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To investigate epithelial and stromal metabolite changes in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer in vivo and correlate findings with MR spectroscopy of tissue samples. Forty-seven women (19 with CIN, 28 with cervical cancer) underwent endovaginal MR at 1.5 T with T2-W and localised 2D MR spectroscopic imaging (PRESS, TR = 1,500 ms, TE = 135 ms). tCho, 2 ppm and -CH(2) lipid peaks were measured in epithelial (>50% epithelium, no tumour), stromal (>50% stroma, no tumour) and tumour (>30% tumour) voxels. Unsuppressed water signal from the same voxel provided a concentration reference. (1)H HR-MAS MR spectra were acquired from tissue in 37 patients (11.74 T, pulse-acquire and cpmg sequences, with water pre-saturation). Analysable data from 17 CIN and 25 cancer patients showed significant increases in tCho (p = 0.03) and 2 ppm (p = 0.007) in tumour compared with epithelial voxels from CIN patients, but not with epithelial voxels from cancer patients. No significant differences were seen in stroma from cancer compared with CIN patients. Differences in -CH(2) lipids were not significant between groups. There was no significant correlation between in vivo and ex vivo tCho or -CH(2) lipids. Estimated in vivo concentrations of tCho and 2 ppm resonances increase in tumour and adjacent epithelium in progression from CIN to cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyanosis is a physical finding that can occur at any age but presents the greatest challenge when it occurs in the newborn. The cause is multiple, and it usually represents an ominous sign, especially when it occurs in association with neonatal sepsis, cyanotic congenital heart disease, and airway abnormalities. Cyanosis caused by abnormal forms of hemoglobin can also be life-threatening, and early recognition is mandatory to prevent unnecessary investigations and delay in management. Abnormal hemoglobin, such as hemoglobin M, is traditionally discovered by electrophoresis, so the newborn screen, which is mandatory in several states, is a useful tool for the diagnosis. Although acquired methemoglobinemia, caused by environmental oxidizing agents, is common, congenital deficiency of the innate reducing enzyme is so rare that only a few cases are documented in the medical literature around the world. We present a neonate with cyanosis as a result of congenital deficiency of the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-cytochrome b5 reductase enzyme. This infant was found to be blue at a routine newborn follow-up visit. Sepsis, structural congenital heart disease, prenatal administration, and ingestion of oxidant dyes were excluded as a cause of the cyanosis by history and appropriate tests. Chocolate discoloration of arterial blood provided a clue to the diagnosis. A normal newborn screen and hemoglobin electrophoresis made the diagnosis of hemoglobin M unlikely as the cause of the methemoglobinemia (Hb A 59.4%, A2 1.8%, and F 38.8%). Red blood cell enzyme activity and DNA analysis revealed a homozygous form of the cytochrome b5 reductase enzyme deficiency. He responded very well to daily methylene blue and ascorbic acid administration, and he has normal growth and developmental parameters, although he shows an exaggerated increase in his methemoglobin level with minor oxidant stress such as diarrhea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neonatal stress affects psychological and physiological development and may be associated with affective disorders. The aim was to examine the effects of double neonatal stress (DNS) - a combination of limited bedding and nesting (LBN) and repeated maternal separation (MS) - on the oestrous cycle and sexual behaviour of adult female rats. LBN was achieved by removing part of the wood shavings from the boxes. In the control group, each box was lined with 100 g of wood shavings, while in the experimental group there were only 10 g of wood shavings. MS was performed from P1 (P0 = day of birth) to P15. At P90, the sexual response of females in oestrus was evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed using two-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey's test. The size and profile of the oestrous cycle and the sexual behaviour of female rats submitted to the DNS were considered, as well as the influence of female behaviour on the sexual response of male rats. Female rats submitted to DNS showed a reduction in the lordosis quotient, suggesting a reduction in female receptivity. These rats also showed a reduction in the number of hops and darts, the number of ear wiggles, and the genital exploration time rate, suggesting a reduction in proceptivity. The males that interacted with the females of the DNS group showed a reduction in intromission ratio. Experimental model that mimics neonatal factors that affect adult female sexual response will allow more effective interventions to prevent and treat such changes. In addition, analysis of the female sexual response makes it possible to assess the general state of health and quality of life. In female rats, DNS exerted inhibitory effects on sexual behaviour. LBN was probably the most important factor. In conclusion, combating childhood poverty can be a key measure to prevent problems in the sex life of adults and improve overall health., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The author(s) report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To identify variables related to perceived stress and resilience of international migrants., Method: Multicenter, observational, cross-sectional study carried out with 403 migrants residing in Brazil, Spain, or Portugal. The following instruments were used to collect data: Perceived Stress Scale and Resilience Scale. Student's t-test and analysis of variance were applied in the analysis., Results: Perceived stress was related to: living in Brazil or Portugal; shorter stay in the host country; being black or brown; and having no religion. Greater resilience was related to: not being divorced; having less education and lower family income; being from developing countries; living in Spain; and having a religion., Conclusion: Aspects such as host and origin country, skin color, income, marital status, education, length of stay in the host country, and religion are related to the level of stress and/or resilience of migrants. Knowing this profile is useful for developing public integration policies and interventions that seek to reduce stress and improve resilience.

Photobiomodulation (PBM) shows beneficial effects on obesity-related alterations. It is not known if dual- is more beneficial than single-wavelength, nor the dose-response effect of such treatments. The effects of different doses of single- and dual-wavelength whole-body PBM on metabolic parameters in obese mice were evaluated. Male Swiss albino mice were fed with standard (Chow) or a cafeteria (CAF) diet and allocated into Sham (lights off), and PBM (whole-body blanket (140 cm 2 ) composed of 20 LED clusters, 2.14 mW/cm 2 /cluster, for 67 or 133 s: 1 or 2 J per cluster; 20 and 40 J total energy; and 0.143 and 0.286 J/cm 2 ) with 660 nm (660), 850 (850) nm, or 660 nm + 850 nm (660/850). CAF induced insulin resistance that was inhibited in 660-1, 660-2, 850-1, and 660/850-2. CAF increased serum total cholesterol that was inhibited in 660-1, 660-2, 850-1, 660/850-1, and 660/850-2. There were no PBM-induced changes in other variables assessed. The effects of whole-body PBM in metabolic paraments in obese mice were wavelength and dose dependent: increasing the dose for 660 did not affect the outcomes; increasing the dose for 850 negatively affected the outcomes, and increasing the dose for 660/850 was mostly beneficial on the outcomes., (© 2024 American Society for Photobiology.)

Background: Crotalus Neutralizing Factor (CNF) is a γ-type Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) inhibitor present in the blood of Crotalus durissus terrificus snake. Particularly, CNF inhibits the toxic action of Crotoxin (CTX), which is a major neurotoxin found in C. d. terrificus venom. CTX induces also myotoxic action and demonstrates high selectivity for skeletal muscle fibers. Consequently, CTX can diffuse beyond the site of infection, which can potentially evoke rhabdomyolysis. The present study has evaluated the effects of CTX on myoblasts and myotubes of muscle cells C2C12 in vitro and the effect of CNF on CTX-induced damage., Methods: Cytotoxicity assays were performed by measuring the mitochondrial enzyme dehydrogenase levels. Furthermore, creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase levels were used as indicators of muscle damage., Results: Crotoxin has been found to have cytotoxic effects on C2C12 myoblast cells, while CNF has not shown toxic effects on these cells. Furthermore, the findings have shown CNF (50 μg/mL) to abolish CTX toxicity in myoblasts. The myotubes, differentiated cells, showed no change in mitochondrial respiration when exposed to CNF or CTX, showing greater resistance to the toxic actions of crotoxin., Conclusion: The data have confirmed the potential of CNF as an anti-myotoxic agent to prevent CTX-damaged myoblasts and increase resistance to the toxic effects of crotoxin on differentiated cells., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Background: Alcohol-related cues are known to influence craving levels, a hallmark of alcohol misuse. Binge drinking (BD), a pattern of heavy alcohol use, has been associated with cognitive and neurofunctional alterations, including alcohol attentional bias, memory impairments, as well as disrupted activity in prefrontal- and reward-related regions. However, literature is yet to explore how memories associated with alcohol-related cues are processed by BDs, and how the recall of this information may influence their reward processing., Aims: The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study aimed to investigate the neurofunctional signatures of BD during an associative memory task., Method: In all, 36 university students, 20 BDs and 16 alcohol abstainers, were asked to memorize neutral objects paired with either alcohol or non-alcohol-related contexts. Subsequently, neutral stimuli were presented, and participants were asked to classify them as being previously paired with alcohol- or non-alcohol-related contexts., Results: While behavioral performance was similar in both groups, during the recall of alcohol-related cues, BDs showed increased brain activation in two clusters including the thalamus, globus pallidus and dorsal striatum, and cerebellum and occipital fusiform gyrus, respectively., Conclusion: These findings suggest that BDs display augmented brain activity in areas responsible for mental imagery and reward processing when trying to recall alcohol-related cues, which might ultimately contribute to alcohol craving, even without being directly exposed to an alcohol-related context. These results highlight the importance of considering how alcohol-related contexts may influence alcohol-seeking behavior and, consequently, the maintenance or increase in alcohol use., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Infection by SARS-CoV-2 is associated with uncontrolled inflammatory response during COVID-19 severe disease, in which monocytes are one of the main sources of pro-inflammatory mediators leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from different cells play important roles during SARS-CoV-2 infection, but investigations describing the involvement of EVs from primary human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) on the regulation of this infection are not available. Here, we describe the effects of EVs released by MDM stimulated with the neuropeptides VIP and PACAP on SARS-CoV-2-infected monocytes. MDM-derived EVs were isolated by differential centrifugation of medium collected from cells cultured for 24 h in serum-reduced conditions. Based on morphological properties, we distinguished two subpopulations of MDM-EVs, namely large (LEV) and small EVs (SEV). We found that MDM-derived EVs stimulated with the neuropeptides inhibited SARS-CoV-2 RNA synthesis/replication in monocytes, protected these cells from virus-induced cytopathic effects and reduced the production of pro-inflammatory mediators. In addition, EVs derived from VIP- and PACAP-treated MDM prevented the SARS-CoV-2-induced NF-κB activation. Overall, our findings suggest that MDM-EVs are endowed with immunoregulatory properties that might contribute to the antiviral and anti-inflammatory responses in SARS-CoV-2-infected monocytes and expand our knowledge of EV effects during COVID-19 pathogenesis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that the study was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Quantum computation holds the promise of solving computational problems which are believed to be classically intractable. However, in practice, quantum devices are still limited by their relatively short coherence times and imperfect circuit-hardware mapping. In this work, we present the parallelization of pre-calibrated pulses at the hardware level as an easy-to-implement strategy to optimize quantum gates. Focusing on R ZX gates, we demonstrate that such parallelization leads to improved fidelity and gate time reduction, when compared to serial concatenation. As measured by Cycle Benchmarking and Process Tomography, we reduce gate errors by half. We show that this strategy can be applied to other gates like the CNOT and CZ, and it may benefit tasks such as Hamiltonian simulation problems, amplitude amplification, and error-correction codes., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The indiscriminate use of synthetic surfactants, despite their desirable properties, poses significant environmental risks to ecosystems. This study explores saponins extracted from quinoa ( Chenopodium quinoa ) residues as a sustainable alternative. Saponin extract (SE) with 42% purity, obtained through hydrodynamic cavitation and membrane technology, was analyzed to determine its techno-functional properties. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) was 1.2 g/L, reducing the surface tension (ST) from 72.0 mN/m to 50.0 mN/m. The effects of temperature (30-90 °C), pH (2-12), and salinity (10,000-150,000 ppm NaCl) on ST and the emulsification index (EI) were assessed using a Box-Behnken design. Optimized conditions yielded an ST of 49.02 mN/m and an EI of 63%. Given these characteristics, SE was evaluated as a detergent across diverse swatches. This study showcases the attributes of quinoa-derived saponins, highlighting their potential for eco-friendly detergent applications.

In general, young plants in the establishment phase demonstrate sensitivity to changes in environmental conditions, especially regarding water availability. The effects of the seasonality of biophysical processes on plant physiology can trigger differential responses, even within the same region, making it necessary to conduct studies that characterize the physiological performance of the species at different spatial and temporal scales, making it possible to understand their needs and growth limits under water stress conditions. This paper aimed to evaluate the growth, gas exchange and Chl a fluorescence in ipê-rosa seedlings subjected to levels of water replacement (LWRs) of 100, 75, 50 and 25% in a greenhouse. The morphometric variables of plant height, diameter at stem height, numbers of leaves and leaflets, root length and volume, plant dry mass and leaf area were evaluated. The potential evapotranspiration of seedlings (ETc) was obtained using direct weighing, considering the water replacement of 100% of the mass variation between subsequent days as a reference; the cultivation coefficients (kc) were obtained using the ratio between ETc and the reference evapotranspiration (ETo) obtained by the Penman-Monteith FAO-56 method. Biomass and evapotranspiration data were combined to determine water sensitivity. Diurnal fluxes of gas exchange (net photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, internal and atmospheric carbon ratio, water use efficiency and leaf temperature) and Chl a fluorescence (Fv/Fm, Φ PSII , ETR, Fv'/Fm', NPQ and qL) were evaluated. Water restriction caused reductions of 90.9 and 84.7% in the increase in height and diameter of seedlings subjected to 25% water replacement when compared to seedlings with 100% water replacement. In comparison, biomass accumulation was reduced by 96.9%. The kc values increased throughout the seedling production cycle, ranging from 0.59 to 2.86. Maximum water sensitivity occurred at 50% water replacement, with Ky = 1.62. Maximum carbon assimilation rates occurred in the morning, ranging from 6.11 to 12.50 µmol m -2 s -1 . Ipê-rosa seedlings regulate the physiology of growth, gas exchange and Chl a fluorescence depending on the amount of water available, and only 25% of the water replacement in the substrate allows the seedlings to survive.

Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), as an adjunct therapy to exercise, can reduce pain in musculoskeletal disorders. In addition, PBMT associated with exercise decreases fatigue, accelerates muscle recovery and enhances performance and gain through different training protocols. Although it has not been investigated, the association of PBMT and exercise therapy could be an alternative to improve the positive effects of exercise in patients with non-specific low back pain (LBP). Therefore, we aim to evaluate the effects of PBMT associated with motor control exercise (MCE) versus placebo associated with MCE in patients with chronic non-specific LBP. This is a prospectively registered, two-arm, randomised, placebo-controlled, triple-blind trial. A total of 148 patients with chronic non-specific LBP will be randomised to either active PBMT associated with MCE or placebo PBMT associated with MCE. Treatment sessions will be provided twice a week for 6 weeks. The primary outcomes will be pain intensity and general disability measured at the end of the treatment. The secondary outcomes will be pain intensity and general disability measured 1 month after the end of the treatment, 3, 6 and 12 months after randomisation, in addition to levels of prostaglandin E2 measured at the end of the treatment. Medication intake, cointerventions and adverse events will be measured at all time points. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Irmandade de Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Porto Alegre. The results will be disseminated through scientific publications and presentations at scientific meetings. Trial registration number: NCT05487118., Competing Interests: ECPL-J receives research support from Multi Radiance Medical (Solon - OH, USA), a laser device manufacturer. SST has a personal relationship with ECPL-J. The remaining authors declare that they have no support from any organisation for the submitted work, no financial relationships with any organisations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous three years, and no other relationship or activities that may appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: This study aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms that differentiate mind-body practices from aerobic physical activities and elucidate their effects on cognition and healthy aging. We examined functional brain connectivity in older adults (age > 60) without pre-existing uncontrolled chronic diseases, comparing Tai Chi with Water Aerobics practitioners., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, case-control fMRI study involving two strictly matched groups ( n  = 32) based on gender, age, education, and years of practice. Seed-to-voxel analysis was performed using the Salience, and Frontoparietal Networks as seed regions in Stroop Word-Color and N-Back tasks and Resting State., Results: During Resting State condition and using Salience network as a seed, Tai Chi group exhibited a stronger correlation between Anterior Cingulate Cortex and Insular Cortex areas (regions related to interoceptive awareness, cognitive control and motor organization of subjective aspects of experience). In N-Back task and using Salience network as seed, Tai Chi group showed increased correlation between Left Supramarginal Gyrus and various cerebellar regions (related to memory, attention, cognitive processing, sensorimotor control and cognitive flexibility). In Stroop task, using Salience network as seed, Tai Chi group showed enhanced correlation between Left Rostral Prefrontal Cortex and Right Occipital Pole, and Right Lateral Occipital Cortex (areas associated with sustained attention, prospective memory, mediate attention between external stimuli and internal intention). Additionally, in Stroop task, using Frontoparietal network as seed, Water Aerobics group exhibited a stronger correlation between Left Posterior Parietal Lobe (specialized in word meaning, representing motor actions, motor planning directed to objects, and general perception) and different cerebellar regions (linked to object mirroring)., Conclusion: Our study provides evidence of differences in functional connectivity between older adults who have received training in a mind-body practice (Tai Chi) or in an aerobic physical activity (Water Aerobics) when performing attentional and working memory tasks, as well as during resting state., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Port, Paulo, de Azevedo Neto, Lacerda, Radvany, Santaella and Kozasa.)

Understanding the effects of mining activities on Amazonian streams and their impact on aquatic communities is of paramount importance in the current context of resource overexploitation in society. In this study, we assessed the significance of the environment and interspecific interactions on the organization patterns of semiaquatic insect species in a mineral extraction region in the eastern Amazon. We utilized the morpho functional characteristics of 22 species from the suborder Gerromorpha (Heteropteran), considering both the abundance and sexual dimorphism of these species. Additionally, we quantified the density of riparian vegetation surrounding each stream to categorize sampling points and evaluate whether there are differences in species distribution patterns among categories. We sampled 16 sites, categorized into two treatments based on the percentage of riparian vegetation in forested and deforested areas located in the Capim River Basin. We did not find the action of environmental filters on the total assembly; however, we found significant morphological divergence for all the traits analyzed. On the other hand, the separation of streams into treatments with different portions of riparian vegetation showed that there are significant differences between them regarding species distribution patterns. Forested streams within a 500-m radius have species distributed over a larger area, indicating that these streams have greater resource availability or that species can use these resources more efficiently. Our results demonstrate the importance of riparian vegetation for the studied communities, as well as for mitigating the impacts caused by mining activities., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

ABSTRACT Organic dyes are stable and persistent toxic compounds in the aquatic environment that are refractory to decompose by removal methods such as physico-chemical, optical and biological. Their presence in the aquatic media threatens human and wildlife. Herein, ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) due to good chemical durability, low cost and good photocatalytic performance was anchored on biochar (ZnO@biochar) nanocomposites were synthesized towards activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the photocatalytic removal of methyl orange (MO) dye. Several methods were used to characterization of the nanocomposites including FESEM, XRD, PL, EDS, FT-IR spectroscopy, and N 2 adsorption/desorption. The results of the techniques demonstrated that the well-dispersed ZnO NPs were loaded onto the biochar surface. According to the particle size distribution graph, the average particle size of 64 nm was obtained for the ZnO NPs. BET analyzes showed that pore volume, the specific surface area (SSA) and average pore size of the synthesized nanocomposite increased. The survey of effective operational parameters indicated that the highest photocatalytic activity for MO removal was in the pH 3 of solution, 5 ppm initial dye concentration, 30 mg ZnO/biochar nanocomposite, and 20 mg PMS dose under LED-50W lamp irradiation (97.03% in the reaction time of 80 min). During the process, the reduction of the total organic carbon (TOC) contents and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were observed. Moreover, the MO degradation kinetics under optimal operating conditions were determined. It is concluded that the ZnO@biochar nanocomposite/PMS process was an efficient degradation method for the decomposition of the dye pollutant.