Grazing exclusion may lead to biodiversity loss and homogenization of naturally heterogeneous and species-rich grassland ecosystems, and these effects may cascade to higher trophic levels and ...ecosystem properties. Although grazing exclusion has been studied elsewhere, the consequences of alleviating the disturbance regime in grassland ecosystems remain unclear. In this paper, we present results of the first five years of an experiment in native grasslands of southern Brazil. Using a randomized block experimental design, we examined the effects of three grazing treatments on plant and arthropod communities: (i) deferred grazing (i.e., intermittent grazing), (ii) grazing exclusion and (iii) a control under traditional continuous grazing, which were applied to 70 x 70 m experimental plots, in six regionally distributed blocks. We evaluated plant community responses regarding taxonomic and functional diversity (life-forms) in separate spatial components: alpha (1 x 1 m subplots), beta, and gamma (70 x 70 m plots), as well as the cascading effects on arthropod high-taxa. By estimating effect sizes (treatments vs. control) by bootstrap resampling, both deferred grazing and grazing exclusion mostly increased vegetation height, plant biomass and standing dead biomass. The effect of grazing exclusion on plant taxonomic diversity was negative. Conversely, deferred grazing increased plant taxonomic diversity, but both treatments reduced plant functional diversity. Reduced grazing pressure in both treatments promoted the break of dominance by prostrate species, followed by fast homogenization of vegetation structure towards dominance of ligneous and erect species. These changes in the plant community led to increases in high-taxa richness and abundance of vegetation-dwelling arthropod groups under both treatments, but had no detectable effects on epigeic arthropods. Our results indicate that decision-making regarding the conservation of southern Brazil grasslands should include both intensive and alleviated levels of grazing management, but not complete grazing exclusion, to maximize conservation results when considering plant and arthropod communities.
This research addresses strategic recommendations regarding the applications of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the context of the deregulated electricity market. The main emphasis is on ...regulatory dimensions, incentive mechanisms, and the provision of marketable storage services. The study’s findings demonstrate that battery energy storage systems (BESS) have distinct characteristics that challenge their conventional classification as a load or generator within power systems. The study additionally emphasizes the insights, lessons learned, and good practices gained from early adopter countries in implementing energy storage systems (ESS). These insights include the importance of establishing a precise definition of ESS, promoting collaborative engagement with relevant stakeholders, and developing a series of incentive strategies. The results show that nations that pioneered BESS’s application in their electricity matrices have effectively promoted storage services in deregulated markets, employing storage assets for various purposes such as peak reduction, frequency regulation, renewable energy support, and energy arbitrage applications. These applications underline the potential of BESS to increase grid stability and minimize exposure to risk and volatility in the revenues of storage agents in deregulated markets.
Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is increasing in incidence while mortality is unchanged. Identifying patients with higher risk of recurrence and death is essential. Case series identify the hobnail ...variant of PTC (HVPTC), which is characterized by micropapillary architecture, apocrine features, and loss of cellular polarity. Herein, we describe the clinical course, pathologic features, and mutational profile of patients at our institution with HVPTC.
A query into the surgical pathologic database (2009-2012) was performed, and clinicopathologic data were collected on all patients carrying the diagnosis of HVPTC. BRAF(V600E) testing was performed on paraffin-embedded blocks using SNaPshot mutational analysis.
Twelve patients with HVPTC were identified, with an average age of 54.1±18.8 years. Seven patients (63.6%) were AJCC Stage III or IV at presentation. Tumors were large (3.7±2.0 cm), some were multifocal (33.3%), and frequently with extrathyroidal extension (58.3%), lymphovascular invasion (41.7%), and lymph node metastasis (75%). Forty percent of the patients had concomitant tall cell features (TCF), and two had small foci of undifferentiated (anaplastic) thyroid carcinoma (ATC). Eighty percent of tumors undergoing mutational analysis had the BRAF(V600E) mutation, and the remaining 20% harbored a RET/PTC1 gene rearrangement. No other known thyroid cancer mutations were identified on SNaPshot analysis. At median follow-up of 26 months, four patients had recurrent or persistent disease, one of whom died from the disease one year after surgery.
The hobnail variant of PTC has an aggressive behavior, with a high incidence of infiltrative tumors and metastatic disease. Strikingly, all tumors in our series harbored a PTC-associated genetic abnormality, either a BRAF(V600E) mutation (80%) or a RET/PTC1 rearrangement (20%). This histologic variant warrants further study, and patients with this diagnosis should be observed closely for recurrence.
Avoiding ventilator-associated pneumonia Zangirolami, Amanda C.; Dias, Lucas D.; Blanco, Kate C. ...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS,
09/2020, Volume:
117, Issue:
37
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Hospital-acquired infections are a global health problem that threatens patients’ treatment in intensive care units, causing thousands of deaths and a considerable increase in hospitalization costs. ...The endotracheal tube (ETT) is a medical device placed in the patient’s trachea to assist breathing and delivering oxygen into the lungs. However, bacterial biofilms forming at the surface of the ETT and the development of multidrug-resistant bacteria are considered the primary causes of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), a severe hospital-acquired infection for significant mortality. Under these circumstances, there has been a need to administrate antibiotics together. Although necessary, it has led to a rapid increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Therefore, it becomes necessary to develop alternatives to prevent and combat these bacterial infections. One possibility is to turn the ETT itself into a bactericide. Some examples reported in the literature present drawbacks. To overcome those issues, we have designed a photosensitizer-containing ETT to be used in photodynamic inactivation (PDI) to avoid bacteria biofilm formation and prevent VAP occurrence during tracheal intubation. This work describes ETT’s functionalization with curcumin photosensitizer, as well as its evaluation in PDI against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. A significant photoinactivation (up to 95%) against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria was observed when curcumin-functionalized endotracheal (ETT-curc) was used. These remarkable results demonstrate this strategy’s potential to combat hospital-acquired infections and contribute to fighting antimicrobial resistance.
This article presents a robust analysis based on the data obtained from a genuine microgrid in operation, simulated by utilizing a diesel generator (DG) in lieu of the Battery Energy Storage System ...(BESS) to meet the same load during periods of elevated energy costs. The study reveals that the BESS significantly outperforms the DG and the conventional electrical grid in various financial and environmental aspects. Environmentally, BESS accounts for zero CO2 emissions, compared to the 67.32 tons of CO2 emitted annually by the DG. Financially, the total cost of BESS over 20 years (USD 1,553,791.31) is lower than that of DG (USD 1,564,965.18) and the electrical grid (USD 2,726,181.09). Furthermore, BESS displays a lower Required Average Discharge Price—RADP (USD 0.38/kWh) and Required Average Price Spread—RAPS (USD 0.18/kWh) compared to DG (RADP: USD 0.39/kWh; RAPS: USD 0.22/kWh) and the electrical grid (RADP: USD 0.71/kWh; RAPS: USD 0.38/kWh). During periods of high-energy tariffs, BESS provides significant environmental benefits, but it also offers a more economically advantageous option to meet the load. It offers an energy-efficient and economically feasible solution for the operation of microgrids.
In Brazil, despite advances in public health policies aimed at eliminating and controlling infectious and parasitic diseases, the incidence of neglected diseases is still high. The epidemiological ...scenario in Brazil of diseases such as tuberculosis and leprosy evidences a public policy agenda that has not been resolute in terms of control, nor in terms of elimination.
To analyze the actions of diagnosis and treatment of leprosy and tuberculosis in the context of primary health care.
In this ecological study, data from the third cycle of the Program for the Improvement of Access and Quality of Primary Care were extracted from electronic address of the Primary Health Care Secretariat of Brazil in the area of Actions, Programs and Strategies. A total of 37,350 primary health care teams were that answered the questionnaire were eligible, with variables extracted from leprosy and tuberculosis control actions. The municipalities were grouped according to the characteristic of the Brazilian municipality. The partition chi-square and the Residuals Test were used to assess whether there was a difference in the proportion of tuberculosis and leprosy actions between types of municipalities. Statistics were carried out using Minitab 20 and Bioestat 5.3.
Regarding the leprosy treatment location, there is a higher proportion of people referred to be treated at the reference in adjacent rural (p = 0.0097) and urban (p < 0.0001) municipalities; monitoring of people with leprosy referred to the service network (p. = 0.0057) in remote rural areas. Lower proportion of teams requesting bacilloscopy in remote rural areas (p = 0.0019). Rural areas have a higher proportion of teams that diagnose new cases (p = 0.0004). Regarding the actions of diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis. There is a higher proportion of teams that carry out consultations at the unit itself in rural areas when compared to adjacent intermediaries (p = 0.0099) and urban (p < 0.0001); who requested sputum smear microscopy in adjacent intermediaries (p = 0.0021); X-ray in adjacent intermediaries (p < 0.0001) and urban (p < 0.0001); collection of the first sputum sample in urban (p < 0.0001) and adjacent rural areas (p < 0.0001); directly observed treatment (p < 0.0001) in adjacent rural municipalities.
There are inequalities in the diagnosis and treatment of leprosy and tuberculosis among the types of municipalities.
Introduction and hypothesis
The aim was to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the APFQ (Australian Pelvic Floor Questionnaire) for the population of Brazilian pregnant and postpartum women.
...Methods
The translation and validation of the APFQ were performed according to Beaton's guideline recommendations, with a sample of 150 patients (75 pregnant, 75 postpartum). Cronbach's alpha assessed the scale's internal consistency and reproducibility with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). To analyze the construct validity, two questionnaires were applied, and the Spearman correlation was performed. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was executed to assess the fit of the data to the theoretical model. The ability to generate diagnosis was analyzed by sensitivity and specificity.
Results
Only 1% of the sample scored in the prolapse domain, so it was removed from the validation analyses. Cronbach's alpha values greater than 0.70 were obtained for the bladder and bowel domains, and 0.69 for sexual function. As for reproducibility, the ICC was greater than 0.75 for all domains. Spearman's correlation was good for bowel (r=0.74), moderate for bladder (r=0.58), and poor for sexual function (r=0.23). CFA results showed a non-optimal adherence: despite the Chi-squared value being significant (
p
<0.001), the CMIN- which is the adherence of the data to the model- value is less than 3. Sensitivity above 80% was obtained, whereas specificity of 43%, 16%, and 12% was obtained for bowel, bladder, and sexual functions respectively.
Conclusion
The APFQ was translated, culturally adapted, and validated for Brazilian pregnant and postpartum women. It showed good indexes of internal consistency, construct validity, reproducibility, and sensitivity. However, the prolapse domain could not be validated.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a critical systemic complication caused by Bothrops envenoming, a neglected health problem in the Brazilian Amazon. Understanding the underlying mechanisms leading to AKI ...is crucial for effectively mitigating the burden of this complication. This study aimed to characterize the urinary protein profile of Bothrops atrox snakebite victims who developed AKI. We analyzed three groups of samples collected on admission: healthy subjects (controls, n = 10), snakebite victims who developed AKI (AKI, n = 10), and those who did not evolve to AKI (No-AKI, n = 10). Using liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, we identified and quantified (label-free) 1190 proteins. A panel of 65 proteins was identified exclusively in the urine of snakebite victims, with 32 exclusives to the AKI condition. Proteins more abundant or exclusive in AKI's urine were associated with acute phase response, endopeptidase inhibition, complement cascade, and inflammation. Notable proteins include serotransferrin, SERPINA-1, alpha-1B-glycoprotein, and NHL repeat-containing protein 3. Furthermore, evaluating previously reported biomarkers candidates for AKI and renal injury, we found retinol-binding protein, beta-2-microglobulin, cystatin-C, and hepcidin to be significant in cases of AKI induced by Bothrops envenoming. This work sheds light on physiological disturbances caused by Bothrops envenoming, highlighting potential biological processes contributing to AKI. Such insights may aid in better understanding and managing this life-threatening complication.
Glutathione peroxidases (GPx) are a family of enzymes with the ability to reduce organic and inorganic hydroperoxides to the corresponding alcohols using glutathione or thioredoxin as an electron ...donor. Here, we report the functional and structural characterization of a GPx identified in Trichoderma reesei (TrGPx). TrGPx was recombinantly expressed in a bacterial host and purified using affinity. Using a thioredoxin coupled assay, TrGPx exhibited activity of 28 U and 12.5 U in the presence of the substrates H2O2 and t-BOOH, respectively, and no activity was observed when glutathione was used. These results indicated that TrGPx is a thioredoxin peroxidase and hydrolyses H2O2 better than t-BOOH. TrGPx kinetic parameters using a pyrogallol assay resulted at Kmapp = 11.7 mM, Vmaxapp = 10.9 IU/μg TrGPx, kcat = 19 s−1 and a catalytic efficiency of 1.6 mM−1 s−1 to H2O2 as substrate. Besides that, TrGPx demonstrated an optimum pH ranging from 9.0–12.0 and a half-life of 36 min at 80 °C. TrGPx 3D-structure was obtained in a reduced state and non-catalytic conformation. The overall fold is similar to the other phospholipid-hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidases. These data contribute to understand the antioxidant mechanism in fungi and provide information for using antioxidant enzymes in biotechnological applications.
Apocrine-eccrine carcinomas are rare and associated with poor prognosis. Currently there is no uniform treatment guideline. Chemotherapeutic drugs that selectively target cancer-promoting pathways ...may complement conventional therapeutic approaches. However, studies on genetic alterations and EGFR and Her2 status of apocrine-eccrine carcinomas are few in number. In addition, hormonal studies have not been comprehensive and performed only on certain subsets of apocrine-eccrine carcinomas. To investigate whether apocrine-eccrine carcinomas express hormonal receptors or possess activation of oncogenic pathways that can be targeted by available chemotherapeutic agent we performed immunohistochemistry for AR, PR, ER, EGFR, and HER2 expression; fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for EGFR and ERBB2 gene amplification; and molecular analyses for recurrent mutations in 15 cancer genes including AKT-1, EGFR, PIK3CA, and TP53 on 54 cases of apocrine-eccrine carcinomas. They include 10 apocrine carcinomas, 7 eccrine carcinomas, 9 aggressive digital papillary adenocarcinomas, 10 hidradenocarcinomas, 11 porocarcinomas, 1 adenoid cystic carcinoma, 4 malignant chondroid syringomas, 1 malignant spiradenoma, and 1 malignant cylindroma. AR, ER, PR, EGFR and HER2 expression was seen in 36% (19/53), 27% (14/51), 16% (8/51), 85% (44/52) and 12% (6/52), respectively. Polysomy or trisomy of EGFR was detected by FISH in 30% (14/46). Mutations of AKT-1, PIK3CA, and TP53 were detected in 1, 3, and 7 cases, respectively (11/47, 23%). Additional investigation regarding the potential treatment of rare cases of apocrine-eccrine carcinomas with PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway inhibitors, currently in clinical testing, may be of clinical interest.
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