Plant species of the Brazilian Caatinga experience seasonal wet and dry extremes, requiring seasonally different leaf characteristics for optimizing water availability. We investigated if Croton ...blanchetianus Baill exhibits leaf morphoanatomical traits across seasons and positioning in sunlight/natural shade. Leaves of ten 1-3 m tall plants in full sunlight and ten in natural shade were assessed in May, July (wet season), October and December (dry season) 2015 for gas exchange, leaf size, lamina and midrib cross sections (14 parameters), and chloroplast structure (5 parameters). Net photosynthesis was greater during the wet season (21.6 µm
s
) compared to the dry season (5.8 µm
s
) and was strongly correlated with almost all measured parameters (p < 0.01). Shaded leaves in the wet season had higher specific leaf area (19.9 m
kg
in full-sun and 23.1 m
kg
in shade), but in the dry season they did not differ from those in full sun (7.5 m
kg
and 7.2 m
kg
). In the wet season, the expansion of the adaxial epidermis and mesophyll lead to larger and thicker photosynthetic area of leaves. Furthermore, chloroplast thickness, length and area were also significantly larger in full sunlight (2.1 μm, 5.1 μm, 15.2 μm
; respectively) and shaded plants (2.0 μm, 5.2 μm, 14.8 μm
; respectively) during wetter months. Croton blanchetianus exhibits seasonal plasticity in leaf structure, presumably to optimize water use efficiency during seasons of water abundance and deficit. These results suggest that the species is adaptable to the increased drought stress projected by climate change scenarios.
Rationale, aims and objectives
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a pharmacist–physician collaborative care model on clinical outcomes in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and ...determine characteristics that influence this effect.
Methods
A randomized controlled trial was conducted in a secondary care clinic for 80 patients with type 2 diabetes, aged 40–79 years and glycosylated haemoglobin (A1C) level ≥ 7.0%. The intervention group received individual, face‐to‐face pharmaceutical consultations and remote telephone support after a routine visit. The main measures were clinical outcomes (A1C, blood pressure, LDL cholesterol) and process indicators (medication adherence, medication regimen complexity, use of medicines). Multiple regression models were used to determine the variables that could explain the reduction and individualized control of A1C.
Results
From the initial sample of 80 patients, 73 completed this study. Compared with usual care, patients in the intervention group showed greater reduction in A1C (−0.79 vs. −0.16; P = 0.010); and an increase in the percentage of patients achieving the individualized goal of A1C (25.0% vs. 5.4%; P = 0.020). In addition, there was an increase in the percentage of adherent patients and in the average scores of medication adherence. Participation in the intervention group, higher baseline A1C levels and greater change in medication adherence were all significant predictors of improvement in A1C levels.
Conclusions
The results suggest that the collaborative care model proposed is feasible and more effective than the usual care in the reduction and individualized control of A1C levels in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes.
In recent decades, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events induced by global warming have increased significantly, exerting serious impacts on the development of society and ecosystems. ...Based on low (RCP2.6) and high (RCP8.5) greenhouse gas emissions scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we use the general circulation model HadGEM2‐ES that is part of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) to drive the regional climate model RegCM4.7. This study evaluated the ability of both models to simulate (1986–2005) and projection (2080–2099) spatio‐temporal features of extreme indices over tropical South America (TSA). Indices based on precipitation and daily maximum and minimum temperature follow the definitions of the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI). In general, the RegCM4.7 reproduces accordingly the spatial distribution of the ETCCDI indices derived from precipitation and temperature on the TSA, in addition to added value to HadGEM2‐ES, especially over regions of complex topography. HadGEM2‐ES performs poorly along the west coast, due to the topography and altitude of the Andes. On the other hand, it demonstrates better performance in the Amazon Basin compared to RegCM4.7. The projection results showed that climate extreme indices based on precipitation and temperature indicate that drought events may advance to the end of the century, showing a spatial pattern that precipitation will be gradually reduced in the Amazon Basin and Northeast region of Brazil. Despite some discrepancies between the models, studies like this one help us to understand how climate change can affect regional planning and development.
This study explores the impact of the dynamical downscaling in the added value of the RegCM4.7 driven by the HadGEM2‐ES during historical simulations and projections of extreme climate indices under RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 scenarios in the tropical South America domain.
Cinnamaldehyde (CNM) is an essential-oil component with reported anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and healing effects, making it an interesting compound for the treatment of wound infection. ...Herein, we evaluated the effects of topical administration of CNM in experimental wounds infected by
.
mice (
= 12/group) were randomly allocated into three groups (CON: animals with uninfected lesions; Sa: animals with untreated infected lesions; Sa + CNM: animals with infected wounds and treated with CNM). Excisional lesions (64 mm
) were induced at the dorsal area followed by the addition of
(80 μL of a 1.5 × 10
CFU/mL bacterial suspension). The wounds were treated with CNM (200 μg/wound/day) or vehicle (2% DMSO) for 10 days. Skin samples were taken on the 3
or 10
treatment day for quantification of inflammatory mediators, bacterial load, immunophenotyping, and histological analysis. The treatment with CNM improved the healing process and attenuated the severity of skin lesions infected by
. These effects were associated with significant decreases in bacterial loads in CNM-treated wounds. The levels of neutrophils, TNF-α, IL-6, NO, and VEGF were decreased in the lesions treated with CNM. Taken together, these data provide further evidence of the effectiveness of CNM for the treatment of skin infections.
Many essential oils (EOs) of different plant species possess interesting antimicrobial effects on buccal microorganisms and cytotoxic properties. EOs of Kielmeyera coriacea Mart. & Zucc. were ...analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The EO from leaves is rich in sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons and oxygenated sesquiterpenes. The three major compounds identified were germacrene-D (24.2%), (E)-caryophyllene (15.5%), and bicyclogermacrene (11.6%). The inner bark EO is composed mainly of sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons and the major components are alpha-copaene (14.9%) and alpha-(E)-bergamotene (13.0%). The outer bark EO is composed mainly of oxygenated sesquiterpenes and long-chain alkanes, and the major components are alpha-eudesmol (4.2%) and nonacosane (5.8%). The wood EO is mainly composed of long-chain alkanes and fatty acids, and the major components are nonacosane (9.7%) and palmitic acid (16.2%). The inner bark EO showed the strongest antimicrobial activity against the anaerobic bacteria Prevotella nigrescens (minimum inhibitory concentration-MIC of 50 µg mL−1). The outer bark and wood EOs showed MICs of 100 µg mL−1 for all aerobic microorganisms tested. The EOs presented low toxicity to Vero cells. These results suggest that K. coriacea, a Brazilian plant, provide initial evidence of a new and alternative source of substances with medicinal interest.
The use if the general circulation model (GCM) as a boundary condition for the dynamic regionalization process, without robust technical criteria, is one of the problems responsible for increasing ...the uncertainties of simulations and projections of climate scenarios, mainly affecting the observed trends and consequently the representation of future trends. Based on this premise, the present study evaluated the historical ability of 30 models that make up phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project using the Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. The meteorological variables used in this assessment were precipitation and near‐surface air temperature from 1975 to 2005 in the southern sectors of the Amazon Basin (SAMZ), Eastern Northeast Brazil (ENEB), and the intersection area between these regions, called MATOPIBA, was used to select the best GCM. The annual cycle, Taylor diagram and TOPSIS method were used as metrics of similarity between the models and the reference dataset. In general, the models simulated the temperature more accurately than the precipitation, with lower dispersions. According to the TOPSIS, over SAMZ, the HadGEM2‐ES (MIROC5) model was ranked with greater (less) ability to represent precipitation. In turn, for temperature the ensmean_cmip5 (IPSL‐CM5A‐MR) was the best (worst). Over ENEB, the model that showed the greatest (lowest) ability to simulate precipitation was CSIRO‐ACESS1.0 (HadGEM2‐AO). For temperature, the NorESM‐ME model (INMCM4) was ranked first (last). Over MATOPIBA, the CSIRO‐ACESS1.0 (NorESM‐ME) model was selected as having the best performance and the MPI‐ESM‐LR (MPI‐ESM‐LR) as the worst performance when representing precipitation (temperature). The similarities and discrepancies in the capacity of the GCM presented in the different metrics covered in this study can assist in the selection of more appropriate climate models in other regions for future studies of climate change.
Domain of the subregions, representing altimetry (meters).
Two sequential batch reactors were operated, aiming at forming aerobic granular sludge and studying the effects of the gradual increase of the NaCl concentration on the granule.
structure and ...microbial diversity, and on the efficiency of ammonia removal. The reactors were fed with ammonia-enriched synthetic effluent and 5 g L−1 of NaCl per week were applied. A decrease in the size of the granules was observed until they were completely disintegrated as the salt concentration increased up to 10 g L−1. However, the ammonia removal efficiency remained high in all the salinities applied. By sequencing the 16S rRNA amplicon gene, the microbial community structure allowed the verification of the presence of several genera affiliated with the bacteria that perform both heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification, besides those involved in the conventional nitrification and denitrification and the ANAMMOX process. Salinity affected the microbial population related to the formation and stability of the granules.
•With the increase of NaCl, the granules decreased in size until they disintegrated.•Ammonia removal remained efficient in all analyzed salinities.•There was no accumulation of nitrite or nitrate in the treated effluent.•The removal of nitrite and nitrate increased with the addition of NaCl.•Several genera of bacteria that perform the nitrification and denitrification.
Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is an onco-hematologic disease with distinct levels of peripheral blood cytopenias, dysplasias in cell differentiation and various forms of chromosomal and cytogenomic ...alterations. In this study, the Chromosomal Microarray Analysis (CMA) was performed in patients with primary MDS without numerical and/or structural chromosomal alterations in karyotypes. A total of 17 patients was evaluated by GTG banding and eight patients showed no numerical and/or structural alterations. Then, the CMA was carried out and identified gains and losses CNVs and long continuous stretches of homozygosity (LCSHs). They were mapped on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, X, and Y. Ninety-one genes that have already been implicated in molecular pathways important for cell viability were selected and in-silico expression analyses demonstrated 28 genes differentially expressed in mesenchymal stromal cells of patients. Alterations in these genes may be related to the inactivation of suppressor genes or the activation of oncogenes contributing to the evolution and malignization of MDS. CMA provided additional information in patients without visible changes in the karyotype and our findings could contribute with additional information to improve the prognostic and personalized stratification for patients.
The occurrence of extreme climate events (ECEs) in the Amazon basin (AMZ) and northeast Brazil (NEB), such as torrential rains and severe droughts, varies in both spatial and temporal scales. Spatial ...analysis of trends allows observing changes in behaviour and determining in which regions a particular variable has been experiencing changes over time. Thus, the objective of this study is to analyse trends of 21 climate extremes indices, relative to maximum and minimum precipitation and temperature, as defined by the World Meteorological Organization, for the AMZ and NEB. The 21 indices were selected according to meteorological and climate characteristics of the regions. Through annual analysis it was possible to observe an increase in most of the climate extremes indices for air temperature in all AMZ and NEB subregions. As for extreme precipitation, only a few of the selected indices presented significant increase and/or decrease in their values. Overall, the eastern Amazon subregion in the AMZ presented the highest significant indices for temperature and precipitation. In NEB, both Northern Coast and Southern Coast subregions presented substantial increase or decrease in precipitation and temperature indices.
Location of the reference points selected for each of the 11 homogeneous precipitation subregions in the AMZ and the NEB.
The growing interest in innovations regarding the treatment of oily wastewater stems from the fact that the oil industry is the largest polluter of the environment. The harm caused by this industry ...is seen in all countries. Companies that produce such wastewater are responsible for its treatment prior to disposal or recycling into their production processes. As oil emulsions are difficult to manage and require different types of treatment or even combined methods, a range of environmental technologies have been proposed for oil-contaminated effluents, such as gravity separation, flotation, flocculation, biological treatment, advanced oxidation processes, and membranes. Natural materials, such as biopolymers, constitute a novel, sustainable solution with considerable potential for oily effluent separation. The present review offers an overview of the treatment of oily wastewater, describing current trends and the latest applications. This review also points to further research needs and major concerns, especially with regards to sustainability, and discusses potential biotechnological applications.
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