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Background: This study investigates the relationship between sleep patterns and ischemic stroke beyond the predominant focus on obstructive sleep apnea. Through a systematic review of the existing literature, we aim to elucidate the connections between insomnia, sleep duration, cardiovascular factors, and ischemic stroke onset. Methods: We searched databases, including MEDLINE, SciELO, Scopus, and Science Direct, using an adapted PICO framework. Using a search strategy with MeSH words, keywords, and expressions related to insomnia and stroke, we included clinical trials and analytical observational epidemiological studies, comprising cohort, case–control, and cross-sectional studies. Results: Following the initial search, we identified 984 records, with 779 titles and abstracts screened for eligibility after removing duplicates. From these, 63 full-text articles, including 5 in the data synthesis, were reviewed. Our findings highlight a significant correlation between poor sleep quality, extreme sleep durations, and a heightened risk of ischemic stroke, along with established cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and diabetes. Conclusions: This systematic review offers a comprehensive analysis of ischemic stroke prevalence and its association with cardiovascular factors, such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and diabetes. It suggests that poor sleep quality and extreme sleep durations, particularly long ones, are linked to a heightened risk of ischemic stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eugenol, 4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol, is the main constituent of clove essential oil and has demonstrated relevant biological activity, namely anticancer activity. Aiming to increase this activity, we synthesized a series of eugenol β-amino alcohol and β-alkoxy alcohol derivatives, which were then tested against two human cancer cell lines, namely gastric adenocarcinoma cells (AGS) and lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549). An initial screening was performed to identify the most cytotoxic compounds. The results demonstrated that three β-amino alcohol derivatives had anticancer activity that justified subsequent studies, having been shown to trigger apoptosis. Importantly, the most potent molecules displayed no appreciable toxicity towards human noncancer cells. Structure-activity relationships show that changes in eugenol structure led to enhanced cytotoxic activity and can contribute to the future design of more potent and selective drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of β-amino alcohols were prepared by the reaction of eugenol epoxide with aliphatic and aromatic amine nucleophiles. The synthesized compounds were fully characterized and evaluated as potential insecticides through the assessment of their biological activity against Sf9 insect cells, compared with a commercial synthetic pesticide (chlorpyrifos, CHPY). Three derivatives bearing a terminal benzene ring, either substituted or unsubstituted, were identified as the most potent molecules, two of them displaying higher toxicity to insect cells than CHPY. In addition, the most promising molecules were able to increase the activity of serine proteases (caspases) pivotal to apoptosis and were more toxic to insect cells than human cells. Structure-based inverted virtual screening and molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate that these molecules likely target acetylcholinesterase and/or the insect odorant-binding proteins and are able to form stable complexes with these proteins. Encapsulation assays in liposomes of DMPG and DPPC/DMPG (1:1) were performed for the most active compound, and high encapsulation efficiencies were obtained. A thermosensitive formulation was achieved with the compound release being more efficient at higher temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellular automata (CA) models have been used in urban studies for dealing with land use change. Transport and accessibility are arguably the main drivers of urban change and have a direct influence on land use. Land use and transport interaction models deal with the complexity of this relationship using many different approaches. CA models incorporate these drivers, but usually consider transport (and accessibility) variables as exogenous. Our paper presents a CA model where transport variables are endogenous to the model and are calibrated along with the land use variables to capture the interdependent complexity of these phenomena. The model uses irregular cells and a variable neighborhood to simulate land use change, taking into account the effect of the road network. Calibration is performed through a particle swarm algorithm. We present an application of the model to a comparison of scenarios for the construction of a ring road in the city of Coimbra, Portugal. The results show the ability of the CA model to capture the influence of change of the transport network (and thus in accessibility) in the land use dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]