•Hydrophilic PES-GO membrane was synthesized and applied in an MBR.•PES-GO showed adsorptive anti-fouling ability and increased reversible fouling in MBR.•PES-GO had a low impact on the external ...fouling mitigation in MBR.•PES-GO exhibited loss of hydrophilicity and presence of pitting associated with GO oxidation by chlorine.
Membrane bioreactors show promising features for the co-treatment process of landfill leachate (LFL) and wastewater. However, the high fouling potential of the membranes is still a challenge for treating LFL. A promising approach for membranes fouling mitigation is the incorporation of hydrophilic nanostructures such as graphene oxide (GO) in the structure of polymeric membranes. Nonetheless, long-term tests with GO-incorporated membranes for the treatment of high-strength wastewater under practical conditions are still missing. Thus, in the present study, membranes of polyethersulfone (PES) and PES-GO were synthesized by phase inversion method and successfully implemented in a lab-scale MBR system for LFL and synthetic wastewater co-treatment. Preliminary membrane characterization revealed that the addition of GO resulted in a more restrictive and hydrophilic superficial layer. These properties contributed for PES-GO to obtain high rejection and antifouling properties for humic acid (HA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) in model solutions. However, no significant differences in the performance of PES-GO and PES membranes for organic removal were observed during the MBR operation. PES-GO exhibited enhanced adsorptive anti-fouling potential which resulted in an increase of the reversible fouling ratio when compared to PES. Though, the incorporation of GO had a low impact on the external anti-fouling potential, which could be resulted from the complex characteristics of LFL. Regarding membranes stability after long exposure to sodium hypochlorite solution, PES-GO exhibited loss of hydrophilicity and presented significant indication of pitting-like damage on the active layer, which could be associated with the GO oxidation by chlorine. Thereby, the findings of this study can be used to develop future strategies involving the use of GO-incorporated membranes in MBRs for the treatment of LFL and complex wastewater.
Stemodin (1) is a diterpene produced by Stemodia maritima L. (Scrophulariaceae) and shows antiviral and tumor cell proliferation inhibitory activities. Chemical modifications of 1 were performed to ...produce the known stemodinone (2), two new stemodinone oximes, Z (3) and E (4), and seven new oxime esters derivatives (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11). All derivatives were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity in HL60 (promyelocytic leukemia), SNB-19 (astrocytoma), HCT-116 (colon carcinoma), and PC3 (prostate) human cancer cell lines, and L929 (healthy murine cells). Oximes 3 and 4 showed lower cytotoxic values than 1 against all cancer cell lines tested. However, esters 9 and 10 exhibited cell growth inhibition percentages higher than 1 against PC3, SNB-19, and HCT-116 cancer cell lines, ranging from 62.96 to 94.27%. Many of these values exceed that presented by doxorubicin (66.05-86.87%). All compounds showed no cytotoxic effect on healthy cells at the tested concentration of 25 µg mL-1.
CD4+ T cells are key components of the immune response during lung infections and can mediate protection against tuberculosis (TB) or influenza. However, CD4+ T cells can also promote lung pathology ...during these infections, making it unclear how these cells control such discrepant effects. Using mouse models of hypervirulent TB and influenza, we observe that exaggerated accumulation of parenchymal CD4+ T cells promotes lung damage. Low numbers of lung CD4+ T cells, in contrast, are sufficient to protect against hypervirulent TB. In both situations, lung CD4+ T cell accumulation is mediated by CD4+ T cell-specific expression of the extracellular ATP (eATP) receptor P2RX7. P2RX7 upregulation in lung CD4+ T cells promotes expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR3, favoring parenchymal CD4+ T cell accumulation. Our findings suggest that direct sensing of lung eATP by CD4+ T cells is critical to induce tissue CD4+ T cell accumulation and pathology during lung infections.
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•eATP sensing via P2RX7 promotes lung CD4+ T cell residency in response to infection•P2RX7-induced lung CD4+ T cells lead to tissue pathology and poor host survival•P2RX7 induces lung CD4+ T cell establishment through CXCR3 expression
Santiago-Carvalho et al. demonstrate that, in response to severe lung infections, sensing of extracellular ATP through P2RX7 leads to exacerbated numbers of lung parenchymal CD4+ T cells that promote pathology and impair host survival. Their results suggest a possible explanation for how tissue danger signals can inadvertently support pathogenic lung immune responses.
Identification of targetable molecular changes is essential for selecting appropriate treatment in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma.
: In this study, a Sanger sequencing plus Fluorescence ...In Situ Hybridization (FISH) sequential approach was compared with a Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS)-based approach for the detection of actionable genomic mutations in an experimental cohort (EC) of 117 patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma. Its applicability was assessed in small biopsies and cytology specimens previously tested for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutational status, comparing the molecular changes identified and the impact on clinical outcomes. Subsequently, an NGS-based approach was applied and tested in an implementation cohort (IC) in clinical practice. Using Sanger and FISH, patients were classified as EGFR-mutated (
= 22, 18.8%), ALK-mutated (
= 9, 7.7%), and unclassifiable (UC) (
= 86, 73.5%). Retesting the EC with NGS led to the identification of at least one gene variant in 56 (47.9%) patients, totaling 68 variants among all samples. Still, in the EC, combining NGS plus FISH for ALK, patients were classified as 23 (19.7%) EGFR; 20 (17.1%) KRAS; five (4.3%) B-Raf proto-oncogene (BRAF); one (0.9%) Erb-B2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinase 2 (ERBB2); one (0.9%) STK11; one (0.9%) TP53, and nine (7.7%) ALK mutated. Only 57 (48.7%) remained genomically UC, reducing the UC rate by 24.8%. Fourteen (12.0%) patients presented synchronous alterations. Concordance between NGS and Sanger for EGFR status was very high (κ = 0.972; 99.1%). In the IC, a combined DNA and RNA NGS panel was used in 123 patients. Genomic variants were found in 79 (64.2%). In addition, eight (6.3%) EML4-ALK, four (3.1%), KIF5B-RET, four (3.1%) CD74-ROS1, one (0.8%) TPM3-NTRK translocations and three (2.4%) exon 14 skipping MET Proto-Oncogene (MET) mutations were detected, and 36% were treatable alterations.
: This study supports the use of NGS as the first-line test for genomic profiling of patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma.
Introduction: Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) analysis offers a non-invasive method to identify sensitising and resistance mutations in advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) patients. Next-generation ...sequencing (NGS) of circulating free DNA (cfDNA) is a valuable tool for mutations detection and disease′s clonal monitoring. Material and methods: An amplicon-based targeted gene NGS panel was used to analyse 101 plasma samples of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with known oncogenic mutations, mostly EGFR mutations, serially collected at different clinically relevant time points of the disease. Results: The variant allelic frequency (VAF) monitoring in consecutive plasma samples demonstrated different molecular response and progression patterns. The decrease in or the clearance of the mutant alleles was associated with response and the increase in or the emergence of novel alterations with progression. At the best response, the median VAF was 0% (0.0% to 3.62%), lower than that at baseline, with a median of 0.53% (0.0% to 9.9%) (p = 0.004). At progression, the VAF was significantly higher (median 4.67; range: 0.0–36.9%) than that observed at the best response (p = 0.001) and baseline (p = 0.006). These variations anticipated radiographic changes in most cases, with a median time of 0.86 months. Overall, the VAF evolution of different oncogenic mutations predicts clinical outcomes. Conclusion: The targeted NGS of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) has clinical utility to monitor treatment response in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma.
Traumatic dental injury is defined as trauma caused by forces on a tooth with variable extent and severity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of traumatic dental injury ...and its association with overjet, lip protection, sex, socioeconomic status, social capital and binge drinking among 12-year-old students.
A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 633 12-year-old students. Data were collected through a clinical exam and self-administered questionnaires. Socioeconomic status was determined based on mother's schooling and household income. The Social Capital Questionnaire for Adolescent Students and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) were used to measure social capital and binge drinking, respectively.
The prevalence of traumatic dental injury was 29.9% (176/588). Traumatic dental injury was more prevalent among male adolescents (p = 0.010), those with overjet greater than 5 mm (p < 0.001) and those with inadequate lip protection (p < 0.001). In the multiple logistic regression analysis, overjet OR = 3.80 (95% CI: 2.235-6.466), p < 0.0001, inadequate lip protection OR = 5.585 (95% CI: 3.654-8.535), p < 0.0001 and binge drinking OR = 1.93 (95% CI: 1.21-3.06), p = 0.005 remained significantly associated with traumatic dental injury.
The present findings suggest that a high level of total social capital and trust are not associated with TDI in adolescents, unlike binge drinking. The effects of social and behavioral factors on TDI are not well elucidated. Therefore, further research involving other populations and a longitudinal design is recommended.
Background Suicide is a complex public health issue. Surveillance systems play a vital role in identifying trends and epidemiologic needs, informing public health strategies, and tailoring effective ...context-based suicide prevention interventions. Aim To identify and summarise the characteristics of specific surveillance systems and general health behaviour that include data onsuicide and self-harm. Method A scoping review following the JBI recommendations and PRISMA-ScR guidelines identified 29 relevant studies on suicide and self-harm surveillance systems. A systematic search was performed on Cinahl, Embase, Lilacs—Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, PubMed—US National Library of Medicine, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The eligibility criteria include papers that use qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods with no restrictions on time or language. The following papers were excluded regarding euthanasia and assisted suicide, as well as papers that did not explicitly describe suicide, self-harm, and surveillance systems. Two researchers independently screened the materials for eligibility and extracted data from the included studies. Data analysis was conducted using content analysis. Results Twenty-nine references were included, and 30 surveillance systems were identified and classified into general health behaviour surveillance (n = 15) and specific systems for suicide and self-harm (n = 15). General health behaviour systems often operate at national data collection level, collecting non-fatal data in healthcare settings, mainly emergency departments. The specific systems exhibited greater variability in terms of context, involved actors, data collection level, data collection procedures, and case classification. Limitations found by the studies pointed mostly to case definitions and data quality. Co-production, intersectoral collaboration, clear case definition criteria and data standardisation are essential to improve surveillance systems for suicide and self-harm. Conclusions This review identified the characteristics of surveillance systems for suicide and self-harm. Monitoring and evaluation are crucial for ongoing relevance and impact on prevention efforts.
Tuberaria lignosa
(Cistaceae family) has excellent properties as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiproliferative/anti-tumoural. This work aimed to establish a routine ...micropropagation protocol of
T. lignosa
to supply high-quality plants for the pharmaceutical industry. Apical shoot cuttings (0.5 cm long) were grown on basal medium Murashige and Skoog (MS) and ½MS for 60 days with different growth regulators. ½MS supplemented with 1 mg L
−1
benzylaminopurine (BAP) provided the best results with shoots showing better growth rates and no vitrification or browning. After 60 days, the best results for shoot proliferation were achieved on ½MS with 1 mg L
−1
mT, with 100% explants responding and ~ 4 new shoots formed per explant. For elongation and rooting, after 30 days, 1 mg L
−1
indoleacetic acid (IAA) provided 100% of rooting (~ 18 roots per shoot), and resulting plants were vigorous, also with no signs of vitrification or browning. For acclimatization, the substrate Jiffy Plug provided the best results after 60 days, with a survival rate of 68.42%. In the subsequent 30 days in greenhouse conditions, all plants survived. Acclimatized plants had still less proteins, but high activity of antioxidant enzymes compared with the mother plants, supporting that these cloned plants may be of interest to the pharmaceutical industry. No changes in the DNA-ploidy were detected between micropropagated and the mother plants. The protocol described here provides, after 8 months of explant establishment, a high number of plants/explants, revealing a high potential for future use in this species and in other medicinal and economically relevant species, and in species in need of ex-situ conservation measures.
Key message
A new ploidy true-to-type micropropagation protocol of the medicinal species
Tuberaria lignose
provided a large number of plants after explant-inoculation on ½MS (with mT for multiplication) and successful acclimatization.
The coastal area of Costa de Caparica is an important territory representing one of the main affected areas by storms such as Hercules in 2013 and 2014. This paper propose a new coastal risk ...assessment to coastal floods, combining GIS-based inundation analysis over the last 35 years, coastal vulnerability model based on geological and physical variables and, valuation of surface' elements exposed to storms considering territorial and human components. Along with the methodology proposed for local scale, this paper points out strengths and weakness, comparing the results with another simple method to achieve coastal risk by floods. Based on this study, the paper identifies potential directions for future research contributing in management, rescue and safety decisions with local authorities.
•Propose a new methodology to assign coastal risk to floods especially for local scale study cases.•Explore coastal vulnerability index through areas instead of transects.•Suggest an integration of exposed elements index and coastal hazard index.•Compare the results with a simplest coastal risk assessment.
Este artigo científico apresenta um diagnóstico organizacional da empresa Capillari For Men, uma empresa de cosméticos masculinos. Através de uma metodologia qualitativa multidimensional, envolvendo ...revisão bibliográfica, questionários, entrevistas e análise documental, foram identificados os pontos fortes e áreas de melhoria da empresa, bem como as oportunidades e desafios no mercado de cosméticos masculinos. O diagnóstico revelou que os setores Operacional e Financeiro apresentam alto desempenho, enquanto os setores de Marketing e Administrativo estão em níveis intermediários. Por outro lado, o setor de Recursos Humanos apresentou o menor desempenho, indicando a necessidade de atenção e melhorias nessa área. A análise externa identificou a possibilidade de parcerias estratégicas com outras empresas do mesmo segmento como uma oportunidade sinérgica para ampliar o mercado. Porém, a concorrência de outras lojas oferecendo produtos similares representa uma ameaça que requer a busca por diferenciais competitivos. Com base nos resultados, foram propostas estratégias para o sucesso sustentável da Capillari For Men. Investir na gestão de Recursos Humanos é fundamental para promover um ambiente de trabalho saudável e produtivo, com programas de qualidade de vida e capacitação profissional. Aproveitar a tendência crescente de cosméticos masculinos com produtos inovadores e específicos, parcerias estratégicas para expansão, liderança visionária, e gestão de mudanças, além de investir em bem-estar dos colaboradores, prepara a Capillari For Men para enfrentar desafios, ser referência no mercado e alcançar sucesso sustentável.
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