The efficacy of adjunctive mitomycin C and/or anti-VEGF agents on glaucoma tube shunt drainage device surgeries: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: The effectiveness of mitomycin C (MMC) in trabeculectomy has long been established. The aim of this review is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adjunctive agents in tube shunt drainage device surgery for glaucoma or ocular hypertension, since controversy still exists regarding their benefit. METHODS: We searched CENTRAL, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and BASE for RCTs, which have used adjuvant antimetabolites-either MMC or 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)-and/or anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (anti-VEGF) agents. The main outcome was IOP reduction at 12 months. RESULTS: Ten studies met our inclusion criteria. Nine used the Ahmed Glaucoma Valve (AGV) implant, while the double-plate Molteno implant was used in one study. Four studies used MMC. The remaining six studies used an anti-VEGF drug - either bevacizumab, ranibizumab or conbercept. Only one MMC-study reported a significant difference in the IOP reduction between groups at 12 months, favouring the MMC group (55% and 51%; p < 0.01). A significant difference was also reported by two out of five bevacizumab-studies, both favouring the bevacizumab group (55% and 51%, p < 0.05; 58% and 27%, p < 0.05), with the highest benefit seen in neovascular glaucoma cases, especially when panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) was also used. Neither ranibizumab nor conbercept were found to produce significant differences between groups regarding IOP reduction. CONCLUSION: There is no high-quality evidence to support the use of MMC in tube shunt surgery. As for anti-VEGF agents, specifically bevacizumab, significant benefit seems to exist in neovascular glaucoma patients, especially if combined with PRP.

JAGGER localization and function are dependent on GPI anchor addition.

KEY MESSAGE: GPI anchor addition is important for JAGGER localization and in vivo function. Loss of correct GPI anchor addition in JAGGER, negatively affects its localization and function. In flowering plants, successful double fertilization requires the correct delivery of two sperm cells to the female gametophyte inside the ovule. The delivery of a single pair of sperm cells is achieved by the entrance of a single pollen tube into one female gametophyte. To prevent polyspermy, Arabidopsis ovules avoid the attraction of multiple pollen tubes to one ovule-polytubey block. In Arabidopsis jagger mutants, a significant number of ovules attract more than one pollen tube to an ovule due to an impairment in synergid degeneration. JAGGER encodes a putative arabinogalactan protein which is predicted to be anchored to the plasma membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. Here, we show that JAGGER fused to citrine yellow fluorescent protein (JAGGER-cYFP) is functional and localizes mostly to the periphery of ovule integuments and transmitting tract cells. We further investigated the importance of GPI-anchor addition domains for JAGGER localization and function. Different JAGGER proteins with deletions in predicted ω-site regions and GPI attachment signal domain, expected to compromise the addition of the GPI anchor, led to disruption of JAGGER localization in the cell periphery. All JAGGER proteins with disrupted localization were also not able to rescue the polytubey phenotype, pointing to the importance of GPI-anchor addition to in vivo function of the JAGGER protein.

Nuclei Enrichment from Sugarcane Stems for Proteomics Analyses.

Nuclei enrichment procedures enable a large variety of investigations. These studies include structural characterization of nuclear proteins, identification of posttranslational modifications, and regulation of stress or development-related gene expression. Successful enrichment of nuclei samples from plant tissues is crucial for a comprehensive analysis of the plant nuclear proteome. Here, we describe a method for nuclei enrichment from sugarcane stems and its assessment by western blot.

Visualization of Suberization and Lignification in Sugarcane.

Cell wall biopolymers are major factors responsible for the high recalcitrance of sugarcane biomass. The study of suberization and lignification mechanisms in sugarcane and of the networks that control biosynthesis of these polymers will contribute to the biotechnological improvement of this crop. Here, we describe experiments that allow the visualization of the suberization and lignification mechanism in response to mechanical injury in sugarcane.

Isolation of Promoters and Transcription Factors Involved in the Regulation of Lignin Biosynthesis in Saccharum Species.

Sugarcane bagasse has received attention as a raw material for the production of second-generation ethanol (E2G). However, its use is limited because of the cell wall recalcitrance, mostly conferred by lignin. Recently our knowledge of the genes coding for the enzymes of the lignin biosynthesis pathway has increased; however, still little is known about the transcription factors controlling the expression of these genes in sugarcane. Here we describe protocols to optimize the isolation of the promoters of the lignin biosynthetic genes ShCAD8, ShCOMT and ShF5H and the transcription factors (TFs) ShMYB85 and ShMYB58/63 in Saccharum species. To confirm whether these TFs are able to activate the target promoters, a transactivation assay in BY2 protoplasts of Nicotiana tabacum is also detailed.

Larvoterapia no Tratamento de Lesões de Difícil Cicatrização: Revisão Integrativa / Larvotherapy in the Treatment of Difficult-to-heal Lesions: Integrative Review / Larvoterapia en el Tratamiento de Lesiones de Difícil Cicatrización: Revisión Integradora

Objetivo:Analisar as evidências disponíveis na literatura acerca da utilização da larvoterapia no tratamento de feridas de difícil cicatrização. Método: Trata-se de revisão integrativa, tendo como questão norteadora: quais são as evidências disponíveis na literatura acerca da utilização da larvoterapia no tratamento de feridas de difícil cicatrização? Elegeram-se como critérios de inclusão: artigos originais, de revisão de literatura e de relatos de experiência, recorte temporal de 2016 a 2021, disponíveis online na íntegra, em português, inglês e espanhol e que respondessem à pergunta de pesquisa. Os critérios de exclusão foram: artigos duplicados, cartas ao editor, dissertações, teses, monografias e pesquisas com animais. Buscas ocorreram na Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde e Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina dos Estados Unidos entre agosto e setembro de 2021. Resultados: Selecionaram-se 10 artigos. As principais vantagens foram: desbridamento seletivo, ação bactericida ou bacteriostática e promoção de tecido de granulação e de fatores cicatrizantes. Já as principais desvantagens abrangeram: dor, desconforto, preconceito e fragilidades com o mercado de produção larval. Conclusão: As vantagens encontradas sobrepõem as desvantagens evidenciadas. Portanto, a larvoterapia é favorável para tratar feridas de difícil cicatrização.

Objective:To analyze the evidence available in the literature about the use of larvotherapy in the treatment of difficult-to-heal wounds. Method: This is an integrative review, having as a guiding question: what evidence is available in the literature about the use of larvotherapy in the treatment of wounds that are difficult to heal? The inclusion criteria were: original articles, literature review and experience reports, from 2016 to 2021, available online in full, in Portuguese, English and Spanish and that answered the research question. Exclusion criteria were: duplicate articles, letters to the editor, dissertations, theses, monographies and research with animals. Searches took place at Virtual Health Library and United Station National Library of Medicine between August and September 2021. Results: Ten articles were selected. The main advantages were: selective debridement, bactericidal or bacteriostatic action, and promotion of granulation tissue and healing factors. The main disadvantages were: pain, discomfort, prejudice, and weaknesses with the larval production market. Conclusion: The advantages found outweigh the disadvantages evidenced. Therefore, larvotherapy is favorable to treat wounds that are difficult to heal.

Objetivo:Analizar la evidencia disponible en la literatura sobre el uso de la larvoterapia en el tratamiento de heridas de difícil cicatrización. Método: Se trata de una revisión integradora, teniendo como pregunta orientadora: ¿cuál es la evidencia disponible en la literatura sobre el uso de la larvoterapia en el tratamiento de heridas de difícil cicatrización? Los criterios de inclusión fueron: artículos originales, revisión de la literatura y relatos de experiencia, período de tiempo de 2016 a 2021, disponibles en línea en su totalidad, en portugués, inglés y español y que respondieron a la pregunta de investigación. Los criterios de exclusión fueron: artículos duplicados, cartas al editor, disertaciones, tesis, monografías e investigaciones con animales. Las búsquedas se realizaron en la Biblioteca Virtual de Salud y la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina de los Estados Unidos entre agosto y septiembre de 2021. Resultados: se seleccionaron 10 artículos. Las principales ventajas fueron: desbridamiento selectivo, acción bactericida o bacteriostática y promoción del tejido de granulación y factores de cicatrización. Las principales desventajas incluyeron: dolor, incomodidad, prejuicio y debilidades con el mercado de producción de larvas. Conclusión: Las ventajas encontradas superan las desventajas destacadas. Por lo tanto, la larvoterapia es favorable para tratar heridas de difícil cicatrización.

The sugarcane ShMYB78 transcription factor activates suberin biosynthesis in Nicotiana benthamiana.

KEY MESSAGE: A sugarcane MYB present in the culm induces suberin biosynthesis and is involved both with fatty acid and phenolics metabolism. Few transcription factors have been described as regulators of cell wall polymers deposition in C4 grasses. Particularly, regulation of suberin biosynthesis in this group of plants remains poorly understood. Here, we showed that the sugarcane MYB transcription factor ShMYB78 is an activator of suberin biosynthesis and deposition. ShMYB78 was identified upon screening genes whose expression was upregulated in sugarcane internodes undergoing suberization during culm development or triggered by wounding. Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression of ShMYB78 in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves induced the ectopic deposition of suberin and its aliphatic and aromatic monomers. Further, the expression of suberin-related genes was induced by ShMYB78 heterologous expression in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. ShMYB78 was shown to be a nuclear protein based on its presence in sugarcane internode nuclear protein extracts, and protoplast transactivation assays demonstrated that ShMYB78 activates the promoters of the sugarcane suberin biosynthetic genes ß-ketoacyl-CoA synthase (ShKCS20) and caffeic acid-O-methyltransferase (ShCOMT). Our results suggest that ShMYB78 may be involved in the transcriptional regulation of suberin deposition, from fatty acid metabolism to phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, in sugarcane internodes.

Deposition of lignin in four species of Saccharum.

We used primers designed on conserved gene regions of several species to isolate the most expressed genes of the lignin pathway in four Saccharum species. S. officinarum and S. barberi have more sucrose in the culms than S. spontaneum and S. robustum, but less polysaccharides and lignin in the cell wall. S. spontaneum, and S. robustum had the lowest S/G ratio and a lower rate of saccharification in mature internodes. Surprisingly, except for CAD, 4CL, and CCoAOMT for which we found three, two, and two genes, respectively, only one gene was found for the other enzymes and their sequences were highly similar among the species. S. spontaneum had the highest expression for most genes. CCR and CCoAOMT B presented the highest expression; 4CL and F5H showed increased expression in mature tissues; C3H and CCR had higher expression in S. spontaneum, and one of the CADs isolated (CAD B) had higher expression in S. officinarum. The similarity among the most expressed genes isolated from these species was unexpected and indicated that lignin biosynthesis is conserved in Saccharum including commercial varieties Thus the lignin biosynthesis control in sugarcane may be only fully understood with the knowledge of the promotor region of each gene.

Near infrared spectroscopy to monitor drug release in-situ during dissolution tests.

Dissolution tests can be used to demonstrate suitable in vivo drug release through in vivo/in vitro correlations. This work explores the possibility of using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to monitor in-situ dissolution tests. It aims at expanding surrogate methods in quality control of drug products. Laboratory designed tablets of an immediate-release formulation containing folic acid and four excipients were used as case study. The dissolution tests were performed on a 1L vessel filled with 500ml of Milli-Q water with a rotating paddle apparatus (apparatus 2, Ph. Eur.) at 50rpm and 37±0.5°C. Near infrared (NIR) spectra were acquired in-situ with a transflectance probe connected to a Fourier-transform near infrared spectrometer. NIR spectra were regressed against folic acid concentration by partial least squares (PLS) regression. Folic acid concentrations during dissolution tests were obtained by periodically sampling the dissolution vessel and resourcing to an UV method. The proposed real-time NIR method was tested on a validation run yielding a root mean squared error of 0.25µgml-1 (0.16µgml-1 for the calibration runs) and a R2 of 0.93 (0.95 for the calibration runs). The results suggest that NIRS is a suitable analytical technique for monitoring in-situ dissolution tests.

Male-specific contributions to the Brazilian population of Espirito Santo.

Y chromosome markers have been widely studied due to their various applications in the fields of forensic and evolutionary genetics. In this study, 35 Y-SNPs and 17 Y-STRs were genotyped in 253 males from the State of Espirito Santo, Brazil. A total of 18 haplogroups and 243 haplotypes were detected; the haplogroup and haplotype diversities were 0.7794 and 0.9997, respectively. Genetic distance analysis using the Y-STR data showed no statistically significant differences between Espirito Santo and other admixed populations from Brazil. The classification of paternal lineages based on haplogroups showed a predominant European contribution (85.88%), followed by African (11.37%) and Amerindian (2.75%) contributions.

Mitochondrial DNA control region diversity in a population from Espirito Santo state, Brazil.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis has proved to be useful for forensic identification, especially in cases which nuclear DNA markers fail, as in degraded samples or in cases where the biological material has few traces or no nuclear DNA. Moreover, it can be applied in population genetics, inferring the origin of a population. In this work, the entire mtDNA control region of 97 individuals from the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil, was analyzed. We have found 94 different haplotypes yielding a high haplotype diversity of 0.9994 ± 0.0016. The probability of a random match calculated was 1.09. Haplogroup distribution analysis confirmed a highly admixed Latin American population: African lineages (43.3 %), European lineages (32.0 %), Native American lineages (23.7 %) and Asian lineages (1.0 %). We have concluded that this type of tool can be used both in forensic genetics to the study of different human populations, such as highly admixed populations, and in the study of migration's history and colonization of different states and countries of the world.

Identification of phenolic compounds in isolated vacuoles of the medicinal plant Catharanthus roseus and their interaction with vacuolar class III peroxidase: an H2O2 affair?

Class III peroxidases (Prxs) are plant enzymes capable of using H(2)O(2) to oxidize a range of plant secondary metabolites, notably phenolic compounds. These enzymes are localized in the cell wall or in the vacuole, which is a target for secondary metabolite accumulation, but very little is known about the function of vacuolar Prxs. Here, the physiological role of the main leaf vacuolar Prx of the medicinal plant Catharanthus roseus, CrPrx1, was further investigated namely by studying its capacity to oxidize co-localized phenolic substrates at the expense of H(2)O(2). LC-PAD-MS analysis of the phenols from isolated leaf vacuoles detected the presence of three caffeoylquinic acids and four flavonoids in this organelle. These phenols or similar compounds were shown to be good CrPrx1 substrates, and the CrPrx1-mediated oxidation of 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid was shown to form a co-operative regenerating cycle with ascorbic acid. Interestingly, more than 90% of total leaf Prx activity was localized in the vacuoles, associated to discrete spots of the tonoplast. Prx activity inside the vacuoles was estimated to be 1809 nkat ml(-1), which, together with the determined concentrations for the putative vacuolar phenolic substrates, indicate a very high H(2)O(2) scavenging capacity, up to 9 mM s(-1). Accordingly, high light conditions, known to increase H(2)O(2) production, induced both phenols and Prx levels. Therefore, it is proposed that the vacuolar couple Prx/secondary metabolites represent an important sink/buffer of H(2)O(2) in green plant cells.

Genetic data of 15 autosomal STR loci: an analysis of the Araraquara population colonization (São Paulo, Brazil).

The genetic markers most commonly utilized to determine identity and in paternity testing are autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs); to interpret the DNA analysis, the results of a case have to be compared with a pertinent reference population. Thus, the aim of this work was to characterize the genetic profile of the population of Araraquara (São Paulo, Brazil) by analyzing 15 STR loci included in the PowerPlex(®) 16 System and to correlate these data with the migration history of the population. No deviations from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were observed for any of the loci, after Bonferroni's correction. Forensic parameters exhibited high values, the most polymorphic loci being Penta E, D18S51 and FGA. An unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) tree based on genetic distances showed that the current population of Araraquara is grouped with populations of the southeastern region of Brazil, which are close to the European group but distant from African and Amerindian populations. Estimates of admixture components revealed that the contributions to the population of Araraquara were 76% European, 18% African, and 6% Amerindian.

Cell cycle arrest evidence, parasiticidal and bactericidal properties induced by L-amino acid oxidase from Bothrops atrox snake venom.

The present article describes an l-amino acid oxidase from Bothrops atrox snake venom as with antiprotozoal activities in Trypanosoma cruzi and in different species of Leishmania (Leishmania braziliensis, Leishmania donovani and Leishmania major). Leishmanicidal effects were inhibited by catalase, suggesting that they are mediated by H(2)O(2) production. Leishmania spp. cause a spectrum of diseases, ranging from self-healing ulcers to disseminated and often fatal infections, depending on the species involved and the host's immune response. BatroxLAAO also displays bactericidal activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The apoptosis induced by BatroxLAAO on HL-60 cell lines and PBMC cells was determined by morphological cell evaluation using a mix of fluorescent dyes. As revealed by flow cytometry analysis, suppression of cell proliferation with BatroxLAAO was accompanied by the significant accumulation of cells in the G0/G1 phase boundary in HL-60 cells. BatroxLAAO at 25 µg/mL and 50 µg/mL blocked G0-G1 transition, resulting in G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest, thereby delaying the progression of cells through S and G2/M phase in HL-60 cells. This was shown by an accentuated decrease in the proportion of cells in S phase, and the almost absence of G2/M phase cell population. BatroxLAAO is an interesting enzyme that provides a better understanding of the ophidian envenomation mechanism, and has biotechnological potential as a model for therapeutic agents.

Modulation of T lymphocyte and eosinophil functions in vitro by natural tetranortriterpenoids isolated from Carapa guianensis Aublet.

We have previously described the anti-allergic activities of a pooled fraction of tetranortriterpenoids (TNTPs) containing 6α-acetoxygedunin, 7-deacetoxy-7-oxogedunin, andirobin and methyl angolensate isolated from the seeds of Carapa guianensis. In the present study, we performed in vitro studies in order to elucidate the mechanisms by which TNTPs present their anti-allergic effects and to identify the bioactive compound(s) present in such fraction. Here, we show that in vitro incubation of eosinophils with the pooled TNTP fraction, as well as with each one of the five isolated tetranortriterpenoids, impaired the adhesion of eosinophils to tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-primed tEND.1 endothelial cells. Furthermore, the individual or pooled TNTPs impaired CCL11/eotaxin-mediated chemotaxis. By contrast, pooled TNTPs failed to inhibit adhesion and chemotaxis of T lymphocytes. However, TNTPs were able to impair anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody-induced T cell proliferation and the expression of CD25 and CD69. These data suggest that TNTPs prevent T cell activation. Pretreatment of splenocytes with the pooled TNTP fraction, as well as with each one of the five isolated TNTPs, inhibited ovalbumin (OVA)-induced in vitro production of interleukin-2, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 11 (CCL11) and regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES, also known as CCL5). TNTPs (except 6α-acetoxygedunin) also impaired nuclear factor-κB (NFκB) nuclear translocation in OVA-challenged splenocytes. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the anti-allergic effects of TNTPs isolated from C. guianensis might rely on their ability to inhibit eosinophil migration, as well as the activation of T lymphocytes, which is shared by the five isolated TNTPs.

Genetic profile characterization of 10 X-STRs in four populations of the southeastern region of Brazil.

Ten X-chromosomal short tandem repeats (DXS8378, DXS9902, DXS7132, DXS9898, DXS6809, DXS6789, DXS7133, GATA172D05, GATA31E08 and DXS7423) were analyzed in four populations of the southeastern region of Brazil (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Vitória and Belo Horizonte). No deviations from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were observed for any of the analyzed loci in the four populations. The average diversity per locus varied between 68% for DXS8378, DXS7133, and DXS7423 and 83%, for DXS6809, with Rio de Janeiro being the most diverse population. Overall power of discrimination values in females varied between 0.99999999990 and 0.99999999997 and between 0.9999991 and 0.9999995 in males. These high values show the potential of this system for forensic application and relationships' testing in the studied groups. Genetic comparisons (exact tests of population differentiation and pairwise genetic distances) revealed significant differences between Brazilian and other populations from Europe, Latin America and Africa, as well as among different Brazilian populations.

A vacuolar class III peroxidase and the metabolism of anticancer indole alkaloids in Catharanthus roseus: Can peroxidases, secondary metabolites and arabinogalactan proteins be partners in microcompartmentation of cellular reactions?

Plants possess a unique metabolic diversity commonly designated as secondary metabolism, of which the anticancer alkaloids from Catharanthus roseus are among the most studied. Recently, in a classical function-to-protein-to-gene approach, we have characterized the main class III peroxidase (Prx) expressed in C. roseus leaves, CrPrx1, implicated in a key biosynthetic step of the anticancer alkaloids. We have shown the vacuolar sorting determination of CrPrx1 using GFP fusions and we have obtained further evidence supporting the role of this enzyme in alkaloid biosynthesis, indicating the potential of CrPrx1 as a molecular tool for the manipulation of alkaloid metabolism. Here, we discuss how plant cells may regulate Prx reactions. In fact, Prxs form a large multigenic family whose members accept a broad range of substrates and, in their two subcellular localizations, the cell wall and the vacuole, Prxs co-locate with a large variety of secondary metabolites which can be accepted as substrates. How then, are Prx reactions regulated? Localization data obtained in our lab suggest that arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) and Prxs may be associated in membrane microdomains, evocative of lipid rafts. Whether plasma membrane and/or tonoplast microcompartmentation involve AGPs and Prxs and whether this enables metabolic channeling determining Prx substrate selection are challenging questions ahead.