): 100036, 2022 Mar 09.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36425082

RESUMEN

Localization of single fluorescent molecules is key for physicochemical and biophysical measurements, such as single-molecule tracking and super-resolution imaging by single-molecule localization microscopy. Over the last two decades, several methods have been developed in which the position of a single emitter is interrogated with a sequence of spatially modulated patterns of light. Among them, the recent MINFLUX technique outstands for achieving a ∼10-fold improvement compared with wide-field camera-based single-molecule localization, reaching ∼1-2 nm localization precision at moderate photon counts. Here, we present a common framework for this type of measurement. Using the Cramér-Rao bound as a limit for the achievable localization precision, we benchmark reported methods, including recent developments, such as MINFLUX and MINSTED, and long-established methods, such as orbital tracking. In addition, we characterize two new proposed schemes, orbital tracking and raster scanning, with a minimum of intensity. Overall, we found that approaches using an intensity minimum have a similar performance in the central region of the excitation pattern, independent of the geometry of the excitation pattern, and that they outperform methods featuring an intensity maximum.

18.
An Acad Bras Cienc ; 94(suppl 3): e20211447, 2022.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36417612

RESUMEN

This study aims to evaluate the in silico genomic characteristics of Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius, isolated from Coalho cheese from Paraíba, Brazil, with a view to application in lactic fermentations. rRNA sequences from the 16S ribosomal region were used as input to GenBank, in the search for patterns that could reveal a non-pathogenic behavior of S. infantarius subsp. infantarius, comparing mobile genetic elements, antibiotic resistance genes, pan-genome analysis and multi-genome alignment among related species. S. infantarius subsp. infantarius CJ18 was the only complete genome reported by BLAST/NCBI with high similarity and after comparative genetics with complete genomes of Streptococcus agalactiae (SAG153, NJ1606) and Streptococcus thermophilus (ST106, CS18, IDCC2201, APC151) revealed that CJ18 showed a low number of transposases and integrases, infection by phage bacteria of the Streptococcus genus, absence of antibiotic resistance genes and presence of bacteriocin, folate and riboflavin producing genes. The genome alignment revealed that the collinear blocks of S. thermophilus ST106 and S. agalactiae SAG153 have inverted blocks when compared to the CJ18 genome due to gene positioning, insertions and deletions. Therefore, the strains of S. infantarius subsp. infantarius isolated from Coalho cheese from Paraíba showed genomic similarity with CJ18 and the mobility of genes analyzed in silico showed absence of pathogenicity throughout the genome of CJ18, indicating the potential of these strains for the dairy industry.


Asunto(s)
Genómica , Streptococcus , Fermentación , Streptococcus/genética , Análisis de Secuencia de ADN
19.
Pathogens ; 11(10)2022 Sep 28.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36297172

RESUMEN

Streptococcal bacteremia that occurs during invasive dental procedures can lead to infective endocarditis (IE) in children with certain heart diseases. Prior to such procedures, antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) with amoxicillin (AMPC) is recommended. However, the detection of amoxicillin-resistant strains (AMPC-RS) in the mouths of children with heart diseases raises the concern that they would be uncovered by the action of standard AP. This work carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis regarding AMPC-RS carriage in the mouths of children. We consulted databases covering studies between the years 2000 and 2021, following the PRISMA declaration. A meta-analysis was carried out to assess the prevalence of children carrying AMPC-RS in the mouths. The antimicrobial tests were carried out by microdilution (46.2% of articles), disk diffusion (38.3%), and the E-test (15.4%). Streptococcus mitis and S. sanguinis were bacteria with the most found resistance phenotype, with MIC reaching values of 128 µg/mL. Of the 13 selected articles, only 6 presented results that made it possible to calculate the prevalence of children carrying AMPC-RS in their mouths, ranging from 5.5% to 86.3%. Most of the studies were classified as high quality, and the collected data demonstrate the presence of streptococcal strains with different levels of resistance in the collected samples, such as the dental plaque. The meta-analysis pointed to evidence of AMPC-RS being carried, with a prevalence of 21.3% (I² = 0%, p = 0.705). There is an important prevalence of AMPC-RS carriage in the mouths of children. Specific attention should be directed to AP in those susceptible to IE.

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