The potential use of Pseudomonas in terrestrial and space agriculture.

In the last few years, there has been an increasing interest in solutions for sustainable agriculture to reduce negative impacts on the environment resulting from modern agricultural practices. The use of environmentally beneficial bacteria, like Pseudomonas, which can increase plant productivity by reducing growth time, is a promising opportunity for sustainable agriculture. Pseudomonas is a gram-negative bacterium genus, commonly present in soils, plants, and irrigation water. Pseudomonas has a wide range of metabolic routes that could benefit agriculture, such as nutrient uptake, pathogen suppression, heavy metal solubilization, drought tolerance, and high salt concentration tolerance. Pseudomonas may even be proposed as a potential tool for future agriculture on other planets, where the use of microorganisms would be essential for crop development in hostile and inhospitable environments. Hence, the present review discusses the potential use of Pseudomonas in sustainable agriculture on planet Earth and potentially on Mars, highlighting its role in plant growth enhancement and plant protection from pathogenic microorganisms.

(-)-Epicatechin metabolites as a GPER ligands: a theoretical perspective.

Diet habits and nutrition quality significantly impact health and disease. Here is delve into the intricate relationship between diet habits, nutrition quality, and their direct impact on health and homeostasis. Focusing on (-)-Epicatechin, a natural flavanol found in various foods like green tea and cocoa, known for its positive effects on cardiovascular health and diabetes prevention. The investigation encompasses the absorption, metabolism, and distribution of (-)-Epicatechin in the human body, revealing a diverse array of metabolites in the circulatory system. Notably, (-)-Epicatechin demonstrates an ability to activate nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) through the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER). While the precise role of GPER and its interaction with classical estrogen receptors (ERs) remains under scrutiny, the study employs computational methods, including density functional theory, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations, to assess the physicochemical properties and binding affinities of key (-)-Epicatechin metabolites with GPER. DFT analysis revealed distinct physicochemical properties among metabolites, influencing their reactivity and stability. Rigid and flexible molecular docking demonstrated varying binding affinities, with some metabolites surpassing (-)-Epicatechin. Molecular dynamics simulations highlighted potential binding pose variations, while MMGBSA analysis provided insights into the energetics of GPER-metabolite interactions. The outcomes elucidate distinct interactions, providing insights into potential molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of (-)-Epicatechin across varied biological contexts.

Position paper on perioperative management and surgical risk in the patient with cirrhosis.

INTRODUCTION: Management of the patient with cirrhosis of the liver that requires surgical treatment has been relatively unexplored. In Mexico, there is currently no formal stance or expert recommendations to guide clinical decision-making in this context. AIMS: The present position paper reviews the existing evidence on risks, prognoses, precautions, special care, and specific management or procedures for patients with cirrhosis that require surgical interventions or invasive procedures. Our aim is to provide recommendations by an expert panel, based on the best published evidence, and consequently ensure timely, quality, efficient, and low-risk care for this specific group of patients. RESULTS: Twenty-seven recommendations were developed that address preoperative considerations, intraoperative settings, and postoperative follow-up and care. CONCLUSIONS: The assessment and care of patients with cirrhosis that require major surgical or invasive procedures should be overseen by a multidisciplinary team that includes the anesthesiologist, hepatologist, gastroenterologist, and clinical nutritionist. With respect to decompensated patients, a nephrology specialist may be required, given that kidney function is also a parameter involved in the prognosis of these patients.

A first principles study of the electronic structure and optical response of heterobimetallic M-dicyanoaurate-based coordination polymers (M = Mn, Co, Ni, Zn and Cd).

The electronic structure and derived optical properties of five synthesized metal-dicyanoaurate(I), (K)M[Au(CN)2], (M = Mn, Co, Ni, Zn and Cd), coordination polymers are described from a combined experimental analysis and theoretical study based on density functional theory. In this sense, the topological features that influence the electronic structure, which in turn give rise to electronic transitions associated with the band gap energy, are studied from first principles calculations (with hybrid HSE06 and GGA-PBE density functionals) and electronic spectroscopy. The impact of gold (through spin-orbit coupling) and aurophilic interactions on the electronic transitions that gives rise to optical properties is described. The calculated projected density of states and band dispersion diagrams shed light on the molecular orbital distribution and the role of a dicyanoaurate(I) molecular block as the origin of the optical properties. Infrared, Raman and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopic analyses reveal the effect that charge transfer interactions, of a metal → ligand and metal → metal nature, have on the electronic behavior within the solids through association with the polarizing power of transition metals and gold atoms.

Accurate preoperative diagnosis of a Rathke cleft cyst with the aid of a novel classification for sellar cystic lesions and a diagnostic algorithm decision: Tools for differentiating cystic sellar lesions with a representative case.

Background: Rathke's cleft cyst (RCC) is a benign lesion in the sellar and suprasellar compartments. Similarly, pituitary adenomas can present with cystic morphology, making it a differential diagnosis when evaluating a patient with a cystic lesion in the sellar region. Surgical goals differ between RCCs and pituitary adenomas as the first can achieve remission of symptoms with cyst decompression in contrast to pituitary adenomas where complete resection would be the main goal. Imaging analysis alone may not be sufficient to define a preoperative surgical plan. The combination of imaging and conjoined use of validated tools may provide valuable insights to the clinician when defining a surgical approach. Case Description: We present a case of a 27-year-old male with a 3-month history of visual disturbances and headaches. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a cystic lesion in the sellar compartment with compression of nearby structures. The authors were able to accurately diagnose this sellar lesion as an RCC with the conjoined aid of two classifications proposed in the literature. Cyst evacuation was performed with relief of symptoms and improved visual outcomes at follow-up. Conclusion: While cystic adenomas can require total resection for cure, RCCs can show marked improvement with partial resection and evacuation of its contents. An accurate preoperative diagnosis can lead the surgeon to opt for the best surgical approach.

Association between early manifestations of infection or sepsis and prognosis in a high complexity hospital in the city of Medellín.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the first symptoms and signs of patients with suspected infection or sepsis and their association with the composite outcome of admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or mortality. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study between June 2019 and March 2020. SETTING: Hospital Universitario San Vicente Fundación, Colombia. PATIENTS: Over 18 years of age with suspicion or confirmation of sepsis, which required hospitalization. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN VARIABLES OF INTEREST: Symptoms and signs associated with infection, with their time of evolution, specified in the study. RESULTS: From 1005 eligible patients, 261 were included. After multivariable adjustment with a logistic regression model, the main factors for ICU admission or mortality were heart rate (OR 1.04 with 95% CI 1.04-3.7), respiratory rate (OR 1.19 with 95% CI 1.0-1.4) and capillary refill time (OR 3.4 with 95% CI 1.9-6.1). CONCLUSIONS: Heart rate, respiratory rate, and capillary refill may behave as early predictors of ICU admission and mortality in cases of sepsis.

Guidelines for the management of coagulation disorders in patients with cirrhosis.

Coagulation management in the patient with cirrhosis has undergone a significant transformation since the beginning of this century, with the concept of a rebalancing between procoagulant and anticoagulant factors. The paradigm that patients with cirrhosis have a greater bleeding tendency has changed, as a result of this rebalancing. In addition, it has brought to light the presence of complications related to thrombotic events in this group of patients. These guidelines detail aspects related to pathophysiologic mechanisms that intervene in the maintenance of hemostasis in the patient with cirrhosis, the relevance of portal hypertension, mechanical factors for the development of bleeding, modifications in the hepatic synthesis of coagulation factors, and the changes in the reticuloendothelial system in acute hepatic decompensation and acute-on-chronic liver failure. They address new aspects related to the hemorrhagic complications in patients with cirrhosis, considering the risk for bleeding during diagnostic or therapeutic procedures, as well as the usefulness of different tools for diagnosing coagulation and recommendations on the pharmacologic treatment and blood-product transfusion in the context of hemorrhage. These guidelines also update the knowledge regarding hypercoagulability in the patient with cirrhosis, as well as the efficacy and safety of treatment with the different anticoagulation regimens. Lastly, they provide recommendations on coagulation management in the context of acute-on-chronic liver failure, acute liver decompensation, and specific aspects related to the patient undergoing liver transplantation.

Photocatalytic activity enhancement of two-step and one-pot synthesis of Pd/ZnO nanocomposites: an experimental and DFT study.

Pd/ZnO nanocomposites were successfully synthesized by means of one and two pot synthesis and applied in the photodegradation of Rh6G. The nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, FTIR and micro-Raman spectroscopies. It was found the presence of PdZn2, PdO and agglomerated particles in the support surface for the Palladium-based nanocomposites fabricated by one-pot route; the two-step method allowed the formation of spherical Pd nanoparticles, with homogeneous distribution in the nanocomposite matrix, with an average size of 2.16 nm. The results show higher photocatalytic efficiency for the samples fabricated under the two-step approach compared to the one-pot synthesis. Based on experimental results, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to understand the enhancement photocatalytic of Pd/ZnO nanocomposites. To achieve it, the ZnO (001) and (101) surfaces were built and decorated by different Pd coverages. The theoretical results indicated two different photocatalytic mechanisms. In ZnO (001) case, the electrons flowed from surface to Pd, generating the superoxide radical anion (⋅O2-). Furthermore, the density of states of the ZnO (001) surface was modified by impurity Pd-d states at proximity to the conduction states, which may work as electron acceptors states. On the other hand, we found that the electrons flow from Pd to ZnO (101) surface, inducing the formation of ⋅OH and ⋅O2- for the degradation of Rh6G. The density of states of the ZnO (101) revealed a reduction in its bandgap, due to Pd-d states localized above valence states. Hence, our theoretical results suggest that the Pd-d states may facilitate the mobility of electrons and holes in (001) and (101) surfaces, respectively, reducing the rate of charge recombination.

Leader-follower formation control based on non-inertial frames for non-holonomic mobile robots.

A chain formation strategy based on mobile frames for a set of n differential drive mobile robots is presented. Considering two consecutive robots in the formation, robots Ri and Ri+1. It is intended that robot Ri+1 follows the delayed trajectory, τ units of time, of the leader robot Ri. In this way, the follower robot Ri+1 becomes the leader robot for robot Ri+ 2 in the formation and so on. With this formation policy, the trailing distance between two consecutive robots varies accordingly to the velocity of the Ri leader robot. Mobile frames are located on the body of the vehicles, in such a way that the position of robot Ri is determined with respect to the frame located on Ri+1 robot. The strategy relies on the fact that the general leader robot R1 describes any trajectory generated by bounded linear v1(t) and angular ω1(t) velocities. For the remaining vehicles in the string, the strategy considers a desired trajectory for the follower robot Ri+1 obtained by an estimation of the delayed trajectory of the leader robot Ri. This desired estimated trajectory is obtained under the knowledge of the actual and past input velocities of the Ri robot. To formally prove the convergence of the formation strategy, the equations describing the time variation of the relative posture between any pair of consecutive vehicles in the formation are obtained, and a feedback law based on local measurements is proposed to get the convergence of robot Ri+1 to the delayed trajectory, τ units of time, of the trajectory previously described by robot Ri. Lyapunov techniques are considered for this fact. The effectiveness of the chain formation solution is evaluated by means of numerical simulations and real time experiments showing an adequate convergence.

Electroencephalographic activity during direct breastfeeding and breast milk expression in primiparous mothers.

Breastfeeding is recognized worldwide as the best option for infant feeding. Expressing breast milk is an alternative for mothers to provide their infants all the benefits of maternal milk. During breast milk expression, mothers receive a distinct kind of sensory stimulation, because there is no direct bodily or affective interaction with their infants, many women report feeling isolated, generating a love-hate relation with pumping, and even low levels of satisfaction while expressing breast milk. While it is well known that the prefrontal, parietal, and temporal cortices play important roles in the emotional and cognitive processing of maternal stimuli, knowledge about how these cortical areas function during breastfeeding is lacking. This study was designed to characterize EEG activity in the prefrontal and parietal cortices and the affective scores of primiparous breastfeeding mothers during two conditions of milk expression: breast milk expression and direct breastfeeding. Participants reported higher valence and arousal and a pleasant state during direct breastfeeding. In the direct breastfeeding condition, both prefrontal areas showed a higher absolute power (AP) of the slow bands, with a lower AP of the alpha band in the parietal cortex. A lower correlation between frontopolar and dorsolateral areas with a higher correlation between prefrontal and parietal cortices was obtained mainly in the right hemisphere. This EEG activity could be linked to an internal state of focused attention and, simultaneously, open monitoring of the environment that suggests an integration of the motive-emotional and cognitive processes necessary for adequate mother-baby interaction during direct breastfeeding.

Dexmedetomidine supplementation for surgical field enhancement in endonasal surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Dexmedetomidine has been shown to effectively control intraoperative bleeding and improve surgical field visualization. However, its value in endonasal surgeries remains a matter of debate. METHODOLOGY: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for studies comparing dexmedetomidine with placebo in endonasal surgeries. Outcomes included bleeding, operative time (OT), surgeon’s satisfaction, postoperative pain (POP), and nausea/vomiting (PONV). For statistical analysis, we used RevMan 5.4.1, and assessed heterogeneity with I2 statistics. RESULTS: We included a total of 1386 patients from 22 studies. In the placebo group, there was higher bleeding volume, whereas the dexmedetomidine group showed lower scores on the Fromme-Boezaart scale. Additionally, the surgeon satisfaction risk ratio (RR) increased, and OT was reduced in the dexmedetomidine group. The dexmedetomidine group had lower incidences of POP and PONV. CONCLUSIONS: In endonasal surgeries, dexmedetomidine was associated with improvements in surgical field visualization as evidenced by reduced intraoperative bleeding and postoperative morbidities.

An enhanced photo(electro)catalytic CO2 reduction onto advanced BiOX (X = Cl, Br, I) semiconductors and the BiOI-PdCu composite.

The photoelectrocatalytic reduction of CO2 (CO2RR) onto bismuth oxyhalides (BiOX, X = Cl, Br, I) was studied through physicochemical and photoelectrochemical measurements. The successful synthesis of the BiOX compounds was carried out through a solvothermal methodology and confirmed by XRD measurements. The morphology was analyzed by SEM; meanwhile, area and pore size were determined through BET area measurements. BiOI and BiOCl present a lower particle size (3.15 and 2.71 µm, respectively); however, the sponge-like morphology presented by BiOI results in an increase in the BET area, which can enhance the catalytic activity of this semiconductor. In addition, DRS measurements allowed us to determine bandgap values of 1.9, 2.4, and 3.6 eV for BiOI, BiOBr, and BiOCl, respectively. Such results predict better visible light harvesting for BiOI. Photoelectrochemical measurements indicated that BiOX shows p-type semiconductor behavior, being the holes the majority charge carriers, making BiOI the most active material to carry out photoelectrocatalytic CO2RR. In the second stage, three different composites, BiOI-Pd, BiOI-Cu, and BiOI-PdCu, (BiOI-M; M = Pd, Cu, PdCu), were fabricated to study the influence of active metal nanoparticles (NP's) in the BiOI CO2RR activity. XRD measurements confirmed the interaction between BiOI and the metallic NP's, the three composites overpassed by 20% the BET area of pristine BiOI. Photoelectrochemical measurements indicate that all BiOI-metal composites are suitable materials to perform CO2 reduction in neutral media efficiently; however, the BiOI-PdCu composites surpassed the faradaic current of BiOI-Pd and BiOI-Cu at 0.85 V vs. RHE (3.15, 2.06 and 2.15 mA cm-2, respectively). BiOI-PdCu presented photoactivity to carry out the CO2 reduction evolving formic acid and acetic acid as the main products under visible-light irradiation.

Phenotypic plasticity of growth ring traits in Pinus hartwegii at the ends of its elevational gradient.

Introduction: Phenotypic plasticity (PP) could be an important short-term mechanism to modify physiological and morphological traits in response to climate change and global warming, particularly for high-mountain tree species. The objective was to evaluate PP response of growth ring traits to temperature and precipitation in Pinus hartwegii Lindl. populations located at the ends of its elevational gradient on two volcanic mountains in central Mexico (La Malinche and Nevado de Toluca). Methods: Increment cores collected from 274 P. hartwegii trees were used to estimate their PP through reaction norms (RN), which relate the ring width and density traits with climate variables (temperature and precipitation). We estimated the trees' sensitivity (significant RN) to climatic variables, as well as the relative proportion of RN with positive and negative slope. We also estimated the relationship between the PP of ring width and density traits using correlation and Principal Component (PC) analyses. Results: Over 70% of all trees showed significant RN to growing season and winter temperatures for at least one growth ring trait, with a similar proportion of significant RN at both ends of the gradient on both mountains. Ring width traits had mostly negative RN, while ring density traits tended to have positive RN. Frequency of negative RN decreased from lower to higher elevation for most traits. Average PP was higher at the lower end of the gradient, especially on LM, both for ring width and ring density traits, although high intrapopulation variation in PP was found on both mountains. Discussion: Results indicate that P. hartwegii presents spatially differentiated plastic responses in width and density components of radial growth. PP was particularly strong at the lower elevation, which has higher temperature and water stress conditions, putting these populations at risk from the continuing global warming driven by climate change.

Can bovine embryos be successfully transferred after 40 years of cryopreservation? / [Os embriões bovinos podem ser transferidos com sucesso após 40 anos de criopreservação?]

ABSTRACT Global advances in reproductive biotechnology have allowed for the transfer of embryos from donor females with high genetic merit to recipients using the cryopreservation technique, which preserves an embryo of excellent quality and viability, thereby achieving a feasible pregnancy rate. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality and viability of Holstein embryos that have been cryopreserved for more than 40 years under glycerol freezing. The embryos were transferred to the recipient heifers using a non-surgical method. Two 17-month-old Holstein heifers (360 kg live weights) which were clinically healthy and reproductively active were used as the recipients. Two bovine embryos of Grade 1 quality were thawed and evaluated for their morphology. Of the two embryo transfers, one pregnancy was achieved, resulting in the birth of a calf. Therefore, embryos frozen in liquid nitrogen and glycerol as a cryopreservative for more than 40 years maintained their quality and viability to produce a live calf.

RESUMO Os avanços globais em biotecnologia reprodutiva permitiram a transferência de embriões de fêmeas doadoras com alto mérito genético para receptoras, usando-se a técnica de criopreservação, que preserva um embrião de excelente qualidade e viabilidade, alcançando, assim, uma taxa de gravidez viável. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a qualidade e a viabilidade de embriões Holstein, criopreservados por mais de 40 anos, sob congelamento de glicerol. Os embriões foram transferidos para as novilhas receptoras, usando-se um método não cirúrgico. Duas novilhas Holstein de 17 meses de idade (360kg de peso vivo), que eram clinicamente saudáveis e reprodutivamente ativas, foram utilizadas como receptoras. Dois embriões bovinos de qualidade Grau 1 foram descongelados e avaliados quanto à sua morfologia. Das duas transferências embrionárias, uma gravidez foi obtida, resultando no nascimento de um bezerro. Portanto, os embriões congelados em nitrogênio líquido e glicerol como criopreservante por mais de 40 anos mantiveram sua qualidade e viabilidade para produzir um bezerro vivo.

Prevalence of flukes (Fasciola hepatica and paramphistomids) in cattle in south-eastern Mexico.

The objective of this study was to determine the risk factors and prevalence of trematodes in south-eastern Mexico. The prevalence of trematodes was determined in 1010 bovines. The study was carried out from October 2018 (n=291) to December 2019 (n=719). Only in 2019 rumen and liver fluke eggs were differentiated. Faecal samples (n=311) were obtained from farms in southeast Mexico located in Tabasco, Chiapas and Campeche. In addition, the presence of flukes in liver and rumen from slaughtered cattle in abattoirs was recorded with a total of 408 samples. A logistic procedure was used to obtain the prevalence and the effect of main risk factors such as land physiography (flooded areas and hills), year, sex, animals' age and type of sample obtained (eggs in faeces and flukes). The general prevalence of flukes in cattle was 32.3 % in 2018 and 41.7 % in 2019. Prevalence of F. hepatica (liver fluke) was 18.6 % (134/719) and that of paramphistomids (rumen fluke) was 33.4 % (240/719). The infected cattle from the slaughterhouse indicated a lower prevalence of F. hepatica (1 %) and rumen fluke (26.7 %) than in farms detected by egg in faeces (41.8 % and 42.1 %, respectively). The physiographic zone was decisive in the presence of F. hepatica and rumen fluke, while sex did not represent a risk factor (P > 0.05). The environmental conditions of the Mexican southeast favour the presence of both liver and rumen fluke.

First metagenomic analysis of the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) gut microbiome reveals microbial diversity and wide resistome.

Background: The Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) is the largest scavenger in South America. This predatory bird plays a crucial role in their ecological niche by removing carcasses. We report the first metagenomic analysis of the Andean condor gut microbiome. Methods: This work analyzed shotgun metagenomics data from a mixture of fifteen captive Chilean Andean condors. To filter eukaryote contamination, we employed BWA-MEM v0.7. Taxonomy assignment was performed using Kraken2 and MetaPhlAn v2.0 and all filtered reads were assembled using IDBA-UD v1.1.3. The two most abundant species were used to perform a genome reference-guided assembly using MetaCompass. Finally, we performed a gene prediction using Prodigal and each gene predicted was functionally annotated. InterproScan v5.31-70.0 was additionally used to detect homology based on protein domains and KEGG mapper software for reconstructing metabolic pathways. Results: Our results demonstrate concordance with the other gut microbiome data from New World vultures. In the Andean condor, Firmicutes was the most abundant phylum present, with Clostridium perfringens, a potentially pathogenic bacterium for other animals, as dominating species in the gut microbiome. We assembled all reads corresponding to the top two species found in the condor gut microbiome, finding between 94% to 98% of completeness for Clostridium perfringens and Plesiomonas shigelloides, respectively. Our work highlights the ability of the Andean condor to act as an environmental reservoir and potential vector for critical priority pathogens which contain relevant genetic elements. Among these genetic elements, we found 71 antimicrobial resistance genes and 1,786 virulence factors that we associated with several adaptation processes.

Identifying pollution dynamics using discrete Fourier transform: From an urban-rural river, Central Mexico.

The quality of life and human survival is dependent on sustainable development and sanitation of water bodies in an environment. The present research focuses on cyclicity data of more than 750,000 records of parameters associated with the water quality from a rural-urban river monitoring stations in real-time from River Atoyac in Central Mexico. The events detected in the instrumental records correlated with 2528 laboratory and instrumental determinations. The 64 polluting compounds were grouped into inorganic compounds (metals and metalloids) and organic compounds (pesticides, herbicides, hydrocarbons). Metal associated compounds were grouped along mechanical, pharmaceutical and textile industries which associates itself with the entry of polluting components. The cyclicity of the events was detected through Discrete Fourier Transformation time series analysis identifying the predominant events in each station. These highlight the events at 23-26 h corresponding to a circadian pattern of the metabolism of the city. Likewise, pollution signals were detected at 3.3, 5.5, and 12-14 h, associated with discharges from economic activities. Multivariate statistical techniques were used to identify the circadian extremes of a regionalized cycle of polluting compounds in each of the stations. The results of this research allow pollution prevention using a mathematical analysis of time series of different quality parameters collected at monitoring stations in real-time as a tool for predicting polluting events. The DFT analysis makes it possible to prevent polluting events in different bodies of water, allowing to support the development of public policies based on the supervision and control of pollution.

GPR43 stimulation on TCRαß+ intraepithelial colonic lymphocytes inhibits the recruitment of encephalitogenic T-cells into the central nervous system and attenuates the development of autoimmunity.

INTRODUCTION: Gut microbiota plays a critical role in the regulation of immune homeostasis. Accordingly, several autoimmune disorders have been associated with dysbiosis in the gut microbiota. Notably, the dysbiosis associated with central nervous system (CNS) autoimmunity involves a substantial reduction of bacteria belonging to Clostridia clusters IV and XIVa, which constitute major producers of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Here we addressed the role of the surface receptor-mediated effects of SCFAs on mucosal T-cells in the development of CNS autoimmunity. METHODS: To induce CNS autoimmunity, we used the mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced by immunization with the myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-derived peptide (MOG35-55 peptide). To address the effects of GPR43 stimulation on colonic TCRαß+ T-cells upon CNS autoimmunity, mucosal lymphocytes were isolated and stimulated with a selective GPR43 agonist ex vivo and then transferred into congenic mice undergoing EAE. Several subsets of lymphocytes infiltrating the CNS or those present in the gut epithelium and gut lamina propria were analysed by flow cytometry. In vitro migration assays were conducted with mucosal T-cells using transwells. RESULTS: Our results show a sharp and selective reduction of intestinal propionate at the peak of EAE development, accompanied by increased IFN-γ and decreased IL-22 in the colonic mucosa. Further analyses indicated that GPR43 was the primary SCFAs receptor expressed on T-cells, which was downregulated on colonic TCRαß+ T-cells upon CNS autoimmunity. The pharmacologic stimulation of GPR43 increased the anti-inflammatory function and reduced the pro-inflammatory features in several TCRαß+ T-cell subsets in the colonic mucosa upon EAE development. Furthermore, GPR43 stimulation induced the arrest of CNS-autoreactive T-cells in the colonic lamina propria, thus avoiding their infiltration into the CNS and dampening the disease development. Mechanistic analyses revealed that GPR43-stimulation on mucosal TCRαß+ T-cells inhibits their CXCR3-mediated migration towards CXCL11, which is released from the CNS upon neuroinflammation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide a novel mechanism involved in the gut-brain axis by which bacterial-derived products secreted in the gut mucosa might control the CNS tropism of autoreactive T-cells. Moreover, this study shows GPR43 expressed on T-cells as a promising therapeutic target for CNS autoimmunity.

Differential histological features and myogenic protein levels in distinct muscles of d-sarcoglycan null muscular dystrophy mouse model.

Skeletal muscle (SkM) comprises slow and fast-twitch fibers, which differ in molecular composition, function, and systemic energy consumption. In addition, muscular dystrophies (DM), a group of diverse hereditary diseases, present different patterns of muscle involvement, progression, and severity, suggesting that the regeneration-degeneration process may differ depending on the muscle type. Therefore, the study aimed to explore the expression of proteins involved in the repair process in different muscles at an early stage of muscular dystrophy in the δ-sarcoglycan null mice (Sgcd-null), a limb-girdle muscular dystrophy 2 F model. Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) Staining showed a high number of central nuclei in soleus (Sol), tibialis (Ta), gastrocnemius (Gas), and extensor digitorum longus (Edl) from four months Sgcd-null mice. However, fibrosis, determined by trichrome of Gomori modified staining, was only observed in Sgcd-null Sol. In addition, the number of Type I and II fibers variated differentially in the Sgcd-null muscles vs. wild-type muscles. Besides, the protein expression level of ß-catenin, myomaker, MyoD, and myogenin also presented different expression levels in all the Sgcd-null muscles studied. In summary, our study reveals that muscles with different metabolic characteristics showed distinct expression patterns of proteins involved in the muscle regeneration process. These results could be relevant in designing therapies for genetic and acquired myopathy.

Source code and simulation data for the prediction of the electrodeposition mechanism of nanostructured metallic coatings.

This data article presents a simulation model based on quantum mechanics and energy potentials for obtaining simulation data that allows, from the perspective of materials informatics, the prediction of the electrodeposition mechanism for forming nanostructured metallic coatings. The development of the research is divided into two parts i) the formulation (Quantum mechanical model and Corrected model for electron prediction; using a modified Schrödinger equation) and ii) the implementation of the theoretical prediction model (Discretization of the model). For the simulation process, the finite element method (FEM) was used considering the equation of electric potential and electroneutrality with and without the inclusion of quantum leap. We also provide the code to perform QM simulations in CUDA®, and COMSOL® software, the simulation parameters, and data for two metallic arrangements of chromium nanoparticles (CrNPs) electrodeposited on commercial steel substrate. (CrNPs-AISI 1020 steel and CrNPs-A618 steel). Data collection shows the direct relationship between applied potential (VDC), current (A), concentration (ppm), and time (s) for the homogeneous formation of the coating during the electrodeposition process, as estimated by the theoretical model developed. Their potential reuse data is done to establish the precision of the theoretical model in predicting the formation and growth of nanostructured surface coatings with metallic nanoparticles to give surface-mechanical properties.