Chia (Salvia hispanica)-supplemented diet ameliorates non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and its metabolic abnormalities in humans.

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a public health problem lacking an approved pharmacological treatment. Omega-3 fatty acids have shown to reverse NAFLD. Chia is a seed rich in α-linolenic acid (ALA), antioxidants, and fiber; therefore, it could be useful to treat NAFLD. METHODS: In a single arm experimental design study, the effect of 25 g/day of milled chia was assessed in 25 patients with NAFLD. After two weeks of dietary stabilization (basal condition) and eight weeks of a chia-supplemented isocaloric diet, liver:spleen attenuation index and visceral abdominal fat (VAF) were measured by computed tomography. Lipids, lipoproteins, free fatty acids (FFA), and ALA plasma concentrations were also determined. RESULTS: Dietary chia supplementation induced an increase in plasma ALA concentration (75%) and dietary fiber (55%) consumption. After chia supplementation, VAF (9%), body weight (1.4%), total cholesterol (2.5%), non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (3.2%), and circulating FFA (8%) decreased. Furthermore, NAFLD regressed in 52% of the treated patients (P < 0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study show that 25 g/day of milled chia ameliorates NAFLD. Chia is an accessible vegetal source of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and fiber, which could have the potential to prevent metabolic abnormalities in NAFLD patients. Considering that there is no pharmacological treatment approved for NAFLD, the findings of the present study suggest that a chia-supplemented diet could be an innovative alternative to control this disease. RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED: https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT03942822.

Reconfigurable Skyrmion-Based Logic Gates: Versatile Design and Full-Scale Implementation.

Herein, we investigate the behavior of skyrmions within a racetrack design incorporating voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA) gates. Our analysis encompassed multiple forces, including spin currents and anisotropy gradients induced by bias voltages. As a result, the efficient control of skyrmion dynamics was achieved across various VCMA gate configurations. Building upon these findings, we propose an efficient approach to reconfigurable skyrmion logic (RSL) in a thin antiferromagnetic (AFM) film through a versatile design. Our RSL harnesses the selective integration of VCMA, spin-polarized currents, and skyrmion-skyrmion (sky-sky) interactions to implement multiple logic gates, including AND, OR, XOR, NOT, NAND, XNOR, and NOR. The design brings a significant advantage with its simplified fabrication process, making the implementation of the RSL practical and accessible for various applications. Furthermore, the RSL enables seamless dynamic switching between logic gates, thereby enhancing its multifunctionality. Additionally, the strategic incorporation of sky-sky interactions and skyrmion-edge repulsion prominently facilitates the realization of complex gates, such as NAND, XNOR, and NOR gates, that typically require intricate design efforts. Hence, this streamlined integration of RSL, coupled with its adaptability to changing computational needs, underscores its potential as a practical solution for implementing high-functionality skyrmion-based logic gates.

Nucleation and manipulation of single skyrmions using spin-polarized currents in antiferromagnetic skyrmion-based racetrack memories.

In this work, an ultrafast nucleation of an isolated anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) skyrmion was reported in an AFM layer with DMi strengths of 0.47[Formula: see text]0.32 [Formula: see text] using spin-transfer torque by locally injecting pure spin currents into magnetic tracks. Besides, we revealed the key advantages of AFM skyrmion-based racetrack memories by comparing the motion of AFM and FM skyrmions driven by spin-orbit torques (SOTs) for different skyrmion sizes along racetrack memories with various notch sizes. Our results indicate that for AFM skyrmion, the skyrmion Hall effect does not exist during the skyrmion motion, therefore at small skyrmion sizes, we succeeded to overcome the repulsive forces developed in the notch area for low and large SOTs. The obtained findings were carefully analyzed by computing the variation of energy barriers associated with the notch for different skyrmion sizes using minimum energy path (MEP) calculations. We showed that the larger the skyrmion size, the harder it is to shrink the skyrmion in the notch which produces a high energy barrier (Eb) for large skyrmion sizes. Moreover, as the notch size increases, the skyrmion size shrinks further, and hence Eb increases proportionally. Nevertheless, we proved that AFM skyrmions are more efficient and flexible than FM skyrmions against boundary forces.

Magnetic properties of six-legged spin-1 nanotube in presence of a longitudinal applied field.

In this paper, we investigate the magnetic behavior of a single-walled hexagonal spin-1 Ising nanotube by using the effective field theory (EFT) with correlations and the differential operator technique (DOT). The system consists of six long legs distributed parallel to each other on a hexagonal basis. Within each chain, spin sites are regularly  positioned and magnetically coupled through a J// exchange interaction along the chains and J⊥ between adjacent chains. Key equations of magnetization, susceptibility and critical temperatures are established, numerically resolved and carefully analyzed for some selected exchange couplings and various applied magnetic fields. In addition to the phase diagram, interesting phenomena are  noted, particularly for opposite exchange interactions where magnetization plateaus and frustration are discovered.

Entamoeba histolytica: oxygen resistance and virulence.

Entamoeba histolytica virulence has been attributed to several amoebic molecules such as adhesins, amoebapores and cysteine proteinases, but supporting evidence is either partial or indirect. In this work we compared several in vitro and in vivo features of both virulent E. histolytica (vEh) and non-virulent E. histolytica (nvEh) axenic HM-1 IMSS strains, such as complement resistance, proteinase activity, haemolytic, phagocytic and cytotoxic capacities, survival in mice caecum, and susceptibility to O(2). The only difference observed was a higher in vitro susceptibility of nvEh to O(2). The molecular mechanism of that difference was analyzed in both groups of amoebae after high O(2) exposure. vEh O(2) resistance correlated with: (i) higher O(2) reduction (O(2)(-) and H(2)O(2) production); (ii) increased H(2)O(2) resistance and thiol peroxidase activity, and (iii) reversible pyruvate: ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR) inhibition. Despite the high level of carbonylated proteins in nvEh after O(2) exposure, membrane oxidation by reactive oxygen species was not observed. These results suggest that the virulent phenotype of E. histolytica is related to the greater ability to reduce O(2) and H(2)O(2) as well as PFOR reactivation, whereas nvEh undergoes irreversible PFOR inhibition resulting in metabolic failure and amoebic death.