Advanced Extraction Techniques and Physicochemical Properties of Carrageenan from a Novel Cultivar.

Carrageenans are valuable marine polysaccharides derived from specific species of red seaweed (Rhodophyta) widely used as thickening and stabilizing agents across various industries. , predominantly cultivated in tropical countries, is the primary source of kappa-carrageenan. Traditional industrial extraction methods involve alkaline treatment for up to three hours followed by heating, which is inefficient and generates substantial waste.

Laboratory reflex testing strategy for the early identification of primary care patients with multiple myeloma.

Objectives: Our objective was to shorten the screen for multiple myeloma (MM), through reflex testing.

Design And Methods: The clinical laboratory in the public University Hospital of San Juan (Alicante, Spain), serves 234,551 inhabitants. Through an intervention agreed with general practitioners, the Laboratory Information System (LIS) automatically registered serum immunoglobulins (Ig) when serum total proteins (STP) > 80 g/L for the first time in primary care patients.

Clinical Decision Support System in laboratory medicine.

Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) have been implemented in almost all healthcare settings. Laboratory medicine (LM), is one of the most important structured health data stores, but efforts are still needed to clarify the use and scope of these tools, especially in the laboratory setting. The aim is to clarify CDSS concept in LM, in the last decade.

Reporting age-adjusted D-dimer cut-off values reduces radiology overuse in emergency department patients with suspected deep venous thrombosis.

Introduction: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a leading cause of death, associated with substantial morbidity in the absence of treatment. Our aim was, first, to compare the diagnostic performance of D-dimer for the diagnosis of VTE in the emergency department (ED), when reporting conventional cut-off point versus when additionally reporting age-adjusted values. Second, we explored the ordering pattern of Doppler ultrasound (US) and computerized tomographic pulmonary angiogram (CTPA), before and after reporting of the aforementioned age-adjusted cut-off value.

Pharmacological depletion of microglia alleviates neuronal and vascular damage in the diabetic CX3CR1-WT retina but not in CX3CR1-KO or hCX3CR1-expressing retina.

Diabetic retinopathy, a microvascular disease characterized by irreparable vascular damage, neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation, is a leading complication of diabetes mellitus. There is no cure for DR, and medical interventions marginally slow the progression of disease. Microglia-mediated inflammation in the diabetic retina is regulated CX3CR1-FKN signaling, where FKN serves as a calming signal for microglial activation in several neuroinflammatory models.

Models of microglia depletion and replenishment elicit protective effects to alleviate vascular and neuronal damage in the diabetic murine retina.

Microglia, the resident phagocytes of the retina, are believed to influence the development of retinopathy, but their exact contributions to vascular integrity and neuronal loss are unknown. Therefore, utilizing two models of microglia depletion, we aimed to deplete and repopulate microglia to clarify the contribution of microglia to neuronal loss and vascular damage in the diabetic retina in an STZ-induced model of hyperglycemia. Here, we report that 2 weeks exposure to diphtheria toxin (DTx) in diabetic CX3CR1:R26 transgenic mice induced a 62% increase in Iba1 microglia associated with an increase in TUJ1 axonal density and prevention of NeuNRBPMS neuronal loss.

Noradrenaline in Alzheimer's Disease: A New Potential Therapeutic Target.

A growing body of evidence demonstrates the important role of the noradrenergic system in the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative processes, especially Alzheimer's disease, due to its ability to control glial activation and chemokine production resulting in anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. Noradrenaline involvement in this disease was first proposed after finding deficits of noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus from Alzheimer's disease patients. Based on this, it has been hypothesized that the early loss of noradrenergic projections and the subsequent reduction of noradrenaline brain levels contribute to cognitive dysfunctions and the progression of neurodegeneration.

CCL2 Inhibition of Pro-Resolving Mediators Potentiates Neuroinflammation in Astrocytes.

The chemokine CCL2 participates in multiple neuroinflammatory processes, mainly through the recruitment of glial cells. However, CCL2 has also been proven to exert different types of actions on these cells, including the modification of their response to inflammatory stimuli. In the present study we analyzed the effect of CCL2 on the resolution of inflammation in astrocytes.

Sphk2 deletion is involved in structural abnormalities and Th17 response but does not aggravate colon inflammation induced by sub-chronic stress.

The chronic inflammatory process that characterizes inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is mainly driven by T-cell response to microbial and environmental antigens. Psychological stress is a potential trigger of clinical flares of IBD, and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is involved in T-cell recruitment. Hence, stress impact and the absence of sphingosine kinase 2 (Sphk2), an enzyme of S1P metabolism, were evaluated in the colon of mice after sub-chronic stress exposure.

Impacts of low concentrations of nanoplastics on leaf litter decomposition and food quality for detritivores in streams.

In forested streams, leaf litter decomposition is a vital ecosystem process, governed primarily by aquatic hyphomycetes. These fungi are crucial mediators of nutrients and energy to invertebrates and higher trophic levels. Very little information is available on the impact of low concentrations of different sizes of nanoplastic particles (NPPs) on leaf litter decomposition and aquatic hyphomycetes communities.

Boosting the Near-Infrared Emission of AgS Nanoparticles by a Controllable Surface Treatment for Bioimaging Applications.

AgS nanoparticles are the staple for high-resolution preclinical imaging and sensing owing to their photochemical stability, low toxicity, and photoluminescence (PL) in the second near-infrared biological window. Unfortunately, AgS nanoparticles exhibit a low PL efficiency attributed to their defective surface chemistry, which curbs their translation into the clinics. To address this shortcoming, we present a simple methodology that allows to improve the PL quantum yield from 2 to 10%, which is accompanied by a PL lifetime lengthening from 0.

Microglial CX3CR1 production increases in Alzheimer's disease and is regulated by noradrenaline.

The loss of noradrenergic neurons and subsequent reduction of brain noradrenaline (NA) levels are associated with the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This seems to be due mainly to the ability of NA to reduce the activation of microglial cells. We previously observed that NA induces the production of the chemokine Fractalkine/CX3CL1 in neurons.

Correction: Perspectives for AgS NIR-II nanoparticles in biomedicine: from imaging to multifunctionality.

Correction for 'Perspectives for AgS NIR-II nanoparticles in biomedicine: from imaging to multifunctionality' by Yingli Shen, et al., Nanoscale, 2019, DOI: 10.1039/c9nr05733a.

Reboxetine Treatment Reduces Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration in the 5xFAD Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease: Role of CCL2.

The reduction of brain noradrenaline levels is associated to the initiation of Alzheimer's disease and contributes to its progression. This seems to be due mainly to the anti-neuroinflammatory actions of noradrenaline. The analysis of noradrenaline effects on brain cells demonstrates that it also regulates the production of the chemokine CCL2.

Peritonitis from : An emerging pathogen.

can be misidentified as , due to similar biochemical properties. Automated identification systems and mass spectrometry play a very critical role in isolating atypical organisms like . General guidelines recommend treating peritonitis for 3 weeks without removal of peritoneal dialysis catheter.

Impacts of S-metolachlor and terbuthylazine in fatty acid and carbohydrate composition of the benthic clam Scrobicularia plana.

S-metolachlor (SMOC) and terbuthylazine (TBA) are herbicides that commonly appear as active ingredients (a.i.) in the composition of plant protection products.

Alternative Method to Detect Neuronal Degeneration and Amyloid β Accumulation in Free-Floating Brain Sections With Fluoro-Jade.

Fluoro-Jade is a fluorescein-derived fluorochrome which specifically binds to damaged neurons. Due to this characteristic, it is commonly used for the histochemical detection and quantification of neurodegeneration in mounted brain sections. Here, we describe an alternative and simpler histochemistry protocol based on the use of free-floating brain sections.

Single-Stranded Condensation Stochastically Blocks G-Quadruplex Assembly in Human Telomeric RNA.

TERRA is an RNA molecule transcribed from human subtelomeric regions toward chromosome ends potentially involved in regulation of heterochromatin stability, semiconservative replication, and telomerase inhibition, among others. TERRA contains tandem repeats of the sequence GGGUUA, with a strong tendency to fold into a four-stranded arrangement known as a parallel G-quadruplex. Here, we demonstrate by using single-molecule force spectroscopy that this potential is limited by the inherent capacity of RNA to self-associate randomly and further condense into entropically more favorable structures.

CCL2 Induces the Production of β2 Adrenergic Receptors and Modifies Astrocytic Responses to Noradrenaline.

The decline in brain noradrenaline levels is associated with the progression of certain neurodegenerative diseases. This seems to be due, at least in part, to the ability of noradrenaline to limit glial activation and to reduce the damage associated with it. Our previous studies of the mechanisms involved in this process indicate that noradrenaline induces the production of the chemokine CCL2 in astrocytes.

Noradrenaline induces CX3CL1 production and release by neurons.

CX3CL1 is a chemokine for which neurons constitute its primary source within the brain. Besides acting as a chemokine, CX3CL1 regulates multiple processes and is known to inhibit microglial activation. Because of this, CX3CL1 is considered as a messenger used by neurons to communicate with microglia.

Discovery of potent inhibitors of the lysophospholipase autotaxin.

The autotaxin-lysophosphatidic acid (ATX-LPA) axis has been implicated in several disease conditions including inflammation, fibrosis and cancer. This makes ATX an attractive drug target and its inhibition may lead to useful therapeutic agents. Through a high throughput screen (HTS) we identified a series of small molecule inhibitors of ATX which have subsequently been optimized for potency, selectivity and developability properties.

Neural stem cells: the need for a proper orientation.

Drosophila neuroblasts and mouse radial glial cells can divide asymmetrically to self-renew while producing differentiating daughter cells that contribute to brain growth. Intense research activity in the past few years has started to unveil some of the processes that govern asymmetric division in these two cell types. Here we discuss the case of centrosome asymmetry and the contribution of spindle orientation and non-spindle-related centrosome functions.