Mutational landscape of risk variants in comorbid depression and obesity: a next-generation sequencing approach.

Major depression (MD) and obesity are complex genetic disorders that are frequently comorbid. However, the study of both diseases concurrently remains poorly addressed and therefore the underlying genetic mechanisms involved in this comorbidity remain largely unknown. Here we examine the contribution of common and rare variants to this comorbidity through a next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach. Specific genomic regions of interest in MD and obesity were sequenced in a group of 654 individuals from the PISMA-ep epidemiological study. We obtained variants across the entire frequency spectrum and assessed their association with comorbid MD and obesity, both at variant and gene levels. We identified 55 independent common variants and a burden of rare variants in 4 genes (PARK2, FGF21, HIST1H3D and RSRC1) associated with the comorbid phenotype. Follow-up analyses revealed significantly enriched gene-sets associated with biological processes and pathways involved in metabolic dysregulation, hormone signaling and cell cycle regulation. Our results suggest that, while risk variants specific to the comorbid phenotype have been identified, the genes functionally impacted by the risk variants share cell biological processes and signaling pathways with MD and obesity phenotypes separately. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study involving a targeted sequencing approach toward the study of the comorbid MD and obesity. The framework presented here allowed a deep characterization of the genetics of the co-occurring MD and obesity, revealing insights into the mutational and functional profile that underlies this comorbidity and contributing to a better understanding of the relationship between these two disabling disorders.

Large Pockels effect in micro- and nanostructured barium titanate integrated on silicon.

The electro-optical Pockels effect is an essential nonlinear effect used in many applications. The ultrafast modulation of the refractive index is, for example, crucial to optical modulators in photonic circuits. Silicon has emerged as a platform for integrating such compact circuits, but a strong Pockels effect is not available on silicon platforms. Here, we demonstrate a large electro-optical response in silicon photonic devices using barium titanate. We verify the Pockels effect to be the physical origin of the response, with r42 = 923 pm V-1, by confirming key signatures of the Pockels effect in ferroelectrics: the electro-optic response exhibits a crystalline anisotropy, remains strong at high frequencies, and shows hysteresis on changing the electric field. We prove that the Pockels effect remains strong even in nanoscale devices, and show as a practical example data modulation up to 50 Gbit s-1. We foresee that our work will enable novel device concepts with an application area largely extending beyond communication technologies.

Integrated photonic tunable basic units using dual-drive directional couplers.

Photonic integrated circuits based on waveguide meshes and multibeam interferometers call for large-scale integration of Tunable Basic Units (TBUs) that feature beam splitters and waveguides. This units are loaded with phase actuators to provide complex linear processing functionalities based on optical interference and can be reconfigured dynamically. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time, a thermally actuated Dual-Drive Directional Coupler (DD-DC) design integrated on a silicon nitride platform. It operates both as a standalone optical component providing arbitrary optical beam splitting and common phase as well as a low loss and potentially low footprint TBU. Finally, we report the experimental demonstration of the first integrated triangular waveguide mesh arrangement using DD-DC based TBUs and provide an extended analysis of its performance and scalability.

Host-pathogen interplay at primary infection sites in pigs challenged with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

BACKGROUND: Actinobacillus (A.) pleuropneumoniae is the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia and causes significant losses in the pig industry worldwide. Early host immune response is crucial for further progression of the disease. A. pleuropneumoniae is either rapidly eliminated by the immune system or switches to a long-term persistent form. To gain insight into the host-pathogen interaction during the early stages of infection, pigs were inoculated intratracheally with A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 2 and humanely euthanized eight hours after infection. Gene expression studies of inflammatory cytokines and the acute phase proteins haptoglobin, serum amyloid A and C-reactive protein were carried out by RT-qPCR from the lung, liver, tonsils and salivary gland. In addition, the concentration of cytokines and acute phase proteins were measured by quantitative immunoassays in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, serum and saliva. In parallel to the analyses of host response, the impact of the host on the bacterial pathogen was assessed on a metabolic level. For the latter, Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR-) spectroscopy was employed. RESULTS: Significant cytokine and acute phase protein gene expression was detected in the lung and the salivary gland however this was not observed in the tonsils. In parallel to the analyses of host response, the impact of the host on the bacterial pathogen was assessed on a metabolic level. For the latter investigations, Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR-) spectroscopy was employed. The bacteria isolated from the upper and lower respiratory tract showed distinct IR spectral patterns reflecting the organ-specific acute phase response of the host. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, this study implies a metabolic adaptation of A. pleuropneumoniae to the porcine upper respiratory tract already during early infection, which might indicate a first step towards the persistence of A. pleuropneumoniae. Not only in lung, but also in the salivary gland an increased inflammatory gene expression was detectable during the acute stage of infection.

Influence of BaTiO3 ferroelectric orientation for electro-optic modulation on silicon.

The influence of BaTiO(3) ferroelectric domain orientations for high efficiency electro-optic modulation has been thoroughly analyzed. The Mach-Zehnder modulator structure is based on a CMOS compatible silicon/BaTiO(3)/silicon slot waveguide that supports both TE and TM polarizations whereas the Pockels effect is exploited by the application of a horizontal electric field with lateral electrodes placed on top of the BaTiO(3) layer. The influence of the waveguide parameters has been optimized for each configuration and the lowest V(π) voltage combined with low losses has been determined. A V(π)L as low as 0.27 V·cm has been obtained for a-axis oriented BaTiO(3) and TE polarization by rotating the waveguide structure to an optimum angle.

Salivary and serum haptoglobin, adenosine deaminase, and immunoglobulin G in growing pigs.

BACKGROUND: Identification of animals in need of medical treatment is important in porcine health management, where analytical samples applicable at farm level could be utilized. Several biomarkers are measurable in saliva, which is less stressful to collect than blood. Saliva sampling is easy to learn and repeatable, making it suitable for monitoring purposes. Previous research suggests that porcine health biomarkers are dependent on production stage and gender, and that combining biomarkers improves diagnostic sensitivity. However, proper monitoring of biomarkers during the complete production cycle has not been studied. We aimed to describe the dynamics of salivary and serum haptoglobin (Hp), adenosine deaminase (ADA), and immunoglobulin G (IgG) in four production stages (suckling, early growing, late growing, finishing), on commercial Finnish pig farms using a total of 117 piglets. The relationship between gender and biomarker dynamics was investigated, as well as the relationships between these biomarkers in saliva and serum. RESULTS: The highest salivary concentrations of Hp, ADA and IgG were measured in suckling piglets. The differences between production stages were generally larger in saliva than for the corresponding serum biomarkers. All correlation coefficients between salivary biomarkers were positive in each production stage and the strength of the correlation varied from 0.245 to 0.762. No similar trend was observed regarding correlation coefficients either between serum biomarkers or between salivary and serum biomarkers. Gender was associated with some biomarker concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: The biomarker dynamics supported previous findings that collection of analytical samples should be conducted in age-matched populations. Positive and even strong relationships between salivary biomarkers indicate the potential to use especially saliva for health monitoring. Our results also suggest the importance of considering gender effects when assessing some salivary or serum biomarkers.

The relationship between BDNF and physical activity on depression.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the leading causes of disease burden and disability worldwide. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) seems to have an important role in the molecular mechanisms underlying MDD aetiology, given its implication in regulating neuronal plasticity. There is evidence that physical activity (PA) improves depressive symptoms, with a key role of BDNF in this effect. We aim to perform a systematic review examining the relationship between the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and the BDNF protein, PA and MDD. METHODS: Both observational and experimental design original articles or systematic reviews were selected, according to the PRISMA statement. RESULTS: Six studies evaluated the Val66Met polymorphism, suggesting a greater impact of physical activity on depression depending on the Val66Met genotype. More discordant findings were observed among the 13 studies assessing BDNF levels with acute or chronic exercise interventions, mainly due to the high heterogeneity found among intervention designs, limited sample size, and potential bias. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, there is cumulative evidence supporting the potential role of BDNF in the interaction between PA and MDD. However, this review highlights the need for further research with more homogeneous and standardised criteria, and pinpoints important confounding factors that must be considered in future studies to provide robust conclusions.

Light harvesting zinc naphthalocyanine-perylenediimide supramolecular dyads: long-lived charge-separated states in nonpolar media.

Photoinduced electron-transfer dynamics of self-assembled donor-acceptor dyads formed by axial coordination of zinc naphthalocyanine, ZnNc, and perylenediimide (PDI) bearing either pyridine (py) or imidazole (im) coordinating ligands were investigated. The PDIim unit was functionalized with tert-octylphenoxy groups at the bay positions, which avoid aggregation providing solubility, to examine the effect of the bulky substituents at the bay positions on the rates of electron-transfer reactions. The combination between zinc naphthalocyanine and perylenediimide entities absorbs light over a wide region of the visible and near infrared (NIR) spectrum. The binding constants of the self-assembled ZnNc:PDIpy (1) and ZnNc:PDIim (2) in toluene were found to be 2.40 × 10(4) and 1.10 × 10(5) M(-1), respectively, from the steady-state absorption and emission measurements, indicating formation of moderately stable complexes. The geometric and electronic calculations by using an ab initio B3LYP/6-311G method showed the majority of the highest occupied frontier molecular orbital (HOMO) on the zinc naphthalocyanine entity, while the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) was on the perylenediimide entities, suggesting that the charge-separated states of the supramolecular dyads are ZnNc˙(+):PDI˙(-). The electrochemical results suggest the exothermic charge-separation process via the singlet states of both ZnNc and PDI entities in nonpolar toluene. Upon coordination of perylenediimide to ZnNc, the main quenching pathway involved charge separation via the singlet-excited states of ZnNc and PDIs. Clear evidence of the intramolecular electron transfer from the singlet-excited state of ZnNc to PDI within the supramolecular dyads in toluene was monitored by the femtosecond laser photolysis by observing the characteristic absorption band of the PDI radical anion (PDI˙(-)) and the ZnNc radical cation (ZnNc˙(+)) in the visible and NIR regions. The rate constants of charge-separation (k(CS)) processes of the self-assembled dyads 1 and 2 were determined to be 4.05 × 10(10) and 1.20 × 10(9) s(-1), respectively. The rate constant of charge recombination (k(CR)) and the lifetime of charge-separated states (τ(CS)) of dyad 1 were determined to be 2.34 × 10(8) s(-1) and 4.30 ns, respectively. Interestingly, a slower charge recombination (2.20 × 10(7) s(-1)) and a longer lifetime of the charge separated state (45 ns) were observed in dyad 2 in nonpolar toluene by utilizing the nanosecond transient measurements. The absorption in a wide section of the solar spectrum and the high charge-separation/charge-recombination ratio suggest the usefulness of the self-assembled zinc naphthalocyanine-perylenediimide dyads as good photosynthetic models.

Interaction Effect between Physical Activity and the BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism on Depression in Women from the PISMA-ep Study.

The relationship between depression and the Val66Met polymorphism at the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene (BDNF), has been largely studied. It has also been related to physical activity, although the results remain inconclusive. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between this polymorphism, depression and physical activity in a thoroughly characterised sample of community-based individuals from the PISMA-ep study. A total of 3123 participants from the PISMA-ep study were genotyped for the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism, of which 209 had depression. Our results are in line with previous studies reporting a protective effect of physical activity on depression, specifically in light intensity. Interestingly, we report a gene-environment interaction effect in which Met allele carriers of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism who reported more hours of physical activity showed a decreased prevalence of depression. This effect was observed in the total sample (OR = 0.95, 95%CI = 0.90-0.99, p = 0.027) and was strengthened in women (OR = 0.93, 95%CI = 0.87-0.98, p = 0.019). These results highlight the potential role of physical activity as a promising therapeutic strategy for preventing and adjuvant treatment of depression and suggest molecular and genetic particularities of depression between sexes.

Effect of CPAP treatment on BP in resistant hypertensive patients according to the BP dipping pattern and the presence of nocturnal hypertension.

High heterogeneity in the blood pressure (BP) response to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) exists in patients with resistant hypertension (RH). Only nondipper normotensive and hypertensive patients exhibited BP reductions when treated with CPAP; the baseline BP dipping pattern has been proposed as a predictor of BP response to CPAP but has never been explored in patients with RH. This study aimed to assess the effect of CPAP on BP in subjects with RH with respect to BP dipping pattern or nocturnal hypertension. This is an ancillary study of the SARAH study. RH subjects with an apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) ≥ 15/h and who received CPAP treatment for 1 year were included. Subjects underwent a sleep study and ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) at baseline and at the 1-year follow-up. Eighty-nine RH subjects were included. The subjects were mainly male (77.5%) and obese, with a mean age of 66 years (25th-75th percentile; 59.0; 70.0) and an AHI of 32.7/h (25th-75th percentile; 25.0; 54.7). A total of 68.5% of participants were nondippers, and 71.9% had nocturnal hypertension. After 1 year of CPAP, no significant differences in ABPM parameters were observed between dippers and nondippers. According to nighttime BP, subjects with nocturnal normotension did not show significant changes in ABPM parameters, while nocturnal hypertensive subjects achieved a significant reduction in mean nighttime BP of -4.38 mmHg (-7.10 to -1.66). The adjusted difference between groups was 3.04 (-2.25 to 8.34), which was not significant. This study shows that the BP response to CPAP in patients with RH does not differ according to the BP dipping pattern (dipper and nondipper) and suggests a differential response according to the presence of nocturnal hypertension (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03002558).

Body mass index interacts with a genetic-risk score for depression increasing the risk of the disease in high-susceptibility individuals.

Depression is strongly associated with obesity among other chronic physical diseases. The latest mega- and meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies have identified multiple risk loci robustly associated with depression. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether a genetic-risk score (GRS) combining multiple depression risk single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) might have utility in the prediction of this disorder in individuals with obesity. A total of 30 depression-associated SNPs were included in a GRS to predict the risk of depression in a large case-control sample from the Spanish PredictD-CCRT study, a national multicentre, randomized controlled trial, which included 104 cases of depression and 1546 controls. An unweighted GRS was calculated as a summation of the number of risk alleles for depression and incorporated into several logistic regression models with depression status as the main outcome. Constructed models were trained and evaluated in the whole recruited sample. Non-genetic-risk factors were combined with the GRS in several ways across the five predictive models in order to improve predictive ability. An enrichment functional analysis was finally conducted with the aim of providing a general understanding of the biological pathways mapped by analyzed SNPs. We found that an unweighted GRS based on 30 risk loci was significantly associated with a higher risk of depression. Although the GRS itself explained a small amount of variance of depression, we found a significant improvement in the prediction of depression after including some non-genetic-risk factors into the models. The highest predictive ability for depression was achieved when the model included an interaction term between the GRS and the body mass index (BMI), apart from the inclusion of classical demographic information as marginal terms (AUC = 0.71, 95% CI = [0.65, 0.76]). Functional analyses on the 30 SNPs composing the GRS revealed an over-representation of the mapped genes in signaling pathways involved in processes such as extracellular remodeling, proinflammatory regulatory mechanisms, and circadian rhythm alterations. Although the GRS on its own explained a small amount of variance of depression, a significant novel feature of this study is that including non-genetic-risk factors such as BMI together with a GRS came close to the conventional threshold for clinical utility used in ROC analysis and improves the prediction of depression. In this study, the highest predictive ability was achieved by the model combining the GRS and the BMI under an interaction term. Particularly, BMI was identified as a trigger-like risk factor for depression acting in a concerted way with the GRS component. This is an interesting finding since it suggests the existence of a risk overlap between both diseases, and the need for individual depression genetics-risk evaluation in subjects with obesity. This research has therefore potential clinical implications and set the basis for future research directions in exploring the link between depression and obesity-associated disorders. While it is likely that future genome-wide studies with large samples will detect novel genetic variants associated with depression, it seems clear that a combination of genetics and non-genetic information (such is the case of obesity status and other depression comorbidities) will still be needed for the optimization prediction of depression in high-susceptibility individuals.

Effectiveness of an implementation strategy for a breastfeeding guideline in Primary Care: cluster randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: The protection and promotion of breastfeeding is considered a priority in Europe where only 22% of infants less than 6 months old are exclusively breastfed. In Spain this percentage reaches 24.8% but in our city it falls to 18.26%. Various studies emphasise that the improvement of these results should be based upon the training of health professionals. Following the recommendations of a breastfeeding guide can modify the practice of health professionals and improve results with respect to exclusively or predominatly breastfed children at 6 months of age. METHOD/DESIGN: This study involves a community based cluster randomized trial in primary healthcare centres in Leganés (Madrid, Spain). The project aims to determine whether the use of an implementation strategy (including training session, information distribution, opinion leader) of a breastfeeding guideline in primary care is more effective than usual diffusion. The number of patients required will be 240 (120 in each arm). It will be included all the mothers of infants born during the study period (6 months) who come to the health centre on the first visit of the child care programme and who give their consent to participate. The main outcome variable is the exclusive o predominant breastfeeding at 6 moths of age..Main effectiveness will be analyzed by comparing the percentage of infants with exclusive or predominant breastfeeding at 6 months between the intervention group and the control group. All statistical tests will be performed with intention to treat. Logistic regression with random effects will be used to adjust for prognostic factors. Confounding factors or factors that might alter the effect recorded will be taken into account in this analysis. DISCUSSION: Strategies need to be found which facilitate the giving of effective advice on breastfeeding by professionals and which provide support to women during the breastfeeding period. By applying the guide's recommendations, clinical variability can be reduced and the care received by patients can be improved. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01474096.

Evaluation of changes in haptoglobin and C-reactive protein concentrations caused by freezing of saliva and meat juice samples collected from healthy and diseased pigs.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate changes in stability of haptoglobin and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations caused by freezing of saliva and meat juice samples. ANIMALS: 16 specific-pathogen-free pigs and 16 pigs with clinical signs of disease. PROCEDURES: Saliva and diaphragmatic muscle were collected immediately before and after slaughter, respectively. Haptoglobin and CRP concentrations of pooled samples were measured before storage (day 0) and after 7, 15, 30, 60, 120, 210, and 365 days of storage at -20°C and after repeated freezing-thawing cycles (up to 7 times). In a second experiment, addition of a protease-inhibitor cocktail to saliva and storage of saliva samples at -80°C for up to 30 days were assessed for effects on CRP concentrations. RESULTS: Haptoglobin concentrations in saliva did not change for up to 120 days in samples stored at -20°C, but longer storage times and multiple freezing-thawing cycles increased haptoglobin concentrations. Salivary CRP concentrations decreased significantly after 7 days of storage at -20°C, and addition of a protease-inhibitor cocktail did not improve CRP stability. Lower temperatures limited salivary CRP degradation. In meat juice, haptoglobin and CRP concentrations were stable at -20°C up to 210 days. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Acute-phase protein measurements in saliva should be performed as soon as possible after sample collection. When this is not possible, storage temperature of -80°C is recommended. Acute-phase protein concentrations appeared to be more stable in meat juice samples than in saliva samples. Saliva and meat juice could be used as alternatives to serum for haptoglobin and CRP analysis.

Evaluation of an immunoassay for determination of haptoglobin concentration in various biological specimens from swine.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and evaluate an immunoassay based on time-resolved immunofluorometry (TR-IFM) for measurement of haptoglobin concentrations in samples of various body fluids of swine. ANIMALS: 20 pigs without clinical signs of disease and seronegative for antibodies against major viruses that affect pigs and 30 pigs with clinical signs of disease. PROCEDURES: Haptoglobin concentrations were measured in samples of serum, saliva, and meat juice obtained from both groups of pigs to evaluate the ability of TR-IFM to differentiate between healthy and diseased pigs. Performance of TR-IFM was evaluated by means of its calibration curve and detection limit, analytic precision during routine operation, and linearity of results for serial dilutions for the 3 types of samples. In addition, performance of TR-IFM was compared with that of a commercial spectrophotometric assay. RESULTS: The TR-IFM assay involved only 1 step, and the results were obtained in 20 minutes, with good analytic sensitivity and reproducibility. The analytic limit of detection was 0.52 ng/mL. Intra-assay and interassay coefficients of variation ranged from 1.13% to 4.81% and 5.97% to 13.57%, respectively. The method yielded linear results for all sample types. Serum haptoglobin concentrations determined by use of TR-IFM and spectrophotometric assays were highly correlated (r = 0.96). Differences between healthy and diseased pigs with respect to median haptoglobin concentrations were significant for all types of samples. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The 1-step TR-IFM assay accurately quantified haptoglobin concentrations in serum, saliva, and meat juice samples from swine and may be useful in laboratory and meat inspection settings.

Towards Understanding Non-Infectious Growth-Rate Retardation in Growing Pigs.

For growth-rate retardation in commercial growing pigs suffering from non-infectious diseases, no biomarker is available for early detection and prevention of the condition or for the diagnosis of affected animals. The point in question is that the underlying pathological pathway of the condition is still unknown and multiple nutritional or management issues could be the cause of the disease. Common health status markers such as acute phase proteins, adenosine deaminase activity or total antioxidant capacity did not show any alteration in the saliva of animals with growth-rate retardation, so other pathways should be affected. The present study investigates saliva samples from animals with the same commercial crossbreed, sex and age, comparing control pigs and pigs with growth-rate retardation. A proteomics approach based on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis including mass spectrometry together with validation experiments was applied for the search of proteins that could help understand disease mechanisms and be used for early disease detection. Two proteins were detected as possible markers of growth-rate retardation, specifically S100A12 and carbonic anhydrase VI. A decrease in innate immune response was confirmed in pigs with growth-rate retardation, however further studies should be necessary to understand the role of the different CA VI proteoforms observed.

Control of photoinduced electron transfer in zinc phthalocyanine-perylenediimide dyad and triad by the magnesium ion.

Photoexcitation of a zinc phthalocyanine-perylenediimide (ZnPc-PDI) dyad and a bis(zinc phthalocyanine)-perylenediimide [(ZnPc) 2-PDI] triad results in formation of the triplet excited state of the PDI moiety without the fluorescence emission, whereas addition of Mg (2+) ions to the dyad and triad results in formation of long-lived charge-separated (CS) states (ZnPc (*+)-PDI (*-)/Mg (2+) and (ZnPc) 2 (*+)-PDI (*-)/Mg (2+)) in which PDI (*-) forms a complex with Mg (2+). Formation of the CS states in the presence of Mg (2+) was confirmed by appearance of the absorption bands due to ZnPc (*+) and PDI (*-)/Mg (2+) complex in the time-resolved transient absorption spectra of the dyad and triad. The one-electron reduction potential ( E red) of the PDI moiety in the presence of a metal ion is shifted to a positive direction due to the binding of Mg (2+) to PDI (*-), whereas the one-electron oxidation potential of the ZnPc moiety remains the same. The binding of Mg (2+) to PDI (*-) was confirmed by the ESR spectrum, which is different from that of PDI (*-) without Mg (2+). The energy of the CS state (ZnPc (*+)-PDI (*-)/Mg (2+)) is determined to be 0.79 eV, which becomes lower that of the triplet excited state (ZnPc- (3)PDI*: 1.07 eV). This is the reason why the long-lived CS states were attained in the presence of Mg (2+) instead of the triplet excited state of the PDI moiety.

Gender influence on the salivary protein profile of finishing pigs.

A study on gender differences in the normal range of biomarkers in porcine saliva samples has the scope for further attention. In the present study, the salivary protein profiles of age-matched healthy male and female finishing pigs were compared. The levels of salivary adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity, haptoglobin (Hp) and C-reactive protein (CRP) have been quantified in 32 male and 32 female pigs to ensure the presence of gender effect on the median levels of salivary biomarkers. Moreover, the total salivary protein content was quantified and compared. The overall salivary protein distribution was compared with SDS-PAGE in 14 male and 14 female pigs and the possible gender influence in the salivary protein profile was analysed by 2DE in 6 male and 6 female pigs. Statistically significant differences were observed in the median values of Hp, CRP, and ADA between male and female pigs (p<0.005). Although the total salivary protein content was not different between the sexes, the salivary protein distribution and profile showed specific gender differences in three proteins of the lipocalin family: the odorant-binding protein, salivary lipocalin and lipocalin 1. These proteins have been related to animal immune status and should be further explored as possible porcine salivary biomarkers. SIGNIFICANCE: The biological relevance of the reported research is based on the possible gender influence on the discovery of salivary biomarkers in porcine production. As differences have been reported in the salivary protein distribution in male pigs in comparison to that of female pigs, the normal-range values, according to gender, of the newly discovered biomarkers should be explored and defined prior to its application in the porcine production system. A hormonal sexual influence is highly hypothesized.

Formation of a long-lived charge-separated state of a zinc phthalocyanine-perylenediimide dyad by complexation with magnesium ion.

Photoexcitation of a zinc phthalocyanine-perylenediimide (ZnPc-PDI) dyad affords the triplet excited state without the fluorescence emission, whereas addition of Mg2+ to the photoexcited ZnPc-PDI results in formation of a long-lived charge-separated state (ZnPc.+-PDI.-/Mg2+) in which PDI.- forms a complex with Mg2+.