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Cauliflower ( Brassica oleraceae L. var. Botrytis Linnaeus) has various health benefits due to its rich bioactive compound content. However, this fresh vegetable faces challenges related to its perishability and short shelf life. This study explores the effect of five drying methods, namely vacuum drying (VD), convective drying (CD), infrared drying (IRD), low-temperature vacuum drying (LTVD) and vacuum freeze-drying (VFD), on the bioactive compounds and health-promoting properties of cauliflower. Analyses of amino acids, hydroxycinnamic acid and its derivatives, glucosinolates, and isothiocyanates, as well as evaluations of their anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and neuroprotective properties, were conducted based on these five drying methods. The results revealed that samples treated with VFD and IRD had a higher content of amino acids involved in GSL anabolism. Moreover, VFD samples retained hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and glucosinolates to a greater extent than other methods. Nonetheless, the CD and VD samples exhibited higher antiproliferative and neuroprotective effects, which were correlated with their high sulforaphane content. Overall, considering the retention of most bioactive compounds from cauliflower and the topical inflammation amelioration induced in mice, VFD emerges as a more satisfactory option.

D2 is a structural and cooperative domain of Thermotoga maritima Arginine Binding Protein, that possesses a remarkable conformational stability, with a denaturation temperature of 102.6°C, at pH 7.4. The addition of potassium thiocyanate causes a significant decrease in the D2 denaturation temperature. The interactions of thiocyanate ions with D2 have been studied by means of isothermal titration calorimetry measurements and molecular dynamics simulations. It emerged that: (a) 20-30 thiocyanate ions interact with the D2 surface and are present in its first solvation shell; (b) each of them makes several contacts with protein groups, both polar and nonpolar ones. The addition of guanidinium thiocyanate causes a marked destabilization of the D2 native state, because both the ions are denaturing agents. However, on adding to the solution containing D2 and guanidinium thiocyanate a stabilizing agent, such as TMAO, sucrose or sodium sulfate, a significant increase in denaturation temperature occurs. The present results confirm that counteraction is a general phenomenon for globular proteins., (© 2024 The Author(s). Protein Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Protein Society.)

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and its sublineages continue to cause COVID-19-associated pediatric hospitalizations, severe disease, and death globally. BNT162b2 and CoronaVac are the main vaccines used in Chile. Much less is known about the Wuhan-Hu-1 strain-based vaccines in the pediatric population compared to adults. Given the worldwide need for booster vaccinations to stimulate the immune response against new Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2, we characterized the humoral and cellular immune response against Omicron variant BA.1 in a pediatric cohort aged 10 to 16 years who received heterologous vaccination based on two doses of CoronaVac, two doses of CoronaVac (2x) plus one booster dose of BNT162b2 [CoronaVac(2x) + BNT162b2 (1x)], two doses of CoronaVac plus two booster doses of BNT162b2 [CoronaVac(2x) + BNT162b2 (2x)], and three doses of BNT162b2. We observed that the [CoronaVac(2x) + BNT162b2 (2x)] vaccination showed higher anti-S1 and neutralizing antibody titers and CD4 and CD8 T cell immunity specific to the Omicron variant compared to immunization with two doses of CoronaVac alone. Furthermore, from all groups tested, immunity against Omicron was highest in individuals who received three doses of BNT162b2. We conclude that booster vaccination with BNT162b2, compared to two doses of CoronaVac alone, induces a greater protective immunity.

Propolis is a complex mixture formed from exudates that bees collect from plants and then mix with beeswax and their own salivary enzymes. Chilean propolis is characterized by the presence of phenolic compounds, which are considered responsible for the biological activities. The endemic species Escallonia pulverulenta (Ruiz and Pav.) Pers. [Escalloniaceae] is a recognized source of exudate to produce propolis. This study reports for the first time the chemical profile and antibacterial activity of E. pulverulenta exudate and leaves, as well as two samples of Chilean propolis. Palynological and morphological analysis showed the presence of E. pulverulenta as one of the main species in the propolis samples. UPLC-MS/MS analyses enabled the identification of phenolic acids in the leaves and in the propolis. Conversely, flavonoids are mainly present in exudates and propolis. Quercetin is the most abundant flavonol in the exudate, with similar concentrations in the propolis samples. Nevertheless, the main compound present in both samples of propolis was the flavanone pinocembrin. The antibacterial results obtained for exudate and propolis have shown a similar behavior, especially in the inhibition of Streptococcus pyogenes . These results show the importance of the exudates collected by the bees in the chemical composition and antibacterial capacity of propolis.

Rolando Toro's Biodanza (SRT) is a therapeutic strategy that uses movement, music, and emotions to induce integrative living experiences. The present study aims to explore the efficacy of a three-month SRT intervention on motor, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). This study employed a randomized between-group design. Twenty-eight non-demented PD patients were enrolled in this study. Out of these, fourteen patients were assigned to the active treatment group using the Biodanza SRT system and fourteen to the untreated control group. The study group attended 2 h SRT classes once a week, completing twelve lessons in twelve weeks. All patients underwent: (i) a neurological examination to measure the severity of motor symptoms, balance, mobility, and risk of falls, and (ii) a neuropsychological battery to assess cognitive status, apathy, depressive symptomatology, and perceived quality of life (QoL), at study entry (T0) and at twelve weeks (T1, end of dance training). At T1, we observed a significant improvement in motor (i.e., severity of motor symptoms and balance) and cognitive parameters (i.e., working memory and delayed verbal memory) in all treated patients compared with the controls. Furthermore, a significant improvement in the social support dimension was found in all treated patients compared to the controls. A trend toward increased apathy was found in untreated patients at T1. The three-month Biodanza intervention significantly ameliorated the motor parameters of PD patients, with a parallel improvement in cognitive and QoL status. Hence, Biodanza intervention can, in the short term, represent a useful personalized medical intervention for the management of Parkinson's disease.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading global cause of death f rom an infectious bacterial agent. Therefore, limiting its epidemic spread is a pressing global health priority. The chaperone-like protein HtpG of M. tuberculosis (Mtb) is a large dimeric and multi-domain protein with a key role in Mtb pathogenesis and promising antigenic properties. This dual role, likely associated with the ability of Heat Shock proteins to act both intra- and extra-cellularly, makes HtpG highly exploitable both for drug and vaccine development. This review aims to gather the latest updates in HtpG structure and biological function, with HtpG operating in conjunction with a large number of chaperone molecules of Mtb. Altogether, these molecules help Mtb recovery after exposure to host-like stress by assisting the whole path of protein folding rescue, from the solubilisation of aggregated proteins to their refolding. Also, we highlight the role of structural biology in the development of safer and more effective subunit antigens. The larger availability of structural information on Mtb antigens and a better understanding of the host immune response to TB infection will aid the acceleration of TB vaccine development.

The aim of this work is to describe the effect of convective drying (CD), vacuum drying (VD), infrared drying (IRD), low-temperature vacuum drying (LTVD) and freeze drying (FD) on bio-compound retention of red cabbage and its beneficial health properties. The total phenolics content (TPC), flavonoids (TFC), anthocyanin (TAC) and glucosinolates (TGC) were determined by spectrophotometry. The profiles of phenolic acids, amino acids and fatty acids were determined by HPLC-UV-DAD, LC-DAD and GC-FID, respectively. Antioxidant potential was verified by DPPH and ORAC assays. The antiproliferative activity was measured in the human gastric cell line (AGS). Anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and arachidonic acid models. VD showed high values of TPC = 11.89 ± 0.28 mg GAE/g d.m.; TFC = 11.30 ± 0.9 mg QE/g d.m.; TAC = 0.265 ± 0.01 mg Cya3glu/g d.m.; and TGC = 51.15 ± 3.31 µmol SE/g d.m. Caffeic acid, ferulic acid and sinapic acid were identified. The predominant amino acid and fatty acid were glutamic acid and γ-linolenic acid, respectively. The antioxidant potential was dependent on drying methods for both DPPH and ORAC assays. Dried red cabbage extracts showed clear anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activity. The dehydration process is an alternative for the retention of bio-compounds and health-promoting properties of red cabbage.

Objective: To evaluate the qualitative and quantitative alterations of bone tissue in patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease (PD) and to measure the associations between bone mineral density (BMD), trabecular bone score (TBS) and physical performance., Methods: This case-control study enrolled patients with early-stage PD and age-matched controls. BMDs for the left femoral neck (L-FN) and lumbar spine (LS) were measured. Bone microarchitecture for the LS was determined using TBS. Muscle performance was assessed using the short physical performance battery (SPPB). Patients and controls were stratified in two groups based on the SPPB score: a poor performance group (SPPB score ≤8) and high performance group (SPPB > 8)., Results: This study included 26 patients: 13 in the PD group and 13 age-matched controls. The mean ± SD BMD results in the PD group were: L1-L4 BMD = 0.935 ± 0.183 g/cm 2 ; L-FN BMD = 0.825 ± 0.037 g/cm 2 ; with bone microarchitecture degraded in four patients and partially degraded in three patients. TBS was significantly different in the patients with PD stratified according to SPPB. Among the controls, there was a significant difference in body mass index between the two SPPB groups., Conclusion: TBS might identify bone involvement earlier than BMD in the initial stages of PD., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestThe authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Marine invertebrates are a traditional source of natural products with relevant biological properties. Tunicates are soft-bodied, solitary or colonial, sessile organisms that provide compounds unique in their structure and activity. The aim of this work was to investigate the chemical composition of the ascidian Cystodytes dellechiajei , selected on the basis of a positive result in biological screening for ligands of relevant receptors of the innate immune system, including TLR2, TLR4, dectin-1b, and TREM2. Bioassay-guided screening of this tunicate extract yielded two known pyridoacridine alkaloids, shermilamine B ( 1 ) and N-deacetylshermilamine B ( 2 ), and a family of methyl-branched cerebrosides ( 3 ). Compounds 2 and 3 showed selective binding to TREM2 in a dose-dependent manner. N-deacetylshermilamine B ( 2 ), together with its acetylated analogue, shermilamine B ( 1 ), was also strongly cytotoxic against multiple myeloma cell lines. TREM2 is involved in immunomodulatory processes and neurodegenerative diseases. N-deacetylshermilamine B ( 2 ) is the first example of a polycyclic alkaloid to show an affinity for this receptor.