Swietenia macrophylla King is a plant commonly known as Brazilian mahogany. The wood from its stem is highly prized for its exceptional quality, while its leaves are valued for their high content of ...phragmalin-type limonoids, a subclass of compounds known for their significant biological activities, including antimalarial, antitumor, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. In this context, twelve isolated limonoids from S. macrophylla leaves were employed as standards in mass spectrometry-based molecular networking to unveil new potential mass spectrometry signatures for phragmalin-type limonoids. Consequently, ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry was utilized for data acquisition. Subsequently, the obtained data were analyzed using the Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking platform based on spectral similarity. In summary, this study identified 24 new putative phragmalin-type limonoids for the first time in S. macrophylla. These compounds may prove valuable in guiding future drug development efforts, leveraging the already established biological activities associated with limonoids.
The aim of the study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to investigate the time of onset and duration of symptoms of loss of smell and taste in patients diagnosed with COVID-19.
Two ...independent authors performed a systematic review of the Medline/PubMed, SCOPUS, COCHRANE, Lilacs and Web of Science electronic databases. The time of onset and duration of symptoms were considered primary outcomes. The sex and age of individuals, the geographical location of the study, the prevalence of symptoms, other associated symptoms, associated comorbidities, and the impact on quality of life and eating habits were considered secondary outcomes.
Our search generated 17 articles. Many of the studies reported that the onset of anosmia and ageusia occurred 4 to 5 days after the manifestation of other symptoms of the infection and that these symptoms started to disappear after one week, with more significant improvements in the first two weeks.
The present study concludes that the onset of symptoms of loss of smell and taste, associated with COVID-19, occurs 4 to 5 days after other symptoms, and that these symptoms last from 7 to 14 days. Findings, however, varied and there is therefore a need for further studies to clarify the occurrence of these symptoms. This would help to provide early diagnosis and reduce contagion by the virus.
•The onset of anosmia and ageusia occurs 4 to 5 days after other symptoms.•The anosmia and ageusia caused by COVID-19 last from 7 to 14 days.•Loss of smell and taste provides a strong indication for a diagnosis of COVID-19.•Individuals with sudden and severe loss of smell and taste should be tested.
A 21-year climatology of Easterly Waves Disturbances (EWDs) over the tropical South Atlantic (TSA) has been examined using data from the European Centers for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting interim ...reanalysis (ERAI) and satellite data. This includes the frequency distribution of EWDs and their interannual variability. The large-scale environment associated with EWDs has been investigated for the coastal region of Northeast Brazil (NEB) for the rainy (April–August) season using a composite analysis. EWDs were first identified in ERAI, resulting in 518 observed cases. These were found to show notable interannual variability with around 16–40 episodes each year and with an average lifetime of 4–6 days. Of the identified EWDs, 97% reached the coast of NEB, of which 64% were convective in nature and 14% moved across the NEB region and reached the Amazon. The annual occurrence of EWDs seems to be lower (higher) during El Niño (La Niña). The monthly occurrence of EWDs shows higher activity in the rainy season. EWDs originate in association with four types of system: cold fronts, convective clusters from the west coast of Africa, Intertropical Convergence Zone and Tropical Upper Tropospheric Cyclonic Vortices. The composite analysis indicates strong relative vorticity and divergence anomalies at low levels, as well as in the vertical profiles of relative humidity and vertical velocity (omega). The precipitation composites show that the EWDs propagate between the TSA and NEB and contribute at least 60% of the total rainfall over the east coast of NEB throughout the rainy season.
Soil Bioremediation: Overview of Technologies and Trends Sales da Silva, Israel Gonçalves; Gomes de Almeida, Fabíola Carolina; Padilha da Rocha e Silva, Nathália Maria ...
Energies (Basel),
09/2020, Letnik:
13, Številka:
18
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals and agricultural pesticides have mutagenic, carcinogenic, immunotoxic and teratogenic effects and cause drastic changes in soil physicochemical and ...microbiological characteristics, thereby representing a serious danger to health and environment. Therefore, soil pollution urgently requires the application of a series of physicochemical and biological techniques and treatments to minimize the extent of damage. Among them, bioremediation has been shown to be an alternative that can offer an economically viable way to restore polluted areas. Due to the difficulty in choosing the best bioremediation technique for each type of pollutant and the paucity of literature on soil bioremediation enhanced by the use of specific additives, we reviewed the main in situ and ex situ methods, their current properties and applications. The first section discusses the characteristics of each class of pollutants in detail, while the second section presents current bioremediation technologies and their main uses, followed by a comparative analysis showing their respective advantages and disadvantages. Finally, we address the application of surfactants and biosurfactants as well as the main trends in the bioremediation of contaminated soils.
Purpose The standard treatment of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is rituximab in combination with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP). ...Lenalidomide, an immunomodulatory agent, has shown activity in DLBCL. This randomized phase III trial compared lenalidomide as maintenance therapy with placebo in elderly patients with DLBCL who achieved a complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) to R-CHOP induction. Methods Patients with previously untreated DLBCL or other aggressive B-cell lymphoma were 60 to 80 years old, had CR or PR after six or eight cycles of R-CHOP, and were randomly assigned to lenalidomide maintenance 25 mg/d or placebo for 21 days of every 28-day cycle for 24 months. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Results A total of 650 patients were randomly assigned. At the time of the primary analysis (December 2015), with a median follow-up of 39 months from random assignment, median PFS was not reached for lenalidomide maintenance versus 58.9 months for placebo (hazard ratio, 0.708; 95% CI, 0.537 to 0.933; P = .01). The result was consistent among analyzed subgroups (eg, male v female, age-adjusted International Prognostic Index 0 or 1 v 2 or 3, age younger than 70 v ≥ 70 years), response (PR v CR) after R-CHOP, and positron emission tomography status at assignment (negative v positive). With longer median follow-up of 52 months (October 2016), overall survival was similar between arms (hazard ratio, 1.218; 95% CI, 0.861 to 1.721; P = .26). Most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events associated with lenalidomide versus placebo maintenance were neutropenia (56% v 22%) and cutaneous reactions (5% v 1%), respectively. Conclusion Lenalidomide maintenance for 24 months after obtaining a CR or PR to R-CHOP significantly prolonged PFS in elderly patients with DLBCL.
A climatological analysis and overlying synoptic conditions of Black Sea‐effect snowfall events were investigated for Istanbul, Turkey, during the 1971–2006 winter (DJF) periods. Using the synoptic ...climatological approach, the Lamb Weather Type (LWT) method was applied to NCEP/NCAR daily mean sea level pressure data. Basically, northwesterly (NW), northerly (N), and northeasterly (NE) circulation types (CTs), which blow from the Black Sea (BS), were thought to be important for sea‐effect snowfall events to occur. Wind speeds and flows at 850‐hPa, directional shear, and temperature difference between sea surface and 850‐hPa level (SST‐T850) thresholds were applied to these three CTs in order to find suitable snowfall cases originating from the Black‐Sea. The results showed that 4, 14, and 111 snowfall episodes occurred during NW, N, and NE circulation types over Istanbul with the 2.8, 4.1, and 3.5 cm daily mean snow cover depths (DMSCD), respectively. In particular, it was found that interaction between a surface high located over continental Europe and a low pressure located over the central Black Sea, and a relatively warm sea surface temperature (SST), and cold temperature anomaly at the low level of the atmosphere (SST‐T850 > 17°C) are a favourable environment for the development of intense Black Sea‐effect snowstorms (DMSCD > 10 cm) sourced by NE cases. A statistically significant positive relation between snow cover depths and SST‐Tmax (daily maximum temperature) under NE cases (r = 0.28, p < .05) indicated that we observe intense daily snow accumulation when land‐sea temperature contrast increases (>7°C) in the region.
A climatological analysis and overlying synoptic conditions of Black Sea‐effect snowfall events were investigated for Istanbul, Turkey, during the winter (DJF) period 1971–2006. It is found that interaction between surface high located over continental Europe and a low pressure located over central Black Sea, and relatively warm sea surface temperature (SST) and cold temperature anomaly at the low level of the atmosphere (SST‐T850 > 17°C) are favourable environment for the development of intense Black Sea‐effect snowstorms (DMSCD > 10 cm) sourced by Northeasterly flows.
Studies have confirmed that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be used for treatment of several nervous system diseases. However, isolation of bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMSCs) is ...an invasive and painful process and the yield is very low. Therefore, there is a need to search for other alterative stem cell sources. Adipose-derived MSCs (ADSCs) have phenotypic and gene expression profiles similar to those of BMSCs. The production of ADSCs is greater than that of BMSCs, and ADSCs proliferate faster than BMSCs. To compare the effects of venous grafts containing BMSCs or ADSCs on sciatic nerve injury, in this study, rats were randomly divided into four groups: sham (only sciatic nerve exposed), Matrigel (MG; sciatic nerve injury + intravenous transplantation of MG vehicle), ADSCs (sciatic nerve injury + intravenous MG containing ADSCs), and BMSCs (sciatic nerve injury + intravenous MG containing BMSCs) groups. Sciatic functional index was calculated to evaluate the function of injured sciatic nerve. Morphologic characteristics of nerves distal to the lesion were observed by toluidine blue staining. Spinal motor neurons labeled with Fluoro-Gold were quantitatively assessed. Compared with sham-operated rats, sciatic functional index was lower, the density of small-diameter fibers was significantly increased, and the number of motor neurons significantly decreased in rats with sciatic nerve injury. Neither ADSCs nor BMSCs significantly improved the sciatic nerve function of rats with sciatic nerve injury, increased fiber density, fiber diameters, axonal diameters, myelin sheath thickness, and G ratios (axonal diameter/fiber diameter ratios) in the sciatic nerve distal to the lesion site. There was no significant difference in the number of spinal motor neurons among ADSCs, BMSCs and MG groups. These results suggest that neither BMSCs nor ADSCs provide satisfactory results for peripheral nerve repair when using MG as the conductor for engraftment.
In addition to sustainability issues, companies are being asked to disclose information on climate change risks in order to inform investors and stakeholders. However, despite the growing number of ...studies on corporate environmental disclosure, there are few studies on risks and opportunities in relation to climate change. This study investigated the extent and content of climate risks information disclosure provided in the sustainability reports of firms listed on the Brazilian Stock Exchange (BM&FBovespa) and tested whether there were any relationships between the amount of climate risks disclosure and some corporation characteristics. The sample was composed of companies that were simultaneously listed on the stock exchange and disclosed the Global Reporting Initiative sustainability reports from 2009 to 2014. The final sample of the study was 67 companies totaling 402 observations. Preliminary results from the content analysis revealed that, although Brazilian companies tend to disclose information on climate risks, the level of this type of disclosure still remains relatively low. Findings suggest that corporate climate risk disclosures have significant and positive relationships with firm size, financial performance, and country origin. Nevertheless, findings indicate that corporate climate risk disclosures have negative associations with level of indebtedness.
(Pax & K. Hoffm.) Ducke (Euphorbiaceae) is a singular species in the genus and is restricted and exclusive to the Brazilian Amazon. A phytochemical study of
leaves was performed, yielding the ...isolation of five major compounds: catechin/epicatechin, afzelin, quercetin 3-
-α-L-rhamnopyranoside, and astilbin. The phytochemical compositions of the methanolic extracts of leaves, roots, bark, and stem bark were determined using a dereplication approach. Forty-six compounds were annotated from the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) data, while four lipids were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In total, fifty compounds were detected, and they belonged to the primary metabolism and several classes of natural products such as flavonoids, flavonoids
-glycosides, flavonoids
-glycosides, biflavonoids, procyanidin, triterpene, triterpenes esterified with phenylpropanoids, phenylpropanoid derivatives, flavonolignans, coumarins, quinic acid derivatives, and benzoic acid derivatives. This is the first report on the phytochemical data of the genus
, and the results of this study will contribute to the chemosystematic knowledge of the Euphorbiaceae family and justify the need for investigation of the pharmacological potential of the species
.
Rituximab plus chemotherapy has been shown to be effective in patients with advanced-stage, previously untreated follicular lymphoma; nevertheless, most patients will have a relapse. Combination ...immunotherapy with lenalidomide and rituximab is an immunomodulatory regimen that has shown promising activity in patients with indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
We conducted this multicenter, international, phase 3 superiority trial to evaluate rituximab plus lenalidomide, as compared with rituximab plus chemotherapy, in patients with previously untreated follicular lymphoma. Patients were randomly assigned to receive one of the two regimens, followed by maintenance monotherapy with rituximab. Treatment with rituximab plus lenalidomide consisted of 18 cycles of the two drugs, followed by rituximab maintenance therapy every 8 weeks for 12 cycles (six additional doses). Treatment with rituximab plus chemotherapy consisted of the investigator's choice of one of three rituximab-based regimens, followed by maintenance monotherapy with rituximab every 8 weeks for 12 cycles. The primary end points were complete response (confirmed or unconfirmed) at 120 weeks and progression-free survival.
A total of 1030 patients were randomly assigned to receive rituximab plus lenalidomide (513 patients) or rituximab plus chemotherapy (517 patients). The rate of confirmed or unconfirmed complete response at 120 weeks was similar in the two groups: 48% (95% confidence interval CI, 44 to 53) in the rituximab-lenalidomide group and 53% (95% CI, 49 to 57) in the rituximab-chemotherapy group (P=0.13). The interim 3-year rate of progression-free survival was 77% (95% CI, 72 to 80) and 78% (95% CI, 74 to 82), respectively. A higher percentage of patients in the rituximab-chemotherapy group had grade 3 or 4 neutropenia (32% vs. 50%) and febrile neutropenia of any grade (2% vs. 7%), and a higher percentage of patients in the rituximab-lenalidomide group had grade 3 or 4 cutaneous reactions (7% vs. 1%).
Among patients with previously untreated follicular lymphoma, efficacy results were similar with rituximab plus lenalidomide and rituximab plus chemotherapy (with both regimens followed by rituximab maintenance therapy). The safety profile differed in the two groups. (Funded by Celgene; RELEVANCE ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT01476787 and NCT01650701 , and EudraCT number, 2011-002792-42 .).
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