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Hyphessobrycon langeanii was originally described as endemic to the upper Araguaia river basin, Brazil. However, our analysis of several Hyphessobrycon specimens collected in the Correntes river basin and another tributary of the Itiquira River in Mato Grosso state (both belonging to the Paraguay river basin) reveals the first verified record of H. langeanii from this basin and from the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The objective of this study is to provide a novel record of H. langeanii from the basin of the Paraguay River and from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. We compare the newly discovered populations with the populations in the Araguaia river basin, and we also provide a brief discussion on the biogeography of this species.

Abstract A checklist of recent and fossil fishes of the Order Characiformes is presented herein and believed to be complete through 2022. A total of 47 collaborators checked and provided information about their taxa of expertise. The list is arranged in alphabetical order by family and then genus and includes all available synonyms. From a total of 3,087 species group names and 527 genus group names, 2,334 species are currently treated as valid, and assigned to 301 genera and 24 families. This total includes 25 species known only from the fossil record, of which 21 are assigned to eight extant families and four are Incertae sedis in Characiformes, but does not include five species based on fossil which were wrongly treated in Characiformes. The status of 79 nominal species remains unresolved. When there are two competing hypotheses about the validity of a name, one of them is chosen and the alternate interpretation is provided in the remark section of that name. Distributional summaries are presented as numbers that correspond to areas for which there is a record of occurrence of the species. A list of unavailable names is provided at the end since some of those names may need additional research to certify their status.

The order Zeiformes comprises a small order of predominantly deep‐sea fishes. However, little information is available on their morphology, such as squamation. Therefore, in the present study, we analysed and described the squamation pattern and scale morphology of five species of Zeiformes occurring on the Brazilian coast: Allocyttus verrucosus, Grammicolepis brachiusculus, Xenolepidichthys dalgleishi, Zenion hololepis and Zenopsis conchifer. Our analysis revealed greater morphological diversity than previously reported for this order. All species, except the scaleless Zenopsis conchifer, presented cycloid scales of spinoid subtype. Grammicolepis and Zenion presented exclusively scales of the spinoid subtype, whereas both Allocyttus and Xenolepidichthys also displayed true cycloid subtype. A. verrucosus is characterised by two distinct groups of scales of different sizes that form scale clusters. G. brachiusculus and X. dalgleishi presented a unique vertically elongated scale covering most of the body. Small bony plates were observed at the dorsal‐ and anal‐fin bases of G. brachiusculus, X. dalgleishi and Z. hololepis. The variation observed is putatively useful for the systematics of the order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer, with few therapeutic alternatives following metastasis development. In recent years, drug delivery-associated nanotechnology has shown promising targeted results with diminished adverse effects compared to conventional treatments. This study aimed to (1) examine the effects of plant-derived α-arbutin, a natural compound and (2) compare these findings with bioactively developed liposomes containing α-arbutin utilizing the B16-F10 murine melanoma cell line as a model. Liposomes were obtained through reversed-phase evaporation by applying a spray dryer to assess their stability. The following biologic assays were measured cytotoxicity/antiproliferative (MTT, Neutral Red, and dsDNA PicoGreen). In addition, the levels of melanin and purinergic enzymes were also measured. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) was determined as a measure of oxidative state. Treatment with nano-liposome containing alpha-arbutin induced a significant 68.4% cytotoxicity, similar to the positive control, in the B16-F10 murine melanoma cell line at 72 hr. Further, arbutin and liposomes containing alpha-arbutin increased levels of ROS and nitrite formation at 72 hr at the highest concentration (100 and 300 µg/ml) of treatments. Arbutin and liposomes containing alpha-arbutin reduced melanin levels at all tested concentrations. In addition, arbutin and alpha-arbutin containing liposomes lowered nucleotides (AMP, ADP, and ATP) and nucleoside (adenosine) levels in melanoma cells. Evidence suggests that α-arbutin containing liposome can be considered as an alternative immunosuppressive agent stimulated in melanoma treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AimPrevious studies showed that granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) improved heart function in a mice model of Chronic Chagas Cardiomyopathy (CCC). Herein, we report the interim results of the safety and efficacy of G-CSF therapy vs. placebo in adults with Chagas cardiomyopathy.MethodsPatients with CCC, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II to IV and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 50% or below were included. A randomization list using blocks of 2 and 4 and an allocation rate of 1:1 was generated by R software which was stratified by functional class. Double blinding was done to both arms and assessors were masked to allocations. All patients received standard heart failure treatment for 2 months before 1:1 randomization to either the G-CSF (10 mcg/kg/day subcutaneously) or placebo group (1 mL of 0.9% saline subcutaneously). The primary endpoint was either maintenance or improvement of NYHA class from baseline to 6–12 months after treatment, and intention-to-treat analysis was used.ResultsWe screened 535 patients with CCC in Salvador, Brazil, of whom 37 were randomized. Overall, baseline characteristics were well-balanced between groups. Most patients had NYHA class II heart failure (86.4%); low mean LVEF was 32 ± 7% in the G-CSF group and 33 ± 10% in the placebo group. Frequency of primary endpoint was 78% (95% CI 0.60–0.97) vs. 66% (95% CI 0.40–0.86), p = 0.47, at 6 months and 68% (95% CI 0.43–0.87) vs. 72% (95% CI 0.46–0.90), p = 0.80, at 12 months in placebo and G-CSF groups, respectively. G-CSF treatment was safe, without any related serious adverse events. There was no difference in mortality between both arms, with five deaths (18.5%) in treatment vs. four (12.5%) in the placebo arm. Exploratory analysis demonstrated that the maximum rate of oxygen consumption during exercise (VO2 max) showed an improving trend in the G-CSF group.ConclusionG-CSF therapy was safe and well-tolerated in 12 months of follow-up. Although prevention of symptom progression could not be demonstrated in the present study, our results support further investigation of G-CSF therapy in Chagas cardiomyopathy patients.Clinical Trial Registration[www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [NCT02154269].

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The extensive use of pesticides in agriculture has significantly impacted the environment and human health, as these pollutants are inadequately disposed of into water bodies. In addition, pesticides can cause adverse effects on humans and aquatic animals due to their incomplete removal from the aqueous medium by conventional wastewater treatments. Therefore, processes such as heterogeneous photocatalysis and adsorption by nanocomposites have received special attention in the scientific community due to their unique properties and ability to degrade and remove several organic pollutants, including pesticides. This report reviews the use of nanocomposites in pesticide adsorption and photocatalytic degradation from aqueous solutions. A bibliographic search was performed using the ScienceDirect, American Chemical Society (ACS), and Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) indexes, using Boolean logic and the following descriptors: “pesticide degradation” AND “photocatalysis” AND “nanocomposites”; “nanocomposites” AND “pesticides” AND “adsorption”. The search was limited to research article documents in the last ten years (from January 2012 to June 2022). The results made it possible to verify that the most dangerous pesticides are not the most commonly degraded/removed from wastewater. At the same time, the potential of the supported nanocatalysts and nanoadsorbents in the decontamination of wastewater-containing pesticides is confirmed once they present reduced bandgap energy, which occurs over a wide range of wavelengths. Moreover, due to the great affinity of the supported nanocatalysts with pesticides, better charge separation, high removal, and degradation values are reported for these organic compounds. Thus, the class of the nanocomposites investigated in this work, magnetic or not, can be characterized as suitable nanomaterials with potential and unique properties useful in heterogeneous photocatalysts and the adsorption of pesticides.

Abstract The human genome encodes two active Vaccinia-related protein kinases (VRK), VRK1 and VRK2. These proteins have been implicated in a number of cellular processes and linked to a variety of tumors. However, understanding the cellular role of VRKs and establishing their potential use as targets for therapeutic intervention has been limited by the lack of tool compounds that can specifically modulate the activity of these kinases in cells. Here we identified BI-D1870, a dihydropteridine inhibitor of RSK kinases, as a promising starting point for the development of chemical probes targeting the active VRKs. We solved co-crystal structures of both VRK1 and VRK2 bound to BI-D1870 and of VRK1 bound to two broad-spectrum inhibitors. These structures revealed that both VRKs can adopt a P-loop folded conformation, which is stabilized by different mechanisms on each protein. Based on these structures, we suggest modifications to the dihydropteridine scaffold that can be explored to produce potent and specific inhibitors towards VRK1 and VRK2.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether (E)-2-benzylidene-4-phenyl-1, 3-diselenole (BPD) protects against hepatotoxicity induced by thioacetamide (TAA). On the first day of treatment, male adult Wistar rats received BPD (10 or 50 mg x [kg.sup.-1]). On the second day, the rats received a single intraperitoneal injection of TAA (400 mg x [kg.sup.-1]). Twenty-four hours after TAA administration, biochemical determinations and liver histological analysis were carried out. BPD (50 mg x [kg.sup.-1]) reduced plasma aspartate and alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and lactate dehydrogenase activities increased by TAA exposure. Treatment with BPD was effective against increased lipid peroxidation levels and attenuated a decrease in hepatic reduced glutathione and ascorbic acid levels as well as an inhibition of glutathione peroxidase activity caused by TAA exposure. The higher dose of BPD protected against the inhibition of hepatic [delta]-aminolevulinic dehydratase activity induced by TAA. Finally, histopathological examination of the liver showed that BPD markedly ameliorated TAA-induced hepatic injury. In conclusion, BPD protected against hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress caused by TAA exposure in rats. Key words: selenium, thioacetamide, oxidative stress, liver, antioxidant. Ces travaux avaient pour but d'etudier si le (E)-2-benzylidene-4-phenyl-1, 3-diselenole (BPD) assure une protection contre l'hepatotoxicite provoquee par le thioacetamide (TAA). Des rats Wistar males adultes ont recu du BPD (10 ou 50 mg x [kg.sup.-1]) le premier jour du traitement. Le deuxieme jour, les rats ont recu une injection intraperitoneale unique de TAA (400 mg x [kg.sup.-1]). Nous avons procede a des analyses biochimiques et a l'examen histologique du foie 24 heures apres l'administration de TAA. Le BPD (50 mg x [kg.sup.-1]) permettait d'attenuer les augmentations de l'activite de l'aspartate et de l'alanine aminotransferase, de la phosphatase alcaline et de la deshydrogenase lactique causees par l'exposition au TAA. Le traitement par le BPD etait efficace contre l'augmentation des taux de peroxydation lipidique et attenuait la diminution des taux de glutathion reduit et d'acide ascorbique ainsi que l'inhibition de l'activite de la glutathion peroxydase causees par l'exposition au TAA. La dose de BPD la plus elevee assurait une protection contre l'inhibition de l'activite de la deshydratase [delta]-aminolevulinique hepatique provoquee par le TAA. Enfin, l'examen histopathologique du foie montrait que le BPD permettait d'attenuer de facon marquee les lesions hepatiques provoquees par le TAA. En conclusion, le BPD assurait une protection contre l'hepatotoxicite et le stress oxydatif causes par l'exposition au TAA chez le rat. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: selenium, thioacetamide, stress oxydatif, foie, anti-oxydant., Introduction The liver plays a key role in the metabolism and excretion of xenobiotics. Nevertheless, it is susceptible to damage from a number of drugs and toxins (Lee 2003). Rodent [...]