Search

Reactive nitrogen (Nr) is an important driver of global change, causing alterations in ecosystem biodiversity and functionality. Environmental assessments require monitoring the emission and deposition of both the amount and types of Nr. This is especially important in heterogeneous landscapes, as different land-cover types emit particular forms of Nr to the atmosphere, which can impact ecosystems distinctively. Such assessments require high spatial resolution maps that also integrate temporal variations, and can only be feasibly achieved by using ecological indicators. Our aim was to rank land-cover types according to the amount and form of emitted atmospheric Nr in a complex landscape with multiple sources of N. To do so, we measured and mapped nitrogen concentration and isotopic composition in lichen thalli, which we then related to land-cover data. Results suggested that, at the landscape scale, intensive agriculture and urban areas were the most important sources of Nr to the atmosphere. Additionally, the ocean greatly influences Nr in land, by providing air with low Nr concentration and a unique isotopic composition. These results have important consequences for managing air pollution at the regional level, as they provide critical information for modeling Nr emission and deposition across regional as well as continental scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Española de Medicina Nuclear e Imagen Molecular is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Daratumumab is an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody approved for relapsed/ refractory multiple myeloma (MM) treatment, as monotherapy or in combination with bortezomib or lenalidomide. This study aims to characterize treatment outcomes in real world context which are scarce. Six patients (35.3%) were treated with Daratumumab in monotherapy, eight (47.0%) daratumumab + lenalidomide (DRd) and three (17.7%) daratumumab + bortezomib (DVd). [Extracted from the article]

The autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS), with strong inflammation and neurodegeneration, affects motor and cognitive functions. S100B is increased in CSF, serum and post-mortem plaques of MS patients being correlated with demyelination and glial reactivity. We also showed that S100B neutralization has a beneficial outcome in an ex vivo demyelinating model. Here, we first addressed how targeting S100B with pentamidine could prevent MS-related pathogenesis in the ex vivo model. Pentamidine prevented not only demyelination and axonal impairment, but also the exacerbated production of inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, HMGB1). Next, we used the in-vivo animal model of MS, the Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE), to evaluate if pentamidine could prevent/ameliorate MS disease course. EAE-induced animals when treated with pentamidine reach a lower disease clinical score and have a fast recovery. Our results indicate that S100B is involved in MS pathology and that its inhibition may be a new potential therapy to reduce damage and improve recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the extra-laryngeal head and neck tuberculosis in Spain. Use of histologic granuloma with presence of acid-fast bacilli in examining the patients; Duration of symptoms; Absence of lung involvement in the disorder.

Abstract: Experiments were conducted to evaluate in vitro fertilization (IVF) of in vitro matured (IVM) bitch oocytes using dog spermatozoa frozen in three different extenders. Sperm-rich fraction from eight ejaculates of five dogs was frozen in each one of three egg yolk Tris extenders with additional: (A) 1.4g citric acid and 0.8g glucose; (B) 0.7g citric acid and 3.5g glucose; or (C) 1.4g citric acid and 0.8g fructose (all with 5% glycerol in 100mL milliQ water). Thawed sperm were co-incubated with IVM bitch oocytes for 6h. Oocytes were fixed and evaluated under an epifluorescence microscope; penetrated oocytes were defined as those having sperm heads in the perivitelline space or in the oocyte cytoplasm. Higher penetration rates (P <0.05) were obtained in oocytes cultured with spermatozoa frozen in extenders B and C than those frozen in extender A (33.1, 34.2 and 26.4%, respectively). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The consumption of probiotic-enriched dairy products has been associated with many health benefits, including anti-hyperglycemic activity. The effect on health is dependent on the type of probiotic culture used and the dairy product consumed. This study evaluated the effect of different probiotic-enriched dairy matrices (Minas Frescal cheese, Prato cheese, and whey dairy beverage) containing Lactobacillus casei on in vitro and in vivo anti-hyperglycemic activity. For this purpose, in vitro anti-hyperglycemic activity was determined by the inhibition of a-glucosidase and a-amylase activities, and a human study was performed with healthy individuals (n = 15, consumption of bread as a control; bread + Minas Frescal cheese; bread + Prato cheese; bread + dairy beverage) to assess the effects of different probiotic foods on postprandial glycemia. In vitro data showed that Prato cheese presented the highest lipid (36.9 g/100 g) and protein (26.5 g/100 g) contents as well as the highest a-amylase (60.7%) and a-glucosidase (52.6%) inhibition. The consumption of Prato cheese resulted in a lesser increase in blood glucose level (13 mg/dL) compared with the consumption of bread alone (19 mg/dL), Minas Frescal cheese (20 mg/dL), and whey dairy beverage (30 mg/dL), with glycemic indices similar to that observed for the control. The present results demonstrated a good correlation between in vitro and in vivo data, in which the type of dairy matrix affects the anti-hyperglycemic activity. It is concluded that the consumption of probiotic Prato cheese can contribute to the reduction of postprandial glycemia in healthy individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine whether the addition of an inactivated-gp120-depleted HIV-1 Immunogen to antiretrovirals (ARTs) conferred a beneficial effect on delaying time to virologic failure relative to that obtained by ARTs alone, a phase II clinical trial was performed in 243 asymptomatic, ART naïve, HIV-1 seropositive adults. The Cox model showed that HIV-1 Immunogen treatment was associated with a 34% decrease in the risk of virologic failure (P=0.056). When the analysis incorporated baseline HIV-RNA stratification the risk of virologic failure in the HIV-1 Immunogen Arm was significantly reduced a 37% compared to the IFA placebo Arm (P=0.034). The data suggest that therapeutic immunization plus ARTs could influence virologic control. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To determine the contribution of the polysulfate-binding domain (PSBD) of acrosin during sperm penetration.Design: To inhibit the in vitro fertilization of mouse zona-intact oocytes by using a polyclonal antibody raised against an 18-amino acid peptide of proacrosin (anti-PSBD).Setting: Unit of Reproduction and Development, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.Patient(s): None.Intervention(s): A polyclonal antibody against the 43IFMYHNNRRYHTCGGILL(60) peptide was raised in New Zealand female rabbits. The specificity of the antibody was evaluated by an ELISA. Zona-intact mouse oocytes were coincubated with capacitated spermatozoa for 3 hours in the presence of 0.63 mg/mL of the antibody or preimmune serum. As a control, we used zona-free mouse oocytes under the same experimental conditions.Main Outcome Measure(s): We evaluated the fertilization rate of zona-intact and zona-free mouse oocytes by phase-contrast microscopy. An oocyte was considered fertilized when at least one decondensed sperm head was found within the egg cytoplasm. We evaluated 50-60 mouse oocytes in each group in three independent experiments.Result(s): The anti-PSBD antibody inhibited the fertilization of zona-intact, but not zona-free, mouse oocytes, by capacitated spermatozoa. In addition, the binding of the anti-PSBD to proacrosin/acrosin in a solid-phase assay was inhibited in the presence of polysulfates (fucoidan).Conclusion(s): The anti-PSBD directed against the PSBD of proacrosin/acrosin inhibited the penetration of capacitated mouse spermatozoa through the zona pellucida. This antibody may be a useful tool to define the roles of the different domains of proacrosin/acrosin during gamete interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]