ACTH and azathioprine: antiproteinuric and lipid-lowering effect in the course of idiopathic membranous glomerulonephritis

Idiopathic membranous glomerulonephritis is a frequent cause of nephrotic syndrome and may have a variable course, from spontaneous remission to progression on renal failure. The therapy is based on alternating steroids and chlorambucil or cyclophosphamide (Ponticelli protocol) for six months. In absence of complete or partial remission after protocol, cyclosporine, adrenocorticotropic hormone, mycophenolate mofetil, rituximab can be used for potential therapy. We report here the case of a woman with idiopathic membranous glomerulonephritis unresponsive to the Ponticelli regimen and treated with adrenocorticotropic hormone in association with azathioprine, showing a dramatic decrease of proteinuria and beneficial effects on lipid profile. After 36 months, no relapse of disease has occurred. Although larger cohorts of patients are needed to evaluate the long-term effects, adrenocorticotropic hormone plus azathioprine in association could be a possible therapeutic option for unresponsive idiopathic membranous glomerulonephritis.     

SAR studies on azasterols as potential anti-trypanosomal and anti-leishmanial agents

There is an urgent need for the development of new drugs for the treatment of neglected tropical diseases such as human African trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis. Azasterols, have been shown to have activity against the parasites which cause these diseases. In this paper we report synthesis of new azasterols and subsequent analysis of the SAR. The chemistry focused on variations in the ester at the 3β-position of the sterol and the position of the nitrogen in the side chain. The data allowed us to derive preliminary pharmacophore models for the activity of the azasterols against the parasites which cause these diseases.     

International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature. 4th edition

The fourth edition of the International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature (ICPN) was prepared by the Steering Committee of the IAVS Working Group for Phytosociological Nomenclature (GPN). The edition consists of 14 Definitions, 7 Principles, 53 Articles, and 7 Appendices. When compared with the previous edition, the main amendments are: (a) the acceptance of electronic publications (Art. 1); (b) the introduction of binding decisions (Definition XIV, Principle II, Articles 1, 2b, 3c, 29b, 40, 42, 44, Appendices 6 and 7); (c) the mandatory use of the English or Latin terminology for syntaxonomic novelties (Definition II, Principle II, Articles 3d and 3i); (d) the introduction of autonyms for the main ranks when the corresponding secondary ranks are created (Articles 13b and 24); (e) the automatic correction of the taxon names (name-giving taxa) used in the names of syntaxa in accordance with the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN) (Article 44); (f) the possibility to mutate the name of a syntaxon in using other correct, alternative names for the name-giving taxa (Article 45); (g) the introduction of inadequate names, a new category of rejected names (Definition V, Articles 43 through 45); and (h) the introduction of a conserved type (Definition XIII, Article 53). The fourth edition of ICPN was approved by the GPN on 25 May 2019 and becomes effectively binding on 1 January 2021.     

In vitro effects of elastase on periosteum of long bones: an histochemical, immunohistochemical and morphometric study

The aim of the study was to determine the in vitro effects of porcine pancreatic elastase on the periosteum of long bones and to what extent the effects are selective for the elastic fibres of the tissue. Twenty-eight new-born chicks' tibiae were incubated for 1 or 3 hours in different experimental conditions (PBS, 30 or 60 units (U)/ml of porcine pancreatic elastase) or immediately formalin fixed. The tibiae were then processed for histo-chemical (Verhoeff and van Gieson stain), immunohistochemical (anti-elastin antibody) and histomorphometric analysis. A decrease of periosteal elastic fibres in all the specimens incubated with elastase in comparison with non incubated specimens was evident. The effect of elastase was easily detectable even at the lower concentration (30 U/ml) and at the shorter time of incubation (1 h). The amount of elastic fibres decreased in accordance with the rise of enzyme levels and incubation time, while periosteal collagen fibre content was not substantially modified by elastase activity. Present data are a prerequisite to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo effects of experimental destruction of periosteal elastic fibres by elastase and to assess the role of these fibres in the growth process of long bones.     

Social Mobility and Mental Disorders at 30 Years of Age in Participants of the 1982 Cohort,Pelotas, Rio Grande Do Sul – RS

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between mental disorders at 30 years of age and social mobility by formally testing three hypotheses: Risk Accumulation; Critical Period; and Social Mobility. The study was performed using data from the 30-year follow-up of the Pelotas Birth Cohort Study, conducted in 1982, and data from previous follow-ups. The tool used to evaluate mental health was the Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20). For the statistical analysis, the chi-square test with the Yates correction was used to estimate the prevalence of mental disorder, and the Poisson regression with robust variance was used to formally test the hypotheses according to the Risk Accumulation, Critical Period and Social Mobility Models. The analyses were stratified by gender. The prevalence of Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) was 24.3% (95% CI 22.9–25.7) when the whole sample was considered. The highest prevalence, 27.1% (95% CI 25.1–29.2), was found in women, and the difference between genders was significant (p < 0.001). CMDs were more frequent in participants who remained “poor” in the three follow-ups. In both men and women, the best fit was obtained with the Risk Accumulation Model, with p = 0.6348 and p = 0.2105, respectively. The results indicate the need to rethink public income maintenance policies. Finally, we suggest further studies to investigate the role of different public policies in decreasing the prevalence of mental disorders and thus contribute proposals of new policies that may contribute to the prevention of these disorders.     

Green fluorescent protein reveals variability in vacuoles of three plant species

Two vacuolar green fluorescent proteins (GFP) were stably inserted in Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana benthamiana genome, with unexpected difficulties, and compared with A. thaliana cv. Wassilewskaja transgenic plants expressing the same constructs. GFP fluorescence was strong in all tissues of A. thaliana but it was barely visible in Nicotiana. Confocal microscopy analysis revealed a variable distribution of the marker in those cells where GFP fluorescence was visible. The role of light dependent proteases was the variable pointing out more inter-species diversity. GFPs degradation was much higher in Nicotiana spp. than in A. thaliana. The version of GFP used appeared not to be a good vacuolar marker for Nicotiana differentiated tissues, although it can efficiently label vacuoles in protoplasts or calli. Nevertheless the sensitivity of the reporter protein can be used as an indicator of hidden characteristics of the plant vacuoles, revealing differences otherwise invisible. One of the markers in our system, GFP-Chi, evidenced a clear morphological difference in the vacuolar system of guard cells of the three species.     

Breastfeeding and Bone Mass at the Ages of 18 and 30: Prospective Analysis of Live Births from the Pelotas (Brazil) 1982 and 1993 Cohorts

Objective

To evaluate the effect of total breastfeeding, breastfeeding duration and type of breastfeeding at 3 months of age on bone mass at 18 and 30 years.

Study Design

A prospective, longitudinal study was conducted with two birth cohorts (1982 and 1993) in Pelotas, Southern Brazil. Measurements of bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) at 18 and 30 years of age were obtained by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Information on breastfeeding was collected during the first 4 years of life. Analyses were performed by linear regression and stratified by sex.

Results

A total of 1109 and 3226 participants provided complete information on breastfeeding in early life and bone mass at 18 and 30 years, respectively. No association between breastfeeding and bone mass was observed in women at both ages nor among men at age 30. Among men at the age of 18, BMC and BMD were higher among those breastfed regardless of duration (p=0.032 and p=0.043, respectively).

Conclusions

Despite a very weak positive effect of breastfeeding (yes/no) on BMC and BMD at age 18 in men, most findings pointed to a lack of association between breastfeeding and bone mass until young adulthood.     

Frequency-dependent response properties of adapting spiking neurons

The dynamics of a population of integrate and fire (IF) neurons with spike-frequency adaptation (SFA) is studied. Using a population density approach and assuming a slow dynamics for the variable driving SFA, an equation for the emission rate of a finite set of uncoupled neurons is derived. The system dynamics is then analyzed in the neighborhood of its stable fixed points by linearizing the emission rate equation. The information transfer properties are then probed by perturbing the system with a sinusoidal input current: despite the low-pass properties of the dynamical variable associated with SFA, the adapting IF neuron behaves as a band-pass device and a phase-lock condition appears at a frequency related to the characteristic time constants of both neuronal and SFA dynamics. When a finite set of neurons is considered, the power spectral density of the pooled firing rates shows for intermediate omega a rich pattern of resonances. Theoretical predictions are successfully compared to numerical simulations.