Abdiwhitney8047
However, with GFP transduced Vero cells a hundred-fold improvement in sensitivity was achieved. Results were comparable to those using a more expensive commercial plate reader. Thermal inactivation of abrin was studied in PBS and in milk using the GFP-Vero cell assay. Inactivation at 100 °C for 5 min in both media was complete only at the lowest concentration studied (0.1 ng/mL) while treatment at 63 °C for 30 min was effective in PBS but not milk.The primary purpose of the present study was to investigate attentional biases for food-related stimuli in individuals with overweight and normal weight using a flicker paradigm. Specifically, it was tested whether attention allocation processes differ between individuals with overweight and normal weight using transient changes of food-related and neutral pictures. Change detection latencies in objects of central interest (CI) or objects of marginal interest (MI) were measured as an index of attention allocation in a sample of fifty-three students with overweight/obesity and sixty students with normal weight during a flicker paradigm with neutral, hypercaloric and hypocaloric food pictures. Both groups of participants showed an attentional bias for food-related pictures as compared to neutral pictures. learn more However, the bias was larger in individuals with overweight than in individuals with normal weight when changes were of marginal interest, suggesting a stronger avoidance of the food-related picture. This study showed that food-related stimuli influence attention allocation processes in both participants with overweight and normal weight. In particular, as compared to individuals with normal weight, those with overweight seem to be characterised by a stronger attentional avoidance of (or smaller attention maintenance on) food-related stimuli that could be considered as a voluntary strategy to resist food consumption.The consumption of water-pipe smoking (WPS) has been promoted by the use of flavoured tobacco. However, little is known about the impact of flavouring on the cardiovascular toxicity induced by WPS inhalation. Here, we compared the cardiovascular effects and underlying mechanism of actions of plain (P) (unflavoured) versus apple-flavoured (AF) WPS (30 minutes/day, 5 days/week for 1 month) in mice. Control mice were exposed to air. Both P- and AF-WPS inhalation induced an increase in systolic blood pressure, thrombogenicity and plasma concentration of fibrinogen and von Willebrand factor. In heart homogenates, AF-WPS inhalation caused an increase of 8-isoprostane and a decrease in the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Nevertheless, P-WPS decreased only the activity of SOD. The concentrations of tumour necrosis factor α and interleukin 1β were increased only in heart homogenates of mice exposed to AF-WPS. Although both P- and AF-WPS increased the concentration of troponin I in heart homogenates and induced DNA damage, the concentration of cleaved caspase 3 was only increased in mice exposed to AF-WPS. Immunohistochemical analysis of the hearts showed that both P- and AF- WPS inhalation decreased the expression of SOD. Moreover, the expression of nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 at nuclear level in the heart was higher in both AF-WPS and P-WPS compared with control group, and the effect observed in AF-WPS group was more significant than that seen in P-WPS group. Likewise, the concentration of heme oxygenase-1 was significantly increased in both P-WPS and AF-WPS groups compared with control group, and the effect seen in AF-group was higher than that observed in P-WPS group. In conclusion, our findings showed that both P- and AF-WPS induce thrombogenicity and cardiac injury, and that this toxicity is potentiated by the presence of flavouring.The surface of SnO2 nanowires was functionalized by chitosan for the development of room-temperature conductometric humidity sensors. SnO2 nanowires were synthesized by the seed-mediated physical-vapor-deposition (PVD) method. Chitosan layers were deposited on top of the SnO2 nanowires by spin coating. Surface morphology, crystal structure, and optical properties of the synthesized hybrid nanostructure were investigated by scanning electron microscope, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, and UV-Vis absorption measurements. During electrical conductivity measurements, the hybrid nanostructure showed unusual behavior towards various relative humidity (RH) concentrations (25%, 50%, 75%), under UV-light irradiation, and in dark conditions. The highest sensor responses were recorded towards an RH level of 75%, resulting in 1.1 in the dark and 2.5 in a UV-irradiated chamber. A novel conduction mechanism of hybrid nanowires is discussed in detail by comparing the sensing performances of chitosan film, SnO2 nanowires, and chitosan@SnO2 hybrid nanostructures.The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of two genetic polymorphisms, ACTN3 R577X, and ACE I/D, on physical condition in a sample of active older women after a two-year training period. The sample was composed of 300 healthy women over the age of 60 who underwent a two-year training program. Adapted tests from the Senior Fitness Test were used. The genotyping of the polymorphisms was obtained from the participants' DNA via buccal swabs. The analysis of the ACE polymorphism did not reveal differences between genotypes. The analysis of the R577X polymorphism showed a favorable effect for the ACTN3 XX genotype in tests for leg strength (p 0.001) after training, compared to the other genotypes, and also in the analysis of the combined effect of the polymorphism (ACE II + ACTN3 RX/XX). The intragroup effect revealed an improvement in arm strength for carriers of the X allele after 24 months of training (p less then 0.05). The endurance values significantly worsened in all study groups. Conclusions The R577X polymorphism of ACTN3 may have an important role in capacities related to muscle strength, providing a beneficial effect for carriers of the X allele.This paper investigates the occurrence of severe oral mucositis and associated factors in blood and solid cancer pediatric patients subjected to cancer treatment, using a survival analysis. A longitudinal, descriptive, observational and inductive study of 142 pediatric patients aged from 0 to 19 years was conducted from 2013 to 2017. Data were collected using a form to record the sociodemographic characteristics and health-related aspects of patients and the modified Oral Assessment Guide (OAG). Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox semiparametric model. The median times to occurrence of severe oral mucositis were 35.3 and 77.1 days for patients with hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, respectively. The Cox model showed that white cell changes and platelet counts as well as the use of natural chemotherapeutic agents are risk factors for the occurrence of oral mucositis among patients with hematologic malignancies. Nonetheless, among patients with solid tumors, the occurrence of oral mucositis was associated with female sex, mixed ethnicity, the presence of metastasis, abnormal creatinine levels, a combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, and the administration of chemotherapeutic agents included in the miscellaneous group.