ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The anti-Nucleolar Organizer Region 90 antibodies (NOR90) are rare antinuclear antibodies (ANA) reported in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Especially due to low prevalence, the clinical relevance of NOR90 in SSc remains uncertain. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the clinical associations of NOR90 in patients with SSc in a multicentric cohort. METHODS: Post-hoc, cross-sectional study of prospectively collected data from the European Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) database, with additional information on NOR90. Further, we performed a systematic literature search, using the terms "systemic sclerosis" and "NOR90" across three databases: Medline via PubMed, Scopus, and Thomson Reuters' Web of Science Core Collection, from inception to November 1st, 2023. RESULTS: Overall, 1318 patients with SSc were included (mean age 58.3 ± 13.7 years, 81.3 % female), of whom 44 (3.3 %) were positive for NOR90. Of these, 32 were also positive for one of the SSc-criteria antibodies: 9/44 (20.5 %) for anti-topoisomerase I, 18/42 (42.9 %) for anti-centromere, and 5/40 (12.5 %) for anti-RNA polymerase III. NOR90-positive patients were more frequently female, had lower modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS), and lower prevalence of upper and lower gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms compared to NOR90-negative patients. In multivariable analysis, NOR90 remained significantly associated with lower mRSS and less frequent GI symptoms. The literature search identified 17 articles, including a total number of 87 NOR90-positive out of 3357 SSc patients, corresponding to an overall prevalence of 2.6 %. CONCLUSION: To our best knowledge, this is the largest SSc cohort tested for NOR90 to date, confirming the NOR90 prevalence in SSc patients is around 3 %.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Antinuclear , Scleroderma, Systemic , Humans , Scleroderma, Systemic/immunology , Antibodies, Antinuclear/blood , Female , Middle Aged , Male , Aged , Cross-Sectional Studies , Adult , Europe , DNA Topoisomerases, Type I/immunology , Clinical RelevanceSubject(s)
Cervix Uteri , Pregnancy, Heterotopic , Humans , Female , Pregnancy , Adult , Pregnancy, Heterotopic/diagnostic imaging , Pregnancy, Heterotopic/diagnosis , Pregnancy, Heterotopic/surgery , Cervix Uteri/diagnostic imaging , Cervix Uteri/pathology , Ultrasonography, Prenatal , Pregnancy, Ectopic/diagnostic imagingABSTRACT
The WO3 and WO3:Pr3+ particles were successfully synthesized by the co-precipitation method. The XRD analysis with Rietveld refinement revealed the formation of a monoclinic phase for WO3 and for doped samples, this result was later confirmed by Raman spectroscopy studies. The presence of Pr3+ in the WO3 crystalline lattice induced structural and optical changes in the particles, increasing the crystallite size, distorting the clusters (shortening of the W-O bonds), favoring the crystallinity and changing the optical gap. The predominant morphology of the particles of WO3 and WO3:Pr3+ obtained was nanocubes constituted by the superposition of plates of nanometric thicknesses. The photoluminescence of WO3 and WO3:Pr3+ was produced by the existence of surface defects in the particles. The increase in the concentration of Pr3+ promoted an increase in the intensity of PL, due to the increase in the rate of recombination of electron/hole charges. The WO3 sample exhibited emission in the white region due to the adjustment of simultaneous electronic transitions in the blue, green and red regions, characteristic of the broadband spectrum. The interval of the 2.65 eV gap band and the high efficiency in the separation of the photogenerated charges (e-/h+) with the low recombination rate contributed to the photocatalytic degradation of Crystal Violet (CV) by the catalyst. The WO3:4% Pr3+ sample showed the best photocatalytic efficiency, degrading 73% of the CV dye in 80 minutes. This result was associated with a reduction in particle size and density of oxygen vacancies on the material surface.
ABSTRACT
Correction for 'Synthesis and evaluation of photocatalytic and photoluminescent properties of Zn2+-doped Bi2WO6' by L. X. Lovisa, et al., Dalton Trans., 2022, https://doi.org/10.1039/d2dt03175b.
ABSTRACT
This study consists of the synthesis of zinc-doped Bi2WO6 obtained by the sonochemical method. The XRD results indicated that the samples showed an orthorhombic phase with the P21ab space group without the presence of secondary phases, demonstrating success in the doping process. The results of the photocatalytic tests under the photodegradation of methylene blue showed better performance for the pure sample with 80% degradation during 2 hours of exposure to radiation. The high rate of photogenerated charges accompanied by the low recombination rate of the pairs and e-/h+ were responsible for forming hydroxyl radicals, the predominant oxidative agent of the mechanism. The increase in Zn2+ concentration in the Bi2WO6 matrix promoted inhibition of the photocatalytic properties by the appearance of oxygen vacancies that acted as a charge recombination center. In contrast, photoluminescence was improved by doping with Zn2+. The Bi2WO6:8% Zn2+ sample showed the highest PL intensity. The characteristics of the emitted colors are modulated from the emission spectra and are quantified in terms of the photometric parameters: chromaticity coordinates (x, y), color reproduction index (CRI), luminous radiation efficiency (LER), and purity of color (%) of samples. The adjustment in the colors is promoted as a function of the increase in the Zn2+ concentration observing the transition from: yellow â orange â green. PL is favored by the effect of the dopant (Zn2+) in the matrix, which allows Bi2WO6:Zn2+ to be considered a promising candidate for applications in optical devices. In addition, Bi2WO6 constitutes a high performance photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue.
ABSTRACT
This study presents indium-doped calcium tungstate for the first time. The photocatalytic and photoluminescent properties of pure and In3+ doped samples were investigated. All pure and indium-doped calcium tungstate particles were synthesized for 30 minutes by two different methods: the sonochemical method (SM) and the microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. The nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission gun-scanning electron microscopy (SEM-FEG), UV-Visible spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method, and zeta potential analysis. The diffractogram results confirmed the formation of scheelite crystalline structures without forming deleterious phases. The SEM-FEG images show the powder with irregular morphology and agglomerated as rods and kibes. For both methods, samples with 8% In3+ ions showed lower PL intensities with maximum peaks at 479 and 483 nm, suggesting lower e-/h+ pair recombination, which led these samples to present better photocatalytic performance. The photocatalytic activity was estimated from the degradation of the methylene blue (MB) dye under UV light and the sample stability was tested in 3 reuse cycles. The scavenger methodology indicated that h+ is the most active mechanism in the photocatalysis process. The degradation of the dye mixture (MB, MO, and RhB dyes) was also performed.
ABSTRACT
The prevalence of osteoporosis is about three times greater in people living with HIV than in the general population. Bisphosphonates are the only class of antiresorptive drugs which have proved to be safe and effective in HIV patients. However, bisphosphonates are not recommended in women of childbearing age due to an increased rate of associated neonatal complications. To the best of our knowledge no reports on the use of denosumab in HIV-infected individuals have been published so far. We describe a 38 year-old woman with HIV, osteoporosis and vertebral fractures treated with denosumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting RANKL. After four years of treatment, bone mineral density improved, no new fractures occurred, and neither HIV reactivation nor opportunistic infections were observed. We show that denosumab could be a safe and effective approach for osteoporosis in patients with HIV and could be considered in women of childbearing age.
Subject(s)
Bone Density Conservation Agents , HIV Infections , Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal , Osteoporosis , Adult , Bone Density Conservation Agents/therapeutic use , Denosumab/therapeutic use , Female , HIV Infections/complications , HIV Infections/drug therapy , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Osteoporosis/drug therapyABSTRACT
Replacing a single tooth in the anterior maxilla is one of the greatest challenges in dentistry. Both functional and aesthetic results are to be strictly pursued. Planning and executing such a case through a totally digital methodology eventually guarantee many advantages, above all patient's operative and postoperative comfort. To ascertain this, a BOP analysis was performed which allowed us to evaluate soft tissues health, and more; crestal bone resorption was measured to evaluate hard tissues stability. This assumption was studied through four cases in which patients were alternatively treated with analogic and digital techniques. Four homogeneous patients were recruited. They all needed to extract one of the upper incisors, due to different clinical reasons, and then to replace it with an implant. Each patient was treated with an immediate postextractive implant which was immediately loaded, and finally, analogical and digital techniques were compared. All patients underwent a preoperative CBCT examination. After surgery, patients were checked by the surgeon after 10 days and one month to evaluate the progress of healing and to exclude any prosthetic problem. At 6 months (T1), one year (T2), and three years (T3), intraoral x-rays were performed using customized centring devices, according to the parallel beam technique. All data have been collected in a table and statistically processed; mean and standard deviation were measured. All patients entered an oral hygiene program with six months recall. Dental hygienist checked the BOP at T1, T2, and T3. At every step, similar levels of BOP were recorded. About interproximal bone loss, all patients showed an initial moderate loss (between T1 and T2), followed by stable values between T2 and T3. Despite the important limitations of a study with few cases, these results show a similar outcome comparing digital and analogical methods.
Subject(s)
Crowns , Dental Implants, Single-Tooth , Immediate Dental Implant Loading/methods , Adult , Alveolar Bone Loss/diagnostic imaging , Alveolar Bone Loss/rehabilitation , Esthetics, Dental , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Incisor/diagnostic imaging , Incisor/pathology , Incisor/surgery , Maxilla/surgery , Tooth Extraction , Tooth Socket/diagnostic imaging , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
In this work PbMoO4 and Pb1-2xCaxSrxMoO4 (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5) solid solutions have been successfully prepared, for the first time, by a simple co-precipitation method and the as-synthesized samples were subjected to a water-based reflux treatment. Structural characterization of these samples was performed using X-ray diffraction with Rietveld refinement analysis and Raman spectroscopy. Their optical properties were investigated by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and PL emissions, and the photocatalytic activity of the as-synthesized samples for the degradation process of Rhodamine B has been demonstrated. The surface structure and morphologies were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy. To complement and rationalize the experimental results, the geometry, electronic structures, and morphologies of as-synthesized samples were characterized by first-principles quantum-mechanical calculations at the density functional theory level. By using Wulff construction, based on the values of the surface energies for the (001), (100), (110), (111), (011) and (112) surfaces, a complete map of the available morphologies for PbMoO4 was obtained and a good agreement between the experimental and theoretical predicted morphologies was found. The structural and electronic changes induced by the substitution of Pb by Ca and Sr allow us to find a relationship among morphology, the electron-transfer process at the exposed surfaces, optical properties, and photocatalytic activity. We believe that our results offer new insights regarding the local coordination of superficial Pb/Ca/Sr and Mo cations (i.e., clusters) on each exposed surface of the corresponding morphology, which dictate the photocatalytic activities of the as-synthesized samples, a field that has so far remained unexplored. The present study, which combines multiple experimental methods and first-principles calculations, provides a deep understanding of the local structures, bonding, morphologies, band gaps, and electronic and optical properties, and opens the door to exploit the electrical, optical and photocatalytic activity of this very promising family of materials.
ABSTRACT
In the present work, Sr0.9-x-y-zCa0.1In2O4:(xEu3+, yTm3+, zTb3+) particles were synthesized by the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) method to obtain a single-phase white phosphorus formed by six different cations in solution within the lattice (superstructure). The samples were also structurally and morphologically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques and by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The photoluminescent behavior and the characteristics of the emitted colors were studied by the variation in the co-doping of the rare earth elements. The Sr0.9Ca0.1In2O4 sample showed a near blue color emission, but all co-doped samples showed emission in white with very close chromaticity coordinates to the standard white (xâ¯=â¯0.33 and yâ¯=â¯0.33). The Tm3+â¯ââ¯Tb3+ (ET1), Tm3+â¯ââ¯Eu3+ (ET2) and Tb3+â¯ââ¯Eu3+ (ET3) Energy Transfers were proposed and are considered necessary for adjusting and controlling the desired color properties.
ABSTRACT
Perineurioma is a relatively rare benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor composed of cells resembling to normal perineurium. Although this tumor may arise in the context of a nerve (intraneural perineurioma), extraneural perineurioma does occur, frequently involving the soft tissues of the lower and upper extremities, trunk and head and neck. Rarely it has also been reported in visceral organs, including gastrointestinal tract. We herein describe the clinicopathologic features of a rare case of a perineurioma presenting as a polypoid lesion of the sigmoid colon, emphasizing the pathologic diagnostic clues.
Subject(s)
Nerve Sheath Neoplasms/pathology , Sigmoid Neoplasms/pathology , Adult , Biomarkers, Tumor/analysis , Biopsy , Colectomy , Colonoscopy , Female , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Nerve Sheath Neoplasms/chemistry , Nerve Sheath Neoplasms/surgery , Sigmoid Neoplasms/chemistry , Sigmoid Neoplasms/surgeryABSTRACT
Solitary metastasis of malignant melanoma (MM) to the gallbladder (GB) is rare and generally originates from skin melanoma. MM is a neoplasm with an often unpredictable course and metastases can potentially affecting all organs. The occurrence of metastasis in the GB is unusual and has only been exceptionally reported in the literature. We describe a case of an 86-year-old man with an isolated MM metastasis located within the GB presenting with symptoms mimicking acute cholecystitis. Anamnestically, he presented a history of malignant melanoma (Clark level III) resected from his left leg 17 years ago. Furthermore we provide a review of the literature with a focus on diagnostic clues to distinguish between primary versus secondary GB MMs and on the best surgical management that should be used.
Subject(s)
Gallbladder Neoplasms/diagnosis , Melanoma/diagnosis , Skin Neoplasms/pathology , Aged, 80 and over , Cholecystectomy , Gallbladder/pathology , Gallbladder/surgery , Gallbladder Neoplasms/secondary , Gallbladder Neoplasms/surgery , Humans , Leg , Male , Melanoma/secondary , Melanoma/surgery , Neoplasm Metastasis , Skin Neoplasms/surgery , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Calcifying aponeurotic fibroma (CAF) is a very rare tumor of the extremities, which can be difficult to diagnose due to its wide cyto-architectural pattern. We herein report the clinicopathologic features of a case of CAF localized on the dorsal face of the foot in a 5-year-old male child, diagnosed by needle core biopsy. Differential diagnostic problems are discussed. The present case emphasizes that the diagnosis of CAF can be confidentially rendered on core needle biopsy if the main morphological components of this tumor are concurrently present; however, before making the diagnosis of CAF, the clinical and radiological context should be considered.
Subject(s)
Fibroma, Ossifying/diagnosis , Soft Tissue Neoplasms/diagnosis , Biopsy, Large-Core Needle , Child, Preschool , Fibroma, Ossifying/pathology , Foot/pathology , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Male , Soft Tissue Neoplasms/pathologyABSTRACT
WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Antifungal prophylaxis is an option to reduce the incidence of invasive fungal infection (IFI) in haematological patients. To date, no network meta-analysis (NMA) of high-quality evidence (double-blind randomized controlled trials) has been performed on this subject. This systematic review and NMA aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of different antifungal agents used for prophylaxis of IFI in patients with haematological disorders. METHODS: A systematic review was performed according to PRISMA and Cochrane recommendations. The search for articles was conducted on PubMed, Scopus and the Web of Science. We searched for double-blind randomized clinical trials comparing antifungal agents for IFI prophylaxis head-to-head vs placebo in patients with any blood cancer. Network meta-analyses were conducted using Addis version 1.16.6. Evaluation of the quality of included RCTs was also performed. RESULTS: Twenty-five trials were included in the qualitative and quantitative analyses. Posaconazole stood out as the best IFI prophylaxis option and for avoiding IFI-related mortality. For the incidence of candidiasis outcome, the azoles were superior to placebo. Voriconazole and posaconazole were, respectively, the first and second best options. For the incidence of aspergillosis outcome, the probability rank suggested that voriconazole followed by liposomal amphotericin B is, possibly, the best choice. The quality of studies was considered good, with a mean Jadad score of 4.0. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: The results of our work support prophylaxis with antifungal agents as reducing the risk of IFI in haematological patients. Overall, the second-generation azoles were found to be the best option for preventing IFI in this population.
Subject(s)
Antifungal Agents/therapeutic use , Hematologic Diseases/complications , Invasive Fungal Infections/prevention & control , Antifungal Agents/adverse effects , Aspergillosis/etiology , Aspergillosis/prevention & control , Candidiasis/etiology , Candidiasis/prevention & control , Humans , Invasive Fungal Infections/etiology , Primary Prevention/methods , Randomized Controlled Trials as TopicABSTRACT
Humic acids (HAs) are macromolecules of undefined compositions that vary with origin, the process by which they are obtained and functional groups present in their structure, such as quinones, phenols, and carboxylic acids. In addition to agriculture, there is an increased interest in HAs due to their important pharmacological effects. However, HAs are not readily soluble in water at physiological pH, which may limit their bioavailability. Although primary aggregation forms non-uniform pseudo-micelles, the presence of ionisable groups in the HA molecule makes pH an environmental stimulus for controlled aggregation and precipitation. The aim of this work was to induce HA deprotonation and protonation, without compromising their colloidal dispersion, by means of pH changes as a strategy to produce nanoparticles. Deprotonation and protonation were achieved by treating HAs with sodium hydroxide and acetic acid, respectively, at various concentrations. Non pH-treated HAs at the same concentrations were used as control. The evolution of the treatments was monitored by pH changes in bulk solutions as a function of time. At equilibrium, the conformation of the colloidal structures was characterised by the predominant mean diameter, polydispersity index and absorbance of the solutions. The zeta potential was also measured in protonation assays. Moreover, the fungicidal activity of the nanoparticles was evaluated on the mycelial growth of three fungal genera. The results showed the pH decrease or increment as a function of the balance between hydroxyl and carboxyl groups and of the diffusion rate inside the structures. Deprotonation followed by protonation produced nanosized (100-200nm), electrostatically stable (-30mV) and pH-responsive particles with a polydispersity index <0.5. The protonated nanoparticles significantly inhibited (P≤0.05) the mycelial growth of Candida albicans in vitro, when compared with control, and the fungicidal activity was dose-dependent. No activity was observed for the deprotonated HAs nanoparticles. These results show that deprotonation followed by protonation is an easy and useful strategy for the controlled production of HA nanoparticles, which exhibit a tendency to elicit fungicidal effects, with potential to develop new classes of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Subject(s)
Antifungal Agents/chemistry , Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Humic Substances/analysis , Biotechnology , Candida albicans/drug effects , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry , Humans , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Microscopy, Electron, Scanning , Nanoparticles/chemistry , Nanoparticles/ultrastructure , Protons , Scopulariopsis/drug effects , Trichophyton/drug effectsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the shear bond strength of veneering feldspathic porcelain to zirconia substrates modified by CNC-milling process or by coating zirconia with a composite interlayer. METHODS: Four types of zirconia-porcelain interface configurations were tested: RZ - porcelain bonded to rough zirconia substrate (n=16); PZ - porcelain bonded to zirconia substrate with surface holes (n=16); RZI - application of a composite interlayer between the veneering porcelain and the rough zirconia substrate (n=16); PZI - application of a composite interlayer between the porcelain and the zirconia substrate treated by CNC-milling (n=16). The composite interlayer was composed of zirconia particles reinforced porcelain (30%, vol%). The mechanical properties of the ceramic composite have been determined. The shear bond strength test was performed at 0.5mm/min using a universal testing machine. The interfaces of fractured and untested specimens were examined by FEG-SEM/EDS. Data was analyzed with Shapiro-Wilk test to test the assumption of normality. The one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey HSD multiple comparison test was used to compare shear bond strength results (α=0.05). RESULTS: The shear bond strength of PZ (100±15MPa) and RZI (96±11MPa) specimens were higher than that recorded for RZ (control group) specimens (89±15MPa), although not significantly (p>0.05). The highest shear bond strength values were recorded for PZI specimens (138±19MPa), yielding a significant improvement of 55% relative to RZ specimens (p<0.05). SIGNIFICANCE: This study shows that it is possible to highly enhance the zirconia-porcelain bond strength - even by ~55% - by combining surface holes in zirconia frameworks and the application of a proper ceramic composite interlayer.
Subject(s)
Dental Porcelain , Dental Veneers , Zirconium , Dental Bonding , Dental Stress Analysis , Humans , Materials Testing , Shear Strength , Surface PropertiesABSTRACT
Chemokines are low-molecular weight proteins that play a key role in inflammatory processes. Genomic variations in chemokine receptors are associated with the susceptibility to various diseases. Polymorphisms in chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5)-Δ32 and CCR2-V64I are related to human immunodeficiency virus infection resistance, which has led to genetic association studies for several other diseases. Given the heterogeneous distribution of these polymorphisms in different global populations and within Brazilian populations, we analyzed the prevalence of CCR5-Δ32 and CCR2-V64I polymorphisms in a mixed population from northeastern Brazil. The study included 223 individuals from the general population of the city of Parnaíba, Piauí, who had a mean age of 73 years. Of these individuals, 37.2% were men and 62.8% were women. Polymorphisms were analyzed using DNA extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes by using polymerase chain reaction alone (CCR5-Δ32) or accompanied by restriction endonuclease digestion (CCR2-V64I). In both cases, the genotypes were determined using 8% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver nitrate staining. The population conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for both the loci studied. No individuals were homozygous for allele-Δ32, which was present in 1.8% of the population, whereas allele-64I was present in 13.9% of the participants studied; 74.9% were homozygous for the wild-type allele, while 22.4 and 2.7% were heterozygous and homozygous for the mutant allele, respectively. Additional studies are needed to investigate the relationship between these polymorphisms and disease etiopathogenesis in reference populations.
Subject(s)
Gene Frequency , Genetics, Population , Polymorphism, Genetic , Receptors, CCR2/genetics , Receptors, CCR5/genetics , Aged , Alleles , American Indian or Alaska Native , Black People , Brazil , Female , Gene Expression/immunology , Genotype , Heterozygote , Homozygote , Humans , Male , Receptors, CCR2/immunology , Receptors, CCR5/immunology , White PeopleABSTRACT
Previous studies have revealed a genetic component, including genetic polymorphisms in the serotonergic pathway, particularly in the serotonin receptor gene (5-HT2A). The aim of this study was to investigate associations of the T102C (rs6313) and A-1438G (rs6311) polymorphisms with tobacco use in a population from northeastern Brazil. We evaluated these polymorphisms in 135 nonsmokers and 135 smokers using polymerase chain reaction-restricted fragment length polymorphism. The distribution of allele and genotype frequencies and associations of polymorphisms with smoking were assessed with the chi-squared (χ(2)) test, the Fisher exact test, and odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). There were no differences in the distribution of genotype and allele frequencies between nonsmokers and smokers for A-1438G (P = 0.80) and T102C (P = 0.35). However, these polymorphisms were significantly associated with habit frequency (A/G: P = 0.02, OR = 6.87, 95%CI = 1.23-38.31, P = 0.04; A/G+G/G: P = 0.04, OR = 3.67, 95%CI = 1.06-12.75, P = 0.07), age of onset (C/C: P = 0.02, OR = 3.26, 95%CI = 1.17-9.07, P = 0.03, and nicotine dependence level (A/G: P = 0.02, OR = 3.28, 95%CI = 1.17-9.18, P = 0.04; A/G+G/G: P = 0.04, OR = 2.81, 95%CI = 1.13-6.99, P = 0.04; T/C: P = 0.03, OR = 3.12, 95%CI = 1.13-8.57, P = 0.04; T/C+C/C: P = 0.02, OR = 3.06, 95%CI = 1.22-7.70, P = 0.02). Therefore, these polymorphisms may not contribute significantly to smoking initiation, they do appear to be associated with habit maintenance.
Subject(s)
Genetic Association Studies , Polymorphism, Genetic , Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A/genetics , Smoking/genetics , Adult , Aged , Alleles , Brazil , Case-Control Studies , Female , Gene Frequency , Genotype , Haplotypes , Humans , Linkage Disequilibrium , Male , Middle Aged , Odds Ratio , Polymorphism, Single NucleotideABSTRACT
Approximately 200 million people suffer from type 2 diabetes (T2D) worldwide, and the rapid increase in the prevalence of this disease is likely a result of multiple environmental factors, such as increased food intake and decreased physical activity in genetically predisposed individuals. Different population studies have demonstrated a strong association of two polymorphic variations in the TCF7L2 gene, the noncoding single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs7903146 (C/T) and rs12255372 (G/T), with T2D. Herein, we analyzed the association of these SNPs with T2D in a population from northeastern Brazil. Our results showed that the genotype and allele frequencies in TCF7L2 rs7903146 and rs12255372 were similar in the patient and control groups (P > 0.05). In addition, the allele frequencies were not significantly associated with T2D risk [rs7903146: odds ratio (OR) = 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.52-1.76, P = 1.00, and rs12255372: OR = 1.38, 95%CI = 0.72-2.62, P = 0.41]. These data suggest that the TCF7L2 SNPs rs7903146 and rs12255372 may not significantly contribute to T2D susceptibility in this population. However, our results may reflect the small number of subjects. Alternatively, these results may be attributable to specific ethnic effects, as most of the previously reported associations were demonstrated with predominantly European populations. To reach a definitive conclusion on the role of such gene variants for T2D in mixed populations, additional efforts are necessary to replicate this study with larger populations from areas with more ethnic heterogeneity.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/genetics , Polymorphism, Genetic , Transcription Factor 7-Like 2 Protein/genetics , Base Sequence , Brazil , DNA Primers , Humans , Polymerase Chain ReactionABSTRACT
The aim of this work was to study oxygen transfer as a function of the initial moisture content in solid-state cultivation under controlled moisture conditions. The use of controlled moisture conditions prevents drastic changes in the medium during cultivation, allowing the use of a pseudo-steady-state model to estimate the overall oxygen mass transfer coefficient (K L a) in the biofilm around the solid particles. Drechslera (Helminthosporium) monoceras, an aerobic mold that produces allergenic proteins, was cultured on wheat bran in a packed bed column bioreactor. The bed height (30 mm) and air flow rate (0.4 L/min) were selected to implement moisture control. The results show that there is an optimal moisture content (35 %) at which a lower biofilm thickness and packing of the bed improves K L a. However, a higher biomass growth was obtained at 45 % moisture. The different patterns of biomass growth demonstrate the importance of the balance between aerial and film growth in solid-state cultivation. These results contribute to the understanding of oxygen transfer in solid fermentation, optimization of processes, and production of allergen extracts from D. (Helminthosporium) monoceras biomass.