Biochemical biomarkers in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) after short-term exposure to diesel oil, pure biodiesel and biodiesel blends

Fossil fuels such as diesel are being gradually replaced by biodiesel, a renewable energy source, cheaper and less polluting. However, little is known about the toxic effects of this new energy source on aquatic organisms. Thus, we evaluated biochemical biomarkers related to oxidative stress in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) after two and seven exposure days to diesel and pure biodiesel (B100) and blends B5 and B20 at concentrations of 0.01 and 0.1mLL -1. The hepatic ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity was highly induced in all groups, except for those animals exposed to B100. There was an increase in lipid peroxidation in liver and gills in the group exposed to the higher concentration of B5. All treatments caused a significant increase in the levels of 1-hydroxypyrene excreted in the bile after 2 and 7d, except for those fish exposed to B100. The hepatic glutathione-S-transferase increased after 7d in animals exposed to the higher concentration of diesel and in the gill of fish exposed to the higher concentration of pure diesel and B5, but decreased for the two tested concentrations of B100. Superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase also presented significant changes according to the treatments for all groups, including B100. Biodiesel B20 in the conditions tested had fewer adverse effects than diesel and B5 for the Nile tilapia, and can be suggested as a less harmful fuel in substitution to diesel. However, even B100 could activate biochemical responses in fish, at the experimental conditions tested, indicating that this fuel can also represent a risk to the aquatic biota. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Expression of the nonclassical HLA-G and HLA-E molecules in laryngeal lesions as biomarkers of tumor invasiveness

Introduction: HLA-G and HLA-E are two nonclassical class I molecules, which have been well recognized as modulators of innate and adaptive immune responses, and the expression of these molecules in virus infected cells has been associated with subversion of the immune response. Objective: In this study we performed a cross-sectional study, systematically comparing the expression of HLA-G and HLA-E in benign, premalignant and malignant laryngeal lesions, correlating with demographic and clinical variables and with the presence of high-risk and low-risk HPV types. Materials and methods: Laryngeal lesions were collected from 109 patients and stratified into 27 laryngeal papillomas, 17 dysplasias, 10 in situ laryngeal carcinomas, 27 laryngeal carcinomas without metastases, 28 laryngeal carcinomas with metastasis along with their respective draining cervical lymph nodes, and 10 normal larynx specimens. The expression of HLA-G and HLA-E molecules was determined by immunohistochemistry. HPV DNA detection and typing was performed using generic and specific primers. Results: HLA nonclassical molecules showed a distinct distribution pattern, according to the larynx lesion grade. HLA-G expression increased in benign and premalignant lesions, and gradually decreased in invasive carcinomas and in respective draining cervical lymph nodes. Conversely, HLA-E expression increased as far as lesion grade increased, including increased molecule expression in the draining lymph nodes of malignant lesions. Only 17 (15.6%) patients were HPV DNA positive. Conclusions: Overexpression of HLA-E and underexpression of HLAG appear to be good markers for malignant larynx lesion.

Monitoring chronic physical stress using biomarkers, performance protocols and mathematical functions to identify physiological adaptations in rats

This study was undertaken to characterize the effects of monotonous training at lactate minimum (LM) intensity on aerobic and anaerobic performances; glycogen concentrationsin the soleus muscle, the gastrocnemius muscle and the liver; and creatine kinase (CK), free fatty acids and glucose concentrations in rats. The rats were separated into trained (n =10), baseline (n = 10) and sedentary (n=10) groups. The trained group was submitted to the following: 60 min/day, 6 day/week and intensity equivalent to LM during the 12-week training period. The training volume was reduced after four weeks according to a sigmoid function. The total CK (U/L) increased in the trained group after 12 weeks (742.0±158.5) in comparison with the baseline (319.6±40.2) and the sedentary (261.6+42.2) groups. Free fatty acids and glycogen stores (liver, soleus muscle and gastrocnemius muscle) increased after 12 weeks of monotonous training but aerobic and anaerobic performances were unchanged in relation to the sedentary group. The monotonous training at LM increased the level of energy substrates, unchanged aerobic performance, reduced anaerobic capacity and increased the serum CK concentration; however, the rats did not achieve the predicted training volume.

Determination of disease biomarkers in Eucalyptus by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and multivariate data analysis

In this paper is reported the use of the chromatographic profiles of volatiles to determine disease markers in plants - in this case, leaves of Eucalyptus globulus contaminated by the necrotroph fungus Teratosphaeria nubilosa. The volatile fraction was isolated by headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and analyzed by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-fast quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC. ×. GC-qMS). For the correlation between the metabolic profile described by the chromatograms and the presence of the infection, unfolded-partial least squares discriminant analysis (U-PLS-DA) with orthogonal signal correction (OSC) were employed. The proposed method was checked to be independent of factors such as the age of the harvested plants. The manipulation of the mathematical model obtained also resulted in graphic representations similar to real chromatograms, which allowed the tentative identification of more than 40 compounds potentially useful as disease biomarkers for this plant/pathogen pair. The proposed methodology can be considered as highly reliable, since the diagnosis is based on the whole chromatographic profile rather than in the detection of a single analyte. © 2013 Elsevier B.V..

Biochemical biomarkers in Scinax fuscovarius tadpoles exposed to a commercial formulation of the pesticide fipronil

One of the main pesticides used in the cultivation of sugarcane in São Paulo State, Brazil, is Regent®800WG, the main active compound of which is fipronil. Fipronil is a potent insecticide that eliminates pests, including insects resistant to pyrethroids, organophosphates (OP) and carbamates (CA). There is little known on the toxic effects of fipronil on non-target organisms, such as tadpoles of frogs. It is possible that this compound carries a high toxicity for these organisms, since the pesticide can be incorporated into aquatic environments during the rainy season, a time which coincides with the time of amphibian reproduction and the occurrence of tadpoles in the aquatic environment in this region. Thus, the pesticide could be contributing to the decline of amphibians in the northwest region of São Paulo state due to its wide use. This study aimed to test the influence of Regent®800WG on some biochemical systems of tadpoles (such as antioxidant defense systems) at different stages of development. The results of analysis from in vivo exposures demonstrated that only a few parameters in the groups exposed to fipronil responded to exposure to Regent®800WG, results which indicate that the pesticide instigates biochemical responses in tadpoles. Although catalase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) were unchanged during the experiments, glutathione-S-transferase (GST) was inhibited in tadpoles, and the activity of glutathione reductase (GR) varied according to the exposure period and pesticide concentration. This data demonstrated the influence of the fipronil formulation on the metabolism of tadpoles, and showed that it can increase their susceptibility to environmental contaminants. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biomarkers in mangrove root crab Goniopsis cruentata for evaluating quality of tropical estuaries

The present study reports the use of biomarkers analyzes in mangrove root crab Goniopsis cruentata tissues to assess the environmental quality of two tropical estuarine areas. Animals from Ceará River estuary presented inhibition of ChE and GST enzymatic activities and higher rates of DNA damage with respect to those sampled in a pristine environment. G. cruentata appears to represent a proper species to monitor the quality of tropical estuaries. Since Ceará River is a legally protected area, this survey highlight the needs to implement actions to control pollution loads and improve the protection of natural ecosystems and resources. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hesperidin associated with continuous and interval swimming improved biochemical and oxidative biomarkers in rats

Background: Citrus flavonoids, such as hesperidin, have shown therapeutic properties that improve hyperglycemia and insulin resistance, and decrease blood serum lipids and inflammation. The current investigation studied the effects of hesperidin supplementation associated with continuous and interval swimming on the biochemical parameters (glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides), and oxidative stress markers (TBARS and DPPH) in rats.Methods: The animals (n = 60) were randomly divided in six groups: negative (C) and positive control (CH) for hesperidin supplementation, and continuous or interval swimming without (CS and IS) or with hesperidin supplementation (CSH and ISH). Hesperidin was given by gavage for four weeks (100 mg/kg body mass) before the exercise. Continuous swimming was performed for 50 min with loads from 5% to 8 % of body weight from the first to fourth week, while interval swimming training was performed for 50 min in sessions of 1 min of swimming followed by 2 min of resting, carrying loads from 10% to 15, 20 and 25% from the first to fourth week. At the end of the experiment, blood serum samples were draw to perform analysis of glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-C and triglycerides. Oxidative biomarkers were evaluated by lipid peroxidation (TBARS) and antioxidant capacity assay (DPPH) of the blood serum.Results: There was a continuous decline of serum glucose from C (100%) > CH (97%) > CS (94%) > CSH (91%, p < .05), IS (87%, p < .05) > ISH (80%, p < .05), showing a combined beneficial effect of hesperidin and swimming. Also, continuous or intermittent swimming with hesperidin supplementation lowered total cholesterol (-16%, p < .05), LDL-C (-50%, p < 0.05) and triglycerides (-19%, p < 0.05), and increased HDL-C (48%, p < .05). Furthermore, hesperidin enhanced the antioxidant capacity on the continuous swimming group (183%, p < .05) and lowered the lipid peroxidation on the interval swimming group (-45%, p < .05).Conclusions: Hesperidin supplementation per se, or in combination with swimming exercise protocols, improved the biochemical profile and antioxidant biomarkers evidencing that the use of flavanones may enhance the health benefits promoted by exercise. © 2013 de Oliveira et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Validation of Relapse Risk Biomarkers for Routine Use in Patients With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Objective. The myeloid-related proteins 8 and 14 (MRP-8/MRP-14) and neutrophil-derived S100A12 are biomarkers of inflammation. They can be used to determine the relapse risk in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) after stopping antiinflammatory treatment. In this study, we tested the performance of different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) in order to validate systems available for routine use.Methods. MRP-8/MRP-14 and S100A12 serum concentrations of 188 JIA patients in remission were analyzed. Commercially available test systems were compared to experimental ELISAs established in house. The ability of the assays to identify JIA patients at risk for relapse was analyzed.Results. For MRP-8/MRP-14, the PhiCal Calprotectin and Buhlmann MRP8/14 Calprotectin ELISAs revealed hazard ratios of 2.3 and 2.1, respectively. For S100A12, the CircuLex S100A12/EN-RAGE ELISA revealed a hazard ratio of 3.1. The commercial assays allowed a JIA relapse prediction that was at least comparable to the experimental ELISAs.Conclusion. For the prediction of JIA relapse after stopping medication, the biomarkers MRP-8/MRP-14 and S100A12 can be determined by using assays that are available for routine use. The tested commercial MRP-8/MRP-14 and S100A12 ELISAs showed a performance comparable to well-established experimental ELISA protocols when assay-specific cutoffs for the indication of relapse prediction are thoroughly applied.

Relationship between chronological and bone ages and pubertal stage of breasts with bone biomarkers and bone mineral density in adolescents

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Metabolic profiling by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and parallel factor analysis for the determination of disease biomarkers in Eucalyptus

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

3D osteoarthritic changes in TMJ condylar morphology correlates with specific systemic and local biomarkers of disease

Objective: To assess 3D morphological variations and local and systemic biomarker profiles in subjects with a diagnosis of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ OA).Design: Twenty-eight patients with long-term TMJ OA (39.9 +/- 16 years), 12 patients at initial diagnosis of OA (47.4 +/- 16.1 years), and 12 healthy controls (41.8 +/- 12.2 years) were recruited. All patients were female and had cone beam CT scans taken. TMJ arthrocentesis and venipuncture were performed on 12 OA and 12 age-matched healthy controls. Serum and synovial fluid levels of 50 biomarkers of arthritic inflammation were quantified by protein microarrays. Shape Analysis MANCOVA tested statistical correlations between biomarker levels and variations in condylar morphology.Results: Compared with healthy controls, the OA average condyle was significantly smaller in all dimensions except its anterior surface, with areas indicative of bone resorption along the articular surface, particularly in the lateral pole. Synovial fluid levels of ANG, GDF15, TIMP-1, CXCL16, MMP-3 and MMP-7 were significantly correlated with bone apposition of the condylar anterior surface. Serum levels of ENA-78, MMP-3, PAI-1, VE-Cadherin, VEGF, GM-CSF, TGF beta b1, IFN gamma g, TNF alpha a, IL-1 alpha a, and IL-6 were significantly correlated with flattening of the lateral pole. Expression levels of ANG were significantly correlated with the articular morphology in healthy controls.Conclusions: Bone resorption at the articular surface, particularly at the lateral pole was statistically significant at initial diagnosis of TMJ OA. Synovial fluid levels of ANG, GDF15, TIMP-1, CXCL16, MMP-3 and MMP-7 were correlated with bone apposition. Serum levels of ENA-78, MMP-3, PAI-1, VE-Cadherin, VEGF, GM-CSF, TGF beta 1, IFN gamma, TNF alpha, IL-1 alpha, and IL-6 were correlated with bone resorption. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Osteoarthritis Research Society International.

The Effect of a Community-Based, Primary Health Care Exercise Program on Inflammatory Biomarkers and Hormone Levels

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)