This work aims to evaluate the chemical composition, in vitro antioxidant capacity, and in vivo antitumoral activity of S. guianensis essential oil against Ehrlich's ascitic carcinoma and the effects ...on oxidative stress. The animals (Mus musculus) received a daily dose of S. guianensis oil orally (100 mg/kg) for 9 days. The main constituents of essential oil were curzerenone (16.4±1.5 %), drimenol (13.7±0.2 %), and spathulenol (12.4±0.8 %). S. guianensis oil showed antioxidant activity, inhibiting 11.1 % of DPPH radicals (95.7 mgTE/g); and 15.5 % of the β‐carotene peroxidation. The group treated with S. guianensis showed a significant reduction in tumor cells (59.76±12.33) compared to the tumor group (96.88±19.15). Essential oil of S. guianensis decreased MDA levels and increased SOD levels in liver tissue. The essential oil of S. guianensis reduced oxidative stress, and showed antitumor and antioxidant activity, being characterized as a new chemical profile in the investigation of pathologies such as cancer.
School-based interventions are needed due to the low levels of physical activity (PA) in adolescents. The aim is to examine the mediation effects of psychosocial factors (attitude, self-efficacy, ...social support from parents, friends, general teachers, and PE teachers, and environment school perception) and moderation by sex, school grade, and socioeconomic level of a school-based PA intervention on the PA practice among adolescents. The Movimente Programme is a randomised controlled trial at schools in southern Brazil (n = 921 adolescents). Strategies included teacher training, educational actions, and environmental changes. Adolescents self-reported their weekly PA. Potential psychosocial mediators and moderators were investigated through validated questionnaires in a Brazilian sample. The product of the coefficients with percentile bootstrapping 95% confidence interval was performed. The Movimente Programme was related to positive changes in adolescents' perception of the school environment and social support from general and physical education teachers. Most psychosocial variables (attitude, self-efficacy, social support from friends, and social support from teachers) were associated with PA, but none mediated the impact of the Movimente Programme on PA. Results varied according to sex and school grade. The Movimente Programme increased the adolescents' perception of the school environment and social support from teachers, but no mediators were confirmed.
A tuberculose (TB), ainda hoje, é epidemiologicamente relevante, principalmente nos países em desenvolvimento, tendo afetado mais de 85000 brasileiros em 2020. No paciente imunossuprimido, as mais ...diversas formas clínicas de TB (incluindo TB miliar) devem ser consideradas no grande espectro de doenças infecciosas oportunistas. Recebemos neste serviço, paciente masculino, 13 anos, com diagnóstico recente de Doença de Crohn, em uso regular de azatioprina e infliximabe. Há 20 dias, evolui com quadro de febre diária, associado à astenia, hiporexia e dor torácica tipo pleurítica. Houve, ainda, surgimento de lesões purpúricas em membros inferiores, com resolução espontânea. Sem outras queixas. Exames laboratoriais revelaram anemia de doença crônica e aumento de provas inflamatórias. Tomografia de tórax evidenciou múltiplos micronódulos esparsos, bilaterais, além de consolidação na base pulmonar direita. Considerando TB miliar como a principal hipótese diagnóstica, foi iniciado prontamente o esquema RHZE. Em seguida, foi realizada biópsia hepática via laparoscopia, que evidenciou granulomas com necrose caseosa, com coloração BAAR negativa, corroborando a principal hipótese. Paciente evoluiu satisfatoriamente, porém manteve febril até a sexta semana de tratamento. A TB miliar é resultante da disseminação hematogênica do Mycobacterium tuberculosis durante a infecção primária ou após a reativação de um foco latente. Apesar do padrão característico na radiografia de tórax, outras infecções oportunistas acometem o parênquima pulmonar de forma semelhante, tais como, pneumocistose, histoplasmose, coccidioidomicose, entre outras. Dessa forma, uma propedêutica detalhada contribui para elucidação diagnóstica precoce. Dentre as possibilidades, a biópsia hepática deve ser uma opção considerada, já que o fígado é o sítio com melhor acurácia, permitindo a confirmação histopatológica. Critérios clínicos, anatomopatológicos, laboratoriais e radiológicos, devem ser correlacionados para a confirmação do caso. Portanto, diante de um paciente imunossuprimido com febre de origem indeterminada, a TB miliar deve ser levada em consideração, uma vez que o diagnóstico ágil e a instituição precisa do tratamento, reduzem a chance de desfechos nefastos.
Abstract
Silicon (Si) fertilization is widely recognized to improve the development of crops, especially in tropical soils and cultivation under dryland management. Herein, our working hypothesis was ...that Si stoichiometry favors the efficient use of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in sugarcane plants. Therefore, a field experiment was carried out using a 3 × 3 factorial scheme consisting of three cultivars (RB92579, RB021754 and RB036066) and three forms of Si application (control without Si; sodium silicate spray at 40 mmol L
−1
in soil during planting; sodium silicate spray at 40 mmol L
−1
on leaves at 75 days after emergence). All Si fertilizations altered the elemental C and P stoichiometry and sugarcane yield, but silicon-induced responses varied depending on sugarcane cultivar and application method. The most prominent impacts were found in the leaf Si-sprayed RB92579 cultivar, with a significant increase of 7.0% (11 Mg ha
−1
) in stalk yield, 9.0% (12 Mg ha
−1
) in total recoverable sugar, and 20% (4 Mg ha
−1
) in sugar yield compared to the Si-without control. In conclusion, our findings clearly show that silicon soil and foliar fertilization alter C:N:P stoichiometry by enhancing the efficiency of carbon and phosphorus utilization, leading to improved sugarcane production and industrial quality.
The genus
spp. has been highlighted as one of the main etiological agents causing fungal infections, with
being the most prominent, responsible for most cases of candidemia. Due to its capacity for ...invasion and tissue adhesion, it is associated with the formation of biofilms, mainly in the environment and hospital devices, decreasing the effectiveness of available treatments. The repositioning of drugs, which is characterized by the use of drugs already on the market for other purposes, together with molecular-docking methods can be used aiming at the faster development of new antifungals to combat micro-organisms. This study aimed to evaluate the antifungal effect of diazepam on mature
biofilms
and its action on biofilm in formation, as well as its mechanism of action and interaction with structures related to the adhesion of
, ALS3 and SAP5. To determine the MIC, the broth microdilution test was used according to protocol M27-A3 (CLSI, 2008).
biofilm formation tests were performed using 96-well plates, followed by molecular-docking protocols to analyse the binding agent interaction with ALS3 and SAP5 targets. The results indicate that diazepam has antimicrobial activity against planktonic cells of
spp. and
biofilms, interacting with important virulence factors related to biofilm formation (ALS3 and SAP5). In addition, treatment with diazepam triggered a series of events in
cells, such as loss of membrane integrity, mitochondrial depolarization and increased production of EROs, causing DNA damage and consequent cell apoptosis.
Resumo Identificar áreas com um potencial risco de degradação ambiental por processos antrópicos ou naturais é importante para a gestão sustentável dos recursos naturais, principalmente nas regiões ...semiáridas do nordeste brasileiro. O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o índice de erosão (EI30) e avaliar seus extremos na Bacia Hidrográfica do Apodi/Mossoró (BHAM) localizada no estado do Rio Grande do Norte, através da teoria dos valores extremos e associar com o padrão de chuva da região. Foram utilizados dados de precipitação da Agência Nacional das águas (ANA) e do Projeto Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). Foram utilizados os critérios de informação de Akaike (AIC) e o critério bayesiano de Schwarz (BIC) para seleção de modelos matemáticos que explicam os extremos de erosividade, aliados a avaliação da correlação entre EI30 e o coeficiente de chuva (Rc). A estação meteorológica Felipe Guerra na BHAM apresentou os melhores resultados para gerar o efeito hidrológico do EI30 com dados TRMM. Conclui-se que os dados TRMM podem ser de grande avalia para estimar o EI30 onde não há dados observacionais, além disso o EI30 acompanha a sazonalidade da precipitação e foi classificado como moderado, cujos maiores valores acontecem no período de fevereiro a maio.
Abstract Identifying areas with a potential risk of environmental degradation by anthropic or natural processes is important for sustainable management of natural resources, especially in the semiarid regions of northeastern Brazil. Rain erosivity is given by the Universal Soil Loss Equation (EUPS) which relates the erosive capacity of rainfall and its ability to disintegrate by the impact of the particle surface. The present study aimed to evaluate the erosion index (EI30) and to evaluate the EI30 extremes in the Apodi/Mossoró watershed through the theory of extreme values and to associate with the rainfall pattern of the region. For this, precipitation data from the Agência Nacional das águas (ANA) and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) project were used. Among several methodologies for the selection of mathematical models that explain the extremes of erosivity, this research used the Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) and the Schwarz Bayesian Criterion (BIC), together with the correlation assessment at EI30 and the coefficient of rain (Rc). Thus, Felipe Guerra station presented the best results to generate the hydrological effect of the EI30 in the basin with TRMM data. It can be concluded that TRMM data can be of great value for the estimation of the EI30 where observational data is not available. Moreover, the EI30 follows the precipitation seasonality and was classified as moderate whose highest values occur from February to May.
The treatment of Chagas disease (CD), a neglected parasitic condition caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is still based on only two drugs, nifurtimox (Nif) and benznidazole (Bz), both of which have limited ...efficacy in the late chronic phase and induce severe side effects. This scenario justifies the continuous search for alternative drugs, and in this context, the natural naphthoquinone β-lapachone (β-Lap) and its derivatives have demonstrated important trypanocidal activities. Unfortunately, the decrease in trypanocidal activity in the blood, high toxicity to mammalian cells and low water solubility of β-Lap limit its systemic administration and, consequently, clinical applications. For this reason, carriers as drug delivery systems can strategically maximize the therapeutic effects of this drug, overcoming the above mentioned restrictions. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to investigate the in vitro anti-T. cruzi effects of β-Lap encapsulated in2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (2HP-β-CD) and its potential toxicity to mammalian cells.
Thirty four halogen and selenium-containing quinones, synthesized by rhodium-catalyzed C-H bond activation and palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, were evaluated against bloodstream ...trypomastigotes of T. cruzi. We have identified fifteen compounds with IC50/24 h values of less than 2 μM. Electrochemical studies on A-ring functionalized naphthoquinones were also performed aiming to correlate redox properties with trypanocidal activity. For instance, (E)-5-styryl-1,4-naphthoquinone 59 and 5,8-diiodo-1,4-naphthoquinone 3, which are around fifty fold more active than the standard drug benznidazole, are potential derivatives for further investigation. These compounds represent powerful new agents useful in Chagas disease therapy.
Functionalized quinones were designed and synthesized by rhodium-catalyzed C-H bond activation and evaluated against Trypanosoma cruzi showing, in some cases, IC50 values below 0.2 μM. Display omitted
•Iodinated quinones were prepared with potent trypanocidal activity.•Rh-catalyzed reactions were used to prepare A-ring functionalized quinones.•Electrochemical aspects were also studied.
Aim
This study aimed to explore the association of gross motor coordination (GMC) with a matrix of biocultural factors in prepubescent children, taking into account weight status, somatic maturation, ...sociodemographic variables, and type of school.
Methods
One hundred twenty‐nine prepubescent children, of both sexes, aged between 8.00 and 8.99, were assessed for GMC (Körperkoordinationstest Für Kinder ‐ KTK), weight status, biological maturation (predicted mature stature), sex, mother's education level and type of school. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between higher values of KTK and associated biocultural factors.
Results
Normoponderal children are more likely to attain better total KTK scores than those with overweight or obesity (OR: 2.942; LC 95%: 1.189, 7.280). In addition, children who are more advanced in terms of biological maturation exhibited significantly lower odds of being in the high KTK category than their less advanced peers (OR: 0.670; LC 95%: 0.474,0.946). Sex, mother's education level and the type of school are not associated with higher performance on KTK.
Conclusion
Weight status and biological maturation are associated with motor competence in prepubescent children. Future studies should consider additional correlates to better understand the complex interactions between biological, psychosocial and behavioral factors in the prediction of motor competence.
Copaiba oleoresins are exuded from the trunks of trees of the Copaifera species (Leguminosae-Caesalpinoideae). This oleoresin is a solution of diterpenoids, especially, mono- and di-acids, ...solubilized by sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. The sesquiterpenes and diterpenes (labdane, clerodane and kaurane skeletons) are different for each Copaifera species and have been linked to several reported biological activities, ranging from anti-tumoral to embriotoxic effects. This review presents all the substances already described in this oleoresin, together with structures and activities of its main terpenoids.
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