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Abstract Obesity represents a global health problem and is characterized by metabolic dysfunctions and a low-grade chronic inflammatory state, which can increase the risk of comorbidities, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes and insulin resistance. Here we tested the hypothesis that the genetic deletion of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) may rescue metabolic and inflammatory features present in BACHD mice, a mouse model of Huntington’s disease (HD) with an obese phenotype. For that, we crossed BACHD and mGluR5 knockout mice (mGluR5−/−) in order to obtain the following groups: Wild type (WT), mGluR5−/−, BACHD and BACHD/mGluR5−/− (double mutant mice). Our results showed that the double mutant mice present decreased body weight as compared to BACHD mice in all tested ages and reduced visceral adiposity as compared to BACHD at 6 months of age. Additionally, 12-month-old double mutant mice present increased adipose tissue levels of adiponectin, decreased leptin levels, and increased IL-10/TNF ratio as compared to BACHD mice. Taken together, our preliminary data propose that the absence of mGluR5 reduce weight gain and visceral adiposity in BACHD mice, along with a decrease in the inflammatory state in the visceral adipose tissue (VAT), which may indicate that mGluR5 may play a role in adiposity modulation.

The free closed semialgebraic set [Formula omitted] determined by a hermitian noncommutative polynomial [Formula omitted] is the closure of the connected component of [Formula omitted] containing the origin. When L is a hermitian monic linear pencil, the free closed semialgebraic set [Formula omitted] is the feasible set of the linear matrix inequality [Formula omitted] and is known as a free spectrahedron. Evidently these are convex and it is well known that a free closed semialgebraic set is convex if and only it is a free spectrahedron. The main result of this paper solves the basic problem of determining those f for which [Formula omitted] is convex. The solution leads to an efficient algorithm that not only determines if [Formula omitted] is convex, but if so, produces a minimal hermitian monic pencil L such that [Formula omitted]. Of independent interest is a subalgorithm based on a Nichtsingulärstellensatz presented here: given a linear pencil [Formula omitted] and a hermitian monic pencil L, it determines if [Formula omitted] takes invertible values on the interior of [Formula omitted]. Finally, it is shown that if [Formula omitted] is convex for an irreducible hermitian [Formula omitted], then f has degree at most two, and arises as the Schur complement of an L such that [Formula omitted]., Author(s): J. William Helton [sup.1] , Igor Klep [sup.2] , Scott McCullough [sup.3] , Jurij Volcic [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.266100.3, 0000 0001 2107 4242, Department of Mathematics, University of [...]

The present study described three synthesis routes using different natural polysaccharides as low-cost non-toxic fuels and complexing agents for obtaining MgO. Cassava starch, Aloe vera leaves (mainly acemannan) gel, and citric pectin powder were mixed with magnesium nitrate salt and calcined at 750 °C for 2 h. The samples were named according to the polysaccharide: cassava starch (MgO-St), citrus pectin (MgO-CP), and Aloe vera (MgO-Av). X-ray diffraction identified the formation of a monophasic periclase structure (FCC type) for the three samples. The N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms (B.E.T. method) showed an important difference in textural properties, with a higher pore volume (Vmax = 89.76 cc/g) and higher surface area (SA = 43.93 m2/g) obtained for MgO-St, followed by MgO-CP (Vmax = 11.01 cc/g; SA = 7.01 m2/g) and MgO-Av (Vmax = 6.44 cc/g; SA = 6.63 m2/g). These data were consistent with the porous appearance observed in SEM images. Porous solids are interesting as adsorbents for removing metallic and molecular ions from wastewater. The removal of copper ions from water was evaluated, and the experimental data at equilibrium were adjusted according to the Freundlich, Langmuir, and Temkin isotherms. According to the Langmuir model, the maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) was 6331.117, 5831.244, and 6726.623 mg·g−1 for the adsorbents MgO-St, MgO-Av, and MgO-CP, respectively. The results of the adsorption isotherms indicated that the synthesized magnesium oxides could be used to decrease the amount of Cu2+ ions in wastewater.

Obesity is a multifactorial disease, which in turn contributes to the onset of comorbidities, such as diabetes and atherosclerosis. Moreover, there are only few options available for treating obesity, and most current pharmacotherapy causes severe adverse effects, while offering minimal weight loss. Literature shows that metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) modulates central reward pathways. Herein, we evaluated the effect of VU0409106, a negative allosteric modulator (NAM) of mGluR5 in regulating feeding and obesity parameters. Diet-induced obese C57BL/6 mice were treated for 14 days with VU0409106, and food intake, body weight, inflammatory/hormonal levels, and behavioral tests were performed. Our data suggest reduction of feeding, body weight, and adipose tissue inflammation in mice treated with high-fat diet (HFD) after chronic treatment with VU0409106. Furthermore, a negative modulation of mGluR5 also reduces binge-like eating, the most common type of eating disorder. Altogether, our results pointed out mGluR5 as a potential target for treating obesity, as well as related disorders.

The zeolites can have several functions as catalysts (biofuel production) and molecular sieves (treatment of contaminated areas). This study aims to characterize the zeolites obtained in the transition of a Faujasite like zeolite into a Sodalite, when submitted to different thermal treatment times. The synthesized zeolites were characterized by X-ray diffraction where the crystalline phases were identified: Faujasite, Sodalite, SiO2 and amorphous material. The 4 hours heat treatment produces zeolite crystal structure similar to Faujasite, having basic sites, surface area of 552.7 m2 g-1 , and pore volume of 0.3391 cm3 g-1. With increasing time of heat treatment was observed the transition to the Sodalite phase witch containing 0.277 mmol g-1 of basic active sites with surface area of 11.38 m2 g-1 and pore volume of 0.0651 cm3 g-1. By the Rietveld method was identified and quantified the presence of Sodalite and Hidrossodalite in samples with 24 and 30 hours of reaction times.

Dairy cattle manure with bedding (CB), including manure, urine, water, and shavings, is lignocellulosic biomass and needs to be pre-treated in anaerobic reactors to enhance biomass digestibility. This study analyzed the technical and economic feasibility of physical treatment (milling) and alkaline treatment of CB for biogas production. Pre-treatment included drying, milling, and alkaline hydrolysis at room temperature for 24 h. Maximum biogas production was determined using the biochemical methane potential (BMP) test. Physicochemical analyses were performed to characterise CB before and after pre-treatment and the BMP test. The characteristics of the lignocellulosic material were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The economic feasibility (return on investment) of each treatment (USD per ton of CB) was determined. Treatment with 3% NaOH achieved the highest biogas production (771 mL per kg of volatile solids) and was 104.5% higher than that of milling and 124.7% higher than that of chemical pre-treatment with 4% NaOH. The analysis of economic feasibility showed that the payback period of treatment with 3% NaOH was 1.4 years for scenario 1 (continuous stirred tank reactor - CSTR) and 3 years for scenario 2 (covered lagoon digester). These results demonstrate the feasibility of producing biogas as a renewable energy source via the anaerobic digestion of CB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a chitosan sample with a high degree of deacetylation (DD >95%) obtained from freshwater shrimp shells was subjected to drying processes in an electric oven and by supercritical C[O.sub.2]. The results indicated that drying chitosan particles with supercritical C[O.sub.2] resulted in a very significant increase in specific surface area and pore volume, and also increased the material's crystallinity index. This drying route led to a more than 10-fold reduction in viscosimetric molecular weight (from 35.3 to 3.0 kDa), indicating that the physical drying process caused the chitosan to depolymerize, which usually occurs by enzymatic and chemical methods, according to the literature. Low molecular weight chitosan is essential for some applications in the field of biomedicine (drug delivery for example); hence, drying via the C[O.sub.2] route can be considered a promising technique for the production of high value-added materials with applications in this area., INTRODUCTION The deacetylation of chitin--a polysaccharide occurring abundantly in nature and extracted commercially from fish industry waste, such as crab and shrimp shells, among other sources--yields chitosan. Chitosan is a [...]

There was no difference in the allelic and genotypic frequency of the TAFI polymorphisms rs3742264, rs940 and rs1926447 when comparing the two groups, suggesting that these polymorphisms are not associated with the onset of PCOS. Furthermore, PAI-1 polymorphisms were not associated with PCOS by haplotype analysis (Data presented in Tables 3S, 4S respectively, available as supplementary material). This study aims at investigating the plasma levels of TAFI and PAI-1 and their gene polymorphisms, as well establishing the association between these variables and metabolic parameters analyzed in women with PCOS. [Extracted from the article]

This systematic review presents the potential of using feather waste as a β-keratin source, including the Brazilian scenario in the generation of this byproduct. The structure and properties of α- and β-keratin, the methods commonly reported to extract keratin from poultry feathers, and applications of feather keratin-based materials are also covered in this review. The literature search for poultry production data in Brazil was conducted for the last 2 years, for the period 2021–2022. A broad literature search for extraction methods and applications of feather keratin was done for the period 2001–2022. The poultry industry is one of the largest sectors of the food industry, and Brazil was the third-largest world producer of chicken meat with more than six billion chickens slaughtered in 2021. Poultry feathers constitute about 7% weight of broilers; thus, it can be estimated that about one million tons of poultry feathers were generated in Brazil in 2021, and the improper disposal of this byproduct contributes to environmental problems and disease transmission. The most common method of reusing feathers is the production of feather meal. From economic and environmental points of view, it is advantageous to develop processes to add value to this byproduct, including the extraction of keratin. Among natural biodegradable polymers, keratin-based materials have revolutionized the field of biomaterials due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability, allowing their application in biomedical, pharmaceutical, chemical, and engineering areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study described three synthesis routes using different natural polysaccharides as low-cost non-toxic fuels and complexing agents for obtaining MgO. Cassava starch, Aloe vera leaves (mainly acemannan) gel, and citric pectin powder were mixed with magnesium nitrate salt and calcined at 750 °C for 2 h. The samples were named according to the polysaccharide: cassava starch (MgO-St), citrus pectin (MgO-CP), and Aloe vera (MgO-Av). X-ray diffraction identified the formation of a monophasic periclase structure (FCC type) for the three samples. The N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms (B.E.T. method) showed an important difference in textural properties, with a higher pore volume (Vmax = 89.76 cc/g) and higher surface area (SA = 43.93 m2/g) obtained for MgO-St, followed by MgO-CP (Vmax = 11.01 cc/g; SA = 7.01 m2/g) and MgO-Av (Vmax = 6.44 cc/g; SA = 6.63 m2/g). These data were consistent with the porous appearance observed in SEM images. Porous solids are interesting as adsorbents for removing metallic and molecular ions from wastewater. The removal of copper ions from water was evaluated, and the experimental data at equilibrium were adjusted according to the Freundlich, Langmuir, and Temkin isotherms. According to the Langmuir model, the maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) was 6331.117, 5831.244, and 6726.623 mg·g−1 for the adsorbents MgO-St, MgO-Av, and MgO-CP, respectively. The results of the adsorption isotherms indicated that the synthesized magnesium oxides could be used to decrease the amount of Cu2+ ions in wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc oxide (ZnO) can adsorb ionic dyes to generate hybrid pigments. Porous zinc oxide was prepared by combining gelled citrus pectin (80 °C) with zinc nitrate, followed by calcination (600 °C). The product had a high surface area (25 m2 g−1), pore volume (0.049 cc g−1), and pore radius (17 Å), indicative of a macroporous structure. ZnO comprised the wurtzite phase, as characterized by X-ray diffraction. Owing to its textural properties, ZnO effectively removed textile dyes, such as carcinogenic Congo red, from aqueous media. The adsorption of Congo red on the porous ZnO was monitored using UV–vis spectroscopy at aqueous dye concentrations ranging from 100 to 250 mg L−1. Porous ZnO with the adsorbed dye was applied as a hybrid pigment and dispersed in white real estate paint. The resulting colors were evaluated by colorimetry measurements, according to the CIE L*a*b* method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]