Abstract Candida spp. is considered an important cause of healthcare-associated infections worldwide. Currently, the emergence and spread of resistant Candida isolates are being increasingly ...reported, making the development of new agents urgently needed. In this study, we showed the in vitro anti-Candida activity of seven synthetic 3-alkylpyridine alkaloid analogs. Among them, alkaloid 1 presented a potent antifungal effect, which was independent of its capacity of binding with the fungal membrane ergosterol or cell wall. Analog 1 showed fungistatic and fungicidal effects against C. albicans (MIC 7.8 μg/mL and MFC 62.5 μg/mL), C. glabrata, C. krusei (MIC and MFC 31.2 μg/mL), and C. tropicalis (MIC 31.2 μg/mL and MFC 125 μg/mL). The time kill-curve study showed that compound 1 has a potent fungicidal effect in vitro, eliminating C. albicans cells. Furthermore, an in vitro synergistic effect with ketoconazole was observed for compound 1. This compound also eliminated the yeast-to-hypha transition. However, it showed high cytotoxicity against mammalian cells. Taken together, these findings support the use of compound 1 as a prototype to develop new anti-Candida agents, but molecular modifications should be done to minimize the high cytotoxicity obtained.
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare chronic autoimmune disease characterized by vascular abnormalities and connective tissue disorders. In 2021, the multidisciplinary team of the university hospital ...recognized a demand for oral health information among SSc patients. This study aims to describe the development of an SSc oral health booklet and its validation by people with SSc.
For the development of the booklet, the project creators employed the action research methodology involving ten stages. SSc patients evaluated the material by filling out a digital form.
One hundred and thirty-one people with SSc evaluated the booklet. It received an average score of 9.73 (SD: 0.80) in relevance, 9.82 (SD: 0.47) in explicitness, and 9.49 (SD: 0.93) in aesthetics. The final version was emailed to the participants and posted on social media.
This is the first booklet that deeply addresses these issues in Portuguese and constitutes a soft technology to instruct and assist patients with SSc.
The production of high-quality educational materials on oral health for patients with SSc is necessary. The online distribution increased its reach and had great importance in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
•Systemic sclerosis orofacial abnormalities impose challenges to health professionals.•Health education enables patients to self-manage systemic sclerosis.•Educational booklets must use simple language and illustrations to improve patients' understanding.•Patients' suggestions are essential to improve educational booklets.•The online distribution of educational materials improves their reach.
Nowadays, the emergence of superbugs is one of the most serious public health problems. Strains of
Staphylococcus aureus
and
Klebsiella pneumoniae
, resistant to many antimicrobials available in ...clinical practice, have become increasingly common. The development of new drugs for the treatment of infections caused by these pathogens is necessary and urgent. A series of 11 analogs of marine 3-alkylpyridine alkaloids was evaluated in vitro for its antibacterial potential. Compound
6
, a synthetic analog of viscosaline, exhibited significant activity against
S. aureus
, including an MRSA strain (MIC = 2 µg/mL). Additionally, it exhibited a 25% reduction in mature biofilm and a good selectivity index (SI > 16). None of the compounds exhibited activity against
K. pneumoniae
, but analog
6
was able to act in planktonic cells in the presence of polymyxin B at sub-inhibitory concentration. Compound
6
has promising anti-staphylococcal activity and future assays are encouraged to investigate their therapeutic potential.
Saint Peter and Saint Paul's Archipelago (SPSPA), one of the smallest and most isolated island groups in the world, is situated on the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge, between Brazil and the African continent. ...SPSPA has low species richness and high endemism; nonetheless, the diversity of fishes from deep habitats (>30 m depth) had not been previously studied in detail. Several expeditions conducted between 2009 and 2018 explored the shallow and deep reefs of SPSPA using scuba, closed‐circuit rebreathers, manned submersibles, baited remote underwater stereo‐videos (stereo‐BRUV) and fishing between 0 and 1050 m depth. These expeditions yielded 41 new records of fishes for SPSPA: 9 in open waters, 9 in shallow waters (0–30 m), 8 in mesophotic ecosystems (30–150 m) and 15 in deeper reefs (>150 m). Combined with literature records of adult pelagic, shallow and deep‐reef species, as well as larvae, the database of the fish biodiversity for SPSPA currently comprises 225 species (169 recorded as adult fishes and 79 as larvae, with 23 species found in both stages). Most of them (112) are pelagic, 86 are reef‐associated species and 27 are deep‐water specialists. Species accumulation curves show that the number of fish species has not yet reached an asymptote. Whereas the number of species recorded in SPSPA is similar to that in other oceanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the proportion of shorefishes is relatively lower, and the endemism level is the third highest in the Atlantic. Twenty‐nine species are listed as threatened with extinction. Observations confirm the paucity of top predators on shallow rocky reefs of the island, despite the presence of several pelagic shark species around SPSPA. Because all of the endemic species are reef associated, it is argued that the new marine‐protected areas created by the Brazilian government do not ensure the protection and recovery of SPSPA's biodiversity because they allow exploitation of the most vulnerable species around the archipelago itself. This study suggests a ban on reef fish exploitation inside an area delimited by the 1000 m isobath around the islands (where all known endemics are concentrated) as the main conservation strategy to be included in the SPSPA management plan being prepared by the Brazilian government.
Objective To study the effects of n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated acid-rich soybean phosphatidylcholine (soy-PC) on sperm cryotolerance with regard to sperm membrane lipid profile, membrane surface ...integrity, and routine semen parameters. Design Experimental study. Setting University-affiliated tertiary hospital. Patient(s) A total of 20 normospermic fertile men. Intervention(s) Semen samples examined for differences in semen parameters, sperm membrane lipid profile, and plasma membrane surface both before and after cryopreservation using basic freezing medium with N -tris(hydroxymethyl)-methyl-2-aminoethane sulfonic acid (TES) and tris-(hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane (TRIS) supplemented with purified soy-PC (TEST-PC) or egg yolk (TEST-Y), both alone or in association (TEST-Y-PC). Main Outcome Measure(s) Conventional semen parameters and membrane lipid profile by matrix-assisted laser/desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). Result(s) Postthaw sperm cell motility, vitality, and morphology parameters were similar for soy-PC (TEST-PC) and egg yolk (TEST-Y) cryoprotectants. However, sperm exposed to TEST-Y-PC presented better kinetic parameters, which were similar to the original quality of the fresh semen. Human sperm MALDI-MS lipid profiles revealed that the relative abundance of glycerophospholipids of m / z 760.44 PC (34:1)+H+, 781.55 SM (20:0) +Na+, 784.55 PC (36:3) +H+, 806.64 PC (38:6) +H+, 807.64 SM (22:1) +Na+, and 809.64 SM (22:0) +Na+ increased in soy-PC samples (TEST-PC). Nonetheless, only one lipid ( m / z 781.55, SM (20:0) +Na+) statistically significantly changed when sperm was cryopreserved in TEST-Y-PC. Conclusion(s) Sphingomyelin was defined as a prospective biomarker of soy-PC treatment, and it could be related to the positive cryoprotective effects of soy-PC in human sperm, opening new perspectives to design of a more efficient synthetic cryoprotectant medium containing purified egg yolk biomolecules combined with soy-PC.
•Only melamine does not cause expansion of the char layer in the adopted system.•Addition of melamine and expandable graphite form a highly porous char layer.•Individual addition of expandable ...graphite forms a cohesive and protective layer.•Heat released of the paints is related to the amount of benzoxazine in the system.•Expandable graphite exposed to high temperatures may generate graphite oxide.
The use of intumescent coatings has proved to be an efficient alternative for the protection of metallic substrates against fire. Benzoxazine is a type of phenolic resin of great interest for aerospace engineering because it inherently exhibits flame retardant properties. However, its use as the main component of an intumescent coating has not been explored yet. The aim of the present work is to develop, for the first time, an efficient benzoxazine-based intumescent coating. The proposed formulations were applied to steel substrates and exposed to fire resistance tests. The coatings were characterised using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and microcolorimetry (MCC). The resulting chars were analysed using MCC, optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The intumescent coatings provide efficient fire protection. The substrates coated with the formulations containing expandable graphite showed a decrease of 300 °C when compared to the uncoated substrate. SEM analysis of the char revealed porous structures and MCC showed that benzoxazine coatings have low heat release.
•Mathematical Morphology better identifies the beginning of an Oscillatory Transient.•The processing time to detect disturbances with Mathematical Morphology is usually faster.•Matching pursuit and ...mathematical morphology better estimated the parameters.•Tests with random signals, with or without noise, showed similar results.
The oscillatory transient has well-dened characteristics such as short duration, considerable variations in the voltage’s amplitude, and frequency, which can be manifested in any part of an Electric Power System and mainly caused by the capacitor bank switching. Knowing the effects caused, for possible mitigation of these, it is initially necessary to recognize their origin, since, for example, the possible disturbance recorders installed or other measuring equipment available on medium voltage systems do not point out the causes. The methodology presented in this research comprehends a complete study since the detection of an oscillatory transient until the extraction of the main characteristics of the signal in analysis, resulting from the capacitor bank switching. Initially, a comparative analysis of the processing time and the mean error in the detection was carried out by using Notch Filter, Wavelet Transform, and Mathematical Morphology techniques to identify the beginning of oscillatory transients in synthetic signals, with and without the presence of noise. The results obtained pointed out that the Mathematical Morphology identified with greater speed and less computational effort the presence of an oscillatory transient in comparison to the others. Later, applying the Matching Pursuit Algorithm with a structured data dictionary, it was possible to estimate the frequency (f), damping (d), and phase angle (a) parameters characteristic of the analyzed oscillatory transients.
•UV aging affected the fire protective properties of the intumescent coatings.•Coatings containing DPOSS presented satisfactory resistance against UV aging.•Coatings containing NPOSS were more ...affected by UV aging than the ones with DPOSS.•UV aging had influence on the expansion values of the char layers.•POSS addition improved the fire protective properties of the coatings.
Intumescent coatings are alternatives for protecting substrates against fire and can be applied externally, being exposed to inclement weather, such as solar radiation, making it necessary to know the effect of this exposure on their protective properties. This study developed benzoxazine- and epoxy-based intumescent coatings containing different types of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS), to evaluate the influence of UV aging on fire resistance properties. The coatings were formulated, applied on metallic substrates, and exposed to UV aging. Coatings without exposure to aging were also evaluated. The coatings were characterized using burning tests, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis, combustion microcalorimetry and visual analysis. The char layers were characterized using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. FTIR results indicated absorption bands related to functional groups typical of degradation for each resin. The burning test revealed that aging exposure decreased the fire protection of all coatings. Coatings containing POSS with nonreactive groups showed better protective properties after UV aging when compared with the ones containing reactive groups.
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III) presents the first spectroscopic data from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). This ninth data release (DR9) of the SDSS project includes ...535,995 new galaxy spectra (median z ~ 0.52), 102,100 new quasar spectra (median z ~ 2.32), and 90,897 new stellar spectra, along with the data presented in previous data releases. These spectra were obtained with the new BOSS spectrograph and were taken between 2009 December and 2011 July. In addition, the stellar parameters pipeline, which determines radial velocities, surface temperatures, surface gravities, and metallicities of stars, has been updated and refined with improvements in temperature estimates for stars with T sub(eff) < 5000 K and in metallicity estimates for stars with Fe/H > -0.5. DR9 includes new stellar parameters for all stars presented in DR8, including stars from SDSS-I and II, as well as those observed as part of the SEGUE-2. The astrometry error introduced in the DR8 imaging catalogs has been corrected in the DR9 data products. The next data release for SDSS-III will be in Summer 2013, which will present the first data from the APOGEE along with another year of data from BOSS, followed by the final SDSS-III data release in 2014 December.
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