Oxidized cholesteryl ester induces exocytosis of dysfunctional lysosomes in lipidotic macrophages.

A key event in atherogenesis is the formation of lipid-loaded macrophages, lipidotic cells, which exhibit irreversible accumulation of undigested modified low-density lipoproteins (LDL) in lysosomes. This event culminates in the loss of cell homeostasis, inflammation, and cell death. Nevertheless, the exact chemical etiology of atherogenesis and the molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for the impairment of lysosome function in plaque macrophages are still unknown. Here, we demonstrate that macrophages exposed to cholesteryl hemiazelate (ChA), one of the most prevalent products of LDL-derived cholesteryl ester oxidation, exhibit enlarged peripheral dysfunctional lysosomes full of undigested ChA and neutral lipids. Both lysosome area and accumulation of neutral lipids are partially irreversible. Interestingly, the dysfunctional peripheral lysosomes are more prone to fuse with the plasma membrane, secreting their undigested luminal content into the extracellular milieu with potential consequences for the pathology. We further demonstrate that this phenotype is mechanistically linked to the nuclear translocation of the MiT/TFE family of transcription factors. The induction of lysosome biogenesis by ChA appears to partially protect macrophages from lipid-induced cytotoxicity. In sum, our data show that ChA is involved in the etiology of lysosome dysfunction and promotes the exocytosis of these organelles. This latter event is a new mechanism that may be important in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

Cholesteryl hemiazelate causes lysosome dysfunction impacting vascular smooth muscle cell homeostasis.

In atherosclerotic lesions, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) represent half of the foam cell population, which is characterized by an aberrant accumulation of undigested lipids within lysosomes. Loss of lysosome function impacts VSMC homeostasis and disease progression. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying lysosome dysfunction in these cells is, therefore, crucial. We identify cholesteryl hemiazelate (ChA), a stable oxidation end-product of cholesteryl-polyunsaturated fatty acid esters, as an inducer of lysosome malfunction in VSMCs. ChA-treated VSMCs acquire a foam-cell-like phenotype, characterized by enlarged lysosomes full of ChA and neutral lipids. The lysosomes are perinuclear and exhibit degradative capacity and cargo exit defects. Lysosome luminal pH is also altered. Even though the transcriptional response machinery and autophagy are not activated by ChA, the addition of recombinant lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) is able to rescue lysosome dysfunction. ChA significantly affects VSMC proliferation and migration, impacting atherosclerosis. In summary, this work shows that ChA is sufficient to induce lysosomal dysfunction in VSMCs, that, in ChA-treated VSMCs, neither lysosome biogenesis nor autophagy are triggered, and, finally, that recombinant LAL can be a therapeutic approach for lysosomal dysfunction.

Digital pathology for reporting histopathology samples, including cancer screening samples - definitive evidence from a multisite study.

AIMS: To conduct a definitive multicentre comparison of digital pathology (DP) with light microscopy (LM) for reporting histopathology slides including breast and bowel cancer screening samples. METHODS: A total of 2024 cases (608 breast, 607 GI, 609 skin, 200 renal) were studied, including 207 breast and 250 bowel cancer screening samples. Cases were examined by four pathologists (16 study pathologists across the four speciality groups), using both LM and DP, with the order randomly assigned and 6 weeks between viewings. Reports were compared for clinical management concordance (CMC), meaning identical diagnoses plus differences which do not affect patient management. Percentage CMCs were computed using logistic regression models with crossed random-effects terms for case and pathologist. The obtained percentage CMCs were referenced to 98.3% calculated from previous studies. RESULTS: For all cases LM versus DP comparisons showed the CMC rates were 99.95% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 99.90-99.97] and 98.96 (95% CI = 98.42-99.32) for cancer screening samples. In speciality groups CMC for LM versus DP showed: breast 99.40% (99.06-99.62) overall and 96.27% (94.63-97.43) for cancer screening samples; [gastrointestinal (GI) = 99.96% (99.89-99.99)] overall and 99.93% (99.68-99.98) for bowel cancer screening samples; skin 99.99% (99.92-100.0); renal 99.99% (99.57-100.0). Analysis of clinically significant differences revealed discrepancies in areas where interobserver variability is known to be high, in reads performed with both modalities and without apparent trends to either. CONCLUSIONS: Comparing LM and DP CMC, overall rates exceed the reference 98.3%, providing compelling evidence that pathologists provide equivalent results for both routine and cancer screening samples irrespective of the modality used.

Differential activation of basal and IL-7-induced PI3K/Akt/mTOR and JAK/STAT5 signaling distinguishes pediatric from adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Not available.

Influence of Tacrolimus Intrapatient Variability on Allograft Rejection Frequency and Survival Following Liver Transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Tacrolimus is the primary calcineurin inhibitor used in immunosuppressive regimens to prevent allograft rejection (AR) after organ transplantation. Recent studies have linked intrapatient variability (IPV) of tacrolimus with AR occurrence and reduced survival, especially in kidney transplant recipients. However, limited data are available on the impact of tacrolimus IPV on adverse outcomes after liver transplantation (LT). AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess the association between tacrolimus IPV using various methodologies with acute AR and long-term patient survival after LT. METHODS: All patients who underwent LT from January 2010 to July 2021 were retrospectively evaluated. Tacrolimus IPV was calculated for each patient using the mean and SD, mean absolute deviation (MAD), coefficient of variation (CV), and time in therapeutic range (TTR). These measures were then compared with AR within the first 24 months after LT and to long-term survival. RESULTS: Out of 234 patients, 32 (13.7%) developed AR and 183 (78.2%) survived, with a mean follow-up of 101 ± 43 months. Tacrolimus IPV, assessed by mean, SD, MAD, and CV, was 8.3 ± 2.1, 2.7 ± 1.3, 32.0% ± 11.7%, and 39.4% ± 15.4%, respectively. There was no statistically significant correlation between Tacrolimus IPV and AR or survival post-LT. CONCLUSIONS: In a large cohort of patients from diverse racial backgrounds, tacrolimus IPV was not associated with clinically relevant outcomes such as AR and survival after LT.

Chemical reversion of age-related oocyte dysfunction fails to enhance embryo development in a bovine model of postovulatory aging.

PURPOSE: There are no clinical treatments to prevent/revert age-related alterations associated with oocyte competence decline in the context of advanced maternal age. Those alterations have been attributed to oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Our study aimed to test the hypothesis that in vitro maturation (IVM) medium supplementation with antioxidants (resveratrol or phloretin) may revert age-related oocyte competence decline. METHODS: Bovine immature oocytes were matured in vitro for 23 h (young) and 30 h (aged). Postovulatory aged oocytes (control group) and embryos obtained after fertilization were examined and compared with oocytes supplemented with either 2 µM of resveratrol or 6 µM phloretin (treatment groups) during IVM. RESULTS: Aged oocytes had a significantly lower mitochondrial mass and proportion of mitochondrial clustered pattern, lower ooplasmic volume, higher ROS, lower sirtuin-1 protein level, and a lower blastocyst rate in comparison to young oocytes, indicating that postovulatory oocytes have a lower quality and developmental competence, thus validating our experimental model. Supplementation of IVM medium with antioxidants prevented the generation of ROS and restored the active mitochondrial mass and pattern characteristic of younger oocytes. Moreover, sirtuin-1 protein levels were also restored but only following incubation with resveratrol. Despite these findings, the blastocyst rate of treatment groups was not significantly different from the control group, indicating that resveratrol and phloretin could not restore the oocyte competence of postovulatory aged oocytes. CONCLUSION: Resveratrol and phloretin can both revert the age-related oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction during postovulatory aging but were insufficient to enhance embryo developmental rates under our experimental conditions.

Cholesteryl hemiazelate identified in CVD patients causes in vitro and in vivo inflammation.

Oxidation of PUFAs in LDLs trapped in the arterial intima plays a critical role in atherosclerosis. Though there have been many studies on the atherogenicity of oxidized derivatives of PUFA-esters of cholesterol, the effects of cholesteryl hemiesters (ChEs), the oxidation end products of these esters, have not been studied. Through lipidomics analyses, we identified and quantified two ChE types in the plasma of CVD patients and identified four ChE types in human endarterectomy specimens. Cholesteryl hemiazelate (ChA), the ChE of azelaic acid (n-nonane-1,9-dioic acid), was the most prevalent ChE identified in both cases. Importantly, human monocytes, monocyte-derived macrophages, and neutrophils exhibit inflammatory features when exposed to subtoxic concentrations of ChA in vitro. ChA increases the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1ß and interleukin-6 and modulates the surface-marker profile of monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophage. In vivo, when zebrafish larvae were fed with a ChA-enriched diet, they exhibited neutrophil and macrophage accumulation in the vasculature in a caspase 1- and cathepsin B-dependent manner. ChA also triggered lipid accumulation at the bifurcation sites of the vasculature of the zebrafish larvae and negatively impacted their life expectancy. We conclude that ChA behaves as an endogenous damage-associated molecular pattern with inflammatory and proatherogenic properties.

Overexpression of MRX9 impairs processing of RNAs encoding mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation factors COB and COX1 in yeast.

Mitochondrial translation is a highly regulated process, and newly synthesized mitochondrial products must first associate with several nuclear-encoded auxiliary factors to form oxidative phosphorylation complexes. The output of mitochondrial products should therefore be in stoichiometric equilibrium with the nuclear-encoded products to prevent unnecessary energy expense or the accumulation of pro-oxidant assembly modules. In the mitochondrial DNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, COX1 encodes subunit 1 of the cytochrome c oxidase and COB the central core of the cytochrome bc1 electron transfer complex; however, factors regulating the expression of these mitochondrial products are not completely described. Here, we identified Mrx9p as a new factor that controls COX1 and COB expression. We isolated MRX9 in a screen for mitochondrial factors that cause poor accumulation of newly synthesized Cox1p and compromised transition to the respiratory metabolism. Northern analyses indicated lower levels of COX1 and COB mature mRNAs accompanied by an accumulation of unprocessed transcripts in the presence of excess Mrx9p. In a strain devoid of mitochondrial introns, MRX9 overexpression did not affect COX1 and COB translation or respiratory adaptation, implying Mrx9p regulates processing of COX1 and COB RNAs. In addition, we found Mrx9p was localized in the mitochondrial inner membrane, facing the matrix, as a portion of it cosedimented with mitoribosome subunits and its removal or overexpression altered Mss51p sedimentation. Finally, we showed accumulation of newly synthesized Cox1p in the absence of Mrx9p was diminished in cox14 null mutants. Taken together, these data indicate a regulatory role of Mrx9p in COX1 RNA processing.

Mortality in children under 5 years of age with congenital syphilis in Brazil: A nationwide cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Congenital syphilis (CS) is a major and avoidable cause of neonatal death worldwide. In this study, we aimed to estimate excess all-cause mortality in children under 5 years with CS compared to those without CS. METHODS AND FINDINGS: In this population-based cohort study, we used linked, routinely collected data from Brazil from January 2011 to December 2017. Cox survival models were adjusted for maternal region of residence, maternal age, education, material status, self-declared race and newborn sex, and year of birth and stratified according to maternal treatment status, non-treponemal titers and presence of signs and symptoms at birth. Over 7 years, a total of 20 057 013 live-born children followed up (through linkage) to 5 years of age, 93 525 were registered with CS, and 2 476 died. The all-cause mortality rate in the CS group was 7·84/1 000 person-years compared with 2·92/1 000 person-years in children without CS, crude hazard ratio (HR) = 2·41 (95% CI 2·31 to 2·50). In the fully adjusted model, the highest under-five mortality risk was observed among children with CS from untreated mothers HR = 2·82 (95% CI 2·63 to 3·02), infants with non-treponemal titer higher than 1:64 HR = 8·87 (95% CI 7·70 to 10·22), and children with signs and symptoms at birth HR = 7·10 (95% CI 6·60 to 7·63). Among children registered with CS, CS was recorded as the underlying cause of death in 33% (495/1 496) of neonatal, 11% (85/770) of postneonatal, and 2·9% (6/210) of children 1 year of age. The main limitations of this study were the use of a secondary database without additional clinical information and the potential misclassification of exposure status. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed an increased mortality risk among children with CS that goes beyond the first year of life. It also reinforces the importance of maternal treatment that infant non-treponemal titers and the presence of signs and symptoms of CS at birth are strongly associated with subsequent mortality. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Observational study.

Sensitivity and Accuracy of Doppler Ultrasound compared to CT Angiography for the Diagnosis of Carotid Webs: Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: Carotid webs (CaW) are increasingly recognized as a cause of cryptogenic acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Due to the risk of recurrent ischemic stroke associated with CaW, it is important to identify them. Although several studies report digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and computerized tomography angiography (CTA) to be better at diagnosing CaW than Doppler ultrasound (DUS), it remains to be defined which is the best radiological method to diagnose CaW. Our aim was to evaluate sensitivity and accuracy of DUS compared to CTA for CaW diagnosis. METHODS: We searched PUBMED and EMBASE databases from inception through August 2022. We included studies with patients with CaW diagnosed by DUS and/or CTA, in which both methods were used in each patient. Demographic characteristics, diagnostic reports of each method and histology reports were collected. Descriptive analysis and sensitivity and accuracy estimates were made to evaluate DUS compared to CTA. RESULTS: We included 27 articles in the systematic review (121 patients with CaW). DUS identified 94 patients with CaW and CTA 116 patients. DUS missed diagnosis in 22.3% (27 patients) and CTA did not identified CaW detected by DUS in 4.13% (5 patients). Accuracy rate between DUS and CTA was 73.6% (95% CI 64.8 to 81.2%). Sensitivity of DUS to diagnose CaW compared to CTA was 76.7% (95% CI 68.0 to 84.1%). Most common misdiagnosis with DUS were normal exam (44.4%), atherosclerosis (22.2%) and dissection (22.2%). CONCLUSION: The sensitivity and accuracy of DUS to diagnosis of CaW were moderate. It might detect CaW in some cases in which it was not identified by CTA. Increase recognition of CaW and specific ultrasound protocols may enhance diagnosis of CaW by DUS.

Intraoperative assessment of resection margins by Raman spectroscopy to guide oral cancer surgery.

Patients with oral cavity cancer are almost always treated with surgery. The goal is to remove the tumor with a margin of more than 5 mm of surrounding healthy tissue. Unfortunately, this is only achieved in about 15% to 26% of cases. Intraoperative assessment of tumor resection margins (IOARM) can dramatically improve surgical results. However, current methods are laborious, subjective, and logistically demanding. This hinders broad adoption of IOARM, to the detriment of patients. Here we present the development and validation of a high-wavenumber Raman spectroscopic technology, for quick and objective intraoperative measurement of resection margins on fresh specimens. It employs a thin fiber-optic needle probe, which is inserted into the tissue, to measure the distance between a resection surface and the tumor. A tissue classification model was developed to discriminate oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) from healthy oral tissue, with a sensitivity of 0.85 and a specificity of 0.92. The tissue classification model was then used to develop a margin length prediction model, showing a mean difference between margin length predicted by Raman spectroscopy and histopathology of -0.17 mm.

Maternal and congenital syphilis in Indigenous Peoples: a scoping review of the worldwide literature.

BACKGROUND: Syphilis is among the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide. When it occurs during pregnancy, it can seriously affect the fetus and newborn`s health. The scarcity of studies on maternal and congenital syphilis in Indigenous Peoples remains an obstacle to its control in these populations. This study aimed to explore the breadth of the literature, map updated evidence, and identify knowledge gaps on maternal and congenital syphilis in Indigenous Peoples worldwide. METHODS: We conducted a Scoping review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses - Extension for Scoping Reviews. In March 2021, we collected data through a priority search on PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and SciELO. RESULTS: The strategy yielded 24 studies for analysis. Data in the articles were collected from 1989 to 2020, half from 2015 onwards. Studies were in Oceania and the Americas, mainly in South America (66.7%), particularly in Brazil (50.0%). The topics assessed were Data quality related to maternal and congenital syphilis (20.8%); Diagnosis, provision, access, and use of health services (62.5%); Disease frequency and health inequities (54.2%); Determinants of maternal syphilis and congenital syphilis (20.8%); and Outcomes of maternal and congenital syphilis in the fetus (20.8%). The results show that the available literature on maternal and congenital syphilis is sparse and concentrated in some geographic areas; the frequency of these diseases in Indigenous Peoples varies but is generally higher than in the non-indigenous counterparts; the quality of surveillance data and health information systems is poor; multiple healthcare barriers exist; and the diversity of terms to identify Indigenous Peoples is a challenge to mapping scientific outputs on Indigenous Peoples' health. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal and congenital syphilis in Indigenous Peoples is a double-neglected condition and research in this area should be given the priority and encouragement it deserves globally. Reliable data and improving access to health care are needed to reduce the burden of syphilis and correctly inform policies and health services response to mitigate ethnic-racial inequalities in maternal and congenital syphilis.

Natural cordiaquinones as strategies to inhibit the growth and biofilm formation of methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial and antibiofilm potential of cordiaquinones B, E, L, N, and O against different Staphylococci strains, in addition to analyzing in silico the observed effect. METHODS AND RESULTS: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined according to CLSI guidelines. The inhibition of biofilm formation was investigated at sub-MICs. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and density functional theory method were performed. The tested strains of Staphylococcus spp. were susceptible to cordiaquinones B, E, and L, among which cordiaquinone B exerted a bactericidal effect, confirmed by a bacterial growth curve study, against Staphylococcus saprophyticus. Cordiaquinones B and E showed lowest MBC values against S. saprophyticus. AFM revealed that cordiaquinone L reduced the mean cell size of S. saprophyticus. Cordiaquinones B and E inhibited the biofilm formation ability of S. aureus by ∼90%. The in silico analysis suggested that the antimicrobial activity of cordiaquinones is driven by their electron donation capability. CONCLUSIONS: Cordiaquinones inhibit the growth and biofilm formation (virulence factor) of both methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococci strains, indicating their antimicrobial potential.

Say it right: measuring the impact of different communication strategies on the decision to get vaccinated.

BACKGROUND: Vaccine hesitancy is a concerning menace to the control of vaccine-preventable diseases. Effective health communication could promote an overall understanding of the importance, risks, and benefits of vaccination and reduce vaccine hesitancy. METHODS: In this survey, four fictitious newspaper articles addressing an emerging bogus disease and its vaccine were randomly assigned to participants. The first version focused on information about the disease; the second was akin to the first, including a case description and image. The third version focused on vaccine safety/efficacy; the fourth version was like the third, including a case description and image. After reading a single version of the article, participants responded if they would take the vaccine and if they would vaccinate their children. We used chi-squared tests for comparisons and investigated interactions with vaccine-hesitant attitudes. RESULTS: We included 5233 participants between August/2021 and January/2022; 790 were caregivers of a child ≤ 5 years old, and 15% had prior vaccine hesitancy. Although most declared intention to take the vaccine, the percentage was highest among those exposed to the newspaper article focusing on the vaccine safety/efficacy with the case description and picture (91%; 95% confidence interval 89-92%), and lowest among participants exposed to the article focusing on the disease with no case description (84%; 95% confidence interval 82-86%). Similar trends were observed in the intention of offspring vaccination. We found evidence of effect modification by vaccine-hesitant attitudes, with a higher impact of communication focusing on vaccine safety/efficacy compared to that focusing on disease characteristics among hesitant participants. CONCLUSION: Communication strategies focusing on different aspects of the disease-vaccine duet may impact vaccine hesitancy, and storytelling/emotive imagery descriptions may improve risk perception and vaccine uptake. Moreover, the effect of message framing strategies may differ according to previous vaccine hesitant attitudes.

Intimate Partner Violence among women living in families with children under the poverty line and its association with common mental disorders during COVID-19 pandemics in Ceará, Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive public health issue that affects millions of women worldwide. Women living below the poverty line experience higher rates of violence and fewer resources to escape or cope with the abuse, and the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted women's economic well-being worldwide. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Ceará, Brazil, on women in families with children living below the poverty line at the peak of the second wave of COVID to assess the prevalence of IPV and its association with common mental disorders(CMD). METHODS: The study population comprised families with children up to six years of age who participated in the cash transfer program "Mais Infância". The families selected to participate in this program must meet a poverty criterion: families must live in rural areas, in addition to a monthly per capita income of less than US$16.50 per month. We applied specific instruments to evaluate IPV and CMD. To access IPV, we used the Partner Violence Screen (PVS). The Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) was used to assess CMD. To verify the association between IPV and the other evaluated factors with CMD, simple and hierarchical multiple logistic models were used. RESULTS: Of the 479 participant women, 22% were positively screened for IPV (95% CI 18.2-26.2). After multivariate adjustment, the chances of CMD are 2.32 higher in women exposed to IPV than in those not exposed to IPV ((95%CI 1.30-4.13), p value = 0.004). CMD was also associated with job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic (ORa 2.13 (95% CI 1.09-4.35), p-value 0.029). In addition to these, separate or single marital status, as well as non-presence of the father at home and food insecurity were associated with CMD. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the prevalence of intimate partner violence in families with children up to six years of age living below the poverty line in Ceará is high and is associated with greater chances of common mental disorders in mothers. Also, job loss and reduced access to food caused by the Covid 19 pandemic exacerbated both phenomena, constituting a double burden generator factor on mothers.

COMT rs4818 less common allele is associated with psychological and psychiatric worse indicators in a cohort of individuals born with cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: Individuals born with cleft lip and palate may face difficulties in speech function, nutrition, facial aesthetics, and long-term care. These difficulties may increase the risk of psychological and psychiatric diseases. This work aimed to test if the variant allele of COMT was carried more frequently among individuals that have psychological and psychiatric outcomes within a cohort of patients born with cleft lip and palate. METHOD: DNA extraction from saliva of two hundred and fifteen individuals born with cleft lip with and/or palate and genotyping was performed, and the frequency of COMT rs4818 alleles was determined. The domain 'Psychological Function' of Cleft-Q™ was used to generate scores for analysis. The scores were computed, and differences in genotype or allele frequencies between individuals with psychological function scores 60 or above and 59 or below were compared. The history of psychiatric illness (family history of psychiatric disease or self-reported psychiatric illness) was registered. RESULTS: Genotype and allele frequencies were compared between individuals with and without a family history of psychiatric illness. Individuals with lower Psychological Function (Cleft-Q™) scores were more likely to be GG (P = .04) or carriers of allele G (P < .001). The reported psychiatric illness and positive family history of psychiatric illness were compared to COMT rs4818 allele and genotype frequencies of individuals without these indicators, and individuals with psychiatric illness and positive family history of psychiatric illness were more likely to carry allele G (P = .03 and P = .008, respectively). CONCLUSION: The study confirms previously suggested role of COMT rs4818 in psychiatric and psychological outcomes in a distinct cohort of patients born with cleft lip and palate.

Scenedesmus rubescens Heterotrophic Production Strategies for Added Value Biomass.

Microalgae attract interest worldwide due to their potential for several applications. Scenedesmus is one of the first in vitro cultured algae due to their rapid growth and handling easiness. Within this genus, cells exhibit a highly resistant wall and propagate both auto- and heterotrophically. The main goal of the present work is to find scalable ways to produce a highly concentrated biomass of Scenedesmus rubescens in heterotrophic conditions. Scenedesmus rubescens growth was improved at the lab-scale by 3.2-fold (from 4.1 to 13 g/L of dry weight) through medium optimization by response surface methodology. Afterwards, scale-up was evaluated in 7 L stirred-tank reactor under fed-batch operation. Then, the optimized medium resulted in an overall productivity of 8.63 g/L/day and a maximum biomass concentration of 69.5 g/L. S. rubescens protein content achieved approximately 31% of dry weight, similar to the protein content of Chlorella vulgaris in heterotrophy.

Toward a Phenomenological Assessment of Values in Alcohol Misuse.

INTRODUCTION: Alcohol misuse emerges from a complex range of psychopathological experiences and personal and cultural values. For this reason, understanding the reasons why a person seeks treatment is crucial to effective care. This study aimed to identify the values which guide the decision-making process of persons seeking voluntary hospitalization for treatment for alcohol misuse, as well as the values of significant others. METHODS: A phenomenological investigation was conducted through interviews with 25 individuals (and family members) who had voluntarily admitted themselves to a hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, with the objective of maintaining abstinence from alcohol dependence. RESULTS: The main factors that determined the treatment-seeking decision were damage to social relationships and fear of illness and deterioration of the physical condition; the factors related to treatment expectations were restoring personality and awareness of morbidity; and the single factor considered most important to the success of the treatment was willpower. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study contribute to developing strategies for bringing care closer to the patient's perspective of the disease and encourage their active participation in the formulation of care.

Family income modifies the association between frequent sugar intake and dental caries.

AIM: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate whether family income modifies associations between dental caries and sex, age, mother's education, type of preschool, sugar intake, and toothbrushing. BACKGROUND: Dental caries is a multifactorial dyanamic disease primarily mediated by biofilm and sugar. DESIGN: A randomly selected sample of 308 Brazilian preschool children aged 1-3 years underwent a clinical oral examination for the assessment of moderate/extensive dental caries using codes 3-6 of the International Caries Detection and Assessment System. Mothers were asked to fill out a form addressing the child's demographic and socioeconomic characteristics as well as the frequency of sugar intake. Statistical analysis involved descriptive statistics, the chi-squared test, and Poisson regression models. RESULTS: The prevalence of moderate/extensive dental caries was 42.5%. The adjusted model revealed that within low-income families (<2 times the monthly minimum wage), the prevalence of dental caries was higher among children with a high frequency of sugar intake (≥ twice per day) than in those with a low frequency of sugar intake (< twice a day) (RR = 1.79; CI: 1.38-2.33). In families with higher income (≥2 times the monthly wage), no significant association between sugar intake and dental caries was, however, found. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, monthly family income can modify the association between the high frequency of sugar intake and dental caries.

The effect of light regime and time of slaughter in broiler on broiler performance, liver antioxidant status, and expression of genes related to peptide absorption in the jejunum and melatonin synthesis in the brain.

This study aimed to assess the effects of light regime and time of slaughter on primal cut and organ weights, peptide transporter 1 (PEPT1) gene expression in the jejunum, arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT) gene expression in the brain, and liver oxidant/antioxidant status in broilers aged 37 days. The experiment was conducted in a factorial completely randomized design, with two light regimes (intermittent light varying according to bird age and continuous light under an 18 h light/6 h dark photoperiod) and four times of slaughter (2:00, 8:00, 14:00 and 20:00 h). There was an interaction effect on PEPT1 and AANAT expression, lipid and protein oxidation and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. In both light regimes, PEPT1 expression responded cubically to slaughter time. In the continuous light group, PEPT1 expression was highest in birds slaughtered at 2:00 and 14:00 h, whereas, in the intermittent light treatment, expression was highest at 8:00 h. In the continuous light regime, AANAT expression had a cubic relationship with time of slaughter, with the greatest values recorded at 20:00 h. In the intermittent light regime, slaughter time showed a cubic effect on lipid oxidation, which was highest at 8:00 h. In the continuous light group, there was a cubic effect on nitrite concentration, lipid oxidation, protein oxidation, and SOD activity; nitrite levels, lipid oxidation, and protein oxidation were highest and SOD activity was lowest in birds slaughtered at 14:00 h. Time of slaughter influenced catalase activity, which responded cubically; catalase activity was lowest at 8:00 and 14:00 h. This study is the first to demonstrate that PEPT1 expression in the jejunum of broilers follows a diurnal rhythm and varies according to light regime. The results also suggest that mainly continuous lighting and slaughter at 14:00 h when the animals are possibly more active may be more stressful to broilers.