Chondroitin Sulfate Protects the Liver in an Experimental Model of Extra-Hepatic Cholestasis Induced by Common Bile Duct Ligation

During liver fibrogenesis, there is an imbalance between regeneration and wound healing. The current treatment is the withdrawal of the causing agent; thus, investigation of new and effective treatments is important. Studies have highlighted the action of chondroitin sulfate (CS) in different cells; thus, our aim was to analyze its effect on an experimental model of bile duct ligation (BDL). Adult Wistar rats were subjected to BDL and treated with CS for 7, 14, 21, or 28 days intraperitoneally. We performed histomorphometric analyses on Picrosirius-stained liver sections. Cell death was analyzed according to caspase-3 and cathepsin B activity and using a TUNEL assay. Regeneration was evaluated using PCNA immunohistochemistry. BDL led to increased collagen content with corresponding decreased liver parenchyma. CS treatment reduced total collagen and increased parenchyma content after 21 and 28 days. The treatment also promoted changes in the hepatic collagen type III/I ratio. Furthermore, it was observed that CS treatment reduced caspase-3 activity and the percentage of TUNEL-positive cells after 14 days and cathepsin B activity only after 28 days. The regeneration increased after 14, 21, and 28 days of CS treatment. In conclusion, our study showed a promising hepatoprotective action of CS in fibrogenesis induced by BDL.     

Statistical Modeling of the Seismic Moments via Mathai Distribution

Mathai’s pathway model is playing an increasingly prominent role in statistical distributions. As a generalization of a great variety of distributions, the pathway model allows the studying of several non-linear dynamics of complex systems. Here, we construct a model, called the Pareto–Mathai distribution, using the fact that the earthquakes’ magnitudes of full catalogues are well-modeled by a Mathai distribution. The Pareto–Mathai distribution is used to study artificially induced microseisms in the mining industry. The fitting of a distribution for entire range of magnitudes allow us to calculate the completeness magnitude (Mc). Mathematical properties of the new distribution are studied. In addition, applying this model to data recorded at a Chilean mine, the magnitude Mc is estimated for several mine sectors and also the entire mine.     

Effect of Ylang-Ylang (Cananga odorata Hook. F. & Thomson) Essential Oil on Acute Inflammatory Response In Vitro and In Vivo

The aim of this study is to evaluate the phytochemical profile, oral acute toxicity, and the effect of ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata Hook. F. & Thomson) essential oil (YEO) on acute inflammation. YEO was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. For in vitro tests, YEO was assessed using cytotoxicity, neutrophil chemotaxis induced by N-formyl methionyl leucyl phenylalanine (fMLP), and phagocytic activity tests. YEO was orally administered in zymosan-induced peritonitis, carrageenan-induced leukocyte rolling, and adhesion events in the in situ microcirculation model and in carrageenan-induced paw edema models. YEO (2000 mg/kg) was also tested using an acute toxicity test in Swiss mice. YEO showed a predominance of benzyl acetate, linalool, benzyl benzoate, and methyl benzoate. YEO did not present in vitro cytotoxicity. YEO reduced the in vitro neutrophil chemotaxis induced by fMLP and reduced the phagocytic activity. The oral treatment with YEO reduced the leukocyte recruitment and nitric oxide production in the zymosan-induced peritonitis model, reduced rolling and adherent leukocyte number induced by carrageenan in the in situ microcirculation model, and reduced carrageenan-induced edema and mechanical hyperalgesia. YEO did not present signs of toxicity in the acute toxicity test. In conclusion, YEO affected the leukocyte activation, and presented antiedematogenic, anti-hyperalgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties.     

Catalytic Enantioselective Cyclopropylalkynylation of Aldimines Generated In Situ from α-Amido Sulfones

A convenient procedure of synthesis of N-carbamoyl-protected propargylic amines substituted with a cyclopropyl group from α-amido sulfones and cyclopropylacetylene is described. The reaction is catalyzed by a chiral BINOL-type zinc complex and provides the corresponding products in good yields and enantioselectivities.     

Salpianthus macrodontus Extracts,a Novel Source of Phenolic Compounds with Antibacterial Activity against Potentially Pathogenic Bacteria Isolated from White Shrimp

This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity in vitro of Salpianthus macrodontus and Azadirachta indica extracts against potentially pathogenic bacteria for Pacific white shrimp. Furthermore, the extracts with higher inhibitory activity were analyzed to identify compounds responsible for bacterial inhibition and evaluate their effect on motility and biofilm formation. S. macrodontus and A. indica extracts were prepared using methanol, acetone, and hexane by ultrasound. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts was determined against Vibrio parahaemolyticus, V. harveyi, Photobacterium damselae and P. leiognathi. The polyphenol profile of those extracts showing the highest bacterial inhibition were determined. Besides, the bacterial swimming and swarming motility and biofilm formation were determined. The highest inhibitory activity against the four pathogens was found with the acetonic extract of S. macrodontus leaf (MIC of 50 mg/mL for Vibrio spp. and 25 mg/mL for Photobacterium spp.) and the methanol extract of S. macrodontus flower (MIC of 50 mg/mL for all pathogens tested). Both extracts affected the swarming and swimming motility and the biofilm formation of the tested bacteria. The main phenolic compounds related to Vibrio bacteria inhibition were naringin, vanillic acid, and rosmarinic acid, whilst hesperidin, kaempferol pentosyl-rutinoside, and rhamnetin were related to Photobacterium bacteria inhibition.     

Integral operators with Green's function type kernel

A variant of the Nyström method based on Simpson's rule is presented. This is designed to deal with integral operators with kernels k(s, t) that are not continuous along the diagonal s = t. A complete analysis is carried out, generalizations for other interpolatory quadrature rules are proposed; also a variant using Gaussian quadrature is considered and examples are given.     

Effect of 300 and 500 MPa pressure treatments on starch–water adsorption/desorption isotherms and hysteresis

Pressure treatments of 300 and 500?MPa during 15?min were found to change starch–water sorption (adsorption and desorption) isotherms and the hysteresis effect, particularly the 500?MPa. This last treatment shifted the adsorption/desorption isotherms downward, compared with non-treated starch and starch treated at 300?MPa. The observed hysteresis effect decreased with the increase in pressure level in the whole a_w range, indicating that adsorption and desorption isotherms became closer. Guggenheim–Anderson–De Boer and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller model parameters Cb, Cg, K and Mm also showed changes caused by pressure, the latter being lower in the pressure-processed samples, thus indicating possible changes on microbial and (bio)chemical stabilities of pressure-processed food products containing starch.     

New class of level statistics in correlated disordered chains

We study the properties of the level statistics of 1D disordered systems with long-range spatial correlations. We find a threshold value in the degree of correlations below which in the limit of large system size the level statistics follows a Poisson distribution (as expected for 1D uncorrelated-disordered systems), and above which the level statistics is described by a new class of distribution functions. At the threshold, we find that with increasing system size, the standard deviation of the function describing the level statistics converges to the standard deviation of the Poissonian distribution as a power law. Above the threshold we find that the level statistics is characterized by different functional forms for different degrees of correlations.