Microbiota imbalance induced by dietary sugar disrupts immune-mediated protection from metabolic syndrome.

How intestinal microbes regulate metabolic syndrome is incompletely understood. We show that intestinal microbiota protects against development of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and pre-diabetic phenotypes by inducing commensal-specific Th17 cells. High-fat, high-sugar diet promoted metabolic disease by depleting Th17-inducing microbes, and recovery of commensal Th17 cells restored protection. Microbiota-induced Th17 cells afforded protection by regulating lipid absorption across intestinal epithelium in an IL-17-dependent manner. Diet-induced loss of protective Th17 cells was mediated by the presence of sugar. Eliminating sugar from high-fat diets protected mice from obesity and metabolic syndrome in a manner dependent on commensal-specific Th17 cells. Sugar and ILC3 promoted outgrowth of Faecalibaculum rodentium that displaced Th17-inducing microbiota. These results define dietary and microbiota factors posing risk for metabolic syndrome. They also define a microbiota-dependent mechanism for immuno-pathogenicity of dietary sugar and highlight an elaborate interaction between diet, microbiota, and intestinal immunity in regulation of metabolic disorders.

Immunisation with Neospora caninum subunits rsNcSAG4 and rsNcGRA1 (NcSAG4 and NcGRA1 epitopes construct) in BALB/c mice: the profile of the immune response and controlling the vertical transmission.

Neospora caninum is an apicomplexan protozoan that causes neosporosis, which has a high economic impact on cattle herds with no available vaccine. During infection, the secretion of dense granules and the expression of surface antigens play an important role in hosting immunomodulation. However, some epitopes of those antigens are immunogenic, and using these fractions could improve the subunit antigens in vaccine design. This study evaluates the recombinant peptides rsNcGRA1 and rsNcSAG4 derived from NcGRA1 and NcSAG4 native antigens as vaccine candidates produced by a fermentative process in the yeast culture system of Komagataella phaffii strain Km71, confirmed by colony PCR, SDS-PAGE, and western blotting. The assay was conducted in BALB/c mice using the peptides at low (25 µg) and standard (50 µg) dosages in monovalent and combined administrations at three time points with saponin as an adjuvant assessing the immunogenicity by antibodies response and cytokine production. We challenge the females after pregnancy confirmation using 2 × 105 NC-1 tachyzoites previously propagated in Vero cells. We assessed the chronic infection in dams and vertical transmission in the offspring by PCR and histopathology. Mice, especially those immunised with combined peptides and monovalent rsNcGRA1 at a standard dose, controlling the chronic infection in dams with the absence of clinical manifestations, showed an immune response with induction of IgG1, a proper balance between Th1/Th2 cytokines and reduced vertical transmission in the pups. In contrast, dams inoculated with a placebo vaccine showed clinical signs, low-scored brain lesions, augmented chronic infection with 80% positivity, 31% mortality in pups, and 81% vertical transmission. These findings indicate that rsNcGRA1 peptides in monovalent and combined with rsNCSAG4 at standard dose are potential vaccine candidates and improve the protective immune response against neosporosis in mice.

Glyphosate uses, adverse effects and alternatives: focus on the current scenario in Brazil.

Brazil, a global frontrunner in pesticide consumption and sales, particularly glyphosate, appears to be at odds with other countries that increasingly ban these products in their territories. This study gathers the values of Acceptable Daily Intake and Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) in the European Union for dozens of substances and subsequently contrasts them with the corresponding benchmarks upheld in Brazil concerning its predominant crops. Furthermore, this study delves into the toxicity levels and the potential health ramifications of glyphosate on humans through the ingestion of food containing its residues. The findings from this research underscore a notable surge in glyphosate and pesticide sales and usage within Brazil over the past decade. In stark contrast to its European counterparts, Brazil not only sanctioned the sale and application of 474 new pesticides in 2019, but extended the authorization for glyphosate sales while downgrading its toxicity classification. Finally, this review not only uncovers disparities among research outcomes but also addresses the complexities of replacing glyphosate and introduces environmentally friendlier alternatives that have been subject to evaluation in the existing literature.

Antimicrobial and Photoantimicrobial Activities of Chitosan/CNPPV Nanocomposites.

Multidrug-resistant bacteria represent a global health and economic burden that urgently calls for new technologies to combat bacterial antimicrobial resistance. Here, we developed novel nanocomposites (NCPs) based on chitosan that display different degrees of acetylation (DAs), and conjugated polymer cyano-substituted poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (CNPPV) as an alternative approach to inactivate Gram-negative (E. coli) and Gram-positive (S. aureus) bacteria. Chitosan's structure was confirmed through FT-Raman spectroscopy. Bactericidal and photobactericidal activities of NCPs were tested under dark and blue-light irradiation conditions, respectively. Hydrodynamic size and aqueous stability were determined by DLS, zeta potential (ZP) and time-domain NMR. TEM micrographs of NCPs were obtained, and their capacity of generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) under blue illumination was also characterized. Meaningful variations on ZP and relaxation time T2 confirmed successful physical attachment of chitosan/CNPPV. All NCPs exhibited a similar and shrunken spherical shape according to TEM. A lower DA is responsible for driving higher bactericidal performance alongside the synergistic effect from CNPPV, lower nanosized distribution profile and higher positive charged surface. ROS production was proportionally found in NCPs with and without CNPPV by decreasing the DA, leading to a remarkable photobactericidal effect under blue-light irradiation. Overall, our findings indicate that chitosan/CNPPV NCPs may constitute a valuable asset for the development of innovative strategies for inactivation and/or photoinactivation of bacteria.

Intestinal changes and performance parameters in ticks feeding on calves immunized with subunits of immunogens against Rhipicephalus microplus.

We describe the intestinal changes and biological parameters of the tick species Rhipicephalus microplus exposed to the immune response of calves vaccinated with two subunits of immunogens. The first group of Bos taurus calves was immunized with a synthetic peptide (SBm7462), whereas the second group received an inoculum for synthetic control. The third group was immunized with a recombinant peptide (rSBm7462); an inoculum was injected into a fourth group of calves for recombinant control. Each formulation was administered to these calves during three times at intervals of 30 days. At 21 days after the last immunization, the calves were challenged using a total of 4500 larvae per animal. Indirect ELISA was realized to identify the kinetics of IgGs from samples of calves studied. Naturally detaching ticks were collected for analyses of biological performance and histological changes in the midgut. We dissected randomly detached ticks. The midgut of each of these ticks was removed and processed routinely for histology, stained with hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and slow Giemsa. Slides were also subjected to immunohistochemistry. The antibody response showed significant induction of high-affinity IgGs in calves immunized with both peptides in comparison to calves of the control groups. Histological changes included damage of the intestinal epithelium in ticks fed on immunized hosts and intense immunostaining in midgut cells, using the serum of calves immunized with recombinant peptide. There were significant differences in all biological performing parameters of ticks detached from vaccinated calves in comparison with ticks of the control groups. We identified reductions of 87.7 and 93.5% in engorged ticks detached from calves immunized with a synthetic and recombinant peptides, respectively, a 28 and 8.60% lower egg mass in groups immunized with synthetic and recombinant peptides, respectively, and a 38.4% reduction of the value of nutrient index/tick in the group immunized with the recombinant peptide. Our findings show that the immune response induced by small peptides in cattle can modify the digestion and metabolism of ticks fed on vaccinated animals, resulting in changes in tick performance.

Implications of carbohydrate sources and rate of body weight gain on puberty in ewe lambs in tropical climate conditions.

The objectives were to evaluate the effects of two non-fibrous carbohydrate sources and the rate of body weight gain on puberty status in ewe lambs. Sixty ewe lambs (½ Dorper × ½ Santa Ines) with an initial body weight of 25.1 ± 4.1 kg and 102.8 ± 1.5 days old were distributed in a randomized complete block design with 10 blocks and 3 treatments. The trial lasted 119 days, in which performance was evaluated on days 28, 56, 84, and 119, and puberty status was every week evaluated by progesterone concentration. The treatments were characterized by the inclusion of different carbohydrate sources in the diets in order for ewe lambs to reach different rates of body weight gain: CORN, total diet containing 46% of corn (% DM); PCP, total diet containing 46% of pelleted citrus pulp (% DM); and HAY, total diet containing 80% of coastcross hay (% DM). The CORN- and PCP-based diets were formulated for an average daily gain (ADG) of 0.200 kg/day and a HAY-based diet for an ADG of 0.100 kg/day. There was an interaction between treatments and experimental periods for dry matter intake (DMI) (P < 0.01), in which lambs in the CORN treatment presented DMI similar to PCP in the first and second periods, but lambs from the PCP treatment presented lower DMI than the CORN treatment in subsequent periods. In all periods, the body weight, average daily gain, and feed efficiency of CORN lambs were similar to PCP lambs, but higher than HAY lambs. The age at puberty was not affected by treatments; however, lambs fed with non-fibrous carbohydrate sources reached puberty heavier (P < 0.0001) than lambs from the HAY treatment. Despite the high increase in body weight for lambs fed with non-fibrous carbohydrate sources, it did not affect the age of puberty.

Norepinephrine Controls Effector T Cell Differentiation through ß2-Adrenergic Receptor-Mediated Inhibition of NF-κB and AP-1 in Dendritic Cells.

Despite accumulating evidence indicating that neurotransmitters released by the sympathetic nervous system can modulate the activity of innate immune cells, we still know very little about how norepinephrine impacts signaling pathways in dendritic cells (DC) and the consequence of that in DC-driven T cell differentiation. In this article, we demonstrate that ß2-adrenergic receptor (ß2AR) activation in LPS-stimulated DC does not impair their ability to promote T cell proliferation; however, it diminishes IL-12p70 secretion, leading to a shift in the IL-12p70/IL-23 ratio. Although ß2AR stimulation in DC induces protein kinase A-dependent cAMP-responsive element-binding protein phosphorylation, the effect of changing the profile of cytokines produced upon LPS challenge occurs in a protein kinase A-independent manner and, rather, is associated with inhibition of the NF-κB and AP-1 signaling pathways. Moreover, as a consequence of the inverted IL-12p70/IL-23 ratio following ß2AR stimulation, LPS-stimulated DC promoted the generation of CD4(+) T cells that, upon TCR engagement, produced lower amounts of IFN-γ and higher levels of IL-17. These findings provide new insights into molecular and cellular mechanisms by which ß2AR stimulation in murine DC can influence the generation of adaptive immune responses and may explain some aspects of how sympathetic nervous system activity can modulate immune function.

Bioaccumulation Study of Produced Water Discharges from Southeastern Brazilian Offshore Petroleum Industry Using Feral Fishes.

The main effluent of oil and gas production is the discharge of produced water (PW). Despite the potential environmental impact, the structure of oil and gas platforms can act as artificial reefs. Two species of fish, Caranx crysos and Tylosurus acus, were captured under two discharging platforms at Campos Basin, P19 and P40. A nondischarging platform, P25, was taken as reference. The highest median concentration of PAH in muscle tissue was observed for C. Crysos at P40 (219.38 ng g-1) followed by P19 (68.26 ng g-1). For T. acus, the highest median concentrations were 40.07 and 42.21 ng g-1 from P19 and P40 respectively. P25 presented the smallest recorded concentrations. The results of PAH in the muscle tissue of C. crysos enabled to distinguish the platforms with PW discharge from the platform without discharge. Trace elements concentrations reflected the background levels and were not influenced by the PW release.

Multidisciplinary management of an impacted maxillary central incisor associated with supernumerary teeth: a case report.

Permanent maxillary central incisor impaction is a rare condition of multifactorial etiology that should be treated on diagnosis. This article describes multidisciplinary treatment of an 11-year-old patient presenting with a permanent maxillary right central incisor that was impacted due to the presence of 2 supernumerary teeth. The diagnosis was reached through clinical evaluation, radiography, and cone beam computed tomography. Treatment involved the surgical removal of the supernumerary teeth followed by traction of the impacted tooth through a combination of removable and fixed orthodontic appliances. Orthodontic treatment was completed after 18 months, resulting in adequate positioning of the right central incisor in the arch. Periodic follow-up visits were scheduled for prophylaxis and oral hygiene reinforcement. After 2 years, the teeth were adequately aligned, the gingiva was healthy, and the patient was esthetically satisfied. The multidisciplinary approach allowed functional and esthetic oral rehabilitation, thus helping the patient to avoid the psychological impact of a missing anterior tooth.

Sleep influences the immune response and the rejection process alters sleep pattern: Evidence from a skin allograft model in mice.

INTRODUCTION: Sleep generally regulates immune functions in a supportive manner and can affect parameters that are directly involved in the rejection process. STUDY OBJECTIVES: The first objective was to assess whether sleep deprivation (SD) or sleep restriction (SR) affects the allograft rejection process in mice. The second objective was to investigate whether the rejection process itself modulates the sleep pattern of allografted mice. DESIGN: Adult BALB/c and C57BL/6J male mice were used as the donors and recipients, respectively, except for the syngeneic group (ISOTX), which received skin from mice of the same strain (C57BL/6J). The recipients were randomly assigned to either one of two control groups - TX (allogenic) or ISOTX (syngeneic) - which underwent stereotaxic surgery to enable sleep recording prior to the allograft but were not sleep deprived; one of two paradoxical sleep deprived groups - SDTX and TXSD - which underwent 72h of continuous SD either before or after the allograft respectively, and one of two sleep restricted groups - SRTX and TXSR - which underwent 21h of SD and 3h of sleep for 15days either before or after the allograft respectively. INTERVENTIONS: The skin allograft was inspected daily to determine the survival time, expected as 8.0±0.4days in this transplant model under no treatment. The sleep pattern was controlled throughout the rejection process in the SD and SR groups. Draining lymph nodes, spleen, blood and skin grafts were harvested on the 5th day after transplantation for evaluation of the immune parameters related to allograft rejection. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: In the control groups, we observed a reduction in paradoxical sleep throughout the entire allograft rejection process. Acute and chronic experimental sleep loss in the SD and SR groups produced marked alterations in the immune response. Both SD and SR prolonged allograft survival compared to the non-sleep-deprived group. There were reductions in the following parameters involved in the allograft rejection under sleep loss: CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subpopulations in the peripheral lymph organs and spleen, circulating sIL-2R levels, graft-infiltrating CD4+ T cells and skin allograft global gene expression. CONCLUSIONS: We provide, as far as we are aware, the first evidence in vivo that the immune response can alter the normal sleep pattern, and that sleep loss can conversely affect the immune response related to graft rejection.

Beta2-adrenergic receptor signaling in CD4+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells enhances their suppressive function in a PKA-dependent manner.

Beta2-adrenergic receptor (B2AR) signaling is known to impair Th1-cell differentiation and function in a cAMP-dependent way, leading to inhibition of cell proliferation and decreased production of IL-2 and IFN-γ. CD4(+) Foxp3(+) Treg cells play a key role in the regulation of immune responses and are essential for maintenance of self-tolerance. Nevertheless, very little is known about adrenergic receptor expression in Treg cells or the influence of noradrenaline on their function. Here we show that Foxp3(+) Treg cells express functional B2AR. B2AR activation in Treg cells leads to increased intracellular cAMP levels and to protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent CREB phosphorylation. We also found that signaling via B2AR enhances the in vitro suppressive activity of Treg cells. B2AR-mediated increase in Treg-cell suppressive function was associated with decreased IL-2 mRNA levels in responder CD4(+) T cells and improved Treg-cell-induced conversion of CD4(+) Foxp3(-) cells into Foxp3(+) induced Treg cells. Moreover, B2AR signaling increased CTLA-4 expression in Treg cells in a PKA-dependent way. Finally, we found that PKA inhibition totally prevented the B2AR-mediated increase in Treg-cell suppressive function. Our data suggest that sympathetic fibers are able to regulate Treg-cell suppressive activity in a positive manner through B2AR signaling.

GCN2 kinase plays an important role triggering the remission phase of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice.

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) has been widely employed as a model to study multiple sclerosis (MS) and indeed has allowed some important advances in our comprehension of MS pathogenesis. Several pieces of evidence suggest that infiltrating Th1 and Th17 lymphocytes are important players leading to CNS demyelination and lesion during the peak of murine EAE. Subsequently, effector T cell responses rapidly decline and the recovery phase of the disease strongly correlates with the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines and the enrichment of Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells within the target organ. However, the mechanisms leading to the increased presence of Treg cells and to the remission phase of the disease are still poorly understood. Recent researches demonstrated that chemically induced amino-acid starvation response might suppress CNS immune activity. Here we verified an important participation of the general control nonrepressible 2 (GCN2), a key regulator kinase of the amino-acid starvation response, in the development of the remission phase of EAE in C57BL/6 mice. By immunizing wild type C57BL/6 (WT) and GCN2 knock-out mice (GCN2 KO) with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide (MOG35-55), it was noticed that GCN2 KO mice did not develop the remission phase of the disease and this was associated with higher levels of CNS inflammation and increased presence of effector T cells (Th1/Th17). These animals also showed lower frequency of Treg cells within the CNS as compared to WT animals. Higher expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and higher frequency of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) were found at the peak of the disease in the CNS of WT animals. Our results suggest that the GCN2 kinase-dependent sensing of IDO activity represents an important trigger to the EAE remission phase. The IDO-mediated immunoregulatory events may include the arresting of effector T cell responses and the differentiation/expansion of Treg cells within the target organ.

Phyllanthus amarus does not affect hypernociception in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Chronic pain is one of the main symptoms, affecting many patients. Studies show that the lignans or the apolar extracts of Phyllanthus amarus have antinociceptive effects in different animal models. To evaluate the antihypernociceptive effect of a hexanic extract of P. amarus in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice, the chemical composition of the hexanic extract was analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. After EAE induction, animals were treated with the hexanic extract of P. amarus for 26 consecutive days. Motor coordination and mechanical hypernociception were evaluated on alternate days. The principal lignans found were phyllanthin, niranthin, and 5-demethoxyniranthin. The hexanic extract of P. amarus at a dose of 100, 200, or 400 mg/kg did not affect the development of the disease. The motor coordination and pain threshold of the treated animals were not altered in this experiment. In conclusion, in this test, the hexanic extract of P. amarus did not show evidence of antihypernociceptive activity in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Simple agrometeorological models for estimating Guineagrass yield in Southeast Brazil.

The objective of this work was to develop and evaluate agrometeorological models to simulate the production of Guineagrass. For this purpose, we used forage yield from 54 growing periods between December 2004-January 2007 and April 2010-March 2012 in irrigated and non-irrigated pastures in São Carlos, São Paulo state, Brazil (latitude 21°57'42″ S, longitude 47°50'28″ W and altitude 860 m). Initially we performed linear regressions between the agrometeorological variables and the average dry matter accumulation rate for irrigated conditions. Then we determined the effect of soil water availability on the relative forage yield considering irrigated and non-irrigated pastures, by means of segmented linear regression among water balance and relative production variables (dry matter accumulation rates with and without irrigation). The models generated were evaluated with independent data related to 21 growing periods without irrigation in the same location, from eight growing periods in 2000 and 13 growing periods between December 2004-January 2007 and April 2010-March 2012. The results obtained show the satisfactory predictive capacity of the agrometeorological models under irrigated conditions based on univariate regression (mean temperature, minimum temperature and potential evapotranspiration or degreedays) or multivariate regression. The response of irrigation on production was well correlated with the climatological water balance variables (ratio between actual and potential evapotranspiration or between actual and maximum soil water storage). The models that performed best for estimating Guineagrass yield without irrigation were based on minimum temperature corrected by relative soil water storage, determined by the ratio between the actual soil water storage and the soil water holding capacity.irrigation in the same location, in 2000, 2010 and 2011. The results obtained show the satisfactory predictive capacity of the agrometeorological models under irrigated conditions based on univariate regression (mean temperature, potential evapotranspiration or degree-days) or multivariate regression. The response of irrigation on production was well correlated with the climatological water balance variables (ratio between actual and potential evapotranspiration or between actual and maximum soil water storage). The models that performed best for estimating Guineagrass yield without irrigation were based on degree-days corrected by the water deficit factor.

Effects of post-fermentation addition of green tea extract for sulfur dioxide replacement on Sauvignon Blanc wine phenolic composition, antioxidant capacity, colour, and mouthfeel attributes.

This study examines the feasibility of replacing SO2 in a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc wine with a green tea extract. The treatments included the control with no preservatives (C), the addition of green tea extract at 0.1 and 0.2 g/L (T1 and T2), and an SO2 treatment at 50 mg/L (T3). Five monomeric phenolic compounds were detected in the green tea extract used for the experiment, and their concentrations ranged in the order (-)-epigallocatechin gallate > (-)-epigallocatechin > (-)-epicatechin > (-)-epicatechin gallate > gallic acid. At the studied addition rates, these green tea-derived phenolic compounds contributed to ∼70% of the antioxidant capacity (ABTS), ∼71% of the total phenolic index (TPI), and âˆ¼ 84% of tannin concentration (MCPT) of the extract dissolved in a model wine solution. Among wine treatments, T1 and T2 significantly increased the wine's colour absorbance at 420 nm, MCPT, gallic acid and total monomeric phenolic content. TPI and ABTS were significantly higher in wines with preservatives (i.e., T2 > T1 â‰… T3 > C, p < 0.05). These variations were observed both two weeks after the treatments and again after five months of wine aging. Additionally, an accelerated browning test and a quantitative sensory analysis of wine colour and mouthfeel attributes were performed after 5 months of wine aging. When exposed to excessive oxygen and high temperature (50 °C), T1 and T2 exhibited ∼29% and 24% higher browning capacity than the control, whereas T3 reduced the wine's browning capacity by ∼20%. Nonetheless, the results from sensory analysis did not show significant variations between the treatments. Thus, using green tea extract to replace SO2 at wine bottling appears to be a viable option, without inducing a negative impact on the perceptible colour and mouthfeel attributes of Sauvignon Blanc wine.

Context-dependent role of group 3 innate lymphoid cells in mucosal protection.

How group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) regulate mucosal protection in the presence of T cells remains poorly understood. Here, we examined ILC3 function in intestinal immunity using ILC3-deficient mice that maintain endogenous T cells, T helper 17 (TH17) cells, and secondary lymphoid organs. ILC3s were dispensable for generation of TH17 and TH22 cell responses to commensal and pathogenic bacteria, and absence of ILC3s did not affect IL-22 production by CD4 T cells before or during infection. However, despite the presence of IL-22-producing T cells, ILC3s and ILC3-derived IL-22 were required for maintaining homeostatic functions of the intestinal epithelium. T cell-sufficient, ILC3-deficient mice were capable of pathogen clearance and survived infection with a low dose of Citrobacter rodentium. However, ILC3s promoted pathogen tolerance at early time points of infection by activating tissue-protective immune pathways. Consequently, ILC3s were indispensable for survival after high-dose infection. Our results demonstrate a context-dependent role for ILC3s in immune-sufficient animals and provide a blueprint for uncoupling of ILC3 and TH17 cell functions.

CuO nanoparticles' effect on the photosynthetic performance in seed tissues of Inga laurina (Fabaceae).

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) have been produced on a large scale because they can be applied across various fields, especially in nano-enabled healthcare and agricultural products. However, the increasing use of CuONPs leads to their release and accumulation into the environment. The CuONPs uptaken by seeds and their implications on germination behavior have been reported, but little is known or understood about their impact on photosynthesis in seed tissues. To fill knowledge gaps, this study evaluated the effects of CuONP concentrations (0-300 mg L-1) on the photosynthetic activity of Inga laurina seeds. The microscopy data showed that CuONPs had an average size distribution of 57.5 ± 0.7 nm. Copper ion release and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by CuONPs were also evaluated by dialysis and spectroscopy experiments, respectively. CuONPs were not able to intrinsically generate ROS and released a low content of Cu2⁺ ions (4.5%, w/w). Time evolution of chlorophyll fluorescence imaging and laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy were used to monitor the seeds subjected to nanoparticles during 168 h. The data demonstrate that CuONPs affected the steady-state maximum chlorophyll fluorescence ( F m ' ), the photochemical efficiency of photosystem II ( F v / F m ), and non-photochemical quenching ( NPQ ) of Inga laurina seeds over time. Besides, the NPQ significantly increased at the seed development stage, near the root protrusion stage, probably due to energy dissipation at this germination step. Additionally, the results indicated that CuONPs can change the oscillatory rhythms of energy dissipation of the seeds, disturbing the circadian clock. In conclusion, the results indicate that CuONPs can affect the photosynthetic behavior of I. laurina seeds. These findings open opportunities for using chlorophyll fluorescence as a non-destructive tool to evaluate nanoparticle impact on photosynthetic activity in seed tissues.

Photodynamic inactivation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by using Giemsa dye as a photosensitizer.

The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria calls for innovative approaches to combat multidrug-resistant strains. Here, the potential of the standard histological stain, Giemsa, to act as a photosensitizer (PS) for antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI) against methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains is reported. Bioassays were performed using various Giemsa concentrations (ranging from 0.0 to 20.0 µM) under 625 nm illumination at a light dose of 30 J cm-2. Remarkably, Giemsa completely inhibited the growth of MSSA and MRSA bacterial colonies for concentrations at 10 µM and higher but exhibited no inhibitory effect without light exposure. Partition coefficient analysis revealed Giemsa's affinity for membranes. Furthermore, we quantified the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and singlet oxygen (1O2) to elucidate the aPDI mechanisms underlying bacterial inactivation mediated by Giemsa. These findings highlight Giemsa stain's potential as a PS in aPDI for targeting multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Expression of annexin-A1 and galectin-1 anti-inflammatory proteins and mRNA in chronic gastritis and gastric cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The anti-inflammatory proteins annexin-A1 and galectin-1 have been associated with tumor progression. This scenario prompted us to investigate the relationship between the gene and protein expression of annexin-A1 (ANXA1/AnxA1) and galectin-1 (LGALS1/Gal-1) in an inflammatory gastric lesion as chronic gastritis (CG) and gastric adenocarcinoma (GA) and its association with H. pylori infection. METHODS: We analyzed 40 samples of CG, 20 of GA, and 10 of normal mucosa (C) by the quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) technique and the immunohistochemistry assay. RESULTS: High ANXA1 mRNA expression levels were observed in 90% (36/40) of CG cases (mean relative quantification RQ = 4.26 ± 2.03) and in 80% (16/20) of GA cases (mean RQ = 4.38 ± 4.77). However, LGALS1 mRNA levels were high (mean RQ = 2.44 ± 3.26) in 60% (12/20) of the GA cases, while low expression was found in CG (mean RQ = 0.43 ± 3.13; P < 0.01). Normal mucosa showed modest immunoreactivity in stroma but not in epithelium, while stroma and epithelium displayed an intense immunostaining in CG and GA for both proteins. CONCLUSION: These results have provided evidence that galectin-1 and mainly annexin-A1 are overexpressed in both gastritis and gastric cancer, suggesting a strong association of these proteins with chronic gastric inflammation and carcinogenesis.

Prospects for fungal bioremediation of unburied waste packages from the Goiânia radiological accident.

Goiânia, the Goiás State capital, starred in 1987, where one of the largest radiological accidents in the world happened. A teletherapy machine was subtracted from a derelict radiotherapy clinic and disassembled by scavengers who distributed fragments of the 50 TBq 137CsCl source among relatives and acquaintances, enchanted by the blue shine of the substance. During the 15 days before the accident was acknowledged, contaminated recycling materials were delivered to recycling factories in four cities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in the form of recycling paper bales. The contaminated bales were spotted, collected, and stored in fifty 1.6 m3 steel boxes at the interim storage facility of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN). In 2017, a check of the content was performed in a few boxes and the presence of high moisture content was observed even though the bales were dry when conditioned and the packages were kept sealed since then. The main objective of this work was to report the fungi found in the radioactive waste after they evolved for 30 years in isolation inside the waste boxes and their role in the decay of the waste. Examination of the microbiome showed the presence of nematodes and fungal communities. The fungi species isolated were Aspergillus quadricinctus, Fusarium oxysporum, Lecanicillium coprophilumi, Scedosporium boydii, Scytalidium lignicola, Xenoacremonium recifei, and Pleurostoma richardsiae. These microorganisms showed a significant capacity to digest cellulose in our trials, which could be one of the ways they survive in such a harsh environment, reducing the volume of radioactive paper waste. These metabolic abilities give us a future perspective of using these fungi in biotechnology to remediate radioactively contaminated materials, particularly cellulose-based waste.