Azul

Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi , stands as the primary cause of dilated cardiomyopathy in the Americas. Macrophages play a crucial role in the heart's response to infection. Given their functional and phenotypic adaptability, manipulating specific macrophage subsets could be vital in aiding essential cardiovascular functions including tissue repair and defense against infection. PPARα are ligand-dependent transcription factors involved in lipid metabolism and inflammation regulation. However, the role of fenofibrate, a PPARα ligand, in the activation profile of cardiac macrophages as well as its effect on the early inflammatory and fibrotic response in the heart remains unexplored...

Conformational switching is pervasively driven by protein interactions, particularly for intrinsically disordered binding partners. We developed a dually orthogonal fluorescence-based assay to monitor such events, exploiting environmentally sensitive fluorophores. This assay is applied to E3 ligase E6AP, as its AZUL domain induces a disorder-to-order switch in an intrinsically disordered region of the proteasome, the so-named Rpn10 AZUL-binding domain (RAZUL). By testing various fluorophores, we developed an assay appropriate for high-throughput screening of Rpn10:E6AP-disrupting ligands...

Genomic analysis through various platforms is an essential tool for determining prognosis and treatment in a significant subgroup of early-stage breast cancer patients with hormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative status. Additionally, combined clinical and pathological characteristics can accurately predict the recurrence score (RS), as demonstrated by the University of Tennessee risk nomogram. In this study, we aimed to identify classical clinical-pathological factors associated with high RS in a local population, including modern parameters such as current abemaciclib treatment recommendations, HER2-low status, different Ki-67 cutoff values, and samples obtained from secondary primary tumours...

Despite the well-documented health benefits of the probiotic Saccharomyces , its application in oral health has not been comprehensively assessed. Dental caries is a transmissible disease initiated by acid production of cariogenic bacteria and yeast, such as Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans , on tooth enamel and followed by subsequent enamel demineralization. Here, we investigated the effect of two Saccharomyces strains ( Saccharomyces boulardii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) on S. mutans - C. albicans cross-kingdom interactions using a cariogenic planktonic model...

The study of the active forces acting on semiflexible filaments networks such as the cytoskeleton requires noninvasive tools able to explore the deformation of single filaments in their natural environment. We propose here a practical method based on the solution of the hydrodynamic beam equation in the presence of transverse forces. We found that the derivative of the local curvature presents discontinuities that match the location of the applied forces, in contrast to the smooth curvature function obtained for the case of compressing longitudinal forces...

Headwaters provide many ecosystems services. Currently, these vulnerable systems are subject to threats related to human activities. This work aims to analyse the spatial pattern changes (expansion/contraction) in the drainage network (DN) of a headwater sub-basin under agriculture between 1966 and 2019 in the Argentine Pampas Region. We study and discuss the hydrometeorological and land use context to understand the spatial and temporal dynamics of the DN, and propose a conceptual model that synthesizes the complex interactions between the factors involved in that dynamics...

Agave bagasse, a lignocellulosic waste that results from the milling and juice extraction of Agave tequilana var azul pineapples, is a suitable substrate for the production of methane through anaerobic digestion. However, it is necessary to apply a pretreatment to convert the bagasse into energy. In this context, this paper proposes using ruminal microorganisms to hydrolyze agave bagasse. This study evaluated the effect of the initial agave bagasse to ruminal fluid (S0 /X0 ) ratio (0.33, 0.5, 1, and 2) on the hydrolysis efficiency...

The ability of a species to withstand human impact depends on its life history characteristics, including social, ranging, and reproductive activity. The genera Lagothrix and Cacajao are more susceptible to anthropic action than small-sized primates due to their slower life histories, more restricted geographical ranges, and lower population densities. This narrative literature review aimed to gather scientific information available from the last 60 years on the reproductive biology of females of the genera Lagothrix and Cacajao...

The expansion of rainfed agriculture, especially soybean cultivation in sub-humid plains, alters water balance and the exchange between groundwater-surface water (GW-SW). However, to date, there are no studies that analyze how these anthropic disturbances affect hydrological connectivity in these systems, especially the GW-SW interactions. The objective of this study is to analyze how the increase in rainfed agriculture affects the spatio-temporal patterns of the water balance and the GW-SW interaction. For this analysis, a coupled GW-SW flow model was implemented under land use and land cover (LULC) scenarios, to quantify the spatio-temporal dynamics for different components of water balance and GW-SW interactions for the upper creek basin of Del Azul...

Species ecology and life history patterns are often reflected in animal morphology. Blue whales are globally distributed, with distinct populations that feed in different productive coastal regions worldwide. Thus, they provide an opportunity to investigate how regional ecosystem characteristics may drive morphological differences within a species. Here, we compare physical and biological oceanography of three different blue whale foraging grounds: (1) Monterey Bay, California, USA; (2) the South Taranaki Bight (STB), Aotearoa New Zealand; and (3) the Corcovado Gulf, Chile...

BACKGROUND: Barrett's esophagus (BE) is the replacement of the usual esophageal mucosa by a simple columnar epithelium with the presence of goblet cells (GC) of intestinal type. It has been related to different risk factors such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), inappropriate consumption of irritating foods, smoking and overweight. There are CC mimic cells, known as blue cells (BC), which make the diagnosis of BE difficult, due to the lack of a precise definition of the nature and location of the gastroesophageal junction and the microscopic variations in this area...

The aim of this research work is to study the effect of salt mist ageing on the physico-mechanical properties of two ignimbrites from the Canary Islands (Spain). Due to their insular nature and extensive coastlines, these regions are highly susceptible to atmospheric salt aerosols, which is a significant weathering agent for building materials. The ignimbrites analysed are marketed under the names "Azul Lomo Tomás de León" and "Marrón de Abades" and are widely used as building stones. Petrographic, mineralogical and chemical properties were obtained via polarisation microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence...

Words and the concepts they represent vary across languages. Here we ask if mother-tongue concepts are altered by learning a second language. What happens when speakers of Tsimane', a language with few consensus color terms, learn Bolivian Spanish, a language with more terms? Three possibilities arise: Concepts in Tsimane' may remain unaffected, or they may be remapped, either by Tsimane' terms taking on new meanings or by borrowing Bolivian-Spanish terms. We found that adult bilingual speakers ( n = 30) remapped Tsimane' concepts without importing Bolivian-Spanish terms into Tsimane'...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The histopathological identification of Helicobacter pylori using the routine method (haematoxylin-eosin) is not only very difficult but also has low sensitivity. Giemsa staining is often used in addition, but different protocols do not produce homogeneous results. Furthermore, the Gold Standard recommended by the European Helicobacter Pylori Study Group has been applied in very few studies, thus resulting in uncertain outcomes. Therefore, a new staining method is required to overcome these limitations...

We present the case of a healthy young woman who consulted for left peripheral facial palsy associated with fever, dry cough, dyspnea, and asthenia of two weeks' evolution. Physical examination revealed hypoesthesia in left T6 to T12 dermatomes and bilateral galactorrhea. In the laboratory, she presented negative viral serology, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, antinuclear antibody titers, prolactin and thyroid-stimulating hormone, with positive antiperoxidase antibodies. Computed tomography showed multiple bilateral cervical, mediastinal, and hilar adenopathies, without involvement of lung parenchyma...

In this work, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), bleached cellulose nanofibers (bCNFs), and unbleached cellulose nanofibers (ubCNFs) isolated by acid hydrolysis from Agave tequilana Weber var. Azul bagasse, an agro-waste from the tequila industry, were used as reinforcements in a thermoplastic starch matrix to obtain environmentally friendly materials that can substitute contaminant polymers. A robust characterization of starting materials and biocomposites was carried out. Biocomposite mechanical, thermal, and antibacterial properties were evaluated, as well as color, crystallinity, morphology, rugosity, lateral texture, electrical conductivity, chemical identity, solubility, and water vapor permeability...

The aim was to evaluate the effects of adding different functional monomers to experimental self-adhesive composites on polymerization kinetics, cell metabolic activity, and sealing ability. Self-adhesive composites were formulated using urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA) as the base monomer and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA). Additionally, 10 wt.% of distinct functional monomers were added - 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (10-MDP), glycerol phosphate dimethacrylate (GPDM), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) or hydroxyethyl acrylamide (HEAA)...

PURPOSE: To determine the polymerization kinetics and color stability of a self-adhesive and conventional resin composite after accelerated shelf-life simulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two composites were tested - universal Filtek Z250 (3M Oral Care) and self-adhesive Constic (DMG). They were stored for 2 months in an incubator to simulate an Arrhenius aging model (60°C) and tested at 5 different time points. Polymerization kinetics (n = 3) were studied using an attenuated total reflectance technique (ATR), through continuous FTIR spectral acquisition (20 min)...

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BACKGROUND: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, access to medical care is restricted for nearly all non-acute conditions. Due to their status as a vulnerable social group and the inherent need for transition-related treatments, transgender people are assumed to be affected particularly severely by the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: As an ad hoc collaboration between researchers, clinicians and 23 community organizations, we developed a web-based survey in German that was translated into 26 languages...