Dose-dependent effect of heparin on fertilizing ability of goat spermatozoa

Intact bovine oocytes were used to study the effect of heparin on goat IVF. Oocytes were matured in Medium 199 plus estrous sheep serum. Fresh semen was incubated for 4 h at room temperature, and spermatozoa were then resuspended in medium Talp plus serum and incubated further for 1 h at 39 degrees C in 5% CO(2) in air. Later, spermatozoa were resuspended in Talp plus serum and heparin and were then incubated in microdrops until the oocytes were matured. In Experiment 1, the effect of heparin on spermatozoa from individual males was studied by a dose-response curve. In Experiment 2, the timing of sperm penetration in matured oocytes was studied to assess the stage at which the action of heparin could be expressed in the fertilization process. In Experiment 3, heparin from the same source but at different grades of bioactivity was adjusted for bioactivity and its effect on spermatozoa was compared in terms of penetration rates in order to identify heparin-dependent variations on goat IVF. In Experiment 4, the influence of calcium on the effect of heparin at different levels of bioactivity on the fertilizing ability spermatozoa was assessed as in Experiment 3. In Experiment 5, different batches of heparin from the same source and grade of bioactivity were compared as above. The results suggest that 1) heparin stimulates fertilization rates following a comparable pattern between males; 2) the most probable site of action is at the stage of sperm capacitation; and 3) provided that the source and grade of bioactivity is preserved, heparin maintains the efficiency of sperm penetration into matured oocytes.     

Exercise training in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus: a controlled randomized trial

Introduction

Exercise training has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy to counteract physical dysfunction in adult systemic lupus erythematosus. However, no longitudinal studies have evaluated the effects of an exercise training program in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (C-SLE) patients. The objective was to evaluate the safety and the efficacy of a supervised aerobic training program in improving the cardiorespiratory capacity in C-SLE patients.

Methods

Nineteen physically inactive C-SLE patients were randomly assigned into two groups: trained (TR, n = 10, supervised moderate-intensity aerobic exercise program) and non-trained (NT, n = 9). Gender-, body mass index (BMI)- and age-matched healthy children were recruited as controls (C, n = 10) for baseline (PRE) measurements only. C-SLE patients were assessed at PRE and after 12 weeks of training (POST). Main measurements included exercise tolerance and cardiorespiratory measurements in response to a maximal exercise (that is, peak VO₂, chronotropic reserve (CR), and the heart rate recovery (ΔHRR) (that is, the difference between HR at peak exercise and at both the first (ΔHRR1) and second (ΔHRR2) minutes of recovery after exercise).

Results

The C-SLE NT patients did not present changes in any of the cardiorespiratory parameters at POST (P > 0.05). In contrast, the exercise training program was effective in promoting significant increases in time-to-exhaustion (P = 0.01; ES = 1.07), peak speed (P = 0.01; ES = 1.08), peak VO₂ (P = 0.04; ES = 0.86), CR (P = 0.06; ES = 0.83), and in ΔHRR1 and ΔHRR2 (P = 0.003; ES = 1.29 and P = 0.0008; ES = 1.36, respectively) in the C-SLE TR when compared with the NT group. Moreover, cardiorespiratory parameters were comparable between C-SLE TR patients and C subjects after the exercise training intervention, as evidenced by the ANOVA analysis (P > 0.05, TR vs. C). SLEDAI-2K scores remained stable throughout the study.

Conclusion

A 3-month aerobic exercise training was safe and capable of ameliorating the cardiorespiratory capacity and the autonomic function in C-SLE patients.

Trial registration

NCT01515163.     

Study of yeast populations and their enological properties in Guijoso Appellation of Origin (Spain)

The aim of the present study was to select strains of yeast with good enological qualities which were adapted to the ecological surroundings of Guijoso Appellation of Origin (A.O). For this, 11 white and red vats from different grape varieties and stages of fermentation were studied, making a total of 28 samples, with a selection of 370 isolated yeasts. Yeast cells of the Saccharomyces genus were analysed by DNA mitochondrial restriction for discrimination at the strain level, obtaining a total of 23 different molecular patterns. The pattern most frequently found was of G04, with 56 % of the isolated yeasts, followed by G02 with 15 % and G07 with 9 %. Other patterns found showed percentages close to 3 %, such as G01, G03, G05 and G06, while the remaining patterns were limited one or two isolated yeasts. Microfermentations at 25 and 15 °C were performed using a synthetic must, and the rate of fermentation, SH₂ and foam production and the capacity to consume sugars from the medium were studied. Furthermore, the killer phenotype, flocculation capacity and phenolic off-flavour (POF) characteristics were also analysed. Natural musts from Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties were fermented using preselected strains and the wines obtained were analysed and tasted. Two strains were selected (G01 and G04) to be used as starters in Guijoso A.O.     

Coenzyme Q10 deficiency in mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromes

We evaluated coenzyme Q₁₀ (CoQ) levels in patients studied under suspicion of mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromes (MDS) (n = 39). CoQ levels were quantified by HPLC, and the percentage of mtDNA depletion by quantitative real-time PCR. A high percentage of MDS patients presented with CoQ deficiency as compared to other mitochondrial patients (Mann–Whitney-U test: p = 0.001). Our findings suggest that MDS are frequently associated with CoQ deficiency, as a possible secondary consequence of disease pathophysiology. Assessment of muscle CoQ status seems advisable in MDS patients since the possibility of CoQ supplementation may then be considered as a candidate therapy.     

Fouling communities and degradation of archeological metals in the coastal sea of the Southwestern Gulf of Mexico

Corrosion and biofouling phenomena of cast iron and brass were evaluated under natural conditions to determine the degradation process of archeological artifacts. Field exposure studies of experimental materials were conducted over 15 months at an offshore position in the sea of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico. Corrosion was determined by gravimetric measurements. The community structure of the benthic assemblage inhabiting the surfaces of both materials was evaluated. A total of 53 species was identified. The community in both cases was composed of a small number of species. Encrusting, attached and erect life forms were dominant on iron. Attached life forms were dominant on brass. Biofouling produced a decrease in the weight loss measurements of cast iron samples. Biofouling provided a beneficial factor for in situ preservation of iron archeological artifacts in wreck sites.     

Heat Treatment and β-Carotene Incorporation Effect in the Interaction of β-Lactoglobulin and Carboxymethylcellulose System

Encapsulation technologies using proteins or polysaccharides can be employed with the purpose of solubilizing and protecting carotenoids. However, information on the role of protein and polysaccharide interactions is still slightly limited. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of β-carotene linked to protein β-lactoglobulin (BLG) in the interaction carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Firstly, BLG and CMC interaction was assessed by means of turbidity analysis. Based on the results of turbidity, the thermodynamic profile of BLG-CMC complexes at pH 4.0 was obtained using ITC analysis at 25 °C. Afterward, it was evaluated the effect of a thermal treatment applied to the BLG (68 °C for 50 min) in the interaction with CMC also using ITC and circular dichroism (CD). ITC and CD analysis showed that the heat treatment applied on BLG did not cause changes in molecular interactions. The binding isotherm of BLG-CMC complexes incorporated with β-carotene showed an increase in the molar ratio and a slight decrease in enthalpy of the system. Incorporation of β-carotene in the system did not significantly affect the BLG and CMC interaction, suggesting this system can be applied in food application as encapsulation.     

Automated Entire Thrombus Density Measurements for Robust and Comprehensive Thrombus Characterization in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose

In acute ischemic stroke (AIS) management, CT-based thrombus density has been associated with treatment success. However, currently used thrombus measurements are prone to inter-observer variability and oversimplify the heterogeneous thrombus composition. Our aim was first to introduce an automated method to assess the entire thrombus density and then to compare the measured entire thrombus density with respect to current standard manual measurements.

Materials and Method

In 135 AIS patients, the density distribution of the entire thrombus was determined. Density distributions were described using medians, interquartile ranges (IQR), kurtosis, and skewedness. Differences between the median of entire thrombus measurements and commonly applied manual measurements using 3 regions of interest were determined using linear regression.

Results

Density distributions varied considerably with medians ranging from 20.0 to 62.8 HU and IQRs ranging from 9.3 to 55.8 HU. The average median of the thrombus density distributions (43.5 ± 10.2 HU) was lower than the manual assessment (49.6 ± 8.0 HU) (p<0.05). The difference between manual measurements and median density of entire thrombus decreased with increasing density (r = 0.64; p<0.05), revealing relatively higher manual measurements for low density thrombi such that manual density measurement tend overestimates the real thrombus density.

Conclusions

Automatic measurements of the full thrombus expose a wide variety of thrombi density distribution, which is not grasped with currently used manual measurement. Furthermore, discrimination of low and high density thrombi is improved with the automated method.