Effect of Lupinus rotundiflorus gamma conglutin treatment on JNK1 gene expression and protein activation in a rat model of type 2 diabetes.

CONTEXT: Gamma conglutin (Cγ) from lupine species represents a potential complementary treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) because of its hypoglycaemic effect. However, its underlying mechanism of action is not fully known. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether Cγ from Lupinus rotundiflorus M. E. Jones (Fabaceae) modulates c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1) expression and activation in a T2DM rat model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Gamma conglutin isolated from L. rotundiflorus seeds was characterized by SDS-PAGE. Fifteen Wistar rats with streptozotocin-induced T2DM (HG) were randomized into three groups (n = 5): vehicle administration (HG-Ctrl), oral treatment with Cγ (120 mg/kg/day) (HG-Lr) for one week, and treatment with metformin (300 mg/kg/day) (HG-Met); a healthy group (Ctrl, n = 5) was included as control. The levels of glucose and biomarkers of renal and hepatic function were measured pre- and post-treatment. Hepatic Jnk1 expression and phosphorylation of JNK1 were evaluated by qRT-PCR and western blot, respectively. RESULTS: Oral treatment with either Cγ or metformin reduced serum glucose level to 86.30 and 74.80 mg/dL, respectively (p ˂ 0.05), from the basal levels. Jnk1 expression was 0.65- and 0.54-fold lower (p ˂ 0.05) in the HG-Lr and HG-Met groups, respectively, than in HG-Ctrl. Treatment with Cγ decreased JNK1 phosphorylation. However, Cγ did not change the levels of kidney and liver biomarkers. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with Cγ from L. rotundiflorus inhibited Jnk1 expression, in vivo, suggesting JNK1 as a potential therapeutic target in diabetes and revealing one mechanism underlying the hypoglycaemic effect of lupine Cγ. Nevertheless, further studies are required.

Mating induces early transcriptional response in the rat endosalpinx: the role of TNF and RA.

During mating, males provide not only the spermatozoa to fertilize the oocyte but also other stimuli that are essential for initiating and maintaining the reproductive programme in females. In the mammalian oviduct, mating regulates sperm storage, egg transport, fertilization, early embryonic development, and oestradiol metabolism. However, the main molecules underlying these processes are poorly understood. Using microarray analyses, we identified 58 genes that were either induced or repressed by mating in the endosalpinx at 3 h post-stimulus. RT-qPCR confirmed that mating downregulated the expression of the Oas1h and Prim1 genes and upregulated the expression of the Ceacam1, Chad, Chst10, Slc5a3 and Slc26a4 genes. The functional category 'cell-to-cell signalling and interaction' was over-represented in this gene list. Network modelling identified TNF and all-trans retinoic acid (RA) as upstream regulators of the mating-induced transcriptional response, which was confirmed by intraoviductal injection of TNF or RA in unmated rats. It partially mimicked the transcriptional effect of mating in the rat endosalpinx. Furthermore, mating decreased RA levels in oviductal fluid, and RA-receptor-gamma (RARG) exhibited a nuclear location in oviductal epithelium in both unmated and mated rats, indicating RA-RARG transcriptional activity. In conclusion, the early transcriptional response regulated by mating in the rat endosalpinx is mediated by TNF and RA. These signalling molecules regulate a cohort of genes involved in 'cell-to-cell signalling and interactions' and merit further studies to understand the specific processes activated in the endosalpinx to sustain the events that occur in the mammalian oviduct early after mating.

La encuesta como método de estudio del estado nutricional de la población. El caso de los trabajadores municipales de Santiago de Chile (1936) / The Nutrition Survey as a Method of Study of Nutrition Status in a Population: The Case of Municipal Workers of Santiago of Chile (1936)

Resumen Introducción: los diagnósticos de comienzos del siglo XX daban cuenta del deterioro de las condiciones materiales de vida de la población, en particular la más pobre. Uno de los aspectos más importantes era el problema del acceso a la alimentación. El objetivo de esta reflexión fue analizar los resultados de una encuesta nutricional aplicada a los jornaleros de la Municipalidad de Santiago en 1936. Reflexión: la encuesta de la Municipalidad de Santiago de Chile ofrece información relevante sobre consumo de calorías, talla y peso. Esta encuesta permite discutir los alcances que tuvo la encuesta como técnica de investigación durante los años 1930 y 1940, y las razones de por qué se impuso frente a otros métodos como el uso de las cuentas nacionales. Conclusión: la encuesta aplicada a los trabajadores de la Municipalidad de Santiago muestra sus condiciones privilegiadas en cuanto a ingreso, consumo e Índice de Masa Corporal.

Abstract Introduction: Diagnoses in the beginning of the 20th Century showed the deterioration of material conditions of life in the general population, especially the poorest. One of the most important aspects was the problem of access to adequate food and diet. The objective of this reflection is to analyze the results of a nutrition survey applied in 1936 to the workers of the Department of Cleanliness of the Municipality of Santiago de Chile. Reflection: The survey of the Municipality of Santiago de Chile provides important information on calorie consumption, height and weight. This survey allows for discussion of the scope of the survey as a research technique during the 1930s and 1940s, and the reasons why it was imposed against other methods such as the use of national surveillance systems. Conclusion: The survey applied to the workers of the Municipality of Santiago shows their privileged conditions in regards to income, dietary intake, and Body Mass Index.

Contexto, desarrollo y alcances del primer curso de dietistas en Chile (1939) / Context, development and scope of the first dietitian course in Chile (1939)

RESUMEN El objetivo fue reconstruir la creación del primer curso de dietistas creado en Chile en 1939 y que a comienzos de la década de 1940 se transformó en escuela. Para ello se busca dar a conocer los dos modelos de formación de dietistas existentes en el periodo, señalando las razones de la contratación del húngaro Esteban Kémeny. Además, se ofrecen los diagnósticos críticos que se hicieron durante los años 1930 sobre la alimentación hospitalaria y la necesidad de capacitar al personal en la técnica dietética. El artículo muestra la fuerte vinculación existente entre la urgencia de reformar la cocina hospitalaria y la oferta académica del curso, el cual buscaba capacitar a las enfermeras y otras profesiones femeninas, las que se entendían como auxiliares del médico, sin autonomía profesional.

ABSTRACT The aim was to reconstruct the creation of the first course for dietitians created in Chile in 1939, which in the early 1940s became a school. Two models of training of dietitians in the period are presented, which indicate the reasons for the recruitment of the Hungarian, Esteban Kémeny. In addition, critical suggestions on hospital feeding and the need to train staff in the dietary technique were offered during the 1930s. The article shows the strong link between the urgency to reform the hospital kitchen and the academic offering of the course, which sought to train nurses and other female professionals, which were understood as auxiliaries of the physician, without professional autonomy.

[The fight against malnutrition of the medical community between 1860 and 1940]. / La comunidad médica y su lucha en contra de la desnutrición en Chile (1860-1940).

The aim of this manuscript is to highlight the contribution of the first two generations of physicians who faced malnutrition in Chile, between the end of nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth century. In the history of Chilean medicine, there is a paucity of research about the role of these physicians in the fight against malnutrition. The main interest was centered in the forties of the twentieth century and the first policies and actions for the working class feeding have been overlooked. The existence of two pioneering groups that have common elements and differences to face the problem of under nutrition is established.

La comunidad médica y su lucha en contra de la desnutrición en Chile (1860-1940) / The fight against malnutrition of the medical community between 1860 and 1940

The aim of this manuscript is to highlight the contribution of the first two generations of physicians who faced malnutrition in Chile, between the end of nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth century. In the history of Chilean medicine, there is a paucity of research about the role of these physicians in the fight against malnutrition. The main interest was centered in the forties of the twentieth century and the first policies and actions for the working class feeding have been overlooked. The existence of two pioneering groups that have common elements and differences to face the problem of under nutrition is established.

Decreased cruzipain and gp85/trans-sialidase family protein expression contributes to loss of Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigote virulence.

Two cell lines derived from a single Trypanosoma cruzi clone by long-term passaging generated a highly virulent (C8C3hvir) and a low virulent (C8C3lvir) cell line. The C8C3hvir cell line was highly infective and lethal to Balb/c mice, and the C8C3lvir cell line was three- to five-fold less infective to mouse cardiomyocytes than C8C3hvir. The highly virulent T. cruzi cell line abundantly expressed the major cysteine proteinase cruzipain (Czp), complement regulatory protein (CRP) and trans-sialidase (TS), all of which are known to act as virulence factors in this parasite. The in vitro invasion capacity and in vivo Balb/c mouse infectiveness of the highly virulent strain was strongly reduced by pre-treatment with antisense oligonucleotides targeting TS or CRP or with E64d. Based on these results, we conclude that decreased levels of TS, CRP and Czp expression could contribute to loss of T. cruzi trypomastigote virulence.