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Antimicrobial resistance is a global concern, far from being resolved. The need of new drugs against new targets is imminent. In this work, we present a family of aminoalkyl resveratrol derivatives with antibacterial activity inspired by the properties of cationic amphipathic antimicrobial peptides. Surprisingly, the newly designed molecules display modest activity against aerobically growing bacteria but show surprisingly good antimicrobial activity against anaerobic bacteria (Gram-negative and Gram-positive) suggesting specificity towards this bacterial group. Preliminary studies into the action mechanism suggest that activity takes place at the membrane level, while no cross-resistance with traditional antibiotics is observed. Actually, some good synergistic relations with existing antibiotics were found against Gram-negative pathogens. However, some cytotoxicity was observed, despite their low haemolytic activity. Our results show the importance of the balance between positively charged moieties and hydrophobicity to improve antimicrobial activity, setting the stage for the design of new drugs based on these molecules.

Gamification consists of applying typical elements of game-playing environments to other areas of activity. In various fields such as medicine, education, or business, gamification has been explored as an efficient vehicle to foster real-life predetermined targets or improve a real-life action's effectiveness. Amidst the current energy transition, gamification has emerged as a promising strategy to make the energy transition exciting to end-users, bridging information gaps, increasing learning, and motivating behaviour change. This study presents the design and development of a gamified solution as part of the Smart2B H2020 project. The primary objective is to create an excellent user-engagement experience while encouraging and fostering energy literacy and behaviour change. Leveraging the increasing digitalization of the energy sector, the developed gamified module will feature a user interface (UI) tool that promotes healthy competition between users, primarily driven by changes in energy consumption behaviour. The monthly and overall leader boards will translate energy savings into an in-game virtual point-based system, reinforcing the intrinsic value of energy conservation. The gamified elements and mechanisms, such as missions, interactive tasks or challenges, instant feedback, achievements, and badges, will progressively guide users in understanding their energy consumption patterns and how they can be improved. Drawing from social engineering and educational perspectives, the pilot sites within the Smart2B project will maximize user interaction and engagement to motivate real behaviour change. By highlighting the design and development aspects of our gamified solution, we aim to provide more insights into the process that was followed to create an effective and impactful tool for promoting sustainable energy consumption practices among end-users.

A água é essencial para a sobrevivência do ser humano e o equilíbrio da natureza. A mesma, veicula vários microrganismos que podem causar diferentes patologias, sendo necessário o seu controle microbiológico. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a qualidade microbiológica da água de diferentes fontes da Escola Estadual Agrotécnica Afonso Queiroz localizada na cidade de Patos de Minas-MG. Foram coletadas duas amostras de cada fonte no período matutino e vespertino do poço raso e do Córrego Canavial. Utilizando o método de Colilert foi possível identificar coliformes totais, Escherichia coli e a contagem em placa de bactérias heterotróficas. Conclui-se que a água das fontes não estava dentro dos padrões da legislação vigente, devido a presença de pelo menos um microrganismo pesquisado. Assim, a água das fontes não pode ser utilizada para consumo humano sendo necessário, a adoção de medidas preventivas e tratamento adequado, visando à preservação das fontes de água.

Introdução: A evolução técnico-científica das últimas décadas traduz-se no alargamento da expectativa de vida, na diminuição da taxa de mortalidade por doenças infectocontagiosas e no aumento da mortalidade devido às doenças crônico-degenerativas. Soma-se a isso a formação da educação médica, dotada cada vez mais de um modelo orientado para o uso de tecnologias altamente sofisticadas, parecendo negligenciar o tradicional campo da relação médico-utente. Quando o objetivo final é a cura, a morte passa a ser considerada um fracasso, um resultado inaceitável. Apesar de todo o esforço e tecnologia usada, a morte continua sendo um desfecho inevitável. A pessoa doente, quando em segundo plano, deixa de ser o protagonista da sua história. A bioética é um ramo do conhecimento que visa indicar os limites e as finalidades da intervenção do homem sobre a vida, tendo como fundamento o reconhecimento pela dignidade da Pessoa Humana. “o que devo fazer frente ao que posso fazer?” Os cuidados de fim de vida comumente envolvem questões éticas que levam os profissionais de saúde, pacientes e familiares a enfrentarem dilemas, conflitos. Objetivo: O presente trabalho propõe mostrar o quanto pode ser desafiador o processo de tomada de decisão para os envolvidos, nomeadamente os profissionais de saúde, familiares e utentes. Materiais e métodos: Diante de um caso real, os princípios éticos são apresentados e desenvolvidos respeitando a ótica da bioética. Resultados: A começar pelas concepções de dignidade, assim como suas possíveis fragilidades, perpassando aspectos mais técnicos como a adequação de esforço terapêutico e proporcionalidade de intervenções, contemplando os conceitos de obstinação e futilidade terapêutica, explorando a dimensão da autonomia (inclusive alguns de seus aspectos legais) e encerrando no campo da justiça e equidade, faz-se clara a complexidade que o processo de tomada de decisões ganha quando o aspecto humano e multifacetado da pessoa que sofre, o utente (e família), é posto em causa. Conclusão: As ponderações elencadas pelos princípios bioéticos auxiliam-nos a fundamentar o nosso agir profissional, de forma a considerar o mundo do utente, de seus familiares e/ou pessoas próximas e o nosso enquanto equipa assistencial. Como resultado, é suposto o abandono de certezas dogmáticas e simplistas, o abrandamento das incertezas inerentes ao processo e a eleição de uma melhor resposta possível: individualizada para aquele utente, por aquela equipa, naquele contexto. Aproximando-se do caso em questão, nas situações de fim de vida, a filosofia dos cuidados paliativos destaca-se como ferramenta de semelhante impacto.

Whilst considering the need anesthetic techniques supported by species-specific morphology, it has been sought to describe the morphometry of the Hoary Fox's infraorbital foramen with aims at correlating its topography with points of anatomic reference in the skull, thereby providing subsidy for a more effective local anesthetic block in that species. Four skulls of Lycalopex vetulus had been used, from which all of the measurements in each antimere were performed. The infraorbital foramen was located at the maxilla bone, dorsally-wise from the third upper pre-molar tooth, and, from the ventral end of its caudal margin, it would stand apart from the alveolar margin of that bone by 4.19 mm, in average; from the orbital margin at the level of the lacrimal foramen by 14.10 mm; from the dorsal end of the frontal process of the zygomatic bone by 37.10 mm; from the rostral end of the alveolar margin of the first upper incisor tooth by 38.54 mm; and, from the caudal end of the nuchal crest by 100.53mm - at the level of the median sagittal plane; as it also presented a sagittal axis of 5.21 mm in average. It is suggested that, for the Hoary Fox, the needle be introduced by 4.19 mm in contact with the maxilla bone, in a perpendicular fashion, and in a ventral-dorsal orientation from the alveolar margin of the same - whilst using, as an anatomic reference, the diastema that exists between the third and the fourth upper pre-molar teeth. Keywords: anesthesiology; applied morphology; veterinary dentistry

The effects of chemically synthesized metabolites (sulfate and glucuronate forms) from hydroxytyrosol (HTyr) on oxidative stress and inflammation were investigated in TNF-α-activated human endothelial cells. HTyr sulfate metabolites decreased reactive oxygen species and prevented the decrease in glutathione, glutathione peroxidase 1, and glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit and up-regulated heme oxygenase-1 levels. HTyr and all tested HTyr metabolites (HTyr sulfate > HTyr glucuronate > HTyr) suppressed the phosphorylation of nuclear factor kappa B proteins, the gene expression of intercellular and vascular adhesion molecules, E-selectin, chemokine (CC) motif ligand 2, and prostaglandin-endoperoxidase synthase 2 and the adhesion of human monocytes. In addition, HTyr sulfate metabolites suppressed plantar and ear swelling and myeloperoxidase activity in inflamed ear tissue in mice treated with carrageenan or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. This study demonstrates the antioxidant and/or anti-inflammatory properties of HTyr metabolites in TNF-α-activated hECs and in the prevention of acute and chronic inflammation in mice.

The extensive use of oral dosage forms for the treatment of diseases may be linked to deficient pharmacokinetic properties. In some cases the drug is barely soluble; in others, the rapid transit of the formulation through the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) makes it difficult to achieve therapeutic levels in the organism; moreover, some drugs must act locally due to a gastric pathology, but the time they remain in the stomach is short. The use of formulations capable of improving all these parameters, as well as increasing the resident time in the stomach, has been the target of numerous research works, with low-density systems being the most promising and widely explored, however, there is further scope to improve these systems. There are a vast variety of polymeric materials used in low-density gastroretentive systems and a number of methods to improve the bioavailability of the drugs. This works aims to expedite the development of breakthrough approaches by providing an in-depth understanding of the polymeric materials currently used, both natural and synthetic, their properties, advantages, and drawbacks.

A disfunção femoropatelar é uma deficiência bastante comum entre indivíduos jovens que acomete, principalmente, o sexo feminino e pode ser caracterizada por dor, edema e creptação retropatelar. Sistematizar o conhecimento em relação ao aumento da força muscular do quadríceps e alívio de dor em pacientes com disfunção femoropatelar, através da utilização da estimulação elétrica neuromuscular e exercícios resistidos. Trata se de um estudo de revisão narrativa da literatura no período de 2005 a 2011. Os critérios de inclusão foram artigos de intervenção, dos últimos seis anos, nos idiomas inglês, espanhol e português, que utilizaram o fortalecimento muscular e a eletroestimulação neuromuscular para reabilitação obtidos através de buscas nos bancos de dados eletrônicos Medline, Lilacs e na biblioteca Bireme. A busca bibliográfica resultou em 28 referências, destes foram excluídos nove de acordo com os objetivos e critérios de inclusão e foram selecionados 16 artigos para leitura dos resumos e posterior análise. A Estimulação Elétrica Neuromuscular (EENM) de média frequência pode ser utilizada associada a exercícios resistidos como coadjuvante no tratamento da disfunção femoropatelar (DFP), tanto para se obter um reequilíbrio muscular quanto para o alívio da dor.Patellofemoral dysfunction is a fairly common deficiency among young individuals that primarily affects females and may be characterized by pain, swelling and retropatellar crepitation. The purpose of this review of literature from the period between 2005 and 2011 was to systematize knowledge in relation to the increase in quadriceps muscle strength and pain relief in patients with patellofemoral dysfunction, using neuromuscular electrical stimulation and resistance exercises. The inclusion criteria were intervention articles from the past six years, in English, Spanish and Portuguese, which used muscle strengthening and neuromuscular electrical stimulation for rehabilitation obtained through searches in the electronic databases Medline and Lilacs and in the Bireme library. The bibliographic search yielded 28 references, of which nine were excluded in accordance with the aims and inclusion criteria while 16 articles were selected for reading of the abstracts and subsequent analysis. Mediumfrequency Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) can be used in association with resistance exercises as an adjuvant in the treatment of patellofemoral dysfunction (PFD), both to achieve muscle rebalance and for pain relief.

Kinanthropometry is a study area that provides a rich source of information about human body measurements, including body composition, proportion and somatotype. This study provides an overview of the scientific contributions of kinanthropometry in Brazil. For this purpose, the database of the 2008 Census, available at the site of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), was searched. The existing research groups were analyzed regarding their composition, geographic location, and institutional affiliation. Studies published between 2007 and June 2010 were also analyzed, as well as the correlation between the number of doctors and the number of publications of the research group. The results indicated that the number of research groups increased from 1996 to 2008, mainly after 2001. Most groups are found in the northeastern and southern regions of Brazil. In addition, a positive relationship was observed between the increase in the scientific production of the research groups and the number of researchers with a doctoral and post-doctoral degree. These findings demonstrate the scientific contribution of kinanthropometry and its increasing importance at the national level.

0 artigo trata da producção e apresentação do programa de televisäo "Esporte Cultura", transmitido ao vivo com desafio de formar e informar o telespectador.