1,720,974 research outputs found
Beauvericin Immunotoxicity Prevention by Gentiana lutea L. Flower In Vitro
No full textBeauvericin (BEA) is an emerging mycotoxin produced by some species of Fusarium genera that widely contaminates food and feed. Gentiana lutea is a protected medicinal plant known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which are attributed to its rich content of bioactive compounds. In order to evaluate the beneficial effects of G. lutea flower against BEA cytotoxicity, the aim of this study is to evaluate changes in protein expression after Jurkat cell exposure through a proteomics approach. To carry out the experiment, cells were exposed to intestinally digested G. lutea flower alone or in combination with the BEA standard (100 nM) over 7 days. Differentially expressed proteins were statistically evaluated (p G. lutea alone, and 139 proteins when exposing the cells to the combined exposure. Bioinformatic analysis revealed processes implicated in mitochondria, ATP-related activity, and RNA binding. After careful analysis of differentially expressed proteins, it was evident that G. lutea attenuated, in most cases, the negative effects of BEA. Furthermore, it decreased the presence of major oncoproteins involved in the modulation of immune function
Risk analysis of main mycotoxins occurring in food for children: An overview
No full textMycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungi contaminating the food chain that are toxic to animals and humans. Children up to 12 years old are recognized as a potentially vulnerable subgroup with respect to consumption of these contaminants. Apart from having a higher exposure per kg body weight, they have a different physiology from that of adults. Therefore they may be more sensitive to neurotoxic, endocrine and immunological effects. For these reasons, a specific and up-to-date risk analysis for this category is of great interest. In this review, an accurate analysis of the main mycotoxins occurring in food intended for children (deoxynivalenol, aflatoxins, ochratoxins, patulin and fumonisins) is presented. In particular, known mechanisms of toxicity and levels of exposure and bioaccessibility in children are shown. In addition, recent discoveries about the strategies of mycotoxins managing are discussed
Allium sativum L. var. Voghiera Reduces Aflatoxin B1 Bioaccessibility and Cytotoxicity In Vitro
No full textThe present work focuses on the evaluation of AFB1's bioaccessibility and cytotoxicity in vitro using bread (naturally contaminated) enriched or not enriched with fresh Voghiera garlic (2%). Two different experiments were carried out: experiment 1 (E1), with low-AFB1-concentration breads (1.6-1.7 mg/kg); and experiment 2 (E2), with high-AFB1-concentration breads (96.4-102.7 mg/kg). Eight breads were prepared, four for E1 (experiment 1) and another four for E2 (experiment 2), with each experiment having a control group (C), a garlic-enriched group (2%) (G), an AFB1 group (A), and an AFB1 + garlic group (A + G). Simulated digestion was performed on each type of bread, and gastric and intestinal digests were obtained. AFB1 content in flours, baked bread, and gastric and intestinal digests was measured by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to Fluorescence Detection. The results demonstrate dose-dependent AFB1 bioaccessibility and that the presence of garlic contributed to its reduction in both doses (7-8%). Moreover, garlic's presence in AFB1-contaminated bread increased cell viability (9-18%) in differentiated Caco-2 cells and mitigated the arrest of S and G2/M phases provoked by AFB1 on Jurkat T cells and reduced apoptosis/necrosis, cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and mitochondrial ROS by 16%, 71%, and 24% respectively. The inclusion of garlic as a functional ingredient helped relieve the presence and effects of AFB1
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Implicación de PTTG1 en procesos celulares y fisiológicos controlados por RASGRF1
No full textMemoria presentada por la licenciada Lara Manyes i Font para optar al grado de Doctora por la Universidad de Salamanca y realizada en Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cancer de Salamanca.[EN]: In the laboratory of Eugene Santos, using profile analysis dependent transcriptional Rasgrf1 expression in mouse retina, was that among the genes most affected by deficiency in Rasgrf1 was PTTG1. Another analysis of the same kind in this laboratory, both in mouse islets and in cerebral cortex and olfactory bulb, resubmitted to PTTG1 as affected by gene Rasgrf1 deficiency. The main objective of this thesis was to study whether controlled Rasgrf1 PTTG1 expression. The second was to analyze whether the in vivo functions of PTTG1 Rasgrf1 and overlapped. The generation of stable cell clones by shRNA PC12 allowed us to study the proliferative rate, and cell cycle status with reduced intracellular signaling Rasgrf1 and PTTG1 expression. We conducted luciferase assays to examine the promoter activity PTTG1. To study the in vivo function of these proteins generated RasGrf1-/--Pttg1-/- mice. We employed the Barnes maze to analyze its role in hippocampus, where both are expressed PTTG1 as Rasgrf1 mostly. Also described that both mice PTTG1 Rasgrf1 KO KO as look decreased body mass relative to control mice suffer insulinopenia and have a mass reduced beta cell, so do the test glucose tolerance double KO mice. In summary, these results suggest a role for the control Rasgrf1 expression PTTG1, via the signaling path of Mek. Rasgrf1 and PTTG1 could share overlapping functions pancreatic level, but not at the level of the central nervous system, where only PTTG1 seems to have a role in learning and hippocampal-dependent memory.[ES]: En el laboratorio de Eugenio Santos, mediante análisis del perfil transcripcional dependiente de la expresión de RasGrf1 en retina de ratón, se vio que entre los genes mas afectados por la deficiencia en RasGrf1 estaba Pttg1. Otro análisis del mismo tipo realizado en este laboratorio, tanto en islotes de ratón como en córtex cerebral y bulbo olfatorio, volvió a presentar a Pttg1 como gen afectado por la deficiencia de RasGrf1. El objetivo principal de esta tesis fue estudiar si RasGrf1 controlaba la expresión de Pttg1. El segundo fue analizar si las funciones in vivo de RasGrf1 y Pttg1 se solapaban. La generación de clones estables de células PC12 mediante shRNA nos permitió estudiar la tasa proliferativa, el ciclo celular y el estado de la señalización intracelular con una menor expresión de RasGrf1 y Pttg1. Llevamos a cabo ensayos de luciferasa para examinar la actividad del promotor de Pttg1. Para el estudio de la función in vivo de estas proteínas generamos ratones RasGrf1-/--Pttg1-/-. Hemos empleado el laberinto de Barnes para el análisis de su función en hipocampo, donde tanto Pttg1 como RasGrf1 se expresan mayoritariamente. Asimismo, se ha descrito que tanto los ratones RasGrf1 KO como los Pttg1 KO ven disminuida su masa corporal con respecto a los ratones control, sufren insulinopenia y tienen una masa de células ß reducida, por lo que realizamos el test de tolerancia a la glucosa a los ratones doble KO. En resumen, estos resultados sugieren un papel para RasGrf1 en el control de la expresión de Pttg1, a través de la ruta de señalización de Mek. RasGrf1 y Pttg1 podrían compartir funciones solapadas a nivel pancreático, pero no a nivel del sistema nervioso central, dónde sólo Pttg1 parece tener una función en el aprendizaje y memoria dependiente de hipocampo.Esta memoria ha sido realizada siendo LARA MANYES I FONT beneficiaria de una ayuda predoctoral FPU del Ministerio de Educación para la elaboración de la tesis doctoral (2008‐2012). La investigación en el laboratorio ha sido financiada por los siguientes proyectos: ‐ Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Cáncer, Centro de Investigación del Cáncer de Salamanca‐IBMCC (CSIC‐USAL). Fundación de Investigación del Cáncer (Cod. 1556). Ministerio de Sanidad. Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (2007‐2009). IP, E. Santos. ‐ Mecanismos de activación de oncoproteínas Ras: Análisis de especificidad funcional de diana Ras y sus activadores GEF en procesos fisiológicos y patológicos. Ministerio de Sanidad. Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (2007‐ 2009). IP, E. Santos. ‐ Estudios de especificidad funcional de oncoproteínas Ras y sus activadores celulares. Junta de Castilla y León (SA044A08) (2008‐2010). IP, E. Santos. ‐ Especificidad funcional de proteínas Ras y sus activadores GEF en procesos fisiológicos y patológicos. Junta de Castilla y León GR93, Grupos de excelencia de Castilla y León (2008‐2010). IP, E. Santos. ‐ Mecanismos de especificidad funcional de proteínas Ras y sus activadores celulares específicos GEF en procesos fisiológicos y patológicos. Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias. (Proyecto Intrasalud cPS09/01979) (2010‐2013). IP, E. Santos.Peer Reviewe
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Grape pomace as a valuable source of nutraceuticals in Deep Eutectic Solvents ready-to-use extracts
No full textAgro-industrial waste represents one of the main causes of global environmental pollution. For this reason, the valorization of these by-products through their reuse as sources of bioactive compounds is a challenging aim of research and industry. In this work, two varieties of grape pomace (Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot) were selected for solid-liquid extraction with employment of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as sustainable green media, using hydroalcoholic solutions as references. Extracts obtained from both fresh and dried grape pomaces were chemically characterized for their phenolic profiles through HPLC-DAD, and eight out of fifteen phenolic compounds, selected as standards, were detected and quantified. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated in vitro through the DPPH photometric assay. Choline Chloride/Urea (1:4 mol/mol + 40% water) extracts have been the most promising in this regard. Moreover, our extracts exhibited good antibacterial activities, in particular for the Betaine/Lactic acid (1:4 mol/mol + 40% water) DES ones. Starting from this evidence, seventeen different red and white grape pomaces were then extracted with four previously selected DESs and the phenolic profile of the resulting extracts was again characterized by HPLC-DAD. The samples with the most promising bioactivity, namely Merlot and Sangiovese extracted with Betaine/Lactic Acid (1:4 mol/mol + 40% water) and Choline Chloride/Ascorbic Acid (2:1 mol/mol + 40% water), were additionally characterized by LC-ESI-TOF-MS, while bioavailability and antimicrobial studies are now ongoing, with the final aim to employ these products as ready-to-use food and/or feed supplements
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