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ABSTRACT This study evaluated the effectiveness of a semi-continuous flow-through subcritical water hydrolysis (SWH) pretreatment of brewer's spent grains (BSG) for subsequent application in the anaerobic digestion (AD) process. BSG pretreatment was conducted at 160 °C and 15 MPa with a flow rate of 10 mL water min -1 and 15 g water g -1 BSG. The results revealed that SWH attacked the hemicellulose structure, releasing arabinose (46.54 mg g -1 ) and xylose (39.90 mg g -1 ) sugars, and proteins (34.89 mg g -1 ). The start-up of anaerobic reactors using pretreated BSG (747.71 L CH 4 kg -1 TVS) increased the methane yield compared with the reactor without pretreatment (53.21 L CH 4 kg -1 TVS). For the process with pretreatment, the generation of electricity (134 kWh t -1 BSG) and heat (604 MJ t -1 ) are responsible for the mitigation of 43.90 kg CO 2 eq t -1 BSG. The adoption of SWH as an eco-friendly pretreatment of biomass for AD could be a technological route to increase methane-rich biogas and bioenergy production, supporting the circular economy transition by reducing the carbon footprint of the beer industry.

Purpose: To cross-culturally adapt and verify the measurement properties of the Brazilian version of the Motor Assessment Scale (MAS)., Methods: The process of cross-cultural adaptation followed standardized procedures. Construct validity of the MAS was investigated using Rasch analysis (n = 100), whereas inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities were evaluated using Kappa coefficients and Bland and Altman plots (n = 52)., Results: The MAS demonstrated satisfactory measurement properties. The Kappa coefficients for the inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities were 0.73 (ranging from 0.79 to 1.00) and 0.82 (ranging from 0.86 to 1.00), respectively. The Bland and Altman plots showed adequate inter-rater and test-retest agreements. No ceiling or floor effects were observed and only one item exhibited misfit to the Rasch model expectations. Item 4 "sitting to standing" exhibited marginal misfit (infit MnSq = 1.44; Zstd = 2.6), but it did not affect the unidimensionality of the scale., Conclusions: The MAS demonstrated good indicators of validity and reliability to be used for the assessment of motor function of individuals with stroke within clinical and research contexts. Implications for rehabilitation The Motor Assessment Scale is a performance-based scale for the assessment of motor function of individuals with stroke, based on a task-oriented approach. The Motor Assessment Scale has shown good clinical utility indicators dues to its quick administration, objectivity, and clinical relevance as a functional predictor. The Motor Assessment Scale showed good indicators of validity and reliability to be used within clinical and research contexts for the evaluation of motor function of individuals after stroke.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cross-cultural validity of the Brazilian version of the ABILOCO questionnaire for stroke subjects., Materials and Methods: Cross-cultural adaptation of the original English version of the ABILOCO to the Brazilian-Portuguese language followed standardized procedures. The adapted version was administered to 136 stroke subjects and its measurement properties were assessed using Rash analysis. Cross-cultural validity was based on cultural invariance analyses., Results: Goodness-of-fit analysis revealed one misfitting item. The principal component analysis of the residuals showed that the first dimension explained 45% of the variance in locomotion ability; however, the eigenvalue was 1.92. The ABILOCO-Brazil divided the sample into two levels of ability and the items into about seven levels of difficulty. The item-person map showed some ceiling effect. Cultural invariance analyses revealed that although there were differences in the item calibrations between the ABILOCO-original and ABILOCO-Brazil, they did not impact the measures of locomotion ability., Conclusions: The ABILOCO-Brazil demonstrated satisfactory measurement properties to be used within both clinical and research contexts in Brazil, as well cross-cultural validity to be used in international/multicentric studies. However, the presence of ceiling effect suggests that it may not be appropriate for the assessment of individuals with high levels of locomotion ability. Implications for rehabilitation Self-report measures of locomotion ability are clinically important, since they describe the abilities of the individuals within real life contexts. The ABILOCO questionnaire, specific for stroke survivors, demonstrated satisfactory measurement properties, but may not be most appropriate to assess individuals with high levels of locomotion ability The results of the cross-cultural validity showed that the ABILOCO-Original and the ABILOCO-Brazil calibrations may be used interchangeable.

Squamous cell carcinoma is responsible for 90% of the head and neck cancers affecting over 600,000 people worldwide. Radiation therapy, surgery and chemotherapy are the most important treatment modalities in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The aim of this review is to summarize the recent innovations in head and neck radiation therapy, which intends to appreciate the cutting-edge intensity-modulated radiation therapy strategies to mitigate long-term toxicities and evaluate promising technologies in the field as adaptive treatment, dose painting and proton therapy.

Glioblastoma is a common aggressive primary malignant brain tumor, and is nearly universal in progression and mortality after initial treatment. Re-irradiation presents a promising treatment option for progressive disease, both palliating symptoms and potentially extending survival. Highly conformal radiation techniques such as stereotactic radiosurgery and hypofractionated radiosurgery are effective short courses of treatment that allow delivery of high doses of therapeutic radiation with steep dose gradients to protect normal tissue. Patients with higher performance status, younger age, and longer interval between primary treatment and progression represent the best candidates for re-irradiation. Multiple studies are also underway involving combinations of radiation and systemic therapy to bend the survival curve and improve the therapeutic index. In the multimodal treatment of recurrent high-grade glioma, the use of surgery, radiation, and systemic therapy should be highly individualized. Here we comprehensively review radiation therapy and techniques, along with discussion of combination treatment and novel strategies.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with many psychiatric and nonpsychiatric comorbidities. Growing evidence suggests that PTSD as a comorbidity may impair drug adherence, quality of life and sleep quality, as well as increase rehospitalization rates, disease relapses, intensity of symptoms, morbidity and mortality. The aim of this article is to examine the literature regarding the effects of PTSD comorbidity on physical and mental health.