Enhancing the sugars production yield by supporting H3PW12O40 heteropoly acid on activated carbon for use as catalyst in hydrolysis of cellulose

In this work, two catalysts were produced to be used in hydrolysis of cellulose reactions to obtain glucose, araw material used in the production of bioethanol. The heteropoly acid, H3PW12O40 (HPW), reported asstrong and thermally stable acid, was supported on activated carbon (AC) in a ratio varying from 1:1 to 2:1 toproduce the catalysts AC-HPW (1:1) and AC-HPW (2:1). The catalysts were tested in cellulose hydrolysisevaluating some reaction variables and the results show the remarkable dependence of reaction temperature,amount and acidity of the catalyst. The results indicate the advantage of supporting HPW on carbonaceousmaterial for using as catalyst in hydrolysis of cellulose, showing better conversion rate into sugars comparingwith unsupported HPW.Keywords: heteropoly acid; activated carbon support; hydrolysis of cellulose

Hydrolysis of cellulose using heteropoly salts derivatives from H3PW12O40 with different redox properties as catalysts

Heteropoly salts containing different numbers of vanadium atoms (K4[PVW11O40] - KPWV1 andK6[PV3W9O40] - KPWV3) were synthesized from the heteropoly acid H3PW12O40 (HPW), and used as catalystsin hydrolysis of cellulose reactions in order to change the redox properties and verify whether the clusterof catalysts are involved in mechanism reaction. The hydrolysis reactions following a full 23 factorialdesign with the variables: mass ratio (catalyst/substrate), reaction time and temperature. The variables evaluatedwere significant at a 90% confidence level including second and third order interactions. According tothe conducted experiments, the catalysts were all active in hydrolysis. The best results occurred when HPWwas used suggesting that the redox properties did not have much influence in depolymerization of celluloseand the hydrolysis mechanism are assigned to acidic properties of the medium. The main products obtainedfrom the reactions were glucose and HMF, which are products of great interest in the chemical industry

Gold nanoparticles inhibit steroid-insensitive asthma in mice preserving histone deacetylase 2 and NRF2 pathways

Background: Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can inhibit pivotal pathological changes in experimental asthma, but their effect on steroid-insensitive asthma is unclear. The current study assessed the effectiveness of nebulized AuNPs in a murine model of glucocorticoid (GC)-resistant asthma. Methods: A/J mice were sensitized and subjected to intranasal instillations of ovalbumin (OVA) once a week for nine weeks. Two weeks after starting allergen stimulations, mice were subjected to Budesonide or AuNP nebulization 1 h before stimuli. Analyses were carried out 24 h after the last provocation. Results: We found that mice challenged with OVA had airway hyperreactivity, eosinophil, and neutrophil infiltrates in the lung, concomitantly with peribronchiolar fibrosis, mucus production, and pro-inflammatory cytokine generation compared to sham-challenged mice. These changes were inhibited in mice treated with AuNPs, but not Budesonide. In the GCresistant asthmatic mice, oxidative stress was established, marked by a reduction in nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) levels and catalase activity, accompanied by elevated values of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), phosphoinositide 3-kinases δ (PI3Kδ) expression, as well as a reduction in the nuclear expression of histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) in the lung tissue, all of which sensitive to AuNPs but not Budesonide treatment. Conclusion: These findings suggest that AuNPs can improve GC-insensitive asthma by preserving HDAC2 and NRF2

Increasing the chances of natural conception: opinion statement from the the brazilian federation of gynecology and obstetrics associations - FEBRASGO - committee of gynecological endocrinology

Considering that myths and misconceptions regarding natural procreation spread rapidly in the era of easy access to information and to social networks, adequate counseling about natural fertility and spontaneous conception should be encouraged in any kind of health assistance. Despite the fact that there is no strong-powered evidence about any of the aspects related to natural fertility, literature on how to increase the chances of a spontaneous pregnancy is available. In the present article, the Brazilian Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Associations (FEBRASGO, in the Portuguese acronym) Committee on Endocrine Gynecology provides suggestions to optimize counseling for non-infertile people attempting spontaneous conception41318319

Potential of PEGylated toll-like receptor 7 ligands for controlling inflammation and functional changes in mouse models of asthma and silicosis

Prior investigations show that signaling activation through pattern recognition receptors can directly impact a number of inflammatory lung diseases. While toll-like receptor (TLR) 7 agonists have raised interest for their ability to inhibit allergen-induced pathological changes in experimental asthma conditions, the putative benefit of this treatment is limited by adverse effects. Our aim was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of two PEGylated purine-like compounds, TMX-302 and TMX-306, characterized by TLR7 partial agonistic activity; therefore, the compounds are expected to induce lower local and systemic adverse reactions. In vitro approaches and translation to murine models of obstructive and restrictive lung diseases were explored. In vitro studies with human PBMCs showed that both TMX-302 and TMX-306 marginally affects cytokine production as compared with equivalent concentrations of the TLR7 full agonist, TMX-202. The PEGylated compounds did not induce monocyte-derived DC maturation or B cell proliferation, differently from what observed after stimulation with TMX-202. Impact of PEGylated ligands on lung function and inflammatory changes was studied in animal models of acute lung injury, asthma, and silicosis following Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), allergen (ovalbumin), and silica inhalation, respectively. Subcutaneous injection of TMX- 302 prevented LPS- and allergen-induced airway hyper-reactivity (AHR), leukocyte infiltration, and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the lung. However, intranasal instillation of TMX-302 led to neutrophil infiltration and failed to prevent allergen-induced AHR, despite inhibiting leukocyte counts in the BAL. Aerosolized TMX-306 given prophylactically, but not therapeutically, inhibited pivotal asthma features. Interventional treatment with intranasal instillation of TMX-306 significantly reduced the pulmonary fibrogranulomatous response and the number of silica particles in lung interstitial space in silicotic mice. These findings highlight the potential of TMX-306, emphasizing its value in drug development for lung diseases, and particularly silicosis

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio