The effect of the ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) on Aeromonas hydrophila was analyzed by determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Then, the effects of crude propolis powder (CPP) ...on growth, hemato-immune parameters of the Nile tilapia, as well as its effects on resistance to A. hydrophila challenge were investigated. The CPP (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0%) was added to the diet of 280 Nile tilapia (50.0 ± 5.7 g fish-1). Hemato-immune parameters were analyzed before and after the bacterial challenge. Red blood cell, hematocrit, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and nitric oxide (NO) were evaluated. The MIC of the EEP was 13% (v/v) with a bactericidal effect after 24 hours. Growth performance was significantly lower for those fish fed diets containing 2.5 and 3% of CPP compared to the control diet. Differences in CPP levels affected fish hemoglobin, neutrophils number and NO following the bacterial challenge. For others parameters no significant differences were observed. Our results show that although propolis has bactericidal properties in vitro, the addition of crude propolis powder to Nile tilapia extruded diets does not necessarily lead to an improvement of fish health.
Activated charcoal was prepared from
Acrocomia aculeata
(macaúba) endocarp by ZnCl
2
activation and then used for the adsorptive purification of pretreated crude glycerol (CG) containing pigments, ...such as β-carotene. The pretreatment of glycerol involved filtration of the K
3
PO
4
formed by the addition of H
3
PO
4
to the crude glycerol containing KOH. A mixture of 1.38:1 w/w of ZnCl
2
:
Acrocomia aculeata
pulp was heated at 120 °C with stirring for 24 h. The mixture was activated by heating at 600 °C for 3 h. The activated charcoal was cooled to 25 °C, washed with a 1:1 mixture of methanol and water (100 mL) and heated at 150 °C for 2 h. The surface properties of the activated charcoal (surface area 627 m
2
g
−1
, pore volume 0.39 m
3
g
−1
, Bronsted sites 118.23 μmol g
−1
, and Lewis sites 104.86 μmol g
−1
) and the adsorption capacity for impurities in H
3
PO
4
-pretreated crude glycerol were investigated. The activated charcoal exhibited the most suitable surface properties for the purification of pretreated crude glycerol, attaining a 95.99% glycerol concentration (by GC) using 10 g/L with gravity filtration through a column at room temperature over a 48-h period. The purified glycerol was characterized by GC/MS,
1
H- and
13
C-NMR, and DSC and TG analyses. The activated charcoal was regenerated by washing with methanol and hexane and heating to 150 °C for 5 h. The activated charcoal could be re-used three times to remove all of the pigments before it was necessary to re-activate the charcoal by heating with ZnCl
2
.
The cryopreservation and recovery of epididymis tail sperm is an important biotechnology dependent on the composition of the freezing medium.
To evaluate the effect of melatonin, added to commercial ...freezing medium extender, on the kinetics and viability of bovine epididymis tail sperm.
Five routines were performed, each consisting of eight epididymis and the structures were sliced onto a glass plate containing a commercial diluting medium for Botubov. The samples were divided into four groups, with 80 x 10
spermatozoa per mL. Group 1: samples diluted in Botubov. Group 2: samples centrifuged (600 g, 10 min), and the pellet re-suspended in Botubov. Group 3, samples diluted in Botubov containing 100 pM melatonin. Group 4: samples centrifuged (600 g, 10 min) and the pellet resuspended in Botubov with 100 pM melatonin. The samples were transferred to 0.5 mL straws at 40 x 10
viable spermatozoa, stabilized at 5º C for 4 h, transferred to liquid nitrogen vapour for 20 min, dipped in liquid nitrogen and stored in a cryogenic cylinder. After thawing (46ºC, 15s), sperm kinetics and viability parameters were evaluated.
There was no difference in the parameters of total motility (MT, %), progressive motility (MP, %), progressive linear velocity (VSL, µm/s), curvilinear velocity (VCL, µm/s), linearity (LIN, %), spermatozoa with rapid movement (RAP, %) and level of intact plasma membranes and acrosome (IPMA, %) among the groups studied. However, a difference was observed between the routines performed.
The protocol for freezing bovine epididymis tail sperm is applicable; however, there is an influence of the epididymis used, for the best efficacy of this biotechnology.
Abstract
Background
This non-inferiority randomised clinical trial aimed to evaluate the survival of direct bulk fill composite resin restorations in primary molars using different methods of ...moisture control: rubber dam isolation (RDI—local anaesthesia and rubber dam) and cotton roll isolation (CRI—cotton roll and saliva ejector). Secondary outcomes included baseline and 2-year incremental cost, self-reported child’s pain scores and patient behaviour during the restorative procedure.
Methods
A total of 174 molars (93 children) with dentine caries lesions were randomly allocated to study groups (RDI or CRI) and restored with bulk fill composite resin by trained operators. Two blinded examiners assessed the restorations for up to 24 months. Wong-baker faces and Frankl's behaviour rating scales were used for accessing the child's pain and behaviour, respectively. The primary outcome (restoration survival) was analysed using the two-sample non-inferiority test for survival data using Cox Regression (non-inferiority/alternative hypothesis HR > 0.85; CI = 90%). Bootstrap Linear regression was used for cost analysis and logistic regression for pain and behaviour analysis (α = 5%).
Results
After 2-years, 157 restorations were evaluated (drop-out = 9.7%). The survival rate was RDI = 60.4% and CRI = 54.3%. The non-inferiority hypothesis was accepted by the Cox Regression analysis (HR = 1.33; 90% CI 0.88–1.99;
p
= 0.036). RDI was 53% more expensive when compared to the CRI group. No differences were found between the groups regarding pain (
p
= 0.073) and behaviour (
p
= 0.788).
Conclusion
Cotton roll isolation proved to be non-inferior when compared to rubber dam for composite restorations longevity in primary molars. Furthermore, the latest presented the disadvantage of higher cost and longer procedure time.
Clinical Significance
The moisture control method does not influence the longevity of composite restorations in primary molars. Cotton roll isolation proved to be non-inferior to rubber dam isolation and is a viable option for restoring primary molars.
Clinical trial registration
registered NCT03733522 on 07/11/2018. The present trial was nested within another clinical trial, the CARies DEtection in Children (CARDEC-03-NCT03520309).
The aims of this study were to characterise the yeasts present in the reconstituted fruit juices and coconut water extracted with “coconut machines”, both collected from commercial outlets in a ...Brazilian city, and to investigate the antifungal resistance of isolates from these beverages that were able to grow at 37°C. The yeast population counts in the coconut water samples ranged from 1.7 to >6.5logcfu/ml, and in the reconstituted fruit juices, the counts ranged from 1.5 to >5.5logcfu/ml. Aureobasidium pullulans, Candida boidinii, Candidaintermedia, Candidaoleophila, Candidaparapsilosis, Candidasantamariae, Candidatropicalis, Clavispora lusitaniae, Kloeckera apis, Lachancea fermentati, Pichia fermentans and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa were the most frequent species isolated from these beverages. At least 18 yeast species isolated from these beverages have been reported as opportunistic pathogens. Eight yeast isolates were resistant to fluconazole, seven were resistant to itraconazole, and 26 to amphotericin B. Some yeast species were resistant to more than one of the antifungal drugs tested. Two isolates of C. tropicalis from the reconstituted fruit juices exhibited resistance to all three drugs. The presence of yeast strains that are resistant to commonly used antifungal drugs suggests a potential risk, at least to immunocompromised individuals who consume these beverages.
► We identified 69 yeast species from samples of reconstituted fruit juices and coconut water. ► Yeast contamination is likely caused by inappropriate storage and handling conditions. ► 115 yeast isolates exhibited resistance or a dose-dependent susceptibility to at least one of the antifungal drugs tested.
COVID-19 has infected millions of people worldwide and is responsible for several hundred thousand fatalities. The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated thoughtful resource allocation and early ...identification of high-risk patients. However, effective methods to meet these needs are lacking.
The aims of this study were to analyze the electronic health records (EHRs) of patients who tested positive for COVID-19 and were admitted to hospitals in the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City; to develop machine learning models for making predictions about the hospital course of the patients over clinically meaningful time horizons based on patient characteristics at admission; and to assess the performance of these models at multiple hospitals and time points.
We used Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and baseline comparator models to predict in-hospital mortality and critical events at time windows of 3, 5, 7, and 10 days from admission. Our study population included harmonized EHR data from five hospitals in New York City for 4098 COVID-19-positive patients admitted from March 15 to May 22, 2020. The models were first trained on patients from a single hospital (n=1514) before or on May 1, externally validated on patients from four other hospitals (n=2201) before or on May 1, and prospectively validated on all patients after May 1 (n=383). Finally, we established model interpretability to identify and rank variables that drive model predictions.
Upon cross-validation, the XGBoost classifier outperformed baseline models, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) for mortality of 0.89 at 3 days, 0.85 at 5 and 7 days, and 0.84 at 10 days. XGBoost also performed well for critical event prediction, with an AUC-ROC of 0.80 at 3 days, 0.79 at 5 days, 0.80 at 7 days, and 0.81 at 10 days. In external validation, XGBoost achieved an AUC-ROC of 0.88 at 3 days, 0.86 at 5 days, 0.86 at 7 days, and 0.84 at 10 days for mortality prediction. Similarly, the unimputed XGBoost model achieved an AUC-ROC of 0.78 at 3 days, 0.79 at 5 days, 0.80 at 7 days, and 0.81 at 10 days. Trends in performance on prospective validation sets were similar. At 7 days, acute kidney injury on admission, elevated LDH, tachypnea, and hyperglycemia were the strongest drivers of critical event prediction, while higher age, anion gap, and C-reactive protein were the strongest drivers of mortality prediction.
We externally and prospectively trained and validated machine learning models for mortality and critical events for patients with COVID-19 at different time horizons. These models identified at-risk patients and uncovered underlying relationships that predicted outcomes.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Antibiotic for clinical use lose its effectiveness over time due to bacterial resistance. In this work, four chalcones with modifications in their ligands were synthesized from the natural product ...2-hydroxy-3,4,6-trimethoxyacetophenone, characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and infrared spectroscopy, and tested in bacterial models to investigate the direct and modifiers effects of the antibiotic activity of these four novel chalcones. The tests followed the broth microdilution methodology to obtain the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). The MIC/8 of the products were used in the resistance reversion test. The chalcone 2 showed the best result in terms of direct activity, with MIC 645 μg/mL for Staphylococcus aureus and 812 μg/mL for Escherichia coli. While, for the bacterial resistance reversal test, the chalcones presented several synergistic interactions, being that chalcone 4 had the best interaction with the tested antibiotics. It was found that the type of ligand, as well as its position in the ring, interferes in the modulation of the antibiotic activity. Our results show that chalcones are strong candidates to be used as antibacterial drug or in combination with antibiotics for the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains.
The global increase in species richness toward the tropics across continents and taxonomic groups, referred to as the latitudinal diversity gradient, stimulated the formulation of many hypotheses to ...explain the underlying mechanisms of this pattern. We evaluate several of these hypotheses to explain spatial diversity patterns in a butterfly family, the Nymphalidae, by assessing the contributions of speciation, extinction, and dispersal, and also the extent to which these processes differ among regions at the same latitude. We generate a time-calibrated phylogeny containing 2,866 nymphalid species (~45% of extant diversity). Neither speciation nor extinction rate variations consistently explain the latitudinal diversity gradient among regions because temporal diversification dynamics differ greatly across longitude. The Neotropical diversity results from low extinction rates, not high speciation rates, and biotic interchanges with other regions are rare. Southeast Asia is also characterized by a low speciation rate but, unlike the Neotropics, is the main source of dispersal events through time. Our results suggest that global climate change throughout the Cenozoic, combined with tropical niche conservatism, played a major role in generating the modern latitudinal diversity gradient of nymphalid butterflies.
Summary Background Treatment strategies for acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) are based on case series and data that have been extrapolated from stroke intervention trials in other cerebrovascular ...territories, and information on the efficacy of different treatments in unselected patients with BAO is scarce. We therefore assessed outcomes and differences in treatment response after BAO. Methods The Basilar Artery International Cooperation Study (BASICS) is a prospective, observational registry of consecutive patients who presented with an acute symptomatic and radiologically confirmed BAO between November 1, 2002, and October 1, 2007. Stroke severity at time of treatment was dichotomised as severe (coma, locked-in state, or tetraplegia) or mild to moderate (any deficit that was less than severe). Outcome was assessed at 1 month. Poor outcome was defined as a modified Rankin scale score of 4 or 5, or death. Patients were divided into three groups according to the treatment they received: antithrombotic treatment only (AT), which comprised antiplatelet drugs or systemic anticoagulation; primary intravenous thrombolysis (IVT), including subsequent intra-arterial thrombolysis; or intra-arterial therapy (IAT), which comprised thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy, stenting, or a combination of these approaches. Risk ratios (RR) for treatment effects were adjusted for age, the severity of neurological deficits at the time of treatment, time to treatment, prodromal minor stroke, location of the occlusion, and diabetes. Findings 619 patients were entered in the registry. 27 patients were excluded from the analyses because they did not receive AT, IVT, or IAT, and all had a poor outcome. Of the 592 patients who were analysed, 183 were treated with only AT, 121 with IVT, and 288 with IAT. Overall, 402 (68%) of the analysed patients had a poor outcome. No statistically significant superiority was found for any treatment strategy. Compared with outcome after AT, patients with a mild-to-moderate deficit (n=245) had about the same risk of poor outcome after IVT (adjusted RR 0·94, 95% CI 0·60–1·45) or after IAT (adjusted RR 1·29, 0·97–1·72) but had a worse outcome after IAT compared with IVT (adjusted RR 1·49, 1·00–2·23). Compared with AT, patients with a severe deficit (n=347) had a lower risk of poor outcome after IVT (adjusted RR 0·88, 0·76–1·01) or IAT (adjusted RR 0·94, 0·86–1·02), whereas outcomes were similar after treatment with IAT or IVT (adjusted RR 1·06, 0·91–1·22). Interpretation Most patients in the BASICS registry received IAT. Our results do not support unequivocal superiority of IAT over IVT, and the efficacy of IAT versus IVT in patients with an acute BAO needs to be assessed in a randomised controlled trial. Funding Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Utrecht.
Population-based studies analyzing neonatal deaths in middle-income countries may contribute to design interventions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, established by United Nations. This ...study goal is to analyze the annual trend of neonatal mortality in São Paulo State, Brazil, over a 10-year period and its underlying causes and to identify maternal and neonatal characteristics at birth associated with neonatal mortality.
A population-based study of births and deaths from 0 to 27 days between 2004 and 2013 in São Paulo State, Brazil, was performed. The annual trend of neonatal mortality rate according to gestational age was analyzed by Poisson or by Negative Binomial Regression models. Basic causes of neonatal death were classified according to ICD-10. Association of maternal demographic variables (block 1), prenatal and delivery care variables (block 2), and neonatal characteristics at birth (block 3) with neonatal mortality was evaluated by Poisson regression analysis adjusted by year of birth.
Among 6,056,883 live births in São Paulo State during the study period, 48,309 died from 0 to 27 days (neonatal mortality rate: 8.0/1,000 live births). For the whole group and for infants with gestational age 22-27, 28-31, 32-36, 37-41 and ≥ 42 weeks, reduction of neonatal mortality rate was, respectively, 18 %, 15 %, 38 %, 53 %, 31 %, and 58 %. Median time until 50 % of deaths occurred was 3 days. Main basic causes of death were respiratory disorders (25 %), malformations (20 %), infections (17 %), and perinatal asphyxia (7 %). Variables independently associated with neonatal deaths were maternal schooling, prenatal care, parity, newborn sex, 1st minute Apgar, and malformations. Cesarean delivery, compared to vaginal, was protective against neonatal mortality for infants at 22-31 weeks, but it was a risk factor for those with 32-41 weeks.
Despite the significant decrease in neonatal mortality rate over the 10-year period in São Paulo State, improved access to qualified health care is needed in order to avoid preventable neonatal deaths and increase survival of infants that need more complex levels of assistance.
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