Assessment of calcinosis in Portuguese patients with systemic sclerosis — a multicenter study

Clinical Rheumatology - The study aims to define the clinical and subclinical calcinosis prevalence, the sensitivity of radiographed site and clinical method for its diagnosis, and the phenotype of...     

Influence of temperature on the subcritical water extraction of Actinidia arguta leaves: A screening of pro-healthy compounds

Actinidia arguta is a species disseminated in Europe and classified by the Chinese Herbal Medicine as a medicinal plant. The fruit (kiwiberry) has been extensively exploited for multiple purposes, while leaves where discarded. The objective of this study was to evaluate the optimal Subcritical Water Extraction (SWE) temperature (110 °C - 160 °C) of antioxidants and polyphenols from A. arguta leaves. The optimal temperature of extraction was 123 °C, revealing the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents and good scavenging efficiencies against HOCl (IC₅₀ = 17.06 μg/mL) and O₂^●- (IC₅₀ = 335.2 μg/mL), without toxicity on intestinal cells. The phenolic profile was characterized by high amounts of phenolic acids (e.g., gallic acids), flavanols (catechin) and flavonols (e.g., quercetin-3-O-galactoside). This work allows to conclude that SWE can be a useful extraction technique for the recovery of polyphenolics from A. arguta leaves.     

Role of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) in COVID-19 and other viral pneumonias: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical studies

Inflammopharmacology - Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) has emerged as an important inflammatory marker of immune response associated with severity and mortality outcomes...     

Correlation between shaking behaviors and seizure severity in five animal models of convulsive seizures

Wet dog shakes (WDS) and head shakes (HS) are associated with experimentally induced convulsive seizures. We sought to determine whether these behaviors are correlated or not with major (status epilepticus (SE) or fully kindled animals) or minor (non-SE or partially kindled animals) seizure severity. WDS are directly correlated with SE induced by intracerebral star fruit extract (Averrhoa carambola) injection and with kindled animals in the amygdala fast kindling model. On the other hand, WDS are inversely correlated with SE induced by intracerebral bicuculline and pilocarpine injections. Systemic pilocarpine in animals pretreated with methyl-scopolamine barely induced WDS or HS. The role of shaking behaviors may vary from ictal to anticonvulsant depending on the experimental seizure model, circuitries involved, and stimulus intensity. The physical presence of acrylic helmets may per se inhibit the HS response. Also, methyl-scopolamine, a drug incapable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, can induce HS in animals without acrylic helmets.     

Comparisons of electromyographic activity of scapular muscles between elevation and lowering of the arms

The aim of this study was to compare the electromyographic (EMG) activity levels of the serratus anterior, upper, middle, and lower trapezius muscles between elevation and lowering of the arms with 10 healthy subjects. The EMGs of each muscle was quantified and normalized for the complete movement, as well as for the six different phases of each movement. Repeated measure ANOVAs were used to investigate main and interaction effects between movements/sides and sides/phases (alpha<0.05). Significant differences were found between the elevation and the lowering of the arms for all muscles (p相似文献   

Expression of a mutated phospholipase A2 in transgenic Aedes fluviatilis mosquitoes impacts Plasmodium gallinaceum development

The genetic manipulation of mosquito vectors is an alternative strategy in the fight against malaria. It was previously shown that bee venom phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) inhibits ookinete invasion of the mosquito midgut although mosquito fitness was reduced. To maintain the PLA₂ blocking ability without compromising mosquito biology, we mutated the protein-coding sequence to inactivate the enzyme while maintaining the protein's structure. DNA encoding the mutated PLA₂ (mPLA₂) was placed downstream of a mosquito midgut-specific promoter ( Anopheles gambiae peritrophin protein 1 promoter, AgPer1) and this construct used to transform Aedes fluviatilis mosquitoes. Four different transgenic lines were obtained and characterized and all lines significantly inhibited Plasmodium gallinaceum oocyst development (up to 68% fewer oocysts). No fitness cost was observed when this mosquito species expressed the mPLA₂.