Search results for "Brief Report"
showing 10 items of 85 documents
A method for measuring mitochondrial mass and activity
2007
Mitochondria, responsible for the energy-generating process essential for the cell metabolism, differ for the number, localization and activity in animal cells and tissues in relation to the energetic needs. Using fluorescent probes specific for mitochondria, Mitotracker Green (MTG) and Orange (MTO), and Confocal Laser-Scanning Microscope (CLSM), we elaborated a method to measure in vivo the mitochondrial mass and activity, in sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus eggs and embryos. The analysis of captured images, revealed a variation of mitochondrial distribution and an increase of activity after fertilization.
A novel regulatory mechanism of MAP kinases activation and nuclear translocation mediated by PKA and the PTP-SL tyrosine phosphatase
1999
Protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP-SL retains mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases in the cytoplasm in an inactive form by association through a kinase interaction motif (KIM) and tyrosine dephosphorylation. The related tyrosine phosphatases PTP-SL and STEP were phosphorylated by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA). The PKA phosphorylation site on PTP-SL was identified as the Ser231 residue, located within the KIM. Upon phosphorylation of Ser231, PTP-SL binding and tyrosine dephosphorylation of the MAP kinases extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 and p38α were impaired. Furthermore, treatment of COS-7 cells with PKA activators, or overexpression of the Cα catalytic subunit …
Identification of picobirnavirus from faeces of Italian children suffering from acute diarrhea
1996
Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of nucleic acid extracted from stool samples of diarrhoeic children revealed in 3 out of 690 (0.43 %) specimens two electrophoretic bands with a migration pattern characteristic of picobirnavirus ds-RNA. In none of the 92 control children were similar bands detected. No other potential enteric pathogens were found in the patients with picobirnavirus infection.
Midbiotics: conjugative plasmids for genetic engineering of natural gut flora.
2019
ABSTRACT The possibility to modify gut bacterial flora has become an important goal, and various approaches are used to achieve desirable communities. However, the genetic engineering of existing microbes in the gut, which are already compatible with the rest of the community and host immune system, has not received much attention. Here, we discuss and experimentally evaluate the possibility to use modified and mobilizable CRISPR-Cas9-endocing plasmid as a tool to induce changes in bacterial communities. This plasmid system (briefly midbiotic) is delivered from bacterial vector into target bacteria via conjugation. Compared to, for example, bacteriophage-based applications, the benefits of …
Care Dependency in Patients with Heart Failure: A Cross-Sectional Study in Spain.
2020
Background: Heart failure (HF) is a progressive and debilitating condition that represents an ever-growing problem for health systems worldwide. HF patients feel that they are a burden on their families, they feel socially isolated and have a low perception of their health. Accordingly, the objectives of this study were to: (1) to explore the profile of care dependency in a representative sample of Spanish HF patients through the Care Dependency Scale (CDS), and (2) to identify correlates of care dependency in this population. Material and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of 187 patients admitted for HF decompensation to the Hospital Clínico of Zaragoza (Spain). Results: Only 1…
HSP10,HSP70 AND HSP90 IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL LEVELS CHANGE IN ULCERATIVE COLITIS AFTER THERAPY
2011
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) characterized by damage of large bowel mucosa and frequent extra-intestinal autoimmune comorbidities. The role played in IBD pathogenesis by molecular chaperones known to interact with components of the immune system involved in inflammation is unclear. We previously demonstrated that mucosal Hsp60 decreases in UC patients treated with conventional therapies (mesalazine, probiotics), suggesting that this chaperonin could be a reliable biomarker useful for monitoring response to treatment, and that it might play a role in pathogenesis. In the present work we investigated three other heat shock protein/molecular chaperones:…
A 47-Year Comparison of Lower Body Muscular Power in Spanish Boys: A Short Report
2020
Much of the evidence examining temporal trends in fitness among youth has found a decrease in measures of muscular strength and muscular power over recent decades. The aim of this study was to examine trends in lower body muscular power in Spanish boys over 47 years. In 1969 140 boys (10–11 years; body mass index = 19.24, SD = 2.91 kg/m2) and in 2016, 113 boys (10–11 years; body mass index = 19.20, SD = 3.15 kg/m2) were recruited. Lower body power was assessed using the vertical jump (VJ) and standing long jump (SLJ) tests. Significant differences and a large effect size were shown between groups in the SLJ (p = 0.001; d = 0.94) and the VJ (p = 0.001; d = 0.66). SLJ data in 1969 were higher…
Association Between Serum Levels of Neurofilament Light Chains and Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy in Patients With Liver Cirrhosis.
2021
INTRODUCTION: Serum biomarkers for the diagnosis of minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) in patients with liver cirrhosis would be desirable. In this proof-of-concept study, we investigated the association between MHE and serum levels of neurofilament light chains (sNfL) in patients with liver cirrhosis. METHODS: sNfL were studied in patients with liver cirrhosis (with or without MHE) and controls (patients with ischemic stroke, transitory ischemic attack, and healthy individuals). MHE was diagnosed using the Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score. RESULTS: Patients with MHE showed higher sNfL than patients without MHE and controls. In multivariable analyses, higher sNfL were independent…
Impact of antithrombin III on hepatic and intestinal microcirculation in experimental liver cirrhosis and bowel inflammation: An in vivo analysis
2005
AIM: To analyze the hepatic and intestinal microcirculation in an animal model of liver cirrhosis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and to characterize the anti-inflammatory action of antithrombin III (ATIII) on leukocyte kinetics and liver damage. METHODS: Hepatic and intestinal microcirculation was investigated by intravital videomicroscopy. Standardized models of experimental chronic liver cirrhosis and bowel inflammation were employed. Animals were divided into four groups (n = 6/group): controls, animals with cirrhosis, animals with cirrhosis and IBD, animals with cirrhosis and IBD treated with ATIII. RESULTS: Cirrhosis facilitated leukocyte rolling and sticking in hepatic sinusoids…
Comparison of two methods skipping cell lysis and protein extraction for identification of bacteria from blood cultures by matrix-assisted laser deso…
2019
ABSTRACT Objective Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass-spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is widely used for fast identification of bacteria from blood cultures (BC). We compared the performance of two procedures, one including a pre-enrichment step in brain heart infusion and the other a direct method using vacutainer separator gel tubes (DI), for identification of bacteria from blood cultures by MALDI-TOF MS. Material and methods We first prepared a training set of 20 simulated bacteremia specimens, including 10 Gram-negative and 10 Gram-positive species. A total of 145 non-consecutive BCs flagged as positive (68 Gram-negative rods, and 77 Gram-positive cocci) were pr…