Effects of trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid on gene expression and lipid metabolism of adipose tissue of growing pigs

The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in adipose tissue explant cultures of growing pigs on the following responses: lipogenesis (measured as rate of C-14-labeled glucose incorporation over a subsequent 2-h incubation in the presence or absence of insulin), lipolysis (release of non-esterified fatty acid over a 2-h incubation in the presence or absence of isoproterenol), activities of lipogenic enzymes, and mRNA abundance of fatty acid synthase (FAS). Adipose tissue explants from nine growing pigs (78 +/- 3 kg) were cultured in 199 medium with insulin, dexamethasone and antibiotics for 4, 12, 24, and 48 h. The treatments were 1) control: 100 mu M polyvinyl alcohol (PVA); 2) pGH: 100 ng/mL porcine growth hormone (pGH) plus 100 mu M PVA; 3) CLA200: 200 mu M trans-10, cis-12 CLA; 4) CLA50: 50 mu M trans-10, cis-12 CLA, and 5) LA: 200 mu M linoleic acid. Fatty acids were added along with PVA (2: 1), respectively, for 24 h. Explants were collected after each culture period and assayed for lipogenesis. Transcripts of FAS mRNA were quantified by real-time RT-PCR after 24 and 48 h. Lipolysis and activities of FAS, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, and NADP-malate dehydrogenase were determined after 48 h. As expected, glucose incorporation was decreased (P < 0.05) in response to pGH treatment (positive control). LA had no effect on any parameter evaluated. Treatment with trans-10, cis-12 CLA decreased FAS activity (P < 0.05), but NADPH-generating enzymes were unaffected by treatments. Consistent with reduction in FAS activity, both lipid synthesis and FAS mRNA abundance were reduced with chronic CLA treatment, pGH increased baseline and stimulated lipolysis (P < 0.05) after 48 h of culture, while CLA treatment had no effect on non-esterified fatty acid release. Results of this study showed that trans-10, cis-12 CLA alters lipogenesis but has no effect on lipolysis in cultures of pig adipose tissue.

The inducing NO-vasodilation by chemical reduction of coordinated nitrite ion in cis-[Ru(NO(2))L(bpy)(2)](+) complex

The synthesis of [Ru(NO(2)) L(bpy)(2)](+) (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine and L = pyridine (py) and pyrazine (pz)) can be accomplished by addition of [Ru(NO) L(bpy) 2](PF(6))(3) to aqueous solutions of physiological pH. The electrochemical processes of [Ru(NO2) L(bpy) 2]+ in aqueous solution were studied by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The anodic scan shows a peak around 1.00 V vs. Ag/AgCl attributed to the oxidation process centered on the metal ion. However, in the cathodic scan a second peak around-0.60 V vs. Ag/AgCl was observed and attributed to the reduction process centered on the nitrite ligand. The controlled reduction potential electrolysis at-0.80 V vs. Ag/AgCl shows NO release characteristics as judged by NO measurement with a NO-sensor. This assumption was confirmed by ESI/MS(+) and spectroelectrochemical experiment where cis-[Ru(bpy)(2)L(H(2)O)](2+) was obtained as a product of the reduction of cis-[Ru(II)(NO(2)) L(bpy)(2)](+). The vasorelaxation observed in denuded aortic rings pre-contracted with 0.1 mu mol L(-1) phenylephrine responded with relaxation in the presence of cis-[RuII(NO2) L(bpy) 2]+. The potential of rat aorta cells to metabolize cis-[RuII(NO(2)) L(bpy)(2)](+) was also followed by confocal analysis. The obtained results suggest that NO release happens by reduction of cis-[RuII(NO(2)) L(bpy)(2)](+) inside the cell. The maximum vasorelaxation was achieved with 1 x 10(-5) mol L(-1) of cis-[RuII(NO(2)) L(bpy)(2)](+) complex.

Clinical outcomes of long-acting injectable risperidone in patients with schizophrenia: six-month follow-up from the Electronic Schizophrenia Treatment Adherence Registry in Latin America

Background: Risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) has been shown to be efficacious, improve compliance, and increase long-term retention rate on therapy. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of RLAI on clinical outcome and hospitalization rate in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder enrolled in the electronic Schizophrenia Treatment Adherence Registry in Latin America. Methods: Data were collected at baseline, retrospectively for the 12 months prior to baseline, and prospectively every three months for 24 months. Hospitalization prior to therapy was assessed by a retrospective chart review. Efficacy and functioning were evaluated using Clinical Global Impression of Illness Severity (CGI-S), Personal and Social Performance (PSP), and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores. Relapse and treatment were also registered. Results: Patients were recruited in Mexico (n = 53), Brazil (n = 11), and Colombia (n = 15). Sixty-five percent (n = 52) were male, and mean age was 32.9 years. Patients were classified as having schizophrenia (n = 73) or schizoaffective disorder (n = 6). The mean dose of RLAI at six months was 34.1 mg (standard deviation = 10.2 mg). The percentage of hospitalized patients before treatment was 28.2% and 5.1% at six months after initiating RLAI (P < 0.001). Significant changes were registered on CGI-S, GAF, and PSP scores. Conclusions: RLAI was associated with an improvement in clinical symptoms and functioning, and a greater reduction in hospitalization.

Long-acting injectable risperidone in partially adherent and nonadherent patients with schizophrenia

Background: Long-acting injectable antipsychotics may improve medication adherence, thereby improving overall treatment effectiveness. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of risperidone long-acting injection in schizophrenic patients switched from oral antipsychotic medication. Methods: In a 12-month, multicenter, open-label, noncomparative study, symptomatically stable patients on oral antipsychotic medication with poor treatment adherence during the previous 12 months received intramuscular injections of risperidone long-acting injection (25 mg starting dose) every 2 weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score. Results: Of the 60 patients who were screened, 53 received at least one injection (safety population), and 51 provided at least one postbaseline assessment. Mean PANSS total scores improved significantly throughout the study and at endpoint. Significant improvements were also observed in Clinical Global Impression of Severity, Personal and Social Performance, and Drug Attitude Inventory scales. Risperidone long-acting injection was safe and well-tolerated. Severity of movement disorders on the Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale was reduced significantly. The most frequently reported adverse events were insomnia (22.6%), increased prolactin (17.0%), and weight gain (13.2%). Conclusion: Risperidone long-acting injection was associated with significant symptomatic improvements in stable patients with schizophrenia following a switch from previous antipsychotic medications.

Report of a chimeric origin of transposable elements in a bovine-coding gene

Despite the wide distribution of transposable elements (TEs) in mammalian genomes, part of their evolutionary significance remains to be discovered. Today there is a substantial amount of evidence showing that TEs are involved in the generation of new exons in different species. In the present study, we searched 22,805 genes and reported the occurrence of TE-cassettes in coding sequences of 542 cow genes using the RepeatMasker program. Despite the significant number (542) of genes with TE insertions in exons only 14 (2.6%) of them were translated into protein, which we characterized as chimeric genes. From these chimeric genes, only the FAST kinase domains 3 (FASTKD3) gene, present on chromosome BTA 20, is a functional gene and showed evidence of the exaptation event. The genome sequence analysis showed that the last exon coding sequence of bovine FASTKD3 is similar to 85% similar to the ART2A retrotransposon sequence. In addition, comparison among FASTKD3 proteins shows that the last exon is very divergent from those of Homo sapiens, Pan troglodytes and Canis familiares. We suggest that the gene structure of bovine FASTKD3 gene could have originated by several ectopic recombinations between TE copies. Additionally, the absence of TE sequences in all other species analyzed suggests that the TE insertion is clade-specific, mainly in the ruminant lineage.

Toxic and essential elements in blood from delivering women in selected areas of Sao Paulo State, Brazil

This study was designed to evaluate the degree of environmental contamination and possible exposure of pregnant women to toxic elements in seven selected areas of Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The overall median concentration of Mo in maternal blood was 0.53 mu g L(-1), highly significant differences found between sites (p < 0.0001). Cd was found to be low overall - 0.09 mu g L(-1) (0.01-0.58 mu g L(-1)) - with mothers from the Coastal and Rural 1 sites having the highest levels (p < 0.016). Median Hg concentration was 0.60 mu g L (1) (0.06 mu g L (1)-4.35 mu g L (1)); median Pb level was 16.2 mu g L (1) (3.5-57.7 mu g L(-1)) and no differences between sites were observed for both metals. Median Mn level was 16.7 mu g L(-1) (7.0-39.7 mu g L(-1)), being highest in Urban 2 site (p < 0.016). Concentrations of maternal Co were found to range between 0.06 mu g L(-1) and 1.1 mu g L(-1) (median 0.25 mu g L(-1)) and As level was 0.60 mu g L(-1) (0.10-3.8 mu g L(-1)) overall, with no statistical significance between sites for Co and As. Median Se concentrations were found to be 64 mg L(-1) (36-233 mu g L(-1)), with the highest median levels found in Urban 3 site; site differences were statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Correlation for each element (between paired maternal and cord blood) was measured only in Rural site 1; significant correlation was shown for Hg, Pb, Mn and Co (p < 0.05). These findings may be interpreted as indicating low environmental contamination in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. These findings could also indicate that pregnant women have little or no contact with pollutants, possibly due to awareness campaigns carried out by public health practitioners.

Li-rich red giant branch stars in the Galactic bulge

Aims. We present lithium abundance determination for a sample of K giant stars in the Galactic bulge. The stars presented here are the only 13 stars with a detectable lithium line (6767.18 angstrom) among similar to 400 stars for which we have spectra in this wavelength range, half of them in Baade's Window (b = -4 degrees) and half in a field at b = -6 degrees. Methods. The stars were observed with the GIRAFFE spectrograph of FLAMES mounted on VLT, with a spectral resolution of R similar to 20 000. Abundances were derived from spectral synthesis and the results are compared with those of stars with similar parameters, but no detectable Li line. Results. We find 13 stars with a detectable Li line, among which 2 have abundances A(Li) > 2.7. No clear correlations were found between the Li abundance and those of other elements. With the exception of the two most Li rich stars, the others follow a fairly tight A(Li) - T(eff) correlation. Conclusions. There is strong indication of a Li production phase during the red giant branch (RGB), acting either on a very short timescale, or selectively only in some stars. That the proposed Li production phase is associated with the RGB bump cannot be excluded, although our targets are significantly brighter than the predicted RGB bump magnitude for a population at 8 kpc.

Mn, Cu, and Zn abundances in barium stars and their correlations with neutron capture elements

Barium stars are optimal sites for studying the correlations between the neutron-capture elements and other species that may be depleted or enhanced, because they act as neutron seeds or poisons during the operation of the s-process. These data are necessary to help constrain the modeling of the neutron-capture paths and explain the s-process abundance curve of the solar system. Chemical abundances for a large number of barium stars with different degrees of s-process excesses, masses, metallicities, and evolutionary states are a crucial step towards this goal. We present abundances of Mn, Cu, Zn, and various light and heavy elements for a sample of barium and normal giant stars, and present correlations between abundances contributed to different degrees by the weak-s, mains, and r-processes of neutron capture, between Fe-peak elements and heavy elements. Data from the literature are also considered in order to better study the abundance pattern of peculiar stars. The stellar spectra were observed with FEROS/ESO. The stellar atmospheric parameters of the eight barium giant stars and six normal giants that we analyzed lie in the range 4300 < T(eff)/K < 5300, -0.7 < [Fe/H] <= 0.12 and 1.5 <= log g < 2.9. Carbon and nitrogen abundances were derived by spectral synthesis of the molecular bands of C(2), CH, and CN. For all other elements we used the atomic lines to perform the spectral synthesis. A very large scatter was found mainly for the Mn abundances when data from the literature were considered. We found that [Zn/Fe] correlates well with the heavy element excesses, its abundance clearly increasing as the heavy element excesses increase, a trend not shown by the [Cu/Fe] and [Mn/Fe] ratios. Also, the ratios involving Mn, Cu, and Zn and heavy elements usually show an increasing trend toward higher metallicities. Our results suggest that a larger fraction of the Zn synthesis than of Cu is owed to massive stars, and that the contribution of the main-s process to the synthesis of both elements is small. We also conclude that Mn is mostly synthesized by SN Ia, and that a non-negligible fraction of the synthesis of Mn, Cu, and Zn is owed to the weak s-process.

The gene transformer-2 of Anastrepha fruit flies (Diptera, Tephritidae) and its evolution in insects

Background: In the tephritids Ceratitis, Bactrocera and Anastrepha, the gene transformer provides the memory device for sex determination via its auto-regulation; only in females is functional Tra protein produced. To date, the isolation and characterisation of the gene transformer-2 in the tephritids has only been undertaken in Ceratitis, and it has been shown that its function is required for the female-specific splicing of doublesex and transformer pre-mRNA. It therefore participates in transformer auto-regulatory function. In this work, the characterisation of this gene in eleven tephritid species belonging to the less extensively analysed genus Anastrepha was undertaken in order to throw light on the evolution of transformer-2. Results: The gene transformer-2 produces a protein of 249 amino acids in both sexes, which shows the features of the SR protein family. No significant partially spliced mRNA isoform specific to the male germ line was detected, unlike in Drosophila. It is transcribed in both sexes during development and in adult life, in both the soma and germ line. The injection of Anastrepha transformer-2 dsRNA into Anastrepha embryos caused a change in the splicing pattern of the endogenous transformer and doublesex pre-mRNA of XX females from the female to the male mode. Consequently, these XX females were transformed into pseudomales. The comparison of the eleven Anastrepha Transformer-2 proteins among themselves, and with the Transformer-2 proteins of other insects, suggests the existence of negative selection acting at the protein level to maintain Transformer-2 structural features. Conclusions: These results indicate that transformer-2 is required for sex determination in Anastrepha through its participation in the female-specific splicing of transformer and doublesex pre-mRNAs. It is therefore needed for the auto-regulation of the gene transformer. Thus, the transformer/transfomer-2 > doublesex elements at the bottom of the cascade, and their relationships, probably represent the ancestral state ( which still exists in the Tephritidae, Calliphoridae and Muscidae lineages) of the extant cascade found in the Drosophilidae lineage ( in which tra is just another component of the sex determination gene cascade regulated by Sex-lethal). In the phylogenetic lineage that gave rise to the drosophilids, evolution co-opted for Sex-lethal, modified it, and converted it into the key gene controlling sex determination.

Normal and defective mariner-like elements in Rhynchosciara species (Sciaridae, Diptera)

Mariner-like elements are widely present in diverse organisms. These elements constitute a large fraction of the eukaryotic genome; they transpose by a ""cut-and-paste"" mechanism with their own transposase protein. We found two groups of mobile elements in the genus Rhynchosciara. PCR using primers designed from R. americana transposons (Ramar1 and Ramar2) were the starting point for this comparative study. Genomic DNA templates of four species: R. hollaenderi, R. millerii, R. baschanti, and Rhynchosciara sp were used and genomic sequences were amplified, sequenced and the molecular structures of the elements characterized as being putative mariner-like elements. The first group included the putative full-length elements. The second group was composed of defective mariner elements that contain a deletion overlapping most of the internal region of the transposase open reading frame. They were named Rmar1 (type 1) and Rmar2 (type 2), respectively. Many conserved amino acid blocks were identified, as well as a specific D,D(34) D signature motif that was defective in some elements. Based on predicted transposase sequences, these elements encode truncated proteins and are phylogenetically very close to mariner-like elements of the mauritiana subfamily. The inverted terminal repeat sequences that flanked the mariner-like elements are responsible for their mobility. These inverted terminal repeat sequences were identified by inverse PCR.

cis-Bis{1,1-dibenzyl-3-[(furan-2-yl)carbonyl]thioureato-kappa 2 O,S}nickel(II)

In the title compound, [Ni(C(20)H(17)N(2)O(2)S)(2)], the NiII atom is coordinated by the S and O atoms of two 1,1-dibenzyl-3-[(furan-2-yl)carbonyl]thioureate ligands in a distorted square-planar geometry. The two O and two S atoms are mutually cis to each other. The Ni-S and Ni-O bond lengths lie within the range of those found in related structures. The dihedral angle between the planes of the two chelating rings is 20.33 (6)degrees.

cis-Bis[1,1-dibenzyl-3-(furan-2-ylcarbonyl)thioureato-kappa(2)O,S]copper(II)

In the title compound, [Cu(C(20)H(17)N(2)O(2)S)(2)], the Cu(II) atom is coordinated by the S and O atoms of two 1,1-dibenzyl-3-(furan-2-ylcarbonyl)thioureate ligands in a distorted square-planar geometry. The two O and two S atoms are mutually cis to each other. The Cu-S and Cu-O bond lengths lie within the ranges of those found in related structures. The dihedral angle between the planes of the two chelating rings is 26.15 (6)degrees.

cis-Bis[N-(2-furoyl)-N ',N '-diphenylthioureato-kappa(2)O,S]nickel(II)

In the title compound, [Ni(C(18)H(13)N(2)O(2)S)(2)], the Ni(II) atom is coordinated by the S and O atoms of two N-furoyl-N ',N '-diphenylthioureate ligands in a slightly distorted squareplanar coordination geometry. The two O and two S atoms are cis to each other.

cis-bis(N-benzoyl-N ',N '-dibenzylthio-ureato-kappa O-2,S)nickel(II)

In the title compound, [Ni(C22H19N2OS)(2)], the Ni-II atom is coordinated by the S and O atoms of two N-benzoyl-N',N'-dibenzylthioureate ligands in a slightly distorted square-planar geometry. The two O atoms are cis, as are the two S atoms.

k(0)-INAA for determining chemical elements in bird feathers

The k(0)-method instrumental neutron activation analysis (k(0)-INAA) was employed for determining chemical elements in bird feathers. A collection was obtained taking into account several bird species from wet ecosystems in diverse regions of Brazil. For comparison reason, feathers were actively sampled in a riparian forest from the Marins Stream, Piracicaba, Sao Paulo State, using mist nets specific for capturing birds. Biological certified reference materials were used for assessing the quality of analytical procedure. Quantification of chemical elements was performed using the k(0)-INAA Quantu Software. Sixteen chemical elements, including macro and micronutrients, and trace elements, have been quantified in feathers, in which analytical uncertainties varied from 2% to 40% depending on the chemical element mass fraction. Results indicated high mass fractions of Br (max=7.9 mgkg(-1)), Co (max= 0.47 mg kg(-1)), Cr (max =68 mg kg(-1)), Hg (max =2.79 mg kg(-1)), Sb (max= 0.20 mg kg(-1)), Se (max=1.3 mg kg(-1)) and Zn (max =192 mg kg(-1)) in bird feathers, probably associated with the degree of pollution of the areas evaluated. In order to corroborate the use of k(0)-INAA results in biomonitoring studies using avian community, different factor analysis methods were used to check chemical element source apportionment and locality clustering based on feather chemical composition. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.