•Plastic pellets act as a vector of additives and organic pollutants to the water column and interstitial water.•Leached chemicals from pellets reduce viability of sea urchin larvae.•Newly released ...pelletshave higher toxicitythan beach-stranded pellets.•The toxicity of stranded pellets depends on the exposure pathway (simulated leaching to interstitial water>water column).
Apart from the physiological impacts on marine organisms caused by ingesting microplastics, the toxicity caused by substances leaching from these particles into the environment requires investigation. To understand this potential risk, we evaluated the toxicity of virgin (raw) and beach-stranded plastic pellets to the development of embryos of Lytechinus variegatus, simulating transfers of chemical compounds to interstitial water and water column by assays of pellet–water interface and elutriate, respectively. Both assays showed that virgin pellets had toxic effects, increasing anomalous embryonic development by 58.1% and 66.5%, respectively. The toxicity of stranded pellets was lower than virgin pellets, and was observed only for pellet–water interface assay. These results show that (i) plastic pellets act as a vector of pollutants, especially for plastic additives found on virgin particles; and that (ii) the toxicity of leached chemicals from pellets depends on the exposure pathway and on the environmental compartment in which pellets accumulate.
The supplementation of dairy cows with tannins can reduce the ruminal degradation of dietary protein and urine N excretion, but high concentration in the diet can impair ruminal function, diet ...digestibility, feed intake, and milk yield. This study evaluated the effect of low concentrations (0, 0.14, 0.29, or 0.43% of diet in DM basis) of a tannin extract from the bark of Acacia mearnsii (TA) on milking performance, dry matter intake (DMI), digestibility, chewing behavior, ruminal fermentation, and N partition of dairy cows. Twenty Holstein cows (34.7 ± 4.8 kg/d, 590 ± 89 kg, and 78 ± 33 d in lactation) were individually fed a sequence of 4 treatments in 5, 4 × 4 Latin squares (with 21-d treatment periods, each with a 14-d adaptation period). The TA replaced citrus pulp in the total mixed ration and other feed ingredients were kept constant. Diets had 17.1% crude protein, mostly from soybean meal and alfalfa haylage. The TA had no detected effect on DMI (22.1 kg/d), milk yield (33.5 kg/d), and milk components. The proportions in milk fat of mixed origin fatty acids (16C and 17C) and the daily secretion of unsaturated fatty acids were linearly reduced and the proportion of de novo fatty acids was increased by TA. Cows fed TA had linear increase in the molar proportion of butyrate and linear reduction in propionate in ruminal fluid, whereas acetate did not differ. There was a tendency for the ratio of acetate to propionate to be linearly increased by TA. Cows fed TA had a linear reduction in the relative ruminal microbial yield, estimated by the concentrations of allantoin and creatinine in urine and body weight. The total-tract apparent digestibility of neutral detergent fiber, starch, and crude protein also did not differ. The TA induced a linear increase in meal size and duration of the first daily meal and reduced meal frequency. Rumination behavior did not differ with treatment. Cows fed 0.43% TA selected against feed particles >19 mm in the morning. There were tendencies for linear decreases in milk urea N (16.1–17.3 mg/dL), urine N (153–168 g/d and 25.5–28.7% of N intake), and plasma urea N at 6, 18, and 21 h postmorning feeding, and plasma urea N 12 h postfeeding was reduced by TA. The proportion of N intake in milk (27.1%) and feces (21.4%) did not differ with treatment. Reductions in urine N excretion and milk and plasma urea N suggest that TA reduced ruminal AA deamination, whereas lactation performance did not differ. Overall, TA up to 0.43% of DM did not affect DMI and lactation performance, while there was a tendency to reduce urine N excretion.
The first interim analysis of the phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multinational TITAN study demonstrated improved overall survival (OS) and radiographic progression-free ...survival (rPFS) with apalutamide added to ongoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer. The final analysis confirmed improvement in OS and other long-term outcomes. We evaluated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) kinetics and the association between PSA decline and outcomes in patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer from TITAN.
Patients received apalutamide (240 mg/day) or placebo plus ADT (1 : 1). This post hoc exploratory analysis evaluated PSA kinetics and decline in relation to rPFS (22.7 months’ follow-up) and OS, time to PSA progression, and time to castration resistance (44.0 months’ follow-up) in patients with or without confirmed PSA decline using a landmark analysis, the Kaplan–Meier method, and Cox proportional hazards model.
One thousand and fifty-two patients (apalutamide, 525; placebo, 527) were enrolled. Best confirmed PSA declines (≥50% or ≥90% from baseline or to ≤0.2 ng/ml) were achieved at any time during the study in 90%, 73%, and 68% of apalutamide-treated versus 55%, 29%, and 32% of placebo-treated patients, respectively. By 3 months of apalutamide treatment, best deep PSA decline of ≥90% or to ≤0.2 ng/ml occurred in 59% and 51% of apalutamide- and in 13% and 18% of placebo-treated patients, respectively. Achievement of deep PSA decline at landmark 3 months of apalutamide treatment was associated with longer OS hazard ratio (HR) 0.35; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.25-0.48), rPFS (HR 0.44; 95% CI 0.30-0.65), time to PSA progression (HR 0.31; 95% CI 0.22-0.44), and time to castration resistance (HR 0.38; 95% CI 0.27-0.52) compared with no decline (P < 0.0001 for all). Similar results were observed at landmark 6 and 12 months of apalutamide treatment.
Apalutamide plus ADT demonstrated a robust (rapid, deep, and durable) PSA decline that was associated with improved clinical outcomes, including long-term survival.
•Apalutamide + androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) resulted in a robust prostate-specific antigen (PSA) decline in TITAN.•Rapid, deep, and durable PSA decline with apalutamide + ADT was associated with improved long-term outcomes.•Results confirm the prognostic impact of PSA decline in patients with metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer.
The ILCOR Basic Life Support Task Force and the international drowning research community considered it timely to undertake a scoping review of the literature to identify evidence relating to the ...initial resuscitation, hospital-based interventions and criteria for safe discharge related to drowning.
Medline, PreMedline, Embase, Cochrane Reviews and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched from 2000 to June 2020 to identify relevant literature. Titles and abstracts and if necessary full text were reviewed in duplicate. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they reported on the population (adults and children who are submerged in water), interventions (resuscitation in water/boats, airway management, oxygen administration, AED use, bystander CPR, ventilation strategies, ECMO, protocols for hospital discharge (I), comparator (standard care) and outcomes (O) survival, survival with a favourable neurological outcome, CPR quality, physiological end-points).
The database search yielded 3242 references (Medline 1104, Pre-Medline 202, Embase 1722, Cochrane reviews 12, Cochrane CENTRAL 202). After removal of duplicates 2377 papers were left for screening titles and abstracts. In total 65 unique papers were included. The evidence identified was from predominantly high-income countries and lacked consistency in the populations, interventions and outcomes reported. Clinical studies were exclusively observational in nature.
This scoping review found that there is very limited evidence from observational studies to inform evidence based clinical practice guidelines for drowning. The review highlights an urgent need for high quality research in drowning.
The number of substances nominally listed in the prohibited list of the World Anti‐Doping Agency increases each year. Moreover, many of these substances do not have a single analytical target and ...must be monitored through different metabolites, artifacts, degradation products, or biomarkers. A new analytical method was developed and validated for the simultaneous analysis of peptides and organic molecules using a single sample preparation and LC‐Q‐HRMS detection. The simultaneous analysis of 450 target molecules was performed after cleanup on a mixed‐mode solid‐phase extraction cartridge, combined with untreated urine. The cleanup solvent and reconstitution solvent were the most important parameters for achieving a comprehensive sample preparation approach. A fast chromatographic run based on a multistep gradient was optimized under different flows; the detection of all substances without isomeric coelution was achieved in 11 minutes, and the chromatographic resolution was considered a critical parameter, even in high‐resolution mass spectrometry detection. The mass spectrometer was set to operate by switching between positive and negative ionization mode for FULL‐MS, all‐ion fragmentation, and FULL‐MS/MS2. The suitable parameters for the curved linear trap (c‐trap) conditions were determined and found to be the most important factors for the development of the method. Only FULL‐MS/MS2 enables the detection of steroids and peptides at concentrations lower than the minimum required performance levels set by World Anti‐Doping Agency (1 ng mL−1). The combination of the maximum injection time of the ions into the c‐trap, multiplexing experiments, and loop count under optimized conditions enabled the method to be applied to over 10 000 samples in only 2 months during the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. The procedure details all aspects, from sample preparation to mass spectrometry detection. FULL‐MS data acquisition is performed in positive and negative ion mode simultaneously and can be applied to untargeted approaches.
We aimed to develop site-specific sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) for two estuarine and port zones in Southeastern Brazil (Santos Estuarine System and Paranaguá Estuarine System) and three in ...Southern Spain (Ría of Huelva, Bay of Cádiz, and Bay of Algeciras), and compare these values against national and traditionally used international benchmark values. Site-specific SQGs were derived based on sediment physical–chemical, toxicological, and benthic community data integrated through multivariate analysis. This technique allowed the identification of chemicals of concern and the establishment of effects range correlatively to individual concentrations of contaminants for each site of study. The results revealed that sediments from Santos channel, as well as inner portions of the SES, are considered
highly polluted (exceeding SQGs-high) by metals, PAHs and PCBs. High pollution by PAHs and some metals was found in São Vicente channel. In PES, sediments from inner portions (proximities of the Ponta do Félix port's terminal and the Port of Paranaguá) are
highly polluted by metals and PAHs, including one zone inside the limits of an environmental protection area. In Gulf of Cádiz, SQGs exceedences were found in Ria of Huelva (all analysed metals and PAHs), in the surroundings of the Port of Cádiz (Bay of Cádiz) (metals), and in Bay of Algeciras (Ni and PAHs). The site-specific SQGs derived in this study are more restricted than national SQGs applied in Brazil and Spain, as well as international guidelines. This finding confirms the importance of the development of site-specific SQGs to support the characterisation of sediments and dredged material. The use of the same methodology to derive SQGs in Brazilian and Spanish port zones confirmed the applicability of this technique with an international scope and provided a harmonised methodology for site-specific SQGs derivation.
Bovine mastitis is the main cause of economic loss in milk production worldwide and
Staphylococcus aureus is the agent most frequently associated with the disease. The aim of this systematic review ...was to assess the efficacy of vaccines for bovine mastitis caused by
S. aureus and suggest the immunotherapeutic protocols that have achieved the best and/or most promising results. An electronic search was made of the PubMed and Web of Science databases in November 2009. Only studies that tested vaccines
in vivo in cows were included. The experimental design, methodological quality, type of vaccine and results of the studies were analyzed. Twenty-four papers were selected for this review. In general, bacterin-toxoid vaccines, vaccines of DNA-recombinant protein and recombinant protein alone were investigated in the studies selected. This systematic review suggests that vaccines that employ new technologies (DNA and/or recombinant protein vaccines) and some long-standing bacterins have achieved good results, which supports their use in the prevention and control of bovine mastitis caused by
S. aureus. However, methodological differences and in some cases, a lack of more severe scientific criteria (such as double blind protocols) hinder the assessment of the effectiveness of these vaccines.
Collagen is one of the most promising materials for 3D bioprinting because of its distinguished biocompatibility. Cell-laden constructs made of pure collagen with or without incorporated growth ...supplements support engineered constructs persistence in culture and are perfectly suitable for grafting. The limiting factor for direct 3D collagen printing was poor printability of collagen solutions, especially admixed with cells or tissue spheroids. In our study, we showed that concentrated solutions of native collagen branded Viscoll were effective as bioinks with high fidelity performance. Viscoll containing 20, 30, or 40 mg/ml collagen were used for direct extrusion 3D bioprinting to form scaffolds appropriate to support spatial arrangement of tissue spheroids into rigid patterns with resolution of 0.5 mm in details. Incorporated cells demonstrated sufficient viability. Associated rheological study showed that good printability of the collagen solutions correlates with their increased storage modulus value, notably exceeding the loss modulus value. The proper combination of these physical parameters could become technological criteria for manufacturing various collagen bioinks for 3D bioprinting.
Defects in ZnSe quantum dots are responsible for increasing the trap states, which can lead to the drastic reduction of their fluorescence output, being one of the major drawbacks of these materials. ...As surface atoms become more relevant in these nanoscale structures, energy traps due to surface vacancies, play a very definite role in the final emission quantum yield. In the present study, we report the use of photoactivation procedures to decrease surface defects of ZnSe QDs stabilized with mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA), in order to improve the radiative pathways. We applied the colloidal precipitation procedure in a hydrophilic medium and evaluated the role of Zn/Se molar ratios as well as the Zn
2+
precursors (nitrate and chloride salts) on their optical properties. Best results (i.e. increment of 400% of the final fluorescence intensity) were obtained for nitrate precursor and a Zn/Se = 1.2 ratio. Thus, we suggest that the chloride ions may compete more efficiently than nitrate ions with MSA molecules decreasing the passivation capability of this molecule. The improvement in ZnSe QDs fluorescence can potentialize their use for biomedical applications.
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