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Bees are pollinators of native and cultivated plants around the world. However, several factors are contributing to the decrease in their populations in recent years, with emphasis on the increasing use of insecticides in agriculture. Thiamethoxam is a neonicotinoid neurotoxicant, which binds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, causing hyperexcitation, paralysis and death of insects. Although thiamethoxam's target is the nervous system, it can affect other organs through ingestion, such as the midgut, affecting non-target insects such as bees. Partamona helleri Friese (Hymenoptera: Apidae) is a stingless bee, pollinator of several native and cultivated botanical families, and can be exposed to sublethal concentrations of thiamethoxam. This study evaluated the side effects of chronic oral exposure to thiamethoxam on the midgut, oxidative stress and behavior of P. helleri workers. The bees were exposed orally, for 7 days, to the approximate sublethal concentration of thiamethoxam found in pollen grains (0.09 ng/g). The results demonstrated changes in the midgut epithelium of workers treated with thiamethoxam, such as cytoplasmic vacuolization, cellular protrusions, increased apocrine transfer, mitochondrial damage, decreased proteins and neutral polysaccharides and the presence of cells undergoing autophagy and apoptosis. Sublethal concentration of thiamethoxam also induced oxidative stress, evidenced by changes in the activities of detoxification enzymes and antioxidant markers. Finally, thiamethoxam affects the bee's behavior, driving the distance covered and walking speed of this insect. The results indicate that the exposure of P. helleri workers to sublethal concentration of thiamethoxam have negative impacts upon midgut morphology and physiology and behavioral traits., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Tetra-Penta-Deca-Hexa graphene (TPDH) is a new two-dimensional (2D) carbon allotrope with attractive electronic and mechanical properties. It is composed of tetragonal, pentagonal, decagonal and hexagonal carbon rings. When TPDH graphene is sliced into quasi-one-dimensional (1D) structures such as nanoribbons, it exhibits a range of behaviors, from semimetallic to semiconducting. An alternative approach to achieving these desirable electronic properties (electronic confinement and nonzero electronic band gap) is the creation of nanotubes (TPDH-NTs). In the present work, we carried out a comprehensive study of TPDH-NTs combining Density Functional Theory (DFT) and classical reactive Molecular Dynamics (MD). Our results show structural stability and a chiral dependence on the mechanical properties. Similarly to standard carbon nanotubes, TPDH-NT can be metallic or semiconductor. MD results show Young's modulus values exceeding 700 GPa, except for nanotubes with very small radii. However, certain chiral TPDH-NTs ( n , m ) display values both below and above 700 GPa, particularly for those with small radii. Analysis of the evolution of von Mises stress and the distribution of C-C bond angles and lengths throughout the stress-strain process indicates the important role of tetragonal, pentagonal, and hexagonal rings for the mechanical response of TPDH-NTs. Tetragonal and pentagonal rings provide a rigid mechanical framework for TPDH-NTs ( n , 0), whereas pentagonal and hexagonal rings provide TPDH-NTs (0, n ) with greater flexibility., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

The rapid diagnosis of opportunistic infections (OIs) is critical for improving the health outcomes of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). This study aimed to describe the feasibility of implementing a package for the rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis, histoplasmosis, and cryptococcosis in patients with advanced HIV/AIDS disease in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The research involved two focus groups with health professionals, four in-depth interviews with healthcare managers, and twelve interviews with PLWHA. The corpus was analyzed using Descending Hierarchical Classification (DHC). The study found that the rapid test diagnosis intervention was generally well-received by patients and health professionals, improving diagnosis and treatment outcomes. However, it also identified several areas for improvement, including the need for expanded psychosocial support and enhanced coordination between health services. The findings have important implications for the development and implementation of policies and programs aimed at enhancing the diagnosis and treatment of OIs among PLWHA with advanced diseases. Further research should explore social determinants of HIV/AIDS mortality to offer valuable insights into improving prevention and treatment strategies. By prioritizing patient-centered care and improving coordination between health services, policymakers and health professionals can improve the health outcomes of PLWHA with advanced disease in Porto Alegre and other similar settings., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Brandelli Costa et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Purpose: To examine the effectiveness of wrist orthoses in reducing pain in individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome., Materials and Methods: The searches were carried out in the CINAHL, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Regional Portal of the Virtual Health Library, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases on 18 February 2021, and updated on 16 February 2023. Four independent evaluators performed the steps for inclusion of studies following the recommendations of the PRISMA and methods of the Cochrane Handbook for systematic review., Results: Three randomized clinical trials, two quasi-randomized clinical trials and one cohort study met the inclusion criteria. The visual analogue scale and numeric analog scale were used as a tool to assess pain outcome. The treatment period ranged from 2 weeks to 3 months. The period of use varied between nighttime only, and nighttime plus daytime. Most orthoses promoted a statistically significant reduction in intensity pain at night, at rest or during activities. Only one study carried out follow-up after the end of treatment and showed that pain reduction was maintained up to 6 months after treatment., Conclusions: The findings suggest that the isolated use of orthoses were effective in reducing pain in individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Worldwide, both cultivated and wild plants are pollinated by the honey bee, Apis mellifera. Bee numbers are declining as a result of a variety of factors, including increased pesticide use. Cyflumetofen controls pest mites in some plantations pollinated by bees, which may be contaminated with residual sublethal concentrations of this pesticide, in nectar and pollen. We evaluated the effects of a sublethal concentration of a cyflumetofen formulation on the midgut, hypopharyngeal gland, and fat body of A. mellifera workers orally exposed for 72 h or 10 days. The midgut epithelium of treated bees presented digestive cells with cytoplasm vacuoles and some cell fragmentation, indicating autophagy and cell death. After being exposed to the cyflumetofen formulation for 72 h, the midgut showed a higher injury rate than the control bees, but after 10 days, the organs had recovered. In the hypopharyngeal gland of treated bees, the end apparatus was filled with secretion, suggesting that the acaricide interferes with the secretory regulation of this gland. Histochemical tests revealed differences in the treated bees in both exposure periods in the midgut and hypopharyngeal glands. The acaricide caused cytotoxic effects on the midgut digestive cells, with apical protrusions, plasma membrane rupture, and several vacuoles in the cytoplasm, features of cell degeneration. In the hypopharyngeal glands of the treated bees, the secretory cells presented small electron-dense and large electron-lucent secretory granules. The fat body cells had no changes in comparison with the control bees. In conclusion, the cyflumetofen formulation at sublethal concentrations causes damage to the midgut and the hypopharyngeal glands of honey bee, which may compromise the functions of these organs and colony fitness. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:2455-2465. © 2024 SETAC., (© 2024 SETAC.)

Inhibition of HIV-1 protease is a cornerstone of antiretroviral therapy. However, the notorious ability of HIV-1 to develop resistance to protease inhibitors (PIs), particularly darunavir (DRV), poses a major challenge. Using quantum chemistry and computer simulations, this study aims to investigate the interactions between two novel PIs, GRL-004 and GRL-063, as well as a wild-type (WT) HIV strain and a DRV-resistant mutant strain. To do this, we used molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and quantum mechanical calculations to check how well GRL-004 and GRL-063 bound to both WT and DRV-resistant proteases. The results show that GRL-004 and GRL-063 bind very well to ASP29 in the WT strain. ASP29 is an important amino acid in the HIV protease dimer. Remarkably, amino acids such as ILE50 in the WT strains showed substantial binding energies to both drugs. Quantum energy calculations showed a slight reduction in the energy affinity of the interaction between the MUT strain and the ligand GRL-063, compared to the WT strain. GRL-004 showed similar interaction energy for both strains, suggesting that it has greater plasticity than GRL-063 despite its lower interaction affinity. Furthermore, GLY49B demonstrated strong binding energies regardless of mutations. Other relevant residues with strong binding energies include GLY49B, PHE82A, PRO81A, ASP29A, ASP25A and ALA28B. This study improves our understanding of receptor-ligand dynamics and the adaptability of new protease inhibitors (PIs), which has profound implications for the innovation of future antiretroviral drugs.

Forest restoration, combined with the mitigation of climate change, has attracted significant interest from several stakeholders. This can aid in restoring degraded areas and enhancing carbon storage. Brazil's global environmental commitments, particularly in the state of Minas Gerais (MG), require substantial financial investments to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Minas Gerais has extensive areas protected by the Legislation for the Protection of Native Vegetation (LPVN) that are not compliant and must be restored in the next 20 years. Geographic data was collected from the government SICAR database. Land use in MG was analyzed using geoprocessing techniques using data from the MapBiomas platform to estimate the area in conflict with LPVN regulations. Minas Gerais has an environmental liability of 3.7 million hectares (Mha) that need restoration in the next 20 years. The Legal Reserve (RL) (2.2 Mha) and Permanent Preservation Areas of watercourses (1.3 Mha) are the most non-compliant protected areas. The "Triângulo Mineiro" and "Norte de Minas" mesoregions have the largest areas in conflict with the LPVN. The Cerrado faces a more critical situation, with approximately 56% of the conflicting areas located there. This study outlines the extent of restoration needed with native vegetation to comply with LPVN requirements in MG., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Background: Nuts consumption is related to cardioprotective effects on primary cardiovascular prevention, but studies conducted in secondary prevention are small, scarce and controversial. The objective of this trial was to evaluate the effects of a regional and sustainable cardioprotective diet added or not with an affordable mixed nuts on cardiometabolic features in patients with previous myocardial infarction., Methods: DICA-NUTS study is a national, multi-center, and superiority-parallel randomized clinical trial. Males and females over 40 years old diagnosed with previous myocardial infarction in the last 2 to 6 months were included. Patients were allocated into two groups: the Brazilian Cardioprotective diet (DICA Br) supplemented with 30 g/day of mixed nuts (10 g of peanuts; 10 g of cashew; 10 g of Brazil nuts) (intervention group, n = 193); or only DICA Br prescription (control group, n = 195). The primary outcome was low-density lipoprotein cholesterol means (in mg/dL) after 16 weeks. Secondary outcomes were other lipid biomarkers, glycemic and anthropometric data and diet quality., Results: After adjustment for baseline values, participating study site, time since myocardial infarction and statin treatment regimen (high potency, moderate and low potency/no statins), no significant difference was found between the groups in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations (intervention-control difference: 3.48 mg/dL [-3.45 to 10.41], P = 0.32). Both groups improved their overall diet quality at the end of the study without differences between them after 16 weeks (intervention-control difference: 1.05 (-0.9 to 2.99); P = 0.29). Other lipids, glycemic profile and anthropometrics were also not different between study groups at the end of the study., Conclusion: Adding 30 g/day of mixed nuts to the DICA Br for 16 weeks did not change lipid, glycemic and anthropometric features in the post-myocardial infarction setting., Trial Registration: This study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov website under number NCT03728127 and its World Health Organization Universal Trial Number (WHO-UTN) is U1111-1259-8105., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The presence of infective larvae (L 3 ) of gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasites in pastures directly contributes to the constant recurrence of infections in ruminant herds. This study aimed to evaluate the nematophagous fungus Duddingtonia flagrans (AC001) (proteolytic crude extract and/or conidia) in the in vitro control of GIN L 3 in coprocultures. To produce the proteolytic crude extract, a suspension (10 7 conidia/mL) of D. flagrans was inoculated into a liquid medium. After 6 days, the medium was filtered, centrifuged, and its proteolytic activity was measured. For the experimental assay, fecal samples were collected directly from the rectal ampulla of naturally infected sheep, and egg counts per gram of feces (EPG) were performed. Coprocultures were prepared using 10 g of fecal material with the groups defined as follows: control group G1 (1.0 mL of denatured proteolytic crude extract); treated group G2 (1.0 mL of active proteolytic crude extract); treated group G3 (1.0 mL of active proteolytic crude extract + 1.0 mL of AC001 conidia). The coprocultures were maintained at room temperature (25ºC), for 7 days, and then the L 3 larvae were recovered. The results demonstrated that AC001 successfully produced protease (56.34 U/mL). The treatments with active proteolytic crude extract (G2) and active proteolytic crude extract + AC001 conidia (G3) were significantly different (p < 0.01) from the control group with denatured proteolytic crude extract (G1). AC001 and its proteolytic crude extract acted concomitantly on helminths directly in the fecal environment, suggesting potential future applications in the field., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Phytol is a diterpene constituent of many essential oils, belonging to the group of unsaturated acyclic alcohols. Although phytol possesses antimycobacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, no reports of a gastrointestinal action are available from the literature. Due to the well-known shortcomings of classical anti-ulcer drugs (e.g. side effects or relapses), natural products may offer an attractive alternative. In this study, a potential gastroprotective activity of phytol was evaluated using acute and chronic ulcer models in rats. Phytol 12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg, administered orally 1 h prior to induction of gastric lesions by absolute ethanol, inhibited the lesion area by 96, 90 and 95%, respectively. When lesions were induced by ischemia and reperfusion, phytol 12.5 and 25 mg/kg per os decreased the lesion areas by 89 and 46%, respectively. In the third acute ulcer model (lesions induced by ibuprofen), phytol 12.5 mg/kg reduced the lesion area by 55%. Phytol restored the decreased level of reduced glutathione, the increased levels of myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde and the decreased levels of catalase and superoxide dismutase in rats with gastric ulcer induced by ethanol to levels obtained in vehicle group. Finally, in a chronic model in which gastric ulcer was induced by acetic acid directly instilled into the stomach, phytol administered orally over a time period of 7 days at 12.5, 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg reduced lesion areas by 84, 81, 83 and 68%. Our data suggest a gastroprotective and cicatrizing effect of phytol, possibly associated with its antioxidant effect., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Reflecting on the complexity and impacts of determination of the causal relationship between health problems of workers and the exercise of their work activities, there is a need to learn about scientific articles that expose techniques to determine this type of causal relationship. There is also a need to reveal whether any article exposes multicriteria decision analysis technique. The aim is to quantify the techniques used to determine the causal relationship between health problems of workers and the exercise of their work activities. Bibliometric analysis was performed, searching for articles in Portuguese, Spanish and English. An advanced search was performed on the website of the ministerial journals portal and then on the Gale Academic OneFile, SciVerse Scopus, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) and PubMed Central collections. In summary, 38 articles were selected from portal, 50 from Gale Academic OneFile, 20 from SciVerse Scopus, 37 from SciELO and 5 from PubMed Central, totaling 150 articles of interest for analysis of their contents. Among these 150 articles, 33.33% addressed the causal relationship between illness and work, 3.33% described some process related to occupational diagnostic investigation and 0.66%, which represents only one article, exhibited a technique to determine this type of causal relationship: the probability of causality in neoplastic diseases. No article described multicriteria decision analysis method as a technique for determine this type of causal relationship. Therefore, there is a need to carry out and disseminate scientific research on methods to help determine a causal relationship between illness and work., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: None

The potential of tetra-penta-deca-hexagonal graphene (TPDH-gr), a recently proposed 2D carbon allotrope as an anodic material in lithium ion batteries (LIBs), was investigated through density functional theory calculations. The results indicate that Li-atom adsorption is moderate (around 0.70 eV), allowing for easy desorption. Moreover, energy barriers (0.08-0.20 eV), diffusion coefficient (>6 × 10 -6 cm 2 /s), and open circuit voltage (0.29 V) calculations show rapid Li atom diffusion on the TPDH-gr surface, stable intercalation of lithium atoms, and good performance during the charge and discharge cycles of the LIB. These findings, combined with the intrinsic metallic nature of TPDH-gr, indicate that this new 2D carbon allotrope is a promising candidate for use as an anodic LIB material., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Stingless bees (Hymenoptera: Meliponini) are pollinators of both cultivated and wild crop plants in the Neotropical region. However, they are susceptible to pesticide exposure during foraging activities. The fungicide fluazinam is commonly applied in bean and sunflower cultivation during the flowering period, posing a potential risk to the stingless bee Partamona helleri, which serves as a pollinator for these crops. In this study, we investigated the impact of acute oral exposure (24 h) fluazinam on the survival, morphology and cell death signaling pathways in the midgut, oxidative stress and behavior of P. helleri worker bees. Worker bees were exposed for 24 h to fluazinam (field concentrations 0.5, 1.5 and 2.5 mg a.i. mL -1 ), diluted in 50 % honey aqueous solution. After oral exposure, fluazinam did not harm the survival of worker bees. However, sublethal effects were revealed using the highest concentration of fluazinam (2.5 mg a.i. mL -1 ), particularly a reduction in food consumption, damage in the midgut epithelium, characterized by degeneration of the brush border, an increase in the number and size of cytoplasm vacuoles, condensation of nuclear chromatin, and an increase in the release of cell fragments into the gut lumen. Bees exposed to fluazinam exhibited an increase in cells undergoing autophagy and apoptosis, indicating cell death in the midgut epithelium. Furthermore, the fungicide induced oxidative stress as evidenced by an increase in total antioxidant and catalase enzyme activities, along with a decrease in glutathione S-transferase activity. And finally, fluazinam altered the walking behavior of bees, which could potentially impede their foraging activities. In conclusion, our findings indicate that fluazinam at field concentrations is not lethal for workers P. helleri. Nevertheless, it has side effects on midgut integrity, oxidative stress and worker bee behavior, pointing to potential risks for this pollinator., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors confirm that they have no conflicts of interest with respect to the work described in this manuscript., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Abstract: Gonçalves, DS, Moscaleski, LA, da Silva, GM, Morgans, R, Okano, AH, and Moreira, A. The effect of combined transcranial direct current stimulation and pneumatic compression as part of a comprehensive recovery strategy in professional male top-level soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 38(9): 1658-1666, 2024-This retrospective study aimed to examine the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with lower limb pneumatic compression during the postmatch recovery period in top-level professional male soccer players' physiological and perceptual markers of recovery status. During the 2022 season (baseline), pneumatic compression was performed as part of the recovery strategy, applied the day after official match play and psychophysiological measurements (pain, sleep, perceived recovery, and creatine kinase [CK] sampling) were performed on the second day postmatch. During the 2023 season, the tDCS protocol was introduced, with its application being performed simultaneously (in conjunction) with pneumatic compression. Recovery sessions following 10 matches in the 2022 season and following 10 matches in the 2023 season were included in the analyses. Compared with 2022 (baseline; pneumatic compression isolated), the players perceived an increased recovery on the second day postmatch when tDCS was used in conjunction with the pneumatic compression (mean = 12%; p = 0.008) and rated improved sleep quality for the nights after applying tDCS combined with pneumatic compression (mean = 7.5%; p = 0.029). On the second day postmatch, a significant reduction was observed in muscle pain/soreness (mean = 64%; p < 0.0001) and the CK concentration decreased when baseline (pneumatic compression isolated) was compared with tDCS + pneumatic compression (mean = 76%; p = 0.001). In summary, combining pneumatic compression with tDCS may enhance the effects of both interventions, leading to greater overall improvements in recovery. Further research is warranted to confirm these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms in more detail., (Copyright © 2024 National Strength and Conditioning Association.)

Partamona helleri is an important pollinator in the Neotropics. However, this bee faces an increased risk of pesticide exposure, potentially affecting both individual bees and entire colonies. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of the herbicide tebuthiuron on behavior, antioxidant activity, midgut morphology, and signaling pathways related to cell death, cell proliferation and differentiation in P. helleri workers. tebuthiuron significantly reduced locomotor activity and induced morphological changes in the midgut. The activity of the detoxification enzymes superoxide dismutase and glutathione S-transferase increased after exposure, indicating a detoxification mechanism. Furthermore, the herbicide led to alterations in the number of positive cells for signaling-pathway proteins in the midgut of bees, suggesting induction of apoptotic cell death and disruption of midgut epithelial regeneration. Therefore, tebuthiuron may negatively impact the behavior, antioxidant activity, morphology, and physiology of P. helleri workers, potentially posing a threat to the survival of this non-target organism., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Bees are important for maintaining ecosystems, pollinating crops and producing marketable products. In recent years, a decline in bee populations has been reported, with multifactorial causes, including the intensification of pesticide use in agriculture. Among pesticides, cyflumetofen is an insecticide and acaricide used in apple, coffee and citrus crops, whose main pollinator is the honey bee Apis mellifera. Therefore, this bee is a potential target of cyflumetofen during foraging. This study evaluated the histopathological and cytological damage in the midgut, hypopharyngeal glands and fat body of A. mellifera workers exposed to LC 50 of cyflumetofen. The midgut epithelium of exposed bees presented cytoplasmic vacuolization, release of vesicles and cell fragments, which indicate autophagy, increased production of digestive enzymes and cell death, respectively. The cytological analysis of the midgut revealed the dilation of the basal labyrinth and the presence of spherocrystals in the digestive cells. The hypopharyngeal glands produced greater amounts of secretion in treated bees, whereas no changes were observed in the fat body. The results indicate that acute exposure to cyflumetofen negatively affect A. mellifera, causing damage to the midgut and changes in the hypopharyngeal glands, which may compromise the survival and foraging of this pollinator., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors confirm that they have no conflicts of interest with respect to the work described in this manuscript., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Breastfeeding has been associated with several short- and long-term health benefits, including positive cognitive and behavioral outcomes. However, the impact of breastfeeding on structural brain development over time remains unclear. We aimed to assess the association between breastfeeding duration in childhood and the developmental trajectory of overall cortical thickness, cortical area, and total intracranial volume during the transition from childhood to early adulthood. Participants included 670 children and adolescents with 1326 MRI scans acquired over 8 years from the Brazilian High-Risk Cohort for Mental Conditions (BHRCS). Breastfeeding was assessed using a questionnaire answered by the parents. Brain measures were estimated using MRI T1-weighted images at three time points, with 3-year intervals. Data were evaluated using generalized additive models adjusted for multiple confounders. We found that a longer breastfeeding duration was directly associated with higher global cortical thickness in the left (edf = 1.0, F = 6.07, p = 0.01) and right (edf = 1.0, F = 4.70, p = 0.03) hemispheres. For the total intracranial volume, we found an interaction between duration of breastfeeding and developmental stage (edf = 1.0, F = 6.81, p = 0.009). No association was found between breastfeeding duration and brain area. Our study suggests that the duration of breastfeeding impacts overall cortical thickness and the development of total brain volume, but not area. This study adds to the evidence on the potential impact of breastfeeding on brain development and provides relevant insights into the mechanisms by which breastfeeding might confer cognitive and mental health benefits., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.)

Talus Osteochondral defects (OCDs) are challenging and there is no consensus in literature regarding which is the best method of treatment. New techniques coming from regenerative medicine are being considered good alternatives of treatment and are being used exponentially in orthopaedic surgery. Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) is the second generation of platelet concentrates. It has a convenient method of acquisition and can be used to create a biological scaffold which is able to seal up cavitary lesions. In this article, the authors describe a talus OCD treated with a biological scaffold, reporting the technique details and its results clinical and radiological results. The case report objective is to portray the use of this kind of biological material, its advantages, and limitations. Level of Evidence: Level 5 ., 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.

Breast cancer ranks among the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide and bears the highest mortality rate. As an integral component of cancer treatment, mastectomy entails the complete removal of the affected breast. Typically, breast reconstruction, involving the use of silicone implants (augmentation mammaplasty), is employed to address the aftermath of mastectomy. To mitigate postoperative risks associated with mammaplasty, such as capsular contracture or bacterial infections, the functionalization of breast implants with coatings of cyclodextrin polymers as drug delivery systems represents an excellent alternative. In this context, our work focuses on the application of a mathematical model for simulating drug release from breast implants coated with cyclodextrin polymers. The proposed model considers a unidirectional diffusion process following Fick's second law, which was solved using the orthogonal collocation method, a numerical technique employed to approximate solutions for ordinary and partial differential equations. We conducted simulations to obtain release profiles for three therapeutic molecules: pirfenidone, used for preventing capsular contracture; rose Bengal, an anticancer agent; and the antimicrobial peptide KR-12. Furthermore, we calculated the diffusion profiles of these drugs through the cyclodextrin polymers, determining parameters related to diffusivity, solute solid-liquid partition coefficients, and the Sherwood number. Finally, integrating these parameters in COMSOL multiphysics simulations, the unidirectional diffusion mathematical model was validated.

The cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus is an ectoparasite of high importance in veterinary medicine and public health. Since synthetic chemicals used to control these ticks can select resistant strains and cause toxic effects in their hosts, there is a need to identify effective substances with fewer adverse effects. For this reason, we investigated the effects of alpha- and beta-pinene, known for their various biological effects, on the mortality and reproductive performance of R. microplus engorged female ticks. The products were diluted in a 2% Tween 80 aqueous solution. The ticks were first weighed and then immersed in the test solutions for five minutes. Then, they were dried with paper towels and fixed dorsoventrally in Petri dishes, totalling five treatment groups for each pinene and a control group treated with the solvent alone. The ticks were monitored daily for mortality, and their eggs were collected and weighed. The larval hatching rate was estimated, and the pre-oviposition and incubation periods were determined. From these data, the following parameters were calculated: egg production index, fertility rate, estimated reproduction rate, percentages of reduction in oviposition and hatching, and product efficacy. Alpha-pinene showed better results at higher concentrations, unlike beta-pinene, which was more effective at lower concentrations. The effectiveness of alpha-pinene was 74% at a concentration of 14.0 μL/mL, while beta-pinene showed 78% efficacy at 2.0 μL/mL. The results indicated for the first time different effects of two isomers in ticks, suggesting that these compounds act on R. microplus females in different ways., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) complex, essential in viral transcription and replication, is a key target for antiviral therapeutics. The core unit of RdRp comprises the nonstructural protein NSP12, with NSP7 and two copies of NSP8 (NSP81 and NSP82) binding to NSP12 to enhance its affinity for viral RNA and polymerase activity. Notably, the interfaces between these subunits are highly conserved, simplifying the design of molecules that can disrupt their interaction. Methods: We conducted a detailed quantum biochemical analysis to characterize the interactions within the NSP12-NSP7, NSP12-NSP81, and NSP12-NSP82 dimers. Our objective was to ascertain the contribution of individual amino acids to these protein-protein interactions, pinpointing hotspot regions crucial for complex stability. Results: The analysis revealed that the NSP12-NSP81 complex possessed the highest total interaction energy (TIE), with 14 pairs of residues demonstrating significant energetic contributions. In contrast, the NSP12-NSP7 complex exhibited substantial interactions in 8 residue pairs, while the NSP12-NSP82 complex had only one pair showing notable interaction. The study highlighted the importance of hydrogen bonds and π-alkyl interactions in maintaining these complexes. Intriguingly, introducing the RNA sequence with Remdesivir into the complex resulted in negligible alterations in both interaction energy and geometric configuration. Conclusion: Our comprehensive analysis of the RdRp complex at the protein-protein interface provides invaluable insights into interaction dynamics and energetics. These findings can guide the design of small molecules or peptide/peptidomimetic ligands to disrupt these critical interactions, offering a strategic pathway for developing effective antiviral drugs., 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., (Copyright © 2024 Lima Neto, Bezerra, Barbosa, Araujo, Galvão, Lyra, Oliveira, Akash, Jardan, Nafidi, Bourhia and Fulco.)

Background: The non-invasive assessment of maximal respiratory pressures (MRP) reflects the strength of the respiratory muscles., Objective: To evaluate the studies which have established normative values for MRP in healthy children and adolescents and to synthesize these values through a meta-analysis., Methods: The searches were conducted until October 2023 in the following databases: ScienceDirect, MEDLINE, CINAHL, SciELO, and Web of Science. Articles that determined normative values and/or reference equations for maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) in children and adolescents published in English, Portuguese, or Spanish regardless of the year of publication were included. Two reviewers selected titles and abstracts, in case of conflict, a third reviewer was consulted. Articles that presented sufficient data were included to conduct the meta-analysis., Results: Initially, 252 studies were identified, 28 studies were included in the systematic review and 19 in the meta-analysis. The sample consisted of 5798 individuals, and the MIP and MEP values were stratified by sex and age groups of 4-11 and 12-19 years. Values from females 4-11 years were: 65.8 cmH 2 O for MIP and 72.8 cmH 2 O for MEP, and for males, 75.4 cmH 2 O for MIP and 84.0 cmH 2 O for MEP. In the 12-19 age group, values for females were 82.1 cmH 2 O for MIP and 90.0 cmH 2 O for MEP, and for males, they were 95.0 cmH 2 O for MIP and 105.7 cmH 2 O for MEP., Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests normative values for MIP and MEP in children and adolescents based on 19 studies., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The authors have no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.)

This study investigated the genotoxic risk of chronic exposure of hemolymph's cells of Drosophila melanogaster (Insecta, Diptera) to water samples from Boqueirão de Parelhas Dam and from Lucrécia Dam in the semiarid region of Brazil. The dams are located over the Pegmatite Province of Borborema, with rocks rich in uranium and thorium. Water samples hydrated a culture medium composed of mashed potatoes, where larvae of D. melanogaster fed for 24 h, before be underwent to the Comet assay. The same water was evaluated for the presence of dissolved Radon gas ( 222 Rn) and concentrations of 11 toxic metals (Ag, Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn). The results indicated a genotoxic effect resulting from exposure to the waters of the Parelhas dam, in the samples of August 2018; and in Lucrécia dam, in January 2019. D. melanogaster stood out for its high sensitivity to monitor the genotoxic effects of compounds dissolved in public dams. And unlike to other essentially aquatic sentinel organisms, this species stood out as a model to concomitant studies of air and water possible contaminated, in a scenario of natural environmental radioactivity present in semiarid of Brazil., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Malaria is a parasitic disease that, in its most severe form, can even lead to death. Insect-resistant vectors, insufficiently effective vaccines, and drugs that cannot stop parasitic infestations are making the fight against the disease increasingly difficult. It is known that the enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is of paramount importance for the synthesis of pyrimidine from the Plasmodium precursor, that is, for its growth and reproduction. Therefore, its blockade can lead to disruption of the parasite's life cycle in the vertebrate host. In this scenario, Pf DHODH inhibitors have been considered candidates for a new therapy to stop the parasitic energy source. Given what is known, in this work, we applied molecular fractionation with conjugated caps (MFCC) in the framework of the quantum formalism of density functional theory (DFT) to evaluate the energies of the interactions between the enzyme and the different triazolopyrimidines (DSM483, DMS557, and DSM1), including a complex carrying the mutation C276F. From these results, it was possible to identify the main features of each system, focusing on the wild-type and mutant Pf DHODH and examining the major amino acid residues that are part of the four complexes. Our analysis provides new information that can be used to develop new drugs that could prove to be more effective alternatives to present antimalarial drugs.

Objective: To assess the association of obesogenic environmental characteristics around schools with body adiposity and adipokine concentrations in Brazilian children., Design: Cross-sectional study. Body adiposity was assessed using the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Concentrations of leptin, adiponectin, retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) and chemerin were measured. Predominantly ultra-processed food (UPF) stores, public physical activity (PA) facilities, green spaces, walkability, traffic accidents and crime were evaluated. The neighbourhood unit was the 400 m (0·25 miles) road network buffer around schools. The association of environmental characteristics with body adiposity and adipokine concentrations was assessed by linear regression models using generalised estimating equations., Setting: Urban schools ( n 24), Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil., Participants: Children aged 8 and 9 years ( n 378)., Results: A higher density of predominantly UPF stores and a lower percentage of green space were associated with higher total ( β : 0·12; 95 % CI 0·06, 0·18 and β : -0·10; 95 % CI -0·16, -0·04, respectively) and android body fat ( β : 0·28; 95 % CI 0·13, 0·43 and β : -0·18; 95 % CI -0·32, -0·04, respectively). In addition, the densities of PA facilities and crime were inversely associated with leptin concentrations. Traffic accidents density and percentage of green spaces around schools had, respectively, a positive and an inverse association with concentrations of adiponectin and RBP4., Conclusions: Obesogenic environmental characteristics around schools were associated with total and android body fat, as well as with pro-inflammatory adipokine concentrations in Brazilian children from a medium-sized city.

Objective: We aimed to analyze the relationship of community food environments with childhood obesity in a medium-sized Brazilian city., Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with 366 schoolchildren aged 8 and 9 years. Children's body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), high cholesterol density lipoprotein (HDL-c), low cholesterol density lipoprotein (LDL-c) and triglycerides (TG) were measured. The parent's nutritional status was assessed by calculating the BMI. All food stores within a 200- and 400-m radius buffers of schools and households were evaluated. The food stores were classified as healthy, unhealthy, and mixed according to the predominance of foods commercialized. Binary logistic regression models were proposed for each category., Results: Over seventy percent (70.2%) of the food stores were categorized as "unhealthy". The prevalence of obesity was 15.6%. In the 200-m buffer around schools, there was an inverse and direct association between obesity and the presence of healthy food stores and unhealthy food stores, respectively. Around the households, there was an inverse association between the presence of healthy food stores and obesity in both buffers., Conclusion: The community food environment may be protective or potentiating childhood obesity, depending on the access and types of food sold., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

This study aimed to evaluate the yield, physical-chemical properties, fatty acid (FA) profile, and sensory traits of goat milk under different nutritional strategies in a Brazilian semiarid environment. Eighteen lactating crossbred dairy goats were distributed in a completely randomized design with three nutritional strategies: Caatinga strategy (1.5% of body weight with a concentrate supplementation), Corn-based confined strategy, and Spineless Cactus confined strategy. Daily milk yield was recorded, and milk samples were collected from all animals. Goats fed the spineless cactus-based diet presented a higher milk yield than goats feed the other strategies. Moreover, milk from goats fed with a spineless Cactus confined strategy presented higher saturated FA (SFA), and a lower proportion of cis- monounsaturated FA, trans-monounsaturated FA, and c9,t11-18:2 than milk from goats feed the other strategies. Milk from goats in the pasture system presented the highest proportions of 18:2n-6, 18:3n-3, and thus of polyunsaturated FA, when compared with milk from confined goats. We assume that milk from goats grazing in Caatinga pastures presents more benefits to human health due to the positive effects of this diet on the milk's fat content and FA profile, and this feeding strategy also results in a better sensory evaluation that may increase the acceptability of goat milk by consumers. All nutritional strategies evaluated herein and adopted in the semiarid region of Brazil are recommended for maintaining the yield, physical-chemical properties, and acceptability of milk goats., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) are substances with androgenic and anabolic characteristics. Among the many side effects of hormone therapy with AAS, the following stand out: heart problems, adrenal gland disorders, aggressive behavior, increased risk of prostate cancer, problems related to lack of libido and impotence. Such substances vary in the relationship between androgenic activity, and the activation of the androgen receptor (AR) is of fundamental importance for the singularity of the action of each AAS. In this sense, our study evaluates the aspects that comprise the interactions of testosterone agonists (TES), dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) in complex with the AR. In addition, we also evaluated the impact of ligand-receptor affinity differences in a mutation model. We apply computational techniques based on density functional theory (DFT) and use, as methodology, Molecular Fractionation with Conjugate Caps (MFCC). The energetic specificities present in the interaction between the analyzed complexes attest that the highest affinity with the AR receptor is found for AR-THG, followed by AR-DHT, AR-TES and AR-T877A-DHT, respectively. Our results also show the differences and equivalences between the different agonists, in addition to evaluating the difference between the DHT ligand in complex with the wild-type and mutant receptor, presenting the main amino acid residues that involve the interaction with the ligands. The computational methodology used proves to be an operative and sophisticated choice to help in the search for pharmacological agents for various therapies that have androgen as a target.

Peptic ulcers are lesions in the gastric and duodenal mucosa generated by an imbalance between protective factors (gastroduodenal mucus secretion, bicarbonate production, adequate blood flow) and harmful factors (excess pepsin or hydrochloric acid). Some drugs used in peptic ulcer therapy are associated with adverse effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiulcerogenic and healing activity of hecogenin acetate (HA) in acute and chronic models of gastric lesions in rodents. The antiulcerogenic activity of HA was evaluated in models of gastric lesions induced by absolute ethanol and in acidified ethanol with HA (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg). For the model of gastric lesions induced by ischemia and reperfusion, rats were pre-treated with HA (5, 10, 20 mg/kg). After that, they were submitted to 30 min of ischemia, followed by 1 h of reperfusion. To evaluate the healing activity was induced gastric ulcer using acetic acid (80%) in rats. After 24 h, they were treated for 7 consecutive days with HA (10 and 20 mg/kg). They were evaluated the possible signs of toxicity, measurement of the lesions, collagen deposition, and histological analysis. HA significantly reduced the area of the lesion in models of gastric lesions induced by absolute and acidified ethanol, ischemia-induced gastric lesions and reperfusion, and regarding healing. In the collagen deposition, the presence and increase of collagen demonstrate the healing effect. The AH has antiulcerogenic and healing potential demonstrated by the decrease in gastric injury and presence of collagen fibers, respectively., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: The search for a cortical signature of intelligent behavior has been a longtime motivation in Neuroscience. One noticeable characteristic of intelligence is its association with visuospatial skills. This has led to a steady focus on the functional and structural characteristics of the frontoparietal network (FPN) of areas involved with higher cognition and spatial behavior in humans, including the question of whether intelligence is correlated with larger or smaller activity in this important cortical circuit. This question has broad significance, including speculations about the evolution of human cognition. One way to indirectly measure cortical activity with millisecond precision is to evaluate the event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP) of alpha power (alpha ERSP) during cognitive tasks. Mental rotation, or the ability to transform a mental representation of an object to accurately predict how the object would look from a different angle, is an important feature of everyday activities and has been shown in previous work by our group to be positively correlated with intelligence. In the present work, we evaluate whether alpha ERSP recorded over the parietal, frontal, temporal, and occipital regions of adolescents performing easy and difficult trials of the Shepard-Metzler's mental rotation task, correlates or are predicted by intelligence measures of the Weschler's intelligence scale., Methods: We used a database obtained from a previous study of intellectually gifted ( N = 15) and average intelligence ( N = 15) adolescents., Results: Our findings suggest that in challenging task conditions, there is a notable difference in the prominence of alpha event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP) activity between various cortical regions. Specifically, we found that alpha ERSP in the parietal region was less prominent relative to those in the frontal, temporal and occipital regions. Working memory scores predict alpha ERSP values in the frontal and parietal regions. In the frontal cortex, alpha ERSP of difficult trials was negatively correlated with working memory scores., Discussion: Thus, our results suggest that even though the FPN is task-relevant during mental rotation tasks, only the frontal alpha ERSP is correlated with working memory score in mental rotation tasks., 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., (Copyright © 2023 Anomal, Brandão, Souza, Oliveira, Porto, Hazin Pires and Pereira.)

Background: Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (RPL) and Recurrent Implantation Failure (RIF) are highly heterogeneous condition and many of the mechanisms involved still require elucidation. The aim was to analyze the lipidomic profile in plasma of women with RPL and RIF before and after receiving the Lipid Emulsion Therapy (LET) containing 10% fish oil (SMOFlipid ® 20%)., Methods: This study included twenty-six women with RPL or RIF from immunological or inflammatory causes, with elevated natural killer cell levels and divided into a Pregnancy Loss or a Live Birth group according to the outcome. The women received intravenous LET and sample collecting was done before the first, third and fifth dose of LET in the pregnant women. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF MS) and multivariate statistical methods were performed to evaluate the profile of phospholipids present in the women's plasma., Results: An increase of phosphatidylcholines (PC) 40:8 and 36:5 levels with predominance of n6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) was observed in plasma lipids of the Pregnancy Loss Group compared to Live Birth Group. We also observed an increase in the relative abundance of n3 PUFA-PC species (42:10 and 36:6) and LysoPC 15:0 with the long term use of LET., Conclusion: The greater availability of n3 PUFA in plasma of the pregnant women stemming from LET use can be considered advantageous regarding the alteration of the phospholipid profile and its postulated anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory role., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To identify priority areas for schistosomiasis control, we analysed the epidemiological characteristics, temporal trends and spatial patterns of schistosomiasis-related mortality in the state of Minas Gerais from 2000 to 2019., Methods: Ecological and time-series study with spatial analysis techniques on deaths from Schistosomiasis mansoni. A log-linear regression model was used to identify changes in mortality rates. Moran's global index, local indicators of spatial association and a retrospective spatio-temporal permutation model were applied to identify the spatial and temporal distribution of mortality rates and assist in identifying priority areas for interventions., Results: A total of 1290 deaths from schistosomiasis were recorded between 2000 and 2019, with an average mortality rate of 0.33 deaths/100,000. Although the overall mortality rate in the state of Minas Gerais decreased significantly over time (average annual percentage change = -9.6; 95% confidence interval = -14.4 to -4.6; p < 0.001), it increased in the mesoregions of Jequitinhonha, Mucuri Valley, and Rio Doce Valley. Spatial analysis identified the displacement and emergence of high-risk clusters from the central region of the state to the mesoregion of Rio Doce Valley., Conclusion: Temporal changes and shifting of high-risk areas from the central region to the mesoregion of Rio Doce Valley may indicate possible failures in early diagnosis and treatment of the schistosomiasis control program in these areas. Our research contributes to a better understanding of the spatio-temporal dynamics of death rates due to schistosomiasis infections and might help health authorities to direct resources most efficiently to avoid serious clinical outcomes in Minas Gerais., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Using Kraft lignin, bio-based adhesives have been increasingly studied to replace those petrochemical-based solutions, due to low cost, easy availability and the potential for biodegradability of this biomaterial. In this study, lignin-based phenol-formaldehyde (LPF) resins were synthesized using commercial Eucalypt Kraft Lignin (EKL), purified at 95%, as a phenol substitute in different proportions of 10%, 20%, 30% and 50%. The properties of bio-based phenol formaldehyde (BPF) synthesized resin were compared with phenol-formaldehyde resin (PF) used for control sampling. The results indicated that viscosity, gel time and solid contents increased with the addition of pure EKL. The shear strength test of glue line was studied according to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and BPF-based results were superior to samples bonded with the PF as a control sample, being suitable for structural purposes. Changes in the curing behavior of different resins were analyzed by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and sample comparison indicated that the curing of the LPF resin occurred at lower temperatures than the PF. The addition of EKL in PF reduced its thermal stability compared to traditional resin formulation, resulting in a lower decomposition temperature and a smaller amount of carbonaceous residues.

This article examined the association between body satisfaction and sexual identification among lesbian and bisexual women, since these factors help to understand the cultural background of the objectification of female bodies in Latin cultures. Women who identify as lesbian (N = 239) and bisexual (N = 60) completed demographic data and measures of self-esteem, physical appearance perfectionism, lesbian and bisexual identity difficulties, and body satisfaction. We performed a three-stage hierarchical multiple regression to explore how variables relate to body satisfaction. The results suggest that self-esteem plays a key role, explaining 20.4% of the variance in body satisfaction. We discussed the psychosocial and cultural aspects involved in the relationship between the variables, and social and aesthetic pressures on women's bodies. This study contributes to discussions on psychosocial aspects associated with body satisfaction among Brazilian lesbian and bisexual women.

Bone healing after a tumor removal can be promoted by biomaterials that enhance the bone regeneration and prevent the tumor relapse. Herein, we obtained several nanopatterns by self-assembly of polystyrene-block-poly-(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) with different molecular weights and investigated the adhesion and morphology of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSC) and osteosarcoma cell line (SaOS-2) on these patterns aiming to identify topography and chemistry that promote bone healing. We analyzed > 2000 cells per experimental condition using imaging software and different morphometric descriptors, namely area, perimeter, aspect ratio, circularity, surface/area, and fractal dimension of cellular contour (FDC). The obtained data were used as inputs for principal component analysis, which showed distinct response of BMMSC and SaOS-2 to the surface topography and chemistry. Among the studied substrates, micellar nanopatterns assembled from the copolymer with high molecular weight promote the adhesion and spreading of BMMSC and have an opposite effect on SaOS-2. This nanopattern is thus beneficial for bone regeneration after injury or pathology, e.g. bone fracture or tumor removal., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: NLRN, the corresponding author of this manuscript, certify that the contributors' and conflicts of interest statements included in this paper are correct and have been approved by all co-authors. The authors declare no conflict of interests

Competing Interests: MLRN, the corresponding author of this manuscript, certify that the contributors' and conflicts of interest statements included in this paper are correct and have been approved by all co-authors.

Technological advances have highly facilitated the accession of health-related information. As the public search on hospital websites for information and services is increasing, hospitals need to upgrade their websites to meet the high standards and demands of health-care consumers. Today, many hospital websites use a patient-centric approach to promote engagement and encourage interaction for better health-related decision making. However, little is known about the current state of hospital websites in Portugal. This study aims to assess hospital websites in Portugal and offer improvement insights. In this paper, the websites of 132 selected hospitals were thoroughly examined and assessed according to a predefined list of indicators and sub indicators, based on four criteria: technology, content, services and community interaction, defined in the Health Sector Website Assessment Index (HSWAI) instrument. Most of the websites scored satisfactorily in the technology criterion, performed fairly well in providing fundamental content, but showed shortcomings in quality metrics data and online patient services, and most of them fell short in community interaction elements. Overall, the results show that each hospital website must be improved in specific features in order to become effective and efficient. Several of the identified assessment elements (indicators/sub indicators) fall under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, United Nations health-focused goal, and could be used by governments to assess their progress toward achieving that specific goal. Therefore, this study not only provides a comprehensive and systematic approach that quantitatively measures hospital websites' overall performance, but also contributes to practical applications in terms of worthwhile recommendations for a website that meets patient's demands and hospital's operational needs., 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., (Copyright © 2022 Sarantis, Soares and Carvalho.)

Background & Aims: Obesity courses with metabolic and inflammatory changes that include, among others, higher expression of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. The pathophysiology of the new coronavirus suggests an affinity for angiotensin-2 converting enzyme receptors, cytokine storm, and systemic hypercoagulability. Thus, obesity could contribute to the worse evolution of individuals with COVID-19. Here we evaluated the clinical outcome and age of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with higher BMI compared with normal BMI at the São Francisco de Assis University Hospital (HUSF), in Bragança Paulista, SP., Methods: Retrospective observational study with a review of medical records from June of 2020 to May of 2021 of patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 from HUSF. Demographic, anthropometric, and metabolic data were collected for correlation analysis. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee under CAAE: 34121820.3.0000.5514., Results: 360 medical records were analyzed, of which 125 were included. The mean age of patients with obesity was significantly lower than overweight and normal weight, both in the overall mean (p-value 0.002-66 versus 56 and 56) and in the mean age of mortality (p-value 0.003-59 versus 61 and 76). The mean plasma calcium in the last sample collected during hospitalization of patients with obesity was significantly higher than that of overweight and normal weight (p-value < 0.001-7.8 versus 8.1 and 8.6). The mean hemoglobin in the first admission sample was also significantly higher in patients with obesity compared to the other groups (p-value 0.041-12.5 versus 12.9 and 13.6). On the other hand, the plasma concentration of urea in the first sample of hospitalization of patients with normal weight was higher than in patients with overweight and obesity (p-value 0.036-90.4 versus 64.8 and 57.1)., Conclusion: Our findings suggest that age is not a determining factor for the death outcome in patients with obesity. However, obesity contributes to metabolic changes and mortality in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell) (carmine cochineal) is an insect pest highly noxious that has spread through cactus pear crops in the Brazilian semiarid region. Knowledge of diversity and genetic relationships of the cactus pear accessions is fundamental to create new varieties resistance to carmine cochineal. Therefore, this investigation was undertaken to assess the genetic diversity and genetic relationships that existed among cactus pear accessions of Nopalea sp. and Opuntia spp. with contrasting resistance to D. opuntiae., Methods and Results: We conducted a molecular analysis in seven cactus pear accessions from the "reference collection" of the Agronomic Institute of Pernambuco, Brazil using RAPD, ISSR and ITS molecular markers. A total of 242 bands were detected from 26 polymorphic primers. The high percentage of polymorphism by RAPD (89.8%), ISSR (81.2%) and ITS (75%) markers suggests that the cactus pear accessions have high genetic diversity. The combined analysis of markers systems enabled the accessions discrimination of about the genus and ploidy, but were incongruous in relation to resistance level to D. opuntiae., Conclusions: Genetic diversity, discrimination of about the genus and ploidy was confirmed by merging information from ISSR, RAPD and ITS markers systems. The IPA-200016, IPA-200149, IPA-100004, IPA-200205 accessions are genetically divergent, therefore could be potentially incorporated into any further breeding programs directed to create new varieties of cactus pear resistant to D. opuntiae., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interests to declare.

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that affects millions of people around the world. Currently, the only drug available for the treatment of this disease is praziquantel, which has low efficacy against immature helminth stages and there are reports of drug resistance. In this study, the chemical composition and the in vitro effect of essential oils (EOs) and major compounds from Lippia gracilis and Lippia alba against schistosomula and adult Schistosoma mansoni worms were evaluated. Adult S. mansoni worms cultured for 8h in the presence of L. gracilis EO (50 and 100 µg/mL) or for 2h with its major compound, carvacrol (100 µg/mL), had a 100% reduction in viability. After interaction with L. alba EO (100µg/mL), there was a reduction of approximately 60% in the viability of adult worms after 24 hours of exposure; citral (50 and 100 µg/mL), its major compound, reduced the viability after 24 hours by more than 75%. Treatment of schistosomula with 100 µg/mL of L. gracilis or L. alba EOs for 6h led to a reduction in parasite viability of 80% and 16% respectively. Both EOs and their major compounds significantly reduced the oviposition of adult worms exposed to a non-lethal concentration (5 µg/mL). In addition, morphological changes such as the destruction of the tegument and disorganization of the reproductive system of male and female worms were visualized. Both EOs showed low cytotoxicity at a concentration of 50 µg/mL. The results encourage further investigation of these plants as a potential source of bioactive compounds against S. mansoni., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background and Aims: Changes in eating patterns have been leading to an increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF), negatively impacting the quality of the diet and generating risk of harm to the health of the adult population, however, there is no systematized evidence of the impact of UPF in maternal-child health. Thus, in this study we aimed to evaluated the association between UPF consumption and health outcomes in the maternal-child population., Methods: Systematic review registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (CRD42021236633), conducted according to the PRISMA diagram in the following databases: PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Scielo, and CAPES thesis and dissertation directory. We included original cross-sectional, case-control and cohort studies in any language. Eligibility criteria were (a) food consumption assessment by the NOVA classification, (b) health outcome (nutritional or diseases), and (c) maternal-child population (pregnant, lactating women and infants/children). All data were analyzed and extracted to a spreadsheet structured by two independent reviewers. We evaluated the methodological quality of the studies included using the Newcastle-Otawa Scale and RoB 2., Results: Searches retrieved 7,801 studies and 15 contemplated the eligibility criteria. Most studies included were cohort studies ( n = 8, 53%), had children as their population ( n = 9, 60%) and only one study evaluated UPF consumption in infants and lactating women. Panoramically, we observed that a higher participation of UPF in children's diet has been associated with different maternal-child outcomes, such as increase of weight gain, adiposity measures, overweight, early weaning, lower diet quality, metabolic alterations, diseases, and consumption of plastic originated from packaging. Only one of the studies included did not present high methodological quality., Conclusion: Despite the limited literature on UPF consumption and health outcomes in the maternal-child population, the highest UPF consumption negatively impacted nutrition and disease development indicators in pregnant, lactating women and children. Considering the expressive participation of these foods in the diet, other studies should be conducted to further investigate the impact of UPF consumption on different health indicators, especially in the lactation phase for this was the one to present the most important knowledge gap., Systematic Review Registration: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display&#95;record.php?ID=CRD42021236633], identifier [CRD42021236633]., 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., (Copyright © 2022 Oliveira, Sousa, Assunção, Araujo, Bezerra, Dametto and Ribeiro.)

Context: The community food environment covers the type, quantity, density, location, and access to retail food outlets, and its influence on eating behavior, obesity, and metabolic syndrome has been investigated., Objective: To evaluate the evidence on longitudinal associations between objectively measured retail food outlets and metabolic syndrome components in children, adolescents, and adults., Data Extraction: This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Study quality and risk of bias were assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale., Data Sources: The Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, Scielo, PubMed, MEDLINE, and Lilacs databases were searched without any restriction on publication dates., Data Analysis: Of the 18 longitudinal studies included, significant associations were reported in 9 between retail food outlets and metabolic syndrome components in adults (6 positive associations, 2 negative, and 1 both positive and negative), and in 3 studies of children and adolescents (2 negative associations and 1 both positive and negative). Six studies with adults found no association., Conclusion: Limited evidence was found for longitudinal associations between retail food outlets and metabolic syndrome components. In future studies, researchers should consider the use of standardized retail food outlet measurements and accurate analysis to better understand the influence of the community food environment on metabolic syndrome., Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO registration no: CRD42020177137., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Female sex steroids (FSS) can affect the motor system, modulating motor cortex excitability as well as performance in dexterity and coordination tasks. However, it has not yet been explored whether FSS affects the cognitive components of motor behavior. Mu is a sensorimotor rhythm observed by electroencephalography (EEG) in alpha (8-12 Hz) and beta (15-30 Hz) frequency bands in practices such as motor imagery (MI) and action observation (AO). This rhythm represents a window for studying the activity of neural circuits involved in motor cognition. Herein we investigated whether the alpha-mu and beta-mu power in the sensorimotor region (C3 and C4, hypothesis-driven approach) and the alpha and beta power over frontal, parietal, and occipital regions (data-driven approach) are modulated differently in the menstrual, follicular, and luteal phases of menstrual cycles in right-handed dominant women. To do so, these women underwent MI and AO in the three menstrual cycle phases. The spectral activity of the cortical regions for the alpha and beta bands were compared between phases of the menstrual cycle and a correlation analysis was also performed in relation to estrogen and progesterone levels. For the hypothesis-based approach, beta-mu event-related desynchronization (ERD) was significantly stronger in the C3 channel in the follicular phase than in the menstrual and luteal phases. For the data-driven approach, beta ERD during MI was higher in the follicular phase than in the menstrual and luteal phases in the frontal region. These findings suggest the effect of FSS on executive movement control. No effect of menstrual cycle phases was observed in cortical areas investigated during OA, but alpha and beta bands correlated positively with the follicular phase plasma estradiol level. Thus, the attenuation of alpha and beta bands referring to mirror neuron activities appears to be associated with inhibition of cortical activity when estradiol levels are lower, improving cognitive processing of motor action., 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., (Copyright © 2022 Souza, Mendes, Lima, Brandão, Laplagne and Sousa.)

Proneural genes were initially identified in Drosophila , where pioneer work on these important regulators of neural development was performed, and from which the term proneural function was coined. Subsequently, their counterparts in vertebrates were identified, and their function in neural development extensively characterized. The function of proneural transcription factors in flies and vertebrates is, however, very distinct. In flies, proneural genes play an early role in neural induction, by endowing neural competence to ectodermal cells. In contrast, vertebrate proneural genes are expressed only after neural specification, in neural stem and progenitor cells, where they play key regulatory functions in quiescence, proliferation, and neuronal differentiation. An exception to this scenario is the Drosophila proneural gene asense , which has a late onset of expression in neural stem cells of the developing embryo and larvae, similar to its vertebrate counterparts. Although the role of Asense remains poorly investigated, its expression pattern is suggestive of functions more in line with those of vertebrate proneural genes. Here, we revise our current understanding of the multiple activities of Asense and of its closest vertebrate homologue Ascl1 in neural stem/progenitor cell biology, and discuss possible parallels between the two transcription factors in neurogenesis regulation., 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., (Copyright © 2022 Soares, Homem and Castro.)