Chemical Diversity of Natural Resources and the Bioactivity of their Constituents

Natural products (NPs) have historically been an important source of lead molecules in drug discovery. However, the interest that the pharmaceutical industry has had in NPs has declined in part because of the lack of compatibility of traditional natural-product extract libraries with high-throughput screenings and the low hit rate. Furthermore, in contrast to the synthetic libraries, compounds from natural sources are likely to have complex structures which slow down the identification process and contribute to problems related to supply and manufacturing. In this paper, we summarise some of the strategies that are being developed in our research unit to address these issues. On one hand, differential screening strategies were established with the aim of identifying dynamically induced NPs from silent biosynthetic pathways in plants and fungi that had been exposed to different stress situations. On the other hand, high-resolution HPLC techniques were optimised for biological and chemical profiling of crude extracts. This led to an integrated platform for rapid and efficient identification of new drug-leads and biomarkers of interest that were based on miniaturised technological approaches and metabolomics

Metabolomics in Ecology and Bioactive Natural Products Discovery: Challenges and Prospects for a Comprehensive Study of the Specialised Metabolome

Metabolomics is playing an increasingly prominent role in chemical ecology and in the discovery of bioactive natural products (NPs). The identification of metabolites is a common/central objective in both research fields. NPs have significant biological properties and play roles in multiple chemical-ecological interactions. Classically, in pharmacognosy, their chemical structure is determined after a complex process of isolating and interpreting spectroscopic data. With the advent of powerful analytical techniques such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) the annotation process of the specialised metabolome of plants and microorganisms has improved considerably. In this article, we summarise the possibilities opened by these advances and illustrate how we harnessed them in our own research to automate annotations of NPs and target the isolation of key compounds. In addition, we are also discussing the analytical and computational challenges associated with these emerging approaches and their perspective

Técnicas Minimamente Invasivas em Cirurgia Geral: Benefícios, Limitações e Futuras Perspectivas.

General surgery has been undergoing a revolution with the introduction and refinement of minimally invasive techniques (MITs), which are distinguished by offering lower postoperative morbidity and faster recovery when compared to conventional open techniques. This article reviews the current state, benefits, limitations, and future perspectives of MITs in general surgery, with an emphasis on laparoscopy, robotic surgery, and endoscopy. A detailed search strategy was carried out in academic databases, focusing on studies that report the clinical outcomes of MITs. The review synthesizes findings from relevant studies, assessing the efficacy of MITs in different clinical contexts. Comprehensive discussions are provided on the outcomes, with attention to current limitations, such as the learning curve and associated costs, and recommendations for future research are offered. Notably, the analysis of studies demonstrates that laparoscopy continues to be the gold standard for many procedures, while robotic surgery is growing, although its costs remain a limiting factor. Endoscopy has proven particularly promising for diagnostic and therapeutic gastrointestinal procedures. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for ongoing training, technological development, and cost-benefit assessments to maximize the potential of MITs.A cirurgia geral tem passado por uma revolução com a introdução e aperfeiçoamento das técnicas minimamente invasivas (TMIs), que se destacam por oferecer menor morbidade pós-operatória e recuperação mais rápida quando comparadas às técnicas convencionais abertas. Este artigo revisa o estado atual, os benefícios, limitações e perspectivas futuras das TMIs em cirurgia geral, com ênfase em laparoscopia, cirurgia robótica e endoscopia. Uma estratégia de busca detalhada foi realizada em bancos de dados acadêmicos, focando em estudos que relatam os resultados clínicos de TMIs. A revisão sintetiza descobertas de estudos relevantes, avaliando a eficácia das TMIs em diferentes contextos clínicos. Discussões abrangentes são fornecidas sobre os resultados, com atenção às limitações atuais, como a curva de aprendizado e os custos associados, e são oferecidas recomendações para pesquisa futura. Notavelmente, a análise de estudos demonstra que a laparoscopia continua a ser o padrão-ouro para muitos procedimentos, enquanto a cirurgia robótica está em crescimento, embora seus custos ainda sejam um fator limitante. A endoscopia mostrou-se particularmente promissora para procedimentos diagnósticos e terapêuticos gastrointestinais. O artigo conclui enfatizando a necessidade de treinamento contínuo, desenvolvimento tecnológico e avaliações de custo-benefício para maximizar o potencial das TMIs. &nbsp

Psychological Distress in Men during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil: The Role of the Sociodemographic Variables, Uncertainty, and Social Support

Objective: To analyze the relationships between sociodemographic variables, intolerance to uncertainty (INT), social support, and psychological distress (i.e., indicators of Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) and perceived stress (PS)) in Brazilian men during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study with national coverage, of the web survey type, and conducted with 1006 Brazilian men during the period of social circulation restriction imposed by the health authorities in Brazil for suppression of the coronavirus and control of the pandemic. Structural equation modeling analysis was performed. Results: Statistically significant direct effects of race/skin color ( = 0.268; p-value < 0.001), socioeconomic status (SES) ( = 0.306; p-value < 0.001), household composition( = 0.281; p-value < 0.001), PS ( = 0.513; p-value < 0.001), and INT ( = 0.421; p-value < 0.001) were evidenced in the occurrence of CMDs. Black-skinned men with higher SES, living alone, and with higher PS and INT levels presented higher prevalence values of CMDs. Conclusions: High levels of PS and INT were the factors that presented the strongest associations with the occurrence of CMDs among the men. It is necessary to implement actions to reduce the stress-generating sources as well as to promote an increase in resilience and the development of intrinsic reinforcements to deal with uncertain threats.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Contenção mecânica: condutas adotadas pela equipe de enfermagem em uma unidade de emergência psiquiátrica / Mechanical containment: behaviors adopted by the nursing team in a psychiatric emergency unit

O estudo objetivou compreender as condutas adotadas pela equipe de enfermagem em uma unidade de emergência psiquiátrica na realização da contenção mecânica. Estudo de natureza exploratória e descritiva, de abordagem qualitativa. A coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de uma entrevista individual semiestruturada e analisadas segundo a análise de conteúdo. Participaram 05 enfermeiros e 33 técnicos de enfermagem. Através desse estudo foi possível identificar que a equipe de enfermagem não está preparada para atuar na contenção mecânica, uma vez que não realizam o procedimento seguindo as recomendações do protocolo de contenção estabelecido pela instituição. Desta forma, compromete a segurança do paciente e dos profissionais que estão diretamente envolvidos no procedimento de atenção emergencial ao paciente com transtorno mental

Investigation of medicinal plants for the treatment of neglected diseases

Higher plants represent a rich source of new molecules with pharmacological properties, which could become lead compounds for the development of new drug products. During the last decades, the renewed interest in investigating natural substances has led to the introduction of several important drugs, such as the anticancer substances vinblastine, vincristine, taxol and camptothecine derivatives, or the antimalarial agent artemisinin. Despite recent scientific and technological advances, parasitic diseases continue to affect millions of people in both tropical and subtropical zones of the world. On the other hand the drugs used for the treatment of most parasitic diseases are extremely limited. In this field, natural products constitute a reservoir of new molecules with potential therapeutic interest. An outline is presented here of some important results obtained by the Laboratory of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry of the University of Geneva on plants used to treat some of the neglected diseases. The strategy employed for the study of these plants is outlined, covering all aspects from the selection of plant material to the isolation of the active substances. Different bioactivities have been investigated such as the search for new molluscicidal and larvicidal agents. Results are also included for antileishimanial and antimalarial compounds