Development of a biosponge based on Luffa cylindrica and crosslinked chitosan for Allura red AC adsorption

A new bioadsorbent from Luffa cylindrica and cross-linked chitosan was proposed in the present study. Luffa was used as a natural support medium for chitosan crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (LCsG) and epichlorohydrin (LCsE). Biosponges were applied to remove Allura red from aqueous solutions. LCsG and LCsE were produced using different concentrations of chitosan (1%, 3% and 5% (m v−1)) and crosslinking agents (0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5% (v v−1)). Based on the FT-IR spectra, functional groups characteristic of chitosan crosslinked with glutaraldehyde and epichlorohydrin confirmed the crosslinking. In addition, the biosorbent revealed highly efficient functional groups and morphology with irregularities favorable for adsorption. It was found that the increase in the percentage of glutaraldehyde and epichlorohydrin increased the sample's swelling degree, and the degree of cross-linking was greater than 80% for all LCsG. The results regarding the degree of swelling and degree of crosslinking corroborated with the evaluation of the biosponge's adsorptive potential. The Sips model predicted the equilibrium isotherms, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 89.05 mg g−1 for LCsG and 60.91 mg g−1 for LCsE. The new procedure was successful. Luffa was excellent support for chitosan, resulting in an attractive, low-cost bioadsorbent, preventing renewable sources

Determinants of the Sympatric Host-Pathogen Relationship in Tuberculosis

Major contributions from pathogen genome analysis and host genetics have equated the possibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis co-evolution with its human host leading to more stable sympatric host-pathogen relationships. However, the attribution to either sympatric or allopatric categories depends on the resolution or grain of genotypic characterization. We explored the influence on the sympatric host-pathogen relationship of clinical (HIV infection and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis [MDRTB]) and demographic (gender and age) factors in regards to the genotypic grain by using spacer oligonucleotide typing (spoligotyping) for classification of M. tuberculosis strains within the Euro-American lineage. We analyzed a total of 547 tuberculosis (TB) cases, from six year consecutive sampling in a setting with high TB-HIV coinfection (32.0%). Of these, 62.0% were caused by major circulating pathogen genotypes. The sympatric relationship was defined according to spoligotype in comparison to the international spoligotype database SpolDB4. While no significant association with Euro-American lineage was observed with any of the factors analyzed, increasing the resolution with spoligotyping evidenced a significant association of MDRTB with sympatric strains, regardless of the HIV status. Furthermore, distribution curves of the prevalence of sympatric and allopatric TB in relation to patients' age showed an accentuation of the relevance of the age of onset in the allopatric relationship, as reflected in the trimodal distribution. On the contrary, sympatric TB was characterized by the tendency towards a typical (standard) distribution curve. Our results suggest that within the Euro-American lineage a greater degree of genotyping fine-tuning is necessary in modeling the biological processes behind the host-pathogen interplay. Furthermore, prevalence distribution of sympatric TB to age was suggestive of host genetic determinisms driven by more common variants.Luso-American Development Foundation: (LACR Award program - 2007), European Community fund: (FEDER)

Alterações nos atributos químicos do solo proveniente da adição de fontes alternativas portadoras de potássio.

Dada a enorme geodiversidade que ocorre no Brasil, a tecnologia da aplicação de pó de rocha (rochagem) configura-se como uma excelente alternativa ao fornecimento de nutrientes no solo. Objetivou-se avaliar os efeitos de fontes alternativas de nutrientes nos atributos químicos do solo em um experimento de incubação realizado em casa de vegetação. Foi conduzido em vasos com 5 kg preenchidos com um Latossolo Vermelho Amarelo distrófico de textura média, com teor de K (Mehlich-1) de 0,06 cmolc dm-3 de solo. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado e os tratamentos foram distribuídos em arranjo fatorial 5 x 9 x 3, sendo cinco doses de potássio (0, 150, 300, 450 e 600 kg ha-1 de K2O) e nove fontes alternativas de nutrientes (verdete, 25C:75V, verdete tratado com NH4OH, ultramáfica, 25C:75U, fonolito, 25C:75F, resíduo de mineração, 25C:75R), com três repetições. As fontes alternativas de nutrientes foram aplicadas e incorporadas ao solo, deixando-os em incubação por um período de 45 dias, com a umidade em torno de 70% da capacidade de campo, e, após isto, foram feitas análises do solo. Os fertilizantes potássicos alteraram a disponibilidade de nutrientes, sendo que o resíduo de mineração e sua mistura foram os que mais liberaram K para o solo em todas as doses testadas

Fontes alternativas de potássio para a nutrição da Brachiaria Brizantha cv Marandu.

As gramíneas forrageiras são relativamente exigentes em potássio (K), principalmente em sistemas intensivos de exploração das pastagens. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos de fontes alternativas de nutrientes na produção e nutrição do capim Marandu cultivado em casa de vegetação. O experimento foi conduzido em vasos com 5 kg preenchidos com um Latossolo Vermelho Amarelo distrófico de textura média, com teor de K (Mehlich-1) de 0,06 cmolc dm-3 no solo em delineamento inteiramente casualizado. Os tratamentos foram distribuídos em arranjo fatorial 5 x 10 x 3, sendo cinco doses de potássio (0, 150, 300, 450 e 600 kg ha-1 de K2O) e nove fontes alternativas de nutrientes (verdete, 25C:75V, verdete tratado com NH4OH, ultramáfica, 25C:75U, fonolito, 25C:75F, resíduo de mineração, 25C:75R) e KCl com três repetições. As fontes alternativas de nutrientes foram aplicadas e incorporadas ao solo, deixando-os em incubação por um período de 45 dias, com a umidade de 70% da capacidade de campo. Foram semeadas 30 sementes por vasos, fez o desbaste deixando cinco plantas por vasos. Após 60 dias após o desbate foi feito o 1º corte das plantas, os demais cortes foram feitos 40 dias depois, totalizando 4 cortes. Quantificou-se a matéria seca (MS) nas partes das plantas, (folhas + colmo + bainha) e raiz. Determinou-se o teor de potássio na parte aérea e a eficiência agronômica (E.A) das rochas. A adubação potássica proporcionou incrementos na produção de matéria seca. A EA da mistura 25C:75R e da ultramáfica foram maiores que a do KCl

Fracionamento de potássio em solos adubados com fontes alternativas.

A maioria dos solos brasileiros é constituída por solos ácidos e pobres em nutrientes. Para torná-los produtivos, são utilizadas grandes quantidades de fertilizantes, que englobam cerca de 40% dos custos variáveis de produção. Dessa forma, buscou-se com este trabalho quantificar as diferentes formas de potássio advindos da aplicação de rochas e resíduo no solo. Foram utilizadas amostras de um Latossolo Vermelho Amarelo distrófico de textura média, ao qual foram adicionadas as seguintes fontes alternativas de nutrientes: fonolito, mistura de fonolito, verdete, mistura de verdete, verdete tratado com NH4OH e calcinado (verdete NH4OH), ultramáfica, mistura de ultramáfica, resíduo de mineração de manganês e sua mistura. Com os dados obtidos, foi verificado que os teores de potássio total diferiram significativamente entre os tratamentos e as doses de K2O aplicadas, sendo maior nas maiores doses, com exceção do 25:75V, ultramáfica e 25:75U que diferiram apenas em relação à dose zero. Os valores de K na solução são baixos, evidenciando solos bem intemperizados. Notou-se ainda que os tratamentos aplicados resultam na liberação lenta de potássio

Nitrogen in water-Portugal and Denmark: two contrasting realities

ReviewAgricultural activities are responsible for most of the nitrogen (N) inputs that degrade water quality. To elucidate the drivers leading to N pressures on water, we examined the resulting state of surface waters in terms of N concentrations, the impact of this on water quality status and policy responses to these constraints across different climatic and management conditions. Portugal and Denmark were chosen as contrasting case studies for the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) analysis. Our results showed reductions of 39% and 25% in the use of mineral fertilizer in Portugal and Denmark, respectively, between 2000 and 2010. The N surplus in Portugal varied between 15 and 30 kg N ha -1 between 1995 and 2015. In Denmark, in 2015, this amount was 70 kg N ha -1, representing a 53% decrease from the 1990 value. The average amount of total N discharged to surface waters was 7 kg ha -1 for mainland Portugal in 2015 and 14.6 kg ha -1 for Denmark in 2014. These reductions in the N surplus were attributed to historical policies aimed at N pressure abatement. In Denmark, N losses are expected to decline further through the continuation or improvement of existing national action plans. In Portugal, they are expected to decline further due to the expansion of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones and the introduction of targeted policies aimed at improving N use effciency and reducing losses to waterinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Etrace Express: software for risk analysis of trace elements in inorganic fertilizers - user's manual and reference guide.

bitstream/item/77800/1/doc-300.pd

Phenotype of BTK‐lacking myeloid cells during prolonged COVID‐19 and upon convalescent plasma

© 2022 The Authors. European Journal of Haematology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.XLA patient with 7-month course of COVID-19 with persistent plasma SARS-CoV-2 load revealed a sustained non-inflammatory profile of myeloid cells in association with contained severity of disease, arguing in favor of the use of BTK inhibitors in SARS-COV-2 infection.This work was funded by the following grants from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, through “Apoio Especial Research4COVID-19,” project numbers 125 and 803. André M. C. Gomes and Guilherme B. Farias received Fellowships funded by FCT (Doctorates4COVID-19, 2020.10202.BD), and Janssen-Cilag Farmacêutica, respectively.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cold atmospheric plasma, a novel approach against bladder cancer, with higher sensitivity for the high-grade cell line

Antitumor therapies based on Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) are an emerging medical field. In this work, we evaluated CAP effects on bladder cancer. Two bladder cancer cell lines were used, HT-1376 (stage III) and TCCSUP (stage IV). Cell proliferation assays were performed evaluating metabolic activity (MTT assay) and protein content (SRB assay). Cell viability, cell cycle, and mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) were assessed using flow cytometry. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were evaluated by fluorescence. The assays were carried out with different CAP exposure times. For both cell lines, we obtained a significant reduction in metabolic activity and protein content. There was a decrease in cell viability, as well as a cell cycle arrest in S phase. The Δψm was significantly reduced. There was an increase in superoxide and nitric oxide and a decrease in peroxide contents, while GSH content did not change. These results were dependent on the exposure time, with small differences for both cell lines, but overall, they were more pronounced in the TCCSUP cell line. CAP showed to have a promising antitumor effect on bladder cancer, with higher sensitivity for the high-grade cell line.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio