A simple and reliable refractometric method to determine the total solids concentration of the cervico-vaginal bovine mucus samples.

Cervico-vaginal mucus (CVM) is a viscoelastic substance continuously produced by secretory cells of the endocervix and the vagina of cows. Its physicochemical composition varies depending on the hormonal status of the estrous cycle. In veterinary medicine refractometry is a widely diffused technique to determine total solids (TS) content of biological samples, but there are not published data of CVM total solids from refractometric measures.

Surfactant-Free Glibenclamide Nanoparticles: Formulation, Characterization and Evaluation of Interactions with Biological Barriers.

Purpose: The aim of this work was to formulate and characterize surfactant-free glibenclamide nanoparticles using Eudragit RLPO and polyethylene glycol as sole stabilizer.

Methods: Glibenclamide nanoparticles were obtained by nanoprecipitation and evaluated in terms of drug content, encapsulation efficiency, apparent saturation solubility, drug release profile, solid state and storage stability. The influence of different stirring speed on the particle size, size distribution and zeta potential of the nanoparticles was investigated.

Hearing and Exposure to Music in Adolescents From Four Schools of Córdoba, Argentina.

Purposes The aims of this study are (a) to characterize the hearing of adolescents from four schools of Córdoba, Argentina, through the analysis of conventional and extended high-frequency audiometric thresholds and otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) and (b) to analyze the association between the mentioned hearing tests and exposure to music. Method It was a cross-sectional correlational descriptive study. Hearing thresholds (250-16000 Hz), transient evoked OAEs, and distortion product OAEs were evaluated in 225 adolescents (450 ears) aged 14 and 15 years.

Trimetazidine Protects from Mercury-Induced Kidney Injury.

Introduction: The presence of mercury in the environment is a worldwide concern. Inorganic mercury is present in industrial materials, is employed in medical devices, is widely used in batteries, is a component of fluorescent light bulbs, and it has been associated with human poisoning in gold mining areas. The nephrotoxicity induced by inorganic mercury is a relevant health problem mainly in developing countries.

Renal and non-renal response of ABC and SLC transporters in chronic kidney disease.

Introduction: The solute carrier (SLC) and the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamilies play essential roles in the disposition of small molecules (endogenous metabolites, uremic toxins, drugs) in the blood, kidney, liver, intestine, and other organs. In chronic kidney disease (CKD), the loss of renal function is associated with altered function of remote organs. As renal function declines, many molecules accumulate in the plasma.

Impairment of renal steroidogenesis at the onset of diabetes.

Accumulating evidence indicates the association between changes in circulating sex steroid hormone levels and the development of diabetic nephropathy. However, the renal synthesis of steroid hormones during diabetes is essentially unknown. Male Wistar rats were injected with streptozotocin (STZ) or vehicle.

Three-way calibration using PARAFAC and MCR-ALS with previous synchronization of second-order chromatographic data through a new functional alignment of pure vectors for the quantification in the presence of retention time shifts in peak position and shape.

In the present contribution is shown the application of the recently developed functional alignment of pure vectors (FAPV) as a proper algorithm to align second-order chromatographic data with severe retention time shifts in peak position and shape. FAPV decomposed a three-way chromatographic data array in their three modes (sample, spectral and elution time vectors), using a basis function to pre-process the non-linear mode (elution time) and then it aligns the functionalized pure vectors and reshapes the transformed vectors into matrices, restoring the trilinearity of second-order chromatographic data. The well-aligned three-way chromatographic data array is then successfully decomposed by advanced chemometric models such as parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and multivariate curve resolution - alternating least-squares (MCR-ALS) with the trilinearity constraint.

Chagas disease reactivation in rheumatologic patients: association with immunosuppressive therapy and humoral response.

Evidence for Chagas disease reactivation (CDR) in rheumatologic patients under rheumatologic treatments (RTs) is scarce. To screen and follow-up patients with rheumatic diseases and concomitant Chagas disease under RT to detect CDR and to describe a possible relationship between CDR and specific RT. An observational, longitudinal, prospective, consecutive study was carried out between 2018 and 2020.

Vibrational Frequencies of Cerium-Oxide-Bound CO: A Challenge for Conventional DFT Methods.

In ceria-based catalysis, the shape of the catalyst particle, which determines the exposed crystal facets, profoundly affects its reactivity. The vibrational frequency of adsorbed carbon monoxide (CO) can be used as a sensitive probe to identify the exposed surface facets, provided reference data on well-defined single crystal surfaces together with a definitive theoretical assignment exist. We investigate the adsorption of CO on the CeO_{2}(110) and (111) surfaces and show that the commonly applied DFT(PBE)+U method does not provide reliable CO vibrational frequencies by comparing with state-of-the-art infrared spectroscopy experiments for monocrystalline CeO_{2} surfaces.

Reproductive aging and executive functions in healthy women.

The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of reproductive aging on executive functions. We assessed executive functions in three groups of healthy women in the premenopausal (n = 45, mean age = 30.89, SD = 10.

Spironolactone ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced cholestasis in rats by improving Mrp2 function: Role of transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms.

Aims: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces inflammatory cholestasis by impairing expression, localization, and function of carriers involved in bile formation, e.g. bile salt export pump (Bsep) and multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (Mrp2).

Defining as a model system to investigate lipoic acid metabolism.

Lipoic acid (LA) is a sulfur-containing cofactor that covalently binds to a variety of cognate enzymes that are essential for redox reactions in all three domains of life. Inherited mutations in the enzymes that make LA, namely lipoyl synthase, octanoyltransferase, and amidotransferase, result in devastating human metabolic disorders. Unfortunately, because many aspects of this essential pathway are still obscure, available treatments only serve to alleviate symptoms.

Resilience to drought of dryland wetlands threatened by climate change.

Dryland wetlands are resilient ecosystems that can adapt to extreme periodic drought-flood episodes. Climate change projections show increased drought severity in drylands that could compromise wetland resilience and reduce important habitat services. These recognized risks have been difficult to evaluate due to our limited capacity to establish comprehensive relationships between flood-drought episodes and vegetation responses at the relevant spatiotemporal scales.

Greater maintenance of bone mineral content in male than female athletes and in sprinting and jumping than endurance athletes: a longitudinal study of bone strength in elite masters athletes.

Unlabelled: We investigated longitudinal changes in tibia bone strength in master power (jumping and sprinting) and endurance (distance) athletes of both sexes. Bone mass but not cross-sectional moment of inertia was better maintained in power than endurance athletes over time, particularly in men and independent of changes in performance.

Objective: Assessment of effects of sex and athletic discipline (lower limb power events, e.

Utility of urinary organic anion transporter 5 as an early biomarker of obstructive nephropathy.

Ureteral obstruction is a relevant cause of kidney damage. The traditional parameters used in clinical practice for the detection of renal injury are insensitive and non-specific for the diagnosis of obstructive renal disease. The organic anion transporter 5 (Oat5) is a carrier expressed exclusively in the kidney.

Intraluminal nutrients acutely strengthen rat intestinal MRP2 barrier function by a glucagon-like peptide-2-mediated mechanism.

Aim: MRP2 is an intestinal ABC transporter that prevents the absorption of dietary xenobiotics. The aims of this work were: (1) to evaluate whether a short-term regulation of intestinal MRP2 barrier function takes place in vivo after luminal incorporation of nutrients and (2) to explore the underlying mechanism.

Methods: MRP2 activity and localization were assessed in an in vivo rat model with preserved irrigation and innervation.

A Precision Medicine Approach to SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Management.

Purpose Of Review: Precision medicine (PM) represents a new paradigm in disease diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. To apply PM premises in an emerging coronavirus pandemic acquires potentially greater relevance in order to allow the selection of specific preventive measures as well as biomarkers that will be useful in disease management.

Recent Findings: The identification of the new coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as the responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had led to a plethora of strategies to contain viral dissemination, affecting life styles and personal behaviors.

Patch organization and resilience of dryland wetlands.

Dryland wetlands are ecosystems of high ecological importance as they serve as habitat sanctuaries for aquatic and terrestrial biota in areas with very few resources; therefore, the study of such environments is of major importance for the conservation of biodiversity in arid and semi-arid areas. The vegetation organization in these ecosystems is driven by the water regime as the main driver, but local processes like seed banks and soil resources redistribution also play a crucial role in determining the spatial distribution of the vegetation. Assessment of vegetation dynamics and long-term resilience requires the use of realistic models that can integrate the water regime and that can continuously simulate vegetation extent and conditions under flood-drought cycles.

A Precision Medicine Approach to Rhinitis Evaluation and Management.

Purpose Of Review: Precision medicine (PM) represents a new paradigm in disease diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. The PM approach focuses on the characterization of different phenotypes and pathogenic pathways in order to allow the selection of specific biomarkers that will be useful in disease management. Rhinitis is a highly prevalent and heterogeneous disease, both in terms of underlying endotypes and clinical presentations.

Preparation and characterization of a new solid form of praziquantel, an essential anthelmintic drug. Praziquantel racemic monohydrate.

Praziquantel (PZQ) is a highly effective low-cost anthelmintic agent used as the first-choice treatment against schistosomiasis. The low solubility of the active is a major drawback for pharmaceutical formulation. A valid approach of the pharmaceutical industry for the improvement of the pharmacotechnical features of the active principles (such as solubility, processability, stability, among others), is the preparation of new solid forms, such as salts, polymorph, and pseudo-polymorph.

Evidence in Favor of an Alternative Glucocorticoid Synthesis Pathway During Acute Experimental Chagas Disease.

It is well-established that infectious stress activates the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis leading to the production of pituitary adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and adrenal glucocorticoids (GCs). Usually, GC synthesis is mediated by protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway triggered by ACTH. We previously demonstrated that acute murine Chagas disease courses with a marked increase of GC, with some data suggesting that GC synthesis may be ACTH-dissociated in the late phase of this parasitic infection.