Lipid packing is disrupted in copolymeric nanodiscs compared with intact membranes.

Discoidal lipid-protein nanoparticles known as nanodiscs are widely used tools in structural and membrane biology. Amphipathic, synthetic copolymers have recently become an attractive alternative to membrane scaffold proteins for the formation of nanodiscs. Such copolymers can directly intercalate into, and form nanodiscs from, intact membranes without detergents. Although these copolymer nanodiscs can extract native membrane lipids, it remains unclear whether native membrane properties are also retained. To determine the extent to which bilayer lipid packing is retained in nanodiscs, we measured the behavior of packing-sensitive fluorescent dyes in various nanodisc preparations compared with intact lipid bilayers. We analyzed styrene-maleic acid (SMA), diisobutylene-maleic acid (DIBMA), and polymethacrylate (PMA) as nanodisc scaffolds at various copolymer-to-lipid ratios and temperatures. Measurements of Laurdan spectral shifts revealed that dimyristoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) nanodiscs had increased lipid headgroup packing compared with large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) above the lipid melting temperature for all three copolymers. Similar effects were observed for DMPC nanodiscs stabilized by membrane scaffolding protein MSP1E1. Increased lipid headgroup packing was also observed when comparing nanodiscs with intact membranes composed of binary mixtures of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphocholine (POPC) and di-palmitoyl-phosphocholine (DPPC), which show fluid-gel-phase coexistence. Similarly, Laurdan reported increased headgroup packing in nanodiscs for biomimetic mixtures containing cholesterol, most notable for relatively disordered membranes. The magnitudes of these ordering effects were not identical for the various copolymers, with SMA being the most and DIBMA being the least perturbing. Finally, nanodiscs derived from mammalian cell membranes showed similarly increased lipid headgroup packing. We conclude that nanodiscs generally do not completely retain the physical properties of intact membranes.

Risk factors for healthcare-associated infections in newborns after surgery in a neonatal intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND: Health care-associated infections (HAIs) are a common cause of morbidity and mortality. There is little information on the risk factors associated with HAI in surgical newborns. OBJECTIVE: To identify the risk factors associated with healthcare-associated infections in surgical newborns. METHODS: Nested case-control study carried out during 2016-2017. Cases were newborns with healthcare-associated infections and controls were newborns without infection. Perinatal characteristics, use of antimicrobial prophylaxis, use of central venous catheter (CVC), mechanical ventilation, parenteral nutrition, age, and weight at the time of surgery, type of surgery, surgical wound classification, duration of surgery, number of surgical procedures, postsurgical HAIs and type of infection were registered. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: Seventy-one cases and 142 controls were included. The most frequent HAI was bloodstream infection (36.6%); the main microorganisms isolated in blood cultures were gram-positive cocci. Independent risk factors associated with HAIs in the multivariate analysis were CVC duration > 8 days (aOR = 17.2, 95% CI = 3.8-49.1), ≥ 2 surgeries (aOR = 16.5, 95% CI 5.8 -42.1) and abdominal surgery (aOR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.2-6.6). CONCLUSION: Newborns undergoing surgery, mainly those with risk factors, require close monitoring during the postoperative period. CVC should be withdrawn as soon as possible.

ANTECEDENTES: Las infecciones asociadas a la atención de la salud (IAAS) son causa frecuente de morbilidad y mortalidad. OBJETIVO: Identificar los factores de riesgo para el desarrollo de IAAS en recién nacidos (RN) sometidos a cirugía. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Estudio de casos y controles anidado en una cohorte. Los casos fueron RN sometidos a cirugía, con IAAS y los controles, RN sometidos a cirugía sin IAAS. Se registraron datos perinatales, uso de profilaxis antimicrobiana, de catéter venoso central (CVC), ventilación mecánica, nutrición parenteral y sondas; edad y peso al momento de la cirugía, tipo de cirugía, clasificación de la herida quirúrgica, duración de la cirugía, número de procedimientos quirúrgicos y tipo de infección. Se realizó análisis univariado y multivariado. RESULTADOS: Se incluyeron 71 casos y 142 controles. Las IAAS más frecuentes fueron las infecciones sanguíneas (36.6 %); los principales microorganismos aislados en hemocultivos fueron cocos grampositivos. Los factores de riesgo asociados a IAAS en el análisis multivariado fueron duración del CVC > 8 días (RMa = 17.2), ≥ 2 intervenciones quirúrgicas (RMa = 16.5) y cirugía abdominal (RMa = 2.6). CONCLUSIONES: Los RN sometidos a cirugía, principalmente aquellos con factores de riesgo, requieren vigilancia estrecha durante el posoperatorio. El CVC debe ser retirado tan pronto sea posible.

Brain anatomopathological findings in neonates with congenital heart disease.

INTRODUCTION: Neonates with congenital heart disease can develop neurological problems, which is why it is important to know the time and extent at which these lesions occur in order to elucidate their causes and implications. OBJECTIVE: To describe brain morphological alterations in autopsies of neonates with congenital heart disease. METHODS: The cases of neonates with congenital heart disease and complete autopsy registered in the pathology department from 2009 to 2019 were included. Descriptive statistics were used with the calculation of frequencies and percentages. RESULTS: Of a total of 21 patients, 61.9% were full-term males; median weight and age at admission were 2500 g and five days, respectively; mean hospital stay was seven days. The predominant heart disease was aortic arch pathology. Fifteen patients (71.3%) underwent surgery; 50% died of cardiogenic shock, 100% had hypoxic-ischemic brain lesions, 71% had incipient lesions, and 33.3%, parenchymal hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: There are various risk factors for neurological damage in patients with complex congenital heart disease, which is impossible to be entirely controlled. This study allows us to know, for the first time in our milieu, the changes in the central nervous system that could exist in these patients.

INTRODUCCIÓN: Los neonatos con cardiopatía congénita pueden desarrollar problemas neurológicos, por lo que es importante conocer el momento en el que ocurren dichas lesiones y su extensión, para dilucidar sus causas e implicaciones. OBJETIVO: Describir las alteraciones morfológicas cerebrales en autopsias de neonatos con cardiopatía congénita. MÉTODOS: Se incluyeron los casos de neonatos con cardiopatía congénita y autopsia completa registrados en un servicio de patología, de 2009 a 2019. Se utilizó estadística descriptiva con el cálculo de frecuencias y porcentajes. RESULTADOS: De 21 pacientes, 61.9 % fue a término del sexo masculino; las medianas del peso y edad al ingreso fueron 2500 g y cinco días, respectivamente; la media de la estancia hospitalaria fue siete días. La cardiopatía predominante fue la patología de arco aórtico. Quince pacientes (71.3 %) fueron sometidos a cirugía; 50 % falleció por choque cardiogénico, 100 % presentó lesiones hipóxico-isquémicas cerebrales; 71 %, lesiones incipientes; 33.3 %, hemorragia parenquimatosa. CONCLUSIONES: Existen diversos factores de riesgo para daño neurológico en los pacientes con cardiopatía congénita compleja, los cuales es imposible controlar en su totalidad. Este estudio permite conocer, por primera vez en nuestro medio, los cambios en el sistema nervioso central que podrían existir en estos pacientes.

Enzymatic Production, Bioactivity, and Bitterness of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) Peptides.

Chickpeas are inexpensive, protein rich (approximately 20% dry mass) pulses available worldwide whose consumption has been correlated with positive health outcomes. Dietary peptides are important molecules derived from dietary proteins, but a comprehensive analysis of the peptides that can be produced from chickpea proteins is missing in the literature. This review provides information from the past 20 years on the enzymatic production of peptides from chickpea proteins, the reported bioactivities of chickpea protein hydrolysates and peptides, and the potential bitterness of chickpea peptides in food products. Chickpea peptides have been enzymatically produced with pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, alcalase, flavorzyme, and papain either alone or in combination, but the sequences of many of the peptides in chickpea protein hydrolysates remain unknown. In addition, a theoretical hydrolysis of chickpea legumin by stem bromelain and ficin was performed by the authors to highlight the potential use of these enzymes to produce bioactive chickpea peptides. Antioxidant activity, hypocholesterolemic, and angiotensin 1-converting enzyme inhibition are the most studied bioactivities of chickpea protein hydrolysates and peptides, but anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects have also been reported for chickpea protein hydrolysates and peptides. Chickpea bioactive peptides are not currently commercialized, but their bitterness could be a major impediment to their incorporation in food products. Use of flavorzyme in the production of chickpea protein hydrolysates has been proposed to decrease their bitterness. Future research should focus on the optimization of chickpea bioactive peptide enzymatic production, studying the bioactivity of chickpea peptides in humans, and systematically analyzing chickpea peptide bitterness.

Phenotyping Brachiaria Genotypes to Assess Rhizoctonia Resistance by Comparing Three Inoculum Types.

Rhizoctonia foliar blight, caused by Rhizoctonia solani, is an important disease of Brachiaria spp. in tropical America. Host-plant resistance is an attractive option for disease management. In this study, we evaluated three inoculum types (mycelium-infected agar disc, microdiscs suspensions, and microencapsulated-mycelium suspensions) in order to identify a rapid and accurate method for mass screening of Brachiaria genotypes for resistance to Rhizoctonia spp. in greenhouse trials. Visual damage score, area under the disease progress curve, and percent chlorophyll loss were estimated to determine the most accurate and precise method for evaluating Rhizoctonia resistance. The microencapsulated-mycelium solution (0.75 g/ml in potato dextrose broth sprayed on plants 30 days after planting) caused greater foliar damage than the other inoculum types and allowed effective discrimination between resistant and susceptible genotypes. The effectiveness of spray-applied, microencapsulated-mycelium was further corroborated by the evaluation of 350 genotypes not previously selected for resistance to Rhizoctonia spp., which varied significantly in their reaction to R. solani. The microencapsulated-mycelium methodology has several advantages over existing methods, including its high-throughput capacity, efficient use of time and space, ease of quantification of inoculum, and consistent results over replicate trials. This methodology could be applied to assess resistance to Rhizoctonia spp. in other crops.

Phytoremediation Performance with Ornamental Plants in Monocultures and Polycultures Conditions Using Constructed Wetlands Technology.

The assessment of constructed wetlands (CWs) has gained interest in the last 20 years for wastewater treatment in Latin American regions. However, the effects of culture systems with different ornamental species in CWs for phytoremediation are little known. In this study, some chemical parameters such as total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), phosphate (PO4-P), and ammonium (NH4-N) were analyzed in order to prove the removal of pollutants by phytoremediation in CWs. The environmental impact index based on eutrophication reduction (EI-E) was also calculated to estimate the cause-effect relationship using CWs in different culture conditions. C. hybrids and Dieffenbachia seguine were used in monoculture and polyculture (both species mixed) mesocosm CWs. One hundred eighty days of the study showed that CWs with plants in monoculture/polyculture conditions removed significant amounts of organic matter (TSS and COD) (p > 0.05; 40-55% TSS and 80-90% COD). Nitrogen and phosphorous compounds were significantly lower in the monoculture of D. seguine (p < 0.05) than in monocultures of C. hybrids, and polyculture systems. EI-E indicator was inversely proportional to the phosphorous removed, showing a smaller environmental impact with the polyculture systems (0.006 kg PO43- eq removed) than monocultures, identifying the influence of polyculture systems on the potential environmental impacts compared with the phytoremediation function in monocultures (0.011-0.014 kg PO43- eq removed). Future research is required to determine other types of categories of environmental impact index and compare them with other wastewater treatment systems and plants. Phytoremediation with the ornamental plants studied in CWs is a good option for wastewater treatment using a plant-based cleanup technology.

Dependence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Golgi functions on V-ATPase activity.

The V-ATPase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an ATP-dependent proton pump responsible for acidification of the vacuole and other internal compartments including the whole secretory pathway. We have studied the behavior of several glycoprotein processing reactions occurring in different Golgi compartments of representative vmaΔ mutants. We found that outer chain initiation is not altered in the mutants while mannosylphosphate transfer, α(1,3)-linked mannoses addition, and α factor maturation seem to be affected. The results suggest a gradation in the dependence of Golgi functions on V-ATPase activity, from early Golgi (unaffected) to late Golgi (significantly reduced). These findings are in agreement with the internal pH of Golgi cisternae measured in mammalian cells, which is more acidic in the late region. The mutant defects can be partially restored by buffering the external medium to pH 6.0, which supports the existence of a mechanism that, in the absence of a functional V-ATPase, could contribute to pH regulation at least in the late Golgi.

Standard YPD, even supplemented with extra nutrients, does not always compensate growth defects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae auxotrophic strains.

Conventional complex media are routinely used to grow auxotrophic strains under the assumption that they can compensate the latter's nutritional deficiencies. We here demonstrate that this is not always true. This study compares the growth parameters of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S288C) and its derived auxotrophic strains FY1679-14C and BY4741 in synthetic minimal medium (SD), standard YPD medium from two of the most commonly used suppliers, or modified YPD medium. Maximum specific growth rates of auxotrophic strains were slightly lower than the prototrophic case in all growth conditions tested. Also, the biomass production of auxotrophic strains in synthetic medium was slightly less than the prototrophic case. However in both of the two standard YPD media used, the biomass production of both auxotrophic strains was markedly lower than that of the prototrophic one. The extent of the differences depended on the medium used. Indeed in one of the two YPD media, the lower biomass production of auxotrophic strains was evident even at the diauxic shift. Uracil seems to be the main limiting growth factor for both auxotrophic strains growing in the two standard YPD medium tested. No YPD media or specific supplement was able to compensate for the effect of the auxotrophic mutations in the multiple auxotrophic marker strain BY4741. The fact that auxotrophic strains grew poorly on YPD when compared to their prototrophic counterpart indicates that standard YPD medium is not sufficient to overcome the effect of auxotrophic mutations.

Flow Cytometry-Based Determination of Ploidy from Dried Leaf Specimens in Genomically Complex Collections of the Tropical Forage Grass Urochloa s. l.

Urochloa (including Brachiaria, Megathyrus and some Panicum) tropical grasses are native to Africa and are now, after selection and breeding, planted worldwide, particularly in South America, as important forages with huge potential for further sustainable improvement and conservation of grasslands. We aimed to develop an optimized approach to determine ploidy of germplasm collection of this tropical forage grass group using dried leaf material, including approaches to collect, dry and preserve plant samples for flow cytometry analysis. Our methods enable robust identification of ploidy levels (coefficient of variation of G0/G1 peaks, CV, typically <5%). Ploidy of some 348 forage grass accessions (ploidy range from 2x to 9x), from international genetic resource collections, showing variation in basic chromosome numbers and reproduction modes (apomixis and sexual), were determined using our defined standard protocol. Two major Urochloa agamic complexes are used in the current breeding programs at CIAT and EMBRAPA: the 'brizantha' and 'humidicola' agamic complexes are variable, with multiple ploidy levels. Some U. brizantha accessions have odd level of ploidy (5x), and the relative differences in fluorescence values of the peak positions between adjacent cytotypes is reduced, thus more precise examination of this species is required. Ploidy measurement of U. humidicola revealed aneuploidy.

Identification of the MNN3 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The MNN3 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been identified as a synonym of VPS74. We have compared phenotype characteristics of the original mnn3 mutant, including low dye binding phenotype, size of external invertase, clump formation, and sodium orthovanadate resistance and found these to be identical to those shown by vps74Δ. Mating of both haploid strains resulted in non-complementation of mutant phenotypes. Finally, a vector containing wild-type VPS74 complemented the defects of both vps74Δ and mnn3. This work completes the identification of the entire collection of genes that are defective in mnn mutants. In addition, we have identified the mnn3 mutation by sequencing the VPS74 gene from the original mnn3 strain. We found a single amino acid change of Arg97 to Cys. This unique alteration seems to be sufficient to account for the phenotype of mnn3.

Antioxidant Potential of Mung Bean (Vigna radiata) Albumin Peptides Produced by Enzymatic Hydrolysis Analyzed by Biochemical and In Silico Methods.

The objective of this study was to investigate the biochemical antioxidant potential of peptides derived from enzymatically hydrolyzed mung bean (Vigna radiata) albumins using an 2,2'-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging assay, a ferrous ion chelating assay and an oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. Peeled raw mung bean was ground into flour and mixed with buffer (pH 8.3, 1:20 w/v ratio) before being stirred, then filtered using 3 kDa and 30 kDa molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) centrifugal filters to obtain albumin fraction. The albumin fraction then underwent enzymatic hydrolysis using either gastrointestinal enzymes (pepsin and pancreatin) or thermolysin. Peptides in the hydrolysates were sequenced. The peptides showed low ABTS radical-scavenging activity (90-100 µg ascorbic acid equivalent/mL) but high ferrous ion chelating activity (1400-1500 µg EDTA equivalent/mL) and ORAC values (>120 µM Trolox equivalent). The ferrous ion chelating activity was enzyme- and hydrolysis time-dependent. For thermolysin hydrolysis, there was a drastic increase in ferrous ion chelating activity from t = 0 (886.9 µg EDTA equivalent/mL) to t = 5 min (1559.1 µg EDTA equivalent/mL) before plateauing. For pepsin-pancreatin hydrolysis, there was a drastic decrease from t = 0 (878.3 µg EDTA equivalent/mL) to t = 15 (138.0 µg EDTA equivalent/mL) after pepsin was added, but this increased from t = 0 (131.1 µg EDTA equivalent/mL) to t = 15 (1439.2 µg EDTA equivalent/mL) after pancreatin was added. There was no significant change in ABTS radical scavenging activity or ORAC values throughout different hydrolysis times for either the thermolysin or pepsin-pancreatin hydrolysis. Overall, mung bean hydrolysates produced peptides with high potential antioxidant capacity, being particularly effective ferrous ion chelators. Other antioxidant assays that use cellular lines should be performed to measure antioxidant capacity before animal and human studies.

Genetic Improvement of Torulaspora delbrueckii for Wine Fermentation: Eliminating Recessive Growth-Retarding Alleles and Obtaining New Mutants Resistant to SO2, Ethanol, and High CO2 Pressure.

The use of Torulaspora delbrueckii has been repeatedly proposed to improve a wine's organoleptic quality. This yeast has lower efficiency in completing wine fermentation than Saccharomyces cerevisiae since it has less fermentation capability and greater sensitivity to SO2, ethanol, and CO2 pressure. Therefore, the completion of fermentation is not guaranteed when must or wine is single-inoculated with T. delbrueckii. To solve this problem, new strains of T. delbrueckii with enhanced resistance to winemaking conditions were obtained. A genetic study of four wine T. delbrueckii strains was carried out. Spore clones free of possible recessive growth-retarding alleles were obtained from these yeasts. These spore clones were used to successively isolate mutants resistant to SO2, then those resistant to ethanol, and finally those resistant to high CO2 pressure. Most of these mutants showed better capability for base wine fermentation than the parental strain, and some of them approached the fermentation capability of S. cerevisiae. The genetic stability of the new mutants was good enough to be used in industrial-level production in commercial wineries. Moreover, their ability to ferment sparkling wine could be further improved by the continuous addition of oxygen in the culture adaptation stage prior to base wine inoculation.

Factores de riesgo para infecciones asociadas al cuidado de la salud en recién nacidos sometidos a cirugía en una unidad de cuidados intensivos neonatales / Risk factors for healthcare-associated infections in newborns after surgery in a neonatal intensive care unit

Resumen Antecedentes: Las infecciones asociadas a la atención de la salud (IAAS) son causa frecuente de morbilidad y mortalidad. Objetivo: Identificar los factores de riesgo para el desarrollo de IAAS en recién nacidos (RN) sometidos a cirugía. Material y métodos: Estudio de casos y controles anidado en una cohorte. Los casos fueron RN sometidos a cirugía, con IAAS y los controles, RN sometidos a cirugía sin IAAS. Se registraron datos perinatales, uso de profilaxis antimicrobiana, de catéter venoso central (CVC), ventilación mecánica, nutrición parenteral y sondas; edad y peso al momento de la cirugía, tipo de cirugía, clasificación de la herida quirúrgica, duración de la cirugía, número de procedimientos quirúrgicos y tipo de infección. Se realizó análisis univariado y multivariado. Resultados: Se incluyeron 71 casos y 142 controles. Las IAAS más frecuentes fueron las infecciones sanguíneas (36.6 %); los principales microorganismos aislados en hemocultivos fueron cocos grampositivos. Los factores de riesgo asociados a IAAS en el análisis multivariado fueron duración del CVC > 8 días (RMa = 17.2), ≥ 2 intervenciones quirúrgicas (RMa = 16.5) y cirugía abdominal (RMa = 2.6). Conclusiones: Los RN sometidos a cirugía, principalmente aquellos con factores de riesgo, requieren vigilancia estrecha durante el posoperatorio. El CVC debe ser retirado tan pronto sea posible.

Abstract Background: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a common cause of morbidity and mortality. Objective: To identify the risk factors for the development of HAIs in newborns (NBs) undergoing surgery. Material and methods: Nested case-control study. Cases were NBs undergoing surgery with HAIs, while controls were NBs undergoing surgery with no HAIs. Perinatal data, use of antimicrobial prophylaxis, use of central venous catheter (CVC), mechanical ventilation, parenteral nutrition, and other medical devices were recorded, as well as age and weight at the time of surgery, type of surgery, surgical wound classification, duration of surgery, number of surgical procedures, and type of infection. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Results: Seventy-one cases and 142 controls were included. The most frequent HAI was bloodstream infection (36.6%); the main microorganisms isolated in blood cultures were gram-positive cocci. The risk factors associated with HAIs in the multivariate analysis were CVC duration > 8 days (aOR = 17.2), ≥ 2 surgical interventions (aOR = 16.5) and abdominal surgery (aOR = 2.6). Conclusions: NBs undergoing surgery, mainly those with risk factors, require close monitoring during the postoperative period. CVC should be withdrawn as soon as possible.

Bean peptides have higher in silico binding affinities than ezetimibe for the N-terminal domain of cholesterol receptor Niemann-Pick C1 Like-1.

Niemann-Pick C1 like-1 (NPC1L1) mediates cholesterol absorption at the apical membrane of enterocytes through a yet unknown mechanism. Bean, pea, and lentil proteins are naturally hydrolyzed during digestion to produce peptides. The potential for pulse peptides to have high binding affinities for NPC1L1 has not been determined. In this study , in silico binding affinities and interactions were determined between the N-terminal domain of NPC1L1 and 14 pulse peptides (5≥ amino acids) derived through pepsin-pancreatin digestion. Peptides were docked in triplicate to the N-terminal domain using docking program AutoDock Vina, and results were compared to those of ezetimibe, a prescribed NPC1L1 inhibitor. Three black bean peptides (-7.2 to -7.0kcal/mol) and the cowpea bean dipeptide Lys-Asp (-7.0kcal/mol) had higher binding affinities than ezetimibe (-6.6kcal/mol) for the N-terminal domain of NPC1L1. Lentil and pea peptides studied did not have high binding affinities. The common bean peptide Tyr-Ala-Ala-Ala-Thr (-7.2kcal/mol), which can be produced from black or navy bean proteins, had the highest binding affinity. Ezetimibe and peptides with high binding affinities for the N-terminal domain are expected to interact at different locations of the N-terminal domain. All high affinity black bean peptides are expected to have van der Waals interactions with SER130, PHE136, and LEU236 and a conventional hydrogen bond with GLU238 of NPC1L1. Due to their high affinity for the N-terminal domain of NPC1L1, black and cowpea bean peptides produced in the digestive track have the potential to disrupt interactions between NPC1L1 and membrane proteins that lead to cholesterol absorption.

Hallazgos anatomopatológicos cerebrales en neonatos con cardiopatía congénita / Brain anatomopathological findings in neonates with congenital heart disease

Resumen Introducción: Los neonatos con cardiopatía congénita pueden desarrollar problemas neurológicos, por lo que es importante conocer el momento en el que ocurren dichas lesiones y su extensión, para dilucidar sus causas e implicaciones. Objetivo: Describir las alteraciones morfológicas cerebrales en autopsias de neonatos con cardiopatía congénita. Métodos: Se incluyeron los casos de neonatos con cardiopatía congénita y autopsia completa registrados en un servicio de patología, de 2009 a 2019. Se utilizó estadística descriptiva con el cálculo de frecuencias y porcentajes. Resultados: De 21 pacientes, 61.9 % fue a término del sexo masculino; las medianas del peso y edad al ingreso fueron 2500 g y cinco días, respectivamente; la media de la estancia hospitalaria fue siete días. La cardiopatía predominante fue la patología de arco aórtico. Quince pacientes (71.3 %) fueron sometidos a cirugía; 50 % falleció por choque cardiogénico, 100 % presentó lesiones hipóxico-isquémicas cerebrales; 71 %, lesiones incipientes; 33.3 %, hemorragia parenquimatosa. Conclusiones: Existen diversos factores de riesgo para daño neurológico en los pacientes con cardiopatía congénita compleja, los cuales es imposible controlar en su totalidad. Este estudio permite conocer, por primera vez en nuestro medio, los cambios en el sistema nervioso central que podrían existir en estos pacientes.

Abstract Introduction: Neonates with congenital heart disease can develop neurological problems, which is why it is important to know the time and extent at which these lesions occur in order to elucidate their causes and implications. Objective: To describe brain morphological alterations in autopsies of neonates with congenital heart disease. Methods: The cases of neonates with congenital heart disease and complete autopsy registered in a pathology department from 2009 to 2019 were included. Descriptive statistics were used with the calculation of frequencies and percentages. Results: Of a total of 21 patients, 61.9% were full-term males; median weight and age at admission were 2500 g and five days, respectively; mean hospital stay was seven days. The predominant heart disease was aortic arch pathology. Fifteen patients (71.3%) underwent surgery; 50% died of cardiogenic shock, 100% had hypoxic-ischemic brain lesions, 71% had incipient lesions, and 33.3%, parenchymal hemorrhage. Conclusions: There are various risk factors for neurological damage in patients with complex congenital heart disease, which is impossible to be entirely controlled. This study allows us to know, for the first time in our milieu, the changes in the central nervous system that could exist in these patients.

Influence of the dominance of must fermentation by Torulaspora delbrueckii on the malolactic fermentation and organoleptic quality of red table wine.

Torulaspora delbrueckii can improve wine aroma complexity, but its impact on wine quality is still far from being satisfactory at the winery level, mainly because it is easily replaced by S. cerevisiae yeasts during must fermentation. New T. delbrueckii killer strains were selected to overcome this problem. These strains killed S. cerevisiae yeasts and dominated fermentation better than T. delbrueckii non-killer strains when they were single-inoculated into crushed red grape must. All the T. delbrueckii wines, but none of the S. cerevisiae wines, underwent malolactic fermentation. Putative lactic acid bacteria were always found in the T. delbrueckii wines, but none or very few in the S. cerevisiae wines. Malic acid degradation was the greatest in the wines inoculated with the killer strains, and these strains reached the greatest dominance ratios and had the slowest fermentation kinetics. The T. delbrueckii wines had dried-fruit/pastry aromas, but low intensities of fresh-fruit aromas. The aroma differences between the T. delbrueckii and the S. cerevisiae wines can be explained by the differences that were found in the amounts of some fruity aroma compounds such as isoamyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, and some lactones. This T. delbrueckii effect significantly raised the organoleptic quality scores of full-bodied Cabernet-Sauvignon red wines inoculated with the killer strains. In particular, these wines were judged as having excellent aroma complexity, mouth-feel, and sweetness.

Vulnerabilidad cardiometabólica y presión arterial en el posparto a corto plazo / Cardiometabolic vulnerability and blood pressure in short-term postpartum

Introducción: La vulnerabilidad cardiometabólica por adiposidad corporal puede ser un indicador de utilidad durante el embarazo y después del parto, en la prevención de eventos cardiovasculares. Objetivo: Describir posibles asociaciones de la vulnerabilidad cardiometabólica por adiposidad corporal con cambios de la presión arterial en el posparto a corto plazo. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional descriptivo transversal en el período enero 2017-agosto 2018, en 119 mujeres pertenecientes al policlínico Chiqui Gómez Lubián. Se aplicó la prueba de peso sostenido, se determinó la media y desviación estándar de la presión arterial sistólica, diastólica y media calculada; en reposo y dos minutos después de la primera medición. Se analizaron los cambios cuantitativos de la presión arterial en reposo y con estimulación física posterior, según vulnerabilidad cardiometabólica por adiposidad corporal, 18 meses después del parto. Se clasificaron las mujeres en tres grupos según su respuesta vascular ante la estimulación física, evaluada por los cambios de la presión arterial: normorreactivas, hiperreactivas y con respuesta hipertensiva. Se aplicó la prueba de Kruskal-Wallis para la comparación de muestras independientes. Resultados: Incremento de los valores medios de presión arterial en mujeres con VGlobal Extrema AGA/CA (PAD, PAS_2min, PAD_2min y PAM-2min) y con VAGI (TAS Y TAM). De las mujeres con respuesta hiperreactiva, 36,4 por ciento tenía VAGI y el 45,5 por ciento con VAGA. El único caso con respuesta hipertensiva tenía VGlobal Extrema AGA/CA. Conclusiones: La caracterización temprana de la vulnerabilidad cardiometabólica por adiposidad corporal puede alertar sobre cambios en la reactividad vascular la cual conduce a eventos cardiovasculares posteriores(AU)

Introduction: Cardiometabolic vulnerability due to body fat can be a useful indicator during pregnancy and after delivery, in the prevention of cardiovascular events. Objective: To describe possible associations of cardiometabolic vulnerability due to body adiposity with changes in blood pressure in the short-term postpartum. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive observational study was carried out from January 2017 to August 2018, in 119 women at Chiqui Gómez Lubián community clinic. The sustained weight test was applied, the mean and standard deviation of the calculated systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressure were determined at rest and two minutes after the first reading. The quantitative changes in blood pressure at rest and with subsequent physical stimulation were analyzed, according to cardiometabolic vulnerability due to body fat, 18 months after delivery. These women were classified into three groups according to their vascular response to physical stimulation, evaluated by changes in blood pressure: normoreactive, hyperreactive and with a hypertensive response. The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied for the comparison of independent samples. Results: Increase in mean blood pressure values in women with VGlobal Extrema AGA / CA (DBP, PAS_2min, DBP_2min and MAP-2min) and with VAGI (TAS and TAM). 36.4 percent of the women with a hyperreactive response, had VAGI and 45.5 percent had VAGA. The only case with a hypertensive response had VGlobal Extrema AGA / CA. Conclusions: The early characterization of cardiometabolic vulnerability due to body adiposity can alert about changes in vascular reactivity which leads to later cardiovascular events(AU)

Effects of new Torulaspora delbrueckii killer yeasts on the must fermentation kinetics and aroma compounds of white table wine.

Torulaspora delbrueckii is becoming widely recommended for improving some specific characteristics of wines. However, its impact on wine quality is still far from satisfactory at the winery level, mostly because it is easily replaced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae-like yeasts during must fermentation. New T. delbrueckii killer strains were here isolated and selected for winemaking. They killed S. cerevisiae yeasts and were able to dominate and complete the fermentation of sterile grape must. Sequential yeast inoculation of non-sterile white must with T. delbrueckii followed by S. cerevisiae did not ensure T. delbrueckii dominance or wine quality improvement. Only a single initial must inoculation at high cell concentrations allowed the T. delbrueckii killer strains to dominate and complete the must fermentation to reach above 11% ethanol, but not the non-killer strains. None of the wines underwent malolactic fermentation as long as the must had low turbidity and pH. Although no statistically significant differences were found in the wine quality score, the S. cerevisiae-dominated wines were preferred over the T. delbrueckii-dominated ones because the former had high-intensity fresh fruit aromas while the latter had lower intensity, but nevertheless nice and unusual dried fruit/pastry aromas. Except for ethyl propanoate and 3-ethoxy-1-propanol, which were more abundant in the T. delbrueckii-dominated wines, most of the compounds with fresh fruit odor descriptors, including those with the greatest odor activity values (isoamyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate, and ethyl octanoate), were more abundant in the S. cerevisiae-dominated wines. The low relative concentrations of these fruity compounds made it possible to detect in the T. delbrueckii-dominated wines the low-relative-concentration compounds with dried fruit and pastry odors. An example was γ-ethoxy-butyrolactone which was significantly more abundant in these wines than in those dominated by S. cerevisiae.

Berry Phenolic Compounds Increase Expression of Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor-1α (HNF-1α) in Caco-2 and Normal Colon Cells Due to High Affinities with Transcription and Dimerization Domains of HNF-1α.

Hepatocyte nuclear factor-1α (HNF-1α) is found in the kidneys, spleen, thymus, testis, skin, and throughout the digestive organs. It has been found to promote the transcription of various proteins involved in the management of type II diabetes, including dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV). Phenolic compounds from berries and citrus fruits are known to inhibit DPP-IV, but have not been tested for their interactions with wild-type HNF-1α. By studying the interactions of compounds from berries and citrus fruits have with HNF-1α, pre-transcriptional mechanisms that inhibit the expression of proteins such as DPP-IV may be elucidated. In this study, the interactions of berry phenolic compounds and citrus flavonoids with the dimerization and transcriptional domains of HNF-1α were characterized using the molecular docking program AutoDock Vina. The anthocyanin delphinidin-3-O-arabinoside had the highest binding affinity for the dimerization domain as a homodimer (-7.2 kcal/mol) and transcription domain (-8.3 kcal/mol) of HNF-1α. Anthocyanins and anthocyanidins had relatively higher affinities than resveratrol and citrus flavonoids for both, the transcription domain and the dimerization domain as a homodimer. The flavonoid flavone had the highest affinity for a single unit of the dimerization domain (-6.5 kcal/mol). Nuclear expression of HNF-1α was measured in Caco-2 and human normal colon cells treated with blueberry and blackberry anthocyanin extracts. All extracts tested increased significantly (P < 0.05) the nuclear expression of HNF-1α in Caco-2 cells by 85.2 to 260% compared to a control. The extracts tested increased significantly (P < 0.02) the nuclear expression of HNF-1α in normal colon cells by 48.6 to 243%. It was confirmed that delphinidin-3-O-glucoside increased by 3-fold nuclear HNF-1α expression in Caco-2 cells (P < 0.05). Anthocyanins significantly increased nuclear HNF-1α expression, suggesting that these compounds might regulate the genes HNF-1α promotes.