Mineral and vitamin content of beef, chicken, and turkey hydrolysates mineral and vitamin content of protein hydrolysates

The purpose of this study was to assess the concentration of vitamins and minerals in meat protein hydrolysates. Calcium, phosphorus and iron were analyzed by inductively coupled-plasma atomic emission spectrophotometry; vitamin C was analyzed by the reduction of cupric ions and vitamins B1 and B2 by fluorescence. Regarding minerals, the beef hydrolysate (BH) had more iron than the turkey hydrolysate (TH) and the chicken hydrolysate (CH); TH had a little more phosphorus. BH had the largest amount of vitamin C, and similar amounts of vitamins B1 and B2. The amount of these nutrients found in the hydrolysates suggests that it is possible to use them to enrich special dietary formulations.

Interceptação da chuva por duas espécies arbóreas em áreas verdes urbanas

Rainfall interception by the two most usual species in forest urban spaces was analysed by measuring of interception (I) or interception losses, through fall (PI), stem flow (Et) and gross precipitation (PT). The chosen species were Caesalpinia pluviosa DC. (Fabaceae: Caesalpinoideae) or sibipiruna, and Tipuana tipu O. Kuntze (Fabaceae: Faboideae) or tipuana. The individuals analysed were more than 50 years old, with three separate individuals and three individuals in each studied group of species at the campus of ""Luiz de Queiroz"" College of Agriculture (University of Sao Paulo), Piracicaba. The experiments were carried out from January to February 2007. Water was collected using seven-litre pails, in the edges and in the centre of the canopies. A high correlation of Th with Pg was observed on the centre of the crow of tipuana and by the edges of sibipiruna. Stand! had low correlation with Pg for both species. The average of rain interception was greater in the edges of the crow of sibipiruna individuals, 60.6%, and in the centre of tipuana crow, 59.40%. Thus, both species intercepted up to 60% of the water rainfall, which indicates a great potential of both species for arborisation in urban environments.

Paracoccidioides brasilinsis-Induced Migration of Dendritic Cells and Subsequent T-Cell Activation in the Lung-Draining Lymph Nodes

Paracoccidioidomycosis is a mycotic disease caused by a dimorphic fungus, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (Pb), that starts with inhalation of the fungus; thus, lung cells such as DC are part of the first line of defense against this microorganism. Migration of DC to the lymph nodes is the first step in initiating T cell responses. The mechanisms involved in resistance to Pb infection are poorly understood, but it is likely that DC play a pivotal role in the induction of effector T cells that control Pb infection. In this study, we showed that after Pb Infection, an important modification of lung DC receptor expression occurred. We observed an increased expression of CCR7 and CD103 on lung DC after infection, as well as MHC-II. After Pb infection, bone marrow-derived DC as well lung DC, migrate to lymph nodes. Migration of lung DC could represent an important mechanism of pathogenesis during PCM infection. In resume our data showed that Pb induced DC migration. Furthermore, we demonstrated that bone marrow-derived DC stimulated by Pb migrate to the lymph nodes and activate a T helper (Th) response. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported data showing that Pb induces migration of DC and activate a T helper (Th) response.

Dendritic Cells Transfected with scFv from Mab 7.B12 Mimicking Original Antigen gp43 Induces Protection against Experimental Paracoccidioidomycosis

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), endemic in Latin America, is a progressive systemic mycosis caused by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (P. brasiliensis), which primarily attacks lung tissue. Dendritic cells (DCs) are able to initiate a response in naive T cells, and they also participate in Th-cell education. Furthermore, these cells have been used for therapy in several disease models. Here we transfected DCs with a plasmid (pMAC/PS-scFv) encoding a single chain variable fragment (scFv) of an anti-Id antibody that is capable of mimicking gp43, the main antigenic component of P. brasiliensis. First, Balb/c mice were immunized subcutaneously with pMAC/PS-scFv and, after seven days, scFv protein was presented to the regional lymph nodes cells. Moreover, we showed that the DCs transfected with scFv were capable of efficiently activating proliferation of total lymph node cells and inducing a decrease in lung infection. Therefore, our results suggested that the use of scFv-transfected DCs may be a promising therapy in the paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) model.

T Helper 1-Inducing Adjuvant Protects against Experimental Paracoccidioidomycosis

Immunostimulatory therapy is a promising approach to improving the treatment of systemic fungal infections such as paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), whose drug therapy is usually prolonged and associated with toxic side effects and relapses. The current study was undertaken to determine if the injection of a T helper (Th) 1-stimulating adjuvant in P. brasiliensis infected mice could have a beneficial effect on the course of experimental PCM. For this purpose, mice were infected and treated with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), a well-established Th1 experimental inductor, or incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA - control group) on day 20 postinfection. Four weeks after treatment, the CFA-treated mice presented a mild infection in the lungs characterized by absence of epithelioid cell granulomas and yeast cells, whereas the control mice presented multiple sites of focal epithelioid granulomas with lymphomonocytic halos circumscribing a high number of viable and nonviable yeast cells. In addition, CFA administration induced a 2.4 log reduction (>99%) in the fungal burden when compared to the control group, and led to an improvement of immune response, reversing the immunosuppression observed in the control group. The immunotherapy with Th1-inducing adjuvant, approved to be used in humans, might be a valuable tool in the treatment of PCM and potentially useful to improve the clinical cure rate in humans.

The Genomic Ancestry of Individuals from Different Geographical Regions of Brazil Is More Uniform Than Expected

Based on pre-DNA racial/color methodology, clinical and pharmacological trials have traditionally considered the different geographical regions of Brazil as being very heterogeneous. We wished to ascertain how such diversity of regional color categories correlated with ancestry. Using a panel of 40 validated ancestry-informative insertion-deletion DNA polymorphisms we estimated individually the European, African and Amerindian ancestry components of 934 self-categorized White, Brown or Black Brazilians from the four most populous regions of the Country. We unraveled great ancestral diversity between and within the different regions. Especially, color categories in the northern part of Brazil diverged significantly in their ancestry proportions from their counterparts in the southern part of the Country, indicating that diverse regional semantics were being used in the self-classification as White, Brown or Black. To circumvent these regional subjective differences in color perception, we estimated the general ancestry proportions of each of the four regions in a form independent of color considerations. For that, we multiplied the proportions of a given ancestry in a given color category by the official census information about the proportion of that color category in the specific region, to arrive at a ""total ancestry"" estimate. Once such a calculation was performed, there emerged a much higher level of uniformity than previously expected. In all regions studied, the European ancestry was predominant, with proportions ranging from 60.6% in the Northeast to 77.7% in the South. We propose that the immigration of six million Europeans to Brazil in the 19(th) and 20(th) centuries - a phenomenon described and intended as the ""whitening of Brazil"" -is in large part responsible for dissipating previous ancestry dissimilarities that reflected region-specific population histories. These findings, of both clinical and sociological importance for Brazil, should also be relevant to other countries with ancestrally admixed populations.

The characteristics of depressive symptoms in medical students during medical education and training: a cross-sectional study

Background: Medical education and training can contribute to the development of depressive symptoms that might lead to possible academic and professional consequences. We aimed to investigate the characteristics of depressive symptoms among 481 medical students (79.8% of the total who matriculated). Methods: The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and cluster analyses were used in order to better describe the characteristics of depressive symptoms. Medical education and training in Brazil is divided into basic (1(st) and 2(nd) years), intermediate (3(rd) and 4(th) years), and internship (5(th) and 6(th) years) periods. The study organized each item from the BDI into the following three clusters: affective, cognitive, and somatic. Statistical analyses were performed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post-hoc Tukey corrected for multiple comparisons. Results: There were 184 (38.2%) students with depressive symptoms (BDI > 9). The internship period resulted in the highest BDI scores in comparison to both the basic (p < .001) and intermediate (p < .001) periods. Affective, cognitive, and somatic clusters were significantly higher in the internship period. An exploratory analysis of possible risk factors showed that females (p = .020) not having a parent who practiced medicine (p = .016), and the internship period (p = .001) were factors for the development of depressive symptoms. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence towards depressive symptoms among medical students, particularly females, in the internship level, mainly involving the somatic and affective clusters, and not having a parent who practiced medicine. The active assessment of these students in evaluating their depressive symptoms is important in order to prevent the development of co-morbidities and suicide risk.

Orbitofrontal Cortex Volumes in Medication Naive Children with Major Depressive Disorder: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Objectives: Adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) are reported to have reduced orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) volumes, which could be related to decreased neuronal density. We conducted a study on medication naive children with MDD to determine whether abnormalities of OFC are present early in the illness course. Methods: Twenty seven medication naive pediatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4(th) edition (DSM-IV) MDD patients (mean age +/- SD = 14.4 +/- 2.2 years; 10 males) and 26 healthy controls (mean age +/- SD = 14.4 +/- 2.4 years; 12 males) underwent a 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with 3D spoiled gradient recalled acquisition. The OFC volumes were compared using analysis of covariance with age, gender, and total brain volume as covariates. Results: There was no significant difference in either total OFC volume or total gray matter OFC volume between MDD patients and healthy controls. Exploratory analysis revealed that patients had unexpectedly larger total right lateral (F = 4.2, df = 1, 48, p = 0.05) and right lateral gray matter (F = 4.6, df = 1, 48, p = 0.04) OFC volumes compared to healthy controls, but this finding was not significant following statistical correction for multiple comparisons. No other OFC subregions showed a significant difference. Conclusions: The lack of OFC volume abnormalities in pediatric MDD patients suggests the abnormalities previously reported for adults may develop later in life as a result of neural cell loss.

Striatal volume abnormalities in treatment-naive patients diagnosed with pediatric major depressive disorder

Objective: The striatum, including the putamen and caudate, plays an important role in executive and emotional processing and may be involved in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. Few studies have examined structural abnormalities of the striatum in pediatric major depressive disorder (MDD) patients. We report striatal volume abnormalities in medication-naive pediatric MDD compared to healthy comparison subjects. Method: Twenty seven medication-naive pediatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4(th) edition (DSM-IV) MDD and 26 healthy comparison subjects underwent volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The putamen and caudate volumes were traced manually by a blinded rater, and the patient and control groups were compared using analysis of covariance adjusting for age, sex, intelligence quotient, and total brain volumes. Results: MDD patients had significantly smaller right striatum (6.0% smaller) and right caudate volumes (7.4% smaller) compared to the healthy subjects. Left caudate volumes were inversely correlated with severity of depression in MDD subjects. Age was inversely correlated with left and right putamen volumes in MDD patients but not in the healthy subjects. Conclusions: These findings provide fresh evidence for abnormalities in the striatum of medication-naive pediatric MDD patients and suggest the possible involvement of the striatum in the pathophysiology of MDD.

Cyclic variability of the circumstellar disk of the Be star zeta Tauri II. Testing the 2D global disk oscillation model

Context. About 2/3 of the Be stars present the so-called V/R variations, a phenomenon characterized by the quasi-cyclic variation in the ratio between the violet and red emission peaks of the HI emission lines. These variations are generally explained by global oscillations in the circumstellar disk forming a one-armed spiral density pattern that precesses around the star with a period of a few years. Aims. This paper presents self-consistent models of polarimetric, photometric, spectrophotometric, and interferometric observations of the classical Be star zeta Tauri. The primary goal is to conduct a critical quantitative test of the global oscillation scenario. Methods. Detailed three-dimensional, NLTE radiative transfer calculations were carried out using the radiative transfer code HDUST. The most up-to-date research on Be stars was used as input for the code in order to include a physically realistic description for the central star and the circumstellar disk. The model adopts a rotationally deformed, gravity darkened central star, surrounded by a disk whose unperturbed state is given by a steady-state viscous decretion disk model. It is further assumed that this disk is in vertical hydrostatic equilibrium. Results. By adopting a viscous decretion disk model for zeta Tauri and a rigorous solution of the radiative transfer, a very good fit of the time-average properties of the disk was obtained. This provides strong theoretical evidence that the viscous decretion disk model is the mechanism responsible for disk formation. The global oscillation model successfully fitted spatially resolved VLTI/AMBER observations and the temporal V/R variations in the H alpha and Br gamma lines. This result convincingly demonstrates that the oscillation pattern in the disk is a one-armed spiral. Possible model shortcomings, as well as suggestions for future improvements, are also discussed.

Transiting exoplanets from the CoRoT space mission XVII. The hot Jupiter CoRoT-17b: a very old planet

We report on the discovery of a hot Jupiter-type exoplanet, CoRoT-17b, detected by the CoRoT satellite. It has a mass of 2.43 +/- 0.30 M(Jup) and a radius of 1.02 +/- 0.07 R(Jup), while its mean density is 2.82 +/- 0.38 g/cm(3). CoRoT-17b is in a circular orbit with a period of 3.7681 +/- 0.0003 days. The host star is an old (10.7 +/- 1.0 Gyr) main-sequence star, which makes it an intriguing object for planetary evolution studies. The planet's internal composition is not well constrained and can range from pure H/He to one that can contain similar to 380 earth masses of heavier elements.

Cyclic variability of the circumstellar disk of the Be star zeta Tauri I. Long-term monitoring observations

Context. Emission lines formed in decretion disks of Be stars often undergo long-term cyclic variations, especially in the violet-to-red (V/R) ratio of their primary components. The underlying structural and dynamical variations of the disks are only partly understood. From observations of the bright Be-shell star. Tau, the possibly broadest and longest data set illustrating the prototype of this behaviour was compiled from our own and archival observations. It comprises optical and infrared spectra, broad-band polarimetry, and interferometric observations. Aims. The dense, long-time monitoring permits a better separation of repetitive and ephemeral variations. The broad wavelength coverage includes lines formed under different physical conditions, i.e. different locations in the disk, so that the dynamics can be probed throughout much of the disk. Polarimetry and interferometry constrain the spatial structure. All together, the objective is a better understand the dynamics and life cycle of decretion disks. Methods. Standard methods of data acquisition, reduction, and analysis were applied. Results. From 3 V/R cycles between 1997 and 2008, a mean cycle length in Ha of 1400-1430 days was derived. After each minimum in V/R, the shell absorption weakens and splits into two components, leading to 3 emission peaks. This phase may make the strongest contribution to the variability in cycle length. There is no obvious connection between the V/R cycle and the 133-day orbital period of the not otherwise detected companion. V/R curves of different lines are shifted in phase. Lines formed on average closer to the central star are ahead of the others. The shell absorption lines fall into 2 categories differing in line width, ionization/excitation potential, and variability of the equivalent width. They seem to form in separate regions of the disk, probably crossing the line of sight at different times. The interferometry has resolved the continuum and the line emission in Br gamma and HeI 2.06. The phasing of the Br gamma emission shows that the photocenter of the line-emitting region lies within the plane of the disk but is offset from the continuum source. The plane of the disk is constant throughout the observed V/R cycles. The observations lay the foundation for the fully self-consistent, one-armed, disk-oscillation model developed in Paper II.

Possible evidence of asymmetry in SN 2007rt, a type IIn supernova

An optical photometric and spectroscopic analysis of the slowly-evolving type IIn SN 2007rt is presented, covering a duration of 481 days after discovery. Its earliest spectrum, taken approximately 100 days after the explosion epoch, indicates the presence of a dense circumstellar medium, with which the supernova ejecta is interacting. This is supported by the slowly-evolving light curve. A notable feature in the spectrum of SN 2007rt is the presence of a broad He I 5875 line, not usually detected in type IIn supernovae. This may imply that the progenitor star has a high He/H ratio, having shed a significant portion of its hydrogen shell via mass-loss. An intermediate resolution spectrum reveals a narrow H(alpha) P-Cygni profile, the absorption component of which has a width of 128 km s (1). This slow velocity suggests that the progenitor of SN 2007rt recently underwent mass-loss with wind speeds comparable to the lower limits of those detected in luminous blue variables. Asymmetries in the line profiles of H and He at early phases bears some resemblance to double-peaked features observed in a number of Ib/c spectra. These asymmetries may be indicative of an asymmetric or bipolar outflow or alternatively dust formation in the fast expanding ejecta. In addition, the late time spectrum, at over 240 days post-explosion, shows clear evidence for the presence of newly formed dust.

Thyroid Hormone Increases TGF-beta 1 in Cardiomyocytes Cultures Independently of Angiotensin II Type 1 and Type 2 Receptors

TH-induced cardiac hypertrophy in vivo is accompanied by increased cardiac Transforming Growth Factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) levels, which is mediated by Angiotensin II type 1 receptors (AT1R) and type 2 receptors (AT2R). However, the possible involvement of this factor in TH-induced cardiac hypertrophy is unknown. In this study we evaluated whether TH is able to modulate TGF-beta 1 in isolated cardiac, as well as the possible contribution of AT1R and AT2R in this response. The cardiac fibroblasts treated with T(3) did not show alteration on TGF-beta 1 expression. However, cardiomyocytes treated with T(3) presented an increase in TGF-beta 1 expression, as well as an increase in protein synthesis. The AT1R blockade prevented the T(3)-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, while the AT2R blockage attenuated this response. The T(3)-induced increase on TGF-beta 1 expression in cardiomyocytes was not changed by the use of AT1R and AT2R blockers. These results indicate that Angiotensin II receptors are not implicated in T(3)-induced increase on TGF-beta expression and suggest that the trophic effects exerted by T(3) on cardiomyocytes are not dependent on the higher TGF-beta 1 levels, since the AT1R and AT2R blockers were able to attenuate the T(3)-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy but were not able to attenuate the increase on TGF-beta 1 levels promoted by T(3).

The Monocarboxylate Transporter 8 and L-Type Amino Acid Transporters 1 and 2 Are Expressed in Mouse Skeletons and in Osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 Cells

Background: Several plasma membrane transporters have been shown to mediate the cellular influx and/or efflux of iodothyronines, including the sodium-independent organic anion co-transporting polypeptide 1 (OATP1), the sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide (NTCP), the L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) and 2 (LAT2), and the monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8). The aim of this study was to investigate if the mRNAs of these transporters were expressed and regulated by thyroid hormone (TH) in mouse calvaria-derived osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells and in the fetal and postnatal bones of mice. Methods: The mRNA expression of the iodothyronine transporters was investigated with real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis in euthyroid and hypothyroid fetuses and litters of mice and in MC3T3-E1 cells treated with increasing doses of triiodothyronine (T(3); 10(-10) to 10(-6) M) or with 10(-8) M T(3) for 1-9 days. Results: MCT8, LAT1, and LAT2 mRNAs were detected in fetal and postnatal femurs and in MC3T3-E1 cells, while OATP1 and NTCP mRNAs were not. LAT1 and LAT2 mRNAs were not affected by TH status in vivo or in vitro or by the stage of bone development or osteoblast maturation (analyzed by the expression of osteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase, which are key markers of osteoblastic differentiation). In contrast, the femoral mRNA expression of MCT8 decreased significantly during post-natal development, whereas MCT8 mRNA expression increased as MC3T3-E1 cells differentiated. We also showed that MCT8 mRNA was up-regulated in the femur of hypothyroid animals, and that it was down-regulated by treatment with T(3) in MC3T3-E1 cells. Conclusions: This is the first study to demonstrate the mRNA expression of LAT1, LAT2, and MCT8 in the bone tissue of mice and in osteoblast-like cells. In addition, the pattern of MCT8 expression observed in vivo and in vitro suggests that MCT8 may be important to modulate TH effects on osteoblast differentiation and on bone development and metabolism.