Effect of Microstructural Refinement on Electrical Properties of BST-Based Ceramics Prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering and Spark Plasma Texturing

Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstrac

Particle characteristics’ influence on FLASH sintering of potassium sodium niobate: A relationship with conduction mechanisms

Funding Information: This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020 & UIDP/50011/2020, financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC and when appropriate, co-financed by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. This work was also financed by Portugal 2020 through European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), in the frame of Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Programme (POCI), in the scope of the project "FLASH sintering of lead-free functional oxides towards sustainable processing of materials for energy and related applications-FLASH", POCI-01-0247-FEDER-029078. Ricardo Serrazina acknowledges FCT for financial support (SFRH/PD/BD/128411/2017).The considerable decrease in temperature and time makes FLASH sintering a more sustainable alternative for materials processing. FLASH also becomes relevant if volatile elements are part of the material to be processed, as in alkali‐based piezoelectrics like the promising lead‐free K0.5Na0.5NbO3 (KNN). Due to the volatile nature of K and Na, KNN is difficult to process by conventional sintering. Although some studies have been undertaken, much remains to be understood to properly engineer the FLASH sintering process of KNN. In this work, the effect of FLASH temperature, TF, is studied as a function of the particle size and impurity content of KNN powders. Differences are demonstrated: while the particle size and impurity degree markedly influence TF, they do not significantly affect the densification and grain growth processes. The conductivity of KNN FLASH‐sintered ceramics and KNN single crystals (SCs) is compared to elucidate the role of particles’ surface conduction. When particles’ surfaces are not present, as in the case of SCs, the FLASH process requires higher temperatures and conductivity values. These results have implications in understanding FLASH sintering towards a more sustainable processing of lead‐free piezoelectrics.publishersversionpublishe

AVALIAÇÃO DE DIVERSAS FORMULAÇÕES DE XAMPUS DE CETOCONAZOL QUANTO AO EMPREGO DE DIFERENTES ANTIOXIDANTES E SOLUBILIZANTES

Xampus são produtos para a limpeza ou fixação de substâncias nos fios de cabelo ou couro cabeludo. Especialmente nos produtos de tratamento, esta ação de limpeza pode ser acompanhada de uma ação farmacológica estimulante ou normalizadora das funções fisiológicas do bulbo capilar e das glândulas sebáceas. Os problemas dermatológicos do couro cabeludo ou cabelos considerados mais comuns são a caspa e a seborréia. Grande parte dos tratamentos comerciais disponíveis no mercado para essas duas afecções cutâneas apresenta agentes antifúngicos como o piritionato de zinco, sulfeto de selênio, ciclopirox olamina e em especial o cetoconazol, composto vastamente prescrito e manipulado em farmácias magistrais e que conhecidamente pode modificar a estabilidade dos xampus. Formulações com cetoconazol alteram a coloração do produto ao qual ele está incorporado e por este motivo a utilização de um agente antioxidante torna-se indispensável. Nesse contexto, o objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar diferentes formulações de xampu de cetoconazol a 2% quanto ao seu aspecto visual, pH e viscosidade após o emprego de diferentes antioxidantes e solubilizantes. Das formulações testadas, as que utilizaram o dipropilenoglicol e o ácido clorídrico 1N como solubilizantes apresentaram melhor eficácia. O metabissulfito de sódio mostrou ser o agente antioxidante mais adequado, pois o tempo para que a alteração da cor se iniciasse foi maior quando comparado às fórmulas contendo BHT. Ficou demonstrado que as formulações em que o cetoconazol foi solubilizado com ácido clorídrico apresentaram maior viscosidade quando comparado a um padrão de referência

Nutritional and functional evaluation of inula crithmoides and mesembryanthemum nodiflorum grown in different salinities for human consumption

The nutritional composition and productivity of halophytes is strongly related to the biotic/abiotic stress to which these extremophile salt tolerant plants are subjected during their cultivation cycle. In this study, two commercial halophyte species (Inula crithmoides and Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum) were cultivated at six levels of salinity using a soilless cultivation system. In this way, it was possible to understand the response mechanisms of these halophytes to salt stress. The relative productivity decreased from the salinities of 110 and 200 mmol L−1 upwards for I. crithmoides and M. nodiflorum, respectively. Nonetheless, the nutritional profile for human consumption remained balanced. In general, I. crithmoides vitamin (B1 and B6) contents were significantly higher than those of M. nodiflorum. For both species, β-carotene and lutein were induced by salinity, possibly as a response to oxidative stress. Phenolic compounds were more abundant in plants cultivated at lower salinities, while the antioxidant activity increased as a response to salt stress. Sensory characteristics were evaluated by a panel of culinary chefs showing a preference for plants grown at the salt concentration of 350 mmol L−1. In summary, salinity stress was effective in boosting important nutritional components in these species, and the soilless system promotes the sustainable and safe production of halophyte plants for human consumption.CCMAR/Multi/04326/201, MED/UIDB/05183/202, SFRH/BD/140143/2018, SFRH/BD/149398/2019info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O “louva-a-deus-de-cobra”, Phibalosoma sp. (Insecta, Phasmida), segundo a percepção dos moradores de Pedra Branca, Santa Terezinha, Bahia, Brasil

This paper discusses the way the dwellers from the town of Pedra Branca, located in the state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil, perceive and relate with the stick insects (Insect, Phasmida). Part of the data was obtained in one day in May 2004 by performing open-ended interviews with 12 children and adolescents, whose ages ranged from 5 to 17 years old. Additional data was obtained from February to May 2001 by performing open-ended interviews with 25 men and 26 women, whose ages ranged from 24 to 82 years old. Results show that people usually gather insects from three different taxa (Phasmida, Mantodea, and Tettigoniidae) under the label “snake-mantis”. Interviewees have provided information related to the ethnotaxonomy, behavior, ontogeny, morphology, habitat, and food ecology of the stick insects. The most commented and widespread knowledge regarding these insects refers to their biotransformation or metamorphic process, where it is believed they originate from plants, and then change themselves into snakes locally known as “cobra-de-cipó”. The metamorphosis of the snake-mantis has significance in the way people understand and relate with it.Este artigo discute como os habitantes do povoado de Pedra Branca, localizado no estado da Bahia, nordeste do Brasil, percebem e se relacionam com os bichos-pau (Insecta, Phasmida). Parte dos dados foi obtida em um dia de trabalho de campo realizado em maio de 2004 através de entrevistas semi-estruturadas com 12 crianças e adolescentes, cujas idades variaram dos 5 aos 17 anos. A estes dados foram acrescentados aqueles obtidos de fevereiro a maio de 2001 por meio de entrevistas semi-estruturadas realizadas com 25 homens e 26 mulheres, cuja faixa etária variou de 24 a 82 anos. Os resultados mostram que os indivíduos costumam reunir insetos de três táxons diferentes (Phasmida, Mantodea e Tettigoniidae) sob o rótulo “louva-a-deus-de-cobra”. Os entrevistados forneceram informações sobre etnotaxonomia, comportamento, ontogenia, morfologia, habitat e ecologia trófica do bicho-pau. O conhecimento local mais marcante relacionado com esses insetos se refere a sua biotransformação ou processo metamórfico, onde se acredita que eles se originam de plantas e depois “se transformam” em cobras conhecidas localmente como “cobra-de-cipó”. Conclui-se que a metamorfose do bicho-pau resulta importante no modo como os indivíduos compreendem e se relacionam com esse inseto

How oogenesis analysis combined with dna barcode can help to elucidate taxonomic ambiguities: A polychaete study-based approach

Polychaetes are common in coastal and estuarine environments worldwide and constitute one of the most complex groups of marine invertebrates. The morpho-physiology of the female reproductive system (FRS) can be understood by using histological tools to describe reproductive cycle and gametogenesis paths and, among other purposes, aiming to identify and differentiate polychaete species. However, this histology-based approach is rarely combined with molecular tools, which is known to accurately delimitate species. In the same way, the description and understanding of oogenesis and vitellogenesis paths within polychaetes are lacking for most families, narrowing the range of its utility. Therefore, the present study aims to describe the oogenesis in three polychaete species common and abundant on the South American Atlantic coast (Laeonereis culveri, Scolelepis goodbodyi and Capitella biota) and investigate the utility of reproductive features and gametogenesis as a relevant associate knowledge to discriminate species, particularly useful for putative cryptic species, integrated with morphological and molecular data. In a first attempt, the results obtained herein allow the authors to describe two new subtypes of oogenesis, dividing it in extraovarian oogenesis type I and II and intraovarian type I and II. The results also demonstrate that the following histological characters of the FRS can be relevant for the separation of related species: a) oogenesis type, b) occurrence or absence of a true ovary, c) ovary tissue organization, d) type of accessory cells present, and e) oocyte morphology. Additionally, these histological features of FRS, when compared with correlated species studied under this scope, converge with the genetic data. The analysis of cytochrome oxidase I (COI) barcode sequences differentiates between North and South American Atlantic populations of L. culveri (16.78% genetic distance), while in S. goodbodyi and C. biota it discriminates them from their congeneric species. These results highlight theOs poliquetas são comuns em ambientes costeiros e estuarinos em todo o mundo e constituem um dos grupos mais complexos de invertebrados marinhos. A morfo-fisiologia do sistema reprodutor feminino (FRS) pode ser compreendida por meio de ferramentas histológicas para identificar e diferenciar estes anelídeos. No entanto, essa abordagem histológica raramente é combinada com ferramentas moleculares, amplamente conhecidas por delimitar espécies congenéricas ou crípticas com maior precisão. Do mesmo modo, a descrição e o entendimento da oogênese e vitelogênese dentre os poliquetas, para a maioria das famílias, é ainda limitado. Portanto, o presente estudo tem como objetivo descrever a oogênese em três espécies de poliquetas comuns e abundantes na costa sul-americana (Laeonereis culveri, Scolelepis goodbodyi e Capitella biota) e investigar a utilidade das características reprodutivas e da gametogênese como um conhecimento associado relevante para discriminar espécies, particularmente útil para espécies crípticas putativas, integradas a dados morfológicos e moleculares. Os resultados aqui obtidos permitiram descrever dois novos subtipos de oogênese, dividindo-a em oogênese extra-ovariana dos tipos I e II e intra-ovariana dos tipos I e II. Os resultados também demonstram que os seguintes caracteres histológicos do FRS podem ser relevantes para a separação de espécies relacionadas: a) tipo de oogênese, b) presença ou ausência de um ovário verdadeiro, c) organização tissular ovariana, d) tipo de células acessórias presentes e, e) morfologia do ovócito. Além disso, essas características histológicas do FRS, quando comparadas às espécies correlatas estudadas sob esse escopo, convergem com os dados genéticos separando espécies putativas e congenéricas. As análises com DNA barcode demonstraram que em L. culveri é possível diferenciar as populações atlânticas Norte e Sul-americanas (16,78% de distância genética), enquanto para S. goodbodyi e C. biota fica evidente sua distinção com espécies congenéricas. Esses resultados destacam a importância da abordagem com múltiplas ferramentas e mostram que tanto a histologia quanto a histo-fisiologia do FRS e o DNA barcode podem ser usados para identificar e discriminar espécies crípticas e potencialmente crípticas, o que geralmente não é possível quando se utilizam apenas caracteres morfológicos. Além disso, esses caracteres também podem ser úteis na diferenciação de espécies relacionadas e / ou populações geograficamente distintas desses poliquetas.The authors would like to thank IB/UNICAMP, IO/USP and CEBIMar/USP for providing logistic support. In addition, the authors would like to thank the CBMA and the IB-S for the technical support. This work was supported by the FAPESP (Grants no 2011/50317-5, 2015/25623-6, 2017/06167-5) and CNPq through a productivity grant to A.C.Z.A (306534/2015-0). M.A.L.T was supported by a PhD fellowship (SFRH/BD/131527/2017) from FCT. P.E.V. was supported by a Post-Doctoral Fellowships (BPD1/next-sea/2018, NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000032). F.O.C. and the University of Minho contribution was supported by the strategic programme UID/BIA/04050/2013 POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007569

An unattended sepsis population with high mortality risk

©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can be associated with life-threatening organ dysfunction due to septic shock, frequently requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission, respiratory and vasopressor support. Therefore, clear clinical criteria are pivotal for early recognition of patients more likely to need prompt organ support. Although most patients with severe COVID-19 meet the Sepsis-3.0 criteria for septic shock, it has been increasingly recognized that hyperlactatemia is frequently absent, possibly leading to an underestimation of illness severity and mortality risk. AIM: To identify the proportion of severe COVID-19 patients with vasopressor support requirements, with and without hyperlactatemia, and describe their clinical outcomes and mortality. METHODS: We performed a single-center prospective cohort study. All adult patients admitted to the ICU with COVID-19 were included in the analysis and were further divided into three groups: Sepsis group, without both criteria; Vasoplegic Shock group, with persistent hypotension and vasopressor support without hyperlactatemia; and Septic Shock 3.0 group, with both criteria. COVID-19 was diagnosed using clinical and radiologic criteria with a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive RT-PCR test. RESULTS: 118 patients (mean age 63 years, 87% males) were included in the analysis (n = 51 Sepsis group, n = 26 Vasoplegic Shock group, and n = 41 Septic Shock 3.0 group). SOFA score at ICU admission and ICU length of stay were different between the groups (P < 0.001). Mortality was significantly higher in the Vasoplegic Shock and Septic Shock 3.0 groups when compared with the Sepsis group (P < 0.001) without a significant difference between the former two groups (P = 0.713). The log rank tests of Kaplan-Meier survival curves were also different (P = 0.007). Ventilator-free days and vasopressor-free days were different between the Sepsis vs Vasoplegic Shock and Septic Shock 3.0 groups (both P < 0.001), and similar in the last two groups (P = 0.128 and P = 0.133, respectively). Logistic regression identified the maximum dose of vasopressor therapy used (AOR 1.046; 95%CI: 1.012-1.082, P = 0.008) and serum lactate level (AOR 1.542; 95%CI: 1.055-2.255, P = 0.02) as the major explanatory variables of mortality rates (R 2 0.79). CONCLUSION: In severe COVID-19 patients, the Sepsis 3.0 criteria of septic shock may exclude approximately one third of patients with a similarly high risk of a poor outcome and mortality rate, which should be equally addressed.publishersversionpublishe

ANÁLISE CRÍTICA DE BULAS SOB A PERSPECTIVA DO USUÁRIO DE MEDICAMENTOS

O uso racional de medicamentos vem sendo discutido ao longo dos anos com a finalidade de proteger a saúde da população contra o uso indiscriminado e inadequado desses produtos. Nesse contexto, as bulas representam a principal fonte de informação dos pacientes sobre os medicamentos. Em 2003, a Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária publicou a resolução RDC nº 140, que, dentre outras inovações, cria uma bula específica para os pacientes, cujo texto deve apresentar um maior tamanho de letra e ser de fácil compreensão. Em 2009, a RDC nº 47 trouxe novas regras para aperfeiçoar aspectos mais críticos para o entendimento textual. Nesse trabalho, uma pesquisa foi realizada em Curitiba, Paraná, com voluntários abordados em farmácias comerciais e postos de saúde após a aquisição de um ou mais medicamentos, com o objetivo de avaliar itens como o hábito de ler bulas e as dificuldades encontradas nessa tarefa. Mais de 80% dos entrevistados lêem bulas e dentre as principais dificuldades relatam-se, primeiramente, a linguagem de difícil entendimento e, em segundo, o tamanho pequeno das letras que inviabilizam a leitura e compreensão do texto. Dentre os itens mais lidos estão os efeitos adversos, as indicações e posologia. Avaliando os resultados, concluiu-se que as dificuldades encontradas para sua leitura permanecem as mesmas que em anos anteriores à publicação da RDC nº 140. Entretanto, espera-se com a RDC nº 47 que essas falhas possam ser sanadas, pois são definidas nessa resolução especialmente regras para que a apresentação textual das informações seja mais clara e precisa possível para garantir o uso do medicamento da forma correta e segura

Lutzomyia longipalpis Saliva or Salivary Protein LJM19 Protects against Leishmania braziliensis and the Saliva of Its Vector, Lutzomyia intermedia

Leishmaniasis, caused by parasitic protozoa Leishmania, is transmitted by bites of female sand flies that, during blood-feeding, inject humans with parasites and saliva. Sand fly saliva has been investigated as a potential vaccine candidate. It was previously shown that immunization with Lutzomyia longipalpis saliva or salivary proteins protects against cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. In the present study, we evaluated if immunization with Lu. longipalpis saliva or DNA plasmid coding for a specific sand fly salivary protein (LJM19) can protect hamsters against L. braziliensis plus another sand fly saliva. Immunization with saliva or LJM19 DNA plasmid induced a mononuclear cell infiltrate which can be a marker of protection. The immune response induced by immunization with these insect molecules was able to protect animals against L. braziliensis infection as shown by the significant reduction in lesion size, parasite load in the ear and draining lymph node. These data show the important role of immune response against sand fly saliva components, suggesting the possibility to develop vaccines using a single component of saliva against Leishmania transmitted by different vectors