To determine the adequacy of management practices in Social Health Organization (SHO) in face of compliance guidelines established by Brazilian organizations. This was qualitative research. Data were gathered through interviews and documentary analysis and were analyzed through the interpretation of significances and content analysis. The entity structures the compliance function based on three axes: a) normative - institutionalization of the integrity program, ethical conduct, internal controls and risk management; b) commercial - institutionalization of mechanisms aimed at transparency and accountability of the funds raised. However, the Covid-19 pandemic generated unforeseen contingencies such as accountability for funds from private donations; c) organizational - adherence by top management in maintaining a structure for inspection and control of the institution’s processes and behaviors in the market in which it operates. Based on the analysis of documents there is 76% adequacy of adherence of management practices to the compliance guidelines. It is concluded that organizations that depend on resources and understand that the subsidies they receive, whether government, whether public or private donations, will make the necessary efforts to ensure high levels of compliance, their choices and conduct preserve their image and the achievement of greater credibility and legitimacy.

This study addresses the problem of accurately predicting azimuth and elevation angles of signals impinging on an antenna array employing Machine Learning (ML). Using the information obtained at a receiving system when a transmitter’s signal hits it, a Decision Tree (DT) model is trained to estimate azimuth and elevation angles simultaneously. Simulation results demonstrate the robustness of the proposed DT-based method, showcasing its ability to predict the Direction of Arrival (DOA) in diverse conditions beyond the ones present in the training dataset, i.e., the results display the model’s generalization capability. Additionally, the comparative analysis reveals that DT-based DOA estimation outperforms the state-of-the-art MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm, establishing DTs as competitive alternatives for DOA estimation in signal reception systems.

The adoption of eHealth has not made great strides in Uganda especially among patients despite its potential in improving patient outcomes through access to care, patient engagement and its ability to reduce unnecessary hospital visits. Previous studies have focused on barriers and facilitators of eHealth in general. None has examined the adoption of eHealth among patients. Therefore, this study set out to investigate the barriers and facilitators of eHealth adoption among patients in Uganda. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in four districts across the country. A total of 292 patients of 18 years and above participated in the study and their selection was through simple random sampling. The bivariate analysis results revealed that education level (χ2 = 14.9, ρ<0.05), gender (χ2 = 4.95, ρ<0.05) and location (χ2 = 85.9, ρ<0.05) have a statistical significant relationship with eHealth adoption. The logistic regression model further revealed that male patients (OR=2.662), those with master’s degree and above (OR=2.2797) and those residing in Kampala (OR=.012) were more likely to use eHealth systems than their counterparts. The success of eHealth requires players in the health sector to ardently focus on the socio-demographic factors of the users, technological and hospital conditions if eHealth adoption is to ensue.

The Tesla valve (TV), a valvular conduit invented by Nicola Tesla over a decade ago, has recently gained significant attention and application in various fields due to the growing interest in microfluidics and nanofluidics. The unique architecture of TV characterized by an asymmetrical design and an arc-shaped channel, has long been an intriguing yet underrated design for building a passive component in a microfluidic system. While previously regarded as a technology without significant use, TV structures have been implemented in wearable devices, thermal manipulation fluidics, micromixers, micropumps, and fuel cell devices. This article presents the first comprehensive review of TV structures in the literature, which has seen significant growth in the last two years. The review discusses typical TV structures, including single-stage TV (STV), multistage TV (MSTV), and TV derivatives (TVD), along with their characteristics and potential applications. The designs of these structures vary based on their intended applications, but all are constructed based on the fundamental principle of the TV structure. Finally, future trends and potential applications of TV structures are summarized and discussed. This review provides a valuable reference for students, early-career scientists, and practitioners in the field of fluidic devices, particularly those interested in using TV structures as passive components.

COVID-19, the fear it engendered, and the policy measures to manage its spread have disproportionately impacted the wellbeing of children and adolescents (CAs). We present an intensive critical realist case study of the impact of COVID-19 on the health and wellbeing of CAs in Rwanda, seeing it as much a social and political crisis as a medical and public health one. To do this, we carried out interviews with a purposive sample of 25 leaders with a working knowledge of children and young people; they were more likely than the CAs themselves to observe changes across the CA population within their remit and more likely to be looking for general explanations rather than individual experiences. The findings show that CAs' responses to the changes wrought on their lives by Covid-19 were conditioned by their age, gender, social class and if they lived in urban or rural areas. However, Covid19 has not just revealed the structural weakness of the Rwandan health system but of education, social protection, child protection, employment, family, and financial systems. The pathway to (adverse) impacts of COVID-19 on CAs is conditioned by these institutions and their interactions together with structural socioeconomic inequalities both within Rwanda and globally.

Glycogen storage disorders (GSDs) are a group of inherited metabolic disorders characterized by defects in enzymes involved in glycogen metabolism. Deficiencies in enzymes responsible for glycogen breakdown and synthesis can impair mitochondrial function. For instance, in GSD type II (Pompe disease), acid alpha-glucosidase deficiency leads to lysosomal glycogen accumulation, which secondarily impacts mitochondrial function through dysfunctional mitophagy, which disrupts mitochondrial quality control generating oxidative stress. In GSD type III (Cori disease), the lack of the debranching enzyme causes glycogen accumulation and affects mitochondrial dynamics and biogenesis by disrupting the integrity of muscle fibers. Malfunctional glycogen metabolism can disrupt various cascades thus causing mitochondrial and cell metabolic dysfunction through various mechanisms. These dysfunctions include altered mitochondrial morphology, impaired oxidative phosphorylation, increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and defective mitophagy. The oxidative burden typical of GSDs compromises mitochondrial integrity and exacerbates the metabolic derangements observed in GSDs. The intertwining of mitochondrial dysfunction and GSDs underscores the complexity of these disorders and has significant clinical implications. GSD patients often present with multisystem manifestations, including hepatomegaly, hypoglycemia, and muscle weakness, which can be exacerbated by mitochondrial impairment. Moreover, mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to the progression of GSD-related complications, such as cardiomyopathy and neurocognitive deficits. Targeting mitochondrial dysfunction thus represents a promising therapeutic avenue in GSDs. Potential strategies include antioxidants to mitigate oxidative stress, compounds that enhance mitochondrial biogenesis, and gene therapy to correct the underlying mitochondrial enzyme deficiencies. Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of GSDs. Recognizing and addressing this aspect can lead to more comprehensive and effective treatments, improving the quality of life of GSD patients. This review aims to elaborate on the intricate relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and various types of GSDs. The review presents challenges and treatment options for several GSD

In this work, we present some results related with the issue of the Loop Quantum Black Holes (LQBH) thermodynamics by the use of the tunneling radiation formalism. The information loss paradox is also discussed in this context, where we have considered the influence of back reaction effects.

Genetic and environmental factors including lifestyle are thought to play an important role in the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). There is evidence that diet can enhance the inflammatory response in genetically predisposed individuals. On the other hand, certain types of diets are thought to alleviate RA symptoms due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Also, natural compounds with potential effectiveness in RA management belong to different chemical classes such as flavonoids, polyphenols, carotenoids, and alkaloids with their antioxidant characteristics. In this paper, the nutritional approaches to prevent or extenuate the disease progress were examined in the light of current literature. Mediterranean and vegan diets equally have been shown to exhibit positive effects on RA as the consumption of dietary fiber, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds from fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds are high. Whereas Mediterranean diet additionally includes beneficial nutrients of animal origin such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from fish and seafood, patients on vegan diet need to be monitored closely for intake of all critical nutrients. Certain calorie restrictions and intermittent fasting diets have been shown to benefit RA patients although there is an obvious need for further studies to establish solid evidence-based recommendations and guidelines. The research data available strongly suggest that dietary approaches may help delay the onset of RA and/or improve symptoms and thus nutrition should be routinely addressed to facilitate management of the disease.

The nursing process in clinical practice can be assessed using standardized language systems. The purpose is to find evidence on the effectiveness of the nursing process with standardized terminology using NANDA International, Nursing Interventions Classification, and Nursing Outcome Classification improving diag-nostic accuracy, nursing interventions, health outcomes, and people’s satisfaction. A systematic review was carried out in Medline and PreMedline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, SCI-EXPANDED, SSCI and Scielo and LILACS including randomized clinical trials, quasi-experimental, cohort and case-control studies. Selection and critical appraisal were conducted by two independent reviewers. The certainty of the evidence was assessed with Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation Methodology. 17 studies were included with variability in the level and certainty of evidence. According to outcomes, 6 evaluated improvements in diagnostic accuracy and 11 evaluated improvements in individual health outcomes. No studies evaluated improvements in intervention efficacy or population satisfaction. There is a need to increase studies with rigorous methodologies that address diagnostic accuracy and indi-viduals’ health outcomes using NANDA International, Nursing Interventions Classification, and Nursing Outcome Classification; as well as implementing studies that evaluate the use of these terminologies for improvements in the efficacy of nurses' interventions and population satisfaction with the nursing process.

Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA) are complexes, highly stable in vivo, used in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), administered in patients and then eliminated via renal, passing through wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) before being discarded in the receiving medium, without apparent removal. In this study, it was studied if different exposure periods to several environmental parameters (solar radiation, different salinities, temperatures and pH) will influence the stability of these complexes, namely, the Gd-DOTA. Gd-DOTA solutions were processed in a seaFAST-pico saline matrix pre-concentration and elimination system and Gd concentrations were determined by ICP-MS. Results showed that the complex remained stable in fresh, brackish and saline water environments, even when exposed to extreme temperatures (40ºC) or slightly acidic to basic conditions (6-10), for an exposure period of 96h. A small increase in the free Gd concentration was observed after 18 days when exposed to pH<4, in all tested salinities (0, 18 and 36 PSU), with a degradation increase of up to 29%, after 5 weeks of exposure in freshwater. When exposed to direct solar radiation a low Gd-DOTA degradation (4%) was observed after 24h at salinity 18 PSU and remained constant until the end of the exposure period (96h), while the remaining salinities showed negligible values.

Abstract: The use of IVF and related procedures has offered opportunities for couples to conceive who otherwise would remain childless. This technology is often viewed as the only option but is very expensive and not highly effective. ln an effort to improve access to care, governments are attempting to provide funding. In Ireland for example the Health Service Executive (HSE) has recently made IVF funding available through Regional Fertility Hubs. for couples who qualify. However, this policy has threatened a less invasive approach available in Ireland that can help many couples before IVF is employed. We propose that a newly emerging “medical treatment process” called Restorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM), combined with methods or apps that track biomarkers of the menstrual cycle as a prerequisite option for appropriate patients. To illustrate the effectiveness, we compared live birth rates from an established Irish RRM clinic that uses the ChartNeo app to HFEA (Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority) data, both from 2019. RRM treatment had a live birth rate of 40.4% compared to 24.4% per treatment cycle for IVF (P>0.0001). RRM twin pregnancy rate was 2.5% compared to 7% for IVF. RRM babies were usually full term and normal birth weight. Therefore, RRM is less expensive, less invasive, and more effective than IVF for most patients. This merits further evaluation and support by the HSE and other global authorities guiding health policy.

COVID-19 was a terrible worldwide pandemic that caused a global public health crisis, with numerous deaths and a severe economic depression. To suppress the spread of COVID-19 and initiate patient isolation and contact tracing to reduce its effect, early diagnosis was required, with real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) swab test being the most widely used. However, the RT-PCR test was sometimes found to be lengthy and inaccurate and; for that reason, in many cases of severe complications of COVID-19 pneumonia, chest screening with radiography imaging was preferred. In this paper, we carried out a study for COVID-19 detection from computed tomography images, and compared the obtained results using deep learning (DL) and support vector machine (SVM). The findings showed that, despite the excellent results shown by deep learning, the accuracy in predicting COVID-19 using SVM, in the presence of small databases, was slightly higher than DL. The execution time using SVM was also shorter

Riverine particulates dominate the transport of vital nutrients like Si, Fe or P to the ocean mar-gins, where they may increase primary production by acting as slow release fertilizer. Further-more, the supply of particulate surface area to the ocean is considered to be a major control or-ganic carbon burial. Taken together, these observations suggest a close link between the supply of riverine particulate material and the organic carbon cycle. To explore this link, we conducted microcosm experiments to measure the growth of the marine diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii in the presence and absence of different types and concentrations of riverine particulate material. Results demonstrate a strong positive effect of riverine particulate material on diatom growth with increased total diatom concentrations and slowed post-exponential death rates with in-creasing particulate concentration. Moreover, SEM and optical microscope investigations con-firm that riverine particulates facilitates organic carbon burial through their role in the aggrega-tion and sedimentation of phytoplankton. The supply of riverine particulate material has been shown to be markedly climate sensitive with their fluxes increasing dramatically with increas-ing global temperature and runoff. This pronounced climate sensitivity implies that riverine particulates contribute substantially in regulating atmospheric CO2 concentrations through their role in the organic carbon cycle.

Climate adaptation is a major challenge. Chasing the sufficient amount of hay is getting in higher priority. Distant mass hay producers give favourable offers despite long distances. Quality is also gaining position and indicators like RFQ (Relative Forage Quality) is highlighting the marketing language. Hay market as we knew no longer exists in Hungary. Most farmers produce their own hay and do not spend extra cents to buy bales. Climate change however, force them to adapt and store more bales for the future. Horse owners and dairy farmers are the main driver to convince hay producers to provide high quality forage. We gathered Hungarian regional hay-price information and evaluated the trends in this sector. The demand-driven hay-price is in contradiction with premium quality timothy grass hay.

In 2020, the world was plagued with COVID-19 which was first identified in Wuhan, China in November 2019. During the early phase of the pandemic with no known treatment and WHO-approved vaccines, most government and public health officials were pushing for non-pharmaceutical intervention in trying to curb the spread of COVID-19. One such intervention is the restriction on movement to reduce social mixing. However, the economic cost of locking down cities especially in developing countries is unbearable as most of these countries are running economies that were on life support before the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyze the daily COVID-19 cases in Ghana to evaluate whether there was a significant change in transmission of COVID-19 after the partial lockdown of the two main cities (Kumasi and Accra) was lifted. The results showed that there was no increase in the transmissibility of COVID-19 after the partial lockdown was lifted. Contrary to the expectation that transmissibility will increase after lifting the partial lockdown, there was a reduction of the time-dependent reproduction ratio from 3.17 to 1.23.

The current surge in the deployment of web applications underscores the need to consider users' individual preferences in order to enhance their experience. In response to this, an innovative approach is emerging that focuses on the detailed analysis of interaction data captured by web browsers. This data, which includes metrics such as the number of mouse clicks, keystrokes, and navigation patterns, offers insights into user behaviour and preferences. By leveraging this information, developers can achieve a higher degree of personalization in web applications, particularly in the context of interactive elements such as online games. This paper presents the WebTraceSense project, which aims to pioneer this approach by developing a framework that encompasses a backend and frontend, advanced visualization modules, a DevOps cycle, and the integration of AI and statistical methods. The backend of this framework will be responsible for securely collecting, storing, and processing vast amounts of interaction data from various websites. The frontend will provide a user-friendly interface that allows developers to easily access and utilize the platform’s capabilities. One of the key components of this framework is the visualization modules, which will enable developers to monitor, analyse, and interpret user interactions in real-time, facilitating more informed decisions about user interface design and functionality. Furthermore, the WebTraceSense framework incorporates a DevOps cycle to ensure continuous integration and delivery, thereby promoting agile development practices and enhancing the overall efficiency of the development process. Moreover, the integration of AI methods and statistical techniques will be a cornerstone of this framework. By applying machine learning algorithms and statistical analysis, the platform will not only personalize user experiences based on historical interaction data but also infer new user behaviours and predict future preferences. In order to validate the proposed components, a case study was conducted which demonstrated the usefulness of the WebTraceSense framework in the creation of visualizations based on an existing dataset.

During the COVID-19 pandemic face masks grew in importance as their use by the general population was recommended by health officials in order to minimize the risk of infection and prevent further spread of the virus. To ensure health protection of medical personal and other system relevant staff, it is of considerable interest to quickly test if a certain lot of filtering facepiece masks meets the requirements or if the permeability changes under different conditions. As certified penetrometers are rather expensive and were difficult to obtain during the COVID-19 pandemic, we describe two quite simple and cheap methods to quickly test the filter permeability based on an electronic cigarette. The first method uses a precision scale, the second method uses a light scattering detector to measure the filter penetration. To make sure these two methods yield reliable results, both were tested with freshly cut filter samples covering the range of approx. 7% to 60% permeability and compared to the results of a certified penetrometer. The comparison of the two methods with the certified penetrometer showed a good correlation and therefore allow a quick and rather reliable estimation of the permeability. Several examples about the use of faulty masks and the resulting health risks show that simple, fast, cheap and broadly available methods for filter characterization might be useful in these days.

Glycogen storage disease type III (GSDIII) is a hereditary glycogenosis caused by deficiency of the glycogen debranching enzyme (GDE), an enzyme, encoded by Agl, enabling glycogen degradation by catalyzing alpha-1,4-oligosaccharide side chain transfer and alpha-1,6-glucose cleavage. GDE deficiency causes accumulation of phosphorylase-limited dextrin, leading to liver disorder followed by fatal myopathy. We tested here the capacity of the new autophagosomal activator GHF-201 to alleviate disease burden by clearing pathogenic glycogen surcharge in the GSDIII mouse model Agl-/-. We used open field, grip strength and rotarod tests for evaluating GHF-201’s effects on locomotion, biochemistry panel to quantify hematological biomarkers, indirect calorimetry to quantify in vivo metabolism, transmission electron microscopy to quantify glycogen in muscle, and fibroblast image analysis to determine cellular features affected by GHF-201. GHF-201 was able to improve all locomotion parameters and partially reversed hypoglycemia, hyperlipidemia and liver and muscle malfunction in Agl-/- mice. Treated mice burnt carbohydrates more efficiently and showed significant improvement of aberrant ultrastructural muscle features. In GSDIII patient fibroblasts, GHF-201 restored mitochondrial membrane polarization and corrected lysosomal swelling. In conclusion, GHF-201 is a viable candidate for treating GSDIII as it recovered a wide range of its pathologies in vivo, in vitro, and ex vivo.

Superstition is a belief that is not based on scientific knowledge. Traditional healers usually use superstition in their practices to manage human health problems and diseases; such practices create a conflict with the medical profession and its evidence-based practices. Medical professionals confirm that this kind of practice is not safe to human health as it is done by untrained people (e.g., tradition healers) utilizing unsterilized instruments within unhygienic environments. Most of the cases eventually develop a variety of complications, which are sometimes fatal. Female genital mutilation, uvulectomy, oral mutilation (tooth bud extraction to cure “Ibyinyo”), and eyebrow incisions are examples of the many different types of superstitious practices which occur commonly in different parts of the world. We described how these traditional practices of superstition have been and continue to be performed in various parts of the world, their complications on oral and general health, and the ways such practices hinder modern medical practices. This paper aims to increase the awareness of these superstition-driven traditional and potentially harmful practices by promoting the importance of evidence-based medical practices.

Mandibular critical size defect (CSD) due to pathological conditions, trauma, and congenital disease can not heal spontaneously and predominantly filled with fibrous tissue. Therefore, a Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) combined with bone grafting can be performed. The researchers considered using Demineralized Dentin Material Membrane (DDMM) from bovine dentine as an alternative GBR. This study aimed to determine the amount of fibroblast and collagen density after DDMM and bone graft implantation on CSD. Thirty-six Rattus norvegicus rats were used as samples. Mandibular bone defect 5x5 mm was made, then filled with bone graft and covered with Bovine Pericardium Collagen Membrane (BPCM) in the control group and DDMM in the treatment group. Six samples were sacrificed on 7, 14, and 21 days post-surgical for histology examination. There were no significant differences in the amount of fibroblast and collagen density (p-value > 0,05). The amount of fibroblast is lower and the collagen density is higher in treatment group. DDMM has microporosity to prevent connective tissue ingrowth and dentine tubules to allow growth factors release. DDMM and bone graft implantation can reduce the amount of fibroblasts and increase collagen density of CSD which potentially being used as a CSD alternative treatment for bone regeneration.

Multicriteria decision aid requires a database as a decision matrix, in which two or more alternatives are evaluated according to two or more variables selected as decision criteria. Several problems of this nature use measures by Likert scales. Depending on the method, parameters from these data (e.g. means, modes or medians) are required for calculations. This parameterization of data in ordinal scales has fueled controversy for decades between authors who favor mathematical/statistical rigor and argue against the procedure, stating that ordinal scales should not be parameterized, and scientists from other areas who have shown gains from the process that compensate for this relaxation. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the advantages of the Composition of Probabilistic Preferences (CPP) method in multicriteria problems with data from Likert scales. The CPP is capable of allaying the protests raised and obtaining more accurate results than descriptive statistics or parametric models can bring. The proposed algorithm in R-code involves the use of CPP with empirical distributions and fitting histograms of data measured by Likert scales. Two case studies with simulated datasets having peculiar characteristics and a real case illustrate the advantages of the CPP.

(1) Background: The CEECCA questionnaire assesses the ability to communicate among individuals with aphasia. It was designed using the NANDA-I and NOC standardised nursing languages (SNLs), reaching high content validity index and representativeness index values. The questionnaire was pilot-tested, demonstrating its feasibility for use by nurses in any healthcare setting. This study aims to identify the psychometric properties of this instrument. (2) Methods: 47 individuals with aphasia recruited from primary and specialist care facilities. The instrument was tested for construct validity and criterion validity, reliability, internal consistency, and responsiveness. The NANDA-I and NOC SNLs and the Boston test were used for criterion validity testing. (3) Results: 5 language dimensions explain 78.6% of the total variance. Convergent criterion validity tests showed concordances of up to 94% (Cohen’s κ: 0.9; p<0.001) using the Boston test, concordances of up to 81% using DCs of NANDA-I diagnoses (Cohen’s κ: 0.6; p<0.001), and concordances of up to 96% (Cohen’s κ: 0.9; p<0.001) using NOC indicators. Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) was 0.98. Reliability tests revealed test-retest concordances of 76%-100% (p<0,001). (4) Conclusions: The CEECCA is an easy-to-use, valid, reliable instrument to assess the ability to communicate among individuals with aphasia.

In order to fully perform their functions and be durable, mortars for renders and plasters are requested to have a set of characteristics that can vary with the type of exposure to external environmental actions and the type of substrate. Generally, they need moderate strength, high deformability, some water protection capability, good adhesion to the substrate, and compatibility with the pre-existent materials. The presence of water and its movement inside the pore structure of the mortars are among the most significant causes of degradation. Moreover, several authors consider that the main factors for durability and good performance of lime-based mortars are mostly related with the good quality of the binder and the use of adequate aggregates. This paper intends to study the effect of ageing on the properties and durability of air lime mortars, using aggregates of different mineralogy. For this purpose, different mortars compositions are exposed to an accelerated weathering test under defined conditions. The obtained characteristics are discussed and compared with the results obtained with the same mortars tested in laboratory conditions. The effects of the aggregate type on the durability of mortars seem to be linked to their effects on the mortars porous structure.

(1) Background: Nursing homes’ preparedness in managing a public health crisis has been fragile, with effects on safety culture. The objective of this study was to assess nursing homes’ COVID-19 preparedness in Southern Portugal, including personnel’s work experiences during the pandemic. (2) Methods: We used a COVID-19 preparedness checklist to be completed by management teams, followed by follow-up calls to nursing homes. Thereafter, a survey to personnel was applied. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and thematic analysis of open-end questions. (3) Results: In total, 71% (138/195) of eligible nursing homes returned the preparedness checklist. We conducted 83 follow-up calls and received 720 replies to the personnel survey. On average, 25% of nursing homes did not have an adequate decision-making structure to respond to the pandemic. Outbreak capacity and training were fragile areas among nursing homes’ contingency plans. We identified compliance with procedures and nonpunitive response to mistakes as fragile areas of safety culture, and teamwork as a strong safety area. (4) Conclusions: To strengthen how nursing homes cope with upcoming phases of the COVID-19 pandemic or future public health emergencies, nursing homes’ preparedness and safety culture should be fostered and closely monitored.

One of the areas of research on materials for thin-film solar cells focuses on replacing In and Ga with more earth-abundant elements. In that respect, chalcostibite (CuSbS2) is being considered as a promising environmentally friendly and cost-effective photovoltaic absorber material. In the present work, single CuSbS2 phase have been synthesized directly by a short duration (2 h) mechanochemical synthesis step starting from mixtures of elemental powders. X-ray diffraction analysis of the synthesized CuSbS2 powders revealed a good agreement with the orthorhombic chalcostibite phase, space group Pnma, and a crystallite size of 26 nm. Particle size characterization revealed a multimodal distribution with a median diameter ranging from of 2.93 m to 3.10 m. The thermal stability of the synthesized CuSbS2 powders was evaluated by differential thermal analysis. No phase change was observed by heat treating the mechanochemically synthesized powders at 350 C for 24 h. By UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy the optical bandgap was determined to be 1.41 eV, suggesting that the mechanochemically synthesized CuSbS2 can be considered suitable to be used as absorber materials. Overall, the results show that the mechanochemical process is a viable route for the synthesis of materials for photovoltaic applications.

In light of the recent pandemic, several COVID-19 vaccines were developed, tested and approved in a very short time, a process that otherwise takes many years. Above all, these efforts have also unmistakably revealed the capacity limits and potential for improvement in vaccine production. This review aims to emphasize recent approaches for targeted rapid adaptation and production of vaccines from an interdisciplinary multifaceted perspective. Using literature research, stakeholder analysis and a value proposition canvas, we reviewed technological innovations on the pharmacological level, formulation, validation and resilient vaccine production to supply bottlenecks and logistic networks. We identified four main drivers to accelerate the vaccine product life cycle: computerized candidate screening, modular production, digitized quality management and a resilient business model with corresponding transparent supply chains. In summary, the results presented here can serve as a guide and implementation tool for flexible, scalable vaccine production to respond swiftly to pandemic situations in the future.

The transport sector is pivotal and indispensable in our daily existence, being the exclusive conduit for the intercontinental conveyance of commodities and individuals. Hence, comprehending the phenomenon of business failure within the transport industry assumes paramount significance in delineating an effective competitive policy for this sector. The primary objective of this research paper is to execute a comparative investigation between statistical models forecasting business failure and models founded on artificial intelligence, within the context of the transport sector. This analysis spans the temporal expanse from 2014 to 2021 and encompasses the nations of Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy, aiming to ascertain superior efficacy among these models. The dataset employed for this endeavor encompassed a final cohort of 4866 companies, comprising 2881 that endured as going concerns and 1985 that succumbed to business failure. The models developed for this study exhibited the capacity to accurately categorize a proportion of companies ranging from 71% to 73%. Nonetheless, upon comparative scrutiny of these outcomes with those derived from the statistical models dedicated to business failure prediction, it becomes evident that the latter demonstrate an enhanced predictive prowess, manifesting fewer errors in the classification of the scrutinized companies.

Background: We previously reported that human keratinocytes express protease-activated receptor (PAR)-2 and play an important role in activated protein C (APC)-induced cutaneous wound healing. This study investigated the involvement of PAR-2 in the production of gelatinolytic matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2 and -9 by APC during cutaneous wound healing. Methods: Full-thickness excisional wounds were made on the dorsum of male C57BL/6 mice. Wounds were treated with APC on days 1, 2, and 3 post-wounding. Cultured neonatal foreskin keratinocytes were treated with APC with or without intact PAR-2 signalling to examine the effects on MMP-2 and MMP-9 production. Murine dermal fibroblasts from PAR2 knock-out (KO) mice were also assessed. MMP-2 and -9 were measured by gelatin zymography, fluorometric assay, and immunohistochemistry. Results: APC accelerated wound healing in WT mice, but had negligible effect in PAR-2 KO mice. APC stimulated murine cutaneous wound healing was associated with differential 0temporal production of MMP-2 and MMP-9, with the latter peaking on Day 1 and the former on Day 6. In-hibition of PAR-2 in human keratinocytes reduced APC-induced MMP-2 activity 25~50, but had little effect on MMP-9. Similarly, APC-induced MMP-2 activation was reduced by 40% in cultured dermal fibroblasts derived from PAR-2 KO mice. Conclusion: This study shows for the first time that PAR-2 is essential for APC-induced MMP-2 production. Considering the important role of MMP-2 in wound healing, this work helps explain the underlying mechanisms of action of APC to promote wound healing through PAR2.

The acquisition of regional, 1 metre resolution LIDAR in the PNG Highlands combined with 3D modelling in MoveTM has revolutionized our understanding of the evolution of the Porgera gold mine and areas of new potential. The new 3D model demonstrates active pull-apart basins along a regional transfer during ongoing fold and thrust deformation. When overlain on regional aeromagnetic data, new potential is revealed. The Porgera gold mine is one of the richest in the world and lies in a wide valley at an elevation of 2800m surrounded by mountains up to 4000m high in the middle of the PNG Highlands. It lies along a major lineament, the Porgera Transfer Zone (PTZ), cutting across the orogen that is associated with a 50 km offset of the ophiolite belt. To the NW of the mine there is an extensive belt of low- to high-grade metasediments that formed in deep water during Jurassic rifting, but were metamorphosed during Eocene subduction to the north. Subduction ceased due to accretion of the Sepik Terrane which caused inversion and mild erosion of the Porgera area. The Late Oligocene onset of wrenching in the Mobile Belt to the north placed that area into extension, emplacing metamorphic core complexes, and led to regional subsidence in the Early Miocene. Collision of the margin with the Melanesian Arc in the Middle Miocene caused Late Miocene to Pliocene orogenesis creating the broad mountain belt that we see today, that is still active, as shown by the 2018 MW 7.5 earthquake. Regional mapping of the area using high resolution LIDAR in association with limited field mapping, analysis of gravity and magnetics data and drilling of 300-500m deep core-holes has allowed development of a detailed 3D structural model. The Porgera valley is constrained laterally by the Eastern Boundary and Western Boundary dextral strike-slip faults that lie along the PTZ cutting across the orogeny. However, whilst the position and nature of the faults is clear, due to bending, fracturing and offset of major synclines and anticlines, the faults do not crop-out as significant through-going features. Rather, the dextral offset of basement is soft-linked to the Tertiary limestones at surface due to intervening thick, ductile Cretaceous shales. Fold and thrust structures are ubiquitous in the Tertiary limestones, but the youngest structural features are large extensional faults, particularly around the Porgera valley. The intrusive underlying the Porgera ore-body was emplaced at 6.0+-0.3 Ma, the time of maximum compression during orogenesis. At this time the Eastern Boundary fault and Western Boundary fault were both active allowing a pull-apart basin to form locally along the PTZ at the south-eastern boundary of the Jurassic metasediments. This enabled emplacement of the intrusive. The gold-bearing fluids from the intrusive and metasediments were brought up through the Mesozoic muds to the contact with the Paleogene carbonates where the Porgera ore body was emplaced.

While molecular methods have begun to transform ecology, most algal biodiversity is still studied using the classical approach of identifying microalgae by light microscopy directly in sample material or using cultures. In this study, we compare both approaches (light microscopy and metagenomics as a molecular approach) using freshwater ponds of the Eifel National Park in Germany as a case study. The ponds were found to be rich in desmids by light microscopy. A total of 299 species representing 81 genera were identified by light microscopy. While the molecular method does not currently allow species identification in most cases, we were able to identify 207 different algal genera. 157 genera were detected only by metagenomics, 50 genera with both methods and 31 genera were found by light microscopy, highlighting the need to continue using light microscopy in addition to a molecular approach. The metagenomics method has several advantages over the light microscopy method: 1) deeper assessment of alpha biodiversity 2) better abundance numbers 3) complete coverage of all living matter. The latter is also a significant improvement over metabarcoding, as universal PCR primers are not available.

Metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) was associated with increased cardiometabolic risk. However, it is not fully understood which lifestyle factors are associated with MUO in youth. We aimed to investigate the relationship between MUO and lifestyle patterns in youth. 7-17 years old youth with overweight (N=48; 60.4% girls) and obesity (N=71; 56.3% girls) were recruited in the Pediatric Clinic, Luxembourg (cross-sectional study). Eating and sedentary habits, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA) were assessed. 72.3% of the participants had MUO. Multivariable logistic regressions showed that MUO is most likely to be associated with moderate to low weekly levels of MVPA [OR: 2.09 (95% CI: 1.07 – 4.09; p = 0.030)] and moderate to high weekly soda and lemonade drinks consumption [OR: 2.92 (95% CI: 1.32 – 6.48; p = 0.008)]. After adjustment for age, gender and Tanner stages, MUO was most likely to be associated with moderate to high soda and lemonade drinks consumption [OR: 2.72 (95% CI: 1.21– 6.12; p = 0.016)] and with Tanner stages [OR: 2.06 (95% CI: 1.08– 3.94; p = 0.029)]. We support the promotion of MVPA and the moderation in the sugar-sweetened beverages consumption to manage cardiometabolic health in youth with obesity.

The health status of Hungary's population is unfavorable, with significant differences in health indicators not only compared to the EU15 but also to the Visegrad countries. Unfavorable health indicators can be disproportionate and particularly affect vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities. The aim of the present study is to compare the health behaviour and indicators of adolescents with disabilities in Hungary with those of the HBSC survey in the Visegrad countries, and to compare the results of the Hungarian special needs adolescent population with those of the Visegrad countries. Eating habits are unfavourable for both the Visegrad countries and the young people we studied. Children with disabilities have significantly higher rates of schoolwork stress compared to other countries. Significantly higher prevalence of somatic complaints and worse mental well-being parameters higher in Hungary than in the other Visegrad countries. The results suggest that further interventions are needed in Hungary and that differentiated, professionalised health promotion is needed for young people with disabilities. The researchers propose to extend the research to adolescents with disabilities living in the Visegrad countries, on the basis of which a methodology for injury-specific health promotion could be developed, including through interna-tional interprofessional cooperation.

The white wine industry generates a large amount of wastes and composting is an alternative for recycling these residues with agronomic and environmental advantages. With this aim, grape marc and grape stalks were composted in static and turned piles, with 3 and 6 turns, to investigate the effects of pile conditions during composting in order to improve final compost quality. Thermophilic temperatures were attained soon after pile construction, and the highest maximum temperatures were achieved in the turned piles (70.5-71.8 ºC). However, pile moisture content decreased bellow recommended values after day 42 in these piles. The extremely high temperatures and low moisture content in turned piles hampered OM mineralization rates and the amount of potentially mineralizable organic matter (OM0) (391-407 g kg-1), whereas the structure of the static pile provided adequate porosity to increase OM decomposition and OM0 (568 g kg-1). This study shows that composting grape marc with stalks, for a period of 140 days, resulted in stabilized and matured compost (NH4+-N / NO3--N <0.5), with good chemical characteristics for application as soil organic amendment in vineyards, without the need for rewetting or turning the piles, thus reducing the agronomic, and environmental cost of the composting process.

The social vulnerability approach (SV) has set up that social inequalities and disadvantages have gone beyond monetary poverty in the last years, since the process is built at different scales. In its objectives, the SV multidimensional measurement is contemplated as a priority tool to monitor the compliance of the first goal – eliminate poverty in all its forms. Therefore, the objective of this research is to calculate the SV of the fishing communities of the Gulf of Ulloa (GU), Mexico by macro-markers to subsequently contrast them with field micro-data, and finally perform a behavior scenario, considering the current public policies restrictive to fishing in such areas. The results showed significant differences depending on the type of information used, obtaining a contingency coefficient of 83.42%, which indicates that the calculus depends strongly on the data used and suggesting that macro-data may be masking the true SV values in the area, in such a way they could be severely underestimated. Even though the context at micro-scale is not the only one, SV should be calculated to analyze the fishing communities since coastal fishery represents almost the total livelihood of the inhabitants. Nevertheless, these communities confront numerous local and global threats, and these pressures on SV put their livelihoods, well-being, food security and traditional lifestyle at risk. Therefore, the role of researching human dimensions and governance is not only basic but also urgent to turn to sustainable socioeconomic management.

From the aerial parts of Salvia ballotiflora, eleven diterpenoids were isolated, among them, four icetexanes, and one abietane (1–5), which are first reported. Their structures were established by spectroscopic means, mainly ¹H and ¹³C NMR, including 1D and 2D homo- and hetero-nuclear experiments. Most of the isolated diterpenoids were tested for their antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, and radical scavenging activities using the sulforhodamine B assay on six cancer cell lines, the TPA induced ear edema test in mice, and the reduction of the DPPH assay, respectively. Some diterpenoids showed anti-proliferative activity, these being icetexanes 6 and 3, which were the most active with IC₅₀ (µM) = 0.27 ± 0.08 and 1.40 ± 0.03, respectively, for U251 (human glioblastoma) and IC₅₀ (µM) = 0.0.46 ± 0.05, and 0.82 ± 0.06 for SKLU-1 (human lung adenocarcinoma), when compared with adriamycin (IC₅₀ (µM) = 0.08 ± 0.003, and 0.05 ± 0.003, as the positive control, respectively. Compounds 3 and 10 showed significant reduction of the induced ear edema of 37.4 ± 2.8 and 25.4 ± 3.0% (at 1.0 µmol/ear), respectively. Compound 4 was the sole active diterpenoid in the antioxidant assay (IC₅₀ = 98. 4 ± 3.3), using α-tocopherol as positive control, IC₅₀ (µM) = 31.7 ± 1.04. The diterpenoid profile found is of chemotaxonomic relevance and reinforces the evolutionary link of S. ballotiflora with other members of the section Tomentellae.

This article aims to systematically review the available evidence concerning the relationship between basal metabolism (BM), body composition (BC), and physical activity (PA) with central obesity. The search strategy was carried out using Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, and SciELO following the PRISMA guidelines. The STROBE checklist and the Jadad scale for quality assessment were also used. A total of 1382 studies were initially identified being 25 publications eligible for systematic data extraction. Individual studies showed that adults with waist circumference (WC) above 88 cm in women and above 102 in men had a higher risk of metabolic alterations related to high absolute energy expenditure and less maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max). Participants with central obesity presented a high percentage of body fat (BF%) between 30.6% and 41.6%. Most of the PA intervention studies reported reductions in WC between 1.3 and 5.8 cm. In conclusion, there is a direct relationship between the components of BM with central obesity and a direct association between central obesity and BF%. PA is a protective factor that needs to be promoted to reduce WC and control central obesity as a public health problem. PROSPERO ID registration: CRD42021232917.

2023 was the hottest year ever recorded, global warming accelerates its rising, we witness a series of extreme weather events, more frequent and more intense, climate refugees, infrastructure harmed, forests burning, “meteorological tsunamis”. We failed to meet the main goals of the Kyoto protocol; we are very close to fail in meeting the Paris agreement’s slowing global warming goal. Greenhouse gases emissions are at rise and, even if completely halt, temperatures would keep rising, enhancing the global average. Carbon capture and storage technologies are being developed to counterbalance these emissions by removing such gases from the atmosphere and physically storing or transforming them into useful molecules for the society. In this work we prospect microorganisms that can serve as a platform for developing carbon capture technologies. We process samples from the seabed of Brainsfield Strait region, Antarctica, prospecting for an organism capable of fixing carbon dioxide without light (chemoautotrophic bacterias) and capable of enduring extreme conditions of pressure (100 bar) under 100% supercritical state carbon dioxide atmosphere (scCO2), conditions like those found in oil deposits, where the technology can be of particular use.

Milk MIR spectra have been shown to provide valuable information on a wide range of traits to be used in dairy cattle breeding programs. Selecting the most informative variables from complex data can improve prediction accuracy and model robustness and, consequently, the interpretability of MIR spectra. Thus, we aimed to investigate the prediction performance of feature selection methods based on MIR spectra data, using the milk fatty acid (FA) profile as an example to illustrate the evaluated procedure. Data of MIR spectra, milk test-day records, and reference FA concentrations of 155 first-parity Holstein cows were used in the analyses. Four models comprising different explanatory variables and five feature selection methods were evaluated. The results indicated that the Competitive Adaptive Reweighted Sampling (CARS) method can effectively select the most informative variables from the MIR spectra, resulting in higher prediction accuracies than other variable selection approaches. The model including selected MIR spectra and cow information variables [days in milk at the test day, age at the test day, pregnancy stage (in days), number of days open, number of inseminations, and somatic cell count] yielded the best FA profile predictions based on Partial Least Square regression. In particular, ten FAs (C8:0, C10:0, C14:1, C17:0 isomers, C18:1, C18:1 isomer, medium-chain FA, unsaturation FA, monounsaturated FA, and polyunsaturated FA) presented accuracies based on the determination coefficient (R2cv) ranging from 0.66 to 0.85 in internal validation and from 0.65 to 0.84 in external validation. By running CARS 1,000 times in internal validations, we obtained the frequency of selected milk MIR wavenumber for 35 FAs. The most related wavenumbers to FAs were found within 1,003 to 1,145 cm-1, while other discrete areas were between 1,651 to 1,797 and 2,834 to 2,954 cm-1. These biomarkers may give insights into the relationship between MIR spectra and FA phenotypes. In conclusion, using CARS and cow information improved predictions of FAs based on MIR spectra in Chinese Holstein dairy cows. Additional validation studies should be conducted as larger datasets become available.

In this article we propose an application of humanitarian logistics theory to build a supportive framework for economic reactivation and pandemic management based on province vulnerability against COVID-19. The main research question is: which factors are related to COVID-19 mortality between Peruvian provinces? We conduct a spatial regression analysis to explore which factors determines the differences in COVID-19 cumulative mortality rates for 189 Peruvian provinces up to December 2020. The most vulnerable provinces are characterized by having low outcomes of long-run poverty and high population density. Low poverty means a high economic activity that leads to more deaths of COVID-19. There is a lack of supply of a set of relief goods defined as Pandemic Response and Recovery Supportive Goods and Services (PRRSGS). These goods must be delivered in order to mitigate the risk associated to COVID-19. A supportive framework for economic reactivation can be built based on regression results and a delivery strategy can be discussed according to the spatial patterns that we found for mortality rates.

A large variety of fermentation products are used in food and feed production, but also in other industries, and many of these products are produced with genetically modified microorganisms (GMMs). In food and feed production, prominent examples are amino acids, vitamins, food and feed enzymes, colorants, non-caloric sweeteners and human milk oligosaccharides. From a regulatory perspective, fermentation products are typically produced under containment. This means that premises, equipment and work processes need to be designed to prevent or at least minimize release of GMMs into the environment. The fermentation products themselves should not contain any live cells of the GMM. Over the past years, there have been concerning developments, particularly in the European Union, stipulating that also absence of recombinant DNA might be interpreted as a regulatory requirement for fermentation products produced with GMMs. In this paper, we (i) attempt to place these developments into the historical context, (ii) sketch the potential negative repercussions for the food and feed industries, (iii) elaborate on the safety of recombinant DNA, and (iv) postulate that recombinant DNA should remain an integral part of the safety assessment of fermentation products but should not be misconstrued as a criterion for regulatory classification of products of biotechnology.

(1) Background: We reviewed the logistics of the implementation of pathogen inactivation (PI) using the INTERCEPT Blood System™ for platelets and the experience with routine use and clinical outcomes in the patient population at the Sírio-Libanês Hospital of São Paulo, Brazil. (2) Methods: Platelet concentrate (PC), including pathogen reduced (PR-PC) production, inventory management, discard rates, blood utilization, and clinical outcomes were analyzed over the 40 months before and after PI implementation. Age distribution and wastage rates were compared over the 10 months before and after approval for PR-PC to be stored for up to 7 days. (3) Results: A 100% PR-PC inventory was achieved by increasing double apheresis collections and production of double doses using pools of two single apheresis units. Discard rates decreased from 6% to 3% after PI implementation and further decreased to 1.2% after 7-day storage extension for PR-PCs. The blood utilization remained stable, with no increase in component utilization. A significant decrease in adverse transfusion events was observed after the PI implementation. (4) Conclusion: Our experience demonstrates the feasibility for Brazilian blood centers to achieve a 100% PR-PC inventory. All patients at our hospital received PR-PC and showed no increase in blood component utilization and decreased rates of adverse transfusion reactions.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death worldwide. This condition resulted in huge research on CVD increasing the need for animal models suitable for the in vivo research. Daphnia and Zebrafish are good animal models for cardiovascular research due to their relative body transparency and easy culture property. Several methods have been developed to conduct cardiac performance measurement in Daphnia and Zebrafish. However, most of the methods only able to obtain heartbeat rate. The other important cardiac endpoints like stroke volume, ejection fraction, fraction shortening, cardiac output and heartbeat regularity must use other programs for measurement. To overcome this limitation, in this study, we successfully developed a one-stop ImageJ-based method using kymograph macros language that able to obtain multiple cardiac performance endpoints simultaneously for the first time. To validate its utility, we incubate Daphnia magna at different ambient temperatures and exposed zebrafish with astemizole to detect the corresponding cardiac performance alterations. In summary, the kymograph method reported in this study provides a new, easy to use, and inexpensive one-stop method on obtaining multiple cardiac performance endpoints with high accuracy and convenience.

Here, one hundred patients (50 smokers and 50 non-smokers) clinically diagnosed with COVID-19 were studied. Yet, bioinformatics was used to predict epitopes on Tobacco mosaic virus coat protein (TMV-CP) to produce antibodies towards SARS-CoV-2. Death was three times higher in non-smokers than in smokers. However, biochemical parameters did not separate the groups. Bioinformatics analysis predicted the presence of B-cell epitopes in TMV-CP, suggesting the production of antibodies anti-TMV-CP in smoker patients. Smokers may develop severe forms of COVID-19, but survival was superior in the evaluated group than in non-smokers. Anti-TMV-CP antibodies, potentially present in smokers, might act as a pro-immune agent against SARS-CoV-2 at earlier stages of infection. These data are helpful for future studies assessing COVID-19 in smokers.

Background: The scaffold protein tyrosine kinase substrate 4 (TKS4) undergoes tyrosine phos-phorylation by the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway via Src kinase. The TKS4 deficiency in humans is responsible for the manifestation of a genetic disorder known as Frank-Ter Haar syndrome (FTHS). Based on our earlier investigation, the absence of TKS4 triggers migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like phenomena while concurrently suppressing cell proliferation in HCT116 colorectal carcinoma cells. This indicates that TKS4 may play a unique role in the progression of cancer. In this study, we demonstrated that the enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) and the histone methyltransferase of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) are involved in the migration, invasion, and EMT-like changes in TKS4-deficient cells (KO). EZH2 is responsible for the maintenance of the trimethylated lysine 27 on histone H3 (H3K27me3). Methods: We performed the transcriptome sequencing, chromatin immunoprecipitation, protein and RNA quantitative studies, cell mobility, invasion, and proliferation studies combined with/without EZH2 activity inhibitor 3-deazanoplanocine (DZNep) Results: We detected an elevation of global H3K27me3 levels in the TKS4 KO cells, which could be reduced with treatment with DZNep, an EZH2 inhibitor. Inhibition of EZH2 activity reversed the phenotypic effects of the knockout of TKS4, reducing the migration speed and wound healing capacity of the cells as well as decreasing the invasion capacity, while the decrease in cell prolif-eration became stronger. In addition, inhibition of EZH2 activity also reversed most epithelial and mesenchymal markers. We investigated the wider impact of TKS4 deletion on the gene expression profile of colorectal cancer cells using transcriptome sequencing of wild-type and TKS4 knockout cells, particularly before and after treatment with DZNep. Additionally, we observed changes in the expression of several protein-coding genes and long non-coding RNAs that showed a recovery in expression levels following EZH2 inhibition. Conclusions: Our results indicate that the removal of TKS4 causes a notable disruption in the gene expression pattern, leading to the disruption of several signal transduction pathways. Inhibiting the activity of EZH2 can restore most of these transcriptomics and phenotypic effects.

In recent years, the potential of insects has been explored as a sustainable protein alternative to sustain the growing world population. Differences in the way insects are processed can affect their proximate composition and digestibility. This work studies the effects of the combination of different types of slaughter methods and drying temperatures on the proximate composition, organic matter digestibility (OMd), hydrolysis degree (DH/NH2 and DH/100 g DM), total hydrolysis (TH) and hygienic sanitary study of BSFL (black soldier fly larvae). Four types of slaughter methods were used: frozen (F), blanched + frozen (B), Melacide® + frozen (M) and liquid nitrogen (N), each with three drying temperatures (50, 70 and 90 °C). A negative correlation between acid detergent fibre (ADF) and protein digestibility parameters was obtained. 70 °C was the most suitable drying temperature, as it reported higher values of protein digestibility (DH, TH), resulting in hygienic and sanitary conditions suitable for food use. Slaughtering with liquid nitrogen and blanching were more convenient than traditional freezing or the use of Melacide® to achieve higher protein digestibility results.

Fullerene molecules are composed of carbon in forms of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube. Fullerenes have attracted considerable attention in different fields of science since their discovery in 1985. The unique carbon cage structure of fullerene provides immense scope for derivatization, rendering potential for various industrial applications. The prospective applications of fullerenes thus have led to assorted fullerene derivatives. The unique chemical structure also provides ease for fullerene to be synthesized through various kinds of conjugating techniques, where fullerene can be located either on the backbone or the branch chain. Here in this review, we have compiled the toxicity and biosafety aspects of fullerene in aquatic organisms. The frequent use of fullerene is likely to come in contact and interact with the aquatic environment and aquatic organisms. According to the current understanding, waterborne exposure to fullerene-based nanomaterials indeed triggers toxicities at cellular, organic, molecular as well as neurobehavioral levels.

The structure of wound dressing materials presents one of the most relevant characteristics for effective skin tissue repair. Electrospinning is a common technique used to produce polymeric fibres that can mimic fibrillar disposition of skin extracellular matrix, favouring cell migration, and thus regeneration of the damaged tissue. Moreover, beads, also known as by-products of electrospinning, have potential as reservoirs for sustained drug release. Processing parameters, such as molecular weight and viscosity of the polymer solution, can affect the desirable morphologies of electrospun films. Thereby, this work had the purpose of producing and characterized electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) mats loaded with propolis, a popular extract in traditional medicine with potential for skin repair aid. Films with different morphologies were obtained depending on the storage period of the solution prior to the lectrospinning, probably due to the PCL hydrolysis. FTIR analyses of the extract confirmed propolis composition. GPC and viscosity analyses demonstrated that the decrease in molar mass over the storage period was responsible for nanostructure diversity. Propolis acts as a lubricant agent, affecting the spun solutions' viscosity and the thermal properties and hydrophilicity of the films. All films are within the value range of the water vapour transpiration rate of the commercial products. The presence of beads did not affect the propolis release pattern. However, "in vitro" wound healing assay showed that propolis-loaded films composed by beaded fibres increased the cell migration process. Thus, it can be inferred that these films presented the potential for wound dressing application.

Empirical evidence is lacking on the nexus between coffee commodity output, climate change and commodity price volatility of Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria and other developing countries. To fill this gap, this study analyzed the reaction of coffee output to climate change and commodity price volatility. We used secondary data from 1961 to 2015 from reliable sources for Nigeria. The study adopted GARCH, ARCH and FMOLS in analysis of coffee output reaction to climate change and commodity price volatility. The findings show that coffee output in Nigeria is influenced by climate change and the international commodity price of coffee. The study demonstrates the potential benefits of improving coffee output and export through climate mitigation and adaptation measures and revival of Agricultural Commodity Marketing in Nigeria and other developing countries.

In this work, dry and hydrothermal carbonization (DC and HTC) of RDF pellets were conducted to evaluate the physical, chemical, and fuel properties of the produced chars. In the dry carbonization tests, biomass sawdust was incorporated in different proportions on the samples to minimize agglomeration caused by the melting of the plastic fraction. The experiments were carried out in a temperature of 400°C (DC) and 250-300°C (HTC), in a residence time of 30 minutes. The respective chars and hydrochars were characterized according to their mass yield, apparent density, proximate, elemental, and mineral composition, chlorine content, high heating value, thermogravimetric profile, and surface functional groups. The results showed that dry carbonization of RDF pellets with biomass incorporation, followed by a washing step, resulted in the production of chars with improved properties such as higher fixed carbon and HHV (25-26 MJ/kg) and lower ash and chlorine content. Additionally, the HTC experiments demonstrated that hydrochars showed improved properties without the need for biomass addition and washing, however, with no significant difference in the HHV (20-21 MJ/kg). Therefore, DC of RDF pellets with 10% biomass incorporation seems to be a promising option to overcome the constraints of RDF utilization as an alternative fuel.

School-aged children may benefit from education interventions focused on healthy eating and physical activity to improve their quality of life. This article aims to review scientific evidence on food and nutrition education (FNE) in Spanish-speaking countries for the prevention of overweight and obesity in school-aged children (6-12 y). Articles were searched between April and August 2021. The searches were conducted using MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and SciELO. The primary search for articles focused on the experience of FNE interventions in Spanish-speaking countries. Overall, 518 articles were found and 33 studies were eligible for data extraction. Forty-two percent of the studies had a focus on FNE and 64% were focused on describing the eating habits of schoolchildren. Nutritional assessments (anthropometric) were found frequently with 91% and 30% of the studies focused on physical activity. All interventions focused on preventing or reducing overweight and obesity in school-age children. Educational, cognitive, dietary, and physical activity practices were described, whit being educational the most frequent intervention. Interventions reported positive effects of FNE interventions to improve knowledge and practices of healthy lifestyles in school-age children.

Oxytocin (OXT), a pro-social peptide, is increasingly recognized as a potential protective substance against drug addiction. In the context of ethanol, previous researches have shown OXT properties to reduce self-administration, alleviate motor impairment in rodents, and reduce craving in humans. However, its role in behavioral sensitization, a neuroadaptive response resulting from repeated drug exposure linked to increased drug incentive, remains unexplored. OXT is also associated with modulating the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, with corticosterone well-known as a significant factor in behavioral sensitization development. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Carbetocin (CBT), an analogue of OXT, on the expression of behavioral sensitization to ethanol and concurrent alterations in plasma corticosterone levels in male and female Swiss mice. We also aimed to confirm previous studies on OXT impact on ethanol consumption in male mice, but with a focus on CBT, using the two-bottle choice model and drinking in the dark (DID) methodology. For the sensitization study, mice received either ethanol (1.8 g/kg, ip) or saline treatments daily for 15 consecutive days, followed by treatment with carbetocin (0.64 mg/kg, ip) or a vehicle for 6 days. Subsequently, on day 22, all animals underwent an ethanol challenge to assess the expression of behavioral sensitization. Plasma corticosterone levels were measured on days 21 and 22. CBT effectively prevented the expression of ethanol-induced behavioral sensitization in both male and female subjects, with no alterations detected in corticosterone levels. In the ethanol consumption study, following an initial phase of ethanol acquisition, mice underwent a 6-day treatment with CBT i.p or saline before being reexposed to ethanol. We also found a reduction in ethanol consumption due to CBT treatment. In conclusion, carbetocin emerges as a promising and effective intervention in mitigating ethanol-induced behavioral sensitization and reducing ethanol intake, highlighting its potential significance in alcohol addiction treatment.

Coded aperture 3D imaging techniques have been rapidly evolving in the recent years. The two main directions of evolution are in aperture engineering to generate the optimal optical field and in development of computational reconstruction to reconstruct the object’s image from the intensity distribution with a minimal noise. The goal is to find the ideal aperture-reconstruction method pair and if not, to optimize one to match the other for designing an imaging system with required 3D imaging characteristics. Lucy-Richardson-Rosen algorithm (LR²A), a recently developed computational reconstruction method was found to perform better than its predecessors such as matched filter, Weiner filter, phase-only filter, Lucy-Richardson algorithm and non-linear reconstruction (NLR) for certain apertures when the point spread function (PSF) is a real and symmetric function. For other cases of PSF, NLR performed better than the rest of the methods. In this tutorial, LR²A has been presented as a generalized approach for any optical field along with MATLAB codes for reconstruction of any image when the PSF is known. The common problems and pitfalls in using LR²A has been discussed. Simulation and experimental studies for common optical fields such as spherical, Bessel, vortex beams and exotic optical fields such as Airy, scattered and self-rotating beams have been presented. From this study, it can be seen that it is possible to transfer the 3D imaging characteristics from non-imaging type exotic fields to indirect imaging systems faithfully using LR²A. The application of LR²A to medical images such as colonoscopy images and cone beam computed tomography images with synthetic PSF has been demonstrated. We believe that the tutorial will provide a deeper understanding of computational reconstruction using LR²A.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of a phytogenic compounds blend (PHA) containing hydrolyzable tannins, carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde oil in the mineral salt or energy supplement on the rumen microbiota and nitrogen metabolism of grazing Nellore cattle. Eight castrated Nellore steers were distributed in a double Latin square 4 × 4 design, with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement (two type supplements and the addition or not of PHA) as follows: energy supplement without PHA addition (EW); energy supplement with PHA addition (EPHA); mineral supplement without the addition of PHA (MW); and mineral supplement with PHA addition (MPHA). Steers that received supplements with PHA have a lower ruminal proportion of Valerate (with PHA 1.06%; without PHA 1.15%), a lower ruminal abundance of Verrucomicrobia and a tendency for lower DM digestibility (with PHA 62.8%; without PHA 64.8%). Energy supplements allowed higher ammonia concentrations (+2.28 mg of NH3-N/dL), increased the propionate proportion (+0.29% of total VFA), and showed a tendency to have a higher abundance of Bacteroidetes and a lower abundance of Firmicutes in the rumen. The PHA addition in the supplement did not improve the use of nitrogen in grazing cattle, but negatively affected the diet digestibility.

To describe the main health surveillance strategies for the control of COVID-19 in Brazil, with emphasis on decisions and actions taken at the federal level to prevent the infection caused by the new SARS-CoV-2. This is a scoping review study carried out from November 2019 to January 2021 using the DECS and MeSH health descriptors in Portuguese and English in four databases, in addition to the legislation found on the Brazilian Government's legislation portal. Based on the analysis of the documents, the actions describe non-pharmacological and pharmacological measures, measures related to decisions on closing and opening international borders, the acquisition of supplies and essential services. Although some strategies for containing the pandemic were identified, discrete and unnoticed surveillance measures are observed in view of the number of cases and number of deaths during the period of research analysis. The results show the absence of the federal level as support for the states and municipalities and imply decision-making and planning of actions by the Unified Health System to control the pandemic.

Contamination by microplastics (MP) in aquatic ecosystems is largely due to the release of millions of these particles from treated effluents from Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP). Due to the lack of policies and regulations that establish criteria for the control and elimination of MP from WWTP effluents, this research evaluated the presence of MP for particle sizes of 38 and 150 µm in influents and effluents from three WWTP in the port of Acapulco, Mexico. Using optical microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques, the MP detected were polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). MP removal efficiencies of 82.5 to 98.7% (38 µm) and 86.8 to 97.5% (150µm) were obtained; the MP average daily emissions to the receiving bodies of these three WWTPs were in the ranges of 9.5 x 106 - 4.70 x 108 particles and the annual emissions in the range of 3.05 x 109 - 1.72 x 1011 particles. This work reveals the urgency of implementing regulatory policies to avoid the continuous emission of MP to aquatic ecosystems from WWTPs in Acapulco, Mexico.

The sustainability of agroecological systems, biodiversity protection, animal welfare and consumer demand for higher-quality products from alternative and extensive farming methods, have reinforced interest in local breeds that are well adapted to low-input environments. However, food safety needs to be safeguarded to reinforce consumer confidence. The aim of this study was to conduct a preliminary investigation on the occurrence of Salmonella spp. in eggshells, hen’s cloaca and litter materials from autochthonous Portuguese laying hens raised in a semi-extensive system for small-scale production. A total of 279 samples were obtained, with 63 samples from the “Preta Lusitânica” breed, and 72 samples each from the remaining autochthonous breeds, namely “Branca”, “Amarela” and “Pedrês Portuguesa”. None (0%) of the samples analyzed were positive for Salmonella spp.. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first results of Salmonella evaluation from hen’s cloaca, eggshells, and litter materials in autochthonous Portuguese chickens, suggesting that a semi-extensive production system can contribute to better food security and a lower risk to public health and the environment.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify and characterize the 100 most cited articles on Parkinson's disease (PD) and phenolic compounds (PCs). Methods: Articles were selected in the Web of Science Core Collection up to January 2022 based on predetermined inclusion criteria, and the following bibliometric parameters were extracted: the number of citations, title, keywords, authors, year, study design, tested PC and therapeutic target. MapChart was used to create worldwide networks, and VOSviewer software was used to create bibliometric networks. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to identify the most researched PCs and therapeutic targets in PD. Results: The most cited article was also the oldest. The most recent article was published in 2020. Asia and China were the continent and the country with the most articles in the list (55% and 29%, respectively). In vitro studies were the most common experimental designs among the 100 most cited articles (46%). The most evaluated PC was epigallocatechin. Oxidative stress was the most studied therapeutic target. Conclusion: Despite the demonstrations in laboratorial studies, the results obtained point to the need for clinical studies to better elucidate this association.

Peri-implantitis continues to be one of the major reasons for implant failures. We propose a new approach for incorporating MTA into Zirconia implant surfaces with Nd:YAG laser and investigate the biological response of peri-implant cells as well as the microbiological response. Discs of Zirconia stabilized with Yttria and Titanium were produced according 4 tested groups: Nd:YAG laser textured Zirconia coated with MTA (Zr MTA); Nd:YAG laser textured Zirconia (Zr Textured); Zirconia and Titanium discs (Zr and Ti ). Contact profilometry was used to evaluate surface roughness. Human osteoblasts, gingival fibroblasts and S. oralis were cultured on samples. Cell adhesion and morphology, cell viability, cell differentiation markers and bacterial growth were assessed. Zr Textured roughness was significantly higher compared to all other groups. Cellular adhesion was observed at 1 day in all samples in both cell lines. Osteoblasts viability was lower in Zr MTA group, unlike fibroblasts viability was shown to be higher in Zr MTA group compared to Zr Textured group at 3 and 7 days. Osteocalcin and IL-8 release by osteoblasts were higher in Zr MTA. Zr Textured showed higher IL-8 values released by fibroblasts. No differences in S. oralis CFUs were observed between groups. The results suggest that Zirconia implant surfaces coated with MTA seems to promote fibroblasts proliferation and osteoblasts differentiation, however does not appear to have antibacterial properties.

The objective was to assess the instrumental validity and the test-retest reliability of a low-cost hand-held push dynamometer adapted from a load-cell based hanging scale (tHHD) to collect compressive forces in different ranges of compressive forces. Three independent raters applied 50 pre-established compressions each on the tHHD centered on a force platform in 3 distinct ranges: ~70 N, ~160 N, ~250 N. Knee isometric strength was also assessed on 19 subjects in two sessions (48h apart) using the tHHD anchored by an inelastic adjustable strap. Knee extension and flexion were assessed with the participant seated on a chair with the feet resting on the floor, knees, and hips flexed at 90°. The isometric force peaks were recorded and compared. The ICC and the Cronbach’s α showed excellent consistency and agreement for both instrumental validity and test-retest reliability, as the correlation and determination coefficients. The SEM and the MDC analysis returned adequate low values with a coefficient of variation less than 5%. The Bland-Altman results showed consistency and high levels of agreement. The tHHD is a valid method to assess the knee isometric strength, showing portability, cost-effectiveness, and user-friendly interface to provide an effective form to assess the knee isometric strength.

The advent of the genome editing era brings forth the promise of adoptive cell transfer using engineered chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells for targeted cancer therapy. CAR T-cell immunotherapy is probably one of the most encouraging developments for the treatment of hematological malignancies. In 2017, two CAR T-cell therapies were approved by the U. S Food and Drug Administration; one for the treatment of pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), the other for adult patients with advanced lymphomas. However, despite significant progress in the area, CAR T-cell therapy is still in its early days and faces significant challenges, including the complexity and costs associated with the technology. B-cell lymphoma is the most common hematopoietic cancer in dogs, with an incidence approaching 0.1% and a total of 20-100 cases per 100,000 individuals. It is a widely accepted naturally occurring model for human non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Current treatment is with combination chemotherapy protocols, which prolong life for less than a year in canines and are associated with severe dose-limiting side effects, such as gastrointestinal and bone marrow toxicity. To date, one canine study generated CAR T-cells by transfection of mRNA for CAR domain expression. While this was shown to provide a transient anti-tumor activity, results were modest, indicating that stable, genomic integration of CAR modules is required in order to achieve lasting therapeutic benefit. This Commentary summarizes the current state of knowledge on CAR T-cell immunotherapy in human medicine and its potential applications in animal health, while discussing the potential of the canine model as a translational system for immuno-oncology research.

This study aimed to evaluate the physico-chemical properties, biocompatibility and bioabsorption of 3 different new membranes for bone guided regeneration (PLGA associated with hydroxyapatite and beta-TCP) with three thicknesses (200, 500 and 700 µm) implanted in mice subcutaneously. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the quantification of Carbon, Hidrogen and Nitrogen were used to characterize the physico-chemical properties. One hundred Balb-C mice were divided into 5 experimental groups: Group 1 - Sham (without implantation); Group 2 - 200 μm; Group 3 - 500 μm; Group 4 - 700 μm; and Group 5 - Pratix®. Each group was subdivided into four experimental periods (7, 30, 60 and 90 days). Samples were collected and processed for histological and histomorphometrical evaluation. The membranes showed no moderate or severe tissue reactions in the experimental periods studied. The 500 μm membrane did not show tissue reaction for any experimental periods studied. The 200 μm membrane membranes began to exhibit fragmentation after 30- day, while the 500 and 700 µm membranes started the fragmentation at 90-day. All membranes studied were biocompatible, and the 500µm membrane showed the best results being a promissory membrane for bone guided regeneration.

COVID-19 infection in high-risk populations is fatal and has a poor prognosis, necessitating a test to determine the protectiveness of immune response. Antibody testing is necessary to determine the body's immune response to COVID-19 infection and also vaccination strategies. Among the various methods available, chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) test is more widely used and accessible to determine antibody levels. This study aimed to determine the protection level of S-RBD SARS-CoV-2 IgG using CLIA compared to Surrogate Virus Neutralization Test (SVNT). The population of this study comprised all healthcare professionals who experienced S-RBD SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody level examinations. S-RBD SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody levels were examined using CLIA and SVNT. The cut-off was determined using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve and AUC (Area Under the Curve) measurements were evaluated. The result showed a strong positive correlation between S-RBD SARS-CoV-2 IgG CLIA and SVNT with a value of r=0.933 and p <0.001. The value ≥37.29 BAU/mL was determined as the cut-off based on SVNT 30% inhibition level with sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values of 96.5%, 90.9%, 96.5%, and 90.9%, respectively. A titer of antibodies greater than or equal to 37.29 BAU/mL with CLIA showed the presence of protective antibodies compared to SVNT.

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) has classified papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) into indolent RAS-like and aggressive BRAF-like based on its distinct driver gene mutations. This study aimed to assess clinicopathology and pERK1/2 expression variations between BRAF-like and RAS-like PTCs and establish predictive models for BRAFV600E and RAS-mutated PTCs. A total of 222 PTCs underwent immunohistochemistry staining to assess pERK1/2 expression and Sanger sequencing to analyze the BRAF and RAS genes. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to develop prediction model. Independent predictors for the BRAFV600E mutation include a nuclear score of 3, the absence of capsules, an aggressive histology variant, and pERK1/2 levels exceeding 10% (X2=0.128, P>0.05, AUC=0.734, P<0.001). RAS mutation predictive model includes follicular histology variant and pERK1/2 expression >10% (X2=0.174, P>0.05, AUC=0.8, P<0.001). We proposed using the prediction model concurrently with four potential combination group outcomes. PTC cases included in combination of low BRAFV600E-scoring group and high RAS-scoring group are categorized as RAS-like (adjOR=4.857, P=0.01, 95% CI=1.470-16.049). PTCs included in combination of high BRAFV600E-scoring group and low RAS-scoring group are categorized as BRAF-like PTCs (adjOR=3.091, P=0.001, 95% CI=1.594-5.995). The different prediction models indicate variations in biological behaviour between BRAF-like and RAS-like PTCs, necessitating adjustments in treatment approaches.

In this work, we compiled our research on lanthanide-based luminescent materials, prepared down-shifter layers, and studied their effect on photovoltaic (PV) mini-modules. The compounds we have prepared (C1-C17), with formulas [Eu2(phen)2(bz)6] (C1), [Eu2(bphen)2(bz)6] (C2), [Eu(tta)3bphen] (C3), [Eu(bta)3pyz-phen] (C4), [Eu(tta)3pyz-phen] (C5), [Eu(bta)3me-phen] (C6), [Er(bta)3me-phen] (C7), [Yb(bta)3me-phen] (C8), [Gd(bta)3me-phen] (C9), [Yb(bta)3pyz-phen] (C10), [Er(tta)3pyz-phen] (C11), [Eu2(bz)4(tta)2(phen)2] (C12), [Gd2(bz)4(tta)2(phen)2] (C13), [EuTb(bz)4(tta)2(phen)2] (C14), [EuGd(bz)4(tta)2(phen)2] (C15), [Eu1.2Gd0.8(bz)4(tta)2(phen)2] (C16) and [Eu1.6Gd0.4(bz)4(tta)2(phen)2] (C17), can be grouped into three families based on their composition: Series C1–6 were synthesized using Eu3+ ions and phenanthroline derivatives as the neutral ligands, and fluorinated β-diketonates as the anionic ligands. Complexes C7–11 were prepared with ligands similar to those of compounds C1–6 but were synthesized with Er3+, Yb3+, or Gd3+ ions. Series C12–17 exhibit the general formula [M1M2(bz)4(tta)2(phen)2], where M1 and M2 can be Eu3+, Gd3+, or Tb3+ ions, and the ligands are benzoate (bz–), 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone (tta–) and 1,10–phenanthroline (phen). All compounds were characterized using X-ray techniques, and their photoluminescent properties were studied. We then examined their impact on the EQE (External Quantum Efficiency) of PV mini-modules and their durability in a climate chamber when embedded in PMMA and EVA films. This review emphasizes the methodology employed and the key findings, including enhanced mini-module efficiency. Additionally, we present promising results on the application of compound C6 in a bifacial solar cell.

Urinary bladder cancer (UBC) is the most common malignancy of the urinary tract in humans, with an estimated global prevalence of 1.1 million cases over 5 years¹. Due to high rates of recurrence and resistance to chemotherapy, UBC is one of the most expensive cancers to treat, resulting in significant health care costs. There is, therefore, a critical need to develop innovative molecular and cellular tools to refine patient stratification and help predict response to treatment. Urine is an underused resource of biological components shed from bladder tumors, such as exfoliated cells and extracellular vesicles, that could serve as molecular fingerprints and provide valuable biological insights into tumor phenotype and mechanisms of resistance to chemotherapy. Additionally, characterization of urine-derived extracellular vesicles and cells could be used as reliable biomarkers for prediction of response to neoadjuvant therapy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the food supply chain, including producers, retailers, wholesalers, and customers. To minimize the impacts caused by pandemics and epidemics on food supply chains, it is fundamental to implement effective policies that ensure continuity in the provision, affordability, and distribution of basic food items. This research aims to identify the main impacts of pandemics and epidemics on food supply chains and policies that can minimize these impacts. Based on a systematic literature review (SLR), 174 documents are analysed to propose a taxonomy of impacts on four supply chain links: demand-side, supply-side, logistics and infrastructure, and management and operation. The taxonomy presents the main impacts, as well as the respective mitigation policies simultaneously. In addition, the literature review leads to the development of a comprehensive causal loop diagram (CLD) with the identification of main variables and their relationship with food supply chains. Finally, a specific research agenda is proposed by identifying main research gaps. These findings provide a structured method for evaluating policies that ensure the functioning of food supply chains, particularly in disruptions such epidemics and pandemics.

ClinVar is a web platform that stores around 774k curated entries, which allows exploring genetic variants and their associations with complex phenotypes. A partial set of ClinVar’s genetic associations were reported with conflict of interpretation or uncertain clinical impact significance, which currently challenges clinicians and geneticists. Here, we evaluate the performance of data pre-processing methods combined with classical prediction methods, such as Naive Bayes, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine to build a meta-prediction model aiming to improve genetic pathogenicity interpretation. Models were trained with ClinVar data (September 2020), and genetic variants were annotated with eight functional impact predictors catalogued with SnpEff/SnpSift (v4.3). A 10-fold cross-validation strategy was performed for evaluation by accuracy, F1-Score, Receiver Operating Characteristic, Area Under Curve. The best meta-prediction model raises by combining one-hot encoding with tree-based classifiers as Random Forest, which shows Area Under Curve ≥ 0,93. We predict pathogenicity for 109k genetic variants, which were found labeled as uncertain significance or conflict of interpretation. Additionally, we implemented AmazonForest (https://www.lghm.ufpa.br/amazonforest), a web tool to query data for a set of 5k variants that were predicted with high pathogenic probability (RFprob >= 0.9).

This paper presents a new information technology platform specially tailored for infrastructure asset management of urban water systems operated by water utilities of lower digital maturity level, developed in the scope of DECIdE research project. This platform aims at the integration of different data from the water utilities with several information systems and the assessment of the system performance, in terms of water losses, energy efficiency and quality of service by using developed tools (i.e., water and energy balances and key performance indicators). This platform was tested with data from five small to medium size Portuguese water utilities with different maturity levels in terms of technological and human resources. Obtained results are very promising since the platform allows to assess the systems performance periodically which constitute an important part of the infrastructure asset management for small and medium-sized water utilities

Ants of the genus Solenopsis are important invasive pests in the world. Due to their high dispersion capacity, aggressive behavior and because they feed on various sources of vegetable and animal protein, these insects have caused serious damage to public health and agriculture. The control has usually been carried out through the use of organosynthetic insecticides. However, due to the ecological and environmental impacts caused by the use these products, more sustainable alternatives have been sought for their control. Faced with these problems and due to the scarcity of registered products for the control of these insects, we aimed with this study to synthesize and evaluate the anticidal potential of carvacrol derivatives. The lethal and sublethal effects caused by these derivatives were compared with the essential oil of Lippia gracilis (50.7% carvacrol) and with the base molecule — carvacrol. Carvacryl benzoate was the most toxic derivative to Solenopsis sp. with an LD50 of 3.20 g/ mg. This compound was about 2 and 7.6 times, more toxic than carvacrol at the doses needed to kill 50 and 90% of populations, respectively. The workers of Solenopsis sp. showed a rapid reduction in survival when exposed to carvacrol (LT50 = 8.43h) and carvacryl benzoate (LT50 = 8.87h). Insects treated with sublethal doses of the compounds did not show significant effects on self-cleaning, allogrooming and aggregation, with the exception of those treated with L. gracilis essential oil. The oil increased self-cleaning and reduced allogrooming and aggregation. Ants treated with carvacrol and carvacryl benzoate showed greater distance and speed when compared to the control. These compounds decreased meanders and angular velocity. When live workers were exposed to dead individuals at the LD90 of the compounds, carvacryl benzoate was the derivative that most reduced insects survival, due to horizontal transfer. These results show the potential of the carvacrol derivative — carvacryl benzoate — for the alternative management of ants of the genus Solenopsis sp.

(1) Background: Reduced magnesium (Mg) levels may be associated with a faster de-cline in renal function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of serum and uri-nary Mg levels with body composition and inflammatory markers; (2) Methods: Lon-gitudinal study with patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing non-dialysis treatment in stages 3A, 3B and 4. Venous samples were collected after a 12-hour night fast. Body composition was evaluated by Double X-Ray Emission Absorptiometry and Air Displacement Plethysmog-raphy; (3) Results: The sample consisted of 134 patients. In the adjusted linear regression model, uric acid, percentage of lean mass and ali-mentar intake of Mg were positively associated with the sergic Mg. Triglyceride levels, WC and fat mass percentage were negatively associated with serum Mg. For the Mg urinal, in the adjusted model, the eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate), IL (interleukin 6), food intake of Mg and the percentage of lean mass showed a positive correlation.; (4) Conclusions: Serum Mg levels were positively associated with lean mass and negatively with total and central body fat and urinary Mg was positively associated with IL6 and lean mass.

Background: Nodal peripheral T-cell lymphomas (nPTCLs) encompass a heterogeneous group of mature and aggressive lymphoid malignancies, including peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL/NOS), angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) ALK-positive and ALK-negative. Their differential diagnosis and prognosis are an issue in the clinical practice. Accurate biomarkers to refine the different subtypes of nPTCLs and to stratify their prognosis are essential to improve their treatment approach. The aim of this study was to test the prognostic impact of GATA3 gene expression, and its capability to discriminate the different subtypes of nPTCLs. Patients and Methods: From 2000 to 2017, 80 patients with nPTCLs were eligible for GATA3 gene expression analysis that was assessed retrospectively by quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) of neoplastic biopsies in Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded samples (FFPE). Results: Median age was 49 years old (IqR 34-59), 43/80 (53.7%) were male. Median follow-up was 1.72 years. Of them, 36.3% were classified as PTCL/NOS, 31.2% ALK-negative ALCL, 21.2% ALK-positive ALCL and 11.3% AITL. The majority of cases had advanced stage (III/IV). Two-year estimated overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 52.2% and 39.5%, respectively. The median GATA3 gene expression level was 0.49% (range 0 – 7.07) in all cohort, it was 0.11% for ALK-positive ALCL, 0.46% for ALK-negative ALCL, 0.86% for PTCL/NOS and 0.67% for AITL. The difference of GATA3 gene expression among distinct variants of nPTCLs was statistically significant (p < 0.001). GATA3 gene expression levels ≥ 0.71% discriminate PTCL/NOS from ALK-negative ALCL and AITL with sensitivity of 62% and specificity of 80.3%. GATA3 gene expression levels ≥ median was associated with poor 2-year OS for PTCL/NOS (46.7% x 21.4%, p=0.04) and for ALK-negative ALCL (85.7% x 54.5%, p=0.04). Conclusion: Despite the relative small and heterogeneous group of patients with nPTCLs, GATA3 gene overexpression may be an important biomarker associated with poor prognosis in PTCL/NOS and ALK-negative ALCL. Moreover it may also discriminate different subtypes of nPTCLs. Further studies with larger series of patients should confirm our findings.

Seroprevalence of anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (anti-SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in the postvaccination period in Kenya remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG and evaluate vaccination uptake in Nairobi, Kenya. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a university setting. Serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG levels were assayed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Mann–Whitney U test was used for binary comparisons and Kruskal–Wallis Test for multigroup comparisons. Statistical significance was set at p &lt; 0.05. A total of 189 participants were enrolled (median age, 21 years; female, 50.8%). The seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 was 12.7% for IgM and 87.8% for IgG. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titers were higher among the vaccinated vs. non-vaccinated individuals (p &lt; 0.001, U = 2817.5), females vs. males (p = 0.024, U = 3616), and those vaccinated &lt; 6 months before the study vs. those vaccinated &gt;1 year earlier (p = 0.002, H = 12.359). The vaccination hesitancy rate was 43.4% and the underlying reasons included mistrust (22.4%), health concerns (19.7%), and lack of information (18.4%). Despite the high seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG, the high vaccine hesitancy rate necessitates community engagement and education prior to vaccines roll out.

Despite the advancements in evidence-based medicine, many hospitals still maintain high rates of patients undergoing prolonged preoperative fasting. The goal of this study is to determine the prevalence of prolonged fasting time among patients undergoing elective surgeries at a Brazilian university hospital and its associations with clinical and sociodemographic variables. This cross-sectional study was conducted between May and November 2019 and included patients of all ages undergoing elective surgeries. Out of the 293 patients analyzed, 64.2% were male, with ages ranging from 1 to 85 years, and 93.9% were classified as ASA I or II. The prevalence of preoperative fasting exceeding 8 hours was 89.4%. An average fasting time exceeding 11 hours was observed across all age groups. Patients who underwent procedures in the afternoon had an average fasting time that was 16% longer than those in the morning period (13.84 vs. 11.92, p<0.001). Surgery time (r=0.134, p<0.03) and anesthesia times (r=0.121, p<0.04) demonstrated a weak correlation with fasting time. Despite the international consensus on preoperative fasting time, our study demonstrated low adherence to current recommendations. Therefore, healthcare professionals should ensure the comprehension of fasting guidelines, and further studies should aim to identify effective solutions to mitigate prolonged fasting.

The use of botanical extracts of the plant Jatropha curcas (Euphorbiaceae) represents a valuable alternative to control insect pests and avoid the detrimental effects on the environment and health that arise due to synthetic chemical insecticides. Thus, we conducted a systematic review to summarize the published evidence on the bioactivity of J. curcas against insect pests. Electronic databases were searched to identify studies that assessed J. curcas extracts against insect pests in various types of crops. We included 39 articles that reported the insecticidal and insectistatic activity of several botanical extracts from J. curcas against insects of eight different taxonomic orders. The evidence demonstrates that aqueous and methanolic extracts from seeds and leaves, seed oil, and petroleum ether seed extracts were effective against insect pests of stored grains, aphids of cabbage, sorghum, fruit flies, and desert locusts. The extracts caused high mortality, controlled the populations, reduced oviposition, diminished hatchability, and increased the antifeedant effect. However, the type of solvent used to obtain the botanical extract and the method of application (contact or food) are fundamental to increase its bioactivity. Therefore, botanical extracts from seeds and leaves of J. curcas should be considered as an alternative against insect pests and may be incorporated into integrative and sustainable management for insect control.

Secondary forests (SF) are important carbon sinks, removing CO₂ from the atmosphere through the photosynthesis process and storing photosynthates in their aboveground live biomass (AGB). This process occurring at large-scales partially counteracts C emissions from land-use change, playing, hence, an important role in the global carbon cycle. The absorption rates of carbon in these forests depend on forest physiology, controlled by environmental and climatic conditions as well as on the past land use, which is rarely considered for retrieving AGB from remotely sensed data. In this context, the main goal of this study is to evaluate the potential of full polarimetric ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 data for estimating AGB by taking into account the past-land use of SF areas in the Brazilian Amazon. We surveyed a chronosequence of 42 SF plots (20 ha) near the Tapajós National Forest in Pará state to quantifying AGB growth rates. We explored the full polarimetric data testing three regression models including non-linear (NL), multiple linear regressions models (MLR), and the semi-empirical extended water cloud model (EWCM). The results showed that the intensity of previous use has affected the structure of SF by reducing the AGB accumulation and being noticeable by several polarimetric attributes. The combination of multiple prediction variables with MLR improved the AGB estimation by 70% comparing amongst other models (R² adj. = 0.51; RMSE = 13.2 Mg ha^-1) bias = 2.1 ± 37.9 Mg ha^-1. The error propagation of the MLR model was estimated to be 15%.

The presence of anti SARS-CoV2-RBD antibody (Anti-RBD) prevents severe COVID-19. We aimed to determine the accuracy of a point-of-care Anti-RBD test implemented in person living with HIV (PLWH), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and chronic kidney disease (CKD). We enrolled 182 non-comorbid subjects and 335 persons with comorbid (PLWH, SLE, CKD) to test anti-RBD assay compared to surrogate viral neutralization (SVNT) as the reference test. We performed linear correlation analysis between anti-RBD vs SVNT and a ROC analyses to ascertain anti-RBD cut-off at 30%, 60%, and 90% inhibition of SVNT to calculate accuracy. Correlations of anti-RBD to SVNT among all groups were excellent with R= 0.7903, R=0.7843, R=0.8153 among non-comorbid, SLE and CKD groups, respectively, with significantly higher correlation among the PLWH group (R=0.8877; p-value=0.0072) compared to non-comorbid group. The accuracy of the anti-RBD test among PLWH and CKD group was similar with the non-comorbid but showed lower sensitivity in the SLE group (p=0.000014). The specificity of the test remained high in all groups. In conclusion, the Anti-RBD test had excellent correlation to SVNT. The persistently high specificity in all groups suggests that this test can be reliably utilized to detect presence of low neutralization capacity, prompting additional vaccination.

Obesity in children is associated with vitamin D (VD) deficiency and cardiometabolic abnormalities. To analyze the effects of VD supplementation in adolescents with obesity enrolled in a weight-loss program. Adolescents with obesity (n=26) and with normal weight (n=23; controls) were matched for age, sex, and puberty stage. The obesity group followed a 3-month weight-loss program that combined a reduced caloric intake with interval training physical activity and during which they received or not VD supplementation (4000 IU/d) (n=13/group; random assignation). The anthropometric parameters (BMI z-score, fat mass); serum levels of 25(OH)D, calcium and parathyroid hormone (PTH), cardiometabolic factors (triglycerides, HDL, and LDL cholesterol), fasting glucose and insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index; diastolic, systolic and mean blood pressure, and inflammatory status (C-reactive protein, CRP) were measured at baseline and at the end of the 3-month program. At baseline, 25(OH)D concentration was lower and VD insufficiency (25(OH)D levels <50 nmol/L) rate was higher (73% vs 22%) in the obesity than in the normal-weight group. All cardiometabolic factors were altered in the obesity compared with the normal-weight group. After the 3-month weight-loss program, 25(OH)D levels was >50 nmol in all adolescents with obesity, but only in 46% of normal-weight adolescents. Moreover, the weight-loss program improved the cardiometabolic factors, inflammatory status (CRP) and physical performance, but VD supplementation did not have any additional effect. Analysis only of the adolescents with obesity and VD deficiency (25(OH)D <50 nmol/L) at baseline showed a significant correlation between the change in PTH and CRP (p=0.02) in the supplemented obesity group, while the increase in 25(OH)D only tended to be correlated with CRP decrease. Vitamin D supplementation could reduce VD insufficiency in adolescent with obesity, but does not have any additional effect on cardiometabolic factors when combined with a weight-loss program.

Gastric cancer (GC) is a highly heterogeneous, complex disease and the fifth most common cancer worldwide (about one million cases and 784 000 deaths worldwide in 2018). CG is lately diagnosed and guarantees a poor prognosis for GC (the 5-year survival rate is less than 20%, but in early detection can reach 90%). This study evaluated the transcriptional profile in tumor gastric samples to find genes highly expressed during tumor establishment and use the related proteins as targets to find new anticancer molecules. Data was collected at Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) bank to obtain 3 dataset matrices that analyze gastric tumor tissue versus normal gastric tissue, performed microarray using GPL570 platform, and from different sources. The genes found in silico analysis were confirmed in several lines of GC cells by RT-qPCR. The protein data bank was used to find the correspondent proteins. Then a structural-based virtual screening was done to find molecules, and docking analysis was done using the DockThor server. Our results of transcriptomic analysis, together with RT-qPCR, confirm the high expression of the genes AJUBA, FBXL13, CCDC69, CD80 and NOLC1 in GC lines. Based on that, the correspondent proteins were used in SBVS analysis. Five molecules, one each target, MCULE-2386589557-0-6, MCULE-7343047040-0-1, MCULE-5230409338-0-3, MCULE-9178344200-0-1 and MCULE -5881513100-0-29. All molecules have favorable pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and toxicological properties. Molecular docking analysis revealed that the molecules interact with proteins in critical sites for their activity. Using a virtual screening approach, a molecular docking study was performed for proteins encoded by genes that play important roles in cellular functions for carcinogenesis. Combining a systematic collection of public microarray data with a comparative meta-profiling, RT-qPCR, SBVS, and molecular docking analysis provided a suitable approach to find genes involved in GC and work the correspondent protein to strive for new molecules with anticancer properties.

Although metastasis is the primary cause of death on patients with malignant solid tumors, efficient antimetastatic therapies are not clinically available thus far. Sulfated glycosaminoglycans from marine sources have shown promising pharmacological effects, acting in different steps of the metastatic process. Oversulfated dermatan sulfate from ascidians is effective in preventing metastasis by inhibition of P-selectin, a platelet surface protein involved in the platelet-tumor cell emboli formation. We report in this work that the heparan sulfate isolated from the viscera of the ascidian Phallusia nigra drastically attenuates metastasis of colon carcinoma cells in mice. Our in vitro and in vivo assessments demonstrate that the P. nigra glycan has very low anticoagulant and antithrombotic activities and a reduced hypotension potential, although efficiently preventing metastasis. Therefore, it may be a promising candidate for the development of a novel anti-metastatic drug.

Human bocavirus (HBoV) is an emerging virus that has been detected worldwide that could be associated with cases of acute gastroenteritis (AGE). However, its contribution to AGE has not been elucidated. This study aimed to describe the frequency, clinical features, and HBoV genotypes circulation in children up to 5 years with or without AGE symptoms in Acre, Northern Brazil. A total of 480 stool samples were collected between January and December 2012. Fecal samples were used for extraction, nested PCR amplification, and sequencing for genotyping. Statistical analysis was applied to verify the association between epidemiological and clinical characteristics. Overall HBoV-positivity was 10% (48/480), being HBoV-positivity rates of 8.4% (19/226) and 11.4% (29/254) recorded among diarrheic and non-diarrheic children, respectively. The most affected age group was between 7 and 24 months (50%). HBoV infection was more frequent in children living in urban areas (85.4%), using water from the public network (56.2%), and living with adequate sewage facilities (50%). Co-infection with other enteric viruses was 16.7% (8/48) and the most prevalent coinfection was RVA+ HBoV (50%, 4/8). HBoV‐1 was the most frequent species detected, responsible for 43.8% (21/48) of cases, followed by HBoV-3 (29.2%, 14/48) and HBoV-2 (25%, 12/48). In the present study, HBoV infections are not associated with AGE, as most HBoV cases belonged to the non-diarrheal group without AGE symptoms. Future studies are warranted to determine the role of HBoV in causing acute diarrhea disease.

New advances in creating effective and affordable copper-based catalysts for water splitting represent a promising strategy for driving sustainable energy technologies. However, ma- terials containing copper are susceptible to corrosion and agglomeration. In this study, we describe a synthesis route to produce olamine-functionalized CuO nanoparticles using the Hot Injection method. Nanoparticles were obtained and subsequently deposited on FTO substrates, undergoing thermal treatment at 500°C and 600°C in atmospheres containing O2 and N2, aiming to enhance the adhesion of the active material to the substrate and modify its oxidation state. Microstructural properties were analyzed using XRD, SEM, and TEM, while electrochemical properties were studied using CV, LSV, and EIS. Electrodes treated thermally in an N2 atmosphere at 600°C exhibited higher ESCA, indicating a greater area of active sites exposed to surface reactions and, therefore, superior catalytic activity in Hy- drogen Evolution Reaction (HER). These findings show an interesting strategy for avoiding rapid electron-hole recombination and, consequently, CuO corrosion. For Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER), samples treated thermally in O2 atmosphere at 500°C and 600°C appear to be more effective.

The hemodynamic activity of Melipona flavolineata workers was evaluated during restraint stress for a period of 30 minutes. The observed parameters were power variation in the elapsed time, and subsequently six periods of one second were divided and called: A, B, C, D, E and F; in each period the electrocardiographic parameters were evaluated: Heart rate, Amplitude, R-R Interval, Duration of QRS and Q-T interval. The experiment was carried out with 8 worker bees of M. flavolineata, for which electrodes with nickel-chromium alloy were made. The bees were previously anesthetized with isoflurane and properly contained and fixed in a base for stereotaxis in which the electrode was implanted. All these procedures were performed inside a Faraday cage. The results showed power oscillations during the recording with the highest energy level between 300 and 600 s. Heart rate, QRS amplitude and QRS duration parameters underwent changes recorded during the restraint stress period. However, for the Q-T interval there was no difference during the recordings. Thus, the cardiac activity of M. flavolineata can be used as a biomarker and being used to clarify physiological issues or alterations caused by toxic agents and indicate risk factors for these animals.

COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, has spread on a pandemic scale. The virus infection can evolve asymptomatically or generate severe symptoms, influenced by the presence of comorbidities. Lymphopenia in patients affected with COVID-19 according to the severity of symptoms is frequent. However, the profile of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells regarding cytotoxicity and antiviral factor expression has not yet been completely elucidated in acute SARS-CoV-2 infections. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the phenotypic and functional profile of T-lymphocytes in patients with moderate and severe/critical COVID-19. During this pandemic period, we analyzed a cohort of 62 confirmed patients with SARS-CoV-2 (22 moderate cases and 40 severe/critical cases). Albeit lymphopenia, we observed an increase in the expression of CD28, co-stimulator molecule, and activation markers (CD38 and HLA-DR) in T-lymphocytes as well as an increase in the frequency of CD4+ T-cells, CD8+ T-cells, and NK cells that express the immunological checkpoint protein, PD-1, in patients with severe/critical condition compared to healthy controls. Regarding the cytotoxic profile of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, an increase in the response of CD4+ T-cells already at baseline level was observed, scarcely changed upon PMA and Ionomycin stimulation. Meanwhile, CD8+ T-lymphocytes decreased cytotoxic response, evidencing a profile of exhaustion in patients with severe COVID-19. As observed in the t-SNE technique CD4+ T-cytotoxic and CD8+ T with low granzyme production evidencing their dysfunctionality in severe/critical conditions. In addition, purified CD8+ T-lymphocytes from patients with severe COVID-19 showed an increased constitutive expression of differentially expressed genes associated with the caspase pathway, inflammasome, and antiviral factors, and curiously, reduced expression of TNF-α. The cytotoxic profile, by CD4+ T-cells, may compensate for the dysfunction/exhaustion of TCD8+ in acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. These findings may provide an understanding of the interplay of cytotoxicity between CD4+ T-cells and CD8+ T-cells in the severity of acute COVID-19 infection.

Tabebuia aurea (Silva Manso) Benth. & Hook. f. The ex S.Moore (yellow ipe), belonging to the Bignoniaceae family, used in the popular for fever, inflammation and healing of skin wounds. The extract was prepared by maceration, using 70% ethanol. Through HPLC analysis, it was possible to identify substances, mainly phenolic, such as lapachol, present in Bignoniaceae. The phenolic content was 21.36 mg / Eag in the antioxidant activity, the effective concentration of 50% was 53.03 ± 1.14 µg / mL. The antimicrobial activity against S.aureus, E. coli and C. albicans was evaluated by microdilution in broth, which verified action against the tested microorganisms. Cell viability has been inhibited for tumor cells, although this has not been observed for normal cells. The LD50 against A.aegypti mosquito larvae was 3504.6 mg / L and there was no mortality in the concentration tested for the snail B.glabrata. Nontoxic or low toxicity for A. salina and T. molitor, respectively, and did not exhibit hemolytic action at concentrations of antibacterial effect. Given the above, it was concluded that the bark extract of the studied species has bioprospecting potential for the future development of antimicrobial products.

This study addresses the prediction of recurring failures in water supply networks, a complex and costly task, but essential for the effective maintenance of these vital infrastructures. Using historical failure data provided by Companhia de Água e Esgotos da Paraíba (CAGEPA), the research focuses on predicting the time until the next failure at specific points in the network. The authors divided the failures into two categories: Occurrences of New Faults (ONF) and Recurrences of Faults (RF). To make the predictions, they used predictive models based on Machine Learning, more specifically on MLP (Multi Layer Perceptron) neural networks. The study revealed that, by analyzing data from past failures and considering factors such as altitude, number of failures on the same street and days between failures, it is possible to achieve an accuracy greater than 80% in predicting failures within a 90-day interval. This demonstrates the feasibility of using fault history to predict future water supply outages with significant accuracy. These forecasts allow water utilities to plan and optimize their maintenance, minimizing inconvenience and losses. The article contributes to the field of water infrastructure management by suggesting that the data-driven approach can be applied in other cities or in networks of different types, such as energy or communication networks. The conclusions highlight the importance of data collection and analysis in preventing failures and optimizing water utilities’ resources.

The urgent global health challenge posed by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections demands effective solutions. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent promising tools of research of new antibacterial agents and LyeTx I mn∆K, a short synthetic peptide based on the Lycosa erythrognatha spider venom, is a good representative. This study focused on analyzing some antimicrobial activities of LyeTx I mn∆K, including minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations, synergy and resensitization assays, lysis activity, the effect on biofilm, and the bacterial death curve in MRSA. Additionally, its characterization was conducted through isothermal titration calorimetry, dynamic light scattering, calcein release, and finally, efficacy in a mice wound model. The peptide demonstrating remarkable efficacy against planktonic cells and biofilms of MRSA, outperforms vancomycin in terms of rapid bactericidal action and anti-biofilm effects. The mechanism involves significant membrane damage. Interactions with bacterial model membranes, including those with lysylphosphatidylglycerol (LysylPOPG) modifications, highlight versatility and selectivity of this compound. Also, the peptide has the ability to sensitize resistant bacteria to conventional antibiotics, showing potential for combinatory therapy. Furthermore, using an in vivo model, was showed that a formulated gel containing the peptide proved superior to vancomycin in treating MRSA-induced wound in mice. Together the results highlight LyeTx I mnΔK as a promising prototype for the development of effective therapeutic strategies against superficial MRSA infections.

B-1 cells, a subtype of B lymphocytes, are found in lymphoid tissues and peritoneal and pleural cavities. They play diverse roles, releasing cytokines, generating antibodies, regulating the immune response, engaging in phagocytosis, and moving to inflammatory sites. However, their physiology remains partially understood, especially in stressful conditions like sleep restriction. This study aimed to investigate murine B-1 cell activation and differentiation under sleep restriction. Male C57BL/6J mice underwent an 18-hour sleep restriction for 21 days, followed by Candida albicans or Paracoccidioides brasiliensis infection. Purified peritoneal B-1 cells were evaluated for activation markers, microbicidal molecules, cytokine gene expression, Toll-like receptors, and commitment factors. Results showed that sleep restriction minimally influenced activation marker expression in B-1 cells across infection models. However, under sleep restriction, microbicidal molecule production increased in P. brasiliensis (NO) and C. albicans (ROS) infections. Gene expression revealed elevated TLR-2 and cytokines (IL-12, IL-6, TNF-α) in sleep-restricted animals. Lineage commitment analysis indicated myeloid polarization in sleep-restricted B-1 cells for all infection models. These findings underscore the impact of sleep restriction on B-1 cell activation and differentiation, with outcomes varying based on infection type. This study highlights the importance of investigating immunological changes resulting from sleep restriction.

Pattern recognition techniques form the heart of most, if not all, incoherent linear shift-invariant systems. When an object is recorded using a camera, the object information gets sampled by the point spread function (PSF) of the system, replacing every object point with the PSF in the sensor. The PSF is a sharp Kronecker Delta-like function when the numerical aperture (NA) is large with no aberrations. When the NA is small, and the system has aberrations, the PSF appears blurred. In the above case, if the PSF is known, then the object information can be obtained by scanning the PSF over the recorded object intensity pattern and looking for pattern matching conditions through a mathematical process called correlation. In this study, a recently developed deconvolution method, the Lucy-Richardson-Rosen algorithm (LR2A), has been implemented to computationally refocus images recorded in the presence of spatio-spectral aberrations. The performance of LR2A was compared against the Lucy-Richardson algorithm and non-linear reconstruction. LR2A exhibits a superior deconvolution capability even in extreme cases of spatio-spectral aberrations and blur. Experimental results of deblurring a picture captured using high-resolution smartphone cameras are presented. LR2A was implemented to significantly improve the performances of the widely used deep convolutional neural networks for image classification.

Hydrogen is undoubtedly one of the most promising alternatives for generating energy with low environmental impact. However, most hydrogen produced today is derived from fossil fuels, which negatively impacts the environment. In this context, biomass conversion technologies emerge as a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional fossil-based processes for hydrogen production. The main objective of this study is to underscore the potential of biomass-derived hydrogen, as one of the key sustainable energy solutions. This work reviews diverse biological and thermochemical pathways for biomass-derived hydrogen production, noting challenges in technology and feedstock diversity. Biomass offers local availability and economic benefits, potentially yielding negative emissions. Biological methods like bio-photolysis and fermentation promise low-energy, waste-recycling solutions despite operational constraints. Thermochemical processes, influenced by biomass type and energy content, favor economies of scale and conventional gasification for economic viability. Hydrothermal gasification shows promise for high-moisture feedstocks. Overall, while thermochemical processes suit centralized large-scale hydrogen production, biological pathways offer decentralized options, necessitating continued innovation for integration into future energy strategies.

Sporothrix brasiliensis is the most pathogenic species, responsible for the Brazilian cat-transmitted sporotrichosis hyperendemics. In this scenario, investigation of pathogen-host interaction can provide relevant information for future treatment strategies. To this end, the invertebrate Galleria mellonella has proven to be a suitable alternative to evaluate the virulence of pathogenic fungi since the insect immune system is similar to the mammalian innate immune response. The aim of this work was to investigate phenotypic and molecular aspects of the immune response of G. mellonella throughout the S. brasiliensis infection. Hemocyte density and the evolution of the fungal load were evaluated. In parallel, RT- qPCR expression analysis of genes encoding antimicrobial peptides (Gallerimycin and Galiomycin) and stress management genes (C7 Contig 15362 and C8 Contig 1910) was conducted. Fungal load and hemocyte densities were proportionally increasing simultaneously to the deleterious morphological events and larvae mortality. Gallerimycin, C7 Contig 15362, and C8 Contig 19101 genes were positively regulated (p&lt;0.05) at distinct moments of S. brasiliensis infection, characterizing a time-dependent and alternately modulated profile. Galiomycin gene expression remained unchanged. Our results contribute to the future proposal of potential alternative pathways to treat and, consequently, control S. brasiliensis zoonosis, a major public Health in Latin America.

Background and objective: Obesity is a growing global epidemic. The composition of the intestinal microbiota can be influenced by several factors. Studies highlight the role of intestinal bacteria in the pathophysiology of obesity. So, the objective of this study was to investigate whether the use of probiotics, together with healthy lifestyle habits, contributes to weight reduction in obese indi-viduals by analyzing the intestinal microbiota profile. Methods: A prospective study was carried out with 45 adults with obesity. Participants underwent guidance on healthy lifestyle habits, re-ceived a probiotic component containing different microbiological strains and were followed for 60 days. Clinical parameters, body composition, biochemical analysis and intestinal microbiota assessment were performed before and after treatment. After 60 days, it was observed that the bacterial strains present in the probiotic were present in the patients' intestinal microbiota. Par-ticipants also showed improvements in physical activity, sleep quality, anxiety management, as well as changes in some eating habits, such as a reduction in the consumption of processed foods and a significant increase in water intake. Results: A reduction in BMI, fasting glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides was observed, in addition to an increase in HDL cholesterol, improvement in bowel movement frequency and stool consistency. Analysis of the intestinal microbiota revealed an increase in microbial diversity and a better balance between the bacterial phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. Conclusions: The changes related to improving the composition of the intestinal microbiota, dietary habits, increased physical activity, reduced anxiety, and better sleep quality have significantly contributed to weight loss and improvements in physiological parameters in obese individuals.

Background: Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, the incidence and mortality of infective endocarditis (IE) have increased in recent decades despite advances in diagnosis and treatment. Studies on the risk factors for mortality in endocarditis in Latin America are scarce. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 240 patients diagnosed with IE according to the modified Duke criteria who were admitted to two university hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from January 2009 to June 2021. Poisson regression analysis was performed for trend tests. The multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of predictors of in-hospital mortality. Findings: The median age was 55 years (IQR: 39-66 years), 57% were male, and 41% had a Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) score &gt; 3. Healthcare-associated infective endocarditis (54%), left-sided native valve IE (77.5%), and staphylococcal IE (26%) predominated. Overall in-hospital mortality was 45.8%, and mortality was significantly higher in the following patients: aged ≥ 60 years (53%), CCI score ≥ 3 (60%), healthcare-associated infective endocarditis (HAIE) (53%), left-sided IE (51%), and enterococcal IE (67%). Poisson regression analysis showed no trend in in-hospital mortality per year. The adjusted multivariate model determined that age ≥ 60 years was an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality (HR = 1.9; 95% CI 1.2-3.1; p = 0.008). Interpretation: In this 12-year retrospective cohort, there was no evidence of an improvement in survival in patients with IE. Since older age is a risk factor for mortality, consensus is needed for the management of IE in this group of patients.

Soil quality is a factor which is directly related to the sustainability of agricultural production and can be compromised through the use of inadequate management practices. In this work, soil edaphic respiration and changes in microbial biomass promoted by cover crops in an integrated crop-livestock system (ICLS) were evaluated using soil quality indicators by the respirometry method. The design used was completely randomized in a 3x6 factorial scheme and multivariate principal components analysis (PCA) was performed according to MANOVA. The edaphic respiration was determined based on the respirometry technique. From the results, it was found that edaphic soil respiration was significant in the nine evaluation periods, demonstrating the importance of grass cover on this edaphic respiration arising from the biological activity of microorganisms, which is directly related to the amount of organic carbon in the soil. It was concluded that the use of cover crops contributed to producing organic matter in the soil and consequently greater microbial respiratory activity.

Astaxanthin (ATX) is a carotenoid nutraceutical with a poor bioavailability due to its high lipophilicity. We tested a new tailored nano-droplet capable of solubilizing ATX in an oil-in-water micro-environment (LDS-ATX, manufactured by Lyotropic Delivery Systems (LDS)), for its capacity to improve ATX pharmacokinetic profile and anti-oxidant efficacy. We used liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to compare the pharmacokinetic profile of ATX and LDS-ATX and protein carbonylation and lipid peroxidation assays to compare their basal and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced oxidative damage. Our results show that only LPS-induced oxidative damage was corrected by ATX and LDS-ATX. While in the liver and muscle LDS-ATX was more efficacious than ATX in attenuating oxidative damage to both proteins and lipids, only oxidative damage to lipids was preferably corrected by LDS-ATX in the brain. These results strongly suggest improvement of ATX bioavailability and efficacy by the LDS-ATX nano-formulation.

Several Lung diseases can result in lung damage structural changes, with lung transplantation as a only therapeutic option when the disease reaches an advanced progression, unfortunately, the success of lung transplantation is limited. In this context, lung bioengineering is considered a potential therapeutic alternative and the current approach is based on the use of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) of the decellularized lung. The use of undifferentiated cells to seed an ECM can be a more practical strategy for lung bioengineering but the sterilization of the organ for this recellularization process is still a challenge. In this sense, Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) can emerge as a potential treatment alternative. Therefore, the objective of this study was to verify if LLLT, can optimize lung recelularization with mesenchymal stem cells by cytokine modulation. For this, we decellularized lungs from C57BL/6 mice perfusing SDS 1% via pulmonary artery, sterilized with LLL (660nm, 100mW, 30s). Whole lung scaffolds were recellularized: (1) Recellularized Lung (2) Recellularized Lung + LLLT. Mesenchymal stem cells derived from human tooth pulp (DPSc) were seeded into lungs and incubated for 24 hours at 37ºC, 5% CO₂, in a bioreactor-like conditions, maintaining CPAP at 20cmH2O, 90% O2, and LLL at wavelength of 808nm, 100mW, 30s. Culture medium were analyzed at 24 hours. H&amp;E, immunostaining, SEM and ELISA assay were performed. We produced viable biological scaffolds absent of DNA content, preserving glycosaminoglycans and collagen I, III and IV, fibronectin, laminin and elastin and lung structure (SEM). The levels of IL-6 and IL-8 were stable during the 24 hours of culture. IFN-γ levels showed significant difference in the DPSc and DPSc+LLLT group in the 24-hour evaluation. The levels of IL-10 decreased after LLLT. These findings highlight LLLT's role in cytokine regulation and contamination prevention during lung recellularization with mesenchymal stem cells. Overall, these results demonstrated that LLLT's modulated cytokine levels and could prevent contamination during the lung recellularization process with mesenchymal stem cells, offering promise for enhanced therapeutic strategies in lung bioengineering.

BDD is a hoof disease characterized by inflammation of the second and fifth accessory digits and the skin in this region. This pathology is scarcely described in the literature; however, it has recently been observed in beef cattle in the Amazon Biome region. The objective of this study was to identify the epidemiological factors associated with BDD onset in cattle in the analyzed biome. Samples were collected from eight farms with extensive breeding systems located in Xinguara, Rondon do Pará, Curionópolis, and Ipixuna do Pará, in the state of Pará, Brazil. A total of 706 Nellore and Nellore crossbred with taurine animals of both sexes were evaluated, with males aged between 2–4 years and a mean weight of 650 kg and females aged between 2–11 years and a mean weight of 400 kg. Distal extremities were inspected during cattle management, and in case of accessory digit lesions, a specific examination was carried out after proper restraint. Animals were diagnosed with BDD in all farms analyzed. Of the 706 cattle inspected, 49 (6.94%) showed BDD, of which 19 (38.77%) were Nellore and 30 (61.22%) were crossbred. This was the first study to determine BDD’s occurrence in extensive farming systems in the Amazon region, also showing that pastures with large amounts of stumps and stones, the physical structure of pens, and trauma and injury incidence during animal management are the most important predisposing factors for the onset of BDD.

The epidemiological and clinical pathological aspects of polioencephalomalacia (PEM) in five buffaloes (buffaloes 01 to 05) in the amazon biome are described. Epidemiological data were obtained during the clinical visit in which the animals with clinical signs compatible with polioencephalomalacia were submitted to a general and specific clinical examination of the nervous system. During the necropsy of the five animals, the intensity and location of the lesions were evaluated and fragments from different organs were collected and fixed in 10% buffered formalin and sent to the Pathological Anatomy Sector of the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro for histopathological examination. Of the five studied animals, all were of the Murrah breed, four male and one female, with ages ranging from two months to one year. Two buffaloes (buffalo 01 and 02) were from the municipality of Castanhal, Pará, kept in an extensive breeding system on Urochloa brizantha pasture. Buffaloes 03 and 04 belonged to a property located in the municipality of Cachoeira do Arari, Marajó Island, Pará, and buffalo 05 was from a property located in the municipality of Itaubal, state of Amapá, all of them were raised in an extensive system in flooded of native pasture. At the clinical examination, all buffaloes had a body score between 2.5 and 3 (scale from 1 to 5), and there was noted decreased alertness, postural changes, marked hypermetria when stimulated to move, total or partial blindness demonstrated by colliding to the corral structures, head pressing and circumduction of the hindquarters when supported on the forelimbs, opisthotonos, muscle tremors, convulsions, paddling movements, sialorrhea, decrease in palpebral and pupillary reflexes and eyeball rotation placing the pupillary slit in a vertical position. At necropsy, mild lesions characterized by edema and flattening of the cerebral convolutions were observed. Histopathological examination showed laminar necrosis of the cerebral cortex. The diagnosis of polioencephalomalacia was based on epidemiological, clinical-pathological, and histopathological findings, similar to findings in other ruminants. The cause of polioencephalomalacia in the studied buffaloes was not established, which indicates the need for further studies to elucidate this disease in the species, mainly in the Amazon region.

The human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has a crucial role on blood pressure control; however, ACE2 is also the primary SARS-CoV-2 (S domain) virus receptor. Inhibiting or even reducing the expression of the native ACE2 might diminish the viral entry into the cells, but may cause a failure of ACE2 biological activity, primarily in patients with comorbidities, including diabetes mellitus or hypertension. Since the ACE2 catalytic site and the SARS-Cov-2 receptor are distinct, we designed a Crispr-Cas9 model system, predicting the respective sequences for a guide RNA (gRNA) and a single-stranded oligo dideoxy nucleotide (ssODN), to introduce point mutations into the exon 1 of the human ACE2 gene, which encodes the alpha-helix, implicated on the binding of the SARS-CoV-2 envelope S protein. Protein modeling predicted that the specific substitutions of residues Phe28, Lys31, and Tyr41 for Ala at the ACE2 alpha-helix do not significantly alter ACE2 native conformation. The analysis of the impact of these mutations on ACE2 receptor function predicted a weakening of the binding of the SARS-CoV-2 protein S. An experimental genome editing of cells based on these Crispr-Cas9 elements might reduce the SARS-CoV-2 ability to enter the epithelial cell, preserving the biological activity of ACE2 enzyme.

The blood count is crucial for assessing bone marrow's cell production and differentiation during infections, gauging disease severity, and monitoring therapeutic responses. The profile of blood count in chronic form of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) has been insufficiently explored. To better understand the changes in hematological cells in different stages of the PCM chronic form, we evaluated the blood count, including immature blood cells in automated equipment, before and during the treatment follow-up of 62 chronic PCM patients. Predominantly male (96.8%) with an average age of 54.3 (SD 6.9) years, participants exhibited pre-treatment conditions such as anemia (45.2%), monocytosis (38.7%), and leukocytosis (17.7%) which became less frequent after clinical cure. Anemia was more prevalent in severe cases. Notably, hemoglobin and reticulocyte hemoglobin content increased, while leukocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, immature granulocytes, and platelets decreased. Chronic PCM induced manageable hematological abnormalities, mainly in the red blood series. Monocytosis, indicating monocytes' role in PCM's immune response, was frequent. Post-treatment, especially after achieving clinical cure, significant improvements were observed in various hematological indices, including immature granulocytes and reticulocyte hemoglobin content, underscoring the impact of infection on these parameters.

Axial resolution is one of the most important characteristics of a microscope. In all microscopes, a high axial resolution is desired in order to discriminate information efficiently along the longitudinal direction. However, when studying thick samples that do not contain laterally overlapping information, a low axial resolution is desirable as information from multiple planes can be recorded simultaneously from a single camera shot instead of plane-by-plane mechanical refocusing. In this study, we increased the focal depth of an infrared microscope non-invasively by introducing a binary axicon fabricated on barium fluoride substrate close to the sample. Preliminary results of imaging thick and sparse silk fibers showed an improved focal depth with a slight decrease in lateral resolution and increase in background noise.