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Copyright of Revista de Economia e Sociologia Rural is the property of Sociedade Brasileira de Economia e Sociologia Rural and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

OBJECTIVE: Several clinical studies have shown that hyaluronic acid collagenase is well-tolerated and very effective in managing chronic venous ulcers. The aim of the present study is to confirm the safety and tolerability of daily application in patients suffering from cutaneous ulcers of different etiologies. The efficacy of the treatment and its impact on patients' quality of life are also assessed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with a clinical diagnosis of skin ulcer with devitalized/fibrinous/slough tissue that could delay the healing process were enrolled in the study. The hyaluronic acid/collagenase ointment was applied topically until wound closure or total debridement of non-viable tissue was achieved, however, with a limit of 30 days. Monitoring was performed weekly, either through outpatient visits or telephone surveys. Assessments included adverse events, local irritation reactions, pain at dressing changes, and wound bed status. Patients were also requested to complete a quality-of-life questionnaire. RESULTS: The study involved 96 patients with a mean age of 71 years. The patients suffered mainly from traumatic (21.9%), venous (15.6%), or pressure ulcers (12.5%); in 26% of cases, ulcers had mixed etiology. In approximately 32% of patients, the ulcer had been present for more than 6 months, and 18.1% of subjects had previously undergone surgical wound debridement. CONCLUSIONS: Daily application of hyaluronic acid-collagenase achieved the following results: i) absence of adverse events related to the use of the product; ii) significant reduction in the degree of localized irritation and pain at dressing changes; iii) significant support to wound bed preparation; iv) trend towards improvement in the quality of life and health status of the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While social impairment, difficulties with communication, and restricted repetitive behaviors are central features of Autism Spectrum Disorders, physical clumsiness is a commonly co-occurring feature. In a sample of 398 twin pairs (aged 8-17 years) from the Italian Twin Registry we investigated the nature of the co-variation between a psychometric index of Clumsiness and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) Autistic scale. Bivariate twin analyses showed that a genetic etiological overlap, rather than direct causation, is a plausible explanation for the association between clumsiness and autistic-like traits, as measured by indices derived from the parent-rated CBCL scale. Additive genetic influences that impinge upon clumsiness/motor problem and autistic-like traits coincided remarkably, with a genetic correlation of 0.63.

Although, native microalgae (MA) grows in alkaline environments, there is a lack of information from previous studies on the separation of microalgae culture under alkaline coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation (CFS) conditions. This study evaluated the separation efficiency of tannin (TA), Moringa oleifera seed extract (MOSE) natural coagulants in comparison with Aluminum sulfate (AS) for harvesting MA grown in anaerobically digested sanitary wastewater in a pilot flat panel photobioreactor in outdoor environment. The aim was to establish a pathway for recovery of microalgae biomass and supernatant without pH control and save cost for pH adjustment chemicals, in alignment with the circular economy concepts. Total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity and MA concentration (optical density – OD) were monitored throughout the tests. Optimum dosages of TA (1100 mg l−1), MOSE (3000 mg l−1) and AS (320 mg l−1) determined from jar tests were evaluated after MA cultivation, with natural pH of 10.4 under CFS condition (Coagulation: velocity gradient (G f) of 200 s−1 for 2 min, flocculation: G f of 10 s−1 for 15 min and sedimentation: 10 min observation time). TA and AS presented similar high removal efficiencies for turbidity (≥ 95 %), OD (≥ 87 %) and TSS (≥ 62 %). However, TA recorded a good pH (7.6) for the supernatant compared to an unsatisfactorily low 5.2 for AS. TA presented the potential of harvesting MA biomass without prior pH control and without adversely impacting the medium's pH. This shows that biomass has a potential usage as a biofertiliser and as well the resultant supernatant is reusable for non-potable purposes. [Display omitted] • Alkaline coagulation for separation of microalgae culture was explored. • Compared tannin (TA), Moringa (MOSE) and aluminum sulfate (AS) removal efficiency • TA (pH: 7.6) and AS (pH: 5.2) produced comparable separation efficiency. • TA-produced supernatant and biomass have agricultural reusability compared to AS. • Microalgal separation is achieved with natural coagulant without pH adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anorexia is a disabling symptom in cancer and we aimed at investigating the role of changes in gene expression in lung cancer patients presenting with anorexia. Genome-wide transcriptomic profiling was assessed in PBMCs RNA from newly diagnosed lung cancer patients and in a control group. RT-qPCR was used for selected genes. RNA-Seq analysis revealed among groups a large number of differentially expressed genes mainly implicated in immune system regulation, oxidative stress and cytokine-mediated inflammation signaling pathways. In particular, we identified a total of 983 DEGs (843 up-regulated; 140 down-regulated) in anorexic cancer compared to controls. A selected number of DEGs including ADAM8 , SMAD4 , CCR4 and CLU were differentially expressed within cancer group according to the presence/absence of anorexia. In terms of RT-qPCR, ADAM8 was less expressed in cancer patients than controls (p < 0.001), and in anorexic patients vs controls (p = 0.001). The expression of SMAD4 was lower in cancer vs controls (p = 0.005), and in anorexic patients vs controls (p = 0.009). We observed lower CCR4 expression in both anorexic and non-anorexic vs control (p = 0.004, p = 0.011, respectively) and a similar trend was present for CLU. Our data shed new light on the role of specific genes and their associated molecular pathways as potential key mechanisms for the development of anorexia and may represent a novel landmark for understanding the complex pathophysiology of impaired appetite in cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Economia e Sociologia Rural is the property of Sociedade Brasileira de Economia e Sociologia Rural and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)