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Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and multisystem organ dysfunction, is a life-threatening disease. Patients with TMA who do not exhibit a severe ADAMTS-13 deficiency (defined as a disintegrin-like and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motif no. 13 activity ≥10%: TMA-13n) continue to experience elevated mortality rates. This study explores the prognostic indicators for augmented mortality risk or necessitating chronic renal replacement therapy (composite outcome: CO) in TMA-13n patients. We included 42 TMA-13n patients from January 2008 to May 2018. Median age of 41 years and 60% were female. At presentation, 62% required dialysis, and 57% warranted intensive care unit admission. CO was observed in 45% of patients, including a 9-patient mortality subset. Multivariate logistic regression revealed three independent prognostic factors for CO: early administration of eculizumab (median time from hospitalization to eculizumab initiation: 5 days, range 0-19 days; odds ratio [OR], 0.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.02-0.94), presence of neuroradiological lesions (OR, 6.67; 95% CI, 1.12-39.80), and a PLASMIC score ≤4 (OR, 7.39; 95% CI, 1.18-46.11). In conclusion, TMA-13n patients exhibit a heightened risk of CO in the presence of low PLASMIC scores and neuroradiological lesions, while early eculizumab therapy was the only protective factor., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The germination characteristics of the native cactus species are poorly known, being the temperature and the light the factors that the most interferes in that process. Thus, the objective of the present work was to characterize the fruits and evaluate the influence of the temperature and the light in the seed germination of Rhipsalis floccosa, Rhipsalis pilocarpa and Rhipsalis teres. The tested constant temperatures were 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 °C and the alternate of 20-30 °C and 25-35 °C in a photoperiod of 10 hours, and with determination of the most appropriate temperature, the germination was tested in light absence. The germination percentage, the index of germination speed and medium time of germination were evaluated. For R. floccosa, the highest germination percentage was at 20 °C. For R. pilocarpa and R. teres, the highest germination percentages occurred in 15 °C and 20 °C. There was correlation to germination percentage between the three species, indicating that they had similar germination behavior. Total absence of germination was verified for the three species in condition of light absence. In conclusion, the temperature of 20 °C is the most suitable for the seed germination of R. floccosa. For the species R. pilocarpa and R. teres, the temperatures of 15 and 20 °C are the most suitable.

The brain of mammals is one important target organ for the action of gonadal steroids and, when occurring during development, this hormonal influence may result in important repercussion on the brain electrophysiological properties at adulthood, some of which depending on the brain excitability. Here we have characterized in early-ovariectomized adult rats the brain ability to propagate the excitability-related phenomenon known as cortical spreading depression (CSD), as an index of the cerebral electrophysiological effects of the early-induced absence of the ovarian hormones. Wistar female rat pups (7-day old) underwent bilateral ovariectomy (Ovx group; n=21) or Sham surgery (Sham group; n=22), or no surgery (Naive group; n=22). When the pups became adult (90-130 days), they were submitted to the recording of CSD (electrocorticogram and slow DC-voltage variation) in two points of the cortical surface during 4h. Compared with both Naïve and Sham controls, bilateral ovariectomy early in life resulted in significantly higher body weights (from days 50-65 onwards) and severely reduced uterus weights at adulthood. Furthermore, in the Ovx animals the amplitudes and durations of the DC-potential changes of CSD were higher, and the CSD propagation velocities were reduced. Another group of rats ovariectomized in adulthood did not present such CSD alterations. It is concluded that ovariectomy during brain development is causally associated with the CSD changes in the adult brain, indicating a long-lasting effect, which we suggest as being related to the long-term suppression of the action of the ovarian hormones on brain excitability., (Copyright © 2012 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cortical spreading depression (CSD) propagation was investigated in rats under dietary essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency over two generations (F1 and F2). Wistar rat dams received diets containing 5% fat either from coconut-oil (EFA-deficient) or soybean-oil (control). F1-pups received their dams' diets until the day of CSD recording (30-40 days or 90-100 days). F2-pups were kept on their F1 dams' diet until 30-40 days. Compared to the controls, the EFA-deficient group had reduced (P < 0.05) body weights in both F1 and F2 conditions. This effect was more conspicuous (P < 0.001) in the F2-animals where brain weight was also reduced (P < 0.05). All EFA-deficient groups displayed lower CSD velocities (P < 0.001) than the corresponding controls. Within the same dietary group and generation, F1 young rats showed higher CSD velocities (P < 0.001) than adults. Data show that EFA deficiency reduces CSD propagation, and this effect is long lasting as it persists up to the second generation.

Fish of the genus Anableps (Anablepidae, Cyprinodontiformes) have eyes that are adapted for simultaneous aerial and aquatic vision. In this study we investigate some of the corresponding retinal specializations of the adult Anableps anableps eye using retinal transverse sections and wholemounts. The linear dimensions of the retina were found to be asymmetric with a greater representation of the dorsal compared to the ventral visual field. The total number of neurons in the ganglion cell layer of the ventral hemiretina was on average 3.6 times greater than the values obtained in the dorsal hemiretina. Isodensity contour maps revealed a prominent horizontal visual streak in the ventral hemiretina with an average peak cell density of 18,286 cells/mm(2). A second less-well-developed horizontal visual streak was also observed in the dorsal hemiretina. A sub-population of large cells with soma areas between 74 and 188 microm(2) was identified and found to be distributed evenly across both hemiretinas. Together, these results show that the sampling gain of the ventral retina is significantly greater than the dorsal segment, that retinal specializations important for mediating acute vision are present in the parts of the visual field immediately above and below the surface of the water, and that visual functions related with the large ganglion cells require more even sampling across the visual field. The relevance of these retinal specializations to the feeding and other behavioral strategies adopted by Anableps is discussed.

The aim of the present study was investigate, in young rats, the effects of malnutrition on astrocyte distribution of two hypothalamic regions, the circadian pacemaker suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and the medial preoptic area (MPA). Control rats were born from mothers fed on commercial diet since gestation and malnourished rats from mothers fed on multideficient diet, from the beginning of gestation (GLA group) or from the onset of lactation (LA group). After weaning, pups received ad libitum the same diet as their mothers, and were maintained under a 12/12 h light/dark cycle. The animals were analyzed either at 30-33, or 60-63 days of life. Brain coronal sections (50 microm) were processed to visualize glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunoreactivity. Compared to control rats, both malnourished groups of 30 and 60 days exhibited a reduced number of GFAP-immunoreactive astrocytes in the SCN. The total GFAP-immunoreactive area in the SCN of the GLA group differed from the control group at both age ranges analyzed. The GFAP expression as measured by the relative optical density (ROD) exhibited a 50-60% reduction in the MPA in both malnourished groups, compared to controls. The results suggest that malnutrition early in life leads to alterations in gliogenesis or glial cell proliferation in both nuclei, being these alterations greater in the MPA. Compensatory plasticity mechanisms in the GFAP-expression seem to be developed in the astrocyte differentiation process in the SCN, especially when the malnutrition is installed from the lactation.