311 research outputs found
Endotoxemia-induced inflammation and the effect on the human brain
Full text linkIntroduction: Effects of systemic inflammation on cerebral function are not clear, as both inflammation-induced encephalopathy as well as stress-hormone mediated alertness have been described.Methods: Experimental endotoxemia (2 ng/kg Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) was induced in 15 subjects, whereas 10 served as controls. Cytokines (TNF-?, IL-6, IL1-RA and IL-10), cortisol, brain specific proteins (BSP), electroencephalography (EEG) and cognitive function tests (CFTs) were determined.Results: Following LPS infusion, circulating pro- and anti inflammatory cytokines, and cortisol increased (P < 0.0001). BSP changes stayed within the normal range, in which neuron specific enolase (NSE) and S100-? changed significantly. Except in one subject with a mild encephalopathic episode, without cognitive dysfunction, endotoxemia induced no clinically relevant EEG changes. Quantitative EEG analysis showed a higher state of alertness detected by changes in the central region, and peak frequency in the occipital region. Improved CFTs during endotoxemia was found to be due to a practice effect as CFTs improved to the same extent in the reference group. Cortisol significantly correlated with a higher state of alertness detected on the EEG. Increased IL-10 and the decreased NSE both correlated with improvement of working memory and with psychomotor speed capacity. No other significant correlations between cytokines, cortisol, EEG, CFT and BSP were found.Conclusions: Short-term systemic inflammation does not provoke or explain the occurrence of septic encephalopathy, but primarily results in an inflammation-mediated increase in cortisol and alertness
Liver manipulation causes hepatocyte injury and precedes systemic inflammation in patients undergoing liver resection.
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51690.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access)BACKGROUND: Liver failure following liver surgery is caused by an insufficient functioning remnant cell mass. This can be due to insufficient liver volume and can be aggravated by additional cell death during or after surgery. The aim of this study was to elucidate the causes of hepatocellular injury in patients undergoing liver resection. METHODS: Markers of hepatocyte injury (AST, GSTalpha, and L-FABP) and inflammation (IL-6) were measured in plasma of patients undergoing liver resection with and without intermittent inflow occlusion. To study the separate involvement of the intestines and the liver in systemic L-FABP release, arteriovenous concentration differences for L-FABP were measured. RESULTS: During liver manipulation, liver injury markers increased significantly. Arterial plasma levels and transhepatic and transintestinal concentration gradients of L-FABP indicated that this increase was exclusively due to hepatic and not due to intestinal release. Intermittent hepatic inflow occlusion, anesthesia, and liver transection did not further enhance arterial L-FABP and GSTalpha levels. Hepatocyte injury was followed by an inflammatory response. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that liver manipulation is a leading cause of hepatocyte injury during liver surgery. A potential causal relation between liver manipulation and systemic inflammation remains to be established; but since the inflammatory response is apparently initiated early during major abdominal surgery, interventions aimed at reducing postoperative inflammation and related complications should be started early during surgery or beforehand
Utilização de reator de biodiscos para tratamento de efluentes com altas concentrações de nitrogênio
Full text linkTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia QuímicaA utilização dos processos convencionais da nitrificação e desnitrificação oferece algumas limitações quando se objetiva o tratamento de efluentes contendo elevadas concentrações de nitrogênio e baixa DQO, dentre estas estão a dificuldade de transferência de altas quantidades de oxigênio necessárias à nitrificação, bem como na necessidade de grande quantidade de matéria orgânica na etapa de desnitrificação. Novos processos de remoção de nitrogênio têm sido desenvolvidos para possibilitar a remoção sustentável de elevadas concentrações de nitrogênio por via biológica. Tais Processos utilizam a nitrificação parcial, ou seja, a oxidação da amônia a nitrito, e a maior parte deles, não utiliza matéria orgânica, utilizando o próprio amônio como doador de elétrons. Neste sentido, o objetivo deste trabalho foi estabelecer um processo de remoção de nitrogênio em altas concentrações utilizando um Reator de Biodiscos Rotativos. O sistema era constituído por três reatores de biodiscos independentes, diferindo entre si apenas nos diferentes materiais suporte utilizados na confecção dos discos, os quais foram: cloreto de polivinila (PVC), poliestireno (PS) e poliuretano (PU). Os reatores foram inoculados com lodo proveniente de uma estação de tratamento de esgotos domésticos e foram alimentados diariamente com meio sintético contendo amônio (NH4+). Durante um período de 913 dias as cargas aplicadas aos reatores PVC e PS variaram de 519 a 6670 mg N-NH4+.m-2.d-1. Para o reator PU, as variações na carga foram de 1206 até 8280 mg N-NH4+.m-2.d-1. Nas cargas mais elevadas, os reatores apresentaram alta capacidade de oxidação do amônio apresentando valores de 4902, 5403, 5336 mg N-NH4+.m-2.d-1 oxidados, para os reatores PVC, PS e PU, respectivamente. Uma remoção de N de 29% sob condições completamente aeróbias foi observada para os três reatores na carga mais baixa aplicada. Nas cargas mais elevadas, condições limitantes de OD foram estabelecidas em torno de 0,4 a 0,6 mg O2.L-1 para os reatores PVC e PS, e mais baixas para o reator PU variando entre 0,08 e 0,3 mg O2.L-1, gerando acúmulo de nitrito. Os testes FISH confirmaram a presença de vários tipos de BOA, entre elas: Nitrosomonas sp, Nitrosolobus multiformis, Nitrosospira briensis, Nitrosovibrio tenuis, as quais apareceram nas etapas com cargas mais elevadas, além de Nitrosococcus mobilis. Entretanto, verificou-se a diminuição da população de BON nos reatores. Os testes de eliminação de nitrogênio realizados em batelada com as biomassas retiradas dos reatores, apresentaram velocidades específicas de remoção de 18,4; 16,4 e 28,3 mg N.gSST-1.d-1, respecivamente, para os reatores de PVC, PS e PU, demonstrando que a biomassa removida do reator PU foi a que apresentou a mais alta velocidade específica de remoção de nitrogênio sob condições limitantes de oxigênio, assim como, foi a única que apresentou remoção anaeróbia. Além disto, o reator PU apresentou um camada de biofilme mais homogênea, uma maior adesão dos microrganismos, e também uma maior remoção de nitrogênio, em torno de 50%, correspondendo a 3340 mg N.m-2.d-1. A alta remoção, juntamente com condições limitantes de OD e a detecção de bactérias anammox através do teste FISH, assim como a constatação de atividade anaeróbia, evidenciam o estabelecimento do processo ANAMMOX neste reator
Location and expression of frustulins in the pennate diatoms Cylindrotheca fusiformis, Navicula pelliculosa, and Navicula salinarum (Bacillariophyceae)
No full textA detailed immunocytochemical and biochemical study of the location and expression of frustulins, a family of proteins associated with the frustules of diatoms, has been performed for Cylindrotheca fusiformis Reimann et Lewin, Navicula pelliculosa (Brebisson et Kutzing) Hilse, and Navicula salinarum (Grunow) Husted. Immunocytochemistry revealed that frustulins, which share homologous epitopes but are different in size, were predominantly located in the organic casing. Eased on timed immunolocalization experiments and Western blotting analysis of cell extracts obtained sequentially after repleting silicate to Si-synchronized cells, the continuous presence of the frustulins in the mature and parental organic casing of the examined species was observed. The frustulins of N. pelliculosa appeared as proteins similar to those of C. fusiformis, sharing identical epitopes. The extractions, however, yielded a markedly lower abundance of frustulins in N. pelliculosa. Peak concentrations of extracted frustulins appeared to be expressed just ahead of the silicification process in C. fusiformis, whereas the level of expression in N. pelliculosa increased along with maturation of the new valves. For N. salinarum, the presence of the frustulins could not be confirmed properly by Western blotting; most probably because of the small sample volumes, inefficient extraction, and a lower amount of homologous frustulins in the casing of this species. It is concluded that the frustulins of these species are not associated with the silicalemma of the newly formed silica deposition vesicles and therefore do not seem to be involved in the silicification process itself. Overall, the results imply a structural role of the frustulins in the casing of diatoms rather than a regulation of the silicification process
Focusing on core patient-reported outcomes in cancer clinical trials – letter
Full text linkLetter to the editor on behalf of the EORTC Quality of Life Group, with reference to paper doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-15-2035 - response to the following paper.Title of paper: Focusing on Core Patient-Reported Outcomes in Cancer Clinical Trials: Symptomatic Adverse Events, Physical Function, and Disease-Related Symptoms.Authors: Kluetz PG, Slagle A, Papadopoulos EJ, Johnson LL, Donoghue M, Kwitkowski VE, Chen WH, Sridhara R, Farrell AT, Keegan P, Kim G, Pazdur R.Clin Cancer Res. 2016 Apr 1;22(7):1553-8. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-15-2035. Epub 2016 Jan 12
Location and expression of frustulins in the pennate diatoms Cylindrotheca fusiformis, Navicula pelliculosa, and Navicula salinarum (Bacillariophyceae)
No full textA detailed immunocytochemical and biochemical study of the location and expression of frustulins, a family of proteins associated with the frustules of diatoms, has been performed for Cylindrotheca fusiformis Reimann et Lewin, Navicula pelliculosa (Brebisson et Kutzing) Hilse, and Navicula salinarum (Grunow) Husted. Immunocytochemistry revealed that frustulins, which share homologous epitopes but are different in size, were predominantly located in the organic casing. Eased on timed immunolocalization experiments and Western blotting analysis of cell extracts obtained sequentially after repleting silicate to Si-synchronized cells, the continuous presence of the frustulins in the mature and parental organic casing of the examined species was observed. The frustulins of N. pelliculosa appeared as proteins similar to those of C. fusiformis, sharing identical epitopes. The extractions, however, yielded a markedly lower abundance of frustulins in N. pelliculosa. Peak concentrations of extracted frustulins appeared to be expressed just ahead of the silicification process in C. fusiformis, whereas the level of expression in N. pelliculosa increased along with maturation of the new valves. For N. salinarum, the presence of the frustulins could not be confirmed properly by Western blotting; most probably because of the small sample volumes, inefficient extraction, and a lower amount of homologous frustulins in the casing of this species. It is concluded that the frustulins of these species are not associated with the silicalemma of the newly formed silica deposition vesicles and therefore do not seem to be involved in the silicification process itself. Overall, the results imply a structural role of the frustulins in the casing of diatoms rather than a regulation of the silicification process.</p
PAR and UVBR effects on photosynthesis, viability, growth and DNA in different life stages of two coexisting Gigartinales: implications for recruitment and zonation pattern
Full text linkThe effects that ultraviolet radiation (UVR, 280 to 400 nm) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, 400 to 700 nm) had on early life stages of Mastocarpus stellatus and Chondrus crispus were studied to determine if differences in UVR tolerance could influence their recruitment success on the upper eulittoral shores of Helgoland (North Sea). Photosynthesis, germination capacity, DNA damage and carpospore repair were measured after exposures to different time lengths and intensities of PAR+UV-A+UV-B, PAR+UV-A or PAR alone, and also after recovery in low white light. Germination and photosynthesis of the low light adapted carpospores of both species were inhibited as PAR was increased. Supplemental UV-A and UV-B had a small additional effect on the F-v/F-m of M, stellatus but this effect was more pronounced in C. crispus. However, photosynthesis of both species significantly recovered after 48 h. Carpospore viability in C, crispus was more sensitive than in M. stellatus to UVR, while a higher dose was needed to achieve 50 % germination inhibition in M stellatus. Furthermore, UV-B-induced DNA damage, measured as cyclobutane-pyrimidine dimers (CPDs), was less in M stellatus spores, which also exhibited an efficient DNA repair mechanism compared with C crispus. In contrast, growth and chlorophyll a contents in young gametophytes of both species were not affected by repeated UV exposures. Higher total carotenoid was measured in plants exposed to UVR, indicating a photoprotection role, because photosynthesis completely acclimated to UVR after 3 d. Furthermore, DNA damage was not detected on mature fronds of both species when exposed to the full solar spectrum. Therefore, the susceptibility of carpospores to UVR could influence species recruitment to the upper eulittoral zone
Yes/no questions in mandarin chinese revisited
No full textThis article discusses some syntactic peculiarities of Chinese yes/no questions. Starting from the observation that Standard Mandarin shares significant typological features with prototypical SOV languages, Chinese is treated as an underlyingly verb-final language. Based on this heuristic principle, A-not-AB, AB-not-A and AB-not questions are uniformly derived by means of one simple raising rule that operates within the sentence constituent V'. This novel idea is elaborated on in great detail in the first part of the article. In contrast to the prevailing trend, it is argued that the question operator contained in A-not-A and A-not sentences CANNOT be raised to "Comp". In consequence, A-not-A and A-not questions are "typed" in the head position of a sentence-internal functional phrase that we call Force2 Phrase (F2P) in the present paper. This position is not to be confused with Drubig's (1994) Polarity 1 Phrase (PollP), in the head position of which assertive negations and an abstract affirmative element are located. The existence of a head position F2° other than Poll° is supported by the fact that F2° can be occupied by certain overt question operators, such as assertive shi-bu-shi, which are compatible with negations. In contrast to the assertive question operator shi-bu-shi which is obligatorily associated with information focus, non-assertive shi-bu-shi serves as a compound focus and question operator whose focus feature is complex insofar as it is composed of two subfeatures: a contrastivity and an exhaustivity subfeature. Non-assertive shi-bu-shi is obligatorily associated with identificational focus in the sense of Kiss (1998). In accordance with some basic ideas of Chomsky's checking theory, the two subfeatures of the complex focus feature carried by the non-assertive shi-bu-shi operator check a correlating subfeature in the head position of a corresponding functional phrase (Contrastive Phrase and Focus Phrase, respectively). The question feature contained in the non-assertive shi-bu-shi operator is attracted by the head of Force1 Phrase (F1') at the level of LF. Due to the fact that F1° is sentence-final, the question feature of non-assertive shi-bu-shi must be Chomsky-adjoined to F1'. Unlike identificational focus phrases which are inherently contrastive, topics are non-contrastive in the default case. As separate speech acts, they are located in a c-commanding position outside the sentence structure. Semantically, there is a difference between Frame-Setting Topics and Aboutness Topics. As shown in the article, both A-not-A and A-not questions on the one hand and yes/no questions ending with ma on the other can be used in neutral and non-neutral contexts. The decisive advantage of mu questions, however, is that their question operator has scope over the whole sentence
Effects of UV-B-induced damage and photoinhibition on growth of temperate marine red Macrophytes: habitat-related differences in UV-B tolerance
No full textThe sensitivity to UV-B radiation (UVBR: 280-315 nm) was tested for littoral (Palmaria palmata [L] O Kuntze, Chondrus crispus Stackhouse) and sublittoral (Phyllophora pseudoceranoides S. G. Gmelin, Rhodymenia pseudopalmata [Lamouroux] Silva, Phycodrys rubens [L.] Batt, Polyneura hilliae [Greville] Kylin) red macrophytes from Brittany, France. Algal fragments were subjected to daily repeated exposures of artificial UVBR that were realistic for springtime solar UVBR at the water surface in Brittany, Growth, DNA damage, photoinhibition, and UV-absorbing compounds were monitored during 2 weeks of PAR + UV-A radiation (WAR) + UVBR, whereas PAR + UVAR and PAR treatments were used as controls. The littoral species showed a higher UV tolerance than the sublittoral species. After 2 weeks, growth of P. palmata and C, crispus was not significantly affected by UVBR, and DNA damage, measured as the number of cyclobutane-pyrimidine dimers per 10(6) nucleotides, was negligible. Photoinhibition, determined as the decline in optimal quantum yield, was low and decreased during the course of the experiment, coinciding with the production of UV-absorbing compounds in these species. In contrast, no UV-absorbing compounds were induced in the sublittoral species. Growth rates of P. pseudoceranoides and R. pseudopalmata were reduced by 40% compared with the PAR treatment. Additionally, constant levels of DNA damage and pronounced photoinhibition were observed after the UVBR treatments. Growth was completely halted for Phycodrys rubens and Polyneura hilliae, whereas DNA damage accumulated in the course of the experiment. Because Phycodrys rubens and Polyneura hilliae showed the same degree of photoinhibition as the other sublittoral species, it appears that the accumulation of DNA damage may have been responsible for the complete inhibition of: growth. The results suggest an important role of DNA repair pathways in determining the UV sensitivity in red macrophytes
Estudi experimental del tractament de la meningitis pneumocòcica produïda per soques resistents a cefalosporines de tercera generació. Virulència, eficàcia i resposta inflamatòria
Full text link[cat] La meningitis pneumocòcica és una malaltia associada a una elevada mortalitat (20-40) i a l'aparició de seqüeles neurològiques en un 30% dels pacients, nens i adults, que sobreviuen. Des del punt de vista farmacològic, és una malaltia complicada:- La penetració dels antibiòtics a través de la barrera hematoencefàlica és reduïda.- Es genera una resposta inflamatòria greu en l'espai subaracnoidal, responsable del dany cerebral associat.- L'aparició de soques de "S.pneumoniae" multiresistents no garanteix l'eficàcia del tractament empíric.En els darrers anys s'han detectat soques amb un elevat nivell de resistència a cefalosporines de tercera generació (C3G). La baixa prevalença d'aquests aïllaments dificulta per una banda, el coneixement del seu comportament in vivo i per l'altra, la valoració de l'eficàcia dels tractaments estàndard.En aquesta tesi s'ha demostrat la capacitat d'una soca de "S.pneumoniae" amb un elevat nivell de resistència a C3G a l'hora d'induir meningitis i provocar una resposta inflamatòria greu en el LCR en el model animal. Els nostres experiments demostren que l'adquisició de resistència antibiòtica no ha alterat ni la patogenicitat ni la virulència d'aquestes soques. Les combinacions ceftriaxona més vancomicina, ceftriaxona més rifampicina i rifampicina més vancomicina es van revelar eficaces en la meningitis pneumocòcica per una soca amb un elevat grau de resistència a C3G, tant per la millora de l'eficàcia com per l'atenuació de la resposta inflamatòria respecte a les monoteràpies. Aquests resultats reforcen les recomanacions dels experts i proporcionen una base experimental per a que siguin aplicables en meningitis causades per "S. pneumoniae" sigui quin sigui el seu nivell de resistència a beta-lactàmics. La fosfomicina ha demostrat una elevada penetració a través de la barrera hematoencefàlica en el model animal en conill. No obstant, el desenvolupament de resistència antibiòtica en el model experimental descarta el seu ús en monoteràpia. A més a més, en base als fracassos terapèutics observats proposem revisar els punts de tall de la sensibilitat de "S. pneumoniae" a fosfomicina en la infecció meníngia.Les combinacions de fosfomicina estudiades han demostrat una excel·lent activitat envers dues soques de pneumococ resistent a beta-lactàmics, així com un efecte protector davant el desenvolupament de mutants resistents. A partir dels nostres resultats, recomanaríem com alternatives terapèutiques la combinació fosfomicina més ceftriaxona en pacients amb intolerància a glicopèptids o amb insuficiència renal; i la combinació fosfomicina més vancomicina en pacients al·lèrgics a beta-lactàmics
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