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Green infrastructures have been pointed out as innovative solutions to deal with current and future challenges related to air pollution and climate change. Although the potential of green infrastructures, such as green walls and green roofs, to mitigate air pollution has been documented, evidence at a local scale is still limited. This work aims to increase knowledge about the potentialities of green infrastructures in improving local air quality, focusing on particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone pollutants, and by using a local-scale computational fluid dynamics model. The ENVI-met model was applied to a particular hour of a summer day over a built-up environment centred on a main avenue in the city of Lisbon (Portugal). The dimensions of the computational domain are 618 m × 594 m × 143 m, and it contains 184 buildings, with the tallest building being 56 m. In addition to the baseline simulation, modelling was also done considering the application of green walls and green roofs to specific buildings located near the main avenue, together with a green corridor. The overall results show no disturbances exerted by green walls on the turbulent flow dynamics and on the air quality levels when compared to the baseline scenario (without green walls). The integrated scenario, which includes green walls, green roofs and a green corridor, will lead to potential local benefits of green infrastructures on O3 concentrations, followed by variable impacts on NO2 and particulate matter concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gullies are significant contributors to soil degradation in several regions of Brazil, including Minas Gerais, where erosion processes have caused soil loss. The characterization of erosion processes is crucial for the application of measures for recovering degraded areas and reducing erosion impacts. This study models soil loss with the use of InVEST software and assesses the impact of three different scenarios, namely (1) implementation of soil conservation practices and replacement of pasture areas for temporary agriculture, (2) reforestation of pasture areas, and (3) preservation of ciliary forests. Soil loss, sediment exportation, retention, and deposition for the present scenario (2019), as well as the three aforementioned hypothetical scenarios, were estimated. In the present scenario, the estimated mean annual soil loss was 2.75 t/ha year, with 1,449.54 t/year sediment exportation, 9,042.13 t/year retention, and 1,449.54 t/year deposition. The model predicted scenario 1 would result in 2.23 t/ha year mean annual soil loss, 1,300.59 t/year sediment exportation, 9,191.08 t/year retention, and 11,755.76 t/year deposition. Scenario 2 showed 1.92 t/ha year mean annual soil loss, 1,046.69 t/year sediment exportation, 9,444.98 t/year retention, and 10,229.77 t/year deposition, whereas the results for scenario 3 were 2.36 t/ha year, 616.65 t/year, 9,862.06 t/year, and 13,206.47 t/year, respectively. Reforestation and preservation of ciliary forests, along with soil conservation practices, were effective measures for reducing soil loss. Such findings are valuable for the management of areas degraded by erosion processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The objective was to assess the effectiveness and safety of a bioabsorbable mesh at the time of closure of a midline laparotomy for IH prevention. Materials and Methods: A multicenter, randomized clinical trial including patients undergoing abdominal surgical procedures through a midline laparotomy incision was designed. In the group of mesh (n = 167) the incision was closed using a continuous polydioxanone suture (PDS) plus a bioabsorbable mesh. In the control group (n = 165) a continuous PDS single layer suture was only used. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to the two groups. The primary outcome was the incidence of IH at 6, 12 and 24 months. Assessment of IH was done using a CT scan. Results: At 6 months, the rates of IH were 15.2% and 24.8% in the experimental and control groups, respectively (relative risk [RR] 0.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.38-0.98, P = 0.042). At 12 months, the rate of IH continued to be significantly lower in the experimental group (21.4% vs. 33.1%, P = 0.033), but at 24 months, there were no significant differences between the study groups with a follow-up rate of only 37.5%. The number needed to treat (NNT) was 11 and 9 at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Conclusion: The bioabsorbable mesh significantly prevented IH during the first year. Not reliable conclusions can be drawn across the second year. This may suggest that the any of the closing technique assessed in this study would have a "palliative" transient effect for preventing IH in the long-term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report an investigation of the structural, morphological, the ac-dc electrical, magnetic, and Mössbauer spectroscopy properties of 20MnFe2O4-80SiO2 nanocomposite prepared using a one-step and facile auto-combustion approach. XRD pattern shows the formation of MnFe2O4 nanocrystallite without any crystallization of the SiO2 phase. However, the presence of a secondary phase of the nanosized α-Fe2O3 particles was also detected. The morphological analysis showed aggregation of polygonal magnetic nano-crystallites dispersed non-uniformly in a silica matrix. The dc electrical measurements performed on a wide range of temperatures from 120 to 400 K showed the semiconducting nature of the nanocomposite. The temperature dependence of dc conductivity could be perfectly fitted to the nearest neighborhood hopping model with activation energy, ΔENNH, of 0.45 eV. The Nyquist plots demonstrated a nonmonotonous thermally activated trend and non-Debye relaxation behavior. An equivalent circuit was successfully fitted to the complex impedance spectra. The variation of both grain and grain boundary conductivities as a function of temperature exhibited three distinct regions, semiconducting-metallic-semiconducting with different activation energies over the measured temperature window. The provided description of such behavior is further advocated by the ac conductivity and dielectric modulus studies. VSM measurements revealed that the nanocomposite magnetic behavior deviates from the ideal non-interacting superparamagnetic picture, due to the presence of α-Fe2O3 nanocrystalline impurities and relatively intensive exchange interactions between ions. Mössbauer spectra showed the presence of Fe3+ ions with sixfold environment and also confirmed the existence of a sextet related to α-Fe2O3 with a quantity of about 20% out of magnetic components. Fe3+ superparamagnetic doublets were also found within the fitting procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the dire conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Reports in terms of global warming and its impacts on Earth's climate, ecosystems and human society, a skepticism claiming that the projected global warming is alarmist or, at least, overestimated, still persists. Given the years passed since the future climate projections that served as basis for the IPCC 4th, 5th and 6th Assessment Reports were released, it is now possible to answer this fundamental question if the projected global warming has been over or underestimated. This study presents a comparison between CMIP3, CMIP5 and CMIP6 future temperature projections and observations. The results show that the global warming projected by all CMIPs and future climate scenarios here analyzed project a global warming slightly lower than the observed one. The observed warming is closer to the upper level of the projected ones, revealing that CMIPs future climate scenarios with higher GHG emissions appear to be the most realistic ones. These results show that CMIPs future warming projections have been slightly conservative up to 2020, which could suggest a similar cold bias in their warming projections up to the end of the current century. However, given the short future periods here analyzed, inferences about warming at longer timescales cannot be done with confidence, since the models internal variability can play a relevant role on timescales of 20 years and less. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ventral hernia repair is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures worldwide. To reduce the risk of complications, patient prehabilitation has received increasing focus in recent years. To assess prehabilitation measures, this European Hernia Society endorsed project was launched. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the current literature on patient prehabilitation prior to ventral hernia repair. Methods: The strategies examined were optimization of renal disease, obesity, nutrition, physical exercise, COPD, diabetes and smoking cessation. For each topic, a separate literature search was conducted, allowing for seven different sub-reviews. Results: A limited amount of well-conducted research studies evaluating prehabilitation prior to ventral hernia surgery was found. The primary findings showed that smoking cessation and weight loss for obese patients led to reduced risks of complications after abdominal wall reconstruction. Conclusion: Prehabilitation prior to ventral hernia repair may be widely used; however, the literature supporting its use is limited. Future studies evaluating the impact of prehabilitation before ventral hernia surgery are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to assess the potential of the composted sugarcane pressmud, as a reactive material for lead and zinc, comparing its adsorption, desorption, bioaccessibility, and cost/efficiency with more traditionally studied low-cost adsorbents for potentially toxic metals. For this, sugarcane pressmud, peat, zeolite clinoptilolite, and zeolite clinoptilolite enrichment with sodium were investigated. All materials were capable of removing lead and zinc in high concentrations, and the removals are dependent on the initial concentration. Both clinoptilolites were considered the most efficient for lead, followed by sugarcane pressmud. Regarding zinc, sugarcane pressmud had the highest performance, reaching around 72% of removal at 240 mg L−1. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model is satisfactorily suited to adsorption for all materials. Sugarcane pressmud attained the equilibrium faster than others (within 60 min), and it was considered the cheapest one (0.01 and 0.04 U$ for gram of lead and zinc removed). Langmuir described a monolayer sorption capacity (of 8.7738 mg g−1) of zinc onto sugarcane pressmud. In desorption and bioaccessibility assays, all the materials are capable of maintaining both potentially toxic metals at the binding sites, although most of the elements adsorbed in organic materials (sugarcane pressmud and peat) are in their bioaccessible form (above about 80%), requiring proper usage planning, and correctly handled. Thus, the results demonstrate that sugarcane pressmud (an abundant and inexpensive agro-waste material) may be a promising alternative as a reactive material for remediation in contaminated mining areas by lead and zinc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil erosion affects agricultural production by reducing the area of rural properties and altering the dynamics of watersheds. Gullies are a complex and irregular type of erosion form that can reach large dimensions, and studying gullies to stabilize erosion processes is a challenge. This study aims to understand their environmental relationships as a basis for future research and to recover land degraded by soil erosion. We combined mapping techniques using geographic information system (GIS) with temporal evolution of land use and fractal dimensions of gullies using FracLac to determine the stability of gullies in a watershed in south Minas Gerais (Brazil). We used R software to apply linear regressions and tested the statistics to verify the compatibility of the model. Environmental characteristics of the watershed contribute to the formation of gullies, but human activities influence the deflagration of these features. The temporal evolution of the land use demonstrated that nearly 50% of the watershed was used as pastures throughout the years, which contributed to soil degradation. The evolution of the fractal dimension showed fluctuations over the years, indicating that the gullies are not stable. The regressions suggest that the vegetation, geology, land use, channel order, and curvature may influence the fractal dimensions of gullies. We concluded that human activity influences the evolution of gullies; the use of techniques such as vegetation measures can contribute to the stabilization of gullies. We also concluded that fractal analysis is an interesting tool for performing environmental evaluations of irregular and complex features, such as gullies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malnutrition is frequent in older cancer patients, with a prevalence that ranges from 25% to 85%. The aging process is associated with several physiological changes, which may have implications for nutritional status. Screening tools can be useful for identifying malnutrition status among older patients with cancer. Methods: A hospital-based multicenter cohort study that included 44 institutions in Brazil. The Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) was administered to 3061 older hospitalized cancer patients within 48 hoursof admission. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to test the sample distribution, considering sex, age range, calf circumference, body mass index, and MNA-SF score and classification. The categorical data were expressed by frequencies (n) and percentages (%)and compared using the chi-square test or Tukey test. Results: According to the results of the MNA-SF, 33.4% of the patients were malnourished, 39.3% were at risk of malnutrition, and 27.3% were classified as having normal nutritional status. Length of hospital stay (in days) was found to be longer for those patients with a poorer nutritional status (malnourished: 7.07±7.58; at risk of malnutrition: 5.45±10.73; normal status: 3.9±5,84; p <0.001). Conclusions: The prevalence of malnutrition and nutritional risk is high in older hospitalized cancer patients in all the regions of Brazil and a worse nutritional status is associated with a longer hospital stay. Using a low-cost, effective nutritional screening tool for older cancer patients will enable specialized nutritional interventions and avoid inequities in the quality of cancer care worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Maytenus genus is a member of the Celastraceae family. Numerous medicinal uses were assigned to species of this genus, with the use of roots, bark, and leaves for the treatment of gastric ulcers, as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiallergic, antitumor, among others. Several studies have demonstrated that natural products derived from plants have an important role in the prevention and treatment of obesity. Accordingly, we evaluated the effect of Maytenus imbricata extracts in the treatment of obesity induced by diet rich in refined carbohydrate (HC). BALB/c mice were fed chow or HC diet for 8 weeks. At the beginning of the 9th week, the HC group was subdivided into three groups: (i) group of animals that continued to consume only HC diet; (ii) the group of animals fed HC diet supplemented with ethyl acetate extract of M. imbricata roots (HC + EAE); (iii) the group of animals fed HC diet supplemented with extract in hexane/ethyl ether (HC + HEE). The period of extracts supplementation was 4 weeks. It was observed that EAE and EHE when added to the HC diet modulated the metabolic and inflammatory changes, such as: reduced the adipocytes area, improved glucose intolerance, reduced the levels of triglycerides and resistin in serum, and the number of total leukocytes in blood. In the epididymal adipose tissue, the extracts reduced proinflammatory mediators' concentration. According to the results, it was concluded that the species Maytenus imbricata has the potential to be used for the treatment of obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mayaro fever, caused by Mayaro virus (MAYV) is a sub-lethal disease with symptoms that are easily confused with those of dengue fever, except for polyarthralgia, which may culminate in physical incapacitation. Recently, outbreaks of MAYV have been documented in metropolitan areas, and to date, there is no therapy or vaccine available. Moreover, there is no information regarding the three-dimensional structure of the viral proteins of MAYV, which is important in the search for antivirals. In this work, we constructed a three-dimensional model of protein C of MAYV by homology modelling, and this was employed in a manner similar to that of receptors in virtual screening studies to evaluate 590 molecules as prospective antiviral agents. In vitro bioassays were utilized to confirm the potential antiviral activity of the flavonoid epicatechin isolated from Salacia crassifolia (Celastraceae). The virtual screening showed that six flavonoids were promising ligands for protein C. The bioassays showed potent antiviral action of epicatechin, which protected the cells from almost all of the effects of viral infection. An effective concentration (EC50) of 0.247 μmol/mL was observed with a selectivity index (SI) of 7. The cytotoxicity assay showed that epicatechin has low toxicity, with a 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50) greater than 1.723 µmol/mL. Epicatechin was found to be twice as potent as the reference antiviral ribavirin. Furthermore, a replication kinetics assay showed a strong inhibitory effect of epicatechin on MAYV growth, with a reduction of at least four logs in virus production. Our results indicate that epicatechin is a promising candidate for further testing as an antiviral agent against Mayaro virus and other alphaviruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several works have shown that triterpenes induce peripheral antinociception by activation of cannabinoid receptors and endocannabinoids; besides, several research groups have reported activation of cannabinoid receptors in peripheral antinociception. The aim of this study was to assess the involvement of the cannabinoid system in the antinociceptive effect induced by tingenone against hyperalgesia evoked by prostaglandin E (PGE) at peripheral level. The paw pressure test was used and the hyperalgesia was induced by intraplantar injection of PGE (2 μg/paw). All drugs were injected subcutaneously in the hind paws of male Swiss mice. Tingenone (200 µg/paw) administered into the right hind paw induced a local antinociceptive effect, that was antagonized by AM630, a selective antagonist to CB cannabinoid receptor. AM251, a selective antagonist to CB cannabinoid receptor, did not alter the peripheral antinociceptive effect of tingenone. MAFP, a fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor; VDM11, an anandamide reuptake inhibitor; and JZL184, monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibitor did not potentiate the peripheral antinociceptive effect of the lower dose of tingenone (50 µg/paw). The results suggest that tingenone induced a peripheral antinociceptive effect via cannabinoid receptor activation. Therefore, this study suggests a pharmacological potential for a new analgesic drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of world importance, and its transmission depends on the interaction between humans and animals. Given the necessity to investigate potential hosts of Leptospira spp., this study verified the prevalence of different serovars in the species of Rhipidomys spp., a widespread sigmodont rodent in Brazil. The studied population originates from a semi-evergreen forest located in the county of Uberlândia, in the state of Minas Gerais. The microscopic agglutination test (MAT) was performed with 14 serovars. Thirteen out of the 43 wild rodents captured showed a positive agglutination reaction, with a greater prevalence of the serovars Pyrogenes, Copenhageni, and Canicola. This study found a prevalence of 30.3% anti- Leptospira spp. antibodies; all positive animals were reactive to more than one serovar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of parental literacy and socio-economic status (SES) on infant mortality rate (IMR) was studied. This report is only a part of much larger community-based prospective study conducted to determine the factors influencing infant mortality in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, by the Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, with the financial assistance form IDRC, Canada. A total of 12,857 livebirths during the period of October 1, 1991, to September 30, 1992, where registered and followed up for one year. There were 391 infant deaths which gives an IMR of 30.4 per 1,000 livebirths. Univariate analysis and subsequent stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that, literacy and SES have a very significant role in reducing IMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:Autophagy is a highly regulated process that has an important role in the control of a wide range of cellular functions, such as organelle recycling, nutrient availability and tissue differentiation. A recent study has shown an increased autophagic activity in the adipose tissue of obese subjects, and a role for autophagy in obesity-associated insulin resistance was proposed. Body mass reduction is the most efficient approach to tackle insulin resistance in over-weight subjects; however, the impact of weight loss in adipose tissue autophagy is unknown.Subjects:Adipose tissue autophagy was evaluated in mice and humans.Results:First, a mouse model of diet-induced obesity and diabetes was maintained on a 15-day, 40% caloric restriction. At baseline, markers of autophagy were increased in obese mice as compared with lean controls. Upon caloric restriction, autophagy increased in the lean mice, whereas it decreased in the obese mice. The reintroduction of ad libitum feeding was sufficient to rapidly reduce autophagy in the lean mice and increase autophagy in the obese mice. In the second part of the study, autophagy was evaluated in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of nine obese-non-diabetic and six obese-diabetic subjects undergoing bariatric surgery for body mass reduction. Specimens were collected during the surgery and approximately 1 year later. Markers of systemic inflammation, such as tumor necrosis factor-1α, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β were evaluated. As in the mouse model, human obesity was associated with increased autophagy, and body mass reduction led to an attenuation of autophagy in the adipose tissue.Conclusion:Obesity and caloric overfeeding are associated with the defective regulation of autophagy in the adipose tissue. The studies in obese-diabetic subjects undergoing improved metabolic control following calorie restriction suggest that autophagy and inflammation are regulated independently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proline-rich inhibitor of 31 kDa (PI31) is highly conserved through metazoan evolution, and its activity in the proteasome inhibition is well-established although the precise mechanism of inhibition is unclear. The coding DNA sequence of Schistosoma mansoni PI31 (SmPI31) was cloned, and the recombinant protein was expressed in bacterial system. The correct amino acid sequence was confirmed by mass spectrometry and circular dichroism suggests that SmPI31 contains both α-helix and non-structured regions. Inhibition assays, using the Suc-Leu-Leu-Val-Tyr-4-MCA substrate for proteasome degradation, showed that the S. mansoni proteasome may be regulated by the inhibitory activity of SmPI31. A gene expression assay using qRT-PCR at various stages during the S. mansoni life cycle has shown that SmPI31 transcripts are expressed in all studied stages, suggesting that PI31 plays an important role during the developmental processes of the parasite. In this study first evidence is presented that PI31 has a conserved structure and plays a role as proteasome inhibitor in adult worms and it is expressed through life cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycine glycinium perrhenate is a new hydrogen bonded crystalline material that exhibits several phase transitions at low and high temperature. At room temperature the structure shows some special features. One dimensional polar chains, linked by strong hydrogen bonds exist parallel to [100], [010] and [–110]. The structural, thermal and dielectric properties of this new perrhenic salt are presented and a relationship is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the mechanical properties of nanoscale systems requires a range of measurement techniques and theoretical approaches to gather the relevant physical and chemical information. The arrangements of atoms in nanostructures and macroscopic matter can be different, principally due to the role of surface energy, but the interplay between atomic and electronic structure in association with applied mechanical stress can also lead to surprising differences. For example, metastable structures such as suspended chains of atoms and helical wires have been produced by stretching metal junctions. Here, we report the spontaneous formation of the smallest possible metal nanotube with a square cross-section during the elongation of silver nanocontacts. Ab initio calculations and molecular simulations indicate that the hollow wire forms because this configuration allows the surface energy to be minimized, and also generates a soft structure capable of absorbing a huge tensile deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymeric sponge replication technique is the most used process to obtain ceramic foams with a cellular structure for filtration applications. This technique is based on an impregnation of a polymeric sponge with ceramic slurry, removal by squeezing, followed by burning out polymer and high temperature sintering. Ceramic filters must present high permeability and strength. However, these parameters are influenced in different ways by the processing method and the consequent cellular structure. In this work the relationship between permeability and strength has been investigated for 10- and 40-ppi (pores per linear inch) Al2O3–ZrO2 filter materials. Characterization included the evaluation of the permeability and strength as well as the microstructural analyses of the fracture surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have used high resolution transmission electron microscopy to determine the structure of gold nanowires generated by mechanical stretching. Just before rupture, the contacts adopt only three possible atomic configurations, whose occurrence probabilities and quantized conductance were subsequently estimated. These predictions have shown a remarkable agreement with conductance measurements from a break junction operating in ultra-high-vacuum, corroborating the derived correlation between nanowire atomic structure and conductance behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic analysis of olfC provides evidence for a role for integrins in the development and/or function of the olfactory system of Drosophila. The olfC gene was identified on the basis of mutations that result in specific defects in behavioural responses to acetate esters, and has been mapped to the cytogenetic interval 7D1;D5–6 on the X chromosome. The myospheroid (mys) gene maps to this region and encodes a β subunit of integrins. Integrins are αβ heterodimers which are present on the cell surface and have been implicated in a variety of signalling roles. Mutations in mys fail to complement the olfactory deficits of olfC mutants. These defects can be rescued by misexpression of the mys + gene under control of a hsp70 promoter. Mutations that affect the α subunit of the position-specific integrin PS2 show a dominant interaction with olfC. These results suggest that olfC is allelic to mys and functions together with αPS2 integrins in the olfactory pathway in Drosophila. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a role for Irregular chiasmC-roughest (IrreC-rst), an immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily member, in patterning sense organs on the Drosophila antenna. IrreC-rst protein is initially expressed homogeneously on apical profiles of ectodermal cells in regions of the antennal disc. During specification of founder cells (FCs), the intracellular protein distribution changes and becomes concentrated in regions where specific intercellular contacts presumably occur. Loss of function mutations as well as misexpression of irreC-rst results in an altered arrangement of FCs within the disc compared to wildtype. Sense organ development occurs normally, although spacing is affected. Unlike its role in interommatidial spacing, irreC-rst does not affect apoptosis during antennal development. We propose that IrreC-rst affects the spatial relationship between sensory and ectodermal cells during FC delamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunoscreening of an adult Schistosoma mansoni cDNA expression library, using antibodies raised against purified adult worm tegumental surface membranes, identified a recombinant clone containing a 141-bp insert. Antibodies raised against the recombinant antigen bound specifically to the tegument of adult worms and immunoprecipitated the major 25000-dalton surface membrane antigen as well as a 22000-dalton nascent polypeptide generated by cell-free translation of adult S. mansoni mRNA. The mature 25000-dalton antigen was found to be precipitated by antibodies from infected mice, rats and humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The original version of this article unfortunately contains an error. Vanessa do Nascimento Ramos was not included in the original article as one of the contributors. The name is now included in the authorgroup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]