In vitro toxicological prospection of fungicides containing Difenoconazole or Tebuconazole as active ingredients

The active ingredients (AI) tebuconazole and difenoconazole (classified as toxic to living organisms and potentially mutagen, carcinogen, or teratogen) are part of the composition of widely used fungicides in crops. In 2016 they were found in irregular quantities by ANVISA in their latest report emitted by the Program of Analysis of Agrochemical Waste in Food. Two commercial fungicides containing the active ingredients tebuconazole and difenoconazole were evaluated in cytogenotoxic assays and on different biological molecules. Both active ingredients altered the clotting time of the plasma, and were procoagulants in the majority of the evaluated doses. The two AI acted on blood thrombi exerting thrombotic action and confirming the observed procoagulant potential. In the proteolysis assay, the AI did not alter the structure of fibrinogen under the conditions evaluated. Tebuconazole and Difenoconazole were also cytotoxic to human erythrocytes, as well as induced phospholipid breakdown, confirming their toxicity on membranes. However, under the conditions evaluated, the AI did not alter significantly the mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase activity and did not induce DNA fragmentation. Assuming that changes in human cells and molecules have a cumulative effect, the toxic potential of fungicides might be greater when chronic exposure to their active principles occurs

Delivering beneficial microorganisms for corals: rotifers as carriers of probiotic bacteria

The use of Beneficial Microorganisms for Corals (BMCs) to increase the resistance of corals to environmental stress has proven to be effective in laboratory trials. Because direct inoculation of BMCs in larger tanks or in the field can be challenging, a delivery mechanism is needed for efficient transmission of the BMC consortium. Packaged delivery mechanisms have been successfully used to transmit probiotics to other organisms, including humans, lobsters, and fish. Here, we tested a method for utilizing rotifers of the species Brachionus plicatilis for delivery of BMCs to corals of the species Pocillopora damicornis. Epifluorescence microscopy combined with a live/dead cell staining assay was used to evaluate the viability of the BMCs and monitor their in vivo uptake by the rotifers. The rotifers efficiently ingested BMCs, which accumulated in the digestive system and on the body surface after 10 min of interaction. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the adherence of BMCs to the rotifer surfaces. BMC-enriched rotifers were actively ingested by P. damicornis corals, indicating that this is a promising technique for administering coral probiotics in situ. Studies to track the delivery of probiotics through carriers such as B. plicatilis, and the provision or establishment of beneficial traits in corals are the next proof-of-concept research priorities

Medidas de distanciamento social podem ter reduzido as mortes estimadas relacionadas à COVID-19 no Brasil

Social distancing was planned as a preventive measure to control the extensive spread of COVID-19. COVID-19-related deaths in Brazil were analyzed during the period of social distancing measures. Mortality data for COVID-19 was obtained from the Worldometer website. Deaths were estimated up to the 31st day after the occurrence of the 5th COVID-19-related death in Brazil. Social distance was measured using Google's community mobility reports. The Brazilian epidemic curves were interconnected, and mathematical models were evaluated to fit the mortality estimation curves. The optimistic model was defined in the opening period of social distancing and, therefore, in the lower mobility (40-60%). The realistic model was calculated according to relaxed social distance measures (<40%) and the pessimistic model was calculated based on the transmission rate between 2-3. Thus, the equations of the mathematical models provided the outcomes for the date of June 9, 2020, as follows: realistic model with 40,623 deaths, pessimistic model with 64,310 deaths and the optimistic model with a projection of 31,384 deaths. As a result of these analyzes, on May 24, 2020, there were a total of 22,965 deaths related to COVID-19, and those deaths included within the proposed mathematical models were 17,452 for the optimistic model, 22,623 for the realistic model and 32,825 for the pessimistic model. Thus, it is concluded that social distancing measures promoted by the Brazilian public managers contributes to the reduction in approximately ten thousand deaths related to COVID-19 in the current pandemic scenario.O distanciamento social foi planejado como uma medida preventiva para controlar a disseminação extensiva da COVID-19. Foi analisado as mortes relacionadas à COVID-19 no Brasil durante o período de medidas de distanciamento social. Os dados de mortalidade do COVID-19 foram obtidos no site da Worldometer. As mortes foram estimadas até o 31º dia após a ocorrência da 5ª morte relacionada à COVID-19 no Brasil. O distanciamento social foi medido por meio dos relatórios de mobilidade comunitária do Google. As curvas epidêmicas brasileiras foram interligadas e os modelos matemáticos foram avaliados para se ajustarem às curvas de estimativa de mortalidade. O modelo otimista foi definido no período de abertura do distanciamento social e, portanto, na menor mobilidade (40-60%). O modelo realista foi calculado de acordo com medidas de distanciamento social relaxado (<40%) e o modelo pessimista foi calculado com base na taxa de transmissão entre 2-3. Assim, as equações dos modelos matemáticos proveram os desfechos para a data de nove de junho de 2020, conforme seguem: modelo realista com 40.623 mortes, modelo pessimista com 64.310 mortes e o modelo otimista com projeção de 31.384. Como resultados dessas análises, na data de 24 de maio de 2020 obteve um total de 22.965 mortes relacionadas com a COVID-19, sendo que essas mortes inseridas dentro dos modelos matemáticos propostos foram de 17.452 para o modelo otimista, 22.623 para o modelo realista e 32.825 para o modelo pessimista. Assim, conclui-se que a medida de distanciamento social promovida pelos gestores públicos brasileiros contribui para a redução em aproximadamente dez mil mortes relacionadas com a COVID-19 no atual cenário pandêmico

Social distancing measures could have reduced estimated deaths related to COVID-19 in Brazil

Judging  to  make  a  decision  amidst  several  possibilities  that   rise to risks, losses, gains and uncertainties is not a simple matter. In this process, the subject needs to verify the  situation  considering  the  alternatives  that  are  made  up of several elements, among them, the analysis of how much this decision will cost and what benefit it will have in response, and what the consequences will be in the long, medium and short term. In this sense, decision-making is associated with the deliberative and affective process that relates  to  multiple  variables  that  are  interconnected  with  the flow of information assimilated by the agent who is responsible for the judgment and the decision. This process is interdependent on the subject’s structure with external stimuli.  Thus,  the  individual’s  forces  and  social  pressure  are  important  elements  to  be  considered  for  decision  making.  For  the  adolescent,  this  issue  becomes  even  more  important,  as  it  is  a  phase  of  human  development  in which the person exhibits behaviors of risk and during this  stage  of  life  there  is  a  process  of  maturation  of  the  central  nervous  system,  which  are  related  to  decision-making  and  motivational  processes.  Therefore,  decision  making  among  adolescents  is  a  complex  issue  that  in  addition to biological factors are directly related to social and  psychological  elements,  depends  on  a  maturity  in  development,  but  can  be  impaired  if  stressful  situations  are constant stimuli in the lives of adolescents. = O distanciamento social foi planejado como uma medida  preventiva  para  controlar  a  disseminação  extensiva  da   COVID-19.   Nós   analisamos   as   mortes   relacionadas   à  COVID-19  no  Brasil  durante  o  período  de  medidas  de  distanciamento social. Os dados de mortalidade do COVID-19 foram obtidos no site da Worldometer (www.worldometer.info). As  mortes  foram  estimadas  até  o  31º  dia  após  a  5ª  morte.  O  distanciamento  social  foi  medido  por  meio  dos  relatórios  de    mobilidade    comunitária    COVID-19;    Google    (https://www.google.com/covid19/mobility/).   As   curvas   epidêmicas   brasileiras   foram   interligadas   e   os   modelos   matemáticos   foram  avaliados  para  se  ajustarem  às  curvas  de  estimativa  de mortalidade. O modelo otimista foi fundado no período de abertura da distância social e, portanto, na menor mobilidade (40-60%).  O  modelo  realista  foi  calculado  de  acordo  com  medidas de distanciamento social relaxado (<40%) e o modelo pessimista  foi  calculado  com  base  em  R0  entre  2-3.  Sob  essa  situação,  o  modelo  matemático  realista  estimou  40.623  mortes em 9 de junho de 2020, enquanto o modelo pessimista antecipou 64.310 mortes e o modelo otimista projetou 31.384. Até  hoje  (24  de  maio  de  2020),  um  total  de  22.965  foram  relatadas,  enquanto  nosso  modelo  projetou  17.452  para  o  modelo otimista, 22.623 para o modelo realista e 32.825 para o modelo pessimista. Observamos movimento reduzido ao longo deste período. Em resumo, o modelo matemático sugere que a mobilidade reduzida da comunidade diminuiu o total estimado de  mortes  relacionadas  à  COVID-19  no  Brasil.  Enfatizamos  que  mais  procedimentos  metodológicos  serão  necessários  para confirmar esta teoria

The impact of using BARCIST 1.0 criteria on quantification of BAT volume and activity in three independent cohorts of adults

Human brown adipose tissue (BAT) is commonly assessed by cold-induced 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET-CT using several quantification criteria. Uniform criteria for data analysis became available recently (BARCIST 1.0). We compared BAT volume and activity following BARCIST 1.0 criteria against the most commonly used criteria [Hounsfield Units (HU):-250, -50, standardized uptake value (SUV):2.0; HU: Not applied, SUV:2.0 and HU:-180, -10, SUV:1.5] in a prospective study using three independent cohorts of men including young lean adults, young overweight/obese adults and middle-aged overweight/obese adults. BAT volume was the most variable outcome between criteria. While BAT volume calculated using the HU: NA; SUV: 2.0 criteria was up to 207% higher than the BAT volume calculated based on BARCIST 1.0 criteria, it was up to 57% lower using the HU: -250, -50; SUV: 2.0 criteria compared to the BARCIST 1.0. Similarly, BAT activity (expressed as SUVmean) also differed between different thresholds mainly because SUVmean depends on BAT volume. SUVpeak was the most consistent BAT outcome across the four study criteria. Of note, we replicated these findings in three independent cohorts. In conclusion, BAT volume and activity as determined by 18F-FDG-PET/CT highly depend on the quantification criteria used. Future human BAT studies should conduct sensitivity analysis with different thresholds in order to understand whether results are driven by the selected HU and/or SUV thresholds. The design of the present study precludes providing any conclusive threshold, but before more definitive thresholds for HU and SUV are available, we support the use of BARCIST 1.0 criteria to facilitate interpretation of BAT characteristics between research groups

Bioactivity screening of pinhão (Araucaria Angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze) seed extracts: the inhibition of cholinesterases and α-amylases, and cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory activities

The objective of this work was to determine the potential bioactive properties of extracts from bio-residues of pinhão (Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze) seeds, namely the α-amylase and cholinesterase inhibition, cytotoxicity, and anti-inflammatory properties. The pinhão extracts evaluated were obtained from cooking water (CW) and as an ethanolic extract from residual pinhão seed shells (PS). Catechin was the major compound found in both extracts. The PS extract presented higher antioxidant levels and the better inhibition of human salivary and porcine pancreatic α-amylases when compared to the CW extract. Also, based on in vivo evaluations, the PS extract did not differ significantly from acarbose when compared to a control group. The most potent inhibitor of cholinesterases was the CW extract. No cytotoxicity toward normal cells was detected, and neither extract showed anti-inflammatory activity. The PS extract presented cytotoxic activity toward non-small-cell lung, cervical, hepatocellular and breast carcinoma cell lines. Overall, the results demonstrated the potential bioactivity of extracts obtained from pinhão bioresidues.The authors thank CNPq (Chamada Universal – MCTI/CNPq No. 28/2018, Process 421541/2018-0) and Fundação Araucária (convênio 039/2019) for financial support. This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001. The authors thank Central Analítica Multiusuário da UTFPR Campo Mourão (CAMulti-CM) for analysis. Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984 – Associated Laboratory LSRE-LCM was funded by FEDER funds through COMPETE2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) and by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia. The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020). M. I. Dias and L. Barros would like to acknowledge national funding from FCT, P. I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of sitagliptin on energy metabolism and brown adipose tissue in overweight individuals with prediabetes:a randomised placebo-controlled trial

Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of sitagliptin on glucose tolerance, plasma lipids, energy expenditure and metabolism of brown adipose tissue (BAT), white adipose tissue (WAT) and skeletal muscle in overweight individuals with prediabetes (impaired glucose tolerance and/or impaired fasting glucose). Methods: We performed a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial in 30 overweight, Europid men (age 45.9 \xc2\xb1 6.2\xc2\xa0years; BMI 28.8 \xc2\xb1 2.3\xc2\xa0kg/m2) with prediabetes in the Leiden University Medical Center and the Alrijne Hospital between March 2015 and September 2016. Participants were initially randomly allocated to receive sitagliptin (100\xc2\xa0mg/day) (n = 15) or placebo (n = 15) for 12\xc2\xa0weeks, using a randomisation list that was set up by an unblinded pharmacist. All people involved in the study as well as participants were blinded to group assignment. Two participants withdrew from the study prior to completion (both in the sitagliptin group) and were subsequently replaced with two new participants that were allocated to the same treatment. Before and after treatment, fasting venous blood samples and skeletal muscle biopsies were obtained, OGTT was performed and body composition, resting energy expenditure and [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) uptake by metabolic tissues were assessed. The primary study endpoint was the effect of sitagliptin on BAT volume and activity. Results: One participant from the sitagliptin group was excluded from analysis, due to a distribution error, leaving 29 participants for further analysis. Sitagliptin, but not placebo, lowered glucose excursion (\xe2\x88\x9240%; p < 0.003) during OGTT, accompanied by an improved insulinogenic index (+38%; p < 0.003) and oral disposition index (+44%; p < 0.003). In addition, sitagliptin lowered serum concentrations of triacylglycerol (\xe2\x88\x9229%) and very large (\xe2\x88\x9246%), large (\xe2\x88\x9235%) and medium-sized (\xe2\x88\x9224%) VLDL particles (all p < 0.05). Body weight, body composition and energy expenditure did not change. In skeletal muscle, sitagliptin increased mRNA expression of PGC1\xce\xb2 (also known as PPARGC1B) (+117%; p < 0.05), a main controller of mitochondrial oxidative energy metabolism. Although the primary endpoint of change in BAT volume and activity was not met, sitagliptin increased [18F] FDG uptake in subcutaneous WAT (sWAT; +53%; p < 0.05). Reported side effects were mild and transient and not necessarily related to the treatment. Conclusions/interpretation: Twelve weeks of sitagliptin in overweight, Europid men with prediabetes improves glucose tolerance and lipid metabolism, as related to increased [18F] FDG uptake by sWAT, rather than BAT, and upregulation of the mitochondrial gene PGC1\xce\xb2 in skeletal muscle. Studies on the effect of sitagliptin on preventing or delaying the progression of prediabetes into type 2 diabetes are warranted. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02294084. Funding: This study was funded by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp, Dutch Heart Foundation, Dutch Diabetes Research Foundation, Ministry of Economic Affairs and the University of Granada

Professores discriminados: um estudo sobre os docentes do sexo masculino nas séries do ensino fundamental

Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar algumas representações de gênero que envolvem a docência nas séries iniciais do ensino fundamental no Rio de Janeiro (Brasil) e em Aveiro (Portugal), especialmente as representações geradoras de discriminações que afetam os homens atuantes na profissão. Socialmente definida como feminina, tal profissão carrega representações que podem diferenciar as práticas e as escolhas, sendo que muitas delas associam o magistério ao feminino e alegam que os professores homens estariam fora de lugar. A partir da análise qualitativa e quantitativa de questionários e entrevistas com professores desse segmento, examinamos, então, quais são as representações de gênero que circulam em relação à docência nas séries iniciais do ensino fundamental, se existe discriminação em relação a eles, bem como se os homens que entram na profissão são desprovidos de preconceitos e ajudariam a diminuir as discriminações de gênero. Concluímos que o simples fato de existir um professor do sexo masculino nas salas de aula pode provocar várias representações de gênero; nesse sentido, os professores podem ou não tentar quebrar tais representações, o que aconteceu com alguns dos participantes desta investigação. Mesmo sofrendo preconceitos, porém, muitos se aproveitam das vantagens da masculinidade na sociedade. Apesar disso, demarcamos que a presença de professores do sexo masculino nas séries iniciais é uma forma de inserir as questões de gênero na educação, demonstrar às crianças na escola que o homem também pode escolher essa atividade com sucesso e evidenciar que a aptidão para o magistério não depende do sexo