Modeling the Electric Potential across Neuronal Membranes: The Effect of Fixed Charges on Spinal Ganglion Neurons and Neuroblastoma Cells

We present a model for the electric potential profile across the membranes of neuronal cells. We considered the resting and action potential states, and analyzed the influence of fixed charges of the membrane on its electric potential, based on experimental values of membrane properties of the spinal ganglion neuron and the neuroblastoma cell. The spinal ganglion neuron represents a healthy neuron, and the neuroblastoma cell, which is tumorous, represents a pathological neuron. We numerically solved the non-linear Poisson-Boltzmann equation for the regions of the membrane model we have adopted, by considering the densities of charges dissolved in an electrolytic solution and fixed on both glycocalyx and cytoplasmic proteins. Our model predicts that there is a difference in the behavior of the electric potential profiles of the two types of cells, in response to changes in charge concentrations in the membrane. Our results also describe an insensitivity of the neuroblastoma cell membrane, as observed in some biological experiments. This electrical property may be responsible for the low pharmacological response of the neuroblastoma to certain chemotherapeutic treatments.     

Alcohol Impairs Predation Risk Response and Communication in Zebrafish

The effects of ethanol exposure on Danio rerio have been studied from the perspectives of developmental biology and behavior. However, little is known about the effects of ethanol on the prey-predator relationship and chemical communication of predation risk. Here, we showed that visual contact with a predator triggers stress axis activation in zebrafish. We also observed a typical stress response in zebrafish receiving water from these conspecifics, indicating that these fish chemically communicate predation risk. Our work is the first to demonstrate how alcohol effects this prey-predator interaction. We showed for the first time that alcohol exposure completely blocks stress axis activation in both fish seeing the predator and in fish that come in indirect contact with a predator by receiving water from these conspecifics. Together with other research results and with the translational relevance of this fish species, our data points to zebrafish as a promising animal model to study human alcoholism.     

Exploring patterns of interspecific variation in quantitative traits using sequential phylogenetic eigenvector regressions

A number of metrics have been developed for estimating phylogenetic signal in data and to evaluate correlated evolution, inferring broad-scale evolutionary and ecological processes. Here, we proposed an approach called phylogenetic signal-representation (PSR) curve, built upon phylogenetic eigenvector regression (PVR). In PVR, selected eigenvectors extracted from a phylogenetic distance matrix are used to model interspecific variation. In the PSR curve, sequential PVR models are fitted after successively increasing the number of eigenvectors and plotting their R(2) against the accumulated eigenvalues. We used simulations to show that a linear PSR curve is expected under Brownian motion and that its shape changes under alternative evolutionary models. The PSR area, expressing deviations from Brownian motion, is strongly correlated (r= 0.873; P < 0.01) with Blomberg's K-statistics, so nonlinear PSR curves reveal if traits are evolving at a slower or higher rate than expected by Brownian motion. The PSR area is also correlated with phylogenetic half-life under an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, suggesting how both methods describe the shape of the relationship between interspecific variation and time since divergence among species. The PSR curve provides an elegant exploratory method to understand deviations from Brownian motion, in terms of acceleration or deceleration of evolutionary rates occurring at large or small phylogenetic distances.     

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of novel amphiphilic aromatic amino alcohols

We report in this work the preparation and in vitro antimicrobial evaluation of novel amphiphilic aromatic amino alcohols synthesized by reductive amination of 4-alkyloxybenzaldehyde with 2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-propane-1,3-diol. The antibacterial activity was determined against four standard strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and 21 clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The antifungal activity was evaluated against four yeast (Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata and Candida parapsilosis). The results obtained showed a strong positive correlation between the lipophilicity and the antibiotic activity of the tested compounds. The best activities were obtained against the Gram-positive bacteria (MIC = 2–16 μg ml^?1) for the five compounds bearing longer alkyl chains (4c–g; 8–14 carbons), which were also the most active against Candida (MIC = 2–64 μg ml^?1). Compound 4e exhibited the highest levels of inhibitory activity (MIC = 2–16 μg ml^?1) against clinical isolates of MRSA. A concentration of twice the MIC resulted in bactericidal activity of 4d against 19 of the 21 clinical isolates.     

Does Plant Species Richness Guarantee the Resilience of Local Medical Systems? A Perspective from Utilitarian Redundancy

Resilience is related to the ability of a system to adjust to disturbances. The Utilitarian Redundancy Model has emerged as a tool for investigating the resilience of local medical systems. The model determines the use of species richness for the same therapeutic function as a facilitator of the maintenance of these systems. However, predictions generated from this model have not yet been tested, and a lack of variables exists for deeper analyses of resilience. This study aims to address gaps in the Utilitarian Redundancy Model and to investigate the resilience of two medical systems in the Brazilian semi-arid zone. As a local illness is not always perceived in the same way that biomedicine recognizes, the term “therapeutic targets” is used for perceived illnesses. Semi-structured interviews with local experts were conducted using the free-listing technique to collect data on known medicinal plants, usage preferences, use of redundant species, characteristics of therapeutic targets, and the perceived severity for each target. Additionally, participatory workshops were conducted to determine the frequency of targets. The medical systems showed high species richness but low levels of species redundancy. However, if redundancy was present, it was the primary factor responsible for the maintenance of system functions. Species richness was positively associated with therapeutic target frequencies and negatively related to target severity. Moreover, information about redundant species seems to be largely idiosyncratic; this finding raises questions about the importance of redundancy for resilience. We stress the Utilitarian Redundancy Model as an interesting tool to be used in studies of resilience, but we emphasize that it must consider the distribution of redundancy in terms of the treatment of important illnesses and the sharing of information. This study has identified aspects of the higher and lower vulnerabilities of medical systems, adding variables that should be considered along with richness and redundancy.     

Unpacking of a Crumpled Wire from Two-Dimensional Cavities

The physics of tightly packed structures of a wire and other threadlike materials confined in cavities has been explored in recent years in connection with crumpled systems and a number of topics ranging from applications to DNA packing in viral capsids and surgical interventions with catheter to analogies with the electron gas at finite temperature and with theories of two-dimensional quantum gravity. When a long piece of wire is injected into two-dimensional cavities, it bends and originates in the jammed limit a series of closed structures that we call loops. In this work we study the extraction of a crumpled tightly packed wire from a circular cavity aiming to remove loops individually. The size of each removed loop, the maximum value of the force needed to unpack each loop, and the total length of the extracted wire were measured and related to an exponential growth and a mean field model consistent with the literature of crumpled wires. Scaling laws for this process are reported and the relationship between the processes of packing and unpacking of wire is commented upon.     

Zinc Prevents Sickness Behavior Induced by Lipopolysaccharides after a Stress Challenge in Rats

Sickness behavior is considered part of the specific beneficial adaptive behavioral and neuroimmune changes that occur in individuals in response to infectious/inflammatory processes. However, in dangerous and stressful situations, sickness behavior should be momentarily abrogated to prioritize survival behaviors, such as fight or flight. Taking this assumption into account, we experimentally induced sickness behavior in rats using lipopolysaccharides (LPS), an endotoxin that mimics infection by gram-negative bacteria, and then exposed these rats to a restraint stress challenge. Zinc has been shown to play a regulatory role in the immune and nervous systems. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the effects of zinc treatment on the sickness response of stress-challenged rats. We evaluated 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations, open-field behavior, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), corticosterone, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plasma levels. LPS administration induced sickness behavior in rats compared to controls, i.e., decreases in the distance traveled, average velocity, rearing frequency, self-grooming, and number of vocalizations, as well as an increase in the plasma levels of TNF-α, compared with controls after a stressor challenge. LPS also decreased BDNF expression but did not influence anxiety parameters. Zinc treatment was able to prevent sickness behavior in LPS-exposed rats after the stress challenge, restoring exploratory/motor behaviors, communication, and TNF-α levels similar to those of the control group. Thus, zinc treatment appears to be beneficial for sick animals when they are facing risky/stressful situations.     

Toxoplasma gondii Chitinase Induces Macrophage Activation

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite found worldwide that is able to chronically infect almost all vertebrate species, especially birds and mammalians. Chitinases are essential to various biological processes, and some pathogens rely on chitinases for successful parasitization. Here, we purified and characterized a chitinase from T. gondii. The enzyme, provisionally named Tg_chitinase, has a molecular mass of 13.7 kDa and exhibits a Km of 0.34 mM and a Vmax of 2.64. The optimal environmental conditions for enzymatic function were at pH 4.0 and 50°C. Tg_chitinase was immunolocalized in the cytoplasm of highly virulent T. gondii RH strain tachyzoites, mainly at the apical extremity. Tg_chitinase induced macrophage activation as manifested by the production of high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, a pathogenic hallmark of T. gondii infection. In conclusion, to our knowledge, we describe for the first time a chitinase of T. gondii tachyzoites and provide evidence that this enzyme might influence the pathogenesis of T. gondii infection.     

Chromosomal characterization of two species of genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Steatogenys</Emphasis> (Gymnotiformes: Rhamphichthyoidea: Steatogenini) from the Amazon basin: sex chromosomes and correlations with Gymnotiformes phylogeny

Gymnotiformes are an important component of the Neotropical ichthyofauna and they are known for their ability to generate and detect electrical discharges. Phylogenetic relationships of Gymnotiformes are still not well understood. However, the monophyly of the superfamily Rhamphichthyoidea is well accepted, despite the position of tribe Steatogenini (Steatogenys, Hypopygus and Stegostenopos) within this superfamily is unclear. The genus Steatogenys includes three species that, together with Hypopygus and Stegostenopos, form tribe Steatogenini. Cytogenetic information is currently only available for Hypopygus lepturus. Here, we describe the karyotypes of Steatogenys elegans from four localities and S. duidae from two localities. S. elegans was found to have 2n = 50, ZZ/ZW (12m-sm/38st-a), while S. duidae had 2n = 50 (50m-sm). In S. elegans, constitutive heterochromatin (CH) was observed in the centromeric regions of all chromosomes, in the interstitial region of 1q, and in two blocks of Wq. In S. duidae, CH was observed in the centromeric and pericentromeric regions of all chromosomes, and in the interstitial regions of 2q, 3q, 5q, and 7q. Nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) were identified in the distal regions of one chromosome pair in each species. The CMA₃ fluorochrome (specific to G-C rich regions) coincided with the NORs in both species, and with the HC of S. elegans except on chromosome pair 5 and the W. The DAPI fluorochrome (specific to A-T rich regions) coincided with the CH of both species, and was very intense for chromosome pair 5 and the W of S. elegans. Our observations suggest that the ZZ/ZW system observed in S. elegans likely evolved through CH addition followed by a paracentric inversion. The chromosomal data described herein are consistent with the phylogenetic hypothesis that tribe Steatogenini should be positioned within family Ramphychthyidae.