Why Mathematics is essential in Biomedical Sciences degree?

Improvement of mathematical education and motivation of students in the mathematics" area is needed. What can be done? We introduce some ideas to generate the student"s interest for mathematics, because they often present difficulties in appreciating the relevance of mathematics and its role in the health sciences. We consider that a cornerstone in the strategy to attract the students" interest is linking the mathematics with real biomedical situations. We proceed in the following manner: We first present a real biomedical situation to produce interest and to generate curiosity. Second, we ask thought-provoking questions to students as: Which is the biomedical problem presented? Which is my knowledge on this situation? What could I do to solve this biomedical situation? Do I need some new mathematical concepts and procedures? Thereupon, the teacher explains the mathematical concepts necessary to solve the case presented, providing definitions, properties and tools for graphical display and/or mathematical calculations. In this learning methodology, ICTs were cornerstones for reaching the proposed competences. Furthermore, ICTs can also be used in the evaluative task in its two possible aspects: formative and for obtaining a qualification. Comments from students about this new mathematics teaching method indicate that the use of real biomedical case studies kept the lessons in mathematics interesting.

Design and optimization of selfnanoemulsifying drug delivery systems for enhanced dissolution of gemfibrozil

Self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems of gemfibrozil were developed under Quality by Design approach for improvement of dissolution and oral absorption. Preliminary screening was performed to select proper components combination. BoxBehnken experimental design was employed as statistical tool to optimize the formulation variables, X1 (Cremophor® EL), X2 (Capmul® MCM-C8), and X3 (lemon essential oil). Systems were assessed for visual characteristics (emulsification efficacy), turbidity, droplet size, polydispersity index and drug release. Different pH media were also assayed for optimization. Following optimization, the values of formulation components (X1, X2, and X3) were 32.43%, 29.73% and 21.62%, respectively (16.22% of gemfibrozil). Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated spherical droplet morphology. SNEEDS release study was compared to commercial tablets. Optimized SNEDDS formulation of gemfibrozil showed a significant increase in dissolution rate compared to conventional tablets. Both formulations followed Weibull mathematical model release with a significant difference in td parameter in favor of the SNEDDS. Equally amodelistic parameters were calculated being the dissolution efficiency significantly higher for SNEDDS, confirming that the developed SNEDDS formulation was superior to commercial formulation with respect to in vitro dissolution profile. This paper provides an overview of the SNEDDS of the gemfibrozil as a promising alternative to improve oral absorption.

Moderately oxidized oils and dietary zinc and alpha-tocopheryl acetate supplementation: effects on the oxidative stability of rabbit plasma, liver, and meat

The aim of this study was to assess the alterations in plasma, liver, and meat oxidative stability and R-tocopherol content when moderately oxidized sunflower oils were added to feeds and when feeds were supplemented with R-tocopheryl acetate (100 mg/kg) and Zn (200 mg/kg). The effects of cooking the meat and its subsequent refrigeration were also studied. When the content of primary oxidation compounds of the oil was high, rabbit plasma, liver, and meat R-tocopherol content was reduced and meat susceptibility to oxidation increased. The addition of oil with a high content of secondary oxidation compounds (oil heated at 140 'C, 31 h) to feed also led to an increase in meat susceptibi- lity to oxidation, although it presented an R-tocopherol content similar to that of nonheated oil. Feed supplementation with R-tocopheryl acetate increased tissue R-tocopherol content and improved the oxidative stability of liver and meat. However, in the latter, it was less effective when oil heated at 55 'C was added.

ROS production is essential for the apoptotic function of E2F1 in pheochromocytoma and neuroblastoma cell lines

In this study we demonstrate that accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is essential for E2F1 mediated apoptosis in ER-E2F1 PC12 pheochromocytoma, and SH-SY5Y and SK-N-JD neuroblastoma stable cell lines. In these cells, the ER-E2F1 fusion protein is expressed in the cytosol; the addition of 4-hydroxytamoxifen (OHT) induces its translocation to the nucleus and activation of E2F1target genes. Previously we demonstrated that, in ER-E2F1 PC12 cells, OHT treatment induced apoptosis through activation of caspase-3. Here we show that caspase-8 activity did not change upon treatment with OHT. Moreover, over-expression of Bcl-xL arrested OHT-induced apoptosis; by contrast, over-expression of c-FLIP, did not have any effect on OHT-induced apoptosis. OHT addition induces BimL expression, its translocation to mitochondria and activation of Bax, which is paralleled by diminished mitochondrial enrichment of Bcl-xL. Treatment with a Bax-inhibitory peptide reduced OHT-induced apoptosis. These results point out the essential role of mitochondria on the apoptotic process driven by E2F1. ROS accumulation followed E2F1 induction and treatment with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine, inhibited E2F1-induced Bax translocation to mitochondria and subsequent apoptosis. The role of ROS in mediating OHT-induced apoptosis was also studied in two neuroblastoma cell lines, SH-SY5Y and SK-N-JD. In SH-SY5Y cells, activation of E2F1 by the addition of OHT induced ROS production and apoptosis, whereas over-expression of E2F1 in SK-N-JD cells failed to induce either response. Transcriptional profiling revealed that many of the genes responsible for scavenging ROS were down-regulated following E2F1-induction in SH-SY5Y, but not in SK-N-JD cells. Finally, inhibition of GSK3β blocked ROS production, Bax activation and the down regulation of ROS scavenging genes. These findings provide an explanation for the apparent contradictory role of E2F1 as an apoptotic agent versus a cell cycle activator.

Oxidized oils and dietary zinc and alpha-tocopheryl acetate supplementation: effects on rabbit plasma, liver and meat fatty acid composition and meat Zn, Cu, Fe and Se content

The effects of the addition of heated oils to feeds (3%, w/w) and the dietary supplementation with a-tocopheryl acetate (TA; 100 mg/kg) and Zn (200 mg/kg) on rabbit tissue fatty acid (FA) composition and on the Zn, Cu, Fe and Se content in meat were assessed. Heating unrefined sunflower oil (SO) at 558C for 245 h increased its content in primary oxidation products and reduced its a-tocopherol content. However, this did not significantly affect tissue FA composition. Heating SO at 1408C for 31 h increased its content in secondary oxidation products and in some FA isomers asc9,t11-CLA and di-trans CLA. This led to increases in di-trans CLA in liver and in t9,c12-18:2 in meat. The c9,t11-CLA was the most incorporated CLA isomer in tissues. The dietary supplementation with a-TA did not affect the FA composition of plasma, liver or meat. The cooking of vacuum-packed rabbit meat at 788C for 5 min reduced significantly but slightly its polyunsaturated FA content. The dietary supplementation with Zn did not modify the content of Zn, Fe or Se in meat, but it reduced its Cu content. On the other hand, it increased the content of some FAs in meat when SO heated at 1408C for 31 h was added to feeds.

Optical trapping: a review of essential concepts

Optical tweezers are an innovative technique for the non-contact, all-optical manipulation of small material samples, which has extraordinarily expanded and evolved since its inception in the mid-80s of the last century. Nowadays, the potential of optical tweezers has been clearly proven and a wide range of applications both from the physical and biological sciences have solidly emerged, turning the early ideas and techniques into a powerful paradigm for experimentation in the micro- and nanoworld. This review aims at highlighting the fundamental concepts that are essential for a thorough understanding of optical trapping, making emphasis on both its manipulation and measurement capabilities, as well as on the vast array of important biological applications appeared in the last years.

Functional and evolutionary analysis of DXL1, a non-essential gene encoding a 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase like protein in Arabidopsis thaliana

The synthesis of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP), catalyzed by the enzyme DXP synthase (DXS), represents a key regulatory step of the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis. In plants DXS is encoded by small multigene families that can be classified into, at least, three specialized subfamilies. Arabidopsis thaliana contains three genes encoding proteins with similarity to DXS, including the well-known DXS1/CLA1 gene, which clusters within subfamily I. The remaining proteins, initially named DXS2 and DXS3, have not yet been characterized. Here we report the expression and functional analysis of A. thaliana DXS2. Unexpectedly, the expression of DXS2 failed to rescue Escherichia coli and A. thaliana mutants defective in DXS activity. Coherently, we found that DXS activity was negligible in vitro, being renamed as DXL1 following recent nomenclature recommendation. DXL1 is targeted to plastids as DXS1, but shows a distinct expression pattern. The phenotypic analysis of a DXL1 defective mutant revealed that the function of the encoded protein is not essential for growth and development. Evolutionary analyses indicated that DXL1 emerged from DXS1 through a recent duplication apparently specific of the Brassicaceae lineage. Divergent selective constraints would have affected a significant fraction of sites after diversification of the paralogues. Furthermore, amino acids subjected to divergent selection and likely critical for functional divergence through the acquisition of a novel, although not yet known, biochemical function, were identified. Our results provide with the first evidences of functional specialization at both the regulatory and biochemical level within the plant DXS family.

Functional EF-hands in neuronal calcium sensor GCAP2 determine its phosphorylation state and subcellular distribution in vivo, and are essential for photoreceptor cell integrity

The neuronal calcium sensor proteins GCAPs (guanylate cyclase activating proteins) switch between Ca2+-free and Ca2+-bound conformational states and confer calcium sensitivity to guanylate cyclase at retinal photoreceptor cells. They play a fundamental role in light adaptation by coupling the rate of cGMP synthesis to the intracellular concentration of calcium. Mutations in GCAPs lead to blindness. The importance of functional EF-hands in GCAP1 for photoreceptor cell integrity has been well established. Mutations in GCAP1 that diminish its Ca2+ binding affinity lead to cell damage by causing unabated cGMP synthesis and accumulation of toxic levels of free cGMP and Ca2+. We here investigate the relevance of GCAP2 functional EF-hands for photoreceptor cell integrity. By characterizing transgenic mice expressing a mutant form of GCAP2 with all EF-hands inactivated (EF(-)GCAP2), we show that GCAP2 locked in its Ca2+-free conformation leads to a rapid retinal degeneration that is not due to unabated cGMP synthesis. We unveil that when locked in its Ca2+-free conformation in vivo, GCAP2 is phosphorylated at Ser201 and results in phospho-dependent binding to the chaperone 14-3-3 and retention at the inner segment and proximal cell compartments. Accumulation of phosphorylated EF(-)GCAP2 at the inner segment results in severe toxicity. We show that in wildtype mice under physiological conditions, 50% of GCAP2 is phosphorylated correlating with the 50% of the protein being retained at the inner segment. Raising mice under constant light exposure, however, drastically increases the retention of GCAP2 in its Ca2+-free form at the inner segment. This study identifies a new mechanism governing GCAP2 subcellular distribution in vivo, closely related to disease. It also identifies a pathway by which a sustained reduction in intracellular free Ca2+ could result in photoreceptor damage, relevant for light damage and for those genetic disorders resulting in 'equivalent-light'' scenarios.

Essential factors for control of the equilibrium in the reversible rearrangement of M3N@Ih-C80 fulleropyrrolidines: Exohedral functional groups versus endohedral metal clusters

The effects of exohedral moieties and endohedral metal clusters on the isomerization of M3N@Ih-C80 products from the Prato reaction through [1,5]-sigmatropic rearrangement were systematically investigated by using three types of fulleropyrrolidine derivatives and four different endohedral metal clusters. As a result, all types of derivatives provided the same ratios of the isomers for a given trimetallic nitride template (TNT) as the thermodynamic products, thus indicating that the size of the endohedral metal clusters inside C80 was the single essential factor in determining the equilibrium between the [6,6]-isomer (kinetic product) and the [5,6]-isomer. In all the derivatives, the [6,6]- and [5,6]-Prato adducts with larger metal clusters, such as Y3N and Gd3N, were equally stable, which is in good agreement with DFT calculations. The reaction rate of the rearrangement was dependent on both the substituent of exohedral functional groups and the endohedral metal-cluster size. Further DFT calculations and 13C NMR spectroscopic studies were employed to rationalize the equilibrium in the rearrangement between the [6,6]- and [5,6]-fulleropyrrolidines