Incidence of oral manifestations in hematological malignancy patients undergoing chemotherapy: prospective cohort study

Oral manifestations are frequent in patients with hematological malignancies undergoing chemotherapy and may be directly or indirectly related to drug toxicity. Few studies have assessed the chemotherapy and oral manifestations that patients might develop. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the incidence of oral manifestations in patients with hematologic neoplasms during hospitalization and chemotherapy. A Prospective Cohort Study, in which adult patients diagnosed with hematological malignancies undergoing chemotherapy were followed up daily to observe the possible development of oral manifestations. Sociodemographic and oncological data as well as oral manifestations when presented were collected. All the patients underwent photobiomodulation to prevent mucositis. STATA/SE 12.0, and Excel 365 software were used to assess the collected data. Fisher’s exact test was used to assess categorical variables. 95 patients were included in this study. Sixty four (67,4%) of the patients were male, 31 female (32,6%) and the mean age was 44 years of age (SD 15,1) ranging from 19 to 79. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is the most common neoplasm. Cytarabine was the most commonly administered drug used in 72 patients (75,8%). Fungal infections were the most frequent oral manifestations. There was no correlation between the histological diagnosis and the risk of developing oral mucositis. Oral manifestations are frequent in patients with hematological malignancies who are undergoing chemotherapy. Since there is a tendency for increasing cases of hematologic neoplasms annually, it is of paramount importance to know the treatments offered to these patients and the related side effects in order to prevent them and consequently decrease morbimortality

Approaches in biotechnological applications of natural polymers

Natural polymers, such as gums and mucilage, are biocompatible, cheap, easily available and non-toxic materials of native origin. These polymers are increasingly preferred over synthetic materials for industrial applications due to their intrinsic properties, as well as they are considered alternative sources of raw materials since they present characteristics of sustainability, biodegradability and biosafety. As definition, gums and mucilages are polysaccharides or complex carbohydrates consisting of one or more monosaccharides or their derivatives linked in bewildering variety of linkages and structures. Natural gums are considered polysaccharides naturally occurring in varieties of plant seeds and exudates, tree or shrub exudates, seaweed extracts, fungi, bacteria, and animal sources. Water-soluble gums, also known as hydrocolloids, are considered exudates and are pathological products; therefore, they do not form a part of cell wall. On the other hand, mucilages are part of cell and physiological products. It is important to highlight that gums represent the largest amounts of polymer materials derived from plants. Gums have enormously large and broad applications in both food and non-food industries, being commonly used as thickening, binding, emulsifying, suspending, stabilizing agents and matrices for drug release in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In the food industry, their gelling properties and the ability to mold edible films and coatings are extensively studied. The use of gums depends on the intrinsic properties that they provide, often at costs below those of synthetic polymers. For upgrading the value of gums, they are being processed into various forms, including the most recent nanomaterials, for various biotechnological applications. Thus, the main natural polymers including galactomannans, cellulose, chitin, agar, carrageenan, alginate, cashew gum, pectin and starch, in addition to the current researches about them are reviewed in this article.. }To the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientfíico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for fellowships (LCBBC and MGCC) and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nvíel Superior (CAPES) (PBSA). This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, the Project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462) and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) (JAT)

Genotype by environment interaction for 450-day weight of Nelore cattle analyzed by reaction norm models

Genotype by environment interactions (GEI) have attracted increasing attention in tropical breeding programs because of the variety of production systems involved. In this work, we assessed GEI in 450-day adjusted weight (W450) Nelore cattle from 366 Brazilian herds by comparing traditional univariate single-environment model analysis (UM) and random regression first order reaction norm models for six environmental variables: standard deviations of herd-year (RRMw) and herd-year-season-management (RRMw-m) groups for mean W450, standard deviations of herd-year (RRMg) and herd-year-season-management (RRMg-m) groups adjusted for 365-450 days weight gain (G450) averages, and two iterative algorithms using herd-year-season-management group solution estimates from a first RRMw-m and RRMg-m analysis (RRMITw-m and RRMITg-m, respectively). The RRM results showed similar tendencies in the variance components and heritability estimates along environmental gradient. Some of the variation among RRM estimates may have been related to the precision of the predictor and to correlations between environmental variables and the likely components of the weight trait. GEI, which was assessed by estimating the genetic correlation surfaces, had values < 0.5 between extreme environments in all models. Regression analyses showed that the correlation between the expected progeny differences for UM and the corresponding differences estimated by RRM was higher in intermediate and favorable environments than in unfavorable environments (p < 0.0001)

Ethnopedology of a Quilombola Community in Minas Gerais: Soils, Landscape, and Land Evaluation

Quilombolas are Afro-brazilian rural peasants who descended from escaped slaves who tried to carve out territories of autonomy (called Quilombos) by collective organization and resistance. Despite many anthropological and ethnopedological studies, little research has been carried out to identify the agricultural practices and the knowledge of people who live in the Quilombos (Quilombolas). Peasant communities who live from land resources have wide empirical knowledge related to local soils and landscapes. In this respect, ethnopedology focuses on their relationship with local practices, needs, and values. We carried out an ethnopedological evaluation of the soils, landscape and land suitability of the Malhada Grande Quilombola Territory, aiming to examine the local criteria involved in land-use decision making, and evaluate the legitimacy of local knowledge. For this purpose, participatory workshops allowed environmental stratification of the Quilombolas into landscape units, recognition of soil types, and evaluation of land-use criteria. This approach was combined with conventional soil sampling, description, and analysis. The Brazilian System of Soil Classification and its approximations to the WRB/FAO system and the SAAT land evaluation system were compared with the local classificatory systems, showing several convergences. The Quilombolas stratified the local environment into eight landscape units (based on soil, topography, and vegetation) and identified eight soil types with distinct morphological, chemical, and physical attributes. The conventional soil survey identified thirteen soil classes, in the same eight landscape units, organized as soil associations. The apparent contradictions between local knowledge and Pedology were relative since the classification systems were established based on different criteria, goals, and sampling references. Most soils are only suitable for pasture, with restricted agricultural use, due to water or oxygen deficiencies. The current land use was only inconsistent with the technical recommendations when socioecological constraints such as the semiarid climate, land availability, and economic conditions for land management led to overuse of the land. Local knowledge demonstrated its legitimacy and allowed a useful and fruitful exchange of information with the academic view of soil-landscape interplays. Although mostly unknown by the scientific community, local knowledge proved capable of achieving social welfare and food security. In addition, a participatory survey proved to be a core factor for more grounded and detailed data collection on how Quilombolas decide land use on a local scale

Polo kinase recruitment via the constitutive centromere-associated network at the kinetochore elevates centromeric RNA

The kinetochore, a multi-protein complex assembled on centromeres, is essential to segregate chromosomes during cell division. Deficiencies in kinetochore function can lead to chromosomal instability and aneuploidy-a hallmark of cancer cells. Kinetochore function is controlled by recruitment of regulatory proteins, many of which have been documented, however their function often remains uncharacterized and many are yet to be identified. To identify candidates of kinetochore regulation we used a proteome-wide protein association strategy in budding yeast and detected many proteins that are involved in post-translational modifications such as kinases, phosphatases and histone modifiers. We focused on the Polo-like kinase, Cdc5, and interrogated which cellular components were sensitive to constitutive Cdc5 localization. The kinetochore is particularly sensitive to constitutive Cdc5 kinase activity. Targeting Cdc5 to different kinetochore subcomplexes produced diverse phenotypes, consistent with multiple distinct functions at the kinetochore. We show that targeting Cdc5 to the inner kinetochore, the constitutive centromere-associated network (CCAN), increases the levels of centromeric RNA via an SPT4 dependent mechanism

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF SNAKEBITE ACCIDENTS IN A METROPOLITAN AREA OF NORTHEAST BRAZIL

SUMMARY The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological profile of snakebite accidents reported by the toxicological assistance center in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. Database information on snakebite accidents was analyzed regarding the period from January 2003 to December 2011. A total of 1063 cases were found. The accidents occurred during the rainy months (March, April and May), in urban areas (52.3%), affecting individuals younger than 50 years and predominantly among males (70.7%). The lower limbs were the most frequently affected body area (33.7%). Most accidents involved non-venomous snakes (76.1%). The genus Bothrops was the main one involved in venomous accidents (83%). It is expected that this study can be used as the substrate to improve healthcare surveillance and implementing better measures for the treatment of this population