MTERF4 Regulates Translation by Targeting the Methyltransferase NSUN4 to the Mammalian Mitochondrial Ribosome

Cá,mara, Yolanda,Asin-Cayuela, Jorge,Park, Chan ,Bae,Metodiev, Metodi ,D.,Shi, Yonghong,Ruzzenente, Benedetta,Kukat, Christian,Habermann, Bianca,Wibom, Rolf,Hultenby, Kjell,Franz, Thomas Elsevier 2011 Cell metabolism Vol.13 No.5

<P><B>Summary</B></P><P>Precise control of mitochondrial DNA gene expression is critical for regulation of oxidative phosphorylation capacity in mammals. The MTERF protein family plays a key role in this process, and its members have been implicated in regulation of transcription initiation and site-specific transcription termination. We now demonstrate that a member of this family, MTERF4, directly controls mitochondrial ribosomal biogenesis and translation. MTERF4 forms a stoichiometric complex with the ribosomal RNA methyltransferase NSUN4 and is necessary for recruitment of this factor to the large ribosomal subunit. Loss of MTERF4 leads to defective ribosomal assembly and a drastic reduction in translation. Our results thus show that MTERF4 is an important regulator of translation in mammalian mitochondria.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P><P>► Loss of MTERF4 leads to abolished mitochondrial translation ► MTERF4 forms a complex with the rRNA methyltransferase NSUN4 ► MTERF4 targets NSUN4 to the mitochondrial large ribosomal subunit</P>

Acute and Sub-Chronic Toxicity of Aqueous Extracts of Chenopodium ambrosioides Leaves in Rats

Marcel Gianni C. da Silva,Raimundo Neilson L. Amorim,Câmara, José Domingues Fontenele Neto,Benito Soto-Blanco 한국식품영양과학회 2014 Journal of medicinal food Vol.17 No.9

The present study aimed to evaluate the toxicity of aqueous extract of Chenopodium ambrosioides leaves. To measure acute toxicity, rats were administered 0, 0.3, 1.0, or 3.0 g/kg of aqueous extract from C. ambrosioides leaves by gavage. To analyze sub-chronic toxicity, rats were treated by oral gavage for 15 consecutive days with 0, 0.3, or 1.0 g/kg of extract of C. ambrosioides leaves. No animals from either trial exhibited any signs of toxicity. In the acute study, the highest dose of the extract led to an increase in the serum activities of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) and a decrease in the serum levels of urea. In the sub-chronic test, rats treated with 1.0 g/kg for 15 days exhibited increased serum ALT activity and creatinine levels and mild cytoplasmic vacuolation of hepatocytes. The results indicate that aqueous extract from C. ambrosioides leaves produce slight hepatotoxic lesions in rats.

Influence of mating and feeding on reproduction pattern of haematophagous bug Triatoma williami Galvão, Souza & Lima, 1965 (Hemiptera, Triatominae)

Thaís Peres Câmara,Letícia Pinho Gomes,Rosaline Rocha Lunardi,Paula Cristina de Souza Souto,Adriana Degrossoli,Wagner Welber Arrais-Silva 한국응용곤충학회 2018 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.21 No.4

The bloodsucking bug Triatoma williami is the main vector of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease in State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. It occurs in sylvatic areas of Brazilian savanna with often records of adult specimens in domestic and peridomestic habitats. We describe, for the first time, the reproductive parameters of T. williami females such as fecundity, fertility and lifespan. We also evaluate whether mating and nourishment status of females of T. williami may modulate the reproductive parameters. As a result, the presence of male corroborated to increase female lifespan from 5.14 ± 1,77 to 34.57 ± 10,86 weeks. The oviposition rate in mated female increased 275% when we compared to the fecundity values in unmated females. Finally, our results indicate that mating is crucial to improve lifespan and fecundity of T. williami females. This characteristic may be related to the environmental conditions under T. williami develops, because the sylvatic ecotopes form small scattered colonies with infrequent access to blood sources.

Eco-friendly adsorption of dye pollutants by palygorskite in aqueous effluents: Experimental and computational studies

Anne Beatriz Figueira Câmara,Rafael Viana Sales,Carlos Vital dos Santos Júnior,Miguel Angelo Fonseca de Souza,Clenildo de Longe,Thiago Medeiros Chianca,Rosangela Dala Possa,Luiz Carlos Bertolino,Lucie 한국화학공학회 2022 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.39 No.7

Palygorskite clay mineral (Pal) was employed in the removal of Congo red (CR) and methylene blue (MB)dyes pollutants in aqueous effluents by the adsorption process. The materials, Pal raw and acid Pal (Apal), were characterizedby SEM, EDX, XRD, XFR, FTIR, XPS and Raman spectroscopy techniques that evidenced the main active sitesof clay mineral. Characterization data indicated that acid treatment caused a leaching process of metallic cations on thePal surface. As result, the maximum adsorption capacity was increased from 11.3 to 120.5mg·g1 and from 2.7 to238.1mg·g1 for MB and CR dyes, respectively. The regeneration result after five cycles was of 75% recovered to MBadsorption into Apal. Semi-empirical quantum mechanical (SQM) calculations were performed to identify the mechanismof interaction between the Pal surface and dyes. High correlation (R2>0.99) was observed for the experimentaldata using the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, that were confirmed by computed enthalpy values (298.7 to 84.5 kJ·mol1), suggesting a chemisorption process as the determining step. Furthermore, the experimental and computationalresults indicated that the Pal also could work removing efficiently two dyes simultaneously with an adsorptioncapacity of 37.2 and 40.4mg·g1 for MB and CR, respectively.

Short-, Intermediate-, and Long-Term Changes in Basophil Reactivity Induced by Venom Immunotherapy

Ana Rodríguez Trabado,Carmen Cámara Hijón,Alfonso Ramos Cantariño,Silvia Romero-Chala,José Antonio García-Trujillo,Luis Miguel Fernández Pereira 대한천식알레르기학회 2016 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.8 No.5

Purpose: The basophil activation test (BAT) has been used to monitor venom immunotherapy (VIT) due to its high specificity. A previous study has reported a good correlation between a significant decrease in basophil activation during 5 years of VIT and clinical protection assessed by sting challenge. The following prospective study was performed to examine changes in basophil reactivity over a complete VIT period of 5 years. Methods: BAT in a dose-response curve was studied prospectively in 10 hymenoptera venom-allergic patients over 5 years of VIT. BAT was performed at the time of diagnosis, 1 month after finishing the VIT build-up phase, and 3, 6, 12, 24, and 60 months after beginning treatment. The repeated measures ANOVA was applied to evaluate basophil activation changes throughout VIT. A cross-sectional study was also performed in 6 patients who received treatment for more than 3 years, and in another 12 patients who followed immunotherapy for at least 5 years. Results: An early activation decrease was observed during the first 3 months of treatment, compared to pre-treatment values. This activation decrease was not maintained 6 to 18 months after treatment, but was observed again after 2 years of treatment, and maintained until the completion of the 5-year immunotherapy period. In cross-sectional analysis, the 6 patients who received treatment for 3 years, and 9 of the 12 patients who received treatment for 5 years, had negative BAT results. Three patients in this last group had positive BAT results and 2 patients had systemic reactions after field stings. Conclusions: BAT appears to be an optimal non-invasive test for close monitoring of VIT.

Prognostic models for locally advanced cervical cancer: external validation of the published models

David Lora,Agustín Gómez de la Cámara,Sara Pedraza Fernández,Rafael Enríquez de Salamanca,José Fermín Pérez-Regadera Gómez 대한부인종양학회 2017 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.28 No.5

Objective: To externally validate the prognostic models for predicting the time-dependentoutcome in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) who were treated withconcurrent chemoradiotherapy in an independient cohort. Methods: A historical cohort of 297 women with LACC who were treated with radicalconcurrent chemoradiotherapy from 1999 to 2014 at the 12 de Octubre University Hospital(H12O), Madrid, Spain. The external validity of prognostic models was quantified regardingdiscrimination, calibration, measures of overall performance, and decision curve analyses. Results: The review identified 8 studies containing 13 prognostic models. Different(International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics [FIGO] stages, parametriuminvolvement, hydronephrosis, location of positive nodes, and race) but related cohorts withvalidation cohort (5-year overall survival [OS]=70%; 5-year disease-free survival [DFS]=64%;average age of 50; and over 79% squamous cell) were evaluated. The following models exhibitedgood external validity in terms of discrimination and calibration but limited clinical utility: theOS model at 3 year from Kidd et al.'s study (area under the receiver operating characteristiccurve [AUROC]=0.69; threshold of clinical utility [TCU] between 36% and 50%), the models ofDFS at 1 year from Kidd et al.'s study (AUROC=0.64; TCU between 24% and 32%) and 2 yearsfrom Rose et al.'s study (AUROC=0.70; TCU between 19% and 58%) and the distant recurrencemodel at 5 years from Kang et al.'s study (AUROC=0.67; TCU between 12% and 36%). Conclusion: The external validation revealed the statistical and clinical usefulness of 4prognostic models published in the literature.

Phytochemical Profile, and Antiproliferative and Proapoptotic Effects of Pouteria ramiflora (Mart.) Radlk. Leaf Extract, and Its Synergism with Cisplatin in HepG2 Cells

Katiuska Tuttis,Daryne Lu Maldonado Gomes da Costa,Juliana Mara Serpeloni,Lourdes Campaner dos Santos,Eliana Aparecida Varanda,Wagner Vilegas,Wilner Martınez-Lopez,Ilce Mara de Syllos Cólus 한국식품영양과학회 2021 Journal of medicinal food Vol.24 No.5

Different species of the genus Pouteria have been used in folk medicine for the treatment of inflammation, fever, ulcers, diabetes, and diarrhea. We analyzed the phytochemical profile of the hydroethanolic extract from Pouteria ramiflora leaves by electrospray ionization ion trap tandem mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection, and examined whether it alone and in combination with cisplatin interfered with cell proliferation and death processes in HepG2 (human hepatocellular carcinoma) and FGH (human gingival fibroblasts) cells. Five compounds were identified in the extract: gallic acid, myricetin-3-O-α-l-arabinopyranoside, quercetin-3-O-β-d-galactopyranoside, myricetin-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside, and myricetin-3-O-β-d-galactopyranoside. The extract was cytotoxic to both cell lines by inducing apoptotic cell death and acted in synergy with cisplatin; such effect was stronger in HepG2 cells than in FGH cells, demonstrating some selectivity to tumor cells. In HepG2 cells, the extract exerted antiproliferative effect mediated by induction of cell cycle arrest at the S and G2/M phases. Association of the extract with cisplatin enhanced the latter's antiproliferative effect, arrested the cell cycle at the S phase by CDK2 modulation, and reduced the number of anti-cyclin D1-stained HepG2 cells. Simultaneous treatment with the extract and cisplatin increased the latter's cytotoxicity, apoptotic cell death, and BAX expression in HepG2 cells. Altogether, the results reported herein indicate that P. ramiflora extract is a possible adjuvant to cancer therapy, which can circumvent the cisplatin-mediated resistance mechanisms in cancer cells.

Exploring the relationships between anthropometric indices of adiposity and physical performance in middle-aged and older Brazilian women: a canonical correlation analysis

do Nascimento Rafaela Andrade,Vieira Mariana Carmem Apolinário,Fernandes Juliana,Azevedo Ingrid Guerra,Moreira Mayle Andrade,Costa José Vilton,Câmara Saionara Maria Aires da,Maciel Álvaro Campos Caval 한국역학회 2022 Epidemiology and Health Vol.44 No.-

OBJECTIVES: This study analyzed the influence of anthropometric indices of adiposity on the physical performance of middle-aged and older women. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 368 women from 50 years to 80 years old. Anthropometric and biochemical characteristics were analyzed, and physical performance was evaluated. The statistical analysis used measures of central tendency and dispersion for descriptive data, Pearson correlations to demonstrate the initial associations between the variables, and canonical correlation (CC) to evaluate the relationship between the set of anthropometric adiposity indices and performance-related variables. RESULTS: The participants had a mean age of 58.57± 8.21 years, a visceral adiposity index of 7.09± 4.23, a body mass index of 29.20 ± 4.94 kg/m2 , and a conicity index of 1.33 ± 0.07. The average handgrip strength was 25.06 ± 4.89 kgf, gait speed was 1.07± 0.23 m/s, and the mean Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score was 10.83± 1.36. The first canonical function presented the highest shared variance, CC, and redundancy index (cumulative percentage of variance, 82.52; Wilks’ lambda, 0.66; CC, 0.532; p< 0.001). From the analysis of this canonical function, the conicity index (-0.59) displayed inverse correlations with handgrip strength (0.84) and the SPPB (0.68), as well as a direct correlation with gait speed (-0.43). CONCLUSIONS: In middle-aged and older women, there was an inverse relationship between the conicity index and muscle strength and power, while a direct relationship was found between the same index and gait speed.

Capacity of a transmission tower under downburst wind loading

Mara, T.G.,Hong, H.P.,Lee, C.S.,Ho, T.C.E. Techno-Press 2016 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.22 No.1

The wind velocity profile over the height of a structure in high intensity wind (HIW) events, such as downbursts, differs from that associated with atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) winds. Current design codes for lattice transmission structures contain only limited advice on the treatment of HIW effects, and structural design is carried out using wind load profiles and response factors derived for ABL winds. The present study assesses the load-deformation curve (capacity curve) of a transmission tower under modeled downburst wind loading, and compares it with that obtained for an ABL wind loading profile. The analysis considers nonlinear inelastic response under simulated downburst wind fields. The capacity curve is represented using the relationship between the base shear and the maximum tip displacement. The results indicate that the capacity curve remains relatively consistent between different downburst scenarios and an ABL loading profile. The use of the capacity curve avoids the difficulty associated with defining a reference wind speed and corresponding wind profile that are adequate and applicable for downburst and ABL winds, thereby allowing a direct comparison of response under synoptic and downburst events. Uncertainty propagation analysis is carried out to evaluate the tower capacity by considering the uncertainty in material properties and geometric variables. The results indicated the coefficient of variation of the tower capacity is small compared to those associated with extreme wind speeds.

Capacity of a transmission tower under downburst wind loading

T.G. Mara,H. P. Hong,C.S. Lee,T.C.E. Ho 한국풍공학회 2016 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.22 No.1

The wind velocity profile over the height of a structure in high intensity wind (HIW) events, such as downbursts, differs from that associated with atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) winds. Current design codes for lattice transmission structures contain only limited advice on the treatment of HIW effects, and structural design is carried out using wind load profiles and response factors derived for ABL winds. The present study assesses the load-deformation curve (capacity curve) of a transmission tower under modeled downburst wind loading, and compares it with that obtained for an ABL wind loading profile. The analysis considers nonlinear inelastic response under simulated downburst wind fields. The capacity curve is represented using the relationship between the base shear and the maximum tip displacement. The results indicate that the capacity curve remains relatively consistent between different downburst scenarios and an ABL loading profile. The use of the capacity curve avoids the difficulty associated with defining a reference wind speed and corresponding wind profile that are adequate and applicable for downburst and ABL winds, thereby allowing a direct comparison of response under synoptic and downburst events. Uncertainty propagation analysis is carried out to evaluate the tower capacity by considering the uncertainty in material properties and geometric variables. The results indicated the coefficient of variation of the tower capacity is small compared to those associated with extreme wind speeds.