This paper aims to present the advances related to the biotechnological application of lipases Y. lipolytica, presenting their properties and more efficient ways to use them in different industrial ...applications. Waste treatment and bioremediation highlight recent studies and advances and the interest in large-scale applications in the food sector and biofuel production. The USA and China, two major world powers in industy, are of utmost importance in the search for the improvement in the development and properties of a controlled system for the large-scale production of a significant number of applications of lipase from Y. lipolytica.
Rabies is a fatal viral zoonosis caused by rabies virus (RABV). RABV infects the central nervous system and triggers acute encephalomyelitis in both humans and animals. Endemic in the Brazilian ...Northeast region, RABV emergence in distinct wildlife species has been identified as a source of human rabies infection and as such, constitutes a public health concern. Here, we performed post‐mortem RABV analyses of 144 encephalic tissues from bats sampled from January to July 2022, belonging to 15 different species. We identified phylogenetically distinct RABV from Phyllostomidae and Molossidae bats circulating in Northeastern Brazil. Phylogenetic clustering revealed the close evolutionary relationship between RABV viruses circulating in bats and variants hosted in white‐tufted marmosets, commonly captured to be kept as pets and linked to human rabies cases and deaths in Brazil. Our findings underline the urgent need to implement a phylogenetic‐scale epidemiological surveillance platform to track multiple RABV variants which may pose a threat to both humans and animals.
Computational materials research is vital in improving our understanding of various class of materials and their properties, contributing valuable information that helps predict innovative structures ...and complement empirical investigations. In this context, DHQ-graphene recently emerged as a stable two-dimensional carbon allotrope composed of decagonal, hexagonal, and quadrilateral carbon rings. Here, we employ density functional theory calculations to investigate the mechanical, electronic, and optical features of its boron nitride counterpart (DHQ-BN). Our findings reveal an insulating band gap of 5.11 eV at the HSE06 level and good structural stability supported by phonon calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. Moreover, DHQ-BN exhibits strong ultraviolet (UV) activity, suggesting its potential as a highly efficient UV light absorber. Its mechanical properties, including Young's modulus (230 GPa) and Poisson's ratio (0.7), provide insight into its mechanical resilience and structural stability.
The sepsis burden on acute care services in middle-income countries is a cause for concern. We estimated incidence, prevalence, and mortality of sepsis in adult Brazilian intensive care units (ICUs) ...and association of ICU organisational factors with outcome.
We did a 1-day point prevalence study with follow-up of patients in ICU with sepsis in a nationally representative pseudo-random sample. We produced a sampling frame initially stratified by geographical region. Each stratum was then stratified by hospitals' main source of income (serving general public vs privately insured individuals) and ICU size (ten or fewer beds vs more than ten beds), finally generating 40 strata. In each stratum we selected a random sample of ICUs so as to enrol the total required beds in 1690 Brazilian adult ICUs. We followed up patients until hospital discharge censored at 60 days, estimated incidence from prevalence and length of stay, and generated national estimates. We assessed mortality prognostic factors using random-effects logistic regression models.
On Feb 27, 2014, 227 (72%) of 317 ICUs that were randomly selected provided data on 2632 patients, of whom 794 had sepsis (30·2 septic patients per 100 ICU beds, 95% CI 28·4–31·9). The ICU sepsis incidence was 36·3 per 1000 patient-days (95% CI 29·8–44·0) and mortality was observed in 439 (55·7%) of 788 patients (95% CI 52·2–59·2). Low availability of resources (odds ratio OR 1·67, 95% CI 1·02–2·75, p=0·045) and adequacy of treatment (OR 0·56, 0·37–0·84, p=0·006) were independently associated with mortality. The projected incidence rate is 290 per 100 000 population (95% CI 237·9–351·2) of adult cases of ICU-treated sepsis per year, which yields about 420 000 cases annually, of whom 230 000 die in hospital.
The incidence, prevalence, and mortality of ICU-treated sepsis is high in Brazil. Outcome varies considerably, and is associated with access to adequate resources and treatment. Our results show the burden of sepsis in resource-limited settings, highlighting the need to establish programmes aiming for sepsis prevention, early diagnosis, and adequate treatment.
Fundação de Apoio a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP).
Under salt stress conditions, plant growth is reduced due to osmotic, nutritional and oxidative imbalance. However, salicylic acid acts in the mitigation of this abiotic stress by promoting an ...increase in growth, photosynthesis, nitrogen metabolism, synthesis of osmoregulators and antioxidant enzymes. In this context, the objective was to evaluate the effect of salicylic acid doses on the growth and physiological changes of eggplant seedlings under salt stress. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, where the treatments were distributed in randomized blocks using a central composite matrix Box with five levels of electrical conductivity of irrigation water (CEw) (0.50; 1.08; 2.50; 3.92 and 4.50 dS m-1), associated with five doses of salicylic acid (SA) (0.00; 0.22; 0.75; 1.28 and 1.50 mM), with four repetitions and each plot composed of three plants. At 40 days after sowing, plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, leaf area, electrolyte leakage, relative water content, and total dry mass were determined. ECw and SA application influenced the growth and physiological changes of eggplant seedlings. Increasing the ECw reduced growth in the absence of SA. Membrane damage with the use of SA remained stable up to 3.9 dS m-1 of ECw. The relative water content independent of the CEw increased with 1.0 mM of SA. The use of SA at the concentration of 1.0 mM mitigated the deleterious effect of salinity on seedling growth up to 2.50 dS m-1 of ECw.
Sharks of the genus Sphyrna are under intense exploitation globally. In Brazil's northern coast, this genus represents a high proportion of fisheries landings and comprises four species. However, due ...to difficulty of specific identification when specimens are landed, most of the records are limited to the genus level. Here we analyzed the effectiveness of ITS2 (Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 of rDNA) fragment length protocol (Abercrombie et al., 2005) for identifying hammerhead shark species, comparing with the analysis of COI (Cytochrome oxidase subunit I) and ITS2 sequences. We evaluated samples of muscle tissue acquired in the main fishing ports of Maranhão: Carutapera, Raposa e Tutóia. Sampling was conducted between March 2017 to March 2018 and complemented with material deposited in collection (2015). COI results indicated the occurrence of endangered species which are prohibited to be landed. These include Sphyrna mokarran (67%), S. lewini (15%), S. tudes (3%), and S. tiburo (15%). For the ITS2 marker, we investigated the optimization of the protocol developed by Abercrombie (2005) for to improve the use in this geographical area througout design of a new primers.
There is scarce evidence on changes at the functional level associated with the respiratory area in women. This study aims to analyse the relationship between inspiratory muscle strength and balance ...in women.
In this cross-sectional observational study, the sample consisted of groups according to the results obtained in the balance test. Inspiratory muscle weakness was defined as maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) ≤ 80% of the predictive value. MIP was carried out using through a mouthpiece, with an electronic manometer. Logistic regression model was used to examine if MIP predicts balance.
159 women participated in the study. Approximately 20% of them achieved balance ≤ 2 seconds and 18% presented MIP≤80%. MIP was associated with the time achieved in the one-leg support test. Subjects with MIP ≤ 80% of the predictive value show 3 times more risk of having a lower performance in the balance test (OR = 3.26).
Inspiratory muscle weakness is associated with deficient balance in this sample. It shows the need for multidimensional assessment and rehabilitation strategies for patients identified as having MIP weakness and/or balance disorders.
Aim
Late-acquired incomplete stent apposition (ISA) has been documented after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation; however, its clinical role remains controversial. We sought to investigate the ...incidence and long-term clinical consequences of late ISA after implantation of sirolimus- (SES) or paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) in a non-selected population.
Methods and results
From our database, we analysed 195 consecutive patients who underwent DES placement (175 with SES and 20 with PES) into native artery lesions and had serial intravascular ultrasound studies (IVUS) performed at index procedure and after 6-8 months. They were clinically followed for 29 ± 15 months (median of 24.3 months, interquartile range 18.1-31.6 months). Late ISA was defined as separation of at least one stent strut from the vessel wall in a segment without a side-branch and where the immediate post-implantation IVUS revealed complete apposition of stent struts. We identified 10 patients (5.1%) with late ISA, three patients after PES, and seven patients after SES implantation. ISA was localized almost exclusively at body of the stents (nine out of 10 cases). Mean ISA volume and length were 44.5 ± 41.9 mm3 and 7.4 ± 11 mm, respectively. There was a marked increase in vessel volume from 416.0 ± 163.9 mm3 at baseline to 514.4 ± 247.9 mm3 at follow-up (P = 0.001) with no significant change in plaque volume (232.4 ± 52.7 at baseline and 226.4 ± 22.3 mm3 at follow-up, P = 0.3) in patients who presented with late-acquired ISA. During the follow-up period, one patient with SES and one patient with PES who presented late-acquired ISA had late stent thrombosis and acute myocardial infarction.
Conclusion
Late-acquired ISA was observed in 5.1% of patients after DES implantation and is related to regional vessel positive remodelling. The relationship between late-acquired ISA and long-term adverse outcomes (e.g. stent thrombosis) requires further analysis.
The widespread application of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel is mainly due to its high corrosion resistance. However, its field of application can be expanded by improving its tribological ...properties. This work deposited thin films on AISI 304 steel substrates through different plasma treatments using a titanium cathodic cage to evaluate which configuration best combines the films' mechanical, tribological, and corrosion resistance properties. The samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, Vickers microhardness, Rockwell C adhesion, fixed-sphere micro-abrasion wear, and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy. The simultaneous duplex treatment sample exhibited the best wear resistance results. It was the film with the lowest loss of corrosion resistance compared to the untreated substrate, highlighting the efficiency of this technique in obtaining surfaces with good mechanical, tribological, and corrosion properties obtained in treatment times shorter than conventional duplex treatment.
Comparisons between venoms from snakes kept under captivity or collected at the natural environment are of fundamental importance in order to obtain effective antivenoms to treat human victims of ...snakebites. In this study, we compared composition and biological activities of Bothrops atrox venom from snakes collected at Tapajós National Forest (Pará State, Brazil) or maintained for more than 10 years under captivity at Instituto Butantan herpetarium after have been collected mostly at Maranhão State, Brazil. Venoms from captive or wild snakes were similar except for small quantitative differences detected in peaks correspondent to phospholipases A2 (PLA2), snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMP) class PI and serine proteinases (SVSP), which did not correlate with fibrinolytic and coagulant activities (induced by PI-SVMPs and SVSPs). In both pools, the major toxic component corresponded to PIII-SVMPs, which were isolated and characterized. The characterization by mass spectrometry of both samples identified peptides that matched with a single PIII-SVMP cDNA characterized by transcriptomics, named Batroxrhagin. Sequence alignments show a strong similarity between Batroxrhagin and Jararhagin (96%). Batroxrhagin samples isolated from venoms of wild or captive snakes were not pro-coagulant, but inhibited collagen-induced platelet-aggregation, and induced hemorrhage and fibrin lysis with similar doses. Results suggest that in spite of environmental differences, venom variability was detected only among the less abundant components. In opposition, the most abundant toxin, which is a PIII-SVMP related to the key effects of the venom, is structurally conserved in the venoms. This observation is relevant for explaining the efficacy of antivenoms produced with venoms from captive snakes in human accidents inflicted at distinct natural environments.
•Bothrops atrox venom from Brazilian wild snakes or kept under captivity were compared.•Variability in protein composition was observed only in the less abundant components.•Differences in venom composition did not correlate to major venom functions.•Venoms shared the same major toxin: Bathoxrhagin, a hemorrhagic metalloproteinase.
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