University of Coimbra

About: University of Coimbra is a education organization based out in Coimbra, Portugal. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Mitochondrion. The organization has 14318 authors who have published 43067 publications receiving 994733 citations. The organization is also known as: UC & Universidade dos Estudos Gerais.

Insulin is a Two-Edged Knife on the Brain

Abstract: The current epidemics of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and Alzheimer's disease (AD) all represent insulin-resistance diseases. Previous studies showed that streptozotocin, a nitrosamine-related com-pound, causes insulin resistance diseases including, T2DM, NASH, and AD-type neurodegeneration. We hypothesize that chronic human exposure to nitrosamine compounds, which are widely present in processed foods, contributes to the pathogenesis of T2DM, NASH, and AD. Long Evans rat pups were treated with N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) by i.p. (x3) or i.c. (x1) injection, and 2-4 weeks later, they were evaluated for cognitive-motor dysfunction, insulin resistance, and neurodegeneration using behavioral, biochemical, and molecular approaches. NDEA treatment caused T2DM, NASH, deficits in motor function and spatial learning, and neurodegeneration characterized by insulin resistance and deficiency, lipid peroxidation, cell loss, increased levels of amyloid-beta protein precursor/amyloid-beta, phospho-tau, and ubiquitin immunoreactivities, and upregulated expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine and pro-ceramide genes, which together promote insulin resistance. In conclusion, environmental and food contaminant exposures to nitrosamines play critical roles in the pathogenesis of major insulin resistance diseases including T2DM, NASH, and AD. Improved detection and prevention of human exposures to nitrosamines will lead to earlier treatments and eventual quelling of these costly and devastating epidemics.

Performance of electron and photon triggers in ATLAS during LHC Run 2

Abstract: Electron and photon triggers covering transverse energies from 5 GeV to several TeV are essential for the ATLAS experiment to record signals for a wide variety of physics: from Standard Model processes to searches for new phenomena in both proton–proton and heavy-ion collisions. To cope with a fourfold increase of peak LHC luminosity from 2015 to 2018 (Run 2), to 2.1×1034cm-2s-1, and a similar increase in the number of interactions per beam-crossing to about 60, trigger algorithms and selections were optimised to control the rates while retaining a high efficiency for physics analyses. For proton–proton collisions, the single-electron trigger efficiency relative to a single-electron offline selection is at least 75% for an offline electron of 31 GeV, and rises to 96% at 60 GeV; the trigger efficiency of a 25 GeV leg of the primary diphoton trigger relative to a tight offline photon selection is more than 96% for an offline photon of 30 GeV. For heavy-ion collisions, the primary electron and photon trigger efficiencies relative to the corresponding standard offline selections are at least 84% and 95%, respectively, at 5 GeV above the corresponding trigger threshold.

Iron: The Redox-active Center of Oxidative Stress in Alzheimer Disease

Abstract: Although iron is essential in maintaining the function of the central nervous system, it is a potent source of reactive oxygen species. Excessive iron accumulation occurs in many neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer disease (AD), Parkinson's disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, raising the possibility that oxidative stress is intimately involved in the neurodegenerative process. AD in particular is associated with accumulation of numerous markers of oxidative stress; moreover, oxidative stress has been shown to precede hallmark neuropathological lesions early in the disease process, and such lesions, once present, further accumulate iron, among other markers of oxidative stress. In this review, we discuss the role of iron in the progression of AD.