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Brazilian biomes are important sources for environmental microorganisms, including efficient metabolic machineries, like actinomycetes. These bacteria are known for their abilities to produce many bioactive compounds, including enzymes with multiple industrial applications. The present work aimed to evaluate lignocellulolytic abilities of actinomycetes isolated from soil and rhizosphere samples collected at Caatinga, Atlantic and Amazon Forest. Laccase (Lac), lignin peroxidase (LiP), manganese peroxidase (MnP) and cellulase were evaluated for their efficiency. These enzymes have an essential role in lignin decomposition, through oxidation of phenolic and non-phenolic compounds, as well as enzymatic hydrolysis of vegetal biomass. In this sense, a total of 173 actinomycetes were investigated. Eleven (11) of them were selected by their enzymatic performance. The actinomycete AC166 displayed some activity in all analysed scenarios in terms of Lac, MnP and LiP activity, while AC171 was selected as the most promising strain, showing the following activities: 29.7 U.L -1 for Lac; 2.5 U.L -1 for LiP and 23 U.L -1 for MnP. Cellulolytic activities were evaluated at two pH conditions, 4.8 and 7.4, obtaining the following results: 25 U.L -1 and 71 U.L -1 , respectively. Thermostability (4, 30 and 60 o C) and salinity concentrations (0 to 4 M) and pH variation (2.0 to 9.0) stabilities of the obtained LiP and Lac enzymatic extracts were also verified. The actinomycete strain AC171 displayed an adaptable response in distinct pH and salt profiles, indicating that bacterial LiP was some halophilic type. Additionally, the strain AC149 produced an alkali and extreme halophilic lignin peroxidase, which are promising profiles for their future application under lignocellulosic biomass at bioethanol biorefineries., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To investigate the factors directly and indirectly associated with a cariogenic diet among southern Brazilian adolescents., Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 15-19-year-old students attending high schools in Santa Maria, southern Brazil. The participants completed a questionnaire on sociodemographic and behavioral variables. The Oral Health Impact Profile-14 was applied to collect data on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Clinical examination was used to assess the dental caries status (decayed, missing, and filled teeth index). A cariogenic diet was considered a latent variable measured by the self-perception of a healthy diet and the frequency of consumption of sugary foods and drinks. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the direct and indirect pathways to a cariogenic diet., Results: A total of 1197 adolescents were included. Low toothbrushing frequency (standardized coefficient (SC), 0.10; p < 0.05), cigarette smoking (SC, 0.15; p < 0.01), and alcoholic beverages (SC, 0.14; p < 0.01) were directly linked to a cariogenic diet, which, in turn, was directly linked to untreated dental caries (SC, 0.18; p < 0.01) and poor OHRQoL (SC, 0.16; p < 0.01). In addition, household income (via toothbrushing frequency) and age (via alcoholic beverages) were indirectly linked to a cariogenic diet., Conclusion: A cariogenic diet was consistently associated with a range of unhealthy behaviors during adolescence as well as poor household income., Clinical Relevance: Health promotion strategies to restrict sugar consumption and encourage healthier lifestyles should be aware of the synergism observed among unhealthy behaviors during adolescence., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Seasonal metabolic changes can be observed in many anurans' species. In subtropical environments with environmental temperatures variations, the temperature is a factor that can influence the extent and intensity of activity in many anuran species. Nonetheless, some species of subtropical frogs may remain active throughout the year. Boana pulchella, a subtropical species, seems to be able to survive low temperatures and remain reproductively active even in the coldest months. Therefore, we hypothesized that B. pulchella presents seasonal changes in the energy metabolism to sustain activity during all year. This study evaluated the main energy substrate levels and metabolism of B. pulchella in plasma, liver and muscle of male individuals collected in winter, spring, summer and fall in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Our results showed that B. pulchella has a higher glycolytic oxidation rate in liver (P = 0.0152) and muscle (P = 0.0003) and higher glycogenesis from glucose in muscle (P = 0.0002) in summer, indicating the main energy substrates in this season is glucose. The higher muscle glycogen (P = 0.0008) and lower plasma glucose in fall (P = 0.0134) may indicate an anticipatory regulation for storing to the most thermally demanding cold period: winter. These results indicated seasonal differences in the main energy substrates, and these metabolic changes among seasons can be part of a metabolic adjustment allowing maintenance of reproductive activity all year in Boana pulchella species., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Taking into account that the industrial processing of passion fruit generates significant amounts of waste (only the peels represent 51% of the total mass of the fruit), in the present study an economic analysis was conducted to evaluate industrial line viability for pectin extraction from passion fruit peels. Knowing that absolute ethanol (99.50% purity), used in the precipitation and washing steps, has a higher cost, a simulation of extractive distillation was performed using solvents ethylene glycol and glycerol, in the software Aspen Plus v.11, being possible to recover 99.63% of ethanol for both solvents. The results of the economic evaluation showed that the process using ethylene glycol has an advantage, mainly due to its higher profitability (1.13 times higher), lower production cost (94.86% of the price using glycerol), and a lower breakeven point (around 3% smaller). The financial indicators showed profitability and attractiveness for the implementation of this processing line.

Gram-negative bacteria are worrisome because they are becoming resistant to many antibiotic available options, mainly in hospital environment. Several studies have noted the presence of bacteria producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamase, with the presence of antibiotic-resistance genes in fresh vegetables and fruits. This study aimed to detect the presence of phenotypic and genotypic resistance in eight samples of fresh fruit juices served to patients admitted to a hospital in Rio de Janeiro. The growth of microorganisms on MacConkey and XLD agar was carried out to obtain a "pool" of Gram-negative bacteria. The disk diffusion test and the polymerase chain reaction were performed to detect the phenotypic and genotypic resistance of Gram-negative bacteria to the tested antibiotics. The multidrug resistance was detected in all samples and the shv, tem, ctx, tetA, tetB and oxa- 48 genes were found in the samples, including the presence of class 2 and 3 integrons. We can conclude that the selection methodology allows the detection of a greater number of genes and this found warns about the risk of making these foods available to patients in hospitals.

Objectives: The study endeavors to undertake a bibliometric analysis on molar distalization, with the objective of illuminating its evolutionary trajectory, current status, and prognosticating future research hotspots and trends., Material and Methods: A comprehensive exploration of the literature on molar distalization was carried out by conducting a search in the Web of Science (WOS) core database of the University of Hong Kong Electronic Library. The search for topic terms employed included "molar distalization," "molar distalisation," "move molar distally," "molar distal movement," and "molar backwards." The search results were subsequently subjected to meticulous analysis using CiteSpace software. This analysis encompassed various facets such as the citation count; the geographical distribution of the countries, institutions, and journals responsible for publishing the articles; the distribution of the authors; the utilization of keywords within the articles; and the analysis of references., Results: A total of 516 articles were included in the analysis. The top 5 countries in terms of the number of published papers were the United States (USA), South Korea, Turkey, Italy, and Germany, and the top 5 institutions in terms of the number of published papers were Kyung Hee University, A.T. Still University of Health Sciences, Catholic University of Korea, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, and Universidade de Sao Paulo. The top 5 authors in terms of the number of published papers were Park, Kook, Bayome, Janson, and Lee. There was little cooperation overall. The top 3 journals in terms of the most published related articles were all orthodontic-related journals. After molar distalization and anchorage, the most frequently used keywords were distalization, movement, and pendulum appliance. Kinzinger GSM is the most frequently cited author in references, and one of his articles also has the highest centrality score in references., Conclusions: As the tides of time shift and scholars display an ever-growing dedication to unraveling the intricacies of this therapeutic modality, the realm of molar distalization has undergone notable advancements in technology. Initially, the traditional appliance suffered from aesthetic drawbacks and discomfort. However, contemporary iterations of the appliance have transcended these limitations, boasting enhanced elegance and convenience while concurrently elevating their efficacy. Nevertheless, limitations of current appliances, including their durability and propensity for recurrence post-treatment, continue to necessitate further advancement. Hence, the ongoing scientific inquiry aims to delve deeper into refining treatment modalities and fabricating cutting-edge appliances within this realm., Clinical Relevance: This study holds the potential to significantly enhance the ability of orthodontists to devise treatment protocols and offer state-of-the-art clinical recommendations, thereby empowering them to deliver advanced and refined orthodontic interventions., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The present study aimed to elaborate a review of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria in soil, food, aquatic environments, cattle, poultry, and swine farms in Brazil. Initially, the literature database for published papers from 2012 to 2023 was Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), U.S. National Library of Medicine (PubMed), and Google Scholar, through the descriptors: antimicrobial resistance, resistance profile, multidrug resistance, environmental bacteria, and pathogenic bacteria. The studies demonstrated the prevalence of pathogenic and resistant bacteria in environments that favor their rapid dissemination. Bacteria of medical importance, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Vibrio spp., were present in samples from animal farms and foods, including cheese and milk, urban aquatic environments, hospital effluents, and shrimp farms. Studies suggested that important bacteria have been disseminated through different niches with easy contact with humans, animals, and food, demonstrating the danger of the emergence of increasingly difficult conditions for treating and controlling these infections. Thus, better understanding and characterizing the resistance profiles of bacteria in these regions, mainly referring to MDR bacteria, can help develop solutions to prevent the progression of this public health problem., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The Guandu River, one of the main rivers in the state of Rio de Janeiro, provides water for more than nine million people in the metropolitan region. However, the Guandu has suffered from massive domestic and industrial pollution for more than two decades, leading to high levels of dissolved total phosphorus, cyanobacteria, and enteric bacteria observed during the summers of 2020 and 2021. The use of Phoslock, a palliative compound, was not effective in mitigating the levels of phosphorus in the Guandu River. Furthermore, potable water driven from the river had levels of 2-MIB/geosmin and a mud smell/taste. With all these problems, several solutions are proposed for improving the Guandu River water quality, including establishment of (i) sewage treatment plants (STPs), (ii) strict water quality monitoring, (iii) environmental recovery (e.g., reforestation), and (iv) permanent protected areas. The objective of this paper is to verify the poor water quality in the Guandu and the ineffectiveness and undesired effects of Phoslock., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Since domestication, horse breeds have adapted to their environments and differentiated from one another. This paper uses two methods to detect selection signatures in 23 horse breeds, eight of which are Brazilian (610 animals), both cold-blooded and warm-blooded, from temperate and tropical regions. These animals were genotyped using the GGP Equine BeadChip and we analysed the data by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The samples were separated into groups based on their geographical area of origin and PCA results studied. The genomic regions under selection were detected by hapFLK and PCAdapt methodologies, identifying six regions under selection with at least one Brazilian horse breed. These regions contain genes associated with heat tolerance, skin colour, body size, energy production/metabolism, genes involved in protein degradation/turnover/DNA repair, genes reducing the impact of oxidative stress/cellular repair, and transcriptional regulation. This work confirmed LCORL and NCAPG gene regions in previous studies associated with body size on Equine Chromosome Autosome 3 (ECA3). On the same ECA3, a region implicating genes linked to coat colour was identified, also previously related to heat stress. Regions with genes coding heat shock proteins were found on ECA1 and 2, and many candidate genes for oxidation-reduction which are a natural response to heat stress. However, a larger sample size and whole-genome SNPs are needed to understand better and identify new candidate regions as well as their functional relation with heat tolerance., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)