Tetradenia riparia
(Lamiaceae) is native to Central Africa popularly known as myrrh, used in folk medicine to treat various diseases like malaria, gastroenteritis, and tropical skin disease. This ...research was to evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the crude extract (CE) and fractions (FR) of the
T. riparia
by classical chromatography. The CE of
T. riparia
leaves was submitted to column chromatographic fractionation to obtain four fractions of the interest, which were identified by nuclear magnetic resonance and gas chromatograph coupled to mass spectrum: FR-I (abieta-7,9(11)-dien-13-β-ol), FR-II (Ibozol), FR-III (8 (14), 15-sandaracopimaradiene-2α, 18-diol and 8 (14), 15-sandaracopimaradiene-7α, 18-diol), and FR-IV (Astragalin, Boronolide and Luteolin). Total phenol content of CE and FR were measured, and antioxidant action by methods of DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), β-carotene/linoleic acid system, and ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) and the antibacterial activity was evaluated by the broth microdilution method with the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The FR-IV presented antioxidant potential with 181.67 μg gallic acid/mg, IC
50
of 0.61 μg/mL by DPPH method, 55.61% oxidation protection by β-carotene/linoleic acid system and 4.59 µM ferrous sulfate/mg of sample by FRAP, and the FR-I showed higher antibacterial potential on the strain
Staphylococcus aureus
with MIC 0.98 μg/mL
, Enterococcus faecalis
and
Bacillus cereus
with MIC 31.2 μg/mL. Thus, the fractionation of CE was extremely important to detect fractions with potential activities, and investigations are necessary regarding the mechanism of action and action in vivo.
Graphical Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) infections were associated with neurological disorders only after the Brazilian outbreak in 2015. The lack of vaccines and precise diagnosis requires a precise method to detect ZIKV ...infection. This study aimed to evaluate three ZIKV recombinant proteins for the development of ZIKV infections. Here, it was purified stable recombinant ZIKV Capsid (r-ZIKV-c), non-structural proteins NS1 (r-ZIKV-NS1), and NS3 (r-ZIKV-NS3) for detection of the infection by ZIKV in blood sera of patients. A commercial polyclonal antibody recognized the r-ZIKV-NS1. Here, among three proteins, NS1 showed the best result for diagnostic purposes using serum samples, despite the high similarity with NS1 from DENV, and could differentiate the infections. The recombinant NS1 was used to produce a monoclonal antibody to differentiate between DENV and ZIKV NS1. As for recombinant proteins, the result for r-ZIKV-NS1 values showed 77% and 100% sensitivity and specificity, respectively, in the IgM assay. Our data showed the protein could successfully differentiate between sera of ZIKV infected patients from sera of those not infected with the virus and differentiate from sera of DENV infected patients. Thus, the generated recombinant proteins have great potential for serological diagnosis of ZIKV in Brazil, where it is indispensable.
Additive Manufacturing (AM) has recently been shown as a potential processing method to obtain bonded Nd-Fe-B magnets. Meanwhile, recycling is gaining prominence due to the increasing availability of ...end-of-life magnets. Thus far most efforts have aimed to obtain sintered magnets via the magnet-to-magnet approach, but recycling strategies can be also rethought towards the fabrication of bonded magnets instead of sintered ones. Our primary objective is to investigate the fabrication of bonded magnets via AM, using feedstocks composed of nanocrystalline powders obtained from scrap. For that purpose, Nd-Fe-B scrap magnets were subjected to hydrogen processing to obtain nanocrystalline powders. The nanocrystalline powders were then used to prepare feedstocks, from which 3D print recycled bonded magnets were fabricated via two AM techniques: Laser Powder Bed Fusion and Stereolithography. For both techniques the recycled nanocrystalline powders were shown to be adequate, with mean values of coercivity and remanence equal to 750 kA/m and 705 mT, respectively. By using feedstocks composed of such powders, we were able to successfully obtain complex shape magnets via AM.
Our objective was to evaluate the association between severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) serologic status in immunologically naive patients and the risk of preeclampsia at ...the time of delivery.
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of pregnant patients admitted to our institution from August 1 to September 30, 2020. We recorded maternal medical and obstetric characteristics and SARS-CoV-2 serologic status. Our primary outcome was the incidence of preeclampsia. Antibody testing was performed, and patients were classified into seropositive groups: immunoglobulin (Ig)G + , IgM + , or both IgG+ and IgM + . Bivariate and multivariable analyses were performed.
We included 275 patients that were negative for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, and 165 that were positive. Seropositivity was not associated with higher rates of preeclampsia (
= 0.183) or with preeclampsia with severe features (
= 0.916) even after adjusting for maternal age >35, BMI ≥ 30, nulliparity, and previous history of preeclampsia, and type of serologic status. Previous preeclampsia had the greatest association with the development of preeclampsia (odds ratio OR = 13.40; 95% confidence interval CI: 4.98-36.09;
< 0.05) and with preeclampsia with severe features (OR = 5.46; 95% CI: 1.65-18.02;
< 0.05).
We found that in an obstetric population, there was no association between SARS-CoV-2 antibody status and the risk of preeclampsia.
· Pregnant people with acute COVID-19 are at an increased risk of developing preeclampsia.. · Seroconversion during pregnancy was not associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia.. · Further study regarding the timing of infection and its association with preeclampsia is necessary..
Background:
Bioprosthetic heart valve has limited durability and lower long-term performance especially in rheumatic heart disease (RHD) patients that are often subject to multiple redo operations. ...Minimally invasive procedures, such as transcatheter valve-in-valve (ViV) implantation, may offer an attractive alternative, although data is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes in rheumatic vs. non-rheumatic patients undergoing ViV procedures for severe bioprosthetic valve dysfunction.
Methods:
Single center, prospective study, including consecutive patients undergoing transcatheter ViV implantation in aortic, mitral and tricuspid position, from May 2015 to September 2020. RHD was defined according to clinical history, previous echocardiographic and surgical findings.
Results:
Among 106 patients included, 69 had rheumatic etiology and 37 were non-rheumatic. Rheumatic patients had higher incidence of female sex (73.9 vs. 43.2%, respectively;
p
= 0.004), atrial fibrillation (82.6 vs. 45.9%, respectively;
p
< 0.001), and 2 or more prior surgeries (68.1 vs. 32.4%, respectively;
p
= 0.001). Although, device success was similar between groups (75.4 vs. 89.2% in rheumatic vs. non-rheumatic, respectively;
p
= 0.148), there was a trend toward higher 30-day mortality rates in the rheumatic patients (21.7 vs. 5.4%, respectively;
p
= 0.057). Still, at median follow-up of 20.7 5.1–30.4 months, cumulative mortality was similar between both groups (
p
= 0.779).
Conclusion:
Transcatheter ViV implantation is an acceptable alternative to redo operations in the treatment of patients with RHD and severe bioprosthetic valve dysfunction. Despite similar device success rates, rheumatic patients present higher 30-day mortality rates with good mid-term clinical outcomes. Future studies with a larger number of patients and follow-up are still warranted, to firmly conclude on the role transcatheter ViV procedures in the RHD population.
Land suitability, water balance and agricultural technological inputs are important characteristics of the soil as a natural resource and can play a significant role in the agricultural production ...and productivity. Based on these characteristics, a Geographic and Technological Index, the GeoTec Index, is proposed in order to help detecting regional agricultural income inequalities and also to be used as a geographic variable in economic studies. The GeoTec Index is built as a weighted average of three sub indices, namely, Land Suitability, Hydrological and Technological Indices. The Land Suitability Index is based on the agricultural suitability or the aptitude of a given land to support a defined agricultural use. The Hydrological Index (HyI) is based on a water balance which determines the potential and actual amounts of evapotranspiration and water surplus, or excess of precipitation over evapotranspiration, and corresponds to a number that represents either the annual soil water excesses or deficits. And the Technological Index is the sum of several sub indices, based on technological inputs used in the agriculture, such as soil conservation practices, farmer’s technical assistance, use of soil fertilizers and correctives, presence of electric power, use of pest and disease control and use of irrigation. The Geographic and Technological Index (GeoTec) is a combination of the Land Suitability, Hydrological and Technological Indices and it is calculated with data from Minas Gerais State, Brazil, for the period of 1990–2001. The criterion for the regional subdivision of Minas Gerais State was the one proposed by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), which divides the state into 66 micro regions. The highest values of GeoTec Index are obtained at micro regions of the most developed part of the state, whereas the lowest values of the GeoTec Index are found in micro regions located in the poorest part of Minas Gerais State. There was a strong and positive relationship between the GeoTec Index and the productivity of grains and, at the same time, there is a strong negative relationship between the GeoTec Index and the percentage of poor people in Minas Gerais State micro regions. The GeoTec Index can be a powerful instrument for detecting regional inequalities and to implement public policies as an attempt to decrease the agricultural income disparities among regions.
This study explored the application of high coercivity nanocrystalline powders in the additive manufacturing (AM) of bonded Nd-Fe-B magnets using two techniques: laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) and ...stereolithography (SLA). The nanocrystalline powders were obtained through hydrogen decrepitation (HD) and hydrogenation disproportionation desorption recombination (HDDR) of Nd-Fe-B alloys. These high-quality powders were mixed with a binder and processed via LPBF and SLA to obtain bonded magnets. LPBF is a popular technique due to its design flexibility and reduced material waste. On the other hand, SLA also shows promise in producing bonded magnets, although there is limited literature on this topic. The impact of HDDR and AM processing parameters on the magnetic properties and microstructure of the powders and magnets was investigated. We were able to successfully produce isotropic HDDR powder with coercivity values up to 850 kA/m, and also bonded magnets via LPBF and SLA with various binder fractions, while maintaining the high coercivity of the HDDR particles. Exploring different AM techniques paves the way for the development of smart magnetic materials.
PDF
