Kinetics of oxidative degradation of lignin-based phenolic compounds in batch reactor

Vanillin, vanillic acid, acetovanillone, syringaldehyde, syringic acid, and acetosyringone are products obtained from lignin oxidation in an alkaline medium. The evaluation of their individual degradation under oxidation conditions mimicking lignin oxidation is an important tool to better understand this reaction and maximize the yield of target value-added products. In this context, the main objective of the present work was to study the kinetics of degradation of the selected ligninbased phenolic compounds. The effect of temperature, initial concentration, and oxygen partial pressure was evaluated, and a simple mathematical model was developed to describe the data from the degradation of the phenolics during oxidation reactions. The results indicate that, for all the evaluated compounds, the reaction order is first order with respect to both the initial phenolic compound concentration and oxygen concentration. A high degradation rate was found for the reactions performed at 413 K, and an activation energy in the range of 53−86 kJ/mol was found for all the studied phenolic compounds. Moreover, syringic acid is the phenolic compound more prone to degradation, while vanillin is the less one.This work is a result of Project “AIProcMat@N2020 - Advanced Industrial Processes and Materials for a Sustainable Northern Region of Portugal 2020”, with the reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000006, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM-UID/EQU/50020/2019 - funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) and Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal). CIMO (UID/AGR/00690/2019) through FEDER under Program PT2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Mitochondrial genetic variability of Didelphis albiventris (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae) in Brazilian localities

Didelphis albiventris is a well-known and common marsupial. Due to its high adaptability, this very widespread generalist species occurs under various environmental conditions, this even including protected regions and disturbed urban areas. We studied a 653 bp fragment of cytochrome oxidase c (COI) from 93 biological samples from seven Brazilian localities, with linear distances ranging between 58 and about 1800 km to analyze the effects of geographic distances on variability and genetic differentiation. The haplotype network presented nine haplotypes and two genetic clusters compatible with the two most distant geographic areas of the states of Minas Gerais, in the southeast, and Rio Grande do Sul, in the extreme south. As each cluster was characterized by low nucleotide and high haplotype diversities, their populations were obviously composed of closely related haplotypes. Surprisingly, moderate to high F ST differentiation values and a very weak phylogeographic signal characterizes interpopulation comparisons within Minas Gerais interdemes, these being correlated with the presence of privative haplotypes. On a larger geographic scale, a comparison between demes from Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul presented high F ST values and a robust phylogeographic pattern. This unexpected scenario implies that mtDNA gene flow was insufficient to maintain population cohesion, reflected by the observed high differentiation

Influência dos perfis Th1/Th2 no espectro de gravidade da Tuberculose Pulmonar** Trabalho de Inverstigaçã subsidiado pelo Projecto 57/95da comissão de Foment da Inverstigação do Ministério da Saude, do qual foi Coordenadora a Dra Maria Alcide Tavares Marques.

RESUMO: No contexto epidemiológico da tuberculose (TB) que presentemente assola o nosso país destaca-se o número progressivamente crescente de formas clínicas graves e que atingem indivíduos aparentemente imunocompetentes. Na tentativa de contribuir para o esclarecimento dos fenómenos que na intimidade do pulmão profundo comandam as perturbações patogénicas que ocorrem nestas situações, estudámos 35 doentes portadores de tuberculose pulmonar (TP), todos VIH negativos e sem toxicodependência, divididos, logo na fase inicial, por dois Grupos (I e II) em função da expressão clínica da sua afecção: ⢠Grupo I, constituído por 15 doentes que exibiam formas limitadas e clinicamente meos graves, 13 do sexo masculino e 2 do feminino, com uma média de idades de 45.6±18.2 anos. ⢠Grupo II, formado por 20 pacientes atingidos por formas graves, com lesões muito extensas, por vezes com bacilos resistentes, 14 homens e 6 mulheres, com uma média de idades de 32.8±4.8 anos. A metodologia utilizada dirigiu-se à avaliação da imunidade celular e humoral, tanto no pulmão profundo (LLBA), como no sangue periférico, através dos seguintes parâmetros: ⢠Celularidade total e percentual do LLBA, com recurso à câmara de Neubauer e leitura por microscopia óptica. ⢠Contagem das populações e subpopulações linfocitárias CD3, CD19, CD4, CD8, γ/δ, CD16 CD56, CD4+CD7+(Th1), CD4+CD7- (Th2), com anticorpos monoclonais e leitura por citometria de fluxo. ⢠Determinação dos níveis intracelulares das citocinas γ-INF e IL-4, por citometria de fluxo. ⢠Doseamento sanguíneo das Igs A, G e M, das fracções C3 e C4 do Complemento e da α-1-antitripsina, por nefelometria. ⢠Avaliação da autofluorescência dos macrófagos alveolares, com contagens acima dos 10, 100 e 1000 canais, por citometria de fluxo. ⢠Análise estatística dos resultados através da variância, test t-student, médias e desvios padrões e correlação linear. Dos resultados obtidos salienta-se: ⢠Presença de uma moderada alveolite, de predomínio macrofágico, no Grupo I, e linfocitário, acompanhado de um ligeiro aumento do número de polimorfonucleares neutrófilos, no Grupo II. ⢠No pulmão profundo, as células T e a subpopulação CD4 encontravam-se ligeiramente mais elevadas nas formas mais graves, enquanto que as subpopulações γ/δ e NK diminuíam com a gravidade da afecção. ⢠Predomínio do fenótipo Th1 e de γ-INF nas áreas lesadas das formas clinicamente mais moderadas e de Th2 e IL-4 nas mais graves. ⢠No sangue periférico, os Th1 e a citocina γ-INF encontravam-se sempre em níveis mais elevados do que os Th2 e a IL-4, independentemente da gravidade da situação. ⢠A auto-fluorescência dos macrófagos alveolares diminuía muito significativamente, de uma forma paralela à importância das lesões. ⢠As variações, sempre muito diminutas, da imunidade humoral, não se mostraram relevantes no contexto de gravidade da TB. ⢠O fenómeno da resistência medicamentosa, abordado separadamente, não condicionou desvios dos parâmetros analisados, quando comparado com os restantes indivíduos que integravam o Grupo II. Estes resultados sugerem as seguintes conclusões: ⢠A gravidade clínica da TP espraia-se ao longo de um espectro limitado por dois polos: um, caracterizado por um perfil Th1, com capacidade de promover a estimulação da actividade microbicida do macrófago alveolar e que, por isso, confere resistência orgânica a esta infecção; outro, no qual predomina o perfil Th2, que por inibir funcionalmente o macrófago alveolar torna o organismo mais susceptível a esta agressão micobacteriana. ⢠Assim, aquilo que sob o ponto de vista imunitário mais caracteriza a gravidade da TP é a elevação da percentagem de linfócitos Th2 e das, respectivas citocinas nas áreas lesadas. ⢠As variações dos perfis Th1/Th2 ocorrem fundamentalmente no pulmão profundo, já que, no sangue periférico, o perfil Th1 predominava sempre sobre o Th2, independentemente da gravidade da situação clínica. ⢠Este facto sugere que a avaliação da capacidade de resposta imunitária à infecção pelo Mycobacterium tuberculosis deverá ser efectuada localmente, através da LBA, pois é no pulmão profundo que as células Th (Th0?) se diferenciam em Th1 ou Th2, influenciadas pelo microambiente citocínico presente nessas áreas. ⢠Estes achados permitem-nos acalentar fundamentadas esperanças na terapêutica imunomoduladora, em situações clinicamente graves que não respondem satisfatoriamente à medicação antibiótica correctamente instituída. ⢠A compartimentação destas perturbações imunitárias a nível do pulmão profundo aponta para o provável interesse na utilização da via inalatória para este tipo de intervenção terapêutica. REV PORT PNEUMOL 1998; IV (6): 535-580 ABSTRACT: Under the present epidemiologic conditions of Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PT) of our country, with increasing incidence of clinical severe forms of disease in immunocompetent individuals, we tried to identify some relevant phenomena occurring in deep lung, associated with the pathogenic abnormalities seen in these situations. We studied 35 patients with PT, all HIV seronegative, without prior history of drug addiction, divided in two Groups (I and II) concerning the clinical severity and the radiological extent of infection. Group I, 15 patients with limited forms of PT, 13 males and 2 females, aged 45.6±18.2 years. Group II, 20 patients, with severe forms of PT, some with multidrug resistance bacillus, 14 males and 6 females aged 32.8±4.8 years. The methodology was directed towards the evaluation of cellular and humoral immunity, both, in deep lung through (BALF) as in peripheral blood, by the following parameters: ⢠Total and percentual cellularity of BALF by the Neubauer chamber and optic microscopy. ⢠Lymphocytic populations and subsets: CD3, CD19, CD4, CDS, γ/δ, CD16 CD56, CD4+CD7+(Th1), CD4+CD7- (Th2), with monoclonal antobodies and flow citometry. ⢠Evaluation of intracellular levels of cytokines: γ-INF and IL-4 by flow citometry. ⢠Serum levels of lgA, IgG and lgM, C3 and C4 complement fractions and α:- I Pi-inhibitor by nefelometry. ⢠Determination of alveolar macrophage autofluorescence, with counts above 10, 100 and 1000 channels by flow citometry. ⢠Statistical analisys of the results through student t test, variant analisys and linnear correlation. From the results: ⢠Moderate macrophage and lymphocytic alveolitis in Group I associated with slight increase of the number of polimorfonuclear oeutrophils in Group II. ⢠In the deep lung, the T cells and the CD4 subset are slightly increased in the severe forms, while the γ/δ ant NK subpopulations decrease with the severity of the infection. ⢠Predominance of Th1 phenotype and γ-JNF in the affected areas in the limited forms, and Th2 and IL-4 in the severe forms. ⢠In peripheral blood, the Th1 cells as well as γ-INF, reaches always higher levels than Th2 or I1-4, independent of the severity of the situation. ⢠The alveolar macrophage auto-fluorescence decreases significatively mainly in the counts above 100 channels, parallel to the importance of the lesions. ⢠The variations of the serum levels of immune-globulins are insignificant, so the humoral variations aren't relevant in the context of severity of PT. ⢠The drug resistance plenomenon, was separatelly analised and didn' t influence the results when comparing the remaining individuals of Group II. These results may suggest the following conclusions: ⢠The clinical severity of PT. is part of a spectrum limited by two poles - one characterized by the Th1 profile, with capacity to promote the stimulation of microbicide activity of the alveolar macrophage, then confering organic resistance to this infection; the other, in which Th2 profile prevails, inhibits the function of the alveolar macrophages, bringing the host more susceptible to this mycobacterial aggression. ⢠The principal mark of the severity of PT, is the increased percentage of Th2 cells as well as the concerning cytokines in the affected areas. ⢠The variations of the Th1/Th2 profiles occumainly in deep lung, once in the peripheral blood the Th1 profile always prevails, independent of the severity of the clinical situation. ⢠This may suggest that the evaluation of the immune capacity against Mycobacterium tuberculosi'i infection must be done at the local level by bronchoalveolar lavage, once the deep lung is certainly the place for differentiation of Th (Th0?) cells into Th1 or Th2, under the Influence of the cytokine microambient of these areas. ⢠These findings, allowed us to expect that immunomodulation therepeutics may be succeful in severe clinical situations not responding to a correct antibiotic therapy. ⢠The compartment of these immune abnormalities at the lung level suggest the interest of the inhalatory way in such therapeutic approaches. REV PORT PNEUMOL 1998; IV (6): 535-580 Key-words: Tuberculosis, Spectrum of Severity of Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Lymphocytic and Cytokine Spectrum of Pulmonary Tubcrculosis, Th1/Th2 Profile in Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Auto - fluorescence of Alveolar Macrophage, Immunomodulation in Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Palavras-chave: Tuberculose, Espectro de gravidade da tuberculose pulmonary, Espectro linfocitário e citocínico da tuberculose pulmonar, Perfis Th1/Th2na tuberculose pulmonar, Auto-fluorescência do macrófago alveolar, lmunomodulação da tuberculose pulmona